Chapter Welcome Home

Dinner was served in the dining hall. Its low ceilings trapped the aroma of the food wafting up from the kitchens below. Situated in the innermost section of the castle, the dining hall had no windows and plain walls. However, the ornate tapestries that hung in the place of the windows depicting all sorts of varying scenes from the Heliki people’s bloody history certainly brightened the space up. The royals made their way to their seats in the front of the room, rising from the floor and separated from the common tables was a single long dark oak table with plush chairs all positioned to look out over the rest of the room. Their food would be brought to them on silver platters, while the rest would serve themselves from the buffet lining the walls of the room beneath the tapestries. Dull chatter filled the space as varying nobles and advisors filled the room, taking up their seats at the long tables below. Caldwin and his siblings crossed the room to take up their usual seats without hesitation. Her mate only hesitating before sitting as he realized she did not have a place beside him. Amira smiled softly up to him and silently mouthed the words ‘it’s okay’ before she turned to Rollo who remained standing by her side having refused to leave it since he’d returned.

“Let’s get some dinner, yes? We have a lot of catching up to do,” The Princess suggested receiving an approving nod from her friend before the two made their way towards the array of foods alongside the room. She could feel Caldwin’s gaze tracing her, following their movements, but he wouldn’t dare say anything, not in public like this. Besides, she was safe with Rollo and needed to talk to him before anyone else did.

They moved silently, piling foods of their choice onto their plates before making their way back to an unoccupied space at a table nearest the royals. Amira placed her food down on the table before sitting on the long wooden bench, Rollo mirroring her movements and sitting beside her, obstructing her view of the Prince as he had subtlety placed himself between them.

“Rue told me about what happened here,” Rollo began as he looked at Amira concern flickering in his gaze as he examined her once more to ensure she truly was not hurt. “I was so worried about you.” His food remained untouched as his hand gently shifted to rest on the princess’s leg in a hidden, but reassuring gesture.

Amira smiled softly and leaned into her friend, her head briefly resting on his shoulder, “and I was worried for you,” she echoed his statement with a soft sigh before sitting up once more. “I felt awful leaving you like that… I-I didn’t know what had happened to you.” The painful reminder of the fear that had consumed her rearing its ugly head drawing tears to her eyes that she refused to let fall. “I’m so… so sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. I told you to go.” Rollo said, squeezing her leg gently. “Besides, you thought I couldn’t handle that fool? I could beat him in my sleep,” the guard teased, earning himself a smile and small laugh from his Princess, but her pained expression had him offering an explanation for his absence as quickly as the words would leave his mouth. “I am sorry I took so long in getting back to you,” he apologized. “But as soon as Gwen’s plan fell through she must have known Bastein was to blame and exactly where he would’ve gone,” Rollo sighed shaking his head as his gaze shifted to his plate for a moment before looking back to Amira deciding that sparing her the truth would do no good in this situation. “She sent others to kill me. Well, us, and I spent a long time dragging his arrogant ass across the countryside trying to avoid her minions. Rue happened upon us by chance, and from there, our return home was expedited.”

“Well then, I’m glad you’re back, and in one piece I don’t know what I’d do without you,” Amira admitted her own hand placing over his gently in a sort of quiet hug.

“Likely go mad,” the guard teased, earning himself an exasperated sigh and an eye roll from the Princess. She shoved his shoulder playfully and shook her head, setting down her fork from where she had begun to dig into her dinner.

“You wish,” she teased before her demeanor changed, shifting to one of a more serious nature and Rollo picked up on it instantly. The time for jokes was over, there was a war brewing, and everyone knew it. “The men who came after you. What manner of creatures were they?” Amira asked softly, she had abandoned the hope of her sister ever being reconciled with. She had to treat her as if she were her enemy, and if she were to do that she would need as much information as possible.

“Werewolves mainly.” Rollo readily supplied answers, his own brain spinning with thoughts regarding the growing uprising. “All supplied with arsenals of spells of course.”

“So she’s protecting her fragile witches and sending the wolves to do her dirty work,” Amira thought aloud as she ate the thoughts tumbling around in her mind. “It makes sense, but she can’t have all the wolves, not while some still pledge their allegiance to their alpha and their alpha promised his loyalty to Cal… We will have to weed out the traitorous packs.” Her fingers drummed on the table in front of her. How she longed for a simple sword and a single battle to decide it all. She hated playing politics, she always had. She always favored settling things the old-fashioned way. “These wolves that you killed.” She looked to Rollo once more, “Did you get the chance to interrogate them? Did they have any identifying markers to tell which packs they came from?”

