Cyber Barber
[That night Finn did not sleep at all. He had realized that his suspicions about her not being happy or content with her lot in life were distressingly true. He could understand her desire to protect him from harm. But she didn’t have to push him away and out of her life. Did she have feelings for him? Was she pulling away from him to spare him the agony of knowing she would never be with him? It almost seemed the most logical explanation for her behavior.
[Kalina kept her word. Next morning an edict was delivered to him signed by her ordering the treasury to pay out his uncollected money. He was still a bit conflicted. Seven years of pay in a single shot was a significant amount. He could buy a passage to pretty much anywhere. He could leave and do his best to forget her. But will he succeed? Deep in his heart he knew that he would not be able to live with himself if he did nothing to help her. After all, he considered himself to be her best friend. Packing his few meager belongings, he saddled his horse and set off. A day later, he stood before the main forge of his maternal Uncle. Two hours later, he was sitting at the table with his uncle planning the production and delivery of the next shipment of arms and armor to the Thenase Royal Guard. His uncle’s empire had grown to be the largest armorer in Thenase, Official supplier of arms and armor to the Royal Guard and the King’s Dragoons. His Uncle had long since looked upon Finn as his successor. Having never married himself, he did not want his beloved forges to fall into disrepair and bad management.
[Over the next couple of months Finn was busy getting up to speed running the foundries and learning the ropes. That was when he found something interesting: His uncle had secured permission to set up foundries in, and supply arms and armor to protectorates of Thenase. Of which Thelasia was one.
[Six months later, after discussions with the royal strategist and his uncle, he was riding south to Thelasia, and Kalina. He carried with him orders from the Emperor for the creation of two foundries in Thelasia, Four forward garrisons to house two full battalions of Thenase army. Kalina’s father was expected to cooperate fully. Finn fully expected that his proposal of marriage to Kalina would be very favorably considered to prevent an adverse report from reaching the Emperor. After all, his reports of the King’s lavish lifestyle and general neglect of the army and its poor preparedness had been confirmed independently by the Emperor’s secret inspectors. The King was a hair’s breadth away from having his kingdom downgraded to a province and himself to a governor.]
Kalina’s heart was broken. She had just sent her only true friend away. Once he was gone, she dressed and finished preparing for the party that her father was hosting.
She spent the next several months in a depression. She stayed in her room the majority of the day, only coming out when Mary or Denice dragged her out to shower or attend a family dinner. Kalina simply didn’t care anymore. She had given up on her hopes of being truly happy or of leaving the palace. It wasn’t until she had caught wind that a marriage was being arranged for her that she began to spiral more.
What if this man hurt her? What if he was more controlling than even her father was? What if she would be forced to have a bunch of children? Thoughts of what her life would become swam through her head. She sat at her vanity. Tears welled in her eyes as Mary entered her room with a wide grin. The woman fawned over her, seemingly very excited for the wedding and Kalina’s marriage. She held the girl in her arms “I hear he is from the Kingdom Thenase. From the armory empire nonetheless! One of the largest sources of weapons in this country Princess! You should be happy!” She said, wiping Kalina’s tears away. The girl simply shook her head “Please leave me alone Mary.” She said and bowed her head, her dark hair loose and tangled as it fell in her face. “No no dear. I can’t do that. We must get you ready. Your father is hosting a party to announce your marriage and he’s being kind enough to allow you to meet your husband before the wedding date!” She said and placed a kiss against the girl’s forehead. Kalina sighed “O-okay fine.” She said dejectedly. She had accepted her fate, no matter what it may be.
Finn walked down the familiar corridor to Kalina’s room. He was being escorted by the head of the Palace Guard. His appearance had changed with the clothing that he wore, and the stubbly beard that added a non-nonsense air to his words.
Contrary to tradition, he had insisted on meeting his bride-to-be. Despite some resistance, the King caved in and allowed the meeting. Waving aside the remarks that the princess might not be in an appropriate state to be presented to him, he demanded to be led to her right away. Rumors of her beauty had reached him and he wanted to see for himself. Though her face was etched forever in his mind, he did a good job of portraying an arrogant merchant-prince. He kept a poker face as the Captain knocked on Kalina’s bedroom door to announce: “Viscount Cornethius is here to see his bride-to-be.”
