--- Roric

Hmm... To think creatures this small could make so much noise.

White seabirds flew through the air, all around the palace, calling out their kind with loud, squeaky voices. Roric had been observing the picture-like landscape for quite some time now, from the window of his new room. After his first meeting with the King he had been granted the right to stay in the quarters intended for the guests of the royal family, and he could say that his situation had improved a lot.

In particular, being able to lean against a stone ledge and glance outside remembered him of his childhood in Spjaldir, when he used to do the same from the window of his mother's kitchen. Those times seemed so distant, though.

If only Mom and Dad could see me now. Would they be proud, I wonder? Back then, I was a very different person. I hardly had someone to call a friend, yet now I've changed. I've met so many people on my journey... Well, I've also lost plenty.

The boy sighed. Just being there in Cassidia, one of the greatest cities of the known world, was a small miracle for someone like him. Someone who had come so far, and from so little.

A knock on his door called for his attention. The young warrior stretched his limbs and went to open, without forcing his visitor to wait.

"I'm coming," he said. "Sorry, I was in the middle of something."

The person who appeared before Roric's eyes was unknown to him. One of the servants, most certainly, judging from his attitude and the profound bow he used to introduce himself. Yet, from the elegance of his clothes and manners, the boy excluded that he came from the lower areas of the palace.

"Sir Roric, I presume," started the man. "I'm glad to find you awake at this hour."

"I'm an early riser. And it's just Roric, I'm no noble," replied the young warrior, with a hint of embarrassment.

"Be as you may, Sir," went on the servant, ignoring his cue. "I was asked to tell you of His Majesty the King's summoning for this afternoon, in his study, just after lunch."

King Sebastian wants to see me? I hope he doesn't have second thoughts on my stay.

"Thanks. I'll be sure to attend."

"Do you need someone to call you when the time is near, Sir? Or give you guidance?"

"No, I know the way from here. Thanks again."

Normal guests need to be reminded, I guess.

With another bow, the man left. Roric closed the door, and let out a breath of relief. Being called by the King in person was something unthinkable for a commoner, and since his arrival he had been granted that honour twice. Being friends with Elise, at least, was paying off in that regard. Not to mention her father had revealed to be an interesting person.

I'd better take another bath.

***

To be sure he wouldn't be late, Roric decided to have lunch way before noon and got prepared in advance, reaching the King's study even earlier than Sebastian himself. After ten minutes or so, the boy was pleased to spot Elise and her lady-in-waiting coming from the opposite direction. It was clear that she had been summoned as well.

Still, just as they were getting close enough to greet each other, the door of the room opened and an attendant came out, inviting them to come inside. The two obeyed, only exchanging a dubious glance. Lady Annette, to Roric's surprise, was ordered to wait in the corridor again.

This meeting is intended for us only, it seems.

King Sebastian and his brother Darius were already in the study, waiting for them. The duo raised their heads from the papers as they went forward, and the young warrior found himself almost compelled to bow in front of those powerful men. When he looked up again, his eyes crossed the ones of Elise's uncle, and his expression totally told that his show of respect was more than appropriate.

"Good day, you two," began Sebastian, with his imposing, solemn tone. "Let's get this started, shall we?"

Better if I let Elise talk this out. Even if these people invited me in such a place, that doesn't mean I don't have to follow the protocol. In the end, I'm not their equal. Moreover, I don't even know why we are here.

On her part, the girl didn't lose any time. "Greetings, father. May I ask you the reason behind this? I was told you specifically called for Roric, but I also believed we had already settled this matter days ago."

"There are still things to define, niece," replied instead her uncle. "Your introduction to the court went well enough, despite some inappropriate stuff you said, but it seems some nobles have begun digging out everything they could about you. Including your friend here."

"What of him?" asked the girl. "We decided he was going to be my guest, didn't we?"

"Yes," said King Sebastian. "Anyway, seeing the reactions of the court, you need a more convincing reason for him to stay at the palace. It's what I wanted to talk about today, in fact."

This time, Roric had to resist the urge to let his own opinion out.

