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6
“Henry, don’t tear it. Look, you can see the castle!”
Henry forcefully put his hands over his knees, leaving a thread sticking from his right cuff alone and turning his head to the carriage window, where his father was pointing.
The castle was nice, it was surrounded by beautiful gardens. They didn’t have the gardens like that in their castle at home, Henry thought. It looked fun to play in. Maybe that Hans and he can do that.
He’d never met him. Well, technically Hans had seen Henry as a baby, but obviously the latter had no recollection of it, apart from the story from his father and the pendant - a gift from the Leipa family given to him by Hans. Henry touched the pendant absent-mindedly. He wondered what Hans was like. Father had always told him that they would become great friends and Henry, who didn’t have a lot of friends at home, was looking forward to this summer.
They passed through the town. People were smiling and waving at him, so he slid down his seat, pressing close to his father, who hugged him, encouraging his son to wave back.
The carriage finally stopped. As soon as the door opened, Henry saw a boy with an annoyed face and long blond hair, who must have been Hans, being reprimanded for something by a man, who must have been his uncle, lord Hanush. The boy crossed his arms on his chest, for which he again got told off, and finally dropped them by his sides, not without rolling his eyes.
“Radzig!” Hahush exclaimed, spreading his arms in an inviting gesture. Henry watched his father get out of the carriage and followed him.
After the adults exchanged their salutations, Hanush’s eyes fell on Henry. Henry couldn’t decide what he thought about the lord. His voice was loud and more gritty than his father’s, but he didn’t sound unpleasant.
“And that must be young lord Henry,” Hanush said, smiling at him.
Henry bowed. “It’s nice to meet you, Sir.”
Hanush laughed and dragged Hans, who was hiding behind his uncle’s back, in front of him.
When their eyes met, Henry immediately knew he didn’t like Hans.
His face, his arms that were crossed over his chest again, the lifted chin, the stance - everything about him was saying “I’m better than you”. Henry knew that the lords of Leipa were richer than his family, but if Hanush’s demeanor didn’t reflect that at all, then Hans’s attitude was aimed at showing everyone exactly the opposite. Hans, being three years older, was at least a head taller than Henry, coming up to his uncle’s chest, while Henry barely reached his father’s belt. Hans looked him from head to toe, chuckling at… something, and Henry hated how it made him feel.
Hans looked full of himself, mean and conceited. Henry couldn’t believe he was supposed to spend three months here. Maybe, if he’s lucky, he’ll break his leg and won’t have to socialise at all.
“Well, Hans? Is this a way you meet your guests?” Hanush encouraged him in a voice that made it obvious that they’d had this discussion a thousand times prior.
“So happy you could come,” Hans said, bowing in at least partially mocking manner.
“So happy to be here,” Henry responded in a similarly fake voice, which made his father look at him in confusion.
Henry hoped it would not get him in trouble.
***
It didn’t get better.
The first evening Henry went to his father’s room and asked if they could leave. He told him that he hated it here.
“It’s only been one day, son. If you are bored, rest assured that you haven’t seen a fraction of what you can do here - you can ride horses, play with Hans–”
“That’s the worst!”
Radzig looked at him perplexed. “But you barely talked to him?”
“And I don’t want to!”
None of his father’s attempts at persuasion worked, so Henry went to sleep that night mad at the whole world.
***
There was exactly one thing Henry and Hans were able to do together, and it was fighting.
Not shouting at each other, but physically fighting - scratching, kicking, and hitting as much as they could until Radzig or Hanush didn’t tear them apart by their collars.
Hans was insufferable and the way he was talking to everyone around him - with only two exceptions being his uncle and Henry’s father - was horrible. Their first fight happened when Hans raised his voice to a maid because she apparently didn’t run fast enough when he called for her, and when the young lord turned away, the woman rolled her eyes dramatically. She saw Henry looking at her and winked at him, pointing to Hans and dragging her finger across her neck with an exaggerated facial expression. Henry laughed and that earned him a questioning from Hans which he ignored, and that was when Hans hit him on the shoulder.
Henry had never fought before, he never needed to. He had no idea how to punch, but it didn’t matter at this moment as all the pent-up anger he felt towards this annoying lord made him throw his entire body at him. Hans responded in kind, slapping his arms and pushing Henry’s head away. The commotion must have been loud enough to attract attention, as very soon Henry felt being pulled away by his shoulder and seeing his father’s worried face in front of him. He looked behind his dad’s back and saw Hans being dragged by his ear to the other room by Hanush.
Henry couldn’t hide a content smirk, even while getting told off.
Without ever talking about it, the two boys seemed to have reached a silent agreement that fighting was better than arguing out loud, so the adults had to break apart their brawls at least five times a day. At first, servants would always call for the lords, but by the second month of Kobyla’s stay here, it had become such a recurrent thing that they dealt with with the same interest one would pay to being constantly forced to break up fights between two not particularly dangerous cats.
No amount of talking-to from the adults was able to deter the two from trying to strangle each other at the slightest disagreement, so an additional advantage was that they were not forced to spend time together anymore. Henry was happy to occupy himself with walking around the grounds and the town, reading and talking to people. He started spending a lot of time in the forge, which scared his father at first, but the blacksmith, Martin, assured him that he only let Henry watch from a distance or explained things to him on cold steel.
It was the first time in Henry’s life when he couldn’t wait for summer to end. Hans seemed to feel the same as on the last day of their stay, the boys didn’t even fight once.
When the carriage was ready, Henry jumped into it, overjoyed by the idea of never having to see stupid lord Hans ever again.
12
“No!”
“Henry!”
“I'm not coming!”
Radzig sighed, glancing at the ceiling. “We were invited. You are going. It's not up for discussion.”
“But I hate it there. Please, can I stay here? I will stay in the castle for the whole summer, I'll do anything you want!”
Radzig shook his head. “You should spend time with Hans.”
“Why? I don't want to and he hates me, why do we have to become friends?”
Radzig crouched next to his son who was sitting in a chair with his hands on his knees. He seemed to contemplate something, as if he was deciding whether to tell Henry or not.
“Henry,” he took the boy’s hands in his, “You should learn to get along with Hans because you are going to marry him.”
***
When the carriage stopped at Sir Hanush’s castle, Henry still didn't know what to think.
