Work Text:
“He’s been found, your majesty.” The attendant spoke nervously. “At the market. He’s fine. He wasn’t actually –“ The king was on his feet, pushing past attendants and guards, before he finished speaking - “kidnapped.”
Pursued by a small crowd, the king headed to the area near the palace where the market was held. There stood his former attendant Pheris, who had a house nearby, hand in hand with a very small and slightly sticky-looking little boy. At Pheris’ other side was another child, a girl a year or two older, chattering animatedly with one of Pheris’s guards, who held a shopping bag with no apparent embarrassment, and a taller boy - his own son, Prince Hector.
“Look, Uncle Gen! We met Hector!” said the little girl happily.
“Hector! How did you get here? Where were your guards?” Eugenides was torn between pride and fury. Not for the first time since the twins were born, he experienced an unwelcome twinge of sympathy for his own father.
He spoke seriously. “You mustn’t sneak off like this, Hector. Everyone thought you had been kidnapped.”
“Everyone is an idiot,” said his son.
“That’s as may be,” began his father, and stopped before he said anything he might regret later.
“Your majesty,” said Pheris’ little daughter, very politely. Nerissa idolised Hector and always defended him, even though he was quite a few years older than her. “He just wanted some of the special almond honey cakes. The man said they’re better than Brinna’s.”
“For your birthday present,” said Hector.
Very respectfully, the guard proferred the shopping bag.