Close Enough

Devrim rubbed his tired eyes. He had already plunged himself into fortifying the castle, seeking out the source of the wolfish attackers and trying to keep the palace and Empire running in his wife's absence. He usually did the last task with Aurora, which made it a challenge more than a burden.

The Emperor couldn't think about his wife too much without an ache forming in his chest. Yet, everything he did was in order for her to be able to return as soon as possible.

Even part of a day without his wife an infant son felt like an eternity. He had hoped for some sort of news, but knew that this early, no news was good news. If Aurora had taken a turn for the worst, surely they would have found a way to contact him immediately. So the silence was not a bad sign. He would hear from them soon enough.

"You should go to bed, Your Majesty," a handsome soldier with a winsome smile said as he knocked and entered the office.

With a nod, the Emperor dismissed the guard on duty to go outside. Once the door was shut, Junayd's visage melted away and revealed a golden skinned halfling with slightly pointed ears.

"I thought you were escorting Anna to her chambers disguised as Nurlan," Devrim looked at the Gandr with slight confusion.

The gnome had been shifting into whatever human needed to be present at a particular place so as not to draw suspicion of the massive departure. In General, that meant alternating between Junayd and Nurlan. Most recently 'Nurlan' had escorted the 'Empress' to her new room before barking somewhat nonsensical orders at those standing guard.

"That was hours ago. It is nearly midnight. I suppose you lost track of time in this windowless office. I have been strolling the halls as Junayd for quite some time. When I realized you were up, I thought it might be time to check on you." The halfling studied the man before him.

Although humans aged at a different rate than elves or gnomes, Gandr couldn't help but feel that the grey-eyed Emperor looked even older than he should. Circles under his eyes told of his sleeplessness, and the creases between his brows seemed to be becoming permanent.

Worry had a way of making people look older, and with enough time, aging them as well. Rest was the best remedy.

"Hours? Are you sure?" Devrim rubbed his eyes again, hoping to bring them into focus. Perhaps it had been longer than he realized. "I cannot sleep until everything is settled. Too much is at stake!"

"Forgive me for speaking out of turn," Gandr cleared his throat, "but I do believe you are running yourself into the ground. The Council is quite capable of some of this burden. The Empress wants someone to come home to, after all."

Devrim sighed. The halfling was right. "Very well, I will go as soon as I finish this last page."

"Very good, Your Majesty." Gandr bowed. "Is there...any way I can speed along this process?" he asked respectfully.

"I don't think so," Devrim shook his head sadly. Then a thought came to his mind. "Though you could look over the trap we have set up for those canine creatures. It is possible they will strike again at any time. I can almost feel them breathing down my neck."

The Emperor shivered unconsciously. His mind flew to when he had come upon the creature. Its back was so muscular and impossibly large for a wolf. It could have so easily ripped Aurora in two if not for his interference. Thankfully, he had been just in time.

Passing over the plans to Gandr, Devrim went back to the paper in front of him. It was a jumble of words and no matter how hard he looked, he could not make sense of them. He set down the page in defeat.

He watched as Gandr flipped through the pages in the wooden chair on the other side of his desk. The halfling hummed softly. At last he looked up to notice the Emperor's stare.

Gandr nodded as he held up the pages. "Quite a plan. I am not sure the Fates themselves could have done better."

"Considering the Fates don't even know what is attacking us... though Hanna did have some good ideas on how we should position the men. I should have shown them to Justum when he was here earlier, but he is always so terse and judgmental."

"Justum was here?" Gandr had been busy all over the palace that afternoon and evening that other than their brief exit from the Storehouse, they had not spent any time together. "What did he want?"

Dervim debated how much to tell the former assassin, but seeing as the halfling and the rest of the royal elven family knew Alaron was alive, he saw no reason to hide the information.

"The Fate had information from Mairwen and Alaron. It seems the two were heading northwest toward Oblivion and found a camp of questionable vagrants outside Valiant."

"Justum delivering messages? What has the world come to?" Gandr grinned. "Must have been pretty important for him to make such a fuss."

"They looked to be the poorest of the poor yet they had mechanical message balls and well-kept weapons."

