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“Princess Adjest,” Gilltian greeted his daughter.
“Your Majesty,” she greeted back, bowing politely.
“I hope you’ve settled in well. I apologize for calling you away from your planned self-study this winter break, but there are some things that need to be discussed and planned in person.”
“It is fine. I had half of the break to study anyways.”
“Good. I’ll get straight to the point then. I’ve found a suitable candidate for your husband. You should get engaged to him as soon as possible."
She looked up at him, glaring and expression lethally stormy, like a blizzard.
“I believe I have made my intentions regarding my marriage quite clear,” Adjest said, voice firm in its anger.
“Adjest,” Gilltian sighed out. He didn’t want to force his daughter into anything, but they had duties. They were currently trying to balance out Adjest’s desires and duties, her bit of teenage rebellion, but this was an opportunity the Hebrion Empire couldn’t let slip out of their hands.
“No. If I can be expected to lead Hebrion, I can pick my own spouse correctly when the time comes.”
Adjest stood and stormed out of the private throne room without waiting to be dismissed.
Gilltian sighed. It seemed like this wasn’t something he’d be convincing her of for quite a while. But time was of the essence.
“Swan.”
“Yes, your Majesty?” the woman standing beside him asked.
“Get someone to bring me pen and paper. I have a letter to rewrite.”
He saw the archer hesitate for a fraction of a second before nodding and leaving to grab a servant.
“Rewrite?” Raphaello asked from the other side of the empty throne beside him.
“Yes. We’ll just summon him here instead of giving Adjest orders to give him.”
“Will that… help her Highness accept this?”
“Hm? No. No,” Gilltian chuckled out. The noise was heavy, almost dark to his ears. “I don’t think I’ll be convincing her before that person drifts too far away for my tastes.”
“Then…”
“Adjest isn’t the only member left of the royal family.”
He had said he wanted the young man, and he meant it, after all.
“Wha-?!”
Desir Arman dropped the hood of the cloak Gilltian had provided him to reveal a calm, if gloomy, expression, eyes blank and observing.
“Desir Arman,” he greeted.
“Your Majesty,” Desir greeted back, bowing properly.
Gilltian observed the young man for a few moments.
Desir Arman wasn’t relaxed, but he didn’t look nervous either. He seemed a bit tense, not actively, but in the way he’d seen from career soldiers on campaign, who had learned how to never actually let their guard down.
His eyes really did look empty, in an oddly intense way. It was almost unsettling.
Those eyes had seen more than most, despite Desir Arman’s record showing him as a regular orphan at a properly run orphanage. Not ideal, or with great prospects, but not exciting in the way that could traumatize someone to look like that.
It was another mystery about the young man.
Desir Arman had many of them. But Gilltian knew enough to know that the man would be influencing the world, even more than he had already done. The man had stirred up and soothed tension between commoners and nobles, creating the beginnings of actual resolution, if nurtured correctly, resilience in society. He’d also done more to defuse tensions between Hebrion and the Western Kingdoms than any of Gilltian’s ambassadors had ever managed.
It made him want the young man by his side. And even if he didn’t want Desir Arman, he’d have to be a fool too great to be able to keep the throne if he overlooked the young man.
Gilltian nodded his head at Raphaello, who stepped forward and handed Desir the required papers.
Desir took the offered documents before looking back at Rahpaello, then to him, and then back down to the papers when neither of them offered immediate answers. The young man started reading, his face flinching into a confused brow after a few moments, expression subtle enough most probably wouldn’t notice.
“This is…” Desir said tepidly, clearly wanting to ask for clarification but not sure how.
“A marriage agreement,” Gilltian confirmed.
“And you’re handing this to me because…” the man actually sounded more confused than anything. Gilltian supposed that as a commoner, Desir hadn’t considered his marriage in any frame beyond “sometime in the future”, unlike noble teenagers who were already preparing for theirs.
“It’s for you.”
“Pardon?!” Now the man was openly gaping. It was by far the most expressive Gilltian had seen him.
“It’s your marriage agreement,” Gilltian reiterated.
“I… uh…”
“You did promise to serve me in any way you can, remember?” Gilltian knew the smile on his face was too greedy and amused to be kind, but he supposed it didn’t matter in this instance.
