Chapter 3 : A Royal Pain
2157 Words
*Lucas*
The guards stopped me at King Xander's gate.
“Lucas Black," I said. “I'm here for an audience with the Alpha King." I raised my very businesslike briefcase for emphasis.
The guards looked at each other and nodded, one waving to a third inside the guard station behind the gate.
The third guard cued the gate to open, and I swept past the guards without a word.
Tall wooden double doors that could be barricaded from the inside led into a wide, granite foyer, still festooned with pillars. It still gave me both a tickle and a twinge of sadness that the columns were mostly repurposed from ancient architecture, sort of a finger at the old ways. Back in the day, when the palace was constructed, the Lycaon Church had loudly protested the practice of tearing down the old to make something new.
I was now doing the same with the Great Northern Library, which, in fairness, had become a moldering old pile of bricks by the time we got there to restore it. Nothing about it had been worth saving, except the books and artifacts.
King Xander's large audience room was down a very long hallway, which could feel even longer if you knew you came bearing bad news. Today, the hall felt particularly long. Rogues and Sasha… Rogues and Sasha… neither were going to be pleasant topics.
Another two guards stood outside of the chamber, eyeing me from head to toe, to briefcase.
“Lucas Black?" one grunted.
“Yes," I responded.
He poked his head in the heavy wooden doors. “Lucas Black, Your Majesty."
“Send him in," was the king's loud reply. “And tell Marcus we could use some coffee."
“Of course, Your Majesty," the guard said, and he gestured for me to enter.
The room where King Xander granted audience was long, pillar-strewn, and decorated on one wall with stained glass windows, depicting some of the most important events in our history. Though there was a dais and a modest throne at the end of the long walk to the head of the room, King Xander was perched behind his desk today, which was mostly hidden by two columns, but enjoyed colorful lighting from the stained glass windows behind it.
“Lucas," King Xander said, looking up and smiling at me. “It's great to see you, even on such short notice."
His smile was infectious, and I felt a little more relaxed. “It's good to see you as well, Your Majesty."
“Have the rogues been bothering you at the library site?" King Xander asked, getting right down to it. “Is that why we needed to move our meeting up from next week?"
I cleared my throat. “No, no trouble with the rogues at the site, even though we are getting awfully close to their territory, nothing like what's happening in other areas."
“Growing pains," King Xander sighed. He sat back, gesturing for me to sit in the chair across from him.
I sat down and set my briefcase to my side. Inside were Sasha's resume and portfolio, though honestly, I hadn't looked at either. There didn't seem to be much point.
I was a bit interested in the portfolio, but the audience had been granted so quickly, I decided I didn't have enough time to properly review it.
Though, I thought with a slight smile, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the studious Sasha Wentley had surpassed even me in honing her abilities. I'd been a good student, passionate, but Sasha had always been more hardworking than anyone I knew. It was a shame she was so hot-tempered.
“What's so funny?" King Xander asked with a frown.
“Nothing much," I replied quickly. “Not the rogues or anything like that. Just… well, what I came to talk to you about, actually."
“Not the rogues?" King Xander arched an eyebrow.
“Them as well. Both topics have to do with the library." I pulled my briefcase up from the floor and snapped it open.
“Let's start with some good news, shall we?" King Xander sighed. “I could really use some right now, after all these attacks on our borders."
I nodded and took out some plans I'd drawn up. “Since the rogues are determined to think we're not respecting their borders, I thought a wall between their territory and the library might be in order–not a terribly high one, mostly just symbolic. That way, we can show them we're determined to stay on our side and them on theirs."
King Xander pursed his lips. “You don't think they'll perceive it as a threat?"
I shrugged. “They perceive everything as a threat. I thought at least this way, unsuspecting citizens wouldn't just go wandering outside the library grounds into rogue territory."
“Hmm." The king looked at the plans. “I suppose a barrier of some kind is in order, given how close to the rogue territory the library is. At least you didn't think of putting up some ghastly chain link fence."
With a grimace, I shook my head. “That would completely ruin the aesthetic of the new library."
“Indeed," King Xander agreed. He steepled his fingers under his chin. “And the bad news?"
“I can't work with Sasha Wentley. There has to be a more suitable candidate for the work-study program," I said.
King Xander's eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. “She comes highly recommended by the White Queen herself. Can I ask why you think you can't work with her?"
Ah. Queen Lena herself had Sasha's back. I hoped I hadn't put my foot in it, but if I had, it was too late.
“Well," I said uncomfortably. “She...."
What? She slapped me across the face? Telling the king about such a show of unprofessionalism could tank Sasha's whole career. I didn't want that.
“We… have a history," I tried to explain instead.
King Xander groaned. “Lucas, if I asked my wife to reject every student in the engineering school who you slept with, we would be left with a very small pool to choose from. The top ten in that class are women."
My cheeks heated. “That's not what–“
“If it ended badly, work it out between you. She'll have received her acceptance letter by now. As far as I know, she hasn't approached the queen to complain about you."