He had thought that his father was joking. Then, he couldn’t believe that that would be decided from his childhood. Then, he was livid that no one asked or told him.
Most of all, he was, of course, absolutely furious that it had to be Hans , that insufferable, stuck-up, selfish idiot.
His father tried explaining to him how beneficial that would be for their family and for Henry himself, and Henry tried to understand as much as he could. He still didn't but he promised Radzig that he would try. Radzig in turn promised him that Henry would never be forced to marry against his will.
More or less happy with their deal, they arrived at the Leipas’ castle. As they got out of the carriage, Henry's heart leaped at the… absence of Hans by Sir Hanush’s side. Was it possible that he was away for this summer?
“Your nephew is not meeting us?” Radzig asked, looking around.
Hanush huffed, irritated, and glanced at the road. “He went for a ride this morning, he was supposed to be here now. That boy is asking for a whipping.”
Henry couldn’t agree more. The longer he could be here without having to fulfill his promise to his father - the better.
“So, Henry, are you looking forward to staying with us?” Hanush asked with a strict face.
Henry knew that saying no to that would not be well-received, so he tried to change the subject. “I wanted to ask, Sir, if Martin was still working here?”
Hanush frowned. “Martin?”
“The blacksmith.”
Hanush clicked his tongue. “You cannot expect me to know the name of the blacksmith, do you, boy?”
Henry shrugged. “Father knows our’s.”
“Henry…” Radzig sighed, and Henry realised that he shouldn't have said that.
He opened his mouth to apologise but, to his surprise, Hanush laughed loudly.
“Your son doesn't bite his tongue, Radzig.”
“Takes after his mother, no doubt,” Radzig muttered, ruffling Henry’s hair.
“I'm sorry, Sir,” Henry said, even though he was sure he wasn't in trouble.
“Do not be, boy,” Hanush barked, still smiling, “That attitude will get you far in life. To answer your question - our blacksmith is still the same.”
Henry wanted to ask something else when he heard the rapid hoof steps approaching them from a distance.
Well, his pleasant time had just ended.
Two horses were riding at full speed, raising dust all around them. Hanush shouted at them to slow down but they didn't, stopping abruptly near the carriage.
“You were supposed to be here an hour ago!” raged Hanush.
The second rider - a boy about Hans’s age who Henry's never seen before - got down and started mumbling some explanation.
Henry was looking at Hans, who stared at him from above with the same condescending face Henry had gotten used to seeing six years ago. Hans glanced at the ground and smirked.
Henry didn't have the time to understand what amused him when the young lord jumped off his horse, his boots landing right into a pool of mud, splattering it over Henry's clothes.
Henry took a step back instinctively, bumping into Radzig and glaring at Hans furiously. The young lord wasn't even looking at him, giggling with his friend, Hanush lashing at his nephew immediately.
Henry could swear he heard his father mutter “For fuck’s sake” under his breath.
***
Hans’s new hobby was hunting, and although he wasn’t yet allowed to hunt in the forest, he was training to shoot and Henry was forced too.
Hans also had a new friend - the boy Henry’d seen him arrive with on horseback the other day. They told Henry his name was Adder, and Henry was pretty sure they were making fun of him but he couldn’t get the boy’s real name out of them so he stuck with calling him by that stupid nickname. He was the son of some lord from another country and, apparently, had been coming to the Leipas for summer for the past couple of years.
Henry didn’t like shooting. He couldn’t understand where to aim, he couldn’t pull the string far enough for it to work, and all of that was making Hans and Adder laugh, and Henry hated it.
They also went to the woods sometime, and that was one thing Henry actually liked. He would always keep some distance from the two, keeping his eye on them to not get lost. They seemed to know the forest pretty well, and, to their credit, they always made sure to be able to see Henry, calling for him if they lost his sight, albeit acting bitter every time they had to search for him.
***
“Why are you following me everywhere?” Hans asked with an exhausted voice.
“Because I promised to my father that I’ll try to be friends with you.”
Hans stopped and stared at Henry, biting his lip. “Do you know that they want us to marry?”
Henry nodded. He wondered when Hans had learnt it. Could he have known before their first visit? Could he have been so rude to Henry because he knew?
“Well, I don’t want to marry you,” Hans snapped at him.
Henry shrugged. “Neither do I.”
Hans looked insulted for a second before squinting in anger again. “Well, I don’t want to be your friend either. You’re too little and no fun. Leave me and Adder alone.”
***
Henry had managed to find a friend of his own - Martin’s son Samuel. When Henry expressed surprise over the fact that he’d never seen the boy before, the blacksmith hesitated before explaining that he hadn’t been sure that a young lord would be interested in playing with a peasant. Henry never let him finish and said that he would be happy to meet Samuel who was slightly confused by the introduction.
“Aren’t you a prince?” he frowned.
“No, I’m not.”
“But you are a noble?”
Henry nodded.
“I thought Dad was pulling my leg when he told me that Lord Kobyla’s son was coming here. Aren’t you supposed to hang out with Sir Hans?”
“I’d rather jump off a cliff.”
“But aren’t you marrying him?”
Henry froze, taken aback by that comment. So, it was just common knowledge? A son of a blacksmith knew that when he’d only learnt a month before?
“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business,” Samuel muttered, seeing the other’s stunned reaction.
***
Hans, for some reason, wasn’t happy with the fact that Henry had found a new playmate, which made him very confused.
The blacksmith’s backyard lay by the path to the forest, so every time Hans and Adder went there, they made sure to pick on the two boys playing. If Henry got used to Hans’s snide remarks from all the rest of the time the two were forced to socialise in the castle, Samuel’s shorter temper was really getting tested. He never answered to the mocking, he could not - a commoner kid biting back at the lord of the castle would quickly get him whipped, but Henry saw how his jaw and fists clenched, how he exhaled forcefully, and he didn’t like seeing his friend in this state. Thankfully, Henry had the complete right to tack back to his, God help him, future husband - the right that he used to its full extent, to the amusement of the guards standing on the castle gates nearby.
“Maybe you shouldn’t talk like that to him, my lord,” Martin once tried, after witnessing yet another exchange of pleasantries between the two.
“Why?”
Martin glanced at his son and sighed. “I… We wouldn’t want you to get in any trouble because of us.”
