A Gift Unto the King

Internal Struggles

Three weeks had quietly slipped by. Much to the bewilderment of the king, a second attack had not come. It was getting to the point that Vin wasn't even sure that Honterra was actually responsible for his father's assassination at all. He was killed within Valkevilla's borders, after all, so there could potentially be a great deal of other suspects to consider. Though Vin found the notion that one of his own citizens could be responsible for his murder highly unlikely. The late king was held in much too high a regard for anyone to have any sort of justifiable quarrel with him. Even still, the unexpected calm resting over the kingdom was unnerving, and kept Vin on his toes.

Despite his initial impulse to invade Honterra, he couldn't deny his mother had a point. After spending a few sleepless nights considering it, he decided to wait on ordering his counter attack. With limited knowledge of the strength of their enemy's army, putting his people in danger would certainly not gain him any favors. Unfortunately, waiting was currently the only viable option. No conflict at all would always be better than starting one he might lose.

Over the past few weeks, Vin had spent a great deal of time lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. Dark circles now hung heavily under his crimson eyes. With so much on his mind, he'd hardly been able to bring himself to rest. He'd either lock himself away in the solar, or barricade himself in his chambers, unwilling to be disturbed. It felt as though he were drifting through limbo, unsure of what to do, unsure of where to go. He desperately craved a few moments of peace, but they never came.

After admitting to himself he'd stalled enough, he rolled from the comfort of his bed, and got dressed. He'd drawn the drapes to keep the midday sun from disrupting him, but a few slivers of golden light had managed to peek through the cracks, though not enough to bring any real amount of luminance into the room. Even so, Vin didn't mind the darkness, and chose to leave the windows covered.

Doing his best to shake the lethargy from his bones, he opened his door. The sunlight shone brilliantly through the windows lining the corridor, causing Vin to wince, and shield his eyes. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and he continued down the hall towards the solar.

On a whim, with a twinge of hopeful desire, he glanced out the window into the field where Lucas regularly trained. Rain or shine, he could usually be found there, sharpening his skills. Alas, as of late, Vin hadn't seen Lucas training much. He wondered if, perhaps, Lucas had begun training somewhere else. Of course, with the castle still on alert, daily patrols had become much more strenuous. His absence could easily be attributed to that, Vin supposed.

With a sunken heart, he sighed, and continued on his way.

Lucas returned from a rather uneventful patrol just before twilight. The queen had been tasking him with quite a few patrol missions lately, which Lucas didn't entirely mind. It was clear to see that Marion was doing her best to eliminate any opportunity that he may have to cross paths with her son, but given the circumstances, Lucas genuinely welcomed the excuse to be away from the castle.

He rested his sword against the wall and dropped the sack of vegetables and raw steak he'd purchased in town onto the dining table. As much as he'd enjoy eating dinner in the castle with his fellow knights, he didn't think it wise. His frequent nausea, and newfound aversion to ale, certainly made dining amongst others much more difficult. It was hard enough to contain his frequent bouts of illness on patrol, much less in a room full of people.

Throwing a few dried logs into the fireplace, he struck a light, and the fire quickly ignited. He then dumped the contents of the sack out onto the table, catching an onion just before it rolled onto the floor. Pulling the wooden chopping board from the iron hook on the wall, he gently set it on the table, and pulled aside the package of meat. Unfolding the wax-coated linen wrapping, he lifted the raw steak from it and tossed it onto the chopping board, then cut it into smaller pieces. Setting the pile of meat aside, he sliced the vegetables as well, then wiped the juices from his hands on a dry rag.