Gleaming plates laden with scrumptious steaming food sat before them. Wine goblets had been filled, the candles lit, but aside from the crash of the waves more than a hundred feet beneath them, the occupants of the dining hall were silent.

Tam Ashowan leaned forward and was the first to pluck up his fork, his dark eyes fixed on the food instead of his family members.

“Kat, would you be able to pass me the dinner rolls?” he ventured, hoping to get the conversation started between them all again.

The brown wicker basket was slid across the table with great force, and when Tam lifted his face fractionally, noted that his sister’s arms were once again crossed over her chest.

‘She doesn’t even know she looks like Mum when she does that.’

“You can stop looking so dour, Katarina. You were in the wrong. It could have been much worse if he had pursued the matter,” their mother began slowly. Without needing to look, Tam could tell that the Viscountess was eyeing her daughter with the knowledge that she was emotionally volatile in that moment. This was clear by the slow steady movements she made while cutting her emerald green beans, her cutlery glinting in the firelight.

“I was right to tell him he was being an arse. He just left her there-”

“I already explained this. In Troivack that is the most courteous thing to do. If Alina was still conscious and able to communicate, it was up to her whether or not she needed a doctor.”

“There were other ways he could have helped!”

“No, there weren’t. She didn’t signal for water, and both you and Prince Henry were hauling her out of the barn,” Tam casually explained while taking a large bite out of his dinner roll.

The room fell silent as Tam continued eating without even bothering to look up from his plate.

Kat huffed loudly, “You weren’t even there, so why are you-”

“Alina told me what happened. She felt terribly about you landing in trouble as a result, but-”

“Thanks for the backup, brother,” Kat snapped angrily.

“-But I have more of an issue with how he spoke to her this afternoon,” Tam finished while entirely ignoring his sister’s angry interruption.

“What do you mean, Tam?” Fin asked. The Viscount had been oddly quiet that evening.

“When I was walking with Alina into the castle yesterday, he intercepted us and dismissed me, then more or less ordered her to show him where the falconry was.”

There was a prolonged moment where no one spoke, until Kat burst out again.

“See?! I knew it! He says I need to learn my manners? What about him? Who the hell is telling this Troivackian King what an arse hat he is being?!”

Annika set down her fork and fixed her daughter with a steady gaze. “His bad behavior doesn’t excuse yours. It doesn’t mean either one is tolerable.”

Glaring at her mother, Kat managed to tear her golden gaze off of the Viscountess to turn to her father. “Da, you know what I mean, don’t you? He needs to be taught a lesson.”

Fin let out a long, slow breath before easing back into his chair, and fixing his daughter with a sympathetic, but slightly weary stare. “He needs to learn to be more gentle in his speech, and more patient, yes. However, after my meeting with him today… I believe he has had no choice but to become who he is.”

Kat frowned, and Annika was swift to turn to her husband. “What do you mean by that?”

“The Troivackian King was very clear in stating that he hated deceit and hidden motives. I think his time growing up as a child King has worn away any patience or mercy in him, and instead we have someone who has had to learn to be strong or else be destroyed. I think he is… struggling with nuanced politics, and that he hasn’t had a real chance to be human in a very long time.”

The weight of his words rested over Fin’s family, making a grim mood emerge amongst them.

“What… What makes you say that? Any Troivackian has to be strong or else be destroyed,” Annika asked, though there wasn’t the edge in her voice as there had been earlier.

“None with the constant weight of their country on their head. Or ones that have had to be subjected to betrayal and assissination attempts from the time of childhood,” Fin expounded, his face pale, and his eyes lost in thought.

In the quiet that followed his insight, the witch then raised his face to his family.

“Kat, Tam, we’ll send up your dinners with you, but I need time alone with your mother.”

Kat stiffened in her seat, and Tam, without bothering to glance at his family members, shoveled the final bite of his dinner into his mouth and stood abruptly. He was the first to exit the room, leaving Kat to follow suit at a far slower pace.

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Tam focused on the familiar stones of his childhood home one step at a time. He just wanted to be alone in his room. Or even the library… Perhaps some of the new books he had ordered had arrived… then he could get away from the mounting tension.