“Unfortunately not,” Rollo answered with a disappointed shake of his head. “I had all I could do to get out of there alive. If I hadn’t been toting around the traitorous scrap of filth I could have likely accomplished something, but he made everything far more difficult than was necessary.”

“I understand,” Amira nodded sympathetically. She was about to speak again when a sudden hush fell over the room. All eyes turned to the western entrance as the King made his way into the room. The man’s eyes were bloodshot, his skin tight and drawn from dehydration, the bags under his eyes dark enough to be seen from a distance. He clutched a bottle in his hand as he made his way towards the raised seating area presumably to sit with his children. They all rose instinctively upon his approach. Farquin greeted his father first from his position standing by Caldwin’s right.

“Father,” the eldest soothing tone called out in the nearly silent room, “thank you for joining us.” He spoke gently as the servants quickly went about setting up a place for him to sit. The king ignored him, staggering his way forwards he approached Caldwin directly. Rue moved to step in front of him but with a subtle lift of his hand, the youngest froze in his place respecting the heir’s silent command. Caldwin let his father approach and Zara stepped aside as the king snarled at her. Standing before his son the king spoke, “This is your fault,” he snarled, poking his son in the center of his chest aggressively in an attempt to intimidate him, however, Caldwin did not shy away from his father.

“You’re making a scene.” His reply was calm, cool, and level-headed as he accepted the contact without flinching away. Amira watched, hidden behind Rollo’s stature, for now, her friend having purposely angled his body further to shield her from the King’s eyesight, but she longed to go to her mate. To protect him from the repercussions of her own actions.

“I don’t care,” the man hissed at his son.

“Father please,” Zara spoke up for the first time and the king moved. Faster than the eye could follow he lashed out at her, his hand flying for her face. Just before he slapped her, Caldwin caught his wrist. Eyes glowing crimson, he stared his father down, refusing to let go of his wrist.

“That is enough,” he growled softly as the Princess wide-eyed stepped away from the two of them moving towards her brothers. “Come back when you’ve sobered up.” He commanded his father, throwing his hand down and away from them. The King spit in his face before turning around and staggering off the raised platform, making his way for the exit. Caldwin wiped his face with a napkin he picked up off the table with no more than a mildly annoyed look. Amira watched the whole ordeal astounded at how little Cal had reacted.

Rollo stood up as the King changed direction heading haphazardly for the center of the room, “You want a scene? I’ll show you a scene” the man snapped at his son before spinning quickly to face the room nearly falling before regaining his footing, “I AM YOUR KING” he yelled to the people gathered before him raising his bottle high, “BOW BEFORE ME” he boomed laughter following his words as his subjects rose and then did as they were told remaining on their hands and knees with their foreheads pressed into the ground waiting permission to rise. His crazed gaze set upon the only two who dared disobey his command.

Amira stood, carefully stepping around the bench and adjusting her dress before lifting her gaze to meet the King’s. Rollo stood half a step in front of her, a warning hand remaining on the hilt of his sword.

“You” the King hissed, taking a step forwards and then another stalking towards the Princess. Before he reached her Rollo stepped up, placing a hand in the center of the king’s chest and stopping him in his place. Caldwin was already moving, a swift dark wind rounding the table and descending the steps headed straight for them.

Amira remained where she was with her chin held high, meeting the man’s gaze straight on as he attempted to shove his way around Rollo unsuccessfully.

“I will KILL YOU!” the man roared and still the Princess did not flinch, guards peeled off the walls at Caldwins command making their way to Rollo’s side assisting him withholding the King back. Caldwin stepped around the group and approached Amira; he stopped before her, a gentle hand reaching out to brush along her jaw inspecting her as if he were looking for injuries when she hadn’t even been touched.

She reached up then, taking his hand and squeezing it briefly before letting go and stepping past him. She walked up to the thrashing king, restrained by Rollo and another one of the guards. Her golden eyes blazed as they met the depths of his bloodshot and crazed gaze, “No. You won’t.” She said softly before turning away and walking back to Caldwins side, allowing herself to slip into his grasp, his arm wrapping around her shoulders as they watched the King be dragged from the room. A small shiver ran down her spine as Caldwin gave the command for those gathered to rise. For the first time in quite some time, the Princess felt truly powerful. When she looked up to meet her mate’s gaze she found him already looking at her, but the pride behind his eyes was unmistakable. He leaned down and softly murmured in her ear, “Now that… was my Queen.”