His Phoenix Eyes

Chapter 2

All things considered, Farris's sentence was pretty light.

He expected a stern talking to from his father, but his sentencing came in the form of a morning report from Braeden, instead of a greeting from Eris.

"His Majesty has stationed Eris in the kitchen for the next three months. You will be accompanied by two guards at all times until Eris is back in service. That'll be me and Sir Tristan Kohm. His Majesty has allowed Your Highness to visit the town once every two months, provided he is accompanied by at least 10 guards."

Farris blinked slowly, his mind starting to catch up with the world around him. He smiled when Braeden's brooding figure came into focus and hummed a greeting, before giving Braeden his back and snuggling deeper into his soft bed. He stayed up all night filling Eris in on his adventure and fretting about his father's reaction to him sneaking out. By the time he fell asleep, the sun was beginning to peek out between the mountains that faced his balcony.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Prince Farris. I can't imagine His Majesty giving you a harsh punishment for visiting the town. After all, it is the safest place in the world compared to your travels in the wild with Nicholas for two months!" Eris sat facing him on his bed. This late in the night, there was nobody around to bother them about propriety.

Eris's soothing voice lulled his fears, before a new fear emerged.

"Do you think that man will throw away the object I gave him? Surely not!"

Eris scratched his head, ruffling his already messy dark curls as his hazel eyes narrowed in concentration.

"I'm sure he won't." Eris wasn't sure he convinced himself with that statement, so he tried again. "He saw Braeden in his full body armor chasing you through town. I'm sure at the very least, he thinks you're someone important."

"Or a prisoner."

"... That is certainly a possibility, Your Highness."

Farris sighed, feeling dejected.

"You should've seen him. He was so cold! Wouldn't say a word to me no matter how much I offered to pay him for his services. It wasn't like I was trying to swindle him. If anything, he was swindling me with how much I offered him!"

Eris nodded absentmindedly, brows almost touching.

"What if... he's deaf?"

Farris paused.

"Deaf?"

"It isn't impossible... no matter how much you spoke, he barely reacted. You also knocked on his nose-"

"It was an accident!"

"-which could have made him even more wary. It's not that big of a town and I'm sure everyone knows one another. I'd imagine a stranger knocking on his door would've been concerning, given his identity."

"Hmm, you're right."

"The object you slipped into his bag is also a magical artefact."

"It can't really be called a magical artefact! The only magical thing about it is the lock, it's practically harmless!"

"I'm sure His Majesty will disagree with you on that, Your Highness." Eris commented politely, making Farris huff, unable to disagree.

"So he'll either report to the palace immediately and I'll be in trouble, throw the object away or help me unlock it..."

Eris nodded with a soft smile.

"Yes."

Farris groaned and fell backward onto his bed, making Eris giggle.