18. Aurelio
Iwon’t forget that morning. Not even after I die. It was the best moment of my life to date.
I may not have gotten an “I love you” out of Alessia, but I got a compliment that means just as much, so I’ll take it.
The rest of the trip home is relatively uneventful, with no monster attacks to speak of. Daelia holds up well healing on her own through the last leg of the journey. She doesn’t complain about the pain, not even once. I make a mental note to buy her a drink (okay, a few drinks) for saving my ass and paying for it tenfold.
When we finally arrive within the borders of Celestia, I breathe a sigh of relief. I see the palace in the distance, glittering in all its glory on this cloudless day. In addition, I catch sight of the spires of the Holy Church, but the rest of the city remains hidden from view due to the lower elevation on the edge of the Wendigo forest. Plus, the city walls obstruct a lot of the smaller buildings from view.
We approach the western wall, the knights guarding the gate shouting to each other upon spotting us. The western gates open wide to admit our small party, and we find a whole slew of knights awaiting us inside. They ask us about our journey, and after Alessia reports the basic details, they send messengers to the palace and the Holy Church to alert the staff of our arrival.
Before we can go anywhere, however, we have to drop off the spoils of our wendigo battles at the Adventurer’s Guild. Carrying monster items on yourself is a good way to get robbed, even if I’m nobility. Not everyone recognizes my face as the Prince of Celestia yet, as the celebration of our marriage will not occur until the king passes away or steps down.
The knights who can be spared from guard duty are escorting us through the city. It’s a bit strange, being treated so highly by the same people I sparred with all my life. I recognize several of their faces and even recall some of their names. It feels simultaneously weird as hells and absolutely incredible to be put on such a pedestal.
We gain an entire entourage of civilians as we walk along the main streets. I can’t blame them; it’s not every day that you see the Prince, the Queen, and the Hero of Celestia walking together in public. A crowd of at least one hundred people follows us through the city, shouting praises and congratulations to Alessi and I. Alessia’s face turns bright pink, and as much as I hate to admit it, mine does, too, as I wave back, secretly enjoying the attention.
I’ll make sure I’m worthy of your praise. Just wait and see.
We turn on the next main street, and the Guilds finally appear in the distance, their many large, glass-paned windows sparkling brightly in the afternoon sunlight, but not as bright as the shimmering marble-and-limestone walls of the Adventurer’s Guild. The building is five stories tall, and as wide as ten commoner’s houses put together. The entrance is marked by the towering oak doors, similar to the doors of the church, but only half the size. They’re thrown wide open, adventurers coming and going from the building in throngs. I spot at least five full parties passing through the doors in the space of a minute.
To be honest, I’m kind of excited to have an excuse to visit the Guild. I’ve always wanted to come here, but never got the chance until now. As the knights hold off the crowd from entering the Guild, I lead the way inside, excitably taking in the stunning appearance of the place.
The ceiling of the reception area stretches up three full floors in a vaulted design. The polished wooden staircases that lead to each floor are full of guild employees bustling about, trying to finish up their tasks before the end of the workday. On the main floor before me, tables and chairs are arranged in three orderly rows, and groups of adventurers gather at them to drink together, take a break for lunch, or discuss their latest quests. Off to my right is the receptionist’s desk, made of the same polished oak as the door. A team of Guild receptionists hastily try to take care of the long line of adventurers waiting to deliver quest confirmations and receive payouts. Just to the left of them, the quest board is still half-full of parchments containing the details of specific jobs, several of them marked “URGENT” in bright red lettering.
“Why has no one taken those quests?” I ask.
Daelia glances at the job board, then frowns, saying, “There’s no shortage of work. There’s a shortage of adventurers willing to risk their lives to fend off wendigos week after week, though.”
“Understandable,” I grumble, looking down at our bag of wendigo spoils. “These were not worth the effort.”
“It’s worth the effort for me. But I don’t count,” Daelia says, grinning wryly. “I have ancient magic on my side. And I don’t get to choose my quests, anyway. I have to ask permission like a child.”
“Most children don’t ask to run off and fight wendigos, though,” I say, my brows pinching together. “You realize how odd that sounds, right?”
“Cheer up, Daelia,” Alessia says, nudging her shoulder. “I’ll put a word in with the Holy Mother when we chat with her this afternoon. Now that I’ve seen how dangerous the Wendigo Forest has become, we need more capable adventurers than ever to protect our merchants. It’s only natural that I’d send you in; you won’t be killed by beasts so far below your paygrade, and you’ll successfully deliver the merchant’s goods, naturally. It’s a matter of economic interest, see?”
Daelia’s face flickers with understanding. She folds her arms over her chest, regarding her twin with a wicked grin.
“Exactly. If it’s in the best interest of the nation, surely the Holy Church would be obliged to send me in.”
