Arthur Leywin POV
The room faintly smelled of herbs and damp cloth. Light filtered through the curtains in pale strands. My mother leaned over my bed, her head resting on folded arms.
"Mmm...? Oh, you're finally awake!" Her voice carried relief she tried and failed to hide. "The doctor said that you probably fell unconscious from shock, and that you'd wake up soon. However, I didn't think 'soon' would be eight hours." Her fingers moved through my hair with careful tenderness, her eyes red from crying.
Guilt sat heavy on my tongue.
"What happened after I passed out?" I forced myself upright. Sylvie scrambled into my lap, claws pricking through the blanket. I ran a hand across her soft scales as she settled atop me.
"We all left shortly after you fell unconscious. No one was in their right state of mind, thus the King excused himself first. Your father is downstairs with the King's representative. They're in Vincent's office discussing what happened." She said with a quiver.
I nodded and swung my legs over the bed. My body resisted me.
'The first phase of Sylvia's Dracon Will must have drained more than just my mana.'
I opened and closed my fist. With the wall's support, we began our descent to where Dad waited for me.
Voices carried from below.
When I stepped into view, the representative rose immediately. He bowed. Relief flickered across a weathered face. My father turned only when the old man moved.
"My son! You're awake!"
He vaulted the couch and crushed me into his chest, his palm cupping the back of my head.
"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine. What're you guys talking about?"
"This representative came by with a few gold coins as a 'token of apology' from the King. 'For the small incident'." The words scraped through his clenched teeth.
"The Royal King has also ordered me to inform the Leywin family that both guards who had attacked you, Arthur Leywin, have been stripped of their nobility," the representative added.
"For almost killing my son, the King just gave them a slap on the wrist, and then waved them goodbye?" Anger rolled off my father in visible waves.
"Father, it's all right! Look, I wasn't hurt. Let's just end this matter." I squeezed his hand. He breathed out slowly, but his fury did not fade.
The King had seemed reasonable enough. Reason, however, bent easily beneath crowns. I lowered myself into a chair.
'I'm too tired for this crap.'
A letter was slid across the table from me.
"Can you read?" the representative asked.
"I can."
I reached for it and tore it along its out-seem.
As if not wanting to wait for me to finish, the representative cut me off.
"On behalf of His Royal Majesty, King Glayder, you, Arthur Leywin, and Your Younger brother, Elias Leywin, have been formally invited to the Xyrus Residence of the Royal Family, where his royal majesty has Affairs he'd prefer to talk with you in person."
'He wanted to see me. That was expected. Why Lias? He was chatting up a storm with the princess...'
"I understand that the King may wish to speak with Arthur... But why, Lias? He's just a child." My father asked, leaning forward in an attempt to intimidate the guard.
'I'm also technically a child, too... but let's not dwell on that.'
"I'm not entirely sure as to the reasoning," the representative said, adjusting his tie.
'It worked?!?'
"But I suspect that it was the request of the Royal Princess."
A slow smile pulled at my mouth. Dad's expression mirrored my own.
"When would the king like to have our meeting?"
"His Royal Highness suggested Tomorrow morning, say at 10, is that Acceptable, Mr. Leywin?"
"That works for me", I said with a polite bow.
"His Royal Highness will dispatch a carriage for your brother and yourself."
I folded the letter that I held unread and set it down on the table. "Say... Whatever happened to that Conjurer? The one who had his knee broken?"
---
Elias Leywin POV
I rested my elbow on the window of the carriage as it moved along Xyrus' cobbled roads.
'It's too early...'
I let out a yawn, which caused my brother to crack a smile.
"I know you and the Princess were talking a lot yesterday, but to be personally invited by her to her home..." his grin grew slyer.
"They live in the capital, Etistin. The Royal family that is" I said, cutting in.
"Hm hm", he hummed, nodding his head with a shit-eating grin.
Feeling myself lose complete control of our conversation, I tried to change its course.
"So where's Sylvie?" I asked, my cheeks warmer than usual and tinged a slight red.
"After yesterday's events, I thought it best to leave her home in the care of our dear Sister." He said, looking out the window in a manner similar to me.
