"Dendron, just because you haven't packed a thing doesn't mean you'll be able to remain behind. Father made it clear this isn't negotiable." Hands on her hips, Egoni was the spitting image of their mother as she scowled at the lounging Dendron, a battered novel in his hand. "I know you didn't want this, and neither did I, but given the risks if we stay, this is by far the better choice."
Reluctantly, Dendron put down the book he had been pretend to read and glanced around his room. Everything was just as he had left it an hour ago. The travel cases sat empty at the foot of his bed and his clothes were still strewn across the floor.
He allowed a lazy smile to spread over his lips. "Well, if father wanted it all packed, he should have asked the servants. Of course, I'd have taken everything out because they wouldn't know a dining jacket from a riding jacket. And I certainly wouldn't allow such a faux pas happen while we're in Everrun, rustic though it may be. Then, of course, there's the fact I would need enough space to bring along my favourite foil for fencing practice."
Egoni raised a brow. "Denny, you can act as cavalier as you wish, but I know you're scared. We all are. But father and mother decided this was the best path forward for the entire family. Pretend to care for once, won't you? You're the Crown Prince, for Amoleth's sake," said Egoni as she bent down to rummage through his clothes. She picked up a shirt, sniffed it and then tossed it into a separate discard pile before picking up another.
"I just don't think shipping us off our aunt in Everrun is the answer," retorted Dendron as his cheeks warmed. "As you said, Egoni, I'm the Crown Prince. My place is here, trying to keep the peace and provide a strong united front, instead of scurrying to the countryside."
"It's for our own protection."
"Is it? I've already been victim to a poisoning. There's not much more than they could do to me besides just killing me outright. And maybe that would be for the best. I know everyone thinks I'd be a poor king."
The expression on Egoni's face was unreadable as she straightened back up from neatly folding a pair of trousers. "You don't mean that, Denny. You don't."
The faint hitch he heard was enough to give Dendron pause. News of Adiolus's death had impacted them all deeply. Egoni especially. Hells, he should have put more thought to his words. It wasn't right he could be so dismissive about his sister's feelings.
Pride had already blinded him once to danger. He ought not allow it to happen again. But leaving for Everrun? It felt like surrendering.
And that was a bitter pill to swallow.
Though Dendron knew he would have to swallow it eventually, everything inside him rebelled against the thought. He was no coward. If given the chance, he would fight to the death to defend his crown. But he also understood where his sister was coming from.
"I'm sorry," mumbled Dendron as he rose to his feet to help her with his packing. "I shouldn't have said that. It's just...I feel so stifled and helpless. Sometimes I wish father would see me as the man that I am. Not a child still in his diapers."
Egoni picked up the finely tailored dinner jacket Dendron had been gifted during his last Naming Day. "Father has a lot to shoulder. If things had gone as planned, he would have stepped away from the throne already."
"I just want him to give me more of a chance."
She lay a hand on his arm. "He will. Just give him time. He loves you dearly, Denny. More than you know. And I think he pushes you hard while also keeping you at arm's length from the burden of the crown because he wants you to enjoy the life you have now before you have to take on the responsibilities of running an entire nation. There's more to being a king than just giving people orders, you know."
"You sure about that? It seems like that's all father's been doing these last few days," said Dendron with a large grin. He couldn't help it. His sister just made it so easy.
Egoni puffed out her chest, face red, exactly like one of the pufferfish he had caught when he was younger. But upon realising her younger brother had only meant it in jest, deflated immediately. She smacked him none too gently on the arm.
"That's not funny, Denny. Father is doing his best!"
"I know he is," said Dendron. "Honestly, Egoni, lighten up a little."
"Sometimes I wish you would just be a little more serious."
"Says the sister who just told me to live my life and not to try taking on the responsibilities that comes with wearing a crown until I'm a wizened old man."
"I—Hells, Denny! Don't use my own words against me!"
The afternoon passed quickly as they worked together. Within two hours, Dendron's trunks were packed and he was left alone in a bedroom that felt oddly empty.
Looking around, it was hard to reconcile with the idea that by the next day, he would be headed to Everrun and only father would remain in the palace. When had their home, once filled with light and laughter, become a cold and oppressive mausoleum?
This wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to stay behind and help. As the Crown Prince, he ought to help with running the many affairs of state his father oversaw and learn from example.
And yet, a small part of Dendron was relieved to going away. He didn't dare admit it, but he was scared of what the future might entail. The sanctity of their home had been invaded and he had been poisoned. Going to Everrun, enjoying the autumnal season, was a relief.
