Solar Reign

X X X

NOHX STARED at the sigils. They were spread in front of him as though they were a puzzle. They sort of were, he surmised.

He brushed his fingers over the symbols. Protective, Sivelle had said. Looking at them made Nohx feel a few things. Uneasy. Worried. Nervous about who had put them in the Royal Court in the first place. He tried to think about who would even have the stones, but his mind was coming up blank.

There was a knock at his office door. His hands paused over the stones, not yet ready to share their existence with anyone who worked in the Snow Clan who may be knocking for him. When he opened the door, he was partly relieved to find Oberon on the threshold. The white haired fae wore a worn smile, but there was something off about his expression that had Nohx tilting his head, his eyes honing in on the bags under Oberon's eyes.

"Are you alright?" The question burst out of Nohx before he could stop himself.

Oberon made a shooing movement with his hand, gesturing that the two of them have this conversation within the confines of the office, where no one could eavesdrop.

Nohx let Oberon in, not bothering to worry about the stones. He'd long given up on hoping Oberon would butt out of Andorra's life. It was obvious that would never happen in this lifetime, even if Nohx felt the usual bouts of jealousy rear up inside of him. He knew Andorra didn't love Oberon like that, and he knew even more that Oberon didn't have those feelings for his Queen.

But still. It lingered.

"We need to force Ero to go back to Avorotho. He's overstayed his welcome." Oberon rubbed at his own forearms as if he were trying to ward off a chill of somesort. It was so incredibly unlike Oberon that Nohx really paused to look at him.

"What happened? Did he do something to Andy?" The anger and threat in his voice usually would have been enough to make Oberon look at him, but he was too busy looking slightly dazed and nauseous. He shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. It's just, I've been thinking about him being the Prince of Avorotho, and don't you think that puts us in some kind of danger? I'm beginning to think maybe we should tell Puck what's going on. I mean, Puck has eyes-"

"Puck isn't on Andorra's council. We are. And we can handle this. If Andorra wants Puck to be a part of her planning, she'll invite him herself. Until then, we will fix this with her on her terms."

Oberon kept shaking his head. He was spooked by something, and Nohx was going to get to the bottom of it. "Then we need to assign another guard to him. I can't do it anymore."

Nohx's mouth dropped open, only for a moment. "What the fuck are you going on about? Tell me what's wrong Oberon."

Oberon did meet his eyes at that command. To hear the worry in Nohx's tone had Oberon's mouth dropping open, and then shutting again. He'd been so wrapped up in his own mind, he hadn't really been listening to his oldest friend.

It was enough to make his mouth morph into a small smile. "Are you worried? About me?" There was surprise in his voice. Shock.

"Of course I am! You come in here, shaking like a leaf, and you won't look me in the eye. And you're going on about Ero and asking to be reassigned. You not taking your duty seriously is not like you. Actually, coming here looking as freaked out as you did is not like you. So yeah, I'd say I'm worried. Are you actually going to spit it out?"

Oberon's smile widened. Something akin to relief slipped down his throat and settled into his gut. It had been so long since he'd heard Nohx act like this. His childhood self nearly jumped with joy. What he wouldn't have given to have Nohx act like this only a handful of years ago.