Chapter 20
Romilly
It didn't surprise Romilly that once Nicholas was off the Council, things got better for everyone. The Council chamber was much more peaceful. Any discussions that came up were quickly settled with reasonable discussion.
The overall atmosphere in the castle was pleasant, with everyone happy to have Archer in the family. Even the horde itself seemed brighter as well. Some of that was likely due to the fact that their king had found his mate and was happy.
Ruling over everyone was more balanced now. He didn't feel the restless energy that had been there before Archer's arrival.
Even the issues with the Fae, still ongoing as they were, weren't so devastating that Romilly couldn't manage them.
As days passed and things settled even more, Romilly wondered when the right time would be to formalize the mate bond.
There was still the bite to attend to. It would seal their connection and give Archer the last of his supernatural powers.
Romilly was eager to know what that would be, aside from the longer lifespan and the possibility of children, which they still hadn’t discussed.
But that was all for later. His focus on this particular day was on the surprise he had been putting together for his mate.
Eden's room was lovely as Little space designed just for him.
But, as Romilly had noted to Archer before, it was mostly designed for Eden.
He wanted his boy to have a place he could go to any time, day or night.
If he wanted to invite people in, he could, but he could also have it just to himself, with no interruptions.
If he woke up in the middle of the night, restless, he could go be Little.
Romilly would join him, of course, if his boy wanted it, but he still knew the space was perfectly Archer's, the way it should be for every Little.
He'd had the Fae healer, who'd decided to stay at the castle, work on the spare room in his suite. As king, he had the largest area, his room really more a set of rooms. He’d chosen to convert the space meant to be used as an extra office area into the playroom.
When he was home, he wanted to be present.
If he needed to, he could go to his office in the castle for work.
Or better yet, he could take the day off entirely to spend with his boy.
That morning, as he brought in the Fae healer to take a look around, he asked that they ward the room with protection for his mate but also give it the power to become whatever his mate wanted at any given moment.
The Fae raised a brow. "You want it to be like a shape-shifting room?"
Romilly chuckled and clarified. "I want it to be adaptable.
Think of it like the televisions in the human realm, where the screens change.
If my boy decides he wants to be in a rainforest one day, then the walls and the sounds in the room can be a rainforest. If he wants to be a super baby in a crib, then it turns into soft, muted tones, and lullabies play. "
The Fae explained what they would do and went about setting the room up.
Hadrian and Soren had helped Romilly move furniture into the room while Eden had kept Archer distracted. Said distraction involved them baking cookies with Belinda in the kitchen. The poor woman definitely needed some vacation time after that, because those two were a handful and a half.
Seeing his boy happy was worth it. Covered in flour and sugar and icing, he was the picture of happiness. Gone was the broken, scared mate he'd found in the woods.
The images of Archer covered in blood, holding on for dear life, would remain in Romilly's mind until the day he passed.
And it was that memory that allowed him to appreciate this version of his mate even more.
It gave him the license to be as protective as he wanted, because if Archer ever thought he was smothering him, he could reference the time he'd almost died at the hands of people they had trusted, people they'd believed to be on their side.
Well, as much on their side as they could be.
Nicholas was rotting away in the prison.
He hadn't been stripped of his dragon, not yet anyway, but the Fae’s power had done something to him.
That, or his lack of connection and the silence of the cell he was in.
Every day he seemed to dim more and more, like his body was eating itself from the inside out.
Romilly would have been more concerned had the man not been a traitor.
Besides, Silas was on Nicholas-watching duty.
He was furious that this man, who had given him hell and then taunted his son, had gone so far as to nearly ruin a mate bond before it ever had a chance to form.
Romilly's mother and father loved Archer as if he were their own son.
There was no doubt in anyone's mind when they saw them all together.
Silas took it as a personal affront that Nicholas had been involved in Archer's pain.
Romilly shook his head, clearing away his negative thoughts, as he glanced around the room before him. The Fae had left not long before, saying the room was as done as it could be until Archer arrived and made the decision on what he wanted first.
