For The King - 12. Chapter 12

Lady Corin cleared her throat quietly, standing next to the table where Adan was searching through a large tome.

“You asked for me?” she asked, as Roku moved to sit beside Adan.

“Yes. I wanted to let you know Roku and I will be searching for your spell in our free time. I also have an issue I would like to discuss with Lord Arien. Can you tell me how to get ahold of him?” Adan asked, glancing up from his work.

“Of course. Just write a letter, seal it, and send a messenger,” the woman replied. “There has never been a secret to talking with Lord Arien. You just need to be important enough to warrant his attention. It is one of the reasons we are all noble. Makes reading through hundreds of letters easier when you can rely on a seal to know who is writing. Which brings up a question. What will we be telling your father about our agreement?”

“I suppose I will tell him that I have found a consort. But we should most likely wait a bit before sending that news. I do not want him to think I am being rash,” Adan sighed.

“That is smart. Do you need anything else?”

“Yes, what were you doing in the practice hall? You are welcome to be there, of course; I am merely surprised that you would be there this early in the day.”

“I like practising my archery in the early morning. It helps me start my day with an energetic outlook. Plus there are fewer men staring at me,” Lady Corin shrugged.

“Well if you ever want a partner, Roku knows how to use a bow, and I can promise you he will not stare at you,” Adan offered.

Lady Corin chuckled quietly.

“Forgive me, but I do not believe Roku would enjoy working with me. I feel like the two of us would work best as distant acquaintances.”

Adan nodded slightly in acceptance.

“Well, should you ever change your mind…”

“Thank you. If that is all…”

Adan nodded again, and Lady Corin left him to his work. Roku touched the mage’s leg, a claw extended.

“I know you want nothing to do with her,” Adan sighed. “I just want you two to get along. It is going to be hard enough to do what I need to do without you constantly getting jealous of Lady Corin.”

“I do not like her,” Roku said quietly.

“Why? What is it about her that you do not like?”

“She always seems to be in the middle of everything. And she openly admitted to being a poisoner on the ride here. How do you know she will not kill us as soon as you make her the Royal Consort?”

“I do not know,” Adan admitted sharply. “But what do you want me to do about it? She is the best option, and no matter who I choose, I will have to have sex with them at some point, in order to have an heir. I think you do not like her just because of that.”

“It is a part of my dislike. I will not deny that. But I am also looking out for us Adan. I do not want to die. Forgive me if I question actions that might lead in that direction.”

The tiger began walking from the room, and Adan stared after him, wanting to call him back, to apologise for asking Lady Corin to be his consort. But he had been right; she was the best choice he had. Silently, he let Roku leave.

Breakfast was eaten in silence, Lady Corin and Roku doing their best to ignore each other. Adan was tired of the familiar’s reticence. He should know Adan didn’t want to do this, any more than Roku wanted him to.

Marel stepped into the dining room, clearing her throat quietly. Adan acknowledged her with a tired nod.

“Your Highness, a Lord Arien has just arrived, with his son Athilan.”

“I was not aware Lord Arien would be coming out here so soon after I arrive,” Adan said, glancing at Lady Corin.

“I find this just as surprising as you do. I wonder why he would not bring you himself,” the woman said.

“I should go see to him.”

Adan stood up, a man taking his plate with a swiftness that surprised him. Marel had done her job well; the house seemed to run like magic.

“Would you like me to bring him to the study, sir?” Marel asked.

Adan frowned. That was right, he wasn’t the one who had to fetch visitors for Dennet anymore.

“Uh, yes, please. Roku, will you come with me please?”

The tiger nodded silently, standing. He followed Adan out of the room, the two passing silently through the manor’s halls. The mage opened a door, ushering his familiar into the room beyond.

It was a room he had only been in a few times when he would sneak around the manor at night. Looking back, he felt that Dennet knew every time he had been in the room, but it seemed as though his teacher had been allowing the mage to learn about being sneaky. A strange quality, and definitely not one of his better ones. But perhaps it would have its uses someday.

A tall window provided only dim morning light until Adan found a crystal and whispered a light cantrip over it. The crystal brightened, filling the room with light and revealing the bright wood that formed the study’s walls. An oaken desk divided the room nearly in half, a hard backed chair waiting behind it for the new master of Zyrel to sit.

