It's been thirty years since I updated, sorry y'all. But this chapter is half filler and half them finally returning home to the castle, so enjoy it I guess!
We are ending this in 8 chapters.
I know sad, but it's been amazing writing this and seeing your reactions!
~Jessie
•••
As our carriage stops at the end of the castle's path to the front door, a trumpet is sounded.
Two guards come forward, opening the door, and William and I hope out, helping the young prince and princess out after us.
The castle's inhabitants looked at our children quizzically, not sure about what to make of them. Mira got excited at the attention, waving to a few of them, and they awkwardly waved back.
We walk up the path to the open doors at the end of them, where Queen Natasha awaits us in all her glory, looking at the children with a curiosity.
William smiles at his mother, giving her a hug, whispering what sounded like I missed you to her.
She pats his back, and they pull away from the embrace, her a bit testy eyed.
I follow suit, showing my own affection to my second mother.
I feel a small tug on my left pant leg and look down at Art, who once again, despite our best efforts, had a thumb in his mouth.
"Daddy, when can we eat?" he asks, slightly pouting.
In the carriage, an hour or so ago, I promised a feast on our arrival. Clearly, Artan expected that immediately.
"Soon, pup."
This interaction immediately got Nana's attention.
"These are your children? And I never got so much as a two worded message?" she took slight offense to this before turning back to Mira and Art. "Come, children. I'm your grandmother, you may call me Nanny. Let's go get you a snack. The feast isn't to start for a while."
She extends her hands, and we both watch as our pups hesitantly take them, letting themselves be guided away.
Soon after our attention is pulled in a thousand different ways as lords and ladies greet us and discuss something's that we've missed. I briefly caught up with Samara, asking her to tutor Artan, then I spoke with Rose's parents.
When I managed to get out of the center of the madness, I found Roman speaking with a man taller than him in hushed tones.
"I'm sure your just reading too much into this." Roman reassures the man.
"It's been a while Roman, who is this?"
"This is Evan, one of Malick's new recruits at the medical bay. He's also my new shadow."
Evan rolls his eyes.
"Your Grace." he bows. "He makes my position sound simple. I'm from a warrior caster tribe in Natus. I trained at the same medical school as Malick."
"I look forward to seeing you take and give life then." I joke.
He flashes me a quick smile at this.
Soon after we are called into the feast, and I'm rejoined with my family. The usual staff brought out dishes, placing them on the table, offering it to those assembled. The out came the cup bearers.
I knew the tradition of the staff, and knew that this dinner wouldn't be any different. Those bearing the cups bore shame in the eyes of the staff.
I spot Evan pouring drinks at the end of the table, and almost react, before catching myself. Before this was an inside hazing, but now with my king status, it felt a lot meaner than before.
I caught Ramos give a quick look over at Evan once, shake his head, then mind about his own business.
I glance over to Sarah in the corner, who is watching this like a hawk, an angry one at that. The head maid isn't the one who decides this task, no that's up to the cooks, who tend to be people pleasers. One of these people pouring drinks didn't deserve this in her eyes. Clearly it was Evan if anyone else's behavior was any indication.
The feast went on without much of a hitch and at the end of it I caught Sarah for a brief moment.
"What did those cup bearers do?"
"Everyone but one was caught trying to listen in on a meeting discussing strategy. Evan, the red headed one, his crime is completely different, just a rumor. People think he slept with Malick."
My eyebrows shot up. That was a high claim. To have a rumor go around that you cheated on your mate in itself should be career ruining. However, seeing as the castle only seemed to be upset with Evan, I was thrown off.
"Why are the angry with the new medic and not Malick then?"
"There's the fact that Malick is seen as untouchable to them. Then there's the public knowledge that he's a caster. They whisper about him being desperate and that he had to spell someone to get a chance with them."
"Impossible. If that was true, he wouldn't be alive." I say.
"Exactly. Roman would have his head on a pyre by now."
"Speaking of him, I need to go and invite him in on the meeting with King Dacre."
"He should be in his private study at this hour."
I nod, and go off to the east wing to find Roman.
I open the door to his study, and my hands flew to cover my mouth at the sight.
Roman, back to me, has a man pinned between him and his desk, in a heated lip lock. Shock made me stand frozen, watching as they pull away, the stranger's face coming into view. Evan's eyes fluttered open, and we locked gazes. In an instant, he shoved Roman away from him.
"Your Grace." he sputters, giving a bow, embarrassment flushing his cheeks.
Roman turns toward me, eyes wide.
