The Entertainer

"You have some very fine clothes, Sire!" Junayd admired his temporary garment as they walked into town. He felt taller than usual as those nearby bowed their heads briefly in respect as he passed. As a general, people usually paid him some deference, but beside the Emperor he was basically invisible. He was enjoying the attention, especially from the ladies of the village.

"Do not let the prestige go to your head," Devrim warned under his breath. "If they do not notice you when you are common, they are not worth noticing when you are noble."

"Wise words, general." Junayd hooked a smile. It was clear he was enjoying this far too much. A young woman dropped her coin pouch right in front of him, and he bent down to hand it to her.

The dazzling smile that she gave as a thank you made the man feel like he was invincible. "Thank you, my lord," the woman said with a curtsy.

"Think nothing of it," Junayd replied in his most silky voice. The woman sauntered off to a small group of other ladies, and they all enveloped the girl in a fit of giggles. Junayd could not help but trace her exit with his eyes.

"Behave yourself, my lord..." Devrim resisted the urge to hit the soldier on the back of the head. That would not look appropriate, and he knew it.

"I was just being helpful," Junayd argued as he stuck his chin in the air. "Perhaps you should do the same. Go get the supplies we came for," the soldier ordered with a dismissive wave. He missed the vicious gleam in the Emperor's eyes.

"Make sure he stays out of trouble," Devrim spoke quietly to Eira. Thankfully, the woman, who was neither graceful nor demure, was at least quiet. Everyone thought she was just embarrassed to be with the outspoken gentleman.

"I will do my best," Eira replied, pulling back her long, blonde hair like she was heading into battle. Keeping her boss in line was no small task.

Devrim turned to Mairwen. "Come on. His Lordship has beckoned us to get supplies."

The princess hid her grin as she nodded obediently. The pair moved away from the other imposters in search of the market. The town was a moderate size, but the small string of shops were easy to find. After visiting a few stores, Devrim and Mairwen were well equipped with a new metal pan, some spices for cooking, and a saddle bag that would also function as a satchel. The last of these made the Emperor particularly happy. He liked having a place to store things.

"This is nice," Mairwen commented. "People are not bowing. No one feels like they need to be careful around me. I am just part of the crowd. I think I actually like being invisible."

Just then a older man stepped on Mairwen's foot as he passed. "Watch where you are going!" he spat as he nudged her to one side with his pointy elbow.

The princess was going to yell a retort over her shoulder when Devrim stopped her. "I thought you liked being invisible."

"I suppose there are advantages to both sides," the girl admitted. The common man had his own troubles, she realized.

"If it makes you feel any better...if we weren't hiding our identities, I would have given that man a piece of my mind. You deserve better than that, invisible or not." Devrim winked.

"You know just what to say." Mairwen's spirit was bouyed by her father's kind words.

"I suppose we should find 'his lordship' and see what kind of mess he has gotten himself into..." Dervim sighed.

"You do not think Eira was able to make him behave?" Mairwen asked as she cocked her head to one side. Her personal guard was very capable, and she knew it.

"Junayd has far more experience getting into trouble than Eira has staying out of it." Devrim mused.

"Fair enough," Mairwen agree with a nod. They froze as the beginning of a rowdy crowd spilled into the street from a nearby tavern. It was the middle of the day, so drunkenness seemed an unlikely cause for the hubbub.

As they feared, the source of the conflict was none other than 'his lordship'. Junayd was working very hard to avoid the fists of a very angry male villager. To Junayd's credit, he did not seem to be throwing any punches himself.

"I did not 'make eyes' at your wife or anyone else!" the burly soldier yelled. "She dropped something and I helped her retrieve it. I had no idea that was a crime in this town."

It turned out that the lovely young lady who had dropped her coin purse was also the town's flirt. Her husband, being more jealous and hot-headed than the average man, had immediately sought out Junayd and picked a fight. What had started out as a simple warning, quickly escalated until the proprietor threw them into the street.

