Just A Pawn

“How was the king's room? Did you enjoy his bed?” Justin taunted Daniel the minute he entered.

Daniel was in a bad mood, so he had not prepared himself emotionally for the other guard's jealous behavior.

There were three in the green garden, and he decided to ignore the men and focus on the flowers. He didn't understand why he had to be present there, but he stayed anyway.

“Oh, it is alright to be shy and nervous on your first time. You don't have to tell me what exactly happened, I can guess by just looking at your face,” Justin continued, his voice filled with sarcasm.

“You will learn how to be shy and mind your own business when I tell the king you're accusing him of digging a hole into one of his men's asses,” Frank threatened, defending his friend.

“Are you doing what I think you're doing?” Justin replied in a whisper.

“Ask your fellow closet partner when you reach his place at night. You unwashed potatoes!” Frank said, not sure if his insult went smoothly.

Justin wanted to reply with his fists, but Timber, the most mature among the men held him back, “I think you both did well verbally. The Lords want us to use this avenue to learn more about each other, and I have learned more than I should. I am grateful,” he appreciated, sounding serious.

The three men looked at him with arched brows, wondering if he was playing around.

“You don't know anything about me, fool!” Justin growled at Timber, with a super aggressive voice.
“The weak always resort to empty shouting,” Daniel murmured, just enough for Frank to hear, and his friend nodded in agreement.

“Oh, but that's not true, Justin. I know you get jealous of your fellow men. You are ready to insult others to cover your vulnerability and loneliness. Most especially, you do what every weak human does whenever they've lost……” Timber began with a solemn voice, making eye contact with Justin, “You resort to violence. Wanting to use your fists to solve what your brain was unable to comprehend. That's a sign of a weakling. I know you're a weakling in need of light, and may you find it,” he offered the startled Justin a smile and turned to face Frank.

‘I think he just faced me! He's going to insult me, no, he will find my weakness!’ Frank's mind roared, expecting Timber's words.

“Through your conversation with Justin, I was able to find out some of your core attributes. You're a good friend, ready to defend your mate, even if you're unaware of their action. You seem to care about Justin a little, you even wished he had a good relationship with his supposed closet partner, and that's a good character,” Timber explained.

‘Wished him? I didn't wish him anything, Mister. It was meant to be an insult!’ Frank wanted to tell Timber, but he kept it to himself.

Frank and Justin looked dumbfounded, it was as if Timber read them like they were some sort of open book. Timber liked the reaction he got when he read one's character, and he turned to face Daniel, hoping to do the same thing to him.

Frank and Justin also watched Daniel curiously, they were both eager to know his character.

“Daniel, you –”

“I don't need it, but I can help you gain a lot of money from it,” Daniel interrupted Timber before he could complete his sentence. He was scared that Timber would find out his mission.

“But, he did it for everyone,” Justin growled at Daniel.

“If by everyone you mean you and Frank, then yes, he did it for everyone, but I am not interested,” Daniel replied curtly, and before any protest could begin, he hurriedly grabbed Frank's hand and dragged him out of the garden.

“We must all be here in the next eight hours to prepare,” Frank informed the men as Daniel dragged him out of the garden, and then out of the palace.

When they both got home, Daniel released Frank's hand and collapsed into an armchair. He took a deep breath, feeling a heavy weight upon his chest.

Frank looked at him with furrowed brows, “What is the matter, Daniel? You look restless, and you've been acting strangely since you came back from the king's palace,” he noted, taking a seat near Daniel.

“Is it that obvious?” Daniel asked, and Frank nodded in response.

Daniel looked frustrated, and took a deep breath, “Can I tell you a secret?” He asked after a momentary silence.

“A secret,” Frank was surprised, and the look on Daniel's face showed him that it was a serious matter, “Sure, of course, yes,” he replied cheerfully.

Daniel kept quiet, having a second thought about letting in Frank on some part of his mission, “I bumped into Lord Astro today,” he began with a gentle voice.

“Lord Astro?” Frank looked shocked, and he wanted to scream in excitement, but he stopped himself, so as not to overwhelm Daniel.

“Yes, Lord Astro. I think he wants something from me,” Daniel voiced out his observation and told Frank what happened with Astro. This wasn't the main reason why he was restless, but it was one of the reasons.

“Wow, well, it's not nice to suspect a Lord. It's pretty dangerous, and if it's true, the Lord might easily use the king's influence to get out of the accusations,” Frank said with a patient voice, after hearing the story.

“So what do you suggest I do? Do you think Lord Astro is a dangerous man?” Daniel questioned, looking lost.

“I barely know the Lords, but I know that one cannot joke with them. They might look and act friendly, but one can't know their heart’s intentions. The strange aura they carry around can be intimidating sometimes, so I will advise you to play with Astro. Let him think you're his pawn, you can use the opportunity to get a high position in the court since he's close to the king. When we have enough evidence or a reason to doubt him, then we'll beat him faster to the king,” Frank suggested with an excited voice.

“Humm, a pawn in his game. This mission has gotten a lot more interesting,” Daniel's wolf squealed.