Peacekeeper

Castle of Peacekeeper, Border of Aruhel and Voek, 284 AU.

Bored. Vale was bored. Utterly, ridiculously bored. If Luka wasn’t here, he would have already snapped and drunk himself into a coma in the hopes of forgetting his boredom. Why the fuck had he been the one sent to Voek? He was a poor politician, a worst guest, and an international disappointment. The King of Voek was bound to be offended that, out of the four Princes of Aruhel, Vale had been chosen to represent the Virinen royal family. Lady Maela’s presence might help save face, but she was a still child and not the Duchess. If she had been a genius of some sort, it would help, but the girl was hopelessly naïve. She was clever and learnt fast, but she had been sheltered her whole life, that was painfully obvious. In a way, she was lucky, but one day, she would have to see the world for the rotten, disgusting place it was.

Vale grimaced at the thought. He knew exactly how she would face reality. His mother hadn’t bothered hiding from him that she planned on killing Duke Talfryn sooner rather than later. Vale almost felt bad for the whole thing, but he wasn’t kind enough. Caring about others wasn’t something he could afford; his own life was already in danger. Luka had warmed himself into his heart despite Vale’s best attempts at keeping the knight away, and now he knew he would have to fight twice harder to protect his lover, especially since Luka had no family to protect. He gulped at the thought of Luka being hurt. Even though it was stupid, he felt the need to look at his lover to reassure himself. Of course, Luka was fine. He was chatting with Lady Maela and her cousin, Hanika, about some story about the South. His long chestnut hair wasn’t tied today and touched his shoulders. His beard was neatly cut, and his hazelnut eyes were almost shining with excitement. As always, he was beautiful.

Vale had had dozens upon dozens of lovers and paramours before Luka, but the Western knight was the only one he had ever loved. The only one he wanted to spend his life with, no matter the circumstances. If they were lucky, perhaps the world would give them this chance. But they would need to fight for it. Vale would have to fight for it. He would make Helio King, if only to live with Luka in peace. He would take him on expensive trips to every country on the continent, and he would cover him with expensive gifts. He would give Luka the life he deserved; he would make him smile every day. ‘Aaah, I sound so sappy,’ he thought with a sigh. It was easier when he didn’t love anyone but himself. When Mother and Helio were the only one, he was ready to fight for – although he wouldn’t die for them –, he wasn’t afraid. Now that he had Luka, he was. He was afraid that Neve would go after the knight to cripple Vale.

The thought only made him want to fight Neve even more. She had already threatened his family’s life. He could have kept Luka hidden from the rest of the world, but he knew that the best way to protect him was to make sure everyone knew who he was. This way, Neve couldn’t go after him, not unless she was ready to be publicly known as a queen who went after low-born knights. Was there a higher dishonour? There was, obviously, but Neve cared about her dignity and honour more than anything. Her family didn’t have much else to brag about, after all. She wouldn’t put in jeopardy the image she had spent years creating.

There was a knock on the carriage door, and Vale sat up to open the small window. One of the riders escorting them, a Southern knight, was on the other side.

“Peacekeeper is in sight, my Prince. We should arrive in half an hour.”

“Perfect,” he replied.

Peacekeeper was very much different from Pearlforest. Pearlforest was more of a mansion than a real castle. Although high halls surrounded the place, the building’s walls weren’t thick, and the windows large. Peacekeeper, on the other hand, was tall and made of large stones that wouldn’t budge easily even under attack. There was probably no garden to visit and the city around it was fortified as well. It was meant to hold the borders no matter what, and most likely the most armed stronghold of the South. If Vale remembered his history lessons properly, the castle was a mere couple of centuries old compared to Pearlforest, that had stood for over a millennium. The King of Aruhel had ordered its construction after the unification of the kingdom, when tensions with Voek were still far too high to be at peace. Voek had supported Yggalë during the unification, so the King of Aruhel had repaid them by closing the border for a decade, crippling their economy, and causing a massive famine.

All that for a dick measuring contest. That, and a lot of money, of course.

Vale sighed before coming out of the carriage. In front of him stood Duke Talfryn’s elder sister, Lady Varena. Being a cripple with only one valid eye, she had been denied Pearlforest and the leadership of House Yale. All Vale knew was that the loss of her eye was an accident, but he had never bothered looking into it. But now, seeing the massive scars across her face, it was obvious she had been attacked by some sort of wild animal. Frankly, it was a miracle she still had a good eye. Next to Lady Varena was her only son, Ser Branwen, who would inherit Peacekeeper after her death. She also had a daughter from what Vale remembered, but she was apparently absent.

“Peacekeeper is yours to command, Your Grace,” the woman said coldly.

All put a knee to the ground, and Vale froze. He had never been received like this by a Duke or his family. Not personally, at least.

“You may rise,” he articulated, relieved he hadn’t stuttered.

They did so, and Lady Varena’s cold expression warmed instantly as Lady Maela and Lady Hamya rushed in her arms.

“Aunt Varena!” the girls exclaimed happily.

“My sweet girls, how you’ve grown! Show me your faces! How beautiful you are! Let us go inside. Servants will take care of your luggage, and you have stories to tell me. Branwen, do be a good host and look after the Prince, will you?”

“Yes, Mother.”