Henry squinted with a smug expression on his face. “Don’t you know better than to tell a noble what he should and shouldn't do?”
Martin smiled and bowed. “I apologise, my lord. Please, continue to insult Sir Hans to your heart’s desire.”
One day in August, Samuel was remarkably sadder than usual. Henry's first thought that the boy had argued with his father but was quickly proven wrong when Martin brought them both a pretzel, ruffling his son’s hair. As Henry was asking Martin about something metal-related, Samuel abruptly walked off to stand at the edge of the backyard.
Martin sighed looking at him.
“What’s wrong?”
The blacksmith shook his head. “No, my lord, nothing. Sam’s mother died five years ago on this day.”
Henry bit his cheek. He’d never asked Martin where his wife was and he’d never asked Sam about his mom. Henry didn’t like answering questions about his mother and he didn’t see why anyone else would be different.
“I’m sorry,” he said to Martin who smiled at him with sadness in his eyes.
“Thank you. Please do not take Sam’s behaviour personally.”
Henry nodded and went to join his friend.
“Your dad told me about your mother.”
He saw Sam wipe his eyes quickly. “I don’t want to bother you with that. Maybe you should go back to the castle. I don’t want to play today.”
“Do you want me to leave?” Henry leaned against the fence. Sam didn’t answer, staring somewhere in the distance. “Then I’ll stay.”
They weren’t talking for some time. Eventually, they both sat down on the grass. Sam finished his pretzel.
“You don’t have a mother either, do you?”
Henry shook his head.
“It’s shit, right?”
Henry laughed. “I can’t disagree.”
“Do you… do you remember her?” Sam asked nervously. “I’m worried I’ll forget mine.”
“I do. And mine’s been gone longer than yours, so I don’t see why you should forget her.”
It seemed to have reassured Sam as he exhaled with relief. Sam put his hand under his collar and took out the string he was wearing around his neck. Henry’d sometimes seen it slip out from Sam’s clothes while they were playing or running around, but every time the boy would put it back quickly. Now Henry saw what was on the string - a simple silver ring.
Sam took it off and handed it to his friend who took it carefully.
“Dad gave it to me.”
Henry nodded and wanted to say something else when he heard loud cackling from the castle gates.
Sam swore under his breath and got to his feet, with Henry following him.
“Just ignore them.”
Sam hummed in response.
Hans’s question about them looking so grim stayed unanswered, and so did the regular mocking about Henry looking more like a farmer than a lord.
“What do you have there?” Hans reached his hand to Henry’s who was still holding the ring.
“Nothing,” he said, giving it back to Sam.
Henry wasn’t expecting Adder to suddenly surge forward, grabbing the string roughly from Sam’s hands.
“Hey!”
“What are you going to do, blacksmith boy? Fight me for it?”
Henry saw Sam’s eyes widen and his shoulders tense but he knew that Adder was right - he couldn’t do anything apart from standing there.
“Give it back,” Henry stepped in, which was met with laughter. He knew that would be the reaction - he was the youngest and the shortest of the four. He couldn’t fight them. Sam may have had but he couldn’t even raise his voice at them.
Hans took the ring, looking at it closely, and snorted. “What is that, your most prized possession? This rubbish?”
“Hans, stop it!”
Hans looked at him annoyed. “Or what?”
Henry didn’t have an answer.
Hans put the ring in his pocket and started walking away.
Henry jumped over the fence without thinking. He heard Sam calling his name, which made Hans turn around and, seeing Henry following them, start to run to the woods.
Both Hans and Adder were taller and, as much as Henry hated to admit it, stronger than him, so he couldn’t catch up to them but he knew where they were heading.
They climbed inside the treehouse and pulled up the ladder before Henry could get there.
“Hans, give it back!” Henry shouted because he wasn’t leaving it.
Hans’s bored face poked out of the window. “Why do you care so much? Go buy him another one.”
“Why do you care so much?” Henry retorted angrily. “What do you need this ring for? You have dozens of them!”
“I took it because I could. It’s a fun thing to do with peasants, you should try it sometimes.”
Henry felt his blood boil. He couldn’t do anything. He couldn’t get the ring back. If he hadn’t been talking to Sam, nothing would have happened at all. It was his fault.
He kicked the wooden pole serving as a support for the treehouse from impotence, and, to his surprise, felt it move. Overcome by frustration, he kicked it again, harder this time. He didn’t get a chance to react, and as he raised his head to look at the treehouse, he saw it move and crumble to the ground, right on top of him.
***
The physicians were running around the room in a constant hurry. Henry wanted to tell them to calm down because his injuries weren’t that bad. Maybe they never had to take care of three stupid noble kids at once. Maybe they were as afraid of seeing Radzig’s reaction as Henry was.
His father and Hanush left for a hunt that morning so they were not there when soldiers who had been alarmed by Martin brought three of them to the castle. The servants were all gasping, covering their mouths, and crossing themselves, and Henry, again, was going to tell them that it wasn’t such a big deal if it wasn’t for Hans screaming bloody murder.
Henry heard it getting quiet outside his room and braced himself.
As soon as the door flew open, the physician ran towards Radzig, muttering something about his son’s state.
Radzig wasn’t listening.
Henry bent his head, waiting.
His father sat on the bed beside him, looking over the cast on his arm and a bandage on his forehead.
“I’m listening.”
Henry didn’t look at him. “You are going to punish me, so what’s the point?”
“Henry, have I ever punished you without understanding what’s going on first?”
He shook his head. “How are… how are Hans and Adder?”
“Fine. A bit worse than you but nothing serious. Definitely nothing as serious as Hans wanted it to look like.”
Henry told him everything. He didn’t see the point in trying to hide any parts - he was sure Hans would come up with some way of putting all the blame on Henry, so the best he could do to defend himself was to tell the truth. When he got to the part where Hans had taken Sam’s ring, Radzig closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, and Henry was pretty sure his father already understood the rest.
Henry waited patiently, his fingers bothering the pendant around his heck out of pure habit.
“I will not punish you. But you will have to apologise–”
“I won’t!”
“Henry,” Radzig groaned which made Henry shut up, “You will apologise to Hans and his friend for breaking the treehouse and for the injuries.”
“But they stole the ring!”
“Henry, you wanted to get the ring back, didn’t you?”
Henry nodded.
“And did making them break their legs achieve that?”
