Luck in horses 2

All trips to Alycante from the capital were quite short. If a person didn't go on foot, he was able to reach his destination within a day or two. The stop that travelers usually chose to spend the night was only less than half the time from the capital via toll roads and represented a larger village that Nielle, by coincidence, had under control.

However, it only took about three hours to get there on paid carriage roads, instead of the six that Nielle used to gallop to avoid being registered as a passing nobleman by the local patrol. Only selected groups were able to use toll roads, and the royal family was one of them.

Anyway, they arrived at the village a little in the afternoon when the sun was high in the sky. Nielle knew there was no point in telling them to stop in it, so just before he knew he would be nearby, he approached Louis, who had been chatting with Brelle the whole way.

"I'm pretty exhausted," Nielle lied, "Do you think we'll be on the road much longer?"

"Don't worry, we'll arrive at a nearby village soon, I wanted to suggest to father that we take a break there. If you want, I'll try to convince him to stay longer."

"No need," Nielle didn't want anything long in the village and intended to arrive in Alycante as soon as possible, "a stop somewhere for tea will do." he clarified.

"You really love tea, don't you," laughed Brelle.

Nielle nodded, "Who wouldn't love it."

As soon as Louis signaled to the coachman to give the coach in front of them a message that he would like to have tea in a nearby village, the coaches soon stopped. Although Nielle's wish would have driven the king to travel all day rather, Louis's wish was always granted.

"We'll take a break, have fun in the village, I'm not going," the king clarified, remaining seated in the carriage while Louis nodded satisfied.

"Don't you have a military camp somewhere nearby?" Brelle asked looking at Nielle.

"I haven't been in it for a long time, but I have. Since it's one of those that have no real meaning and the king gave it to me so I wouldn't bother him, I don't use it for activities. There're no bandits or trouble in these parts. The only thing that annoys people are animals like wolves but they created a system for that as well. That's why the soldiers in the local camp didn't receive orders for a long time," he lied.

"At least you have some camps," Brelle laughed and added, "father didn't give me any." he didn't sound displeased.

"If you were interested in the running of the country, I would give you some camp, if you want, I'll try to convince father to get you some," Louis clarified.

"No, no need. I have no interest or time. I think the two of you are enough for leading military camps." Brelle didn't want to and kept up with his brothers.

Nielle listened to them in silence, disinterestedly, wondering what the king would do if Brelle began to show interest in the running of the country and perhaps the throne. He guessed that he would be in as much trouble as he was, if not more intense, since he didn't have the network of countermeasures to the king's bad moods and contrivances that Nielle had in place.

However, there was no danger, as Brelle had never really shown any interest in anything other than Elyan's employment. Nielle sometimes saw Brelle as a true lucky man.

They walked through quite a long part of the forest to the village. People immediately noticed their white hair, retreated to the back, and watched from afar what was going to happen, as if they had never seen the royal family. Nielle was satisfied. Brelle approached one of the groups and asked for directions to the tea house, although Nielle knew it well.

However, he walked through the village as if he had never been there, as his two brothers noted with satisfaction how unusually clean it was. A short distance behind them walked two Lacrisans, whom they had taken as an escort. Iuwine had no idea what this village was and couldn't care less while Shane had a good guess where they were going. He was quite surprised that Nielle had no doubt at all that he would keep quiet about their recent trip here.

But it was true that Shane didn't want to say anything. It would bring nothing and he knew that no one would believe him. If he started that he and Nielle were here and Nielle didn't agree, the whole village would stand by him and every soldier would as well, he'd be a fool. And if someone believed his words, it wouldn't contribute to his plans.

They walked for a while before they stopped at a tea house and went inside.

"Hello," Louis stopped at the counter while Brelle excitedly made his way to the shelves of healing teas, "We would just like to sit down for tea, is that possible at your place?"

"Your Highness," the guy blinked in surprise, "of course, without a doubt," he was confused, "what brings you here?" he immediately lowered his gaze as if he hadn't expected the presence of the princes.

Nielle was again satisfied with his output. The guy led them to the side of the building, which led out to a terrace with tables and a few guests. The man made the princes feel as if he owned the tea shop and no one would have guessed that the real owner of the tea shop had ended up in Ylre's hands a few days ago.

Nielle, Brelle and Louis sat down at a more private table, ordered tea and started chatting. Iuwine and Shane sat down at the next table and remained silent.