"Everyone knows my Beulah is the fairest girl in the land. Every rich fella comes in and tries to take her. I will teach you a lesson!" The hot-headed man snarled.

Beulah, for her part, was leaning against the wall of the tavern pretending to be disinterested, but was secretly loving the attention.

'So that's what a hussy looks like,' Mairwen marveled.

"Trust me, I want nothing to do with your wife!" Junayd insisted as he ducked away from a right hook.

"Are you insulting my Beulah?! I do not care if you are a high-born noble. I will hit you right in the kisser!" The man swung wildly.

"Get him, baby!" Beulah called, though whether she was calling to her husband or the nobleman was unclear.

Seeing the Emperor and princess, Eira ran over to the royals. "It all happened so fast," she cried, "and I wasn't sure how to stop it without my sword." Eira motioned to the blade at Mairwen's side.

"I will handle it," Devrim heaved a deep sigh. He walked over with his most intimidating aura and stepped into the fight. He managed to catch the furious husband's fist before it connected with his jaw. "What is all this?!" Devrim boomed.

The villager, startled by the newcomer, yanked back his hand and shook it. The grey-eyed man had a strong grip. "I was just trying to protect my wife, General," the husband defended his actions.

Devrim gave the nobleman an incredulous look. "You put your hands on his wife?"

Junayd raised his eyebrows and firmly denied the claim. "I never touched her."

"Get out of my way!" The villager screamed at Devrim. Already he was reeling back for another punch. Those around began to murmur encouragement. They were not intimidated by the powerful soldier.

Fortunately, Devrim was not intimidated either. He pulled two ropes from his belt and prepared to bind each man's wrists together. He looked at the husband and raised one eyebrow in question.

"Do you want to bring the claim of assault against his Lordship? From what I saw, he could make the same claim against you. I do hope you have a good solicitor." Devrim gave the villager a stern look. At the mention of a solicitor, the other people in the village began to melt away quickly. They had no desire to get involved in a criminal charge.

The husband faltered, "A lawyer?!…uh…I don't have a lawyer…"

Devrim gave a him a look of pity. "Such a shame. His Lordship has the best solicitor that the world has ever seen. He will dig up every past sin and hand it to the prosecutor and judge in a nice, neat bow. You are looking at a long jail sentence, my friend," the grey-eyed man lamented.

The husband began to sweat as he lifted his hands in surrender. "We do not need lawyers, solicitors or judges. Really, I do not want any legal trouble. I think everything is fine here. I think we just had a misunderstanding, don't you, your Lordship?"

Junayd stuck his nose haughtily in the air. "I think I can overlook your insolence this once." The burly man turned and walked away, hiding his smirk.

"Who knew we brought the wrong army to fight at the palace?" Devrim muttered to his companion when they were well away from the scene.

"I know!" Junayd agreed. "Did you see their faces? With a few hundred lawyers at the front gate, not even the dragons would have dared attack!"

The two men looked for Eira and Mairwen, but ended up finding a group of very excited children. "The entertainer is here again!" one of them cheered.

Devrim and Junayd exchanged a glance. Other than to buy supplies, the entertainer was the reason that the men had come to town. They followed the children down the street and around a corner where a crowd had already begun to form. Devrim was relieved to see that Eira and Mairwen were also among the spectators.

The Emperor hurried to Mairwen's side as he peeked over the circle of people. "Did you see the entertainer?"

"Right there," the princess gaped as she pointed. "You are never going to believe it..."

In the middle of the circle, a small person in ragged robes was hunched over and engrossing the crowd in a tale about the 'warrior princess'. The entertainer was animated, and the adventure was truly fantastic. The children gathered around, clapping and cheering as the story came to its climax. Devrim was also glued to every word. He could not place the voice, but something about it sounded familiar. When the figure finally turned around, the Emperor's face matched the shock of his daughter.

The entertainer's eyes were colorless.