Alaith

Friends?

“Welcome back, Aliath. We have so much to discuss. Sit,” the emperor said as Aliath and Bitrus walked into the throne room. There was a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar faces, and one especially troubling one – Hela. Aliath locked eyesight with Hela as he and Bitrus made their way to two empty seats close to one another. Aliath scoffed as he sat – the seats closest to the king had been taken, much to his displeasure.

“You returned much sooner than we expected. The raven said you wouldn’t be back for another week. Was it all a hoax then?” a man said. He had an astute build despite grey hair winning the battles all over his face. His distinguished robe, however, was a sign of his great affluence.

“If I knew your company was the first I’d keep lord Grealish, I would have stayed longer,” Aliath retorted. The two were always at odds, so much so that it was strange if they did not bicker whenever they were both present in a meeting.

My, my. The outside air certainly did you no good,” lord Grealish replied. The smirk on his face irked Aliath just as much as the words that came out of his mouth. But Aliath remained silent. The outside air? He hated that term. It was used to refer to places outside the capital and the noble houses. Most of the nobles refused to set foot in those places claiming it would contaminate them. And it disgusted Aliath. The other nobles stared at him with contempt, only to shy away whenever his gaze met theirs.

“Your Highness, may I ask what that lady is doing her?” Aliath said as his gaze pointed towards Hela.

“You mean lady Hela? She’s an envoy from lord Ravaan. She arrived shortly after you two left,” the king replied.

“And who might this lord Ravaan be?” Aliath asked wearily.

“Relax, Aliath. He’s on our side. She confirmed the disturbance in Khaloran just as you feared. And she mentioned the efforts her master put in to help. However, we did think it would take you longer to get here. Did you already meet the people evacuated?” the king asked.

Aliath was silent for a while. Lord Ravaan had moved far more quickly than he imagined. And Hela’s appearance in the capital and Khaloran despite being at least a five-day ride did not add up either.

“Yes, your highness,” Bitrus replied as Aliath remained in thought.

“Yes. Very thoughtful of this lord Ravaan,” Aliath goaded.

“Aliath. Relax. You don’t have to do everything yourself. He’s here to help,” the king teased.

“You’re not the only one that can protect us, sir Aliath. Though I must say the high wizard and the second in command leaving at the same time does leave our military vulnerable,” lord Grealish added as he stared at Bitrus. While many doubted the abilities of Aliath, none doubted Bitrus’s strength. Many felt more at ease with his presence than with Aliath’s. Yet, despite being the vice-high wizard, and dubbed the hero of Edvan, he continued to follow Aliath about as though he was his lackey.

“Is that so? Well rest assured that in the event of an attack, I’ll be sure to save a front-row seat to your funeral at the very least,” Aliath retorted.

“I beg your pardon!” lord Grealish berated as he got to his feet.

“That’s enough. Both of you,” the king said gently, yet his voice resounded in the throne room despite the ruckus that occurred right before his eyes. His piercing gaze met with Aliath’s, and in a matter of seconds, Aliath backed down.

“Fine. My apologies, lord Grealish,” Aliath said.

“Mine as well,” lord Grealish murmured.

The rest of the meeting went on without event, but the piercing gaze between Aliath and Hela caused many to wonder if the two were already familiar with one another. The king did most of the talking while the court passed unpleasant gazes to one another. In less than an hour, however, the court was dismissed. Aliath and Bitrus left briskly after paying their respects to the king to avoid speaking with anyone else and further ruining their mood, and unsurprisingly, Hela chased after them, confirming many doubts.

“Aliath!” Hela called out as they reached outside of the throne room. But neither Aliath nor Bitrus paid heed to her.

“Why didn’t you mention that we…!” she yelled obnoxiously to draw attention in an attempt to force Aliath’s hand. A threat to Aliath to which she knew not how it might end.

“What do you want?” Aliath replied before she could complete her sentence.

“Answers,” she replied.

“How ironic,” Aliath scoffed.

“I’m curious. Why did you not tell them what you know? Do you not trust the royal council?”

“Only a fool would trust the royal council. Besides, what I know would only cause more confusion. As does your presence,” Aliath replied sternly.

“The mighty Aliath. Protector of the Edvan Empire. Yet, no matter how much I see you, I cannot tell if you’re truly who the rumours say you are, or who the people think you are.”

“And what might that be?”

“A powerful wizard, or a fraud.”

“It’s better that way. Nothing good ever comes from seeing what I can do anyways.”

“Ah. Is that a superiority complex? You think you’re so powerful that others would just get in your way?”

Bitrus attempts to reply to her but Aliath signals him not to. “You think so smart, do you?” Aliath replied.

“Well, I think I am.”

“Fine. Solve this riddle then.”

“I’m all ears.”

“A mother has four sons….”

“Ah, I know this one,” Hela interrupted.

“Relax. Let me finish.”

“Fine.”

“A mother has four sons. Pedro, Vicente, and Gabriel. What’s the name of the fourth son?” Aliath asked.

“There’s not enough information to answer that. That’s not how it goes,” Hela argued.

“My riddle, my rules,” Aliath teased.

“Fine! You answer it then… no. Let the hero answer it. You’d just come up with an answer.”

“And I could just say that anything he says is correct.”

“You’d have to explain how.”

“My riddle, my rules.”

“Fine. Both of you say the answer at the same time.”

Aliath looked towards Bitrus, both of them barely able to contain their laughs. Hela could smell foul play, but she was too curious to see how it would turn out.

“Alehandro Ernesto Delavive,” Aliath and Bitrus said concurrently.

“You have got to be joking.”