Chapter 16

Ever since Maerwynn had realised that she could order Emil to play with her she had started doing so increasingly more often. He spent most of the time that her bodyguard was away helping to babysit her, usually being the one playing with her while Cassian and Balthasar sat nearby talking. But even once Beowulf and Thedrick returned, Maerwynn didn’t seem keen to give up her new obedient playmate.

And so, Emil had basically become a part of their little group now, a somewhat playmate slash extra bodyguard. That was fine by him though, as it meant that he got the chance to spend a lot more time with Beowulf. And ever since that time in the dungeons, his hatred towards Thedrick had mellowed out a lot, so he didn’t find himself nearly as annoyed by his presence as he thought he would. In fact, though he was loathe to admit it, he quite enjoyed the jester’s company again.

Emil had assumed that Beowulf had a tough job, protecting the queen at all times with no breaks. But the noble found that it was actually very easy and laid back most of the time. Beowulf got to spend most of his days playing games with a child, which was actually quite… nice. Emil was rather grateful that he now got to get out of a lot of training and standing around on guard duty. No wonder Beowulf had never complained about his job.

Today the four of them were sitting in the outer garden of the castle, on a blanket spread out on the grass under a tree to shade the pale skinned vampires. The lawn around them was dotted with hundreds of daisies, which Emil was carefully and dutifully picking and handing over to Maerwynn. The queen was sitting in Beowulf’s lap, carefully weaving the flowers and stems into a chain. Thedrick was laying on his back on the blanket, lazily strumming away on his lute. 

Beowulf had his helmet off and was smiling happily as he watched the others with his bright blue eyes, which Emil rarely got the chance to see. Emil soon realised that Beowulf was watching him quite intently. The noble blushed and then quickly looked away, trying to focus on what he was doing to calm the heat in his cheeks.

“There!” Maerwynn's sudden announcement made Emil glance back over in their direction again. The little queen proudly held up a circle of linked daisies, and then motioned frantically to Beowulf. The big guy lowered his head down as far as possible towards her, and the queen reached up and set the flower crown down on top of Beowulf’s golden hair. The knight straightened up again, smiling with contentment. Maerwynn started on her next chain, and Emil kept picking daisies to keep up with her material requirements.

“With chestnut curls and eyes of emerald green,
It’s such a pity a boy so pretty is also so mean,” Thedrick sang softly.

“Hey!” Emil shot back indignantly. “I’m sitting right here you know!”

Thedrick grinned at him with satisfaction, as if his goal had been to rile the noble up.

“He’s got an inflated sense of self import from his noble bloodline,
Though I really can’t deny that his blood tastes so divine!” Thedrick continued to tease.

“Cut that out!” Emil snapped at the jester, and he threw a daisy that he held at the vampire. The flower landed gently on Thedrick’s clothes, and the jester dissolved into a fit of laughter, curling up around his lute.

“He’s just teasing you Emil, that’s sort of his job,” Beowulf pointed out gently.

“Oh, can I have some stinky blood?” Maerwynn piped up, looking between the adults pleadingly.

Beowulf raised a questioning eyebrow at Emil, the noble shifting awkwardly where he sat. Emil glanced around, seeing there was no one else nearby, and then sighed. “Okay fine, if you make it quick,” he caved, and started unbuttoning his top.

Maerwynn eagerly wiggled out of Beowulf’s lap, and picking up another finished daisy crown, stepped over to Emil. While he had his head down pulling open his buttons she reached up and placed the flower crown gently on top of his curls. Then as he pulled his shirt off one shoulder a bit, he raised his head again to watch as she crawled into his lap. Pressing up against his body she bared her fangs before biting down on the flesh of his shoulder, causing him to flinch slightly.

Emil wrapped his arms around the child monarch to hold her in place as she fed. He looked up and saw both Beowulf and Thedrick had their eyes fixed on him, which made him feel a bit self-conscious for a moment. He guessed this was the uncomfortable part of Beowulf’s job, getting bitten all the time having to feed the two little vampires. But Beowulf never complained about that either. The man never complained about anything, unlike Emil, who complained about everything all of the time.