"We weren't somewhere just like this together for a long time," Louis recalled.

"We used to go often," Brelle nodded, "every time the king wasn't looking, we ran out of the palace."

"Good times," Louis laughed, "we should do it again sometime."

"I agree, right Nielle?" Brelle asked.

"As if you had time for some walks," he took a cup of tea.

"I always find time for my brothers," Louis clarified.

"Louis, I'd appreciate it if you'd better take the throne soon, as soon as I'm not busy with my father's bullshit and trying to stay alive, I'll have time to hang out with you. What do you say? Do you approve of my assassination plan? If you even help with it, it would be even better." Nielle laughed, knowing that this would make Louis angry.

Louis actually fell silent, locking his lips in displeasure and apparently holding back the nasty words.

"Nielle, that was really inappropriate," Brelle scolded him, but Louis stopped him.

"Don't worry Brella, Nielle still resents our father for whipping him. Nielle, calm down and stop talking like that, won't you?" Louis gave Nielle a rather stern look, showing that he shouldn't mention things like assassination in front of him if he doesn't want to cause conflicts.

However, Nielle wanted exactly that and laughed lightly, "Of course," he stood up, "I have to go the bathroom." he declared and walked away.

To the rest of the princes it sounded like he was getting upset and wanted to calm down, while Nielle actually wanted to have a moment of privacy with the current owner of the teahouse.

Since the soldiers in Alycante had

sent word of the Infey's arrival in the city directly to him, the rest of the information about their journey went here. Nielle didn't know when he would leave the capital and when he would arrive here, so it wasn't appropriate for the information to go somewhere where he wasn't. And so he wanted to stop in the village and find out what else had happened in his absence.

"The patrols saw them near one of the caves, they followed them but they didn't come out all day, they didn't come out until the next day at night. They reached Alycante during the day. The location they are staying at came today, they wear straw hats and it seems like they don't want to show off much, no further information yet. The patrol is currently at their inn waiting for you to arrive," explained the guy.

Nielle didn't know how long the Infeys would be at that inn and didn't want to risk that news of their move wouldn't reach him, so he planned to get to Alycante tonight, which wasn't unrealistic. The journey from the village to Alycante usually took about eight hours on toll roads.

Anyway, Nielle intended to be in Alycante tonight to watch the Infeys more closely.

Once Nielle reached his brothers, Louis started, "Have you calmed down, Nielle?"

"I'm always calm," he said, "but I let pack some tea for you to calm down and think logically." Nielle stated.

Louis sighed deeply and said, "Nielle, don't act like a child. Father is strict, but he doesn't want to harm you, if you behave more responsibly, he will definitely see your effort," he clarified.

Nielle would once try to make it clear to his brother that the king sees him as an obstacle, that the only one he sees as his son is him, but since it didn't matter, he didn't deal with it.

"Exactly, and I'll start by not sitting down for tea and continue on my way." he stood up and walked out of the teahouse.

"Nielle, that's not what I meant," Louis stood up.

"Leave him for a while, let's go to the carriage and when he's calmer, you can talk," Brelle intervened.

Louis sighed deeply and followed Nielle. They walked out of the tea house where a owner actually gave Louis some tea for logical thinking, causing him to be momentarily displeased and move the tea into Iuwine's hands, who willingly took it.

While Nielle dealt with his brothers and thought about the best way to contact the Infeys in Alycante, the remaining princes thought about how not to argue with Nielle. Iuwine could only see Louis and Shane was planning his own moves.

Nielle was incredibly cranky. Not that he was abusing him and treating him like an animal, but his whole demeanor sounded like it wasn't even weird. Shane didn't know how one person could ever make him so angry, but the fact that he kept subjecting him to disgusting treatment and then kicking him away without even appreciating that he was getting his precious Luck really pissed him off.

He wanted to kick Nielle to his knees and make him feel at least some of what he deserved. However, he didn't know how, and he didn't see the things Iuwine was saying as useful yet. The fact that Nielle was scared of dogs, Lacrisans, torture, being alone outside during the night and the other things wasn't really usefull.

Although there were dogs in the village, although there were countless wolves in the forest, he had no way of getting them to attack Nielle. As for nights out, Nielle wasn't dependent on him for a place to sleep, and the fear of the Lacrisans really wasn't credible.