“Well, yes, I did. I just… didn’t expect marriage. It’s not like I have a title or property to bring to a marriage…”
“That won’t be needed. There are other benefits to tying you legally as a spouse.” To have one of the most genius mages of the century, the hero of the commoners, attached to the royal family? Protected from those who would oppose him to help the empire? The benefits would be countless.
“Also, I thought marriage was only allowed once I turned eighteen. Professor Bridgette can stand in as a guardian for a lot of things, but not for special permission for this,” Desir said.
He wasn’t really resisting with the insolent words. But there was a clear bit of suspicion in the young man’s eyes, clearly probing Gilltian to see what sort of leader he was.
“Yes, don’t worry. I don’t have any plans to break my own laws. Most of these agreements are signed by minors, technically, provided the document is truly promissory. You’ll be engaged upon signing, which is legal for minors, and the marriage itself will be put off until you graduate from school. A little past your eighteenth.”
He did not break his own laws. And he wouldn’t even be so cruel as to suddenly rip Desir away from his life, just tug him after he finished up a neat chapter of it.
“I see…”
Desir clearly hadn’t expected both the life-changing demand and the humane consideration. He turned back to the marriage agreement after clearly failing to settle his emotions on the matter. Gilltian left him to read, a bit amused at how the young man chose to keep his dignity and composure even under these circumstances.
It honestly just made him more desirable.
Desir’s brow furrowed again as he read towards the end of the pages. Gilltian could see him mouth a few words, clearly trying to make sense of what was there. The young man gave up after a few moments, smoothing his face out and looking up again.
“Um, pardon. The names at the bottom… I don’t think I’m reading this correctly.”
“The three names at the bottom should be Fransenic, my interior minister who authorized the agreement, Desir Arman, and Gilltian Zedgar F. Roguepalace, who are the promised parties. The two agreeing to get married,” Gilltian said, making sure Desir would have no choice but to understand correctly.
“What?!” Ah, a new record for how expressive Desir could get. The young man wasn’t even offended or defensive, clearly overwhelmed with shock too much for emotions that well defined.
“I need you to be tied to the royal family, not just in your own promise, but legally in a way that can’t be disputed by anyone. Adjest has rejected the marriage, but she’s not the only one in the royal family without a spouse, so…” Gilltian shrugged, knowing the gesture was a little cruel. This was the sort of line of thought Desir would have to get used to thinking about casually, though.
Desir just stared at him for several long seconds. Gilltian could practically see his brain working overtime to try to comprehend what was happening.
“I’m uh…” Gilltian could see Desir tensing. Preparing. “I am honor-”
“Please. Take your time. You still have a week left in your break. We’ve made accommodations,” Gilltian interrupted before Desir could finish saying he was honored, or get out the “but” that would have followed. “I understand this is a large, unexpected step for you. I’m not so cruel to make you sign here and now.” But he was cruel enough to make the young man sign it anyways.
Desir clearly understood that. The tension in his shoulders lessened in defeat, not relief. He nodded politely.
“Of course. Thank you for your consideration,” he said.
The quiet composure in the face of this made Gilltian feel sympathetic towards him. But it didn’t matter, emperors didn’t act according to their sympathies.
He signaled Raphaelo, still back by the doors. Raphaello stepped out to get a servant to escort Desir.
Gilltian wasn’t sure what to make of how Desir’s expression settled into the same gloominess that he had entered with.
()()()
Desir found himself blankly staring at the drawer he’d stuffed the marriage agreement into the night before when his door crashed open.
He startled, turning to find Adjest storming into his room.
She was in plain, off-white, but high quality, pants and a blouse. Her hair was tangling around from the ambient currents of magic she was letting out. It was mildly intimidating, especially when he was still trying to settle himself from yesterday.
“Desir!” Adjest said, clearly angry, as she stalked towards him.
Not angry at him, though.
“Hello, Adjest, would you like to join me for breakfast?” he asked, mildly nervous. He really wasn’t sure how he was supposed to handle the upcoming fuss.
Adjest did not sit down in the other chair at the small table Desir had been not-actually-eating at. Instead, she slammed her hands down on it, rattling the dishes.
