A little bit more Lew

 just because I wrote it.  

I couldn't call the dog Szarik, so I settled on the closest...

Chapter 2

 

“I’m going to tell my towarzysze all about you; they can protect you better if they know to ignore that you are a girl,” rumbled Lew.

“Very well,” said Janina. “I actually trust you, which goes against the grain with all my time living on the streets, but ... you feel safe.”

“I’m safe,” said Lew.

Back in the barracks, his huge voice thundered. “Janek! Guslik! Grześ! Get your lazy arses here now!”

Three young men and a large dog thundered into the young officer’s office.

“He caught a minnow,” said one. “Is that your supper, Lew?”

“Allow me to introduce to you Janek Brzeziński and his wife,” said Lew, indicating the blond young man and the hound, which looked to Janina like a wolf.

“Oy!” said Janek.

“My apologies; may I introduce to you Puszysty, whose wife is Janek,” said Lew.

“You have your revenge for me teasing you,” laughed Janek.

“Fluffy? Really? It’s a wolf,” said Janina.

“Half wolf,” said Janek, defensively. “His mother was a tart and found a wild lover.  Sit, Puszysty, and shake hands with the minnow.”

The big dog sat and offered a paw. A little nervously, Janina shook.

“Well, you have more balls than the Pułkownik,” said Janek.

“Which is actually seriously funny because she doesn’t have any at all,” said Lew. “And I’m hiding her from her wicked uncle, but it’ll be easier if you lot know and can help.”

“She’s a little young to be love interest yet,” said Guslik.

“Yes, and that’s why her uncle is wicked,” said Lew. “Oh, for goodness sake! I was going to treat her like a baby brother, and I want you lot to do the same.”

“We will promptly forget that she is a girl and remember only that he is our brother with certain needs for niceties,” said Grześ.

“I knew you’d understand,” beamed Lew.

Janina found herself in a small room with her own commode with a tiny mirror in its lifting top, with ewer, basin and utensil, and a clothes chest where she was rapidly provided with suitable livery to be a pacholik.

She settled in, and slept more deeply than she could remember sleeping since before she was orphaned.

 

OoOoO

 

“My lord king!” Lew roared happily, throwing himself down beside the monarch and offering an arm to arm-wrestle the big Saxon. He took no offence in losing this match, since few had ever wrestled August II successfully. “I need to speak privily,” he said, quietly.

“Follow me into the antechamber then,” said king.

 

Once in private, Lew said,

“I’d like to cut to the chase but you won’t like it.”

“Am I supposed to be surprised about that? More plots in the wind?”

“Against you, sire? Not that I’ve heard. But this is the case of a vile villain who uses the good name of a relative of his, who is dead and can’t do anything about it, to stay in your good graces, while actually the little tick is a child spoiner.”

The king frowned.

“I don’t like being taken for a fool on my loyalties,” he said. “Who is this child-spoiler and what proof do you have?”

“I’ll start with the second, if I may, sire,” said Lew. “I have received testimony that the man has improperly touched, and frightened into running away, his own orphaned niece. I believe the testimony. Children do not make up such things.”

“I fear I may know where this is going, but you tell me who this is.”

“It’s Tobiasz Dąbski, a cousin of Archbishop Dąbski, whose own integrity nobody might question.”

“I was afraid you might be heading that way when you mentioned a runaway niece. He spoke to me about his misguided young relative and how she had bad dreams since being orphaned and acted out drama and downright lies. He made as though he was very sorrowful that she was disturbed.”

“Arsewipe!” said Lew, indignantly.

“When you get an opportunity to kill him, as I assume you want to, do it discreetly,” said the king. “Let this not sully the name of his cousin, hmmm?”

“Thank you, sire,” said Lew.

 

oOoOo