There were blankets spread out and a soft bed in one corner.
It was large enough that Romilly could fit in it too but also personalized in a way that let Archer feel tiny and Little inside it.
Toys were scattered about. The ones Romilly had noticed Archer playing with the most when he was with Eden, and some that Romilly suspected his boy would also love.
He couldn't hold back the overwhelming joy of knowing he'd crafted a room, a space for his mate, that was so perfectly Archer.
Not wanting to waste another moment alone, he went off to find his brother and mate again. When he'd checked on them earlier, they'd been a mess in the kitchen. They’d sent him away, saying the cookies weren't done and they wanted to play more.
When he returned, he found them scrubbing dishes at the sink as Belinda sat in a chair, her feet kicked up on another one across from her. She smiled lazily, hands behind her head. "Your Majesty," she said, not moving an inch.
Romilly chuckled, taking in the scene of the pouting boys. "What is going on here?"
Belinda eased up in her seat until she was upright, hands on her knees, her smile wicked. "Well, Your Majesty, you see, I told the boys that if they behaved themselves, I would take care of the dishes."
"I see," Romilly replied. The two boys in question were still cleaning dishes and avoiding any eye contact with him.
Belinda continued. "My only real stipulation was that they not start any type of food fight.
That would have been a disaster to clean up on top of the dishes.
I warned them that if any piece of food, icing, sugar, flour, or otherwise went flying, and someone retaliated—well, we know accidents happen.
But if it was intentional, then they'd have to do the dishes and clean up any mess they made. "
Romilly crossed his arms. He took a moment to watch the sagging shoulders of the boys. They were almost done with the dishes, and the countertops and floor were clean, which meant they'd taken care of that as well.
"Sounds to me like two naughty boys were doing something they should not have and got punished appropriately. I appreciate you sticking to your rule, Belinda. They cannot get away with everything."
She smiled, nodding, then stood slowly and walked over to the boys.
Standing behind them, she put a hand on each of their backs and rubbed gently.
"You two have done enough. I can take it from here.
Now, remember, next time you come into my kitchen wanting to have fun, you have to follow the rules. "
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison, voices soft. They stepped apart, allowing Belinda to move into position to take over the last few dishes. They stripped off the long, bright yellow gloves they'd worn and placed them where Belinda pointed.
Eden scurried past Romilly without a word. He probably felt guilty for getting Archer into trouble. Romilly had no doubt in his mind that Eden was the source of the issue. His boy didn't seem the type to start a food fight.
When Archer was close enough, Romilly picked his boy up and put him on his hip, like always. Archer tucked himself into Romilly's side, burying his face in Romilly's neck. They left without a word, and as they walked, Romilly hummed softly.
He wanted his boy to know that he didn't feel any anger.
He understood that Littles could sometimes get into things and make a mess.
That was part of the fun of it all. As long as Archer understood that consequences would also happen, then they'd be fine.
He couldn't spoil his boy and expect him not to turn rotten.
That wouldn't be fair to anyone in the castle, or to the people of the horde they now ruled over.
When they reached the door to Romilly's rooms, he stopped and bounced his boy on his hip. "Look at me, little one," he said softly.
Archer pulled back. His eyes were red-rimmed, and it looked like he was moments away from crying.
"There, there, no need for you to be upset. I am not angry with you."
"You're not?" Archer asked, sniffing.
"No, I'm not mad. I know that boys can be mischievous, and Belinda did warn you what would happen. I am very proud that you did the dishes with Eden, and hopefully you learned your lesson." He smiled at his boy.
"Never trust Eden not to start a food fight, even when he's told not to."
Romilly chuckled heartily. "Yes, that is a good lesson to learn, little one. But also, that if someone tells you there will be repercussions, they are speaking the truth."
"Yes, Daddy," Archer said. The word settled over him, making Romilly so utterly pleased and happy.