“You shouldn’t be here. Leave.”
Desir found himself glad that he knew Adjest well enough to actually understand how she meant that.
“His Majesty summoned me. I am here at his behest,” Desir tried diplomatically.
“This whole situation is beyond ridiculous. We’re both leaving,” Adjest said determinately, grabbing Desir’s arm, clearly ready to pull him up and guide him out of the castle herself.
“Adjest, what are you doing with my fiancé?” said a voice behind Adjest.
Desir leaned a bit to see that yes, the emperor was in his guest room, calling him his fiancé. The man was dressed similar to Adjest with the addition of a slightly decorated coat. He still had a vaguely amused expression on his face. Just enough of a smile that he could make his expression kind or cruel in a fraction of a second.
“Desir is my classmate and party leader. He’s not your fiancé,” Adjest growled out.
“Well, technically, I suppose we aren’t fiancés yet.” The last word was directed at him, an expectant question.
“I thought I’d reread the agreement closely after breakfast,” Desir said truthfully, hoping it was a diplomatic enough answer.
The emperor’s smile grew a little in polite approval.
“Father! You can’t marry Desir!” Adjest continued, turning to face him fully, blocking the emperor from Desir’s view again in clear protectiveness.
“Adjest,” the emperor said sternly.
Desir couldn’t see what was happening in their silence, but with the way the tension in the room was ratcheting up, he was willing to bet there was at least a very intimidating amount of glaring going on.
“Um, would either of you like tea, if you’re going to talk in here?” Desir tried. He wasn’t the best at solving interpersonal issues, but even he could tell that they needed a break in the tension to the point where his clumsy attempts would be better than leaving things be.
Adjest flinched. Her body trembled from trying to keep herself calm and still, instead of lashing out. It had been a while since he’d seen it. It was the first time he’d seen it in this life.
When she seemed to be calming down, forcing her body into relaxation, he stood and walked over to the kitchenette to make the tea.
By the time the tea was finished, he turned around to see that a chair from a corner had been dragged over, father and daughter sitting opposite at the table while the empty chair for him was placed exactly halfway between them.
Adjest was still glaring at her father though, even as the man returned the look with a fond, if slightly exacerbated, smile.
He gave the two their tea before quickly grabbing his own and sitting down.
“It tastes different than before,” Adjest commented as she finished her first sip, sounding half-distracted from her distaste for the rest of the current situation.
“Ah, yes, I added a bit of honey this time, takes the edge off a little, smooths things over.” Now hopefully the honeyed tea would do the same thing for the situation.
If the way one corner of the emperor’s lip was appearing over his cup was any indication, the man apparently understood his intent.
“So. You don’t want me and Desir to marry,” the emperor said as he put down his cup.
Adjest immediately glared at the man and put down her own half-raised cup. At least the glare was a little less intense than Desir had seen when she’d come into his room.
“It’s a farce.”
“It’s like any other arranged, political marriage.” The emperor was clearly egging Adjest on, but Desir wasn’t sure Adjest realized it. It was very odd.
“Desir is a student. And a commoner,” Adjest gritted out.
“Like any other political marriage, it’s promised to happen, and then does not actually occur until a date in the future, after everyone is of age and ready. And he’s not just a common student, but a valuable political player,” the emperor responded calmly.
“You’re too old.” The words were bitten out, a bit of anger that Desir thought came from desperation underneath them.
“Well, that’s not an issue, it’s not like anyone will be expecting an heir from the marriage-” Desir choked on the tea he had been half-way through swallowing. He had barely comprehended the legal paperwork of marriage; he hadn’t been thinking at all about the more social expectations that would be upkept or disregarded. “-Ah, but if your concern was that your party leader would end up a young widow, then you could have prevented that,” the emperor continued.
“What.” Adjest’s voice was too flat for the word to be a question.
“I told you that I had found a candidate for your husband. You rejected him. I still needed him to marry into the family, thus I’ll be marrying him.”
“You didn’t tell me it was Desir!”
“You dismissed yourself from the conversation before I could tell you. And you’ve made your stance on any marriage quite clearly one based on principle. It shouldn’t matter that it was Desir.” He wasn’t quite sure how the man managed to be both completely stern and unyielding, but also seem to carry a sort of gentleness.
