Travel The Distance

Chapter 19

That same evening, Aizawa and Yamada left for Endeavour. I watched as both men whispered to and hugged their daughter and son. I could see the tears which glistened on Eri's cheeks as she tearfully said farewell to her parents. She may have been young, but she wasn't that young or dumb. She was there whilst Aizawa was speaking to me, she knew that both of her parents were going back to a Kingdom which was on the verge of being attacked. She knew that if the Kingdom was attacked, they'd be targeted as advisors to the King. She knew that there was a chance that her parents may never return.

Shinso was betraying his emotions too. His eyebrows were a bit lower on his face and his eyes held a sad sparkle which you would only notice if you knew Hitoshi and his usual mannerisms. I may be a cold-hearted son of a bitch, but even I felt empathy for the small family who might never see each other again.

The four of them all hugged each other, tears falling from Yamada and Eri's eyes. They remained in that group hug for a while before they all reluctantly pulled away and said their final farewells. I turned away, giving Eri and Hitoshi some space.

When I turned around, I was faced with Denki and Hanta. They were also watching the family as they said goodbye to each other. "It's really sad that they have to say goodbye to each other. Eri is probably going to be super worried." Hanta murmured.

"Yeah. Toshi is super worried about his parents. But you know Aizawa, he's super resourceful. He would probably fake his death and escape." Denki chuckled slightly as he stared at his destined and sister-in-law. I hummed as I walked past them and into the castle.

The muffled sound of my boots hitting the carpeted floor of the castle bounced around the stone walls of the portrait hall I was walking down. I walked down the hall with slow movements, stopping occasionally to admire the portraits of past leaders. Staring into the painted eyes of my predecessors, I felt power surge through my veins. They all looked so regal and powerful. Even through the oil paint which captured their likeness, I could tell what sort of person they were. Whether they were compassionate, fierce, passionate, patient or corrupt. I couldn't help but admire the aura of authority they all exuded through their portraits.

"King Katsuki," a familiar monotone voice called out to me from the opposite end of the hall. I looked away from the Queen who had come before me to see Icyhot walking towards me, his eyes skimming across each portrait he passed.

"What do you want, Icyhot?" I asked gruffly, diverting my attention away from the angel before me and back towards the regal woman in front of me. Icyhot didn't say a word as he came to stand beside me, he too looked up at the daunting yet calming portrait of the previous ruler of the dragons. I could see intrigue and curiosity shining in his eyes as he gazed upon the woman.

"Were you going to say something or did you just want to announce your presence to me." I snapped after the moment of silence between the two of us expanded for far too long. Icyhot jumped slightly beside me before turning to face me and looking down at me. I vehemently despised the fact that he was taller than me, even if it was only by a few centimetres. Who gave this bastard the right to be taller than me, the Dragon King?

"Oh, right. Umm..." Icyhot paused as if he were trying to recollect his thoughts, it took a minute, but he finally snapped his fingers and pointed at me, some unknown emotion shining in his eyes.

"Right, I remember what I was going to tell you. Did you know that the man you had breakfast with this morning is Aizawa, as in my father's most trusted advisor?" Icyhot asked, concern laced in his voice. It might have been my egocentric brain, but I could have sworn there was also a hint of smugness in his voice like he had just told me something that would rock my world or make me reevaluate my entire outlook on life.