‘Don’t think about that now… it’s tough enough keeping ‘it’ from happening…’ he recited to himself out of habit.

“Tam! Wait up!” His sister’s unmistakable long steps caught up to him easily.

“Don’t you care what all that is about?” Kat asked while matching her walking speed to her brother’s.

“Not particularly. Mum and Da will figure it out. You know they don’t like to talk about politics with us.”

Tam was forced to stop in his tracks as he noticed his sister’s familiar cream colored skirts in his way.

“You’re going to be the next Viscount. You should care about this stuff, too.”

The youngest Ashowan didn’t have to look to know his sister’s arms were once again crossed as she stared at him. He risked lifting his gaze to hers. Knowing that it was dangerous to engage in such a topic when he already wanted to flee…

“Not for a long time. Thanks to Grandma Kate’s curse he is aging at half the normal speed. If you look at Lord Fuks, I might die before ever having to be Viscount,” Tam pointed out casually while sidestepping his sister and casting his eyes back down onto the stones before the grand staircase that would carry him closer to his desired destination.

“Don’t you give a shit about anything?!” Kat burst out at her brother’s back, her hands balled into fists at her side.

Turning around slowly, Tam once again risked meeting his sister’s gaze that was now glowing fiercely in the day’s dying light.

“Not all of us have to scream, and make a scene to show we care, Kat.”

The angry flush in her face almost made him regret his words.

“So how do you show you care, hm? Enlighten me! Because as far as I can tell, you sit and observe and judge everyone around you, but very little actual effort goes into caring for the people who love you. You just run away or avoid any conflict!”

Tam stared at his sister for a long moment, the gripping pain in his chest growing unbearable, but even so, he waited until her angry breaths slowed. A trick the late Captain Antonio had taught him…

“I show people I care by being around them. For me, that’s all I can manage without risking anything.”

“Risking what?! You’re always spouting off bullshit like that! What risk is there? What are you so damn scared of that you’re letting it reduce you to being a scared child who would be dead or nothing without his parents!”

It was Tam’s turn to feel a flush of emotion cross his face, and he could see a flicker of remorse in his sister’s golden eyes immediately. It was rare that he let anything bother him.

Even so, he knew it needed to be said…

“Kat, don’t pretend like I’m the only one who is given extra privilege and accommodation thanks to our parents. I think yesterday with the King was more than enough of an example of that.”

Turning swiftly on the stairs, the future Viscount began his climb away from his twin, and was relieved when he didn’t hear her scurrying up after him. It was taking every ounce of strength in him not to run the rest of the way, but her words had definitely made more of an impact than he liked.

*

Sitting with one of his new books in his lap, Tam sat comfortably in the shadows by the barracks.

Normally the noise and rowdiness of the Knights was a deterrent for him, but having to fight off the distraction was helping him occupy his mind instead of dwelling on his fight with his sister the previous night.

Most of the time the men knew better than to try and bother him, but an unfortunate coincidence was already brewing…

“Your Majesty! What brings you to our humble training ring!” Captain Taylor’s voice boomed out over the men, silencing the clangs and grunts immediately.

Tam risked lifting his gaze to find himself staring at not only the King of Troivack, but also his younger brother, Prince Henry. Both wore armor and had swords strapped across their backs and short swords on their hips. The Captain strode through the crowd of Knights who all immediately cleared a path for him.

“We have come hoping to train. Is this a good time?” Brendan asked after the Captain had given a respectful bow. Sir Taylor’s beard only had a few patches of black left, and his thin hair atop his head was almost entirely gray.

“We are happy to accommodate you, in fact, would you mind giving us a demonstration of the Troivackian method of fighting? This could be a great chance for our men to learn.”

“A wonderful suggestion.” Brendan Devark’s eyebrows were raised by the idea, but was clearly pleased with the subtle compliment the Captain was paying him.

Tam slowly closed his book, and found himself drawn to the sidelines of the spectacle as the Knights all filed out, while chortling amongst themselves about the demonstration and jesting with one another.

