Chapter 117 - Join Me

Sangfroid conjured a small basin, large enough for Prince Leron to bathe once they were far away from Vladstin and Ofelia. He also took out the Looking Glass shard to check if the Noble Huntsmen broke their rules about watching. 

He saw that there was a red curtain covering the Looking Glass while they discuss among themselves, and sighed in relief.

But the relief did not last long. He saw them in-fighting after his declaration.

"He doesn't mean that, right? What just happened!?" One of them asked.

"We had just started convening and now this? No context?"

"They must have encountered a forest fire." Rothfir noticed just from the last time they have watched the three. "But I do not see how this would immediately affect Sangfroid's psyche... He is not one to say something exaggerated or something he would not uphold. "

"Then he would really kill himself if this mission to the Hermit was unsuccessful?" Verise scoffed. "Great. Just let him. We have Rothfir to rule over us anyway, he had been handling Ilvedia well even without him."

"Food is still scarce, Verise." Zenon reminded. "Without the Amulet, we would continue surviving through constant dangerous hunts in these woods."

Another one offered. "Then once he kills himself, let us find the Amulet and take it from him."

"We do not know what will happen if the Amulet of the Dracon gets in the hand of someone who is not an heir." Rothfir argued. "And I have no desire to be king. This is Sangfroid's birthright, it is only him that could build Ilvedia from the ground up again."

"But what if our 'king' gives up so easily? Are we doomed?"

There was a lot of bustle for a while, people muttering and fumbling for solutions. Rothfir finally spoke.

"Send him a letter. Convince him, persuade him, keep him calm. Sangfroid is not one to make a rash decision---"

"Except he did. Leaving the Huntsmen, remember?" Verise said.

"That was in the past. Our perspective of what is happening to them is limited since we only convene to watch their progress at noon once a week. Whatever happened earlier.... It must be something with a major impact." Rothfir persisted. "We need to ask him what it was. "

"Yeah, and what that weird little girl in a bucket was doing in Vladstin's back." Zenon added. "Seriously, what was that?"

"We have been busy building up a kingdom to pay attention to them anymore. So of course, we would have no context. Before, we used to have enough time to watch from the moment they woke, and to the moment they slept, of course excluding the time they bathe. But we simply don't have the luxury to do so anymore."

Rothfir waved his hand. "The little girl will be added to the letter. Is there anything else that you believe must be mentioned to Sangfroid?"

"I have one." Verise raised her hand.

They went to listen.

"Tell him... That if he did 'fail' and the Hermit killed off the Vampire Lord before we can and he is really adamant in committing suicide... Then he must at least pass the Amulet properly to us before he ends his life."

"Verise!" Rothfir said testily.

"What? We are merely securing the kingdom's future. I have a feeling that the reason he will forfeit his life is so that he can give the Amulet to that little sweetheart TRAITOR of his, so that he can live happily n the woods not worrying about what to eat like us."

The people muttered in agreement, the table of the Huntsmen going wild now. Rothfir hit the table to shut them up, and so they did.

"Verise... I know how much anger you have for Asver's death." Rothfir said. "But Sangfroid doesn't have anything to do with it. I will not be adding the addendum you suggested."

People mumbled in complaints, but Rothfir raised his hand again to silence them.

"However... If he did pass on the Amulet to Prince Leron..." Rothfir frowned. "I will add on my letter that I would have to kill him myself. No one will be happy. We'll only have three dead men and an Amulet that wasn't passed on."

They considered this, and before they could make a decision, Sangfroid pocketed back the glass shard, unable to watch any longer.

An ending where no one is happy. Not Ilvedia, not him, nor even Prince Leron.

In truth, he actually said that he will forfeit his life in the heat of the moment. His emotions overpowered him, adding with the desperation. He was not as rational as they thought.

He had noticed it too, how he is slowly becoming more expressive and emotional. It troubled him, yet gives a sense of liberation as well.

He is free to feel. Not just become an object, or a sovereign, or a hunter. But a human with feelings.

"What were you doing, Sangfroid? Why aren't you bathing yet?"

He saw that Prince Leron's clothes were already at the side of the basin, and he was neck-deep on the water, washing himself. He rubbed the grime out of his face, showing his crystal clear skin.

"I will, Your Highness. If you don't need anything, I shall be going." He said, walking to form his own basin and bath far away from His Highness.

But Leron stopped him, calling out with a bit of chuckle.

"Where are you going? You aren't joining me?"

Sangfroid blinked. "Pardon, Your Highness?"

