The Hardest Path

A/N: Okay, warnings for this chapter...Dramatic men?

Telin never got a chance to respond to Rhett's comment, any conversation effectively silenced as an older woman joined them in the room. The hair that marked her as a Kagailas was almost a light spring green, their version of going grey, Nic guessed. It was elegantly coiled atop her head, adorned with several long pins tipped with small pearls. The pearls matched her long white dress, the hem sweeping the floor as she walked. In Nicholas' opinion, she was overdressed. Movements just as elegant as the rest of her, the woman perched delicately upon the couch across from them, baby blue eyes peering at Nic with interest.

A beat of silence, then, "Rhett? Do explain," she said, her voice low for a woman and very soft, as if such a fine and proper lady would never dream of raising her voice.

"I want to train him for Guard duty, Laurel. To be a replacement. And his mother, I want her taken care of." Rhett leaned forward to speak, his tone softer than normal. It was as if Laurel's softness had rubbed off on the large man, but Nic suspected that he was mirroring her in an attempt to get his wish granted.

Her perfectly pink lips formed a little 'O' of surprise, as if she hadn't guessed that already, though everyone in that room knew she had. After all, one simply couldn't run a business like that unless one could read between the lines. "But Rhett, you can't mean to start him this young. He's just a baby. He's not even old enough to take classes with the trainees. And where would we keep his mother? She's quite mad, is she not?"

As if Rhett knew her protest was all for show, he sighed and rubbed a calloused hand over his face. "What do you want, Laurel? I'm tired. Just tell me so we can leave."

At once, the simpering female that had been before them seemed to vanish, leaving a shrewd businesswoman behind. "He does double duty. Guard training and brothel training. I know how hard your training is, Rhett. Virtually no one can take it. That's why there have always been four of you, and only four. I won't have him taking up space, when he'll most likely fail you. Therefore, I'll train him as well, so he won't be a waste of time. Of course, the sexually based classes won't start until he's at least sixteen-no, fifteen." Eyeing him from top to bottom, she nodded. "Yes, fifteen for this one. But, he'll need ettiquete, politics, all manner of mathematics...I need workers with some conversational value. We get clients from the upper crust, and they like to talk almost as much as they like to fuck."

Ignoring Nic's shocked expression, Laurel stood, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her dress. "You may take him to live with the rest of the Four, and train him however you wish. But keep in mind not to exhaust the boy. If he can't learn what I teach, he will have to leave. His mother will be kept here, under the care of my personal doctor, until we learn more about her." With that, she made to leave.

Telin whined from the other couch, standing. "No attention for your favorite nephew, Auntie Laurel?"

She turned sharply, giving him a cool glance. "You're too old to be such a deviant, Telin. Settle down and do something useful, and perhaps I'll give you more attention."

Laurel did leave then, leaving an awkward silence in her wake. Telin's mutter of, "I'm only thirty-four, I'm not old," did nothing to ease the tension.

Rhett stood and pulled Nic up with him, nodding to Telin on their way out of the room. Instead of going outside, they went further into the brothel, leaving by a door near the back of the house. As soon as they stepped outside, Nic saw a smaller, though otherwise almost identical house. "That's where you live?" he asked as they walked toward it.

"Yes, the Four Guard live there. And now, so do you. The next few years aren't going to be easy. You'll have to work damn hard, twice as hard as anyone else. But the rewards will be well worth it, believe me." By then, they'd reached the house.

It was silent as they stepped inside, not a whisper giving a clue that anyone actually lived here. A sudden crash from upstairs made Nic jump and clutch blindly at Rhett's arm, much to the boy's embarrassment. Rhett closed his eyes and took a breath, obviously steeling himself, before stomping up the stairs with Nic in tow.

They came out on a long hallway, where Rhett approached the second door on the left, tapping quietly. "Eurus? You okay in there?" Apparently, this room was the source of the commotion they'd heard.

A short, strained laugh, followed by a soft, "Yeah, I'm okay," was all Rhett waited for before he continued down the hall.

There was silence from the next two rooms, but as they passed, one of the doors slammed open to reveal a small, slender man, fury plainly written in his amazing purple eyes. "I asked you to wake me, Rhett. I wanted to go with you, you know!" The man's voice was just as Nic expected, a little high, but would have been smooth and pleasant had the man not been shrieking. His flushed cheeks stood out on his milk-pale complexion, the jet black hair that fell neatly over one of his eyes broken by a thick purple streak the same shade as his one visible eye.

Rhett was unmoved by the stranger's display, used to it. He rolled his eyes and continued to walk, pushing Nic in front of him. "I can do my job, Andrei. I don't need a baby sitter." He ignored Andrei's indignant cry, as well as the slam of his bedroom door.

Chuckling softly, Rhett ruffled Nic's hair. "He's dramatic but harmless, I assure you. There's one man you should avoid, but he doesn't seem to be back from his mission yet." The guard stopped at the last door in the hallway, pushing it open. It was a small room, but a cozy one, just warm enough with a fresh, clean scent wafting out. The walls were clinical white, the carpet a boring grey, and the bed pushed against the wall was barely big enough for a boy his size.

Rhett cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know it's probably not the best you've ever seen, but you can decorate however you like when you get your allowance, so..." Trailing off into silence, Rhett waited until Nic had seated himself on the bed, bouncing lightly to test the mattress. It was comfortable, at least.

"Why don't you get some sleep, kiddo?" Rhett said kindly, noting how Nic's eyelids had drooped the second he touched the bed. "I'll wake you for dinner, and tomorrow we can get you some decent clothes. Until then, I'm sure Andrei can lend you some pajamas."

Both of the males jumped when they heard Andrei's cry of, "No, I most certainly cannot! I don't have anything to fit that runt!" This was followed by his bedroom door slamming once again.

"As I said, dramatic but harmless. You sleep, I'll wheedle some clothing out of Andrei." Rhett left Nic to settle in and get some rest, praying that Andrei would suddenly grow up, and just give him the clothes.

Fat chance.




A/N: And even more males! Whoot! So, Nic's gonna run double duty for a while, eh? Nifty neato. Poor kid, he's gonna be so dead tired all the time. Ah, well. Next chapter, we'll meet the man who Rhett says Nic should avoid. Dun dun dunnnn!



Wynja: How's this for some twisty turns, eh? xD