King Xander's stern expression should have been reserved for a young pup about the age of ten. Maybe I wasn't the only one holding onto the past.
“I just want the project to go smoothly," I finally said lamely. I had put my foot in it, and now I sounded like a petulant child.
Damn it all.
“Then smooth things over. I know you can be a perfectly charming man, Lucas. See if you can't use that charm for good." King Xander chuckled.
“Of course."
King Xander inclined his head. “Is that all?"
“For now, yes, Your Majesty," I said.
“Good. I'll want a full report on how the library build is going by the end of the month. For now, I think you have your hands full with… other things." King Xander speared me with another look. “Try not to sleep with her again."
I ground my teeth. I hadn't even slept with her once. Though, the idea wasn't entirely....
“Of course not, sir," was the response I settled on before my brain could take the thought any further.
“Excellent. I'm glad you shared the wall plans with me. It looks good," the king said. “Now, get to work."
I nodded, stood, and bowed. I wasn't sure if he meant get to work on Sasha, the library, or both.
I decided first, I needed to work on Sasha.
I left the palace less than pleased. Even though it seemed like a very bad idea, Sasha and I had to figure out how to work together. I couldn't let our personal history get in the way of a successful project. I would have to push my own feelings aside and focus on the task at hand.
As I flipped through the pages of her portfolio, I couldn't help but be impressed with Sasha's work. The designs were clean and modern, but also practical and functional. It was clear she had a keen eye for detail and a strong sense of aesthetics. I couldn't deny that she was talented.
But then I came across a design that caught my eye. It was a large, open space with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked a beautiful lake. The concept was ambitious, but brilliant. I could see why the White Queen herself had recommended Sasha for the work-study program.
A vision of Sasha popped into my mind, and I felt a sudden tugging in my chest. I felt very proud of her. She was a far cry from the rough-and-tumble girl never backing down from a fight. She was a gorgeous woman, with her long blonde hair and stunning blue eyes and a scent....
Whoa… I had to focus. The project came first. I was the manager and she was the work-study intern. We both had to keep that clear.
***
*Sasha*
“So basically, you slapped the guy in charge of the biggest, most important opportunity of your whole life," Amanda said, staring at me from her bed.
I was at my desk, going over the rest of the papers, the introduction with Lucas Black's name on it flipped over so I could at least pretend it wasn't there, that he wasn't there.
“Thank you so much for putting it in that completely soul-destroying way," I moaned, putting my hands over my face.
Even with the page flipped over, I could almost see the name burning through the back.
“Just stating facts." Amanda shrugged. “What do you plan to do about it?"
“Crawl down a hole and die," I grumbled.
Amanda snorted. “No, really. That's not the attitude of the Sasha Wentley I know. You're gonna fix it is what you're going to do, right? Right?"
“How?" I despaired. “Amanda, I basically slapped my boss. I wouldn't be surprised if he's getting me thrown off the project as we speak."
Amanda got up and peered over my shoulder. “And yet you are still going over the library specs like you're planning to do the work-study anyway."
Glumly, I nodded my head. “Okay, I might have slapped the bastard. But he deserved it."
Amanda rolled her eyes. “That's the spirit. Lead with that when you talk to him. Sasha, he seemed perfectly charming at the bar."
“You don't know him, Amanda. He made my childhood a living hell." I smacked my fist down on the overturned paper as though it meant I could slap him again.
“So… that would be… at least seven years ago?" Amanda asked. “Is that the last time you saw him?"
“Ten," I corrected her.
“Ten–sweet mercies of the White Queen, Sasha! Ten years and you're still holding on to some childhood bullshit?!" Amanda gaped.
I could feel myself pouting. “You don't know what he did."
“It must be something pretty bad to have you all wound up like this." Amanda c****d her hip against the side of my desk, facing me now.
I tucked my hair behind my ear and looked away. “It was. Can't we just agree that he's an ass?"
“Wow. It must have been something pretty bad," Amanda said. She nodded. “Okay, we can agree he's an ass, a dreamy, charming ass."
“Fine." I pointedly turned another page, pretending to be absorbed in my work. Just discussing him made the scent of rosewood and citrus fill the air. It did things to my pulse and my stomach I didn't want to think about.
“Hey," Amanda said, putting a hand on my shoulder. “If you say he's an ass, he's an ass. Solidarity among friends, right? I was only teasing before."
I nodded. “Lucas Black is the biggest ass you're ever going to meet."
There was a knock on the open door frame. Amanda and I both turned to look.
My stomach hit my toes when I realized I hadn't imagined the dark citrus and rosewood scent. “Er… L-Lucas...."
“In the flesh," Lucas replied, stepping into our dorm room.
“I'm just going to see that guy about that thing," Amanda said, making a quick exit.
Lucas replaced her at the edge of my desk, his arms folded.
“So," he grinned. “We were discussing my ass?"
Moon Goddess, I wanted to slap him again.
- Writer