As they sat and enjoyed the warm summer breeze while Maerwynn fed, Emil’s mind started to wander. Then he remembered something, and snapped back into the moment, looking over at Beowulf. The knight was trying to make daisy chains as he had watched the young queen do, but his fingers were too big for the tiny delicate flowers, and he ended up crushing the stems accidentally.

“Royal ball’s coming up soon,” Emil commented aloud casually. He knew both of them would be there, Beowulf to guard the princess and Thedrick probably on entertainment duties. It had been suggested by the nobles that Tybalt host a major celebration for Maerwynn’s fifth birthday to rally everyone’s spirits in light of recent unsavoury events.

“I’ve never been to a ball before,” Beowulf said nervously, fiddling with the flowers between his fingers.

“Don’t worry Beowulf, it will be fun!” Thedrick chimed in from where he was still laying on his back.

“What are you going to wear, big guy?” Emil asked casually.

Beowulf looked surprised. “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.

“Well, it’s a fancy event, you need to dress up nicely for it,” Emil pointed out, gesturing towards the knight with a daisy between his fingers. Maerwynn then pulled her fangs out of his flesh, and turning around in his lap she made grabby hands towards the daisy. He handed it and a few more to her, and then fished a handkerchief out of his pocket to clean up her bloody mouth.

“I guess I’ll wear the fancy armour I got with my knighthood then?” Beowulf suggested with uncertainty, handing more daisies over towards the queen as she started a new chain while Emil cleaned up her face and his shoulder.

“You can’t wear armour to a ball Beowulf!” Emil exclaimed, sounding appalled that the man would even suggest such a thing. He noticed that Thedrick had put aside his lute and gotten onto his knees and was crawling towards him and Maerwynn, red eyes fixated on Emil’s bleeding shoulder.

“Wh-why not?” Beowulf asked in bewilderment. “I mean, I’m there to protect her after all!”

“Well, a ball has a certain standard of dress code, and as a knight you are not just some bodyguard there, but an honoured guest!” Emil explained as he lifted Maerwynn off his lap and set her down on the blanket as she continued to twist the daisies into chains. “You need to get a proper outfit, and you better hurry up about it, the ball is only a week away.” 

Thedrick launched himself at Emil, knocking the guard down onto his back as the jester sank his fangs into the noble’s still exposed and bloody shoulder. Emil sucked in a deep breath between his teeth at the pain as the vampire began to drink, not bothering to try and sit up again for the moment.

“B-But how do I do that? Most clothing doesn’t really fit me, you know…” Beowulf pointed out meekly.

“The royal seamstress is making me a super pretty birthday dress!” Maerwynn interjected loudly. “Maybe she could make one for you too, Wulfy!”

Emil raised his head slightly to look over at Beowulf, seeing both amusement and embarrassment on the knight’s features. The noble couldn’t help but smile at this himself.

“Don’t worry, I can help,” Emil announced over Thedrick’s body which was pressed close against his own as he fed. “We can get you something tailored at my favourite place. It might be a bit short notice, but I’m sure they’ll do it as a favour to me.”

“You’d do that for me, Emil?” Beowulf asked with mild surprise.

“Of course, after all I can’t be associated with someone who dresses poorly,” Emil said in an excuse to hide his real motivations of wanting to see the big guy all dolled up. “Same goes for you too, Thedrick. You better have a fancier outfit than this.”

The jester made a muffled grunt against Emil’s shoulder, and Emil could see him rolling his eyes in the corner of his vision. But it seemed the vampire didn’t want to interrupt his feeding to give a proper answer at the moment.

“That… actually sounds like it could be fun… but I’m not allowed to take the queen outside of the castle at the moment for safety reasons…” Beowulf explained timidly.

“Then why don’t we get Balthasar or Cassian to babysit her for a couple of hours? That should be fine, right?” Emil suggested.