Mary was in the process of detangling Kalina’s hair, that of which hadn’t been brushed in a week at least. The dark locks tangled together, refusing to be brushed smooth without tugging, causing the young Princess to wince and whimper in pain. Both of the women jumped in surprise when they heard the knock on the door and the announcement of who was to see her. Mary looked at Kalina skeptically as she went to answer the door, keeping it cracked to save Kalina’s modesty since she was still in her sleepwear.
“My Princess is not ready for company. I was under the impression they would be meeting at the party,” Mary said, very timidly since she knew she could easily be demoted for speaking this way to a Captain. “It is immodest for a Groom to see his bride in the state she is in right now.” She said even quieter still to spare Kalina’s feelings.
Kalina took up the task of detangling her hair while Mary spoke to the Captain and her supposed husband-to-be. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her green eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Her skin was pale from not seeing the sun in weeks, she had lost weight from not eating properly. Mary wasn’t wrong when she said people shouldn’t have to see her in this state of disarray. Once the young Princess had her hair brushed smooth she stood up from her vanity. “Mary just let them in. They’re not going to leave,” she said quietly, her voice sounding just as broken and sad as the day she had released Finn as her companion. Kalina pulled a silken robe over her shoulders and tied it tightly around her waist to cover her body further in an attempt to protect her modesty in front of these strange men.
Mary took a breath and bowed her head “Yes, Princess. As you wish,” she said and opened the door further, stepping aside to allow the men into the room.
Finn stepped up to the door before the Captain. “You may return to your duties, Captain. Thank you very much. I am sure I will be able to find my way back to my chambers.” The Captain bowed his head and took a couple of steps back respectfully before turning and leaving. Entering the room, he saw the disapproving look on Mary’s face. She was aghast at this violation of her princess’ modesty and it was quite clear that she did not approve. “Thank you, I would like to be alone with my wife-to-be. I have some private expectations that I need to make sure she knows before she enters my household.”
Mary says nothing, but head held high, and with a disapproving matronly sniff, she leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Finn walks over to Kalina as she stands waiting for the worst. He sees her standing before him with a couple of tears rolling down her cheeks. The sight of her in such disarray and neglect feels like a knife in his heart, yet he still finds her beautiful.
“Now, Princess, I have something to say to you and I expect you would obey me without question. First, you are not allowed to talk unless I give you permission to. And second…” He places a hand under her chin lifting her face up to look into her eyes. “Hello again, Kalina,” he says, placing a warning finger over her lips to stay quiet. He speaks the last words in his old tone, without the officious ceremonious voice.
Kalina had kept her head down submissively so she did not immediately see who it was. She knew his voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t place who it was. She continued looking down as her husband ordered Mary to return to her duties, although she wished her mother-like figure would stay here and protect her. It wasn’t until she heard the clasp of the door shutting did she glance up. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw who was standing before her. She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as he talked to her, she simply nodded, her lip quivering slightly. She couldn’t believe this. Could this be a dream? Or perhaps Finnigan had a doppelganger. Those worries were thrown out the window when he said her name so informally. She did as he asked and remained silent. She sniffled ever so softly as she simply wrapped her arms around him and hugged him softly. She didn’t know what to say, or what she could say really.
She stayed in his arms for a few moments before she opened her mouth again “H-how?” She asked in a whisper, the only thing she could manage to get out.
Finn took a deep breath as he felt Kalina’s arms envelop him. He hugged her back silently, holding her close. He placed her head against his chest and held her for a few moments. “Dreams do come true,” he whispered back to her as he kissed her forehead. “Honestly, call yourself a princess? How long has it been since you washed your hair?” He teased her, wrinkling his nose.
She chuckled softly and blushed in embarrassment “A-a while I’m sorry. I-I haven’t really been myself lately.” She said shyly and pulled away from him. She bowed her head in shame.
“Well, it turns out my uncle was way more successful than I thought. I’d always had the notion of being my own man and not ride on anyone’s success. But that day, I felt that my own lofty ideals would not help anyone, especially my dearest friend. So I slept over it, and went to join my uncle. You can also thank your old geezer of a dad for being a wastrel. It was that information relayed to the Emperor’s commander that made all this possible. Heads literally rolled in Thenase. Six inspectors were recalled and executed after a secret inspection showed that your dad was spending less than a tenth of what he was supposed to.
