A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 94 | "We Have Bigger Things To Worry About"

The challenge it's been told is to resist circumstances.

A peculiar statement wasn't it? That's what he thought as well. 

Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in a hellhole.

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The three men stopped when the elder felt they were out of earshot of others. Matthew leaned against the balcony railing with Toni and Richie, both of whom had folded their arms. All three were looking at Eric, who greeted them with a nod.

"Your title of official headmaster will become a wildfire of news by dawn,"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Richie, who was in the middle, turned his head to Matthew and asked.

Matthew let out a resigned sigh and shook his head, before turning back to Elder. Despite the faint music still in the background, they were all fully focused on the conversation at hand. These three men had known each other since they were orphans, and nothing was off-limits between them.

"And?" he asked, knowing that things couldn't get much worse after Cid's announcement.

Eric shook his head in response. "Do you understand the implications of your title? It could provoke a negative reaction from the eastern border. You're well known, and they could see this as a threat."

Matthew nodded. "Not the first time or last time a death threat would be thrown my way," he said shrugging. "I figured they might behave like that with this move."

"I have no eyes up that way to tell me differently, but, I do have a feeling that whatever is coming. Whatever had been coming for us, it is here now. Developing in the back scenes before us." Eric continued.

"That's not hard to predict," Richie scoffed, causing Toni and Matthew to nod in agreement. "Any fucking idiot can see it coming."

Eric acknowledged the point, "We've all wondered why there has been a delay of years. What could have triggered such a volatile move now?"

"Perhaps they have been gathering forces, or perhaps they have been gaining strength," Toni offered. "We've talked about this numerous times since the attacks. Ezra has never been quiet in all our years. It's been a never-ending threat, Eric, nothing new."

"The force of it is," Matthew pondered, "Who do you think they're searching for?"

Eric shook his head, bringing the three men's attention back to him. "Initially, we thought it was the Queen or princess they were looking for. However, they are both clearly deceased, so it's suspicious that the search is still ongoing."

Toni however nodded towards Matthew, a theory that the men agreed on, not that they had any confirmation on it.

"What?" Eric shifted his attention between the three men, who had been almost in debates of whatever they were thinking.

"We think, well believe, that the princess is here," Matthew explained.

Eric's expression faltered. Had the princess confided in the soldier? Was that why he was so protective of the woman he was falling in love with?

"She told you?" Eric asked eagerly, causing the three men to straighten their backs and become more interested in Eric's reaction.

"Shit, you know. It's true!?" Richie's mouth hung open in disbelief as Matthew stepped away from the railing. Toni shared the same disbelief, while Eric nodded in agreement, believing the person they were talking about.