Adjest slammed a fist on the table, clattering the cups of tea.
“You can’t just do this! Desir-” Adjest turned towards him, face barely scrunched up – an expression more openly displeased than she usually would except in the hardest of battles – before she was interrupted.
“I am the emperor of the Hebrion Empire, princess Adjest. Not only can I do this, I should,” the emperor pointed out, reprimand overcoming any of his previous gentleness.
The two glared at each other for several moments. The emperor’s glare was calm, especially compared to Adjest’s angry, frustrated expression.
Adjest lost the stare-off and stormed out of the room.
Well, looked like his tea idea had been fairly useless. And there’s been too much tension for him to even think about butting in verbally.
The emperor sighed after the door slammed shut. “My apologies about that. She’s been a bit frustrated lately.”
“It’s fine, your Majesty. She cares a lot. It can be hard to care that much though, when you’re just one strong person,” Desir said.
The emperor observed him for a second before taking another sip of tea.
“Gilltian.”
“Pardon?”
“You should call me Gilltian, not your Majesty. Political or not, marriage does involve being close enough to use names in private. You should get used to it,” the emperor explained.
“Your- I mean… I…” Desir couldn’t just start calling the emperor by his personal name. Even if he managed to get himself to say it under the man’s orders, the fallout would be…
“In private, Desir. You’ll still be calling me by my title in official and most professional spaces even after we’re married,” the man across from him said, as though he could tell what point Desir was going to argue next.
He probably could, with his political experience.
“Technically speaking, we’re not even engaged yet,” Desir tried instead.
It wasn’t like he particularly wanted to get engaged either. He’d never found someone he would consider marrying before the shadow labyrinth, and once he was in there, there were only lovers and friends and fuckbuddies and the uncertainty of survival that had made him ignore those sorts of ideas. Or at least put them off for an imagined, safe, stable future.
“Like I said, you can take your time. But starting with small things sooner rather than later will be good for you.” It was almost cruel, Desir thought, to add the bit of kindness, consideration, on top of the rest of the situation.
He bowed his head in something that was not quite agreement.
A hand landed on his shoulder. Large, for a mainland human, and warm and steady. Desir looked up to see the other man standing over him, face similarly strong and steady, gentle but uncompromising.
“Please, be at ease. If you need anything or want to go anywhere there will a servant and guard at your door at all times-” so he wouldn’t be allowed free movement until he signed “-I know this isn’t something you wanted for yourself, but it is what Hebrion needs. If you have offered your service to me, then I have too much duty to the empire to not do this,” the man explained.
“I understand-” he didn’t like it, but he did understand, somewhat, why the man was doing this, the logic behind it “-thank you.”
It would do him well to be polite, still.
But the man who still had a hand on his shoulder raised an eyebrow, expectant.
But expectant of what?
“Thank you… Gilltian?” Desir tried, the name clumsy on his tongue as he felt a bit of heat rise to his face.
Gilltian gave him an approving smile, patting his shoulder twice before standing up straight.
“Your tea was very good, thank you for that. Make sure to eat,” the man said as he walked calmly out of the room.
Desir waited for the door to click shut before melting into the chair, exhausted.
He doubted he’d be leaving the room for the rest of the day, escort or no. There was too much he had to think through.
His eye caught on the still largely uneaten breakfast. A caring warning was still a warning from the emperor. Or maybe it was just an order. Either way, Desir made himself start picking at the half-cooled meal.
Desir understood, to some extent, why the emperor – Gilltian – was doing what he did. Specifically, to the extent that he understood why a royal family would marry in someone they wanted to be unilaterally allied with them. It was a solid strategy, with far more benefits than drawbacks, usually.
What he didn’t understand, though, was why Gilltian had decided he was worth using this strategy on.
He was very young. And a commoner. Even if they had lived in a place without class prejudice, he still wouldn’t have any titles or property to bring to a marriage.
He did have status, in some ways, even if it wasn’t titled, as the technical advisor for the magic tower and savior of Prilecha and hero of the commoners. And the emperor – Gilltian had said that he wanted to use him to keep the nobles, especially the anti-commoner ones, in check.