“Oh? When should we do that then?” Beowulf asked.

“How about right now?” Emil said, trying to sit up and pry Thedrick off of him. “The sooner the better, as the tailors will need as much time as possible to make the outfit.”

Beowulf nodded in agreement and then put his helmet back on before getting to his feet, picking up Maerwynn on the way, who was finishing off another flower crown. Emil finally managed to pull the jester off his shoulder, and Beowulf tossed him a clean handkerchief. Thedrick grinned up at Emil as the noble cleaned up the vampire’s bloody mouth, and then Emil roughly pushed the jester off his lap, Thedrick falling onto the blanket on his backside with a small ‘oof’ noise.

Emil got to his feet whilst cleaning up his own shoulder again, before pulling his shirt back over it and buttoning it up at the front to hide the bites. Thedrick also scrambled to his feet and then snatched up his lute, while Beowulf picked up the blanket in his free hand. Thedrick took the lead of the group heading back towards the castle, strumming on his lute again as he walked.

“Pretty boy is so mean to me,
So mean so rude, what’s his problem?”

“That doesn’t even rhyme asshole!” Emil snapped irritably. “And I let you drink my blood, I think that’s pretty nice of me, all things considered!”

Thedrick paid the noble no mind and continued to sing, and soon Emil was chasing after him across the grass, the jester making a good show of strumming and singing and running at the same time, until Emil tackled him to the ground and his lute went flying. The two of them wrestled in the grass for a while as Beowulf caught up to them at a not particularly hurried pace.

“Knock it off you two,” the knight said in a weary tone as Emil had Thedrick in a chokehold.

“He started it!” Emil whined.

“I don’t care who started it, don’t make me finish it,” Beowulf said, his helmet glaring down at the two of them, hiding his expression.

Emil made a derisive noise before releasing his hold on the jester, Thedrick quickly scrambling away from him and going to fetch his lute. 

Beowulf sighed while Emil got to his feet again, shooting a glare over at the jester. “Emil, you really need to not let his antics get to you too much. He’s just being silly, you know.”

“Whatever,” Emil grumbled, brushing grass off his clothes before he continued back towards the castle after Thedrick.

“So, where do you think Cassian would be at the moment, so we can ask him to watch Maerwynn?” Beowulf asked as he walked by Emil’s side, watching the jester run off ahead of them.

“I’m not sure, but we know Balthasar will be in the infirmary as always, Cassian might even be there with him, or if not, we can leave her and Thedrick with the chirurgeon and they can find Cass if needs be,” Emil suggested, irritation over Thedrick’s teasing dropping from his voice.

“Oh, that’s a good idea! This is why you’re the smart one, Emil,” Beowulf exclaimed happily.

The noble felt heat creeping into his cheeks once again, and a sense of pride from the compliment. A lump in his throat grew so big that he couldn’t push out any words in answer, just nodded in response instead.

The group soon ended up making their way into the infirmary, where Balthasar sat at his desk scribbling away on some parchment. The chirurgeon glanced up at the small party, raising a single dark brow in question while placing down his quill and sitting up straight.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of her majesty and her entourage?” Balthasar asked in a casual tone.

“Hello Balthasar,” Beowulf greeted politely as he approached the desk. “I was hoping that you might be able to keep an eye on Maerwynn for a couple of hours whilst I leave the castle grounds on business?”

Balthasar looked mildly surprised at this request. “And what sort of business would that be?”

“Royal birthday business,” Beowulf replied vaguely. “You and Cassian did such a good job of taking care of her last time, I feel comfortable leaving her in your care for a while now,” Beowulf said cheerily.

Emil instantly thought back to how the two older men had managed to misplace the young heir almost immediately after Beowulf had left the castle, but he decided not to make any comment about that. No need to worry the big guy unnecessarily, and plus Emil was pretty sure the chirurgeon would have his guts for garters if he let any of it slip to the knight.

“Well, of course, I could take care of the little one for you,” Balthasar agreed with a nod.