“Now, if he as much as sneezes in the wrong direction, he’ll be demoted to governor, and this palace will become the provincial garrison.”
She listened to his words and nodded slightly, in a bit of shock at the severity of her father’s blunder and the success Finn’s uncle had. “S-so you came back for me? And now you’re going to marry me because you felt bad huh?” She laughed softly, but it wasn’t a humorous laugh. It was a shameful one. She took a deep breath and sighed softly “You shouldn’t have had to do that. Now you’re going to be tied to a marriage that you don’t actually want to be a part of,” she said softly and looked to the ground. She backed away from him and sat down at her vanity once more “I’m sorry… I made you feel like you had to do this. You have time to back out if you know. I wouldn’t blame you,” she said, thinking she was going to be a burden upon him now.
Slipping a hand around her waist, he pulled her into a tight hug, stroking her cheek. “I’ve always loved you Kalina, and I always thought you were unattainable. You are a princess, and me but a humble farrier. But times have changed and fate has put me in a position where I can marry my best friend. Why on earth would I want to walk away from you? I’ve grown up with you, I’ve spent ten years of my life listening to you and being your companion. Who else would I want to marry?”
He runs his fingers up her nape and into her soft thick hair, tugging gently. As her face comes up, he says, “Marry me, Kalina, and I’ll give you the life of freedom you always wanted…”
She blinked in surprise at his words “Y-you…. love me?” She asked quietly. She sniffled and started crying again, hugging onto him tightly as he continued speaking. She chuckled softly “I-I guess things work out if you try hard enough,” she said softly.
Her breath caught in her throat slightly when his fingers ran up her nape. She shivered and bit down on her lip to suppress a moan as he tugged on her hair. She smiled, her cheeks blushing and tear streaked “Yes… I’ll marry you Finnigan.” She said and bit her lip momentarily before stepping up on her toes and placing a gentle kiss against his lips, cupping his cheek for a moment “Thank you for coming back to me,”
The brush of her lips against his felt like a taste of heaven. Holding her pert form closer to him, feeling the warmth of her body and her confession of love, he turned her face up to him again and kissed her. Properly. It was a deep and a passionate kiss that conveyed all the pent up feelings and emotions of unrequited love. His hand wandered slightly moving down to her firm butt and giving it a quick squeeze. A series of kisses wandered from her lips to her nose, eyes, cheek and throat. There is a discreet knock on the door and Mary’s voice is heard.
“Princess, if it’s alright, I still need to get you ready for the party tonight.” She requests imploringly.
She was caught off guard by the second kiss. She melted into his touch completely. Her breathing became heavy as she leaned into him, wanting more attention, more affection from him. She stiffened when she heard the subtle knock. Her cheeks flushed as she pulled away from him reluctantly. She smoothed down her hair and robe so it appeared that she had been perfectly obedient and modest. She smiled at Finn “I’ll see you in a few hours,” she said softly before following him to the door.
She opened the door and looked at Mary, smiling ever so slightly as Finnigan left out the door. She invited Mary back in “He’s… wonderful,” she said dreamily, not letting on that it was Finn.
As he walked past her, Finn turned to Kalina. “Remember what I told you Princess. I am sure you will make a good wife if you obey my instructions,” he says as he leaves her with Mary. The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. There might have been a few people who recognized Finn under his new image, but there was hardly anything that could be said or done. The local royalty was in deep trouble with the Emperor. Also escorting him was a platoon of Thenesian Dragoons who were billeted in the town. And if rumors were to be believed, there were at least two battalions camped out at the border. The King’s orders had been desperate: “Keep him happy.”
Kalina looked quite alluring in her purple gown. She even outshone her sister, the crown princess. Rumors that her marriage negotiations with the neighboring prince of Alyssa were in jeopardy. Finn could see that the crown princess was none too happy about having to play second fiddle to Kalina. Fortunately there were no theatrics and after a few hours, Finn retired to his chambers.
He was about to go to bed when he heard the ivy clinging to the wall outside his window rustle. Curious, he went to the window.