But Dendron could not help but wish his father would be there with them. The next few months would be lonely indeed before Delion could join them once court was adjourned.
Still, at the very least, he would have Anais for company if his sisters proved too overbearing. And, if he was lucky, maybe he could finally sort out his complicated feelings for the adopted daughter of Lord Yaelyn. For years they had circled around each other; sometimes flirting, or teasing, but nothing had been stated outright.
Their interactions were a lot like their duels. While Dendron knew he felt a spark with the dark-skinned noble, he was unsure if she felt the same way. Perhaps this trip down to Everrun would be his chance to address it. See if he had a chance in the Nine Hells of snagging a woman like her.
Not that he had told her just yet. But he would.
Unlike many noble daughters he had met, whether that was in class or during social gathering, Anais was brash and bold and never one who withhold what was on her mind. She was a breath of fresh air compared to the stale women his mother had forced him to chat to during delegatory dinners.
The only other women in his life that challenged him and treated him as an equal were his sisters. And, of course, the short-lived magic tutor. Idana.
In the privacy of his thoughts, Dendron often referred to her as the witch from the wilds. She was the very epitome of a witch from his childhood stories, he thought, with her dirty brown hair, sharp green eyes and short stature. Capricious and naïve in equal measure, she had been frustrating to learn under.
Especially as Dendron was certain she was unfamiliar with the material she was trying to teach. Worse, for several weeks, he had feared the power she wielded over him – having caught him at the School of Magic in the midst of trying to swap out his test answers.
Back then, he had immediately judged her a blackmailer hoping to get close to the Crown for nefarious purposes.
But when disaster had struck, she had been there to help him and to help protect his family.
Her magic had been fearsome to behold as it shielded those who could not fight as they had sheltered in the dining hall. And then she had dived right into the thick of things as she faced the golem, slinging one spell after another at the creature without breaking a sweat.
Idana was a mystery he wasn't sure if he wanted to solve.
Since her brief stint as his magic tutor, Dendron had now heard she had been accepted at the Academy and had been offered a place in the advanced magic course. It made sense. Idana was a gifted and powerful magic user. With a little bit more guidance, she would be a force to be reckoned with.
And perhaps that was something the kingdom needed. Especially now when the kingdom was in disarray.
Crouching down, Dendron locked his trunk.
Everrun awaited.
With Harvest soon, the breadbasket of the kingdom would be bustling. No doubt, his aunt would have a suite of fun seasonal activities planned out.
This was not a retreat. Rather, it was a well-deserved break from the burdens of being the Crown Prince.
Besides, he deserved something like this. He had, after all, been nearly poisoned. And he still hadn't reached his full majority. This was simply a means to take stock, recover from a shocking summer and have a little fun.
At least, that was what Dendron told himself as he padded out of his rooms to search for Anais and deliver unto her the good news of an impromptu holiday.
~
Dendron rolled out of bed at the crack of dawn. He yawned, long and loud, as he rubbed at his eyes still bleary with sleep. Last night had been a nightmare. Though he had gone to bed early, hoping for a good long rest before the journey ahead, all the doubts he had thought addressed in the morning reared their ugly heads to assault him as he sought the oblivion of sleep.
Was there a possibility father had received a threatening letter and had decidedit was best to have the family flee? Would the insurgents strike again?
Or, perhaps, did father think he was not good enough? Did father think him weak?
On and on and on came the thoughts. It got so bad the back of Dendron's hands itched so terribly he had to get out of bed and wash them until the backs were a raw red.
When he finally settled back into bed, exhaustion finally managed to claim just after midnight. But even in his dreams, he was not safe.
Though he didn't remember upon waking, one snippet kept running through his head.
He had been walking in a dark forest. Then he had caught a glimpse of a young blonde woman with cold cruel eyes and a chilling smile amongst the trees before she vanished. Before he knew it, he was in a featureless white room and Adiolus was there. Adiolus had looked just as he had before he had left Wyndhaven with his wife. The two of them were headed for a burgeoning colony on the other side of the known world where Adiolus would serve as governor.
There had been something Dendron had wanted to tell him. A warning perhaps. But no matter how hard he had tried Dendron had not been able to speak a word as his brother faded into the distance.
The tendrils of the visions his brain had conjured were hard to shake as he went through his morning ablutions. They haunted him as he dressed and they kept him company when he headed to the Great Hall for breakfast.
"Denny, you look like death. Are you already regretting your choice, Your Royal Highness?" gently teased Anais as she bumped him on the elbow with her own. "I don't blame you. It can be difficult putting up with me. Just ask Fyorn."
