I heard Kiev say, “He’s awake.”

I looked up to see he had crossed the bedroom and opened the door to the living area. I heard movement from the other side. Kiev then backed away from the still open door and made his way toward the bed, but he stopped at the foot and waited expectantly.

The first person to walk through was Markus. He was dressed in simple black pants and grey shirt, no overcoat, but he did have a gun strapped to one thigh and what looked like a stun baton and a few other smaller objects I did not recognize to the other. He came up to the chair Kiev had vacated and stopped. He then gave me a relieved smile.

“Good to see you are awake.”

Another person came through the door. I knew him instantly, not because of a memory, but because I had been shown images and holo-vids of him and the other eleven Kings repeatedly in my lectures with Vang and Dur-rele. He was much more modestly dressed than I’d seen him in holos when he’d been resplendent in his Kingdom’s signature colors of evergreen and silver. Today he wore an unassuming short coat in varying shades of brown with pants that matched. His usual full black and pepper mane of hair was tightly pulled back in a slick ponytail that trailed halfway down his back.

The King gave me such a warm smile that I felt like it was lighting up the entire room, and it helped to dull the edge of the dark mood that was settling over me after learning about Gunther’s death. “You certainly look better than when we brought you in here,” he said as he took up station beside Master Kiev.

I smiled back at him and Markus both. “Thanks. It’s good to meet you in person King Rainus. I didn’t know you had come here to the College.”

The King’s smile waned a bit as he spoke. “Well, your father was quite insistent that I come to help sort things out, though I would have come on my own anyways. The events playing out here the last week have been quite upsetting indeed, but I am glad you are mending well, and I assure you, there won’t be any more problems. I have seen to your security here and once you are well enough to travel, I will escort you myself back to the White Palace.”

Markus snorted. “Don’t take all the credit yourself, old man. It isn’t like you are standing sentry in the courtyard or standing guard up here.”

The King gave Markus a sharp look, but then he turned back to me and smiled warmly again as if he had never been interrupted at all. “The fact is the College is no longer taking on the responsibility of your protection. I have done so, and I am using members of the Vanguard to secure the courtyard and my own Protector to stand guard up here, and of course, Markus has been taking on shifts up here as well. Until the Protectorate can set their house back in order, it was thought best that they relinquish their duty to you and hold off on the Protector selection for the time being.”

“So I won’t be getting a new Protector?” I asked. I was surprised that I was nearly equal parts relieved and upset. I was relieved I wouldn’t be trying to replace my dad so soon after all, but upset, because I still had enemies and a deep need for someone to watch my back. This entire week was yet more proof of that.

The King must have heard my concern in my voice because he was quick to speak up again. “Oh you will get one as soon as the Protectorate can get things more settled. We want to also make sure you get a Protector that will do his or her best for you and not have any hidden agendas against you. Considering all that’s transpired lately, Command simply can’t make that guarantee. So until then, I will take care of your security, and then once I deliver you to your father, he will take it up from there. I’ve been told that he is already looking over matters personally to make sure you are safe at the White Palace.”

I looked to Markus. “What about Zorren? Did you get the evidence you were looking for?”

The other man frowned. “No, and I think things are only going to get worse. Zorren is not going to let up and I think it’s a mistake to go back to the White Palace without your own personal guard. The Emperor will, of course, do what he can, but he is not trained in personal protection and he doesn’t even have his own Protector right now.”

“He has the entire Zahnian Legion at his disposal, Markus. That’s no small matter.” King Rainus replied in a clipped tone, making it obvious these two had had this discussion at least once before.

“Yeah, and I’ve been trained as a solider and as a Protector, and I can tell you that soldiers aren’t trained for the subtly that comes with personal protection. It requires an entirely different skill set that is above most Legionnaires abilities. But don’t take my word for it, ask Jamiss. He’s a competent enough Protector and served in the Vanguard before he came here for training, so he can back me up on that.”

The King shot his son a sharp look as if to say that he really wasn’t helping right now, but Markus ignored it by leaning down and picking up a plate that had a half eaten chezik roast and dug right into it, not caring that it was most likely stone cold and someone elses leftovers.

“Who’s Jamiss?” I asked in my attempt to cool things between father and son.

“My Protector,” Rainus spoke up. “He should be up soon. He has graciously been taking the night shift, so Markus can have the day shift.”

I had to admit that it made me feel infinitely better knowing that my security had been taken out of the hands of the College. Part of me didn’t like thinking that. I had, after all, spent that last two days learning a lot about the training Protectors went through. It was a complex and intense process that most times led to well trained individuals, and I did not doubt Markus’s assessment that they were better trained for a protection detail than soldiers. The trick was to make sure the Protector I got didn’t hold a grudge because of the mess with Captain Hame. And until that got settled, I felt better not relying on the College for my safety.

I also knew I had good history with the Nador family, and Master Kiev had confirmed it during my Mind Bending remedial training. I also could strongly feel a connection to Markus, and now as King Rainus stood at the foot of my bed, I could feel that odd resonance of connection I’d experienced with Markus in the bunker. I knew I could trust the King. Like a I could trust Master Kiev. It made my heart swell to know I had people I could count on, especially after all the attacks against me since I’d found out I was Ethian.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Well, thank you. All of you for your efforts. It means a lot to me,” I said, trying my best not to let my voice crack with the emotion welling up inside.

Markus simply grunted as he took a big bite of the roast. Rainus gave me another smile. “You mean a lot to us, Adar. I know you don’t remember your time at River Palace, but we certainly haven’t forgotten it or you. And while it’s been many years and you have no memory of it, we still consider you a close friend of our family. We hope that some time in the future you will consider us friends to you as well.”