Henry averted his gaze. No, it didn’t. It was pure pointless revenge.
“You will not apologise for anything else, only for what you shouldn’t have done. You should have come to the castle, told the chamberlain, or waited for my return. Breaking stuff and harming people isn’t always the way to get what you want.”
Henry nodded, feeling the shame warming his face. “Are you mad at me?”
“Only that you made us cut our hunt short.”
Henry was glad to hear Hanush screaming his lungs out as they approached Hans’s room. Radzig knocked and the shouting stopped.
Henry apologised, as they agreed. Hans didn’t glance at him once. Adder, who, to Henry’s surprise, was looking guilty, nodded to him in acknowledgment.
Henry wanted to get out as soon as they were done but Radzig approached Hans’s bedside and reached out his hand with its palm up.
Hans looked at him in genuine confusion which was quickly replaced by a fake one. He said he didn’t know what Radzig wanted. He then said that he’d lost the ring when he fell. He then said that Adder had it which made the other boy swear heavily in Polish, denying it and telling Hans to give it back.
Finally, he reached into his pocket and dropped the ring into Radzig’s hand, his stare full of hatred. Radzig bowed and thanked him before walking out of the room.
“The blacksmith is asking to see you, Sir,” a guard by the door told Radzig.
“How convenient,” Radzig laughed, “Are you coming, Henry?”
Henry nodded, following his father outside.
Martin was standing in front of the gates, his hand on Sam’s shoulder. They both looked disturbed, their faces pale. Father and son bowed to Radzig - Henry refused to accept that they could be bowing to him. Samuel was looking over Henry’s injuries, his eyebrows furrowed.
“My lord, we wanted to apologise for what happened,” Martin said quickly, looking at the ground. “My son wanted to say something.”
Samuel cleared his throat. “My lord, it is not Hen– Sir Henry’s fault,” he corrected himself quickly, glancing at Radzig’s face in fear, “He only wanted to help me. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for me. I will accept the punishment you see fit.”
“Why does everyone want me to punish them today?” Radzig said with clear humour in his voice which made the blacksmith and his son look at him in confusion.
“Sir–”
“Henry told me what happened. You didn’t do anything wrong. I’ll make sure Sir Hanush shares the same opinion. And I believe this is yours.”
He opened his hand and stretched it out to Samuel who almost jumped for joy.
Martin thanked him several more times before the pair left.
“We’ll be leaving sooner than planned, I’d rather you get treated by our own physician. I don’t think you will be very upset about it?”
Henry shook his head vigorously.
17
“Where is he?” Adder jumped at Hanush’s voice.
“Um, I believe in his room, Sir.” He followed the lord.
Hanush didn’t bother knocking, yanking the door open and storming inside.
“They will be here any minute. You will act appropriately, young man!”
The said young man was lying in his bed with his feet on the ground. “Of course.”
“Hans!”
“What?!” He sat up and looked at his uncle.
“Do not embarrass me! You are an adult now, so act accordingly. Be nice and polite.”
“Or what?” Hans sighed, lying back down.
“Or I’ll have to use other measures that I’d rather not to. And how many times did I tell you not to use your bow here?” Hanush pointed at the weapon leaning against the wardrobe. He glanced at the target hanging on the wall and squinted because it wasn’t a regular target. Hanush walked closer to it and gasped, as attached to the wooden circle was a piece of paper with a perfectly recognisable picture of Henry Kobyla, with at least a dozen arrows stuck all over it. “Have you lost your bloody mind?!”
Hans only rolled his eyes as his uncle left.
Adder approached the target and pulled out the arrows, taking the paper. Yes, it was definitely Henry - his face shape, his hair, his eyes, his clothes and pendant.
“Nice picture. How long did it take you to draw it?”
“Shut the fuck up,” Hans hissed, snatching the drawing out of his friend’s hands.
***
Henry tripped over his own foot and fell, dropping his sword. He looked at Hans who only rolled his eyes and groaned in exasperation. “Do you even know how to use it?”
“Hans,” came a warning voice of Hanush, “It is proper sparring etiquette to help your opponent up to his feet if he falls.”
Hans rolled his eyes again and reached his hand down to Henry, who would have rather gotten up on his own but grabbed it anyway. He was pulled up pretty roughly and ended up nose-to-nose with Hans. Henry quickly took a step back, fixing his armour. When he looked back at his opponent, he was surprised to see that Hans’s face was bright red.
***
“I won. Again.” Henry put the cards on the table and stood up, hearing Adder chuckle.
“I want a rematch!” Hans exclaimed after studying the cards to make sure of the result of the game.
Henry was already walking away. “I don’t,” he called over his shoulder.
He heard Hans running after him and felt a hand grab his upper arm. Henry shook his shoulder, trying to make the other let him go, but it did nothing.
“A rematch. Please .” The word felt forced out of Hans’s mouth, and it made Henry smirk in satisfaction.
“And why would I do that?” He glanced at Adder who was sitting in an armchair, looking at them over the top of a book in his hands.
Hans was thinking for a couple of seconds. “Because you’ll get a chance to win again?”
Fair enough. Henry shrugged and went back to the table, picking up the cards. Adder got back to reading, shaking his head in exasperation.
***
“Sir Hanush told me that you are not only an excellent blacksmith but also a good swordsman.”
Martin looked at Henry, his face red from the heat of the forge.
“I may be.”
Perfect . “I will pay you if you agree to train me.”
Martin raised his eyebrows. “I didn’t know you were interested in sword fighting.”
“I…” Henry cleared his throat, flustered, “I think it’s a good skill to learn.”
“He got his arse kicked by Sir Hans the other day,” Sam teased, approaching them and dropping a bag of charcoal on the ground, “And he doesn’t want to lose his face in front of his future husband.”
Henry shot him a death stare. “I couldn’t care less about him.”
Sam smirked smugly. “Then why are you still wearing his pendant?”
***
“He’s stupid, and he can’t even fight properly. He goes around my castle as if it was his! He’s flirting with my guards!”
Adder, who already had enough of listening to these complaints every single day, lazily looked at Hans pacing furiously across the room.
“Who is he flirting with?” he asked with zero interest.
“That squire, Bartosch.”
Adder huffed. “Well, it’s good then? Maybe they’ll fall in love and Henry will leave you alone.”