Still preoccupied with his thoughts, Dendron grunted in response as he found his seat.
"Well, that's certainly not the typical Dendron response I've come to know. Sounds to me like you're only half-awake," said Anais. "Say, have you heard of this new beverage called coffee? There's a café in the city that serves it. You should try it out sometime. Especially before we head out today lest you fall off Melrov."
It took a moment for the words to sink in as Dendron shook free of the earlier malaise gripping him. "Right. Coffee. I'll give it a try. Thanks Anais."
"Always glad to be of service."
"So, um, are you looking forward to coming down to Everrun with me?"
Anais tapped her lip, pretending to think on his question. "Well, if you think this was your way of getting me out of finishing school, I'm afraid that there are better means. Still, I'll take what I'm given. You aren't king yet, after all. Change takes time, I suppose."
Dendron couldn't stop the grin spreading across his face. This was why he liked hanging around Anais. "You have my word that once I assume the throne, the very first decree I'll make will be to abolish finishing schools all across Kastasol. Even should it go against the word of my most trusted advisors," Dendron said solemnly, one hand resting over his heart. Then, he reached and grasped Anais's free hand and kissed her knuckles.
The red flush travelling up Anais's neck was reward enough; sending a tingling warmth through Dendron's chest.
"Scoundrel."
"Always, milady." He winked at her as they sat down at the table and were served a decently large portion of breakfast each.
Once his stomach was filled with cheeses, meats, oatmeal and various fruits, Dendron felt more himself and better able to face the day. The ride would be long. Everrun was a three-day journey via carriage. Or a day via the new steam train if they had chosen to take it.
But while he loved of idea of closing his eyes and catching up on some much-needed rest, Dendron doubted his sisters or his mother would give him peace.
Better for him to ride alongside them on Melrov and check in on them occasionally. If he were so tired he couldn't keep upright in the saddle, then maybe he might consider risking getting into the carriage. And even then, he'd have to be near unconscious, thought Dendron as he stepped into the courtyard, which was bustling with activity.
Next to the carriages, footmen were tactfully packing away their travel trunks while the palace guards were inspecting the equipment. It took a while for everything to be stowed safely away.
By the time they were ready to depart, the city down below was beginning to awaken. Dendron stretched and rose from his seat on the steps of the palace. Glancing to the side, he saw father whispering something into mother's ear. From this distance, his father looked tired; the crown resting heavy.
When they parted, mother looked in his direction. In that one look, Dendron knew instinctively they had been talking about him. What the exact topic was, Dendron had no clue. Only that it left him feeling uneasy as he fought the urge to remove his gloves and scratch at the back of his hands.
"Still feeling nervous, Denny?" asked Angea as she sidled up next to him, dressed all prim and proper. Her blonde hair was clipped back and there was a pretty pink petal flower placed behind her right ear. It contrasted with the chicken drumstick she held in her left hand. "Egoni told us she basically had to bully you into packing yesterday. Oh, and that your room stunk and was utterly filthy."
"I think you mean your room stinks and is utterly filthy," retorted Dendron, stepping away from his youngest sister as she took a huge chunk out of the drumstick. "And don't call me Denny, Angea. You don't get that privilege."
"Why not? Everyone else gets to call you that? Why not me?" she asked with her mouth full.
"Because you're only eleven and show utterly no deference for your older, stronger and smarter brother."
Angea cocked her head to the side. "Well, you might be older and bigger but I don't think you're very smart, Denny. I mean, if you were, Egoni wouldn't have needed to come help you out, right?"
Dendron let out a suffering sigh. Of all days for him to have to endure Angea's antics. And he would have to put up with it for the next three days when they were on the road. Why hadn't they chosen to take the steam train? "Just go and help mother, all right? You know how fragile she can be."
"You didn't answer my question, Denny. You reflected it."
"It's—never mind."
"You're funny, Denny."
"I suppose I am," conceded Dendron as he rose to his feet and left his sister behind on the steps. "Tell mother when you see her I'm checking on Melrov. I'll ride alongside the carriage for most of the journey with the guards so you won't miss me none."
"Okay. But I want you to tell me what defenence means later. Or else I'll tell Egoni you've been making up big words just to confuse me!" Angea called after him as Dendron stalked away.
Goddess, when was this trip going to be over? He had better have a word with mother about bunking with the guardsmen when they stopped for the night.
He didn't think he would have the fortitude to deal with Angea if he had to share a room with his sisters.