Shane stared at Nielle in front of them, wondering how to somehow put him at a disadvantage. He wanted to find at least something to avoid the constant situations of humiliation and disgust, and the fact that he had nothing against Nielle was frustrating. However, no matter how hard he thought, he came up with nothing.

He wasn't a Lacrisan for nothing, though, and moments before they were about to walk out of the village into the forest, he smelled a foul smell. A little way ahead of them stood a butcher's shop, from which several guys were carrying out barrels full of leftovers and water.

The smell mingled with the fresh smell of the store and Shane laughed inwardly as Luck itself brought opportunity to his fingers. The mixture of water and scraps that was carried to the domestic animals in the living quarters and out into the forest to keep the dangerous animals fed wasn't light, and the guys with the barrels carried it unsteadily in their direction.

Shane, walking behind the princes together with Iuwin, moved lightly and the moment the guys walked next to them, he deliberately tripped and slammed into them.

"Aaaaaaaah!" screamed one of the guys who couldn't see where he was going, let alone had a chance to avoid Shane. A guy rammed into another, another into a third and they all poured barrels of rotting meat onto the princes.

Iuwine reacted in an instant, pulling Louis closer to him, shielding him from the most disgusting part of the putrid mixture. Louis ended up with a dirty bottom of his robe and although he smelled disgusting, at least he was clean on top. However, Nielle was at a loss for words.

All his clothes were permeated with a disgusting smell. Nielle stopped in shock, staring blankly at his wet body, unable to believe that he was truly unlucky today. He remained silent for a while before looking at the guys next to him.

A disbelieving laugh came out of Nielle as the guys dropped to their knees and started apologizing as if it was for their lives. And it was since Nielle wasn't a forgiving prince.

"Y-Your Highness..."

"We deeply apologize..."

"I don't know how it happened..."

"Nielle," Louis reached him, "it was an accident, leave them, there's a lot of clothes in the carriage." he tried.

"Louis, shut up," said Nielle and glared at the brothers, "how is it possible that I was the one who ended up like this again? What about you?"

"Thanks as always to Iuwin," Louis clarified, "If you were nicer to your Lacrisan, he would have helped you too."

Nielle laughed angrily, "I guess he caused it all." He glanced at Shane, who was acting like nothing happened.

"Nielle, don't blame everything on your Lacrisan, it was an accident." Brelle came out from behind Louis.

"Brelle, you don't even have a Lacrisan, how come you're almost clean?" Nielle didn't understand.

"I was the furthest, nothing more," admitted Brelle.

"Get up, nothing will happen to you," Louise said to the guys, "it was an accident."

The guys waited as if they didn't even hear Louis as they were used to taking orders from Nielle. And although he was quite irritated, he finally just snorted in displeasure and walked away.

"Unreal," Nielle grumbled.

"Shouldn't we go to one of the bathhouses?" Brelle asked, since even though he caught it the least, he still stunk.

"Brelle, I understand that you're not going anywhere, but the bathhouses don't work during the day and I don't want to wait until dinner," Nielle clarified and went on.

"There is a river nearby, it will be best to go to father to get some clothes and wash in it, we can't travel like this, we will attract animals to the carriages," said Louis.

Nielle didn't answer. He stared at Shane for a moment, who was quite amused by the results. However, he didn't stare at him for long and after a while he went out of the village. The carriage was still some way off, as the king didn't want the villagers to notice them. So they walked and Nielle got the chance to declare.

"I'll be really happy if we even make it to the carriage without a problem," Nielle said.

"Why?" Brelle didn't understand.

"There is a problem with wild animals in this part, the bandits have no way to ambush here, as the animals are dangerous. Military patrols also usually fight wolves. Each of the villagers contributes enough food scraps that they throw out so that the animals have no reason to come near them. So it's really great that we smell like walking presents," he explained.

"An illogical way, why not create better fences, patrols or something to protect themselves from animals? It's not appropriate to feed them." Brelle didn't understand.

"Not all parts of the country can survive on the funds they have, let alone build walls around their villages. It take long to wait until we approve the requests and make a contribution, so it's easier to keep the animals fed. Since the local meat industry is not poor, leftovers will do," added Louis.

Nielle ignored them and continued walking for a while before he stopped abruptly and backed away. He quietly moved behind the brothers and said.

"Since you have a lot of energy, you can play with them," he nodded in front of them.

The princes didn't understand for a while, but when several wolves started to come out of the forest, they drew their swords in a second. Nielle didn't take out his, he just put his hand to it and waited.