Hans snapped his head at him, his eyes wide. “But… but he’s not supposed to! He’s supposed to marry me!”
“But you don’t want to marry him, do you?”
Hans groaned and stormed through the door.
***
The ballroom in the Leipas’ castle could have been a beautiful place if it wasn't for its pitiful state and if it wasn’t currently functioning as the castle’s storage. The ceiling was higher than anywhere else in the castle, the tall windows with stained glass depicting some scenes could not be seen clearly from the dirt and dust covering them, and about a quarter of the room was filled with furniture that had been dragged here to not bother anyone as the room had not been used for years.
Henry had no idea what had prompted Hanush to bring them here.
“It’s a shame you don’t hold dances anymore,” Radzig said, looking at the windows.
“We are hoping to renovate it soon,” Hanush answered. “After all, we’ll need this room for and after the wedding.”
“After?” Henry asked, confused.
Hanush didn’t answer, instead walking to the furthest wall of the room. Henry followed him and saw Hans do the same.
“You don’t just dance here,” Hanush said, gesturing to two thrones standing side by side.
Henry didn’t know how he’d never noticed them before - two big wooden seats of the same size, standing on a low platform. They didn’t have anything like that at their castle, and he’d never seen Hanush sitting in one either.
“Go on, you two,” Hanush nudged, “Give it a try.”
Henry looked at Hans who walked to the throne without hesitation and sat in it comfortably. No doubt, he’d done that before, imagining himself as a ruler and giving orders right and left. Henry approached the other throne, examining it carefully before taking a seat. He felt out of place, especially with his father and Hanush watching them both with so much attention. He straightened his back and put his arms on the armrests. A strange sense of officiality washed over him. He looked to his right, at Hans, and suddenly felt the weight of what was happening crushing him.
This is what it would look like. This is where they would be announced as husbands, this is where they would sit on the day of their marriage and every day after that for the rest of his life.
“Oh, they look so lovely together, do they not?” said the maid, who was accompanying them, in a gushing voice, bringing her hands to her face.
He saw Radzig and Hanush turn their heads towards her. Radzig smiled. Hanush nodded. Henry felt his face burn and he surged up abruptly, taking a step away from the throne. To his surprise, he saw Hans do the same, jumping off the seat as if it was scorching hot.
***
Henry barely had time to wash off the dirt and the soot when he ran to the dinner, feeling excited.
“You are making our hosts wait, Henry,” Radzig told him calmly as he entered the room and walked to the table.
“My apologies.” He bowed to Hanush but the man only waved his hand at him dismissively. Henry glanced at Hans, who was straining his neck trying to see what Henry was holding behind his back. “I have something for you,” he turned to his father, bringing the gift in front of him.
He heard Hanush make a quiet sound as Radzig looked at the sword Henry was holding with his mouth slightly opened.
“You… you’ve made that?”
Henry nodded, not being able to hide a smile. He’d been working on it for weeks, constantly bothering Martin and Sam with every smallest question because he wanted it to be perfect.
Radzig stood up, taking the sword out of its sheath and looking at the blade. He switched the grip several times, finding the balance. He looked at the hilt, swiping his thumb over the pretty primitive but still carefully done engraving on the crossguard.
“I can see from here how good the sword is,” Hanush called, looking contentedly at them both. Henry looked at his father, seeing tears in his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something but didn’t get a chance.
“Oh, please, so now I’m marrying a blacksmith.”
“Hans,” came Hanush’s warning tone as Henry snapped his head at the other boy.
“You can’t be serious,” Hans continued, “In what world does a lord make his sword himself? So I have to put up with him being friends with servants instead of other nobles and spending time with peasants , but now he also works like one?”
“Hans.”
“It shouldn’t be surprising though, since he’s always had their manners. Must be from his mother.”
“Hans!”
If the table wasn’t separating them, Henry was sure the sword’s first quenching would have been in the young Leipa lord’s blood. The table, unfortunately, was there, so Henry turned around and stormed out of the room, the guard by the doors barely having time to open it for him.
***
As he was walking down the hall, he heard footsteps behind him. He knew it was his father, so he stopped and turned around, waiting for Radzig to catch up to him.
“If you’re going to tell me to go back there–”
“I won’t. I just wanted to make sure you are… alright.”
“I’m not.”
Henry’d never felt so angry. All of his previous disagreements with Hans, all of the times he was mad at him felt like nothing compared to a fire burning in his chest, making him breathe heavily and his fingers tingle.
“He’s jealous.”
“What, of me acting like a peasant?” Henry snapped.
Radzig sighed, putting aside the sword that he was still holding and taking Henry’s shoulders in his hands. “You are not. You are more noble than that arsehole will ever be.”
He had never talked like that about Hans.
“Are you not mad?” Henry asked. “He insulted your wife.”
“I got used to hearing that often enough when I married her, so I stopped paying attention.” Radzig brought his hand to Henry’s cheek. “I am proud of you, and so would she. Thank you for the sword. I don’t think you understand how much that means to me.”
Henry nodded and took a deep breath. “I… I’m glad you like it.”
“Go have some fun. Preferably with peasants.” Henry laughed, feeling the tightness in his chest disappearing. “And I have a certain young moron to give a talking-to.”
***
Finally, the best day of summer arrived - the last day.
Hans was standing by the carriage, looking annoyed, as usual. The day before, he was asking his uncle if he really had to be there because he wanted to go hunting. His request, naturally, wasn’t granted.
Henry was peripherally listening to Hanush and Radzig saying their goodbyes. Thankfully, he and Hans were not forced to talk anymore - not after what had happened. Henry couldn’t wait to get back home.
Adder shook his hand which earned him an angry glance from Hans, promptly ignored by the former. Henry had discovered that Adder was actually a decent guy when he wasn’t trying to lick Hans’s boots.
He glanced at the horse behind Hans’s back, thinking about Pebbles waiting for him at their castle when he noticed something on the ground.
Radzig and Hanush finally clasped their hands, and the former opened the carriage door, waiting for his son to get inside.
Henry bowed to Hanush who slapped him on his shoulder and wished him good travels. He stepped closer to the horse, petting its side lightly, and then tapped it a bit harder on its hip, making the animal kick its back leg, splaying Hans with the mud under its hoof.