Aren't they treating me just like I'm not in the room? It's annoying, to say the least.

"Roric is my best friend," pointed out Elise. "I'm not going to turn my back to him, even if I have to hide our relationship to the rest of the world."

"If such a thing becomes necessary, however, you must be prepared," commented Darius. "It is your duty as a future ruler to preserve a clean image to the eyes of your subjects."

"Uncle! Don't treat him as some pair of dirty boots. Damn, what's wrong with the rest of the nobles? They would cast someone away just because?"

"I think there is a better solution."

The two turned to Sebastian.

"Father, are you saying that there's really a way to let him live inside the palace without anyone complaining about it?"

The King hummed. "Yes, I thought about it, and it's kind of a long shot."

The man stood up, grabbing his walking stick, and headed to the bookshelf, where he retrieved a worn-out tome. As he was returning to the table, Roric could spot some of the words on the cover.

The Sons of Lanis? Isn't that a book Demios told me about, years ago?

"This is a historical poem, written by your great-grandfather more than a hundred years ago. It recaps much of the tales surrounding our lineage, all the way back to our progenitor Lynn," explained Sebastian, flipping the pages like he knew the thing better than the back of his hand. "There is so much knowledge hidden in this old book."

"Many of those facts are believed to be at least partially false," objected Darius. "You of all should know this, brother."

"I'm not talking about the facts themselves," replied the King, shaking his head. "What's interesting is the accurate depiction of life here at the castle in ancient times."

"What does it have to do with us, father?" asked Elise.

Roric listened intently, without stepping in. He was eager to know where the topic was going. Sebastian cleared his throat and pointed at a paragraph entitled Prince Tobias and his court.

"Here, Elise. It says something that might be really useful to your cause. Yesterday, before sleeping, I somehow remembered about it. Apparently, for a short period two or three centuries after the foundation of the city, the heir to the throne was allowed to have what they called honour guards. They were young fellows, usually from noble families of high standing, who grew up in close friendship and acted as confidants and personal protectors for the princes of the past."

"Sebastian, I don't really think this is the case," observed Darius, crossing his arms. "Even if we take into account the fact that these two lived together for some time, that doesn't mean-"

"I'm not finished," went on the King, with a satisfied smile. "Our ancestor here went into a lot of trouble to compile an accurate list of who were those people and exactly how noble they were. Well, it comes out that only four out of five came from higher standings. The others were simple commoners, maybe sons and daughters of rich merchants, but still commoners."

Interesting. That would give me the right to live here at the palace and prevent the court from hating me in the first place... But I doubt it will be so simple.

Roric however hoped so. At that point Elise had become an important part of his life, and maybe even... Well, something more.

"A honour guard?" inquired the counselor. "I can see it work but... Those used to be assigned only to the male heir in the days that followed his birth. Princess Elise is already fourteen. It would be wiser to find her a suitor, instead."

The boy shivered by only listening to that word. The King and his daughter, however, didn't seem concerned by the matter for now. Being that close, they often seemed to be on the same page.

"It's true that she hasn't grown up here, brother. Still, now that she's in Cassidia, we have to provide her with everything a princess has the right to have. That can include a honour guard. So, even if it's an ancient tradition, I can appoint whoever I please for the job."

"Even if she is not a male?" intervened Roric, confused. "From what you've said, Your Majesty, it's a treatment that was intended to give a prince sparring partners for his military preparation."

Darius turned towards him, for the first time without glaring in any way. He was probably pleased by the fact that he too was voicing out doubts on that strange situation. Sebastian, on the other hand, closed the book and relaxed on the chair.

"You are sharp, young Roric. Our ancestors have always been skilled fighters and generals, and we can use this to our advantage. Elise knows a thing or two about fighting, and for what she told me it's you to thank for," said the man. "In that sense, you are already serving your duty as her honour guard. The court must accept that, especially taking into account the circumstances that surround her. Consider yourself employed, from now on."

"I bow to your kindness, King Sebastian," just replied the boy, happier than ever. "I won't disappoint you, I swear."

