It was still quite dark when the ship docked at the riverside port. Nelson and Lynnette had more land to travel across before reaching the city itself, but thankfully, Fenryn had arranged a horse-drawn carriage for them. It had to have been him, as there was more than enough room for Lynnette’s chair on wheels.
Lynnette hated being constrained by the thing, but it always made her feel less upset when Fenryn would do small things to make her life a little less awkward.
When they arrived just outside of the castle, several guards and servants were there waiting for them. They were sure Fenryn was inside, still awake, waiting for them to return. Lynnette had thankfully slept for a little while on the boat, but Nelson had been awake. He couldn’t sleep. He had wanted to prepare himself for anything that would happen between now and the wedding. So much could go wrong and many people would be unhappy at the union. They all wanted a piece of that crown for themsel
By the time Nelson returned to his own bedroom, he could hear the servants waking up other guests in the castle for breakfast and knew he wouldn’t be able to grab more sleep, as he had hoped. However, his tasks for the morning had been completed and now he just had to deal with Fenryn and the others. A far less complicated matter, but one far more timely.As Nelson’s door was knocked, he answered it with a cheerful smile and allowed himself to be guided down to the King’s dining hall. Lynnette had joined them, though she seemed to be deep in thought. Nelson wasn’t sure if she had heard something. Perhaps him returning to his room? Or perhaps she was noticing the effects of the tonic and was trying to figure out what was happening.Nelson decided not to mention it. If she brought up her thoughts on her own, then he could play innocent, or happy, depending on what the situation was.Fenryn and Vaughan were already sitting at the table and,
Later that day, once the group had completed every task, Nelson stood out in the gardens to get some air. He was getting tired from running around on the King’s behalf, but it would all be worth it later that night. The King had decided he was going to make the announcement at a social gathering of all his nobles.The plans had already been in place since he had confessed to wanting to marry Vaughan, and now all they had to do was wait and make sure the man in question did not suspect a thing. As far as anyone knew, this gathering was going to be about Sethis’ betrayal and Nelson’s promotion.They would not go into details about who defeated Sethis or what had happened in full, but some of the truth might come out, depending on the guards. Nelson wasn’t sure if he wanted to assassinate them just to keep the truth safe. However, he couldn’t just do so without knowing if they were a danger or not. So far, the two of them had stayed quiet and
By the time all the nobles had arrived, it exhausted Fenryn from greeting each one of them. Even Elena had come. Two guards had escorted her, though she and the King had both decided they would need to handle things as best as they could. Regardless of what they claimed the narrative was for their breakup, people were going to taunt and mock her for losing her chance of sitting on the throne.Fenryn did not want to see her mocked and belittled because of her father, so he had to make it abundantly clear she was not at fault. That the two of them had split on equal terms and were both still going to be friendly with one another. The only issue was the King knew the other nobles wouldn’t care about any excuse. They would belittle her, regardless.Elena waited until every other noble had finished speaking with the King before she walked over to him and offered a shy smile. He returned it with an awkward one of his own.“You’re looking well. Sorry
Nelson still felt irritable from earlier in the day, but he knew that if he missed this meeting, all three of them would get on his case about it and he might miss his chance at getting the power and sway he needed to grow and survive the threats from those of his past who would betray him, eventually. When his past caught up to him, Nelson knew he had to be ready for anything.He lingered near the back of the hall while Lynnette saw Elena and the two of them left him alone to talk between themselves. Until the King finally started the meeting, at least.Nelson felt a small sense of relief wash over him. He leaned against the wall and watched all the nobles in the room. Not every noble was here, but every noble house had sent at least one person to hear what the King had to say. Many of the attendants were women which had not surprised Nelson in the least.It didn’t matter to them if the King was taken, they would constantly vie for his attention until the
It was a month after the meeting when the two kings finally sealed the deal with a wedding. Nelson, of course, attended, but he had spent most of the time trying to find any clues about who might have close ties with Sethis and was out for revenge.A few of the women turned their sights on him, but he politely turned them down, claiming he would not be ready to seek a wife until after he had finished building his mansion and settled into this new rank. It gave him time to mingle with as many groups as he could since the King was now officially off-limits for marriage.Being the King’s surrogate was not as glamorous as the young noblewomen hoped, and with it clear he had chosen Vaughan not just out of duty but love. They soon gave up the thought of being his mistress. Only those with no actual rank and nothing to lose still chased that dream.With the women who had turned their ventures to other potential rank improvements, Nelson no longer considered them
Darkness filled the countryside as the clouds obscured the moon and stars above. A lone, shadowy figure walked down the path towards an old rusty gate. Pausing for a moment, they looked at the land ahead of them. Slowly, they lowered their hood and let out a low humming sound before raising the lantern to a sign that read: Whitefield Farm. The person's pale skin could be seen as the lantern’s light shone down on it. He was a young man with golden-flecked brown eyes that almost seemed to twinkle and dance as the fire from within his lantern reflected within them, making them appear almost supernatural. With a shake of his head, the man’s nose twitched at the smell from ahead of him. It was a mixture of marsh and muck, not a combination that was easy on the nose. The land before him rested on the edge of the Lost Travellers Marsh, a place that could be dangerous for anyone traversing the place to reach the other side. There was only one other way around the marsh, and that was by boat.
A week, two, three… then a month had all come and gone without so much as a peep from any would-be debt collectors. Nelson had all but given up hope that someone would finally ease his boredom. Esta had been standoffish the whole time. Not that Nelson found her to be unfriendly, or unkind, but she kept to herself and avoided talking with him unless it was necessary. He figured the death of her mother and stepfather had caused her emotional distress that he could only somewhat understand.His ‘mother’, who, he had learned, was not his actual mother, was sick enough that he had allowed himself to work as a bandit and a slaver for his father. Those were the lengths he had gone to save her. Now her life was in the throne’s hands. Anyone else would have been glad of the King’s aid, but Nelson was wary.He considered his options many times over. There was no way his mother was in any state to be moved and those caring for her were the best chance of recovery she had, but working for the Crow
The nearest town to Whitefield farm was a couple of hours’ walk to the Forest town of Lightmist Village. Nelson absolutely hated coming here, but he had little choice in the matter. It was the only town close enough for him to buy supplies to feed his pigs, and without his pigs, he couldn’t make ends meet. Inleet had agreed to come with him in order to act as his servant, but the truth was to scout around for any information.The reason Nelson hated coming here, however, almost overpowered his wish to survive, and she was wheeling towards him with the foulest of looks plastered all over her face. Nelson braced himself for having to deal with her again.Lynnette…Her brown hair was cut shorter than he remembered it being. He guessed she had finally had enough of it being in her way all the time, but that was all that had changed about her. The only nice thing he could say was that the mobility chair the Rattus had invented really wa