The boy gasped, his eyes snapping incredulously between his dirty clothes and Henry who passed by him and stepped into the carriage.
Radzig didn’t say anything to him but the smile on his face was self-explanatory.
20
Henry could tell his father was troubled with something since they’d gotten into the carriage, so when Radzig called for the rider to stop, he wasn’t surprised.
“What’s wrong, Dad?”
Radzig shook his head and closed his eyes.
“I can’t. I can’t do this to you, Henry.”
He felt his heart race.
Since their last visit to the Leipas, they hadn’t talked much about the engagement. Almost a year later, Henry received a letter with a short formal apology. The signature of the letter said “Hans” but Henry could bet his arm that the young lord had never even seen this paper. Henry remembered that the wedding was supposed to be decided on when he turned twenty, so this specific summer was supposed to determine the rest of his life. To his own surprise, Henry was weirdly at peace with the marriage - he felt like he got used to the idea, to the inevitability of it. He’d read about noble couples who managed to be married and rule while seeing one another maybe once a week. They even had arrangements about lovers, and Henry hoped that he and Hans could come to some type of compromise to coexist in the same castle.
Despite that, the idea of having to kiss the man even once during the wedding was sending shivers down his spine.
“What do you mean?” he asked, hope fluttering in his chest.
“The marriage. When we agreed to that with Hanush, when you were born, I had no idea who I would be giving you away to. We thought you’d grow up together, you’d be getting alone and eventually fall in love, but Hans… I can’t. I told you that I would be expecting your final answer at the end of this summer but there is no need to wait that long. You already told me. You already told me so many times and I never listened.” Radzig buried his face in his hands, sighing loudly.
Henry moved closer to his father. Was it actually happening? Could he actually be free from this nightmare?
“You wanted the best for me,” Henry put his arm around his father’s shoulder.
“Yes, and I forgot to ask you about it. I’m sorry, Henry. There’ll be no marriage, you have my word. I’ll tell Hanush about it. We can go back home.”
Henry contemplated it for a second and shook his head. “Hanush is your friend. I can’t rob you from spending time with him, can I?”
“But Hans–”
“...will be much easier to tolerate now that he’s not my betrothed.” Henry smiled. “I’ll find a way to entertain myself, don’t worry.”
“What, like that squire of yours?” Radzig smirked.
“Dad!”
“He seems nice.”
“Jesus Christ,” Henry laughed. “But no, I didn’t mean him. I meant Martin, Sam, and the library.”
“Sure,” Radzig answered, which earned him an elbow to the side. “Thank you, Henry. Truly.”
Henry could never imagine being mad at his father, so he smiled. “So, how long will we be standing here?”
***
Hans wasn’t there to meet them, and Hanush said that his nephew was busy today and would only join for dinner, so Henry considered that to be the best day of his life yet.
Hanush looked him over and shook his head. “When the hell did you grow up like that? He’s taller than you, Radzig!”
“I blame the sword fighting,” Radzig said, tapping his son on the back.
Henry smiled in response. He wasn’t much taller than his father, an inch at best, but he knew it was a stark difference from when Hanush’d seen him last - all the tailors at home were complaining about having to alter all his clothes constantly after he started training seriously.
Henry’d skipped breakfast that morning because of the nerves before the travel, and his stomach made it known by growling loudly.
Hanush chuckled. “Ask the servants to bring you something from the kitchen. Can’t have our guests starving, can we?”
***
Henry went to the kitchen himself. The cook was a lovely woman who’d always let him eat way more than he could, and it seemed that the servants were as amused by a lord coming to the kitchen for a meal as he was by being there.
Something about the castle was different. He couldn’t point it out but it was unmistakable. All the servants he came across greeted him like they always did but it felt like they were… more laid-back? Their postures not as rigid as before, the curtsies and bows slightly more casual, which actually made them look more sincere. Henry couldn’t understand it but he definitely liked it. It was more like back home.
He ate until he was full, listening to the cook telling him all the gossip that he’d missed - which servants married, which broke up, who was with child - when the maid, who Henry knew as being one of the least fortunate ones in the castle as she was taking care of Hans’s room, walked in. She greeted him cheerfully and put down a tray, when Henry saw a large bruise beside her eye, loosely covered by strands of hair.
“What happened to you?” he asked, putting down the cup and stepping closer to her.
The maid fixed her hair, covering the bruise even more, and lowered her head. “Nothing much, Sir. It’s already been dealt with.”
“Someone hit you?”
She nodded, realising that he would not drop the subject. “My husband, but it’s alright now, Hans took care of it.”
Henry’s mind paused at that. “Hans?” As far as he was aware, there was only one Hans in this castle.
The maid’s eyes widened. “ Sir Hans, I apologise, my lord.”
Henry stared at her for a second. “No need. Aren’t you scared he’ll take your head off for calling him like that?”
The maid frowned in confusion but then her face lightened up. “Oh, you don’t know! That’s right, the last time you were here–”
“You are not going to bore the kind lord with our silly stories, are you?” the cook chimed in, giving the maid a pointed look, making the latter close her mouth.
“Wait, what do you mean?” Henry asked, completely lost. They were allowed to drop the title for Hans? And Hans, for some reason, helped a maid with something himself ? “Did something happen with Hans?”
The cook cleared her throat. “Your lordship would probably be surprised to know that the young lord… he changed a lot. He grew up. If he didn’t still look like himself, you probably wouldn’t recognise him.”
“But how?!” Because the idea of Hans becoming a better person seemed completely impossible.
The two women looked at each other. “Surely, it will be better if you hear it from one of the lords themselves…”
“Please,” Henry clasped his hands together, begging, “No one else will tell me about it. You won't get in trouble, I promise.”
They exchanged a look again and the cook sighed.
“After you left last time, Sir Hanush was furious. He took the young lord to his room and screamed at him so loudly the whole castle could hear it. No one even needed to eavesdrop. Sir Hanush told Hans - Sir Hans - that he was…” She glanced at Henry hesitantly, not sure whether her following words would be appropriate, but Henry nodded eagerly and she continued, “A spoiled useless brat. That he was a disgrace and that he was humiliating their family in front of yours, Sir. He was screaming at Sir Hans for more than an hour. They left it at that.”
“Did Hans get punished?”