"I want to talk to you while we are away from Ofelia and Vladstin. About what you said earlier." Leron knitted his eyebrows. "Were you being honest with what you said?"

The tough hunter looked away. "I... I don't know either, Your Highness. I was not in my right mind, the tension of the fight got to me."

"Hmm... You should calm down with me. You can talk to me about it, and I could wash you as thanks for saving our lives." Leron suggested, worry evident in his face. "Soot is hard to clean and..... sometimes emotions are harder to process alone."

"Your Highness..... I can't possibly, that's..."

"Sangfroid, we're both men. What you have is what I have." Leron smiled. "And you did promise to let me try some of the things you use to wash your hair. I can wash yours and you wash mine."

He continued to hesitate, but then again, Leron's words are law. He relented, and slowly took off his clothes, a bit coyly so. He stepped in and compacted himself not to take too much space. In a bag he carries, he showed the jar where he created the concoction for his hair.

Leron unabashedly moved closer, taking off the cover of the jar and sniffing it. "That does smell good! You should teach me how to make mine."

"Alright, Your Highness." Sangfroid stepped further away, But the basin is not that big after all, and he can't avoid the prince for too long. Soon, he felt their legs touch accidentally, and became even more flustered. "Sorry."

"Sangfroid..." Leron untied his braid, observing the man's face for a while."I told you that you should be more honest with me. I saw you watching through the glass shard earlier. What did you saw?"

"Uh... It's the Noble Huntsmen and...."Sangfroid began to speak, when he felt both of Leron's hand over his shoulder. "Your Highness, what are you doing...?"

"Turn around. I said I'll wash your hair for you, right?" Leron reassured him. "So I just put this potion over your hair for how long? Then it will suddenly be as smooth as silk?"

"No, Your Highness. It's....." Sangfroid went on to explain. "The Bishop called this 'hair lave'. It is only effective through continuous usage, it does not have any magical effect. It's mostly made of herbs and rosemary. You need to apply it on wet hair for it to take effect."

"I see...." Leron followed the instruction. "Like this?"

Leron scooped some water on his hand and placed it on Sangfroid's head, along with the lave. He proceeded to run his fingers vigorously all around, making sure that the lave was distributed evenly.

"Yes....." Sangfroid felt a strange tingling sensation whenever Prince Leron would run his fingers on his scalp.

It felt strangely calming, like he could just fall asleep any second in his arms.

"Now, about the glass shard. Tell me everything." 

Sangfroid proceeded to tell him at least most of it, ad his long luscious hair was being held and continuously pampered by his beloved. The only thing he left out was Verise referring to him as his sweetheart and a traitor, but he told him about Rothfir's plan to send him a letter to convince him against forfeiting, and how he will kill Prince Leron if he did pass the Amulet to him when he dies.

Leron frowned. "They don't seem to recognize your hardships for them, Sangfroid. I feel a little aggrieved for you."

"It's acceptable that they are upset, I am not aggrieved. I only worry for your future, Prince Leron." Sangfroid frowned. "I said that I would end my life if the Hermit killed Vladstin instead of turning him to human out of frustration.... But I did think of giving the Amulet to you and Ofelia if that did happen. I was hoping that you two will escape to the South Seas where you can look for her mother and the three of you would live a life secluded from any harm of the human civilization."

"Alas... there is still factors to that plan you have not considered, Sangfroid." Leron smiled sadly. "I am infected by vampirism, and we don't know if the Hermit will cure me. We don't know if Ofelia's mother is still alive, or the first clue on where to find her. I can barely even speak Gargen! And the worst assumption you have made of all....."

"Is that I will let you end your life that easily."

Leron made him turn to face him, and saw that the stoic hunter's face was tear-streaked again. He placed his thumb over his cheek to catch them.

Crying without creasing an eyebrow or heaving. Crying with his face still held high and looking forward. There is nothing more beautiful than it, for it was truly such a paradoxical phenomenon.

"Sangfroid... If Vladstin did die..... Don't leave me too. Please." Leron kissed both of his eyes. "Not you too. I already lost everything. Just because I cannot return your love for me, doesn't mean I do not care for you as much as I would care for a brother."

"That is why, Your Highness. Even when Vladstin dies, I know you will still love him." Sangfroid buried his head on his neck. "Ilvedia doesn't want me any longer too. So it is better for me to die..... I understand him now, I also feel so tired..."

"Then..... Sangfroid....." Leron tried to think of any way to convince him against it, and what came out of his mouth is:

"I might learn to love you."