I drag my hands down my face. “This isn’t the cleverest plot in the world, you know. They’ll see right through you.”
“What’s there to see through? I’m telling the truth.”
I shake my head, giving up as the two high-five. I have a feeling this won’t be my last time fending off wendigos with my crazy wife and my even crazier sister-in-law.
We wait in line instead of skipping it, opting not to draw too much attention to ourselves. By the time we get up to the counter, though, the entire Guild is whispering about us, their expressions shocked as they confirm with their fellow adventurers that we are, indeed, the royal family, returned from our adventure so soon. The receptionists, a pair of smaller women dressed in thin dark blue skirts and long sleeve shirts of the guild employees, pale considerably upon recognizing us.
“Your—Your majesty!” the blonde gasps.
“Lady Daelia!” the brunette squeaks. “You’re back early!”
“We have our reasons. We will discuss them with the Guild Master after we report to the Holy Mother and the royal advisors,” Daelia explains. “For now, we have some monster items to turn in. Four wendigos’ worth.”
Fervent whispering breaks out across the room as Alessia pulls out the wendigo horns, hearts, teeth, and claws out of our travel bag. She drops it on the counter, the dull thump nearly causing the receptionists to jump out of their skin.
“My lady! You killed four wendigos on your journey?” the brunette clarifies.
“Yes, we killed four,” Daelia confirms. “We also encountered a group of traveling elves and a demon. They escaped before we could close in on them.”
I wince. There’s no doubt in my mind that Daelia isn’t telling the full story because it would be embarrassing to admit she’d been shot by an arrow. The Hero of Celestia can’t have rumors of weakness running rampant; it would forever damage her reputation, and the Holy Mother may rescind her privilege of taking on “unimportant” quests.
I really need to buy her a drink. After I see that she’s healed up, of course.
“Well! We’ll have these assessed right away!” the blonde receptionist says, snatching up the bag of monster items. “You can come back tomorrow morning to receive your payment first thing.”
“No need. Donate it. My usual,” Daelia says.
I arch a brow. “Your usual?”
“Yeah. I’m not allowed to be paid for my quests. That’s the rules for the mages, and those same rules apply to me.” Daelia turns to shoot me a wink. “But I make sure my payments find their way into the right hands.”
“And by that, you mean…?”
“The guild’s training fund, of course.”
My mouth drops open. “You mean to tell me you’re the one that’s been donating hundreds of gold coins every year to the knight instructors?”
“Yep. That’s me. I begged and pleaded to take on some extra quests in the last few years, and it’s finally afforded them a brand-new batch of equipment for the young ones.”
I forget how to speak as Daelia casually strides out of the guild, Alessia on her heels. How did I not know this? The commoners used to fight for equipment and training hours to become knights, but recently, the training program has upped its efforts tenfold, and now there’s so many quality knights pouring in from the commoners’ ranks that the aristocrats finally have to give it their all in training. That’s how Kharu, Emilia, and I finally found new, worthy opponents to test our skills against.
Thank you, Daelia. I was so bored before you fixed the funding issue.
“No way! Is that you, Aurelio?”
I gasp. I’d know that voice anywhere. I whirl around just in time to get tackled in a bear hug. I’m lifted completely off the floor, and there’s no way in hells I’ll get him to set me down anytime soon.
It’s Kharu, my best friend since childhood.
“Gods above, I can’t even think about you without summoning you,” I laugh.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily, brother!” Kharu bellows.
Daelia and Alessia turn around, confused, but I wave them on.
“Go on without me! I’ll see you at dinner!”
They look at each other, shrug, and head their separate ways, Daelia to the Holy Church, and Alessia to the palace. Just as they disappear, Kharu finally sets me back on the floor, the biggest giddy grin creasing his face.
“It’s so great to see you! I can’t believe I caught you out in public! I thought for sure they’d keep you in that palace for weeks before I’d see you again!”
“Trust me, I thought so, too, but I lucked out,” I admit. “How have you been, man?”
“Great as ever! Kicking ass, taking names, and loving life!” he chuckles.
I can’t help but feel my chest pang with pride as I see that child-like joy on Kharu’s face. He looks and acts the same as ever. His chiseled face, bright hazel eyes, well-maintained stubble, and joyful disposition haven’t changed a bit. His sand-brown hair is a little longer and more wavy than I remember, but that’s just because I haven’t seen him in a few weeks, and it grows fast and gets wavy in the humidity of summer. He’s dressed for training, as he always is, a pair of utility pants and his sheathed sword the only clothing on his person. He has no shirt to speak of; his godly, chiseled body is on full display, a view the women tend to enjoy, especially since he’s exceedingly tall and broad. He stands an entire head above me and maintains shoulders the size of melons. The rest of his muscle structure follows suit, as one could imagine. If I’m trying to picture the god of war in the flesh, Kharu would be my instant mental image.