“Not… not that time. A week later Sir Hans started a fight in the tavern. He was so drunk, no one could reason with him. They sent for Sir Hanush. People said he looked like he was about to kill his nephew. His lordship didn't even say anything, he just took Hans to the castle. He didn't scream this time,” she shifted uncomfortably, “But the next morning Sir Hanush announced that Sir Hans would not be living in the castle anymore. He was supposed to find some work in the town and earn money on his own. Until Sir Hans learned his lesson, we were to treat him like an equal.”
Henry furrowed in curiosity. “That's why you call him Hans?”
The maid nodded. “We were prohibited from using his titles.”
“I can't imagine Hans doing any of that.”
“Neither could he,” the other woman responded. “He was still acting like a lord. He was sure his uncle wasn't serious and would back down soon enough, but his lordship didn't. There was a night,” she sighed, “About three weeks after that happened. It was cold, and raining. Hans got kicked out of the tavern for not paying for the food, so he went to the castle gates and demanded they let him in. No one did. He was shouting for some time, first from anger but then… he started crying. I couldn't believe it when they told me the next morning. He stayed at the gates all night. They say some beggar woke him up in the morning to warn him against staying in the guard’s way. After that, no one saw him for two days, and then he came back and went to Martin to ask for a job.”
Henry couldn’t believe what he was hearing. So, Hanush had had enough and had decided to teach Hans a lesson? And it… actually worked?
“I'm sure Martin hired him out of pity. I remember when he came back that day, I saw him by the church, God he looked awful,” the maid crossed herself. “Martin probably thought if he didn't agree, the lad would just die. It was difficult in the beginning - he wasn’t getting along with Martin’s son, and Hans was complaining and tiring quickly but Martin cut that shi– nonsense down.”
“How long did it last?”
“Oh, a long time, my lord. No one was expecting Sir Hanush to do good on his word, and no one was expecting Hans to actually keep up with it. It started, as I said, after you left, in September. Hans was still working in the smithy when the farmers were done with ploughing in spring.”
Henry's eyes widened. “Eight months?!”
The cook nodded. “Aye, something like that.”
Henry stared at the wall. He could not imagine Hans, that immature, unbearable bastard, working a peasant's job for more than half a year - a job that he was making fun of Henry for doing, no less.
“How did it end?”
“On Sir Hanush’s birthday. Hans decided to make him a gift. A sword,” she added, looking knowingly at Henry. “When he went to deliver it, it was the first time he'd been in the castle for months. We… we couldn't recognise him. You'd think he aged ten years.”
“Which just means that he started acting his age,” muttered the maid.
“I don't think Sir Hanush was expecting anything from him, even less an actual well-made sword and his nephew standing patiently in line with others and bowing to him, as if he was a commoner. I think…” she stammered, “I think it was the first thing Hans has ever made for his uncle.”
“Hanush forgave him there, didn't he?”
The maid nodded. “He came back to live in the castle, but it was nothing like before. He really did change. He told us to not call him ‘sir’. Now he's…” she paused again, hesitating, “He's a lot like you, my lord.”
Several years ago Henry would have taken it as the worst insult.
Now, he wasn't sure.
***
Every single person Henry ran into was telling him to check out the ballroom, so since there was still time before dinner, he decided to do just that.
The servants hadn’t lied - the room was completely unrecognisable. It was painted in a beautiful combination of yellow, pink, and green, with light filling it through the massive windows partially made with stained glass with the images of a knight and a lady.
Henry felt a slight pang of guilt - he was sure that all the renovation was done in preparation for the engagement and the wedding, and now it had no purpose anymore. He could only hope that the Leipas would still make good use of it. At the end of the day, Hans would marry someone eventually.
Henry walked to the thrones which were left the same, just slightly embellished. He looked back, even though he knew he was alone in the room, and took a seat, just one last time. He didn't really have prospects of marrying some high nobility - in that regard, he could understand his father, as the marriage with Hans was probably the best match he could pull from the point of view of social station. From the point of view of Henry Kobyla, it seemed more realistic that he would run away with some chivalrous bandit.
Lost in thoughts, Henry didn't hear steps approaching the door, and when it opened, he didn't stand up, instead looking at the man who'd just walked in.
The cook was right - he was hard to recognise but Henry spent too much time being tormented by the man to not know him immediately.
Hans looked at him and froze in place. His hand reached behind his back, trying to find the door handle but then he closed his eyes and exhaled, seemingly composing himself, and walked towards Henry.
Henry was staring. Hans had cut his hair and shaved off his sides, no doubt while working at the forge, leaving shorter strands falling casually over his forehead and temples. His eyes had lost their ugly arrogance, giving room for calm confidence every nobleman was born with. He was slimmer than he'd been before, and that made his face sharper, childish roundness and the almost constant pout it created gone. His long nose and high cheekbones, which had always seemed too angular for his face, now fit perfectly, making him look refined.
Henry was staring because he couldn't believe that he'd never noticed how fucking breathtakingly handsome Hans was. He had been so blinded by his hatred that he'd never even paid attention to the face of the man he was supposed to marry.
Henry was still sitting on the throne when Hans stopped about three steps in front of him and bowed . Not a full-in bow a commoner would give to a sire, but a more casual one the lords exchanged among themselves as a sign of respect.
“Henry,” he said, straightening up.
“Hans,” Henry said, standing up and giving a bow in response.
His attitude - God, it was uncanny to see someone wearing the face of a boy who used to think that the world was owed to him now acting so reserved and… graceful.
“I… I meant to prepare my address to you for tonight,” Hans started, “I wanted to think it through, but I guess I'll have to improvise. Henry, I am sorry for everything I've done to you.”
Henry was stunned to hear that from a man who had spent his whole life avoiding responsibilities like fire.
“The way I treated you was horrible, and I have no excuse. I was a terrible person, to everyone around me, but especially to you. I am truly sorry.” Hans must have misinterpreted the confusion on Henry's face because he added, “Oh, you are probably surprised by that, I… something has happened after you and your father left the last time–”
“The servants told me.”
Hans nodded. “Good.”
“They told me you changed.”
Hans shrugged with a small smile. “I'd like to think so.”
“I had a hard time believing it.”