However, upon approaching the ring he realized that even with his height, he wasn’t able to get a clear glimpse over the heads of all the men. So, he casually rounded their backs and made his way over to the Captain’s watch chair that stood several feet in the air. It’s base was always kept clear should their military leader needed to descend and instruct, but Tam knew Captain Taylor wouldn’t mind if it was him leaning against one of the front legs.

Sure enough, when he locked eyes with the military leader, the two shared a wordless nod of understanding before Tam pressed his shoulder against the leg, and observed the Troivackian men circling each other.

Only the King wasn’t facing his brother. He was staring directly at the future Viscount over his shoulder, his blade glinting in the sunlight.

For a moment, everything faded away from Tam’s senses. All sound disappeared, and it was as though everyone had suddenly vanished.

It was no longer the early summer day under a warm sun surrounded by lush grass and trees, but instead felt as cold as the deepest blue winter. If he had seen the Troivackian King’s breath, he wouldn’t have been surprised. Colors were beginning to fade, and all at once the familiar tug in Tam’s gut pulled at him, only it was stronger as emotion swirled in his chest.

He wanted to shout in the King’s face.

He wanted to tell him to stop staring, to stop making everyone stressed and hostile. Tell him to leave and let things stay as they were...

Yes, to Tam, the moment he had heard of the Troivackian King coming, something in him knew that it meant change. It meant something far bigger was coming, and he couldn’t shake the feeling. It had started in his bones, and had grown, and grown until this moment.

He tried to break the eye contact, tried to fight the overwhelming pull of the thing that terrified him every waking moment… but it was making him sick. He wanted to vomit.

Then, the King smiled. It was a knowing, calculating smile that told Tam that the Troivackian nobility had seen his true feelings, and that he had him figured out…

Only he didn’t know.

Brendan Devark couldn’t know what would happen if Tam kept staring. Bitterness began to fill him mixed with mind numbing fear.

Gritting his teeth while trying to quench the screaming in the future Viscount’s mind, a different look passed through the King’s eyes. One of apprehension.

Perhaps while he didn’t know everything, he had seen a shadow of what Tam was restraining...

Then, Prince Henry’s blade swung down, and Brendan’s rose to meet it, letting out a loud clang that broke the momentary spell.

“Thought I had you there for a moment, brother. It isn’t like you to be distracted,” Henry chortled happily, clearly unaware of the intense moment that had just passed.

“I wasn’t distracted. I merely thought I glimpsed something interesting,” he replied loudly enough to be heard by the onlookers.

Henry attempted two more strikes, and with a flip of his wrist almost landed a blow on his third, only Brendan Devark moved faster than the men could see and had the sword out of his brother’s hand and on the ground in the blink of an eye.

For a Daxarian Knight, that would’ve been the end, but Henry’s second sword was already in hand and in motion. “So… what is it… you thought you saw?”

Brendan parried, and then, for the first time, attacked. It was a close range blow that Henry blocked, but while he had been putting all his strength into defending the sword, his brother’s second short sword appeared and the hilt dropped into his knee, immediately bringing the Prince to a heap on the ground.

“That was dirty play!” one of the Daxarian Knights shouted out angrily.

Though in fairness, Henry’s fighting style toed the line of ‘clean’ sparring as well.

Brendan turned towards the Knight that had shouted, and stared emotionlessly at him, which made the man take a hard swallow. “In a true fight, it doesn’t matter if you fight dirty, it matters if you come out alive. Fair play is for children so we don’t murder them while they learn.”

His words brought about deathly silence before he turned back to his brother and offered him his hand to help his stand. “The strength of your hold in the third attack has greatly improved. You nearly had me.”

“No, I didn’t, but it is kind of you to say so.” Henry laughed, still ignoring the immense wave of distrust that had rippled out amongst the Daxarian men. “So what was this thing you thought you saw?”

The Prince mistakenly thought the answer would bring the conversation back to a lighter topic, but instead, Brendan glanced briefly again towards Tam. The young Lord stood rooted to the spot, his face pale as he worked with all his might not to be sick.

“Oh. I thought I saw a monster, but it must have gone back into hiding already.”