Secrets in the Wolf King's Castle

A Conversation Among Friends

“So,” Theo said as they swept along the corridor toward Wallace’s office. “What do you make of these humans?”

“I admit I am not sure,” Wallace said, keeping his voice so low that even his attendants could not hear. “They’re quite strange, are they not?”

“Mmmm,” Theo agreed. “They are. Their customs are quite unlike ours, it seems. It almost seemed as though King Reginald was going to tell his daughter she could not accompany the Princess Annicke to archery, did it not?”

“Yes,” Wallace agreed. “I thought the same. I have read many books about the customs of the human kingdoms. The way they treat their female citizens is most different. At least in the Northern Kingdom. I believe in the Eastern Kingdom it is quite the opposite! They give the utmost importance and respect to their womenkind. I have heard, even,” Wallace lowered his voice further, “that there was a time in their history that male babes were often abandoned.”

Duke Greyfur looked shocked. “Surely not?” he asked.

“So it is written,” shrugged Wallace. “Humans are a strange breed, it seems. King Reginald is, my father used to say, actually quite a revolutionary by the standards of Astyvia. Just before I took the throne, I was told, he actually changed the rules of inheritance so that women could inherit property in the same fashion as men.”

“And yet they cannot inherit titles?”

“It seems not. I wonder how that works,” mused the King. “I imagine my wife would know. It is the kind of thing she has always been interested in.” They arrived at the door to King Wallace’s office, and the guards immediately opened the doors with a low, formal bow.

“What about that they don’t allow women to spend time in mixed company,” Theo said. He stood to one side to allow the King to enter the room, one hand formally folded against his chest in a gesture of fealty and deference. He held the hem of the tunic he wore, his fist clutching the silken red fabric, which was lined with silver thread. The wearing of silver was an indication of trust that Theo had not been entirely comfortable with, but as the King’s closest advisor and friend, it was considered customary. The King and his family, of course, could not wear a garment with real silver around any but the most trusted of allies.

“Yes! Quite odd,” the King called over his shoulder. “Though, I suppose humans in general must be more cautious than wolves. They have less in-born defenses.”

“True,” Theo said. He stepped into the office and the door closed behind him with a snap. They were alone, a rare privilege for the King, who could count on one hand the number of wolves who his guards would leave him unprotected around. “Where are the Dukes?”

“Oh,” Wallace smiled. “I confess I may have… overstated the urgency of their concerns.”

“By how much?”

“Well,” Wallace chuckled, reaching into his desk. He pulled out a large bottle of wine, which he placed out on the desk, nodding at Theo. Theo chuckled in response, turning to a nearby end table. Opening a drawer, he quickly grabbed two wine glasses.

“So there were no upset Dukes at all?” asked the Duke.

“There are,” Wallace said. “Probably. Your kind is always upset about something. They just aren’t here.” He winked at his friend and opened the wine, pouring them each a large glass. The King sunk into his chair behind the desk and picked up his glass, swirling the wine luxuriously. Theo followed suit, sitting on a chair on the opposite side of the desk.

“I feel bad for Queen Lyria,” Theo said. “We’ve left her alone to entertain the entire contingent.”

“Oh, no,” Wallace laughed. “Don’t feel bad. It was her idea! You know she’s always enjoyed those sorts of events. Far more than I do.”

“Indeed, she’s an odd one in that way.”

“She is,” Wallace agreed, his smile fondly.

“Annicke seemed largely uninterested in it, I suppose she takes after you.”

Wallace laughed. “I suppose she does. She would rather be out in the fields, I think, running and jumping.”

“Even climbing trees!”

“Ah, yes, now that she most certainly gets from me.”

“You’re the only wolf I’ve ever known who likes heights. Most wolves would rather pull their own claws off than climb a tree!” Theo laughed, taking another hearty chug of the wine and pouring more into his glass.

“We all have our quirks, dear Theo. Or do you forget your own? I seem to recall a young wolf who was quite fearful of the dark! Now… who could that have been?” The King pursed his lips in mock thoughtfulness, staring over at his friend and grinning impishly.

Theo laughed and raised a hand, gesturing as if to wave the King’s words away, looking off to one side. “Well, we are all not born so fearless as a Wolfsblood.”

A companionable silence fell over the friends as they sipped their wine. There was no sound, except the occasional clink of the wine bottle against their glasses. “I am sure it is safe to leave now,” Wallace said, after some time had passed and quite a bit of the wine had slowly emptied from the bottle. The hourglass in the corner showed that nearly an hour had passed, and out the window, it was clear that late afternoon had truly arrived, the sun now lower on the horizon and shadows beginning to grow in clusters around the trees in the distance. “And I do, in fact, have to attend to some business before the evening falls. The groundskeepers have not yet finished the trimming and pruning of the hedges at the joust yard, if you can believe it. I asked them to finish yesterday, but I’ve been told our thessafruit harvest in the vineyard just outside the city produced more than expected. And you know how very particular those fruits are. If they are not plucked from the vine at the exact right time, the entire season can be ruined. So much of our staff has gone to attend to that.”

“A fine time for a such a problem,” Theo said. “We cannot have a joust if the hedges are not properly attended.”

“I’ve half a mind to have them pulled up by the roots entirely,” King Wallace said. He made a face. “But then that is not the traditional way of things, and many would be upset. Not only that, but I have to speak to that scholar, you know,” Wallace waved a hand. He was slightly tipsy, the wine settling in his head more than expected. “The one who is upset that we’ve decided to allow the humans to attend the Keeping ceremonies if they would like to.”

“I am not surprised that that decision is not universally popular, my King.”

“Nor am I,” Wallace admitted. “But if the mystics have come around, I see no reason for this scholar to continue to bother me.”

Theo opened his mouth to comment, but a sharp rap at the door cut him off before he could utter a sound.

“Come in,” the King commanded.

“My Lord,” a young Omega bowed. He shook slightly. “Your Majesty. Come quickly, please.”

The King stood, recognizing the urgency and the panic on the young wolf’s face. “What is it?”

“Murder, Your Majesty. I believe it is murder.”