He could imagine Gilltian using him to balance initiatives and laws, pretending Desir was the source of more pro-commoner ones so his position would be more stable.
But couldn’t the man have used a community leader? There were plenty of commoners creating smaller, quieter change that Gilltian could arrange a royal marriage with that wouldn’t be as polarizing as he would be, even if they didn’t have as much recognition. Less recognition could even be a boon.
Well, then again, those kinds of community leaders were, by nature, well-rooted in their communities. Desir by comparison was just a student, he would leave his community, be uprooted, by the normal course of time once he finished his studies. And he’d already pledged his allegiance to Gilltian. He supposed he was a good choice for this kind of move, if Gilltian wasn’t going to use his marriage to grab a Western Kingdom.
But still, this was…
Desir sighed and let his head fall to the table.
He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse that he didn’t really have a choice.
Technically, he could run away, it was within his capabilities, yes. And if he displayed that extreme distaste, Gilltian wouldn’t bother dragging him back. But that meant on giving up on so much, especially for his goals.
Desir wouldn’t be able to stand abandoning those for a bit of comfort.
And well… was it really going to be that bad? Gilltian seemed harsh and unyielding in the way an emperor had to be, but there seemed to be more sympathy and gentleness than the man needed, that the man chose to keep. Desir could somewhat relate to that.
He remembered the hand, large and warm, almost comforting and constricting him, on his shoulder.
Desir finished his own cup of tea, using the sharp taste to ground him, before making himself move back to the bed. He grabbed the marriage agreement from its drawer in the nightstand before falling onto the bed.
He had more or less promised to reread the agreement, after all.
A few hours later, he realized that the marriage was also for asset protection.
They were apparently going to keep the engagement quiet but on the books until the very moment Desir needed the protection of “the emperor’s fiancé” or graduated. Desir had promised to help Gilltian, yes, but even if did enough to be seen as the man’s ally he would still be disliked enough to be targeted. A good number of people that Desir could expect to attack him in the future wouldn’t dare try to touch someone claimed by the royal family, though.
And since he was marrying into instead of being adopted by the royal family, which already had an heir, most of the weapons against the marriage would be taken away from the nobles sure to oppose it.
This marriage agreement was, in short, to guarantee that Gilltian would have the Hero of the Commoners to use moving forward.
It was still a bit overboard, in his opinion, but well… it wasn’t really his decision.
Desir wasn’t quite sure how Adjest managed to give her father both the cold shoulder and an icy glare just by eating her dinner, but she did.
Gilltian was indulgently ignoring his daughter’s behavior, also focusing on his food.
Desir didn’t dare try to break the fraught but peaceful silence.
Oh, this was basically a family dinner, wasn’t it? That was-
Adjest would technically be his stepdaughter, Desir abruptly realized.
He felt himself freeze. He had thought he’d be ready to sign the agreement that night, but the newest realization had him panicking again, mind reeling as he realized yet another implication of this whole thing.
He barely caught Gilltian’s lip curling slightly into an almost hidden, amused smile. He definitely noticed Adjest tensing furiously though.
“This is absurd,” Adjest finally said, breaking the silence.
Gilltian hummed back in acknowledgement.
“It’s not right.”
Gilltian hummed again, as if to say, “Is it, now?”
“You’ll be refusing to change your mind, won’t you?” Adjest grumbled.
Gilltian looked up at his daughter, staring at her evenly and calmly.
Adjest scoffed after a moment, turning back to her food in temporary defeat.
There was a knock on the door. Raphaello entered a moment later.
“Your Majesty, the council secretary has news regarding the urgent errand you gave them earlier. They’re here to speak with you,” Raphaello said.
Gilltian let out a small sigh. “Of course.” He stood up and walked around the table towards the door, giving Desir’s head a quick pat on his way out.
His hand really was large.
“You don’t have to go through with this,” Adjest grit out coolly after the door closed behind the other two.
Desir put down the bite of food he’d gotten halfway to his mouth. “Adjest…” He wasn’t really sure what to say.
He was fine? He wasn’t, really, and he didn’t want to lie. But he also wasn’t really in distress.
