Chapter Eight
Theodor
The Guest of Honor
The house-lords had done an amazing job decorating the formal dining hall.
The long table was adorned with colorful red, orange, and yellow floral arrangements, and each seat had its own gold-embellished twelve-piece setting.
The hall seated fifty people at the head table, but tonight, only the most dignified guests were invited to dine with Boraleashe and his court.
The dinner consisted of a variety of harvested vegetables and fruit platters, but the meisters of the kitchen also prepared a decadent roast lamb and, of course, two other kinds of meats for Notalus’ wolf-mate.
Most of the attendees were having quiet conversations with the people closest to them, no one engaging their northern guest. It could’ve been because Boraleashe was the least approachable person in existence, his spine straight and his face a dispassionate mask.
He pushed his food around on his plate, appearing to want to be anywhere else but there.
Boraleashe would steal a glance in his direction every few moments, and Theodor was staring right back each time he did.
He wasn’t sure if anyone else was picking up on their tension, but Theodor’s father was.
Notalus sat at the head of the table with Dustin, and Boraleashe and his viceroy were to his right.
Theodor didn’t like being at the opposite head of the table, so far away from his interest, but that was his position, so that was where he sat.
Mozraath leaned toward him and whispered near his shoulder, “Theo, I think you should stop staring at him like that. Your father has been watching you two for a while.”
Theodor didn’t shift his gaze. “Then he can keep watching. My father is retired and happily wed…” He clenched his jaw to keep from snapping his frustration. “I am not.”
Theodor was pulled away from his conversation by the sound of Lady Arbelladon’s arrogant voice.
She was part succubus and angel from a sacred land that was blessed by the gods, a tall, gorgeous woman known for her rude demeanor and vicious tongue.
Her lands were in the Realm of Autumn, but she ruled it as if she were the titan of this world, not him.
Arbelladon’s Dream Shore providence consisted of all women, and if a man dared step foot on the stones of amethyst and sapphire that made up their roads, he was met with arrows to the chest first, then questioned later.
The women were passionate lovers of themselves and despised the still-present archaic patriarchy. They professed to all who would listen that the worlds would be far more prosperous and wars practically nonexistent if they were ruled by strong women. And many would often agree with her.
The lady cleared her throat, commanding the attention of the room. “Lord Boraleashe. You have had the entire realm in a state of frenzy since your remarkable, albeit unannounced, arrival.”
The room fell silent enough they could hear the leaves rustling across the courtyard outside while they waited for a response. Boraleashe slowly shifted his glare from Theodor to hers.
Oh no.
“How have you enjoyed your visit to Fhomhair? I hear the women of Notalus’ nearby villages are beside themselves at your sheer presence.”
“Not only the women, my lady… but the men, as well,” Boraleashe retorted.
Lady Arbelladon stuck her pointy nose in the air and scoffed at the comment. “And are there not enough prospects for proposal in Tir an Amárach, lord?”
“Perhaps not,” Lady Arbelladon’s third wife spoke up, her beliefs just as unreasonable as her other wives. “I hear that the sun rarely shines there. Do the people even come out of their homes at all? It sounds absolutely dreadful.”
Theodor was irritated by their attitude, but he couldn’t be outright rude and tell them to get the hell out of his palace after they’d been invited by his father.
And he wasn’t the only one annoyed by the lady’s insinuation that Boraleashe’s world was as awful as the titan who ruled it.
Notalus and Dustin were both frowning, and a few of the other guests showed the same expression, but no one appeared livider than the man she’d offended.
Boraleashe was glaring so hard that Lady Arbelladon and her company would be dead in their chairs if looks had the ability to kill.
Boraleashe’s voice was cold as ice when he answered.
“My lands are rich, and the people who inhabit it are kind and meek, unlike what I have witnessed here this evening by my brother’s invited guest. And it is true, the sun in Amárach has been shaded over for many years, creating colder temperatures than I’ve ever seen, but I have not complained.
In fact, I praised the gods because the colder the temperature…
the more powerful I become.” Boraleashe’s large hands were flat on the table, beginning to turn snow-white and crackle with energy, the sound like glass splitting. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
Before Boraleashe could send his fury at the women, Theodor opened his core and whispered to Boraleashe for only him to hear, “Please calm yourself.” It took a moment, but the normal pale color of Boraleashe’s hands returned, his frown softening a fraction when Theodor stood and cleared his throat.
“My father and I had the opportunity to visit Amárach many years ago, and the vision of its beauty remains a vivid memory that I will cherish always.” Theodor made eye contact with Boraleashe, hoping he could see his sincerity.
“Its people are as humble and gracious as their lord described. They welcomed my father and I from the doorways of their quaint cottages with smoking chimneys. But the sights… my gods. I never realized that a blanket of snow covering miles of rolling hills could be so majestic or towering pine trees and snowcapped mountains that appeared tall enough to reach the heavens. The Winter Realm is the epitome of serene.” Theodor smiled, remembering the feeling in his chest while in Amárach.
“Like the goddess Cleopomene, playing her harp.”
The guest hung on to his every word, their eyes alight with the visions he’d described. Theodor had turned the tables on Lady Arbelladon and her wives, leaving a sour expression on their faces.
“And that is why the gods chose you as the true Treasure of the Realms, son.” Notalus nodded toward him with pride.
But his father was always quick to compliment him on his diplomacy.
“Theodor could not have described the world any better, and I agree with him. The Arctic World is a sight that all should be fortunate enough to behold.” Notalus raised his wine goblet.
“To Lord Boraleashe and to the health and prosperity of Tir an Amárach.”
“Hear, hear!” they all said in unison, raising their glasses.
There were a couple of follow-up inquiries asked of him, but the dinner quickly wound down after dessert and more wine was consumed.
While Theodor’s father was giving his closing thanks to his company, Theodor turned his gaze away from his court and found Boraleashe already watching him.
Without opening his mouth, he whispered the thought in his mind, “come to my chambers tonight”, and sent it to Boraleashe.
The secret was so subtle that the air he sent just barely kissed the silken hair tucked behind Boraleashe’s right ear.
Theodor received a slight nod in acknowledgment before Boraleashe left with his viceroy at his side and his aides a few paces behind.