Claiming The Remnant

Chapter 28

[ Garrett ]

"Do you know why I have called you here?" His Majesty was not in a good mood. The exasperation that underlined his voice told me as much, along with the slight tension in his jaw. It was difficult to see due to His Majesty’s beard by I had long ago learned how to see past it for those tell tale signs.

It was late and the day had been long, too long. Between all my normal duties, the training, the paperwork (Ye Gods, the paperwork), visiting Izla and the very amorous early afternoon session with Josephine, I was dog tired. The King wasn't looking much better himself.

"Regretfully, Your Majesty, I am at a loss as to why I was summoned." I spoke plainly but respectfully. The hour was late and I suspected neither of us wished for any superfluousness.

"It appears that neither of us are in the mood to mince our words or play games, and considering you look as tired as I feel I shall speak with candour." King Leoré settled back in his chair, hands on the armrests and gave me a look that very much indicated he did not want to be having this conversation. "Had I wanted Lady Esther to have a companion that would look down on her, be spiteful and petulant I would have asked my dear Daughter but I did not. Get Willis in line, I will not suffer any more insubordinate behaviour from her." He took a moment to breathe and calm himself a little, riled by his own words. "From them, I will not accept any further behaviour contrary to my instructions from them." He corrected himself.

I was pleased that His Majesty was not being intentionally rude with Willis’s pronoun, merely he misspoke. I saw it as a testament to the graciousness of My King that he had addressed his error. Willis, however, had stirred anger in me.

"I will speak to Willis immediately. I apologise for their poor conduct. It will not happen again, Your Majesty." My tone was humble and now I was itching to take my leave and see what nonsense Willis had been upto.

"Captain, is there something between the two of you?" The King asked all of a sudden, mentally throwing me off.

"Yes, Your Majesty. We have recently made a connection and are testing the waters." An honest reply, even if it did not cover the depth of my feelings. I also did not want it to come off as overly serious, especially as it had only been a week and given that Willis had displeased the King there could be some serious consequences. If possible I wanted to avoid any potential scenario where the King would ask me to end our relationship.

"See to it that that is all that is tested and not my patience. I expect that things will be kept professional. Willis gets the job done but their conduct is not always befitting of a member of my guard. More often than not Willis is at the centre of any trouble. I warn you now Captain, my tolerance of Willis's infractions has worn thin, further difficulties will result in their dismissal regardless of their talent." He huffed. "It will do you well to remember that you are the Captain and it will reflect badly on you."

"I understand Your Majesty, thank you for the warning My King." I nodded, grateful that he was at least giving Willis and I the opportunity to make our relationship work around our duties.

"Before you depart Captain, I must ask, have you been to see Lady Esther at any point this week?" The King asked rather casually but it sent my mind racing. As I gave my answer His Majesty reached over to the lamp, a glass cube, and removed the glass flower from the top and the light came on. It was fascinating what magic could do. Technically any object could be a lamp, just as any object could be made to be heating or cooling or healing.

Three types of magic were usually needed for such an object - pink magic for its imbuing properties, black magic for nullifying thus acting like an off switch and the magic that was to be imbued, orange for heat, yellow or white for light, gold for healing. Those with such magic weren’t necessarily common but the process was easy. Despite the ease of creating such imbued objects they were very expensive.

"I haven't Your Majesty, there has been no valid reason to warrant my interaction and so I have not." My tone was even. I had not been to see Taiya, to do so would have been outside my duties.

"That is both pleasing and a pity as I'd like your opinion. I fear she looks worse now after a week of rest and sustenance than when she was under your 'care'." The King looked frustrated. He stroked his thick beard and looked into the distance rather than giving me the usual unnerving eye contact. "Any innovative notions as to the cause?" He flicked off the main light leaving just the summer glow of the lamp.

"What are the symptoms?"

"Nausea, headaches, loss of appetite, struggling to maintain body heat, exhaustion and potentially the memory loss." The King listened and on seeing the doubtful look on my face he added, "Don't beat around the bush either Captain, a straight answer please." After a moment to organise my thoughts I spoke.

"My initial thoughts are that she is faking, second thoughts are a physician and not just a Healer should see her, my third thoughts are that I will see what I can dig up. Discreetly of course." I answered. King Leoré looked to be considering my words carefully and I thought about his words. The King was unaware that Willis and Taiya knew and disliked each other from long before all this mess but he had seen that Willis’s behaviour towards Taiya had not been desirable. He would not trust any answers from them and as much as I disliked the feeling within myself, I didn’t think that I would trust Willis to be entirely truthful with this either. "Another shifter, not Willis, might have some insight." I said, removing the need for My King to say it instead.

"Thank you Captain, keep this between us please, you're dismissed. Send in the two Healers that are quaking at my door." He gave me a brief smile before rolling his eyes. His Majesty was not normally so informal with me but tonight I saw a little of his exasperation. He was playing chess, moving pieces around the board, trying to win a game that was balanced on a knife edge but the board kept moving and the pieces kept trying to play to their own rules. I didn’t envy him one bit.

"Good night My King." I bowed deeply before exiting. I could not have asked for a better King and it was my honour to serve him. Head Healer Asperonin and Poflorin were indeed in the hall waiting for their audience with the King. I wasn’t sure I would say that they were ‘quaking’, certainly there was some apprehension. It was easier to see in the son, the way he clutched some old looking papers and his foot tapped the stone floor. Asperonin had his own little tell. His eyes would glow brighter but you had to know their natural luminosity for that. I did and the King most certainly would.

"The King will receive you now, a word of warning he is not in the mood for platitudes and fancy words." I told them both, not expecting Asperonin to take any heed. Prideful and snobbish as he was, I still held respect for him, dislike, but respect. He had made it clear on more than one occasion that he held no such professional courtesy towards myself.

"Tha..." Poflorin started but his Father cut him off.

"I am well versed in conversing with His Majesty, Thank you, Captain." Healer Asperonin told me with a blatant display of unprofessionalism.

"Healer Asperonin, Poflorin. I bid you goodnight.” I held back my own eye roll, instead give a polite dip of the head before heading off to find Willis. I was not looking forward to trying to draw a line between my relationship with them as Captain and as their boyfriend. While Willis had brought up the topic of how they are seen through my eyes all week and I had to continuously soothe their insecurities, we had not discussed our relationship in terms of my position as Captain and the ramifications that might have.

For me, seeing Willis's many faces was easy but the feeling deep in my bones was that they would not be so easily accepting of the two mantles that I held. One as their Captain and one as their boyfriend.