Page 29 of The Silent Mountain
I spend two more hours with Maggie and the other women, preparing everything for the warriors, before I can make true my promise to join Favian and Elio. I clean up swiftly, not wanting to reek of oil and food when I join them, before following the mate pull to my mate and his younger brother.
Theodor guards the private dining room of the royal family, a clear indication that I will find what I am looking for here.
“Princess,” he greets me politely.
“Good evening, Theodor,” I greet him. “Is everything alright?”
“It is,” he says, just to get interrupted by a frustrated groan and something being tossed to the ground. “At least, mostly.”
“I will check on them,” I reassure him, opening the door and slipping inside the room. I’m greeted by the most domestic scene I can imagine. Elio is bending forward to pick up his pen again, with Favian sitting next to him, looking as regal and calm as usual. Elio looks clearly upset, though. He scribbles something on a paper, before groaning again, ripping the paper into pieces and tossing the pen away.
Favian gets the pen without commenting on his brother’s rare emotional outbursts. “I know it’s frustrating,” Favian says. “But it’s not going to help you to lose your temper over this.”
“It’s just… why don’t I get it!?” Elio groans. “I’m so stupid.”
“You are not stupid,” Favian reassures him. “You just never had the chance to study properly.”
“Neither had you,” Elio argues.
“I had Favia,” Favian explains. “She is the spirit of a deity with never-ending knowledge. She taught me a lot.”
“I bet you never had issues,” Elio pouts.
“I bet that Favia would disagree with that,” Favian says. “Let’s try to solve it again. Or do you want a break?”
“No,” Elio grumbles, grabbing the pen once more.
Favian raises his gaze, meeting mine and smiling at me, acknowledging my presence. Not wanting to disturb the two guys, I silently walk closer and sit down on the armchair, picking up one of the books there. It’s about the dragon’s history, and I start skimming it while glancing at Favian and Elio occasionally.
With seemingly never-ending patience, Favian keeps explaining things to Elio, and it strikes me then that he probably would be a great father. I never thought of myself as a motherly type, so the thought catches me off guard.
He would be amazing.
Favian keeps tutoring Elio for another hour before calling it quits, although Elio tries to push him for more. “It’s enough for today,” Favian says. “You did very well.”
“I am sorry for my outburst earlier,” Elio mutters, looking a bit flustered.
“You were frustrated,” Favian says. “It’s okay, you got it together. As long as you don’t throw your pen at me, we are okay.”
Elio and I both scrunch our noses at the thought of someone throwing anything at Favian. He is a patient and kind man, but I doubt he would truly accept such behavior.
“It’s late,” I say.
“Yes,” Favian nods. “We should all retire to bed.” He stands up, opening the door and talking briefly to Theodor.
Elio wishes us both a good night before following Theodor to his chambers.
I wait for them to be out of my sight before turning to my mate. “You are so patient, Favian. I’m actually surprised.”
“Why?” he chuckles.
“You are a shifter with a dominant beast,” I say. “I’m just surprised because most alphas–and as the king, your dragon spirit certainly resembles what I describe as an alpha king–aren’t particularly patient.”
“The truth is, I wasn’t always like that,” he admits. “I had a very short fuse.”
“What happened?”
“The war happened,” he says quietly. “And when you are locked into your mind for so many years, your priorities shift. I learned to be patient. Looking back now, patience is something every leader should have.”
