Chương 453: 448. A New Beginning - IV

As Calubo started pacing again, his thoughts drifted back to the past the way they often did when he was nervous. He had met Hyola at the worst time in his life. Last autumn, that giant bastard Nokozal's men had forcefully seized the last of the coin Sir Duvas had scraped up and entrusted to Calubo to buy grain from Cinran, and had dragged him off to that limestone quarry as a slave.

He still remembered the first days there too clearly—the constant dust, the pain in his shoulders after working with a pickaxe all day, the way every morning began with the same dull certainty that the day would be ugly and tiring, and the night wouldn't be much better. Hyola had been there too, another slave under Nokozal's rule, just as angry and just as trapped. They had found companionship in their shared misery and had quickly become friends there because there had been little else to hold on to.

There wasn't much they could even talk about under the constant oversight of the bandits. A hushed word here. A muttered complaint there. Sharing what little bits of food, or rest or conversation they could steal from the day. That was all, but it had been enough to forge their bond into steel. Soon after that failed ambush on the caravan from Cinran right before the winter, Nokozal had taken his men to attack Tiranat.

Calubo had somehow escaped after eliminating one of them, and had killed most of those bastards with the help of the other Tiranati guards. Before long, he had returned to the limestone quarry along with Hudan and the others, the quarry had been taken, and all the slaves there had been freed, including his favorite redhead. After that, Hyola came to live in Tiranat too. Their friendship had only grown from there. Over the last seven or eight months, they had become closer to each other than to anyone else.

It had happened so naturally that Calubo hadn't even realized when it crossed from friendship into something else. Both of them were guards at the manor, and work and training took up most of their time—long shifts, new drills, night patrols, watch duty, all of it. They did not get many hours to themselves. But even so, it had become obvious—to him, to her, and probably to everyone else around them—that they only really had eyes for each other.

By spring, Hyola had started dropping hints that were not really hints at all. She would point out married couples and make comments in that quirky tone of hers that was just casual enough to be deniable. She had done it more than once. Calubo hadn't missed the meaning even the first time. He was not stupid. He had just not known what to do with it. So he delayed. Then he delayed again.

And he kept delaying until Hyola had apparently decided that either he was too dense to understand her or too cowardly to act on it. Since then, she had started glaring at him more often, with that same sharp look she gave most people when they annoyed her. The only difference was that when she looked at him like that, it bothered him a lot more than it did others. But it hadn't been because he did not want her. That part had never been the problem. He knew he loved her. He knew she loved him too.

Some people might still say that it was too early, since they hadn't even known each other for a full year yet, but he knew how short life could be when working as a guard, so he didn't want to wait anymore to propose to her. What had held him back was everything that came after that. Before today, he hadn't earned any coin for nearly a full year, including the time he spent as a slave at the quarry. He had no savings left worth speaking of.

He had spent what little he had long ago, contributing to the manor's reserve when Sir Duvas had asked for donations last autumn. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. So how was he supposed to ask a woman to marry him when he did not even know how he would support her? Yes, Hyola worked the same job as he did, and yes, two guard wages in one household would make things a lot easier.

Even before today's raises, that would have meant 22 coppers earned daily between them instead of 11 for just one person. But still, it had never felt real enough, until he actually had those coins clenched in his hand. Then today's events happened. In front of the whole gathering at the manor, he learned that both he and Hyola were getting raises. They had both been bumped up to 12 coppers a day for good performance. It was only one copper more, but to Calubo it had felt like something larger than that.

It had felt like the last excuse being kicked out from under him. A sign from the Goddess. He decided he had waited long enough. Now he just needed to find a good chance to pop the question. And it wasn't as though he had done nothing all this time. When he had gone to Ulriga while escorting the portly merchant Pydaso, he had bought a ring. He smiled despite himself and touched the pocket where it sat now. It wasn't anything grand. Not even close. Rich merchants and nobles would probably laugh at it.

He had even had to borrow money from Pydaso to buy it, which was still embarrassing to think about. But the ring was real, and it was pretty in a way Calubo thought Hyola would like. It had a small gemstone set into it—nothing large, nothing rare by the standards of the wealthy, but certainly finer than anything most people in Tiranat had ever worn. That made it special. And Hyola was special enough already. His smile turned wider at that thought. Today was going to be the happiest day of his 21 years of life.

If he did not lose his courage first... He had just turned again at the end of the room when one of the maids stepped in from the front with a grin she was trying badly to hide.

"Your redhead is standing outside the alehouse," the maid said.

"She looks angry enough to tear an adzee in half..." Calubo stopped so suddenly he nearly forgot how to breathe. Hyola was here already? He thought he would get more time to prepare himself... Dammit! I'm not ready! He ruffled his messy black hair. What was he supposed to do now...

~ Tesyb ~ He and Savomi went into the alehouse and took seats on the tall stools in front of the bar. Hyola had not come inside yet. She was still outside the door, tapping her foot and glaring at anyone who looked her way. After giving her a wave, Tesyb and Savomi had come inside to look for Calubo, but he was nowhere in sight. They decided to sit for a while and see what happened. Tesyb wanted a mug of ale anyway. Inside, the alehouse was far more crowded than he had anticipated.

Or maybe that was exactly what he should have expected. It was already dark outside, now that the sun had set, and the hall was lit by a few candles placed on the counter, along the walls, and even on a couple of tables. The light was uneven, but there was enough of it to see faces and mugs and the people pushing past each other. Braziers couldn't be used in this weather anyway. Summer had already started, and with so many bodies inside, the place was warm enough already.

In another couple of months, once the rains came properly, it would turn hot and muggy. For now, though, Tesyb did not mind the heat as he looked around. The building itself was old. It had been there since Tiranat was first founded around twenty years ago, and it looked like it. The beams were dark with age and soot, the boards had been repaired more than once, and nothing here matched the style of the newer buildings going up all around the village. But it still felt sturdy. This was not even a large hall.

Normally it could seat maybe 20 or 30 people comfortably. Tonight there were around 40 inside, and it was starting to feel close and crowded. More than half of them were guards—men and women both. Off-duty laborers kept coming in every little while, laughing louder than usual now that they had coins in their hands or knew they soon would. Tesyb kept waiting for his order for a while after handing over the coins.

At last the barkeep placed a wooden mug sloshing with ale in front of him, before he moved on to fill other orders. Tesyb took a long swig from the mug and sighed with contentment. Ahh... That hit the spot. Savomi had decided not to buy one for herself though. Instead, she leaned a little closer every now and then and took small sips from his mug. Initially, Tesyb didn't know how to feel about it. He hadn't shared food or drink with anyone like that since he had been a child. It was a simple thing though.

Nothing had really been said between them about it. Still, it was kind of exhilarating... It felt as if both of them understood something without needing to speak it aloud, and that made him happier than he could remember being in a long time.