“I’m glad to hear it,” I reply.
“Dude, Lief is so anxious that you left without telling him where you were headed,” Kharu says. “He’s been pacing around the neighborhood for days now!”
I clap a hand to my mouth, a jolt of guilt piercing my middle. “Oh my gods, I forgot to bring Lief with us! I didn’t even think about bringing him to the palace after the Wedding Ball!”
“Well, let’s go get him, then!” Kharu suggests, clapping me on the back hard enough to send me flying if I hadn’t braced for it. “We’ll put the little guy’s mind at ease if we pay him a visit.”
I follow Kharu out of the Guild and back onto the main street. My stomach twists tighter and tighter with every passing the second, the guilt becoming anxiety by the minute. I can’t believe I forgot about Lief. He’s the fae servant of my family, a spirit that’s willingly bound himself to my family lineage. He dislikes my parents, but he’s taken a liking to me, more than he’s taken a liking to anyone in the last few centuries, according to Lief himself. Fae do everything on a whim, leading their lives as they please regardless of moral conventions of human life. Some border on the definition of monster, while others, like Lief, take a liking to humans and only prank them or belittle them harmlessly at worst.
We take the main street to the northwest, finding ourselves in the rolling hills of the aristocrats’ neighborhood shortly. Here, the houses are sprawling estates on top of rolling hills, each property separated by at least a city block’s worth of space. Some of the houses are ancient and have been renovated every century or so throughout the nation’s history; others are brand-new marble or brick constructions. Floor-to-ceiling windows, pristine gardens, and open-air stables are the staples of aristocratic estates, and my family home is no exception. I recognize the two-story marble-and-brick construction from a distance, but I don’t even get within a half mile of it before I hear a tiny, shrill shriek rapidly closing in on me.
“Aurelio!” Lief wails.
I spot him just before he runs right into my chest. I reach out, catch him, and hold him in my hands, where he cries hysterically. His whole body fits in my palm.
“You left me behind!” he exclaims.
“I’m so sorry, Lief. I didn’t even think to bring you. It was dangerous out there,” I admit.
“You know I would have protected you!” he sniffles, folding his arms defiantly over his tiny chest.
“You would have tried to protect me,” I correct him. “We faced down some nasty creatures. You wouldn’t have been too enthused to see a wendigo up close.”
“I don’t care! You abandoned me!”
Suddenly ceasing his tears, Lief stands up, huffs, and turns his back to me. I wait patiently for him to have his silent tantrum. This isn’t the first time he’s done this, and I highly doubt it will be the last, but no matter how many times he throws a fit, I can’t make myself take him seriously. Fae can change their appearance at will—they are spirits, after all, consisting of pure energy and magic—but Lief insists on appearing human, and a human male at that. He has pale skin, messy, short black hair, hazel-yellow eyes, and the slightest tone to his muscle structure. Quirky as he is, he wears an orange leaf as a hat, and I’ve never seen him without it, nor have I seen the leaf wither to brown. He wears the clothes of a commoner, including a travel vest, utility pants, and work boots, which I’m not sure how he got a hold of, seeing as he’s only five inches tall. I’m also not sure how he would have tailored the shirt to fit around his four wings, which appear as dragonfly-like clear wings sprouting from the center of his back.
There are a lot of things I don’t understand about him, but what I do know about him is that he’s a loyal, honest friend, and he’s right about almost everything.
Which is why I’m a little scared to tell him about Alessia. I think I’m about to be thoroughly embarrassed.
“I didn’t abandon you, Lief. I had to go to the Wedding Ball, then Alessia chose me to be her husband, and I’ve been stuck dealing with royal crap ever since, including a trip to Krasta.”
“You should have called for me! I would have come!” Lief pouts. “Instead, you left me here, where I’m all alone, and your mom was driving me crazy, so I left the house, then I ran into Kharu, and he said you left without me, and—”
Lief suddenly pauses mid-sentence. I can see the gears turning in his little mind. Then, just as soon as he stops talking, he jumps into the air and hovers in front of my face, pointing an accusatory finger at my nose.
“Hey! You didn’t tell me you got married!”
“I figured you would assume that was why I didn’t come back after the Wedding Ball,” I say.
“You,” Lief says, pointing at Kharu now, “why didn’t you tell me he got married?”
Kharu frowns. “I have a name, Lief.”
“Aw, why does no one tell me anything!” he complains.
I roll my eyes. “We shouldn’t have to. Anyway, do you want to come live in the palace with me or not, Lief?”
He perks right up, his eyes shimmering gold. “Live in the palace? With you? What do you think I am, an idiot? Of course!”