Hans nodded again. “I understand. Henry, I'm not asking you to accept my apologies because you shouldn't accept them. I just wanted you to know that I am sorry. And that I'm glad that my behaviour didn't… affect you that much, I hope. That you've grown into a beautiful man who was braver and more honorable than me since the first time we met.”
Henry's heart raced at beautiful , and then Hans smiled with a genuine, kind, soft smile that Henry'd seen on his face only a handful of times in his life, and Henry felt weak in his knees. He knew he was done.
Henry crossed the space between them and reached out his hand which made Hans glance at him, his eyebrows raised.
“May I ask for a dance?”
Hans looked around. “Here?” he asked, as if that was the strangest thing that was happening.
“It's a ballroom. You dance in it.”
Hans chuckled, bowing again, as he was supposed to before a dance. Henry bowed too, his heart skipping a beat when he felt warm fingers touch his hand. He pulled Hans in, settling his hand on the other's back and feeling Hans’s hand find his shoulder. Their eyes were fixed on each other, Hans’s lips parting slightly when Henry stepped to a side, turning them around slightly in a casual waltz.
“You grew up,” Hans said in a low voice, looking Henry up and down as much as their dancing allowed, and it made Henry shiver, “And picked up some weight,” he added, his hand pressing firmer into Henry's back to feel muscles underneath.
“Probably makes me look like a peasant?” Henry chuckled.
Hans closed his eyes, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I said that to you. I'm sorry. You do not look like a peasant. You look like a knight from fairy tales my mom used to read to me.”
Henry didn't know how to answer. He was never good with compliments. He could only hope that the fondness and longing rapidly blossoming inside his chest towards the man in his arms could be seen on his face. Given a satisfied smile on Hans’s face, Henry thought so.
“Now that I think about it,” Henry said after some silence, “It's surprising they never forced us to dance together.”
Hans laughed, and that bright joyous sound shot Henry right through his chest like an arrow, and he couldn't have possibly held himself back from leaning in, cupping Hans’s cheek and kissing him.
Hans answered almost immediately, his hand on the back of Henry's neck, pulling them closer together. The kiss was slow and warm. They'd stopped dancing. Henry was so fucking lost in the feeling of Hans’s lips opening against his, letting his tongue slide inside. Hans was turning hungrier by the second, pressing his body against Henry.
“We shouldn't,” he whispered, and Hans nodded straight away.
“You're right. I'm forgetting myself,” he said in between heavy breaths.
Henry leaned in for one more quick kiss and moved his hand back where it'd been before, getting back to slow dancing and smiling stupidly.
***
“What did you want to discuss?” Hanush asked, walking to the table in his office.
Radzig closed the door and cleared his throat. “You know that I respect you and your family,” he sighed, “But I also have mine that I should take care of.”
Hanush stared at him for a second before nodding, and Radzig could tell that the other realised what it was about.
“Henry is a kind, brave lad. He wants to know more about the world, he wants to travel and study,” Radzig continued, and Hanush nodded again, repeatedly, because he knew that was true. “I cannot tie him down to someone like Hans. I know I’m breaking my word to you but I cannot allow this marriage to happen.”
Hanush looked out the window, staying silent for a long time. “I was half expecting you to tell me that since Henry’s second visit here.”
Radzig chuckled. “I guess I was hoping Hans would grow out of it.”
“The most curious thing is that he actually did.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, you’d be surprised. But given how he was acting towards your son all these years, I cannot expect Henry to give him a second chance. I applaud him for sticking up with it for so long. There will be no marriage,” he announced and Radzig exhaled in relief, “You have nothing to worry about.”
“Thank you. Henry will be glad to hear it.”
Hanush nodded. “I have no doubts. By the way, have you seen how we changed the ballroom?”
Radzig almost laughed at the sudden change of topic. “Why, you can dance in it now?”
“You actually can. Here, let me show you,” Hanush said, opening the doors leading to a small balcony overlooking the ballroom.
The sound of the doors shooting open and the hinges whining loudly made Henry jump. He looked in its direction and felt his cheeks burn when his father and Hanush appeared behind the porch one floor above him and Hans. Hans made a weak move to step away from Henry, but he held him still and Hans relaxed back into his embrace.
Two pairs stared at each other for a while.
“So, Sir Henry, your father was just informing me about you wanting to call off your marriage with my nephew?” Hanush's amused voice boomed across the room.
Hans’s face fell but he composed himself quickly, looking to the side. Henry looked back at him, brushing the back of his fingers against Hans’s cheek.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, my lord,” he said loudly, his eyes fixed on the man in front of him.
Hanush's laugh echoed over the walls of the empty ballroom as Hans buried his face in Henry's shoulder, hugging him tighter. Henry glanced at his father who was shaking his head with a wide smile on his face. Henry mouthed “I'm sorry” only for Radzig to wave him off with a laugh.
“Come, Radzig,” Hanush put his arm around the other man's shoulder, turning them both away from the couple and heading back into his office, “We'll drink to it. Go find the musicians!” he told a servant, “It's terribly quiet in here. And call for the cook! We have an engagement to celebrate.”
The door was shut again, leaving the couple alone.
“You wanted to call it off?” Hans asked quietly.
“Well, the last time we spoke to each other you insulted my mother and me.”
Hans nodded, looking past Henry’s shoulder. “I can only hope you’ll forgive me for it one day.”
Henry already did.
***
It was surprising how quickly the servants had managed to prepare a banquet. The ballroom was filled with people eating, drinking, and laughing, with someone congratulating the now grooms to which they answered with a polite bow and a raised drink.
Radzig and Hanush were sitting to the side, looking at the young couple all evening.
“How is that even possible?” Hanush asked, without really searching for an answer. “They couldn’t stand each other. Couldn’t stay in the same room for more than five minutes without raising their voices, and now…”
Radzig nodded. They couldn't take their eyes off each other, and their hands either, judging by the position of their bodies. Henry would lean in, saying something to Hans’s ear which would make the latter smile. Hans would touch Henry’s hand lying on the table and Henry would bite his lip slightly while listening to the other closely. Someone who didn’t know them would surely think they were childhood sweethearts, being used to doing that for years.
Hanush chuckled. “At some point, I thought our deal about their marriage was the worst idea I ever came up with.”
“ You came up with?” Radzig raised his eyebrows.
Hanush grunted. “Technicalities. Let’s drink,” he raised his cup with Radzig following, “To our best idea.”