Gandr laid down the plans on the Emperor's desk as his listened. One of his eyebrows raised curiously. "Mechanical balls? Whoever heard of such a thing?"

"A scholar named Yumeto at the University was working on them a while ago, but he never finished," Devrim had very little more information to provide on the matter. "Either way, the people have vanished into the forest."

"How curious! Do I need to go track them?" Gandr leaned forward in his chair, ready for action.

"We have bigger problems just now than a couple dozen outlaws, but I have added a patrol to the forest should they make camp there again. Justum also brought some other troubling news. He confirmed what my wife told me. It seems that my dearest son and daughter were indeed involved in the attack on Chancellor Fannur." Devrim realized as soon as he had spoken that the halfling had no idea who he meant.

"A chancellor?"

"The head of the University was murdered..."

"And your children were involved? What did the Fannur fellow do to them?" Gandr could see no instance where the children he knew would become cold-blooded killers, especially since Alaron had become a Guardian.

"Oh no, they didn't kill him. The twins took it upon themselves to find a missing scientist--long story--and they stumbled up on Fannur's murder as it was happening." Devrim thoughts began to move at a rapid pace as his eyes came into focus. He began to sift through the papers on his desk.

Gandr cocked his head to one side as the man began to feverishly push papers aside. "Well then, do not leave me hanging like the morning's laundry, who killed Fannur?"

"Huh? Oh! Some large lizards that walk on two legs." The Emperor finished fiddling with the papers on his desk. "You wouldn't happen to know any creatures that fit that description, would you?"

Scratching his chin Gandr looked up at the ceiling. The plastered stone had been painted to look like the sky. "Can't say that I know anything that fits that description. I mean the dragons can amble on two legs, but one of those massive creatures would make itself known by toppling a building before killing anyone."

"The dragons have sworn not to return to the land of humans anyway. Justum couldn't tell me what he thought they were either. That is second time this has happened in as many weeks." Devrim looked to the door. "Gerald!"

Gandr shifted back into Junayd's form before the guard outside the office came in the door. "Yes, Sire?"

"I need Captain Caleb." Devrim stopped as he realized what time it was. "If he hasn't gone to bed that is…"

The soldier saluted and went to find the Captain of the Guard. Caleb appeared a short time later wide eyed and ready for action.

"I am glad you are still awake, Caleb," the Emperor welcomed him to come further into the room.

"Ever since the attack, I have been taking the night shift outside the new nursery. I won't let those mongrels get past me again." Caleb clenched his fist.

Like the rest of the surviving soldiers at the palace, he felt responsible for the breach. Even though the captain knew that the prince was not inside, he was determined to make sure the trap sprung properly around the wolfish adversary.

With a small smile, Devrim acknowledged the man's resolve. "I appreciate your commitment, but I have a separate query that I hope you could help me with."

"Anything, Your Majesty." Caleb saluted.

The Emperor pulled his mouth to one side as he tapped lightly on his desk. "Do you remember Advisor Junayd ordering Chancellor Fannur's body be delivered to the palace?"

"I do." The Captain nodded. "He was delivered to the infirmary as requested."

"Yet, I do not see the report of his examination."

"Examination?" Caleb furrowed his brow. "Advisor Junayd did not tell me that…" The Captain glanced at the halfling. The Emperor understood the confusion.

"Perhaps you told the doctor…" He said to the fake Junayd before his eyes opened wide. "Wait! You mean the Chancellor has been in the infirmary for days without being moved?"

The Captain nodded as he scratched the back of his head. "Yes, Sire. We have started to receive complaints about the smell."

The Emperor pressed his knuckles to his forehead and sighed. With the doctor gone and precious time lost, he would have to see if there was anything he could salvage of the situation.

"Alright Captain, thank you."

"Glory to the Empress!" Caleb turned on his heels.

Riding from his seat, Devrim prepared to leave his office. He looked wearily at the halfling, who had watched the whole exchanged. "Care to help me examine the poor Chancellor?"

"I've been meaning to add medical training to my skill set." Gandr gave a lopsided grin.

"This hardly counts," Dervim arched his brow.

The halfling shrugged, "Eh, it's close enough!"