"Noah, it isn't as it looks." the head guard states.
"What would Malick say to this." I question, gesturing between them.
"He'd be ecstatic." Roman answers.
I furrow my brows. There must be something I'm missing to this puzzle. When we'd left, these two had just gotten on good terms with one another.
Never thought I'd see them add someone else into their relationship.
"Evan, is Malick's second mate. It'll come as no surprise to you that I've come to some near death experiences. After you both were gone for some time, a small rebellion broke out in the village square to our east. My men and I went to go see what it was about, and upon seeing it was against the crown, we got involved. Soon some scattered, not wanting to be tried for treason, but those that remained weren't unarmed. Three of them nearly had me meet Hades. Malick, of course, nursed me back to health, but I assume some sort of anomaly occurred. His soul was no longer fully tied to mine, it sought out another. We didn't know it yet. Not until Evan came along for his transfer to our medical staff. Even then, I didn't know about it until more recently."
"Did you initially accept this?"
Roman gave off a laugh.
"Oh, gods no. I wanted to take off Evan's head."
"Wanted?" Evan scoffs. "He was on his way back to the armory. He nearly did take off my head, would have if Malick wasn't there to stop him."
I laugh at these misfortunes and still persisted. What had changed from now since then? I may never have had open competition for William's affections, but if I had, I wouldn't have stopped at the decapitation attempt, I would have poisoned the bastard too.
"Anyway, Malick and I spoke about it, and I gave him six months. This ones lucky he passed."
Evan rolled his eyes at this. It was clear that they have formed a bond, beyond that of the mating call. They were clearly falling in love with one another.
"Now, for the reason I came here. Roman, you've been invited to sit in on our meeting to prepare for the arrival of King Dacre. The rest of the bunch will be in attendance as well."
He nods at this, and I leave them, to do Olympus knows what.
"We should go on a family run around the grounds." Chandler proposes.
"That would be lovely. We could have a picnic in the woods as well." I suggest.
With a plan in mind, I set out to find my children in the kitchen. They were sat at a small table in the corner, removed from the chaos of the chefs preparing tonight's meal. With them is Nana, telling Mira and Art stories about William and I's childhood. They seemed to be in a trance, watching their grandmother move her hands as she told her tale.
"Gran, did you ever think that Daddy and Papa would be mates?"
"No. That caught me off guard, but I did have a suspicion that William would have a male mate. Your grandpa and I caught him kissing one of the lord's in their youth. Grandpa thought nothing of it, as children are always affectionate with one another, but I knew better."
I couldn't help but chuckle aloud at that. This was something I never knew had occurred, and I had heard almost everything the King did in his childhood, or witnessed it first hand.
My laughter caught their attention and the children looked at me curiously. I just shook my head, motioning for Nana to carry on, pulling a chair up to the table.
That was how William found us all about half an hour later, laughing at his mother's recount of his first attempt at shifting into his dragon form.
"Mother!" he groans.
"Oh, hush. The cooks have heard it all before, and your family seems to be enjoying them."
I rose from the seat, leaving the sulking king with our giggling children, asking one of the kitchen hands to prepare a blanket and basket. I return to the four a few moments later, with both in hand, and a satchel slung across my chest to hold our clothes so that we could shift.
"What's all this?" William asks.
"I thought we could go on a run then have a picnic." I propose.
Artan perks up at the word 'run', as does Mira, both turning to their father giving him their best puppy eyes.
He sighs out, disguising his amusement, and agrees.
An hour and a half later, we all redress, having stopped at a cliff face, overlooking the castle estate.
William makes a few plates, as I keep a watchful eye on the pups who are playing quite close to the edge of the cliff.
I see Artan whisper something to his sister, still in wolf form, who nods. Just a second later, he did the unthinkable. I watch in horror as he runs at full speed off the cliff. I got up quickly, all out sprinting, not sure of what I was going to do once I reached him, but knowing I had to do something. William saw my panic, and put two and two together as Mira also dove off.
Before William could shift to dive after them, a bright flash darts into the air, stopping just a few feet above us. I let out a relieved breath, looking at the now in Phoenix form Mira, with a flaming Artan in her talons with distaste.
William's moment of relief quickly turned to a worried anger, as he demands her to land and shift back then begins scolding them both for doing something so reckless.
"All of that being said, please just be careful. What if you didn't catch him in time? You both can't just scare us like that okay?" he ends.
"We're sorry." Mira says, looking at her feet.
He shakes his head, and just hugs them both.
I join the huddle then say "Let's eat."