The carriage turned a quiet corner, the clatter of wheels against the cobbled roads gradually softening as we approached our destination. Framed by a line of flowering trees, the estate came into view.
The Royal Family's Xyrus residence was a city home rather than a palace. Despite that it was still unmistakably regal. Pale stone walls rose behind an ornate wrought-iron gate, bearing the twin golden gryphons of the Glayder family crest.
The carriage eased to a stop. Arthur stepped out first. I followed close behind, brushing invisible dust from my freshly washed tunic.
The gates opened with a low groan before we even approached. A tall figure in black stood waiting at the foot of the entrance path. He looked older than Dad. Swept-back silver hair framed the top of his head as he tucked his gloves neatly under one arm. His tailcoat was fastened perfectly, every seam crisp. He bowed low.
"Young Masters, Arthur and Elias Leywin, I presume," the man said smoothly as he checked a pocket watch he withdrew from the inner side of his blazer.
"We are." My brother dipped into a slight bow as I hastily copied him.
"You're early, Excellent" he clicked his watch shut as he began to walk into the building ahead "On behalf of the Royal Household, welcome. His Royal Highness King Glayder awaits you, Young Master Arthur, within."
"Thank you." Arthur returned a courteous nod.
The estate did not attempt grandeur. It assumed it.
Marble floors reflected morning light. Servants bowed in practised unison. We were guided into a reception hall painted in soft skies and white gryphons.
"Please wait here, His Highness will join you shortly," he added with a slight bow. "May I offer you tea? Or perhaps a light refreshment? Peaches have freshly arrived from southern Sapin."
Arthur nodded once. "Tea would be appreciated, thank you."
The butler gave no more than a blink in acknowledgement before retreating with the same quiet efficiency. I glanced around as the door gently shut behind him.
"This is... fancy." I smiled as I watched the platoon of maids dance in the hallway. "So..." I began, fingers drumming lightly on the carved armrest. "The King of Sapin wants to speak to you personally."
"Seems that way." He shrugged.
"And you're just... fine with that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I wouldn't say 'fine' per se..." he replied, finally glancing at me. "But worrying won't change much. Besides, I'm not the one being called away by a princess."
I dramatically rolled my eyes.
"She's not- It's not like that."
"Sure. Just a quiet talk with a Princess whilst I, your favourite brother, have a meeting with her father, the King." He smirked.
"She wanted to speak. That's all. And didn't you live with the Elven royal family for like 5 years?" I said, feeling the heat rising to my face.
"It was closer to 4." He quipped as he let the silence consume the space.
Arthur raised an eyebrow but didn't push me further. "How do you feel about all this, really?" He asked suddenly. "Being here."
I hesitated. "I don't really know, I'm just sort of drifting along with whatever's going on, I guess..."
"I get it," he smiled with an understanding I couldn't understand. "I used to feel like that, too, when I met with my advisors."
'Used to? Advisors?'
Before I could ask what he meant, the doors creaked open, and a maid entered, bowing slightly as she carried a polished tray, porcelain gleaming in the light.
Behind her, another maid stepped into the room and approached me directly. "Young Master Elias," she said with a gentle tilt of her head, "Princess Kathyln has requested your presence in the Garden's outdoor atrium." She raised her head and held her hands in front of her apron. "If you would be so kind as to please follow me."
"O-of course," I said, slightly taken aback.
I stood up and followed the maid as I trailed no less than 5 paces behind.
"Good Luck on your date, Lias." My brother teased.
'It wasn't a date...'
Shaking the thought away, I followed the maid through the glass-panelled corridor. Light pooled at our feet as the sun filtered through the high windows.
"The Princess is just through here," the maid said, stopping at a set of open double doors.
The garden breathed a quiet peace. Its serenity slightly sullied by the occasional birdsong. A cherry tree stood at its apex. Petals drifted lazily downward, flowing in the garden's faint breeze. Princess Kathyln sat upon a curved bench with a teacup placed opposite her.
"Good morning, Elias," she said calmly with a faint smile.
"G-good morning, Princess, Thank you for... inviting me."
"I'm glad you came."
I sat carefully. Silence settled between us.
"You look... well," she said, raising porcelain to her lips.
"Oh. Thanks. You do too... Not that-uh-not that you didn't yesterday, I mean, I just-"
"I understand," she said, gently setting her cup down. "Did you sleep well?"
