Foolish and naive king
Sir Perseus’s eyes widened in disbelief. Wondering why the king was in front of him. Maybe he heard about Lady Abba’s visit the other day, and want to torture him. However, he did not have to wait long for his doubts to be answered.
The king, with the movement of his head, indicated Shadow to remove the gag from his mouth, but even without this, Sir Perseus was mute and without the will to exteriorize any thought. He was blank with fear.
Upon seeing him from above, Alcott was captivated by his beauty and admired him in great wonder. Amberjill and this man were so similar, that it would have been easy for the king to claim these two were twins, except the man’s eyes were honey-colored, while Amberjill’s were electric blue. But King Alcott rejected this foolish idea. He well knew that his beloved queen was the only child of King Lucian. So he saved his doubts about later and hurried to do what he had to do.
“Shadow, untie our host,” the king ordered. Shadow nodded and began to free Sir Perseus from the sack, and after struggling with the ropes for a bit, he finally succeeded. Shadow walked towards the table and grabbed one of the chairs, dragging it towards Sir Perseus, who was still on the floor. Assuming that he had no other choice, Sir Perseus stood slowly and stared at the king and eventually out of the corner of his eye at Shadow, waiting anxiously for them to reveal this meeting’s purpose.
“Your name?” the king asked.
“Perseus, your majesty.”
“Sir Perseus, I am going to tell you what we are going to do, I want you to tell me everything from the moment you were born, until today. I have all the time in the world.” The king said, but at the same time referring to the fact that his beloved wife would not be in his chamber, waiting for him, so there was no point in rushing this conversation.
Sir Perseus was stunned and asked the king why he was interested in a low swordsman as himself was out of the question. But this, of course, he could not externalize. And without further ado, Perseus began to tell the story of his life as he knew it.
“And that’s how I joined the royal guards, your majesty. King Soto gave me the honour of protecting and ensuring the safety of Princess Abba.” Sir Perseus said, but Alcott didn’t miss the passion and fervour he saw in this young man’s eyes, making him think of many possibilities. The king smiled.
“And your father? What can you tell me about him?”
Sir Perseus lowered his gaze momentarily, letting the king understand that this topic was something sensitive for the young knight. “I don’t know anything about my father, I’ve never seen him, and I don’t even know his name.” Perseus made a disgusted face, but continued, “What is clear is that he is from the kingdom of Ruana. My mother told me that a bastard like me would be thrown to the dogs at birth, and it was silly to expect news from him. Since then, I have never tried to investigate, or find out anything about him.”
No, that was completely wrong. King Alcott knew that his mother had lied to him, this poor knight. Ruana’s people are dedicated in body and soul to keeping the children safe and happy. He understood at that moment that the life of this man was not simple, and behind the knight's mother’s lies, there was something he had to discover. His observations were further prompted by the improvised and unusual recruitment process too. King Soto had his claws on this young man, and Alcott was going to find out why.
A long but exhausting day was finally over for King Alcott when he was eventually able to retire to his chambers. The loneliness that awaited him in that enormous and cold room forced him to postpone his arrival. But with nothing else to do, or occupy his time, Alcott succumbed, and here he was, in front of his door.
A guard guarding his room pushed the door open with an annoying squeak, and Alcott walked in. That same guard made sure to close it behind him.
But as he took a step forward, a voice stopped him. “You’re late.”
That voice, the king was sure who it belonged to, but his mind couldn’t believe it. And out of the shadows, King Lucian emerged. Regal, wearing his royal investiture from Ruana. Covered in a knee-length chainmail coat, cinched by a thick leather belt with Ruana’s coat of arms engraved in it. On his head, he wore a steel band across his forehead, and his hands were covered in gloves of the same metal mesh.
His perfectly groomed beard was shorter than Alcott remembered it, but without a doubt that silver beard shone due to the reflection of the low light that illuminated the room. His hair fell loose past his shoulders, silver and straight. It was noticeable that the king had gained a few kilos of weight over the years, but without a doubt, his presence was imposing.
Who would have thought that this fearsome king was capable of commanding respect and obedience, and at the same time, when no one was watching, he could join his very young daughter in making dozens of origami figures? And adorn little Amberjill’s roof with them. Always giving her a smile, a shoulder to cry on, and love. Alcott hadn’t heard a single story from his beloved Amberjill in which she didn’t refer to her father as her hero. The contrast could not be believed. And Alcott respected him a lot for that.
And here he was, without fail.
“Father,” Alcott said, trying to sound assertive.
King Lucian inched closer, never taking his eyes off King Alcott, until he was within a few paces of him. And without further ado, Lucian demanded, “Speak.”
King Alcott nodded and extended his arm towards the table. King Lucian agreed, taking a seat. Alcott for his part grabbed two glasses, and a jug of wine that was always available to him. He filled both goblets and offered one to his father-in-law.
King Lucian took a drink and put the glass on the table, waiting for his son to give him an explanation.
Alcott took a seat and began to tell what happened, he also told him about the suspicions he had about King Soto and all the loose ends he had found. He left nothing out, he even recounted the situation Lady Abba was in.
Taking Alcott by surprise, King Lucian abruptly stood up from the table, and with a quickness that was beyond his age, the king slapped Alcott's face with his metal glove, breaking the skin. “How dare you willingly let a poisonous snake into your house. Endangering my daughter’s life. FOOLISH AND NAIVE KING.”