He does a celebratory somersault in the air. I exchange an amused look with Kharu, then return my attention to Lief when he lands on my hand once more.
“So, how has married life been so far?” Lief asks.
“Yeah, Aurelio,” Kharu says, shooting me a wicked grin, “how is married life treating you? I’m dying to know how the self-proclaimed ‘lifelong bachelor’ ended up a married man before me.”
I’m sweating bullets under both their gazes, but especially Kharu’s. He’s been dating his girlfriend, Rhulia, since they were teenagers, and he’s still taking his time to settle down with her. Last I heard, there’s been trouble in paradise with Rhulia being super jealous over Kharu training with Emilia, even though every knight and their brother’s friend’s brother knows those two go head to head just to challenge themselves. Still, as rocky as their relationship can be, I always assumed they’d be married by twenty-seven or so, and I’d remain aloof to the woes of women for life.
“Uh…it’s not exactly my fault, just so you’re aware,” I start.
“Not your fault? You could have made a fool of yourself like you always do and gotten out of the Wedding Ball,” Lief says.
“Ouch! Not cool!” I say, flicking his wing.
“Ouch! What was that for?” he grumbles.
“You were being a jerk.”
“He’s got a point, though. You had to have put in some sort of effort to catch the queen’s attention,” Kharu says, narrowing his eyes at me playfully. “What did you do, lover boy? You better spill your courtship secrets.”
“Nothing. I stayed as far away from everyone as possible and read a book at my table,” I lie.
“Yeah, that’s not allowed at the royal balls. I know better than that,” Kharu says. He nudges me. “Come on! Spill, man!”
I bite my lip, feeling my face burn. “Well…I, uh…pretended to act like the son my father raised. You know, the way he taught me to act at administrative meetings. I chatted it up with just about every person there, and I made sure I was the brightest person in the room. When Alessia came to talk with me, I pretended to be a little duller than I really am, and it somehow amused her.”
“So…she chose to marry you because she thought you were an idiot?”
“Correction: you are an idiot, so if that was her goal, she succeeded,” Lief says, smirking.
I deadpan. “I really hate you both.”
“Dude, how pretty is she that you decided you wanted to marry her on sight?” Kharu asks. “You’ve been denying women left and right for years! I’ve never seen you express the slightest bit of interest!”
“Well, I saw an opportunity to find peace and quiet for the rest of my life, so I went for it. Unfortunately, Alessia will not allow me to take a backseat as the prince, and she’s dragging me to every meeting and every social event she’s required to go to.”
It’s not unfortunate, now that I have my new goal of proving myself as a ruler, appreciating Alessia, and fulfilling my promise to Keendelle, but I’m not about to admit it out loud, especially not to Lief.
Kharu lets out a long, low whistle. “Damn, Aurelio. You scored big time, but I feel like you just lost worse than a sparring match against Emilia.”
“I did. Literally. I sparred against Alessia, and she handed my ass to me in two minutes flat,” I sigh.
“Imperial humans are at least three times as strong as regular humans, and with twice the agility of a demon,” Lief says, shrugging. “You should have known better than to accept a challenge you can’t win.”
I didn’t really see another choice at the time, but I concede the point. Clearing my throat, I ask, “Would you guys like to come with me to the palace? I can show you around if you’d like.”
“Hells yeah! I’ve never seen the place,” Kharu cheers.
“Yes! But only under one condition,” Lief says.
I see the mischievous grin on his face and sigh. “What now?”
“I’ve known you all your life, Aurelio, and if there’s one thing you suck at, it’s romance.”
“I didn’t exactly try until recently, but go on,” I grumble.
“If we’re going to the palace with you, you have to let us set up a surprise date for you and Alessia.”
I choke on my own air. “A—surprise date? Why?”
“Because you probably skipped the traditional honeymoon, and you haven’t even tried to make up for it, have you?”
Dread pools in my stomach. “You’re right, but why do you have to butt in on my romantic life?”
“Because I’m older than you one hundred times over. I know what women like. I know what they hate. I also know that you would never figure it out before you die, so if I don’t intervene, Alessia may go her whole life without knowing true romance.”
“Lief, this is ridiculous,” I say.
“No, no, he has a point,” Kharu says. “I think we should help you out, Aurelio.”
You just want to piggyback off Lief’s ideas to use them for Rhulia!I want to shout, but I bite my tongue before I can.
“It’s settled, then!” Lief declares, his wings fluttering as he takes flight again. “Operation Help the Hopeless Romantic is a go!”
“I’m not a hopeless romantic!” I protest.
Kharu and Lief completely ignore me. Kharu holds out his fist, and Lief does a tiny fist-bump with him, tipping his leaf hat to me as he does.
There’s nothing I can do. I’m doomed.