“You can leave,” Adjest pointed out, eyes brightly fierce.
Desir was sure that she would help him escape if he asked.
“I know,” he said softly, “but I won’t.”
“Why?!” Adjest demanded. She looked a bit angry out of surprise.
“Every decision we make has an effect, has consequences. I can leave yes, but the consequences of that course of action aren’t preferable to what happens if I stay and go through with this. The benefits outweigh the costs by far.” Tacit but solid imperial allegiance had been good enough. But the undeniable support of the imperial family that came with marrying in would be far far greater.
“Desir, being royalty… there isn’t much freedom. It’s a shackle,” Adjest said, voice pleading, if you knew what to look for.
“I only need as much freedom necessary to reach my goals, Adjest. I understand that there will be limitations on me because of this, shackles, but they won’t chafe.” At least not compared to how they were chafing at her.
Adjest didn’t seem to know how to react to that, instead just staring at him probingly, clearly trying to figure him out.
“I’m not going to be able to convince you either, am I?”
Desir gave her a small smile, hoping it came out more fond than wistful.
A few moments later, the door opened and Gilltian came back in. Adjest stood and strode out of the room, calm and unyielding, leaving a quarter of her meal behind. Her father let her pass without interruption.
“She still won’t accept this, then?” the man asked as he sat back down.
“I think she just needs a bit more time,” Desir said.
It wasn’t like her opinion would completely turn around just because he told her he was fine and to stop worrying. Her beliefs were much stronger than that. But he’d told her he was, to some degree, willing, which would at least calm down her outraged sense of justice.
“Hopefully that will be all she needs. You haven’t signed yet, I take it?” Gilltian asked as he began eating again.
“Ah, no. Not quite yet.”
“Like I said, you can take your time. Was there any part of the agreement you wanted to know more about?”
Desir supposed he should get more information while the other was offering it, apparently for free.
“If this is going to be kept quiet as long as possible, but also officially done, just how is it going to be kept quiet?” he began.
Desir found that he couldn’t sleep that night, even after midnight passed.
What he had told Adjest earlier… he hadn’t been wrong, exactly. He needed to put what he was doing now, all the things he had done to prepare for the future to save countless lives, over his individual lifestyle. But, well, would he actually be able to stand the loss of freedom?
He could meet his goals still, yes. But he had always been, in many ways, free. There were no family obligations. Every time he had decided to help a friend it had been completely of his own volition, any shackle of responsibility had been the sort he’d picked for himself and that he had a key for.
It made him nervous, to not have the choice. Lack of choice had only ever really come for him when a monster of the shadow world had locked onto him as an enemy or prey. And then he’d manage to get away by evading or fighting, because he didn’t want to die, and quickly restore his freedom once away from acute mortal danger.
He didn’t actually know how much it would hurt him to have these shackles thrust onto him, to have so much freedom taken away permanently. He just knew that it would hurt.
And it felt like such needless hurt too, when he had been steadily working towards his goals without any more than a small alliance with the imperial family. Being supported by the emperor as long as he was willing to be used as a soldier, the relationship loose enough that either of them could walk away when they wanted, had been more than enough.
Now he was going to be chained to responsibilities. The scrutiny on him was going to increase. The scrutiny and attention given to him had already increased beyond what he had wanted, if it had gotten him into this situation.
The plan had been to be a particularly useful pawn, eventually even a rook, so to speak. Someone with worth and who was used but not considered key enough to lock up his movements.
Could he really handle giving up all of the other freedoms except the ones to complete his goals?
Why did he have to push himself to address Adjest to help her? Now he wanted to resist signing, damnit.
Desir scrubbed his hands over his eyes before letting them flop back onto the bed. The fancy, carved ceiling stared at him, small, gilded decorations glinting in the moonlight.
He sighed and made himself sit up. Maybe some fresh air would help.
There was, thankfully, a balcony attached to his room, one that wouldn’t require an anti-escape escort for him to use.
Stepping out into the brisk winter night air was certainly refreshing. There were only a few lights illuminating the area, but with the snow on the ground, it was enough to make the entire garden in front of him glow. Dark paths wove through the banks of snow, neat stripes of evergreen bushes decorating the area in patterns. There were a few structures covered with snow, white intrusions on the dark night sky.
