The Crimson Queen

12. Addiction

Theodore sat in a small pub, in Parandor. Sitting by the wooden counter of the bar, alcohol had engulfed his system and numbed his feelings. His hands had stopped shaking, he was no longer sweating uncontrollably and his chest felt warm and light compared to stones he'd been carrying around in his chest for a while now.

In the servants kitchen Alkohol wasn't a part of their meals and the fact that he'd drunken nothing for such a long time had been taking a toll on him.

The pub he'd gone to was the first one he'd found. It wasn't far from the castle, especially not with the horse he'd stolen.

It was still a few hours from dawn and only a few figures were still in the pub along with Theodore.

Finishing his cup of ale, he ordered another.

His mind, seemed filled with images of Alice. He almost relived everything that she'd ever said or done.

Taking another gulp, he remembered her lips and her cute smile along with her exhausted eyes, when she finished the laws back in Walzenor. How he wished to see her smile like that again.

Or how his skin seemed to burn up when she hugged him. She was so small, everything about her was small, especially her hands.

He felt her small hand slide over his shoulder and down his arms, only to stroke back up and then gently stroking his face.

She was here. He turned to his little Alice in surprise as she smiled at him playfully while stroking his bearded cheek. She came for him.

"Well, hello there handsome." She said flirtatiously.

It wasn't Alice's voice. The vision of Alice faded as he realized that another woman was standing in front of him next to the counter touching him.

"Would you like do spend the night?" The mesmerizing woman asked Theodore. Being so distraught that it wasn't Alice he didn't answer at first.

"Trust me, I know how to make your time worth it." The woman's smiled as her fingers slid down his neck and along his chest down to his stomach.

Getting a grip, Theodore pushed the woman who was leaning in way to close off of himself.

"Fuck off." He hissed and turned back to the counter.

"What a waste of time." The woman huffed annoyedly before turning and walking away.

"I told you, he wouldn't bite." A drunken mans voice laughed. "Oh shut up! It's not like I wanted to sleep with him anyways. But from the looks of his armor he could be a castle knight. I'm just trying to gather information for the boss." The woman from just now argued trying to cover up her clearly hurt ego.

"Well, even if he was a knight I doubt he'd tell us anything, everyone's heard rumors about the rebellion." Another drunken man hicked.

Theodore finished his cup, and got up. "I can hear you." He said turning to the three of them. They looked at him in surprise.

"Don't go listening to us, we've just looked to deep into the cup, is all." A clearly nervous man tried to explain.

Even the woman looked surprised. "We were just kidding around, what's it matter to you anyways?"