"I know my trust is well placed. Now go, you two."

"Thanks, father," concluded Elise. "It means a lot to me."

The duo left the study, rejoining Lady Annette who was still waiting outside.

"So?" asked the young woman. "How did it go? What did he say?"

Proudly, the princess answered, "I told you. My father is a reasonable man. He decided that Roric should stay as my honour guard, an ancient and important role."

"It's not that big of a deal, for what I understood," Roric corrected her. "It just means I can live here without all the nobles trying to get rid of me."

"Even if it is just a ruse," went on Elise, "You got a permit from the King and we'll be able to see each other a lot more from now on. Aren't you happy?"

Yes, of course I am. Still, for some reason, I can't shake off the feeling that I'll have the eyes of the court pointed at me, looking for any mistake. It's the nature of my position, I guess.

Instead of giving her his true thoughts, however, he simply hummed affirmatively.

***

--- The Mage girl

With a great effort, the girl managed to lift the huge pile of documents she was asked to take care of. Ever since her appointing as a representative of the Circle at the palace, the young Mage had found herself swamped with paperwork. Yet, that weight wasn't nearly enough to distract her from the studies.

That day looked like any other. She had scheduled her time up to late night, thoroughly, in order to reserve at least a couple of hours for the exercises her master had given her. The girl was one of the best students who had arrived at the tower in recent memory, and was more than willing to show the Archmage how fast and efficient she was at learning.

When they told me that I could work at the palace, I couldn't believe it. This soon? The apprentices who began along with me are still stuck on the runic codex. I wonder why. I never believed myself to be a prodigy like master Bravo always says, yet...

Of course the Circle had other people at the palace as delegates, but no one was nearly as young as her. The Archmage himself, after seeing her quick progress, had given the girl a chance to prove her worth through hard work, and the experience was more than acceptable for her.

The Mage walked proudly towards the apartments the King had provided for her and her other colleagues, huffing and panting under the weight of the papers. She still needed to get back to the tower later that day, for her usual weekly report, so she wasn't allowed any delay.

Yet... I can't do all these stairs at once. Let's find a place to rest for a bit.

Her room was in the northern wing, top floor, way too far to reach in one shot. As much as she wanted to impress her master and the Archmage, the girl realized she simply couldn't make it. Luckily, she also had the habit to be always a few minutes early just in case.

She stopped by one of the many benches the corridors of the palace were dotted with, put down her documents and let her aching arms a moment to recover while she relaxed on a stone ledge. From there, she overlooked the inner gardens.

There she is... Again. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to speak with the princess, one of these days. I bet the others have already been invited, or will soon be.

Princess Elise was sitting under a tree with her lady-in-waiting and a couple of other female servants. The Mage girl had never even dreamed of having a dress as pretty as hers, not to mention access to the restricted areas of the palace such as the royal library. To her eyes, the sudden appearance of that person had been the most surprising thing that month.

She looks... Beautiful. Much more than me. I always have bags under my eyes and my hair isn't nearly as disciplined.

The girl grabbed one of the brown, messy strands hanging on her face and moved it aside, nervously. There wasn't any real reason for her being there, admiring the princess, but she simply couldn't help but drawing comparisons with herself.

It's pointless. I'm a Mage, and my life is way different from hers. My pledge is to learn and be disciplined, not to get along with nobles. Still, we seem almost the same age and I don't really have many friends...

The young Mage was about to get back to work, with a sigh, when a wave from princess Elise captured her attention. There was no way she was actually waving at her, she thought, for she stood in the shade of a window, but for a moment she nearly hoped so.

A boy entered the garden, escorted by one of the royal guards. Despite the princess being clearly overjoyed by his presence and the visible lack of formalities between the two, the Mage girl couldn't say to have seen him before.

Could he be... The son of some nobleman? Maybe he managed to win her graces already. How long has it been since her arrival, anyway? Three, four weeks? Well, soon enough she will have to...

The girl shook her head, and turned away. With a grunt, she grabbed the papers and moved on. Her day was still far from its end.