Sir Perseus and the King
Near the border of Ruana, King Alcott’s spies rode across the plains without rest, hastening their pace.
Shadow, who was so worried, clenched his teeth. With more force, he whipped the reins over the horse’s side, quickening his pace even more. They only needed half a day to reach the Spring Castle in Ruana, but he wanted to get there already.
Victor, and Ronn, seeing Shadow’s horse pick up speed, followed him closely. They couldn’t read their fellow’s thoughts, but they well knew they needed to get there as soon as possible.
So redoubling their efforts, and with weary and hungry bodies, the three continued.
∞∞∞
King Lucian, thoughtful, was sitting on a comfortable sofa, installed in the royal library. With a book in his hands, he tried to read its contents, failing miserably. There was something in the back of his head that wouldn’t leave him alone. And the images he saw in the distance of the young Bodoro knight with a Ruanese appearance were to blame for this.
The king slammed the book shut, and threw it on the table in front of him, giving up his reading time for the day.
Edward was not far from him, at the desk, arranging some royal edicts scrolls for the next month’s tax collection. The king envies that concentration that nothing disturbed it. How easy it was to be the royal clerk? He felt jealous since the king was not even able to put his ideas in order.
Minutes passed, and the king was uncomfortable. He got up from the sofa and went to the window. Through it, he could contemplate the gardens and the royal lake. He was proud to have designed this paradise, and he immensely enjoyed observing nature from the comfort of his library.
With nothing to do and plenty of time, before the meal was served, he was reunited with his children, meaning King Alcott and his daughter Amberjill. The king had plenty of time to spare.
Suddenly, the king came up with something, as if a ray of light had illuminated his tedious hours of boredom. He turned impulsively, making himself a bit dizzy, but when he recovered, he made a quick dash for Edward.
The clerk was about to finish his report when a slap to his hard work scattered the documents he had put together with so much care. His stomach boiled, and if it weren’t for the fact that he was human, a volcano might well have erupted out of his head. He looked to where the culprit stood, and upon seeing his king’s anxious face, his murderous intent withdrew, being replaced by curiosity.
The clerk looked at the king, eagerly waiting for him to confide his thoughts, but nothing happened as he was hoping. King Lucian grabbed his friend by the chemise and hurriedly dragged him out of the library, to only he knew where.
As they trotted through the halls, King Lucian said, “Come with me, there’s something I want to take a look at in person.”
Without further ado, the scrivener allowed himself to be led by his king until they reached the atrium at the rear of the Castel, where the royal escort of Mahala’s entourage had temporarily installed themselves.
Discreetly, and without being seen, the two slipped between the pillars, and the bushes, until they reached unnoticed where the soldiers were relaxing.
The king began to search, and among the number of soldiers present, it did not take him long to find whom he was looking for.
When the king saw him, he nudged Edward in an unkind way, causing him to turn to where the king was pointing. The clerk had not noticed that among the soldiers accompanying King Alcott, there was one who bore the marks of Bodoro, much less that he was of his race. That was the same thing that the king was thinking.
Away from all the bustle of the other soldiers, Sir Perseus was sitting on a stone pot looking at the ground. Completely out of place. His mind was so busy with all the problems he had that he couldn’t concentrate on anything. What bothered him most was that he was unable to see Lady Abba for the moment. King Alcott warned him that while they were in Ruana, Lady Abba would be confined, and no one except her servant-guard had access to her.
He wanted to feel her and to know how their child was growing. His paternal side was developing rapidly, and his sole purpose was to take his family and run away from everything around them at the first chance. But the deal he made with King Alcott prevented him. Sir Perseus had to be patient, and if everything went as planned, his reward would be great.
Pondering in his thoughts, he did not notice the two figures that were watching him closely, since the king and his clerk were in front of him. Sir Perseus, seeing the shoes in his peripheral vision, looked up. And instead of reacting, his gaze was fixed on the king of Ruana, although he did not know it yet.
His honey-coloured eyes were locked on the electric blue ones that were watching him with equal intensity. He lost his speech, as the figure in front of him moved something inside him. That something was unknown to him, but, at the same time, that something is what he’s been longing for forever.
The king could not speak either, and he also could not stop looking at the face of this young man. But the gasp that the clerk involuntarily gave made him react, making him turn to look at him.
Edward was open-mouthed, also stunned by the young man who was still sitting in the stone flowerpot, equally stunned, despite being in the king’s presence.
“My king, if it weren’t for the honey-coloured eyes, I would swear it was you when you were young and handsome.” Without thinking, the clerk said.
