Page 10 of The Night Prince

Her zeal for him to start this work was all too apparent and Aquilan stiffened.Ruminating onwhythis war had started was only superseded in his distaste for dealing with the big Houses who would want their payment for supporting his intervention to save humanity. He’d made them promises and now he had to deliver. Elasha glanced over at him with worry in her eyes.

Not understanding what he’d had to do to secure support for the war, Elasha clearly assumed he was balking at theamountof work that awaited him as she offered, “I assure you, Uncle, that Father, Darcassan and I–or, at least, Father and I–have taken care of all matters that absolutely don’t require your overview.We’ve narrowed the things you need to review down considerably so that it will only take a few hours!”His look of horror–maybe hedidobject to the amount of time–had her swallowing and amending, “Anhouror two–at the very most–of your precious time to look at.”

“An hour ortwo?On thefirstnight Aquilan returns?When you said you had prepared things for the king’s pleasure, I thought you meant some dry as dust party was in the offing!But no, you actually mean to have himwork.”Rhalyf’s outrage was not hidden.

“Only the tasks thatmustbe done by the king have been reserved for him–”

“Fairy spit!” Rhalyf lifted a disbelieving eyebrow at her.

“Such language, Lord Neres!”Elasha cried.

“Fairy spit offends you?”Rhalyf shook his head.“Dear lady, you’re in for an education now that the elves who fought in the war are returning to your precious peacetime halls.”

“Perhaps from the common soldier such language is appropriate, but not from you, Lord Neres.You are a lord of the Empire and King Aquilan’s closest friend!Your behavior will be scrutinized and copied.You must set a good example,” she insisted before adding, “if you can.”

“Then ‘fairy spit’ will be used by every courtier in the realm!”Rhalyf turned to Aquilan before Elasha could object.“We all know what work Vesslan has for you: solving political squabbles and discussing pointless minutiae,Aquilan.The moment you set foot within Aryas’ sacred halls, countless advisors will want to fill your ears with whatever bit of nonsense that is obsessing them.”

Aquilan’s lips twitched.This was, undoubtedly, true.And there was no one better at arranging those meetings than Vesslan, but there was also no one better at getting him out of those meetings than Rhalyf.

“Whereas before when the war was on, you could push aside all of those miserable requests by Advisor So-and-So who has a list of fifty-three bullet points of things that must be decided by you–andonlyyou–even though it’s all about what sort of hoe is to be used in–in harvesting cabbages!”Rhalyf waved his hands wildly as he searched for something sufficiently ridiculous.He’d found it. “Now you will have no such excuse to ignore them.”

“I don’t think cabbages are harvested with hoes,” Elasha muttered under her breath.

“I admit I am not an expert on harvesting cabbages, but neither–I dare say–is our dear king.But he will be required to opine and approve whatever method is used, no doubt,” Rhalyf pointed out.“That is what you have waiting for him this evening.Tell me I’m wrong.”

Elasha pinked.Rhalyf, evidently, wasnotwrong.

“I do have the power of delegation, Rhalyf, so I will simply command you to answer those requests for me,” Aquilan said in a dry-as-the-desert tone even as his mouth ached to form a grin. “You will need to dust off a few books on agriculture so you know exactly how cabbages are harvested, not to mention rutabaga, carrots, peas, potatoes and so forth.”

Rhalyf’s mouth was opening and shutting in a display of silent horror while he reached for the front of his tunic. His hand closed around the chain of the ruby and gold amulet in the shape of the Sun that he always wore. “My king, I will, of course, do whatever you command of me, but I really think since–as Elasha so aptly pointed out–that since I do not even know how cabbages are harvested I am hardly the best man for the job.Not to mention that the learning curve will be too steep for it to make any logical sense for me to even try.”

“So maybeyouare the one that wants a picnic to avoid arriving at the palace on time and merely attributing it to the king,” Elasha pointed out with a sly grin.

Rhalyf bared his teeth at her before he smoothed out his expression.“All right, perhaps our king is not dreading the delegation of these tasks as much as I am dreading having to field them.At least, Tyrael is a beautiful place. And Helgrom has opened a rather wonderful inn there.It’s called The Sudden Dawn, I believe.I’m sure you haven’t been, Elasha.”

“That dwarven tavern in town?No, of course I have not.”Elasha tossed her head at the absurdity of her visiting such a low class place.

“Then you have missed out on what is, undoubtedly, the best wine in the region.And Helgrom always sets a prodigious and delicious table,” Rhalyf informed her.

Despite his evident annoyance at her snobbery, Rhalyf’s gray eyes flashed with good humor and likely a lust for Helgrom’s wine.His best friend was almost always in a good mood unless Elasha or Vesslan were present.Regardless of the company, he was always in the mood for wine.

Even in the middle of the bloodiest of battles with the Leviathan, Rhalyf had a smile on his face as he used his unparalleled magic and martial skills against their dread enemy. Watching Rhalyf fight was like watching a beautiful–if deadly–dance.And when he wasn’t fighting, he put to shame even the most joyous–or some would saydebauched–of the Aravae in his love of food, wine and sex.Hence his particular excitement for Helgrom’s new establishment.

“I am sure my uncle is perfectly at peace with the idea of hisowntable, Rhalyf, rather than one amongst a crowd of drunken fools,” Elasha scoffed.

“Peace?Ah, who cares for peace!”Rhalyf laughed.

“Quite a few people after all this war,” Elasha said with a purse of lips.“Again, you attribute all your own feelings to my uncle!I am sure he does not want to go to the Dawn!”

“You would be wrong to take that bet, Elasha,” Aquilan interjected.

She blinked.“But surely, Uncle–”

“Helgrom is a good friend of mine.By bloodline, he is the King of the Draesiwen Dwarves,” Aquilan said.

“He’s aDarkDwarf?!”Elasha’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” Aquilan did not expound as to why he would befriend Helgrom though the dwarf was more than worthy of friendship.

---