Chapter 4 #2
The Council clapped happily. Well, all except Nicholas. He was never truly happy unless Romilly or one of his family were upset. But the others were overjoyed.
“A mate!” one cried. “Finally! When can we meet them?”
Question after question came out, until Shea stepped in and whistled, drawing attention to her.
“The king will not be answering questions about his mate at this time. The point of him telling you is so you know his motivation, and nothing more. He will present his mate when the time is right, and not a moment before.”
That settled the members of the Council down enough for them to conclude their business, and soon he was left alone with his advisor in the throne room. Romilly’s head dropped back and he closed his eyes.
Fate, there were some days he truly didn’t like his job.
He was responsible, and he would never step down from it.
Not unless his mate wanted him to, of course.
But he still had moments where he wished one of his siblings had been born first, that Soren had been brought into the world before Romilly, so they might lead the charge and carry the responsibility.
Romilly wasn’t able to time travel, therefore he couldn’t change anything. Instead he focused on what he could control.
“Shea, what other tasks must we do today? Anything that can wait should, and anything that only needs my advisement can be handled from the comfort of my mate’s room while I spend time with him.”
Shea smiled brightly at him. “Of course, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There are only two other things needing your attention, though both are lengthy.
I figure we can do one before lunch and then one after.
How does that sound? Then you could spend time eating with your mate, since I unfortunately had to interrupt your breakfast.”
He returned her smile, nodding eagerly. “That is perfect. Thank you, Shea. If we can make my workload lighter this week, that would be even better.”
“You’ve got it,” she said, quickly pulling out her phone and typing away.
No doubt adjusting the schedule as he asked.
Shea was a lifesaver and honestly more family than employee.
She came to the holidays and spent her time with them during birthdays.
She was loyal, and Romilly often rewarded her with gifts, vacations, and basically anything she wanted.
The day moved on with Romilly handling the next big task, which included going over financials for the kingdom with the team that handled all of the money. It was tedious, just as Shea had said. Line by line they discussed everything, navigating what they could cut and what needed to stay.
Romilly fell into a rhythm. Knowing he would see his mate later gave him peace. It made everything seem a tad less exhausting.
When lunch rolled around, he nearly sprinted to the kitchen to get what he needed.
The chefs were shocked to see him but happily made a plate once they knew what he needed it for.
“Your mother returned the dishes earlier today and said your mate is lovely. I am so excited for you, Your Majesty,” Belinda, the head chef, said, as she put the soup, crackers, and drinks on the tray.
Part of Romilly wanted to request his mate’s things come in different containers.
Not for any particular reason other than he believed the little one would appreciate it.
They seemed the type to want softer, gentler things.
He would have to assess over time if that were true and navigate accordingly.
With the tray in hand, Romilly made his way through the halls and back up to his mate’s bedroom.
At the door he knocked once before pushing it open.
Archer turned from looking out the window to smile at Romilly.
His mother had drawn open the blinds, most likely.
The TV played soft music, though he could tell his little one was more fascinated with the scenery outside than with whatever was playing.
“I’ve brought you lunch,” he said, closing the door behind him as he shuffled closer. The scent of his mate filled his nose and his dragon purred. Romilly was seconds away from dropping to his knees, overcome by how much he cared for his little one, when the boy scented the air and groaned.
“That smells delicious,” Archer said, not realizing how much his words would affect Romilly.
Scenting was a huge part of shifter culture.
It was how you knew who your mate was and how you knew what they felt.
With Archer being human, he wouldn’t be able to have those powers like the others.
He would have to rely on people being honest with him.
It put him at a disadvantage, one that Romilly was truly concerned about.
Pushing those thoughts away, he eased the tray down on the table beside the bed.
“I’m glad you like it. Belinda, our chef, will be happy to hear that. She was honored to make food for you.”
Archer’s nose scrunched. “Honored? For me? But I’m nobody.”
Romilly chuckled. “Oh, but you are very important, little one.”
Archer’s cheeks brightened at the endearment.
Romilly’s dragon rejoiced, knowing he could have an effect on the young man. Romilly pulled up the first bowl of soup and spooned some up, bringing the bowl and spoon forward. “Eat,” he said.
Archer frowned. “But what about you?”
Romilly shook his head. “I will be fine. You need to eat first to regain your strength. The food will be there when you’re done, and I can have mine then. Plus, it means I get to spend more time with you.”
Those cheeks, which had started to fade, brightened again as Archer opened his mouth.
Romilly fed him spoonful after spoonful, stopping only to allow him something to drink before continuing on.
The music around them created a soft atmosphere.
There was no need to talk, no need to exchange words.
When Archer finished his bowl, Romilly offered some of his own, but Archer patted his stomach and told him no.
That gave Romilly time to feed himself as he thought about the next steps with his mate.
He needed to help the boy adjust to this lifestyle.
He needed to present his home in a way that would entice him to stay.
Then again, Romilly knew he had nowhere else to go — that he’d been wandering — which meant his home truly was the best place for his boy to be.
Archer watched him while also being distracted by the outside world. Romilly was thankful no one was lying about in dragon form. He had decided to keep that tidbit to himself for a while longer. He didn’t want to overwhelm his mate. It had to have been so much of a change for him already.
A knock at the door made Romilly scowl. When it opened, his mother stuck her head in and smiled.
“Oh good, you’re already here. I’ve been looking for you.
Come, come.” The last words were directed at whoever was behind her as she waved them in.
When Romilly saw it was the healer, he sat up a bit straighter and pushed his food aside.
He needed to be fully present for the next part.
The healer smiled gently, nodding to Romilly without saying a word as he walked over to Archer. “I would like to check your injuries, sir,” he said, his voice soft.
Archer smiled. “Please go ahead. If you’re the one they called a healer who helped me, I must say thank you. I feel much better than I remember feeling at first.”
The healer smiled wider, happy at the praise.
Then he went about removing the bandages on Archer’s arms and legs, reviewing the work he’d done.
He hummed as he went, but Romilly couldn’t figure out what the sounds were for.
It wasn’t until everything was rewrapped that the healer stood tall and faced him.
“The young man is doing well. His leg will need the two additional days, as I originally said. The wound on his arm is actually a bit deeper than I thought, so it’s probably best that he not use it as well.
” He looked over at Archer before continuing.
“I can add another round of healing if you’d like, now that I’ve rested. ”
Romilly nodded. “That should be later. Before bed, so he can sleep easy.”
The young Fae understood Romilly’s insinuation: they would perform the healing as Archer was falling asleep so he wouldn’t be fully aware of what was happening.
It was the best possible scenario. They could say he had simply slept for a long time, which was what would make him feel renewed, rather than mention magic.
The Fae and his mother left, taking the food tray with them.
Romilly faced the window Archer had been staring out of.
He tried to look at the lands as someone would if they were new to the area.
It amazed him how beautiful it could seem.
How things that had been mundane to him for so long would be magical to someone else, especially a human.
San Noctis was a gorgeous town. It was home.
And he hoped he could convince his human that it was his home, too.