I nodded not being able to say anything. There was a short awkward silence before the King spoke again. “Well, it is good to see that you are wake and doing better. I have some business to take care of before I retire for the evening. So I will leave you to rest. As I understand it, Caretaker Yoshi will be back in the morning for your next treatment. I will, of course, inform him and your father that you have waken. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

At that moment, my stomach grumbled and I realized that I was starving. “Might I get something to eat?”

Master Kiev spoke up from beside the King. “Yes, let me go get you something. I should have asked when you first woke. Caretaker Yoshi said you’d probably be famished what with it being two days and all the healing your body has been doing. He gave you several vitamin and protein injections, but it not a great substitute for the real thing. Is there anything in particular you would like?”

I shook my head. “Surprise me.”

Master Kiev chuckled. “Very well.”

He and King Rainus gave me a slight bow of their heads an went to exit the room. The Master following slightly behind the King. I turned to Markus who was digging back into the roast. It was nearly gone.

“You skip a few meals too?” I asked, watching him shovel the bite in his mouth like it might be his last meal.

He took a moment to chew, and then spoke around the roast in his mouth. “No.”

“Oh,” I said, not sure what else to say.

He paused in his chewing, looked down to the roast, then offered the plate to me. “You want the rest?”

I eyed the maybe three bites of roast left, and couldn’t help but remember it had been set aside by Kiev and looked to be stone cold as well. I shook my head. “No, go ahead. I’ll wait to see what Master Kiev brings me.”

Markus nodded like he’d expected that answer all along, then dived right back in for another large bite. I turned my gaze to the white curtain surrounding my bed as it started to move gently from a brisk breeze from outside. I welcomed the air. It had a coolness that only the nighttime could bring to Sora X.

“I am sorry about you getting shot. That shouldn’t have happened.”

I turned my head startled that anyone had spoken. I’m not sure how long we had sat there in silence as I watched the moving curtain, but it had been long enough for Markus to finish off the roast. He held the empty plate on his lap as he looked down at it with a frown on his face.

“That wasn’t your fault,” I said.

“Yes it was. It was my plan, which you went along with. If you hadn’t, you might not have gotten shot.”

I shook my head. “There is no way you could have known that was going to happen. You were just trying to help me, and who knows what would have happened if I hadn’t have gone along with you plan. Maybe I’d be dead right now. Besides, getting shot was my fault. Dad always taught me never to put my back to an enemy, especially an armed one, and I did. I knew better, but I was so concerned about my friend that had been sprawled out and unconscious on the floor that I let reason go entirely. It was a stupid mistake. One I won’t make again.”

Markus nodded slowly like he was agreeing with what I was saying. “Well, mistakes are alright as long as you live long enough to learn from it. I’ve learned from a lot of mistakes in my life. Some of them are repeat offenders, in fact.”

That statement made me laugh, which I immediately regretted as pain tore through my chest. I grabbed my right side and breathed in and out slowly a few times before the pain subsided to a dull ache.

I turned back to Markus who had sat upright in with a concerned expression on his face. I just waved at him. “I’m fine. Just don’t make me laugh.”

The man looked relieved as he settled back into the chair. “Noted. I will do my best.”

There was a small silence between us, but surprisingly, it wasn’t weird or awkward in the least. It was just a silence between two people settling into trying to know each other. A little time passed and I decided to ask a question that had been floating around in my brain since our last conversation in the bunker.

“So what was I like when you knew me?”

A small smile crossed Markus’s face, and then he got a far away look in his eyes as he delved into his memories. “Hmmm… well, you were rambunctious and always getting into something. Usually something you weren’t supposed to. But maybe that was your age more than anything. Though, I will confess that I may have encouraged some of your behavior of curiosity. I never was one for following the rules much.”

I wanted to laugh, but I remembered that doing so would cost me, so instead, I just smiled at the man beside me and said, “You still don’t seem like much of a rule follower.”

Markus nodded matter of factly. “Yes, I believe my condition has gotten worse over the years, not better.”

Again, I fought the urge to laugh. “So we were troublemakers. What else?”

The man took on an expression of deep contemplation before finally answering, “You loved the outdoors. We spent a lot of time in the orchards and the nearby river. Your mother was always getting after you for being wet, dirty, and barefooted. So was mine for that matter.

“You also had this amazing laugh that was infectious and could always get me any everyone else around to join in, even if whatever was going on wasn’t particularly funny. You also loved to play games. All kinds of games and you didn’t care if you lost. You just liked playing with other people. The more the merrier.

“And you were clever, even back then. You knew things you shouldn’t have known. Sometimes before me. Sometimes even before the adults. I think I knew you had Perception before anyone else picked it up. I tried to hide it, tried to get you to hide it, but it still came out. You were too bright to keep covered up forever.”

I expected him to go on, but Markus was looking down at his lap and it seemed as if a darkness had settled on him. I decided to press to see if I could get him out of whatever unpleasant thoughts he’d seemed to be thinking.

“So tell me about it.”

Markus looked up with a puzzled look on his face. “What?”

I shrugged. “I can’t remember those years, but Aragon left me a clue saying that if I spent time with the Nador family that it would help me release the lock on my childhood memories. So tell me about our childhood, and maybe it will help me remember a little faster.”

The man nodded as if he might agree. “Okay, well, what do you want to hear about first?”

“Surprise me,” I said.

The man sat there for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, there’s a lot to tell. You might have been whisked away shortly after your turned five to the White Palace, but you and I spent much of our waking time together before that. There was a bit of an age difference between us, but I didn’t care. You were clever, and I liked that. And you liked following me around because I was someone you could look up to.”

He sat for a moment, and then he seemed to make up his mind and gave me a nod. “I suppose I will just have to start at the beginning…”