Adan looked over the desk, taking in the cleanliness of it. A stoppered inkwell sat in a small divet and a quill lay beside it, but that was the only indication that the desk had ever been used.

Scrolls lined the back wall, many of them recognisable as scrolls Adan had filled with details on Zyrel’s economy at Dennet’s direction. So many hours of work, and he had finally found out why.

“You miss him.”

Adan nodded at Roku’s observation.

“He was my father. Yes, King Adonis is my true father, but Dennet raised me. It is only natural that I would miss him.”

He sat in the chair, Roku standing beside him quietly. The tiger’s tail waved slowly behind him and Roku clasped his hands behind his back.

“For what it is worth, I am sorry I decided to make Lady Corin my consort without asking you,” Adan said. “I care about you, and your opinion does matter to me.”

“I understand that you did what you felt necessary. It will be hard, but if Lady Corin proves herself, I will relax more around her. I cannot promise that I will ever be her friend though.”

There was a knock at the door, and Roku moved to open it, revealing Lord Arien on the other side.

“Your Highness,” the man bowed.

“Lord Arien. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” Adan asked.

“Due to your haste in leaving Darinhal, there were a few things that you forgot. Not least of which is your signet ring. My son also accompanied me here so he may resume his duties as your manservant.”

Lord Arien set a ring on the desk, Adan picking it up.

“Your father picked the design for you. If I may speak freely, I do not believe it is the best design for your seal.”

Indented in the face of the ring was a tiger in profile, a crown over its head. Adan understood the implication; that Roku was his true consort.

“I will have to thank my father. While you are here, I received another letter last night. It was waiting for me on my bed, and Marel was unaware of any message being delivered. I believe someone has been scrying me and knew I was coming here before I even arrived,” Adan mentioned.

Lord Arien frowned.

“This does make sense with what my people have found. The person who attacked you in Darinhal was not Eran. He was a familiar made to look like the guard.”

“Is Eran alive?”

“We do not know. My people are searching the city for the familiar’s creator, but they have found nothing yet. I hope that if we find the creator, we will find Eran. It may be too late for him now though. But we know that whoever is threatening you is using mages. Or is a mage themself.”

“There is something else. The letter that was waiting for me had a seal that looked like my father’s, but with the addition of a pair of dragon wings.”

“I do not recognise the seal, but it sounds like something a usurper would use, possibly to further a claim to the throne,” Lord Arien said thoughtfully.

“I believe that I was scryed. And something made me forget about it until I saw my research from last night. I am fairly certain there is a mage involved in all of this. Forgive me, but I feel I must ask. You are certain Lady Corin has no ulterior motives in being here?”

“She has never given any indication her loyalties were compromised, save for the incident in the throne room before your father.”

“Would she make a suitable consort?” Adan asked with a pointed look at Roku.

“Ah, you are taken with her?” Lord Arien chuckled quietly. “She is a noble who prefers to mingle with the peasantry. That would win points with both the nobles and the common folk. She was also one of my best agents, and having her at your side would keep you safer than any guard, save perhaps your familiar. Yes, I believe she would make a suitable consort, save for her preference to be the more dominant partner in a relationship. But as long as she keeps that from being common knowledge, she would be good for you.”

“Thank you. Roku had some misgivings about my pursuit of her. Are those fears satisfied now?” Adan asked.

Roku nodded, a small frown on his face.

“This will also go a long way toward dispelling the rumours that you enjoy carnal relations with your familiar,” Lord Arien added, almost as an afterthought.

“I had heard these rumours. It would be good to stop them,” Adan agreed with a tight smile. “Do you plan to stay here long?”

“I was hoping to be on my way to Malinar before the day is out. His Majesty winters at the palace there, and with fall well on its way, I must make sure my post there remains undisturbed.”

“I wish you well on your journey, then,” Adan nodded a dismissal.

Bowing, Lord Arien left the room, Adan letting out a quiet sigh. He felt like he was missing something important. But Lord Arien’s slight dig that his relationship with Roku was not acceptable nagged at him.

“I wish people would just leave us the fuck alone…” he muttered, rubbing his temple. “But, I suppose we should get back to our research. Breakfast is bound to be over by now.”