Page 83 of Gilded Crown

Maybe letting him go didn’t matter. He was one man, and Darlim had everything he wanted now. David probably did too. Nova would be split, and the Palace, with its treasures, marble, and gold would be cut and gutted like a Sunday roast.

On the edge of the camp, he kicked Mercury into a gallop. The horse snorted and tore into a run. Beyond the copse, Jari followed the tracks out across the plain. Even as the horse’s hooves ate up the ground, the ruts didn’t stop, and it seemed nothing lay ahead.

But he knew Aurelius was in a boxcart, alone, possibly injured, and terrified again.

He’d ride the horse until he found Aurelius and had him back in his arms. This time, he was never leaving the Prince’s side. He didn’t care about the vow anymore. The man himself was more important, and nobody had saved Aurelius before, but this time, Jari would.

Epilogue

The logistics that come after a battle are almost as hard as planning one, and Aurelius still wasn’t done.

It wouldn’t be over tomorrow either. He had to make sure every soldier was paid the extra wage they’d been promised, and that was just one thing on a list of many tasks.

He exited Este’s tent and wished he and Jari could be alone in his for a few minutes to breathe and collect themselves. And maybe do more. He’d been so focused on his goals that day, he’d barely had time to think the previous night.

Or how Jari’s firm body had been so pliant under his.

Maybe tonight, he’d tie Jari down, feel every inch of that muscled body, stroke his cock, and make him cum again. Perhaps he’d use the knife a little more too. It’d be a bit of pleasure before reality nagged too much once more. He wanted other things too that he hadn't quite allowed himself to dare imagine.

Tomorrow, they’d go fetch the items from their secret spot. For now, Aurelius wanted to get his armor off because he’d been sweating all day in it. He could also deal with the slight itch on his back that was impossible to scratch with a padded jacket and a thick layer of metal covering him.

After that, he’d go to the city, find Jari, and check on things up there. It’d be hours before they could have time to themselves.

He’d almost made it to his tent near the edge of the camp when two soldiers approached.

“Um, Your Majesty. We need you for something.”

What a surprise. Both looked pretty young and almost scared shitless like they thought Aurelius would snap at them.

“Is it something you can take to your direct lord?”

The one with a bunch of freckles on his face shook his head. “Um…I think it’s better if you deal with it.”

“Why?”

The slightly taller of the two men wiped at the sweat on his forehead. “We went with a bunch of others to collect bodies from the base of the cliffs. We were coming back alone with a couple, and I thought I saw something in a copse of trees, so we checked.”

Freckles lowered his voice. “Your Majesty, there’s a cart full of bodies. They’re all covered in gold like your brother was. Some other men were saying he’d been coated in it, and these people are too.”

No wonder Gullveig had three gold streaks. Several someones must have displeased him or he’d simply done it because he could. One covered in gilt was odd enough, but several? The idiot must have planned to bury them somewhere.

“Have you told anyone else about this?” Aurelius asked in a low voice.

The look in his eye seemed to scare Tall as he shook his head. “No, just you. I can’t tell if any were lords or ladies from the court. One was a woman, and her dress looked kind of fancy. I think you’d be the only one to recognize their faces if it’s court members or anyone important. If we tell our lord, he won’t know them?”

Aurelius held back a frustrated noise. What was he supposed to tell their families? “Here’s the dead body of your relative. Sorry that they’re covered in gold.” One gilded person was enough. A whole cart worth of them was a different story, and people might start whispering and wondering why Gullveig had wasted so much gold to melt and cover people in.

Zylem could be explained since Gullveig had killed his own brother to take the throne. Gilding courtiers or civilians would be mostly pointless.

“There’s something unnatural about it,” added Tall.

That was the exact opposite of what anyone needed to think.

“Show me where this cart is.” Aurelius would figure out first if the people inside were higher-ups or commoners before he made another decision.

Tall spoke once they were striding away from the camp. “Why would your brother do that?”

“Zylem and Gullveig were sick people,” Aurelius said smoothly. “Perhaps he planned to make that a punishment later if he ruled. I can’t pretend to understand everything in their head. Cruel people are often good at thinking of creative, sick things.”

---