"I did, or as well as I could due to the state Arthur left himself in yesterday..." I scratched my cheek.
"How is he?" she asked in the same tone.
"He's well enough to meet with the King of Humanity, so I think he'll live", I said snarkily.
A laugh broke from her. "That's good", she said through a smile.
Kathyln raised her cup to her lips and took another brief sip before lowering it with quiet grace. Her gaze drifted past me toward the swaying branches above.
"I was surprised," she said after a moment.
"By what?" I blinked.
"That you agreed to come."
"Oh," I said, dumbly. "I mean... I wasn't exactly going to turn down a meeting with a princess now, was I?"
'It wasn't like I could've refused anyway since it was technically part of my brother's summons by her Father.'
"That's not what I meant," she said, her expression softening. "You didn't have to accept."
There was a vulnerability in the way she said it.
"I wanted to," I said, more earnestly than I expected. "After yesterday, I thought... it might be nice to talk again. Without a crowd... or your brother."
She nodded, letting her eyes fall back to her cup. A smile crept onto her lips as another breeze passed through the atrium, scattering a few pale petals across the green.
"It's quiet here," I smiled as I watched the petals dance. I lifted my own cup in the same manner as the princess before me.
'Its sweet.'
"I've never had tea like this before," I commented, trying to prolong our conversation.
"It's grown in the Western forests of Elenoir, I think. I know it's grown in Elenoir just..." she trailed off. Her cheeks tinged red. She let out a slight cough to calm herself. "It was originally a gift from the Elven Royal family, but my mother liked it so much we began importing it."
"Elenoir, huh?" I said, thinking aloud.
"Yes?" she said with an air of curiosity.
"You know my brother spent some time training there..." I said, taking another long sip of the tea.
"How? He's eight."
"Nearly nine..." I said, lowering my cup.
"Still, my point stands," she reiterated.
"Well, you already know that he had awakened at the age of two", I said, looking at the princess.
She nodded slightly in recognition.
"Well, just after I was born, my mother said that during our journey to Xyrus, Art fell off a cliff while protecting us."
"WHAT?" she interjected, standing up.
"He spent the next few years in a city called Zess..." I said, continuing my retelling.
"Zestier, it's the Elven Capital", she said, looking at me wide-eyed. "No Human had ever set foot there..."
'Ah...'
"Never mind that, but he said that he trained under a man he called Gramps, and with his Granddaughter, a girl called Tess"
"Tess, huh?" the princess said in a similar manner to what I had done only a few sentences ago.
"Do you know her?" I asked to finish the remaining tea that lay at the bottom of my cup.
"I've never met an elf before. I was just curious"
"I see..."
With that, the awkward silence that had clouded the beginning of our conversation reared its head.
"I was glad you asked me to come," I said after a moment, my voice quiet. "I mean, after yesterday..."
Her gaze lifted to meet mine, cool but not cold.
"I almost didn't," she replied.
"Why not?"
"After everything that happened between Father's guards and your brother, I thought..." She let out an uncharacteristic exhale, "But when Father told us at dinner last night that he was inviting 'the brat' to speak with him further, I asked him if you could come too."
"I see..." I let a slight smile form on the corner of my mouth.
Before either of us could speak again, the soft sound of footsteps reached us. A butler in crisp black and silver livery approached along the bush-lined pathway. He paused just outside the threshold and dipped into a respectful bow.
"Pardon the interruption, but your brother is awaiting you in the entrance hall, Master Elias. The carriage is being prepared as we speak."
I blinked, caught off guard by how quickly the time had passed.
"Ah... right," I murmured, standing reluctantly.
The princess didn't move, but her gaze followed me.
"I'll..." I began, then stopped.
'What was I even trying to say?'
She gave the faintest nod. "Goodbye, Elias."
I hesitated a moment longer, then dipped my head in return. "Goodbye, Kathyln."
The butler stepped aside, and I followed him back down the pathway as the soft clink of porcelain faded behind me.
---
Hello everyone, Rius here,
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. See you tomorrow for Chapter 10.
Thank you to Lancelot Dragonroad for beta-reading and editing.
Rius Out.