Beowulf set the queen down on top of the desk, and then gestured a thumb over in Thedrick’s direction. “Could I leave both the little ones with you, perhaps?” he joked lightly.

A smile tugged at the corner of the chirurgeon’s mouth, and he nodded again. Then they all watched as Maerwynn stepped across Balthasar’s desk towards him, and then reached out and placed the circle of daisies she had been holding on top of his head. The corners of the chirurgeon's usually steely eyes creased.

“Well run along then you two, I’ll keep an eye on the two little leeches,” Balthasar said affectionately, reaching out and picking up Maerwynn to draw her into his lap, and then raising a hand to make a dismissive gesture towards the two soldiers.

Beowulf placed a large hand on Emil’s back, pushing gently to turn the guard around and then towards the room’s exit. Emil allowed himself to be guided outside, and soon the two of them were winding their way through the castle until they reached the front gate, and they headed into town.

Then Emil took the lead, getting the large knight to follow him through the city streets until he arrived at his favourite tailors. He ushered Beowulf in through the door, which the knight had to duck to get through, and soon they were standing in the shop surrounded by fine clothing and quality fabrics.

“Mr Rosenthorne, what brings you back so soon?” a voice with a lilting accent called out, and Emil’s eyes soon came to rest on a tall, thin man with long fair hair wearing a fanciful outfit which included a tight corset around his waist and a jacket hanging around his shoulders. “Are you displeased with the outfit we made for you for the ball?” The concern was clear in the tailor’s voice and his expression behind the large round glasses perched on his long nose bridge. He had his hands clasped in front of his body, and his thin brows furrowed.

“No no Francesco, of course not! Your work is as stunning as always,” Emil reassured to start with, making calming gestures with his hands. “I’m actually here for something for the big guy.” The noble jerked his thumb towards Beowulf who loomed behind him, slightly hunched over so his head wouldn’t hit the low ceiling.

Francesco’s eyes widened as he stared at the knight. “Why, isn’t that Sir Beowulf?” he questioned in amazement.

“He was planning to wear his armour to the ball, can you believe it?” Emil explained with a smirk.

“Oh my, no no no that will not do at all good sir!” the tailor exclaimed, and then made a quick tutting noise with his tongue.

“Then do you think you can help us out?” Emil asked hopefully.

“Of course, of course!” Francesco assured as he stepped towards the knight, Emil moving out of the way off to the side. “We will have to make something entirely custom from scratch, of course, he is far too big to fit into anything premade,” the tailor commented as he looked the large, armoured man up and down, stroking his hairless chin thoughtfully with his finger and thumb.

“I know it’s short notice…” Emil said rather apologetically.

Francesco waved a dismissive hand towards Emil. “Nonsense, anything for my favourite customer!” Then he turned his attention back to the knight. “Now sir, would you mind removing your armour so we can take some measurements, yes?”

Beowulf seemed to fidget slightly uncomfortably under the tailor’s scrutinous gaze, but nodded and then started removing his armour, beginning with the helmet. Emil saw Francesco’s eyes go wide as Beowulf shook out his long blonde hair.

“Oh my, what a handsome young man you are dear sir!” the tailor exclaimed in delight, and Beowulf’s cheeks reddened. “And such gorgeous blue eyes, oh they will be a delight to pair accessories with, just like Mr Rosenthorne’s beautiful emerald eyes.'' Beowulf averted said eyes and he continued to pull off his armour. “Are you two going to the ball together? Should I match his outfit and accessories to yours?” Francesco directed the question to Emil.

Now Emil’s eyes went wide, and he felt heat in his cheeks once more. “N-No, th-that isn’t the case Francesco,” the noble stammered out awkwardly.

“Oh, that’s a pity. The pair of you would make such a cute couple,” the tailor lamented casually. Emil tried to swallow the lump in his throat and cast his gaze downwards. Though out of curiosity he peeked at Beowulf’s expression out of the corner of his vision, and he saw the big guy looking a little confused.