There were a few flakes of snow lazily and irreversibly falling to the ground. The clouds they came from must have been preventing him from seeing the stars.
It looked both stark and gentle, peaceful in its own way.
Desir caught a bit of movement at about 3 o’clock. Security for him. He turned subtly, just enough to locate two other observers.
The first one shifted again, and then all four of them were still, Desir just taking in the night scene, and the three watching him.
It wasn’t long before Desir could feel a strong presence approaching, after the warmth of the room had worn off but the winter night hadn’t yet chilled him.
The door to the balcony clicked open. A second later, there was a heavy cloth on his shoulders.
A blanket, Desir registered as an arm crossed his back, a large hand resting on the balcony railing to his left, Gilltian coming to stop next to him on the right.
“It’s cold out,” Gilltian pointed out.
“I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to clear my head.”
“Hm. You still haven’t signed, then?” The question was presented casually enough, to the point where Desir could feel the demand, especially with the heavily intense gaze he could tell was being directed at him.
“No, apologies. I was close to, but then, well, I keep thinking about my conversation with Adjest…” Desir trailed off.
Gilltian sighed, clearly a bit tired of his child’s righteous obstinance. Desir continued before the man had to figure out what to say about that part of the situation.
“It’s not like she said anything I didn’t technically know it’s just… I understand the two paths in front of me-” they both knew that he could escape if he tried enough, so he thought it was safe enough to talk about it. The arm around him tensed a bit anyways though, bringing him into Gilltian’s half-grip just a little more securely “-and I know which one is better in the long run. But it’s also the one that I’m less sure of my ability to handle all of the consequences. Humans don’t like picking uncertainty.”
“But you have a tendency to go beyond what most humans can, let alone will, do,” Gilltian said, voice matter-of-fact and steady.
Desir looked over and up at the man before quickly returning his gaze to the icy night landscape, uncertain how to respond. He hadn’t, in a lot of ways, done that. He was just thirteen years ahead of everyone. He also, undeniably though, had done what shouldn’t have been possible.
“You wield great power and ability. And part of that involves the fact that you think over consequences instead of being so ignorant to not take them into consideration. If it helps, you can think of this as another way to manage those consequences. One well-established enough to provide you protection from those who make you pay more than you should, and one where you’ll be guaranteed support to deal with the personal toll,” Gilltian continued.
The words were clearly designed to comfort him, but they didn’t compromise the reality of situation. Which actually made the words a bit more comforting to him, solid enough for him to believe in them.
The breeze picked up, and Desir found himself getting tugged against Gilltian’s body, a large hand now on his waist. It only took a second for extra warmth to start seeping into his entire right side.
The man really was much larger than him. Much much larger and very strong, Desir thought, feeling his face heat up against the brisk air.
“Thank you,” he mumbled quietly. The extra warmth, especially coming from company, felt nice. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.
He’d sign once he had settled his soul a bit and then do so. There was no point in doing anything important if you weren’t going to put your full effort in. If you weren’t willing to do something as well as you can, you’d lose at least some of your objectives in the end.
“Good,” Gilltian said, sounding pleased, Desir thought. It was just a slight lilt to the voice, a small bit of warmth that sounded like Adjest when she was pleased.
He looked up at Gilltian to see a small but open warm, pleased expression.
It sent chills down Desir’s spine.
Roguepalace or otherwise, Desir knew what greed, unbridled desire, looked like in someone’s eyes. It wasn’t just asset protection, apparently. The emperor wanted him.
The man tugged him along, back into the room, arm still wrapped around him.
Desir let himself be guided back to the bed, watched the emperor lock the balcony door.
The man walked back over to him and patted his head, eyes still greedy but now also satisfied.
“Good night, Desir,” the emperor said, still sounding pleased.
Desir looked down, not wanting to have to handle the greed in the man’s eyes, bringing himself to look at the man’s stomach instead.
“Good night,” he managed to get out.
The man left the room, leaving Desir alone to hear the lock click and then hear his footsteps fade away into silence.
Desir had the sinking feeling that, contrary to what he had assumed before, the emperor actually would hunt him down if he ran.