“Felix Stone,” he replied, changing hands at the last minute to shake the one offered. He was used to shaking with the right. And he was used to using the name he'd just provided so there was no stutter or hesitation with that, as there had been with the handshake.
Though Stone was a recent change for Felix, he was quite used to offering alternative surnames. In fact, he did it often enough that he occasionally forgot to include all of his stuffy titles along with his true name when meeting another of his class. He usually gave a charming smile and told them to just call him Felix, if they were ladies, or Charming,l if they were potential hunting companions.
His last alias, Carpenter, had just been found out a month or two prior. A pity, because that one had rolled easily off the tongue. Felix Carpenter was a good, solid name. Better than Felix Cooper, the name before that. But each of the changes kept his parents, or more precisely, their agents, from discovering how often he was gone from the castle. He was fortunate that his wife seemed ill-inclined to educate them either.
He sincerely doubted James Chriton, if that was truly his name, was one of those agents. He simply couldn't see his father employing a pirate. For surely that was what the man was. A sea captain, between vessels... with a hook for a hand and a keen eye for thievery? Pirate. What other explanation could there be?
Though he didn't plan on letting that little fact out of the bag any time soon. In Felix's experience, the more charming the rogue, the more likely he was to be very dangerous. That's why he could afford to be charming, after all. But as Felix had nothing of value, in his own estimation, nor looked to be wealthy, again in his own opinion, he couldn't see why a pirate as well dressed as James Chriton was would want anything from him. So he could have a bit of adventure just by pretending to be clueless.
“Currently between horses,” he joking informed the captain, returning the greeting in kind. Though he did leave his profession out of the commentary. He rarely told people he didn't suspect of being brigands that he was a prince, he certainly wasn't telling a pirate. “My horse is having a shoe replaced. So unfortunately, I don't have my bearings either, since this is an unexpected stop rather than a town I know well.”
That had been the point though: to get somewhere he didn't know in the hopes that the people there wouldn't know him either. “We will have to explore these streets together to locate a pub. But I could most definitely use a drink. Let’s try north, shall we? That street looks promising.”