The women left in a blur of moving fabrics, and Ser Branwen approached them, his behaviour showing his awkwardness. He was a head shorter than Luka, with curly ebony hair reaching his shoulders. His eyes were bright silver instead of black, a feature most likely inherited from his father. The Yales all had dark eyes. Lady Maela was the best example, with onyx-black eyes and even darker hair.

“I apologise for my mother’s behaviour. She’s always wanted daughters, so she can’t help but dote on my cousins.”

“It’s alright. She probably doesn’t have the opportunity to see them often,” Vale replied, waving the excuse away with one hand.

The young knight nodded, visibly reassured. Lady Varena’s behaviour hadn’t exactly been the most appropriate, and he had probably been worried that Vale would be offended. He hadn’t; Vale couldn’t care less about this kind of manners. He much preferred blunt honesty to honeyed lies.

“Let us go inside, then,” Ser Branwen said, showing the doors.

000

Vale let himself fall on the bed the second Ser Branwen closed the door, causing Luka to chuckle. Vale rose an eyebrow.

“What?”

“Oh nothing, I’m just amused. Behold, the degenerate Prince Vale, slouched on a bed like a cat.”

“I’d love to be a cat. They get to lay in the sun all day, they have no duties or expectations beyond eating rats. And if they don’t do it, no one blames them.”

Luka burst out laughing, and came to Vale’s side, laying on his side to see Vale. The Prince put a hand around his waist, dragging him closer to him. Luka’s skin was warm through his clothes, and Vale considered for a second undressing his lover and spending the rest of the afternoon laying with him. He gave up on the idea quickly; it wouldn’t exactly be polite, and Luka was clearly exhausted from the journey.

“You’d make a perfect cat”, the knight chuckled, pressing a kiss to Vale’s lips.

“I know. I’d be your annoying pet, and you’d have to take me everywhere with you.”

“Would I, now?”

“Of course.”

They laughed a bit, before Vale’s thoughts about the political climate came back.

“Are you afraid?”

Thankfully, Luka understood what he meant immediately.

“I was, at first. That’s why I kept avoiding you. I didn’t want to be a plaything, nor collateral damage. I suppose I still could become collateral damage, but I’ve made peace with it. I know you’d protect me; you wouldn’t let me die.”

“I would never allow anything to happen to you. I might be ready to abandon or sacrifice the rest of the world, but not you.”

“So would I.”

Their kiss this time was more passionate, and Luka put his forehead against Vale’s. They remained immobile for what seemed to be forever, although it was most likely just a few seconds.

“What about the Duke?” Luka asked. “I know what your mother plans for him.”

“I cannot save him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. Mother has contacts all over the capital and the royal lands, and the Kales will do her bidding no matter what she asks for. I have no one on my side but her.”

“I know. I’m not asking you to save. I just feel sorry for Lady Maela; she’s a sweet girl.”

“She is hopelessly naïve, you mean”, Vale replied, rolling his eyes.

“I think you’re wrong. She only prefers to see the good in the world. Do you remember the party at Earl Lohan’s mansion?”

“Of course. It was a bore.”

“She got into an altercation with Elyn Lorn.”

Vale frowned. He didn’t know.

“What happened?”

“The Lorn girl tried to act all high and mighty and went so far as to try to slap Lady Maela’s cousin. She caught her wrist, and promised her that next time, she would crush the Lorns under so much financial pressure that they would disappear from history.”

“Damn! I didn’t know she had it in her!”

“I didn’t think so as well until that moment. She’s an optimist, but she still has claws.”

“Well, I assume wild cats aren’t the Yale’s banner for nothing. It’s good. She’s going to need to sharpen those claws sooner than later.”

“Yes. If your mother gets what she wants with Duke Talfryn…”

“When she gets she wants, you mean.”

“Yes. The point is… I don’t think things will go the way your mother wants.”

“What do you mean?”

“I grew up in the slums, and I’ve seen first-hand what grief and rage can do to a person. Maela Yale might not react the way Lady Elenda expects her to.”

“If that’s the case, it will be interesting to see. So long as Helio ends up on that throne and you’re safe, I’d love seeing my mother deal with the consequences of her actions.”

At dinner, Lady Varena spared them almost no attention. She was only interested in her two nieces, listening to their stories about Pearlforest and the Capital City. Vale didn’t mind; it gave him a good opportunity to rest after weeks of traveling. It took almost a month and a half to reach the Voek border, and it would three more weeks to reach the capital city and the royal castle, Sunkiss. They would have to go through the lands of Duchess Anoa Nill, the Lady of Windspear. Usually, they would need to stop by the castle, but the Duchess and her family were most likely already at Sunkiss, or at least on their way. As such, it was completely useless, and they would go straight for the capital. Vale was glad; he had no intention to endure another reception at a lord’s mansion. He was already going to endure about two weeks of glares and words spoken behind his back. About his birth, about Luka, about his mother.

He glanced at Lady Maela; she was smiling beautifully, telling some story with excitement. He had been mulling over Luka’s words the whole afternoon. Would this little girl truly be an obstacle to his mother, in the future? It would be quite the sight if that was the case. Nonetheless, he had his doubts. Luka was good at reading others, but so was Vale. And Maela Yale wasn’t remarkable in any way. She would break or bend before his mother, and Elenda Kale would get what she wanted. If she had found her way into the king’s bed and made him acknowledge two bastards despite House Blackstone’s influence, there was nothing that could stop her. Not that Vale wanted her to be stopped, anyways. Helio being King meant that he would be freed from his duties and anxieties.