It had been two weeks. And despite everyone’s best efforts, the war effort wasn’t very successful in convincing Kyr-Toryl’s citizens of the importance of seeing this through.

Fennrin found himself getting increasingly more irritable, the only things helping him relax a little despite his failures being spending time with Daryan and his cat.

Fennrin was currently sitting on his bed, petting Snowflake who was purring furiously in his lap, holding her close. He needed to force himself to be a little less stressed. When he was stressed, he was rude, and that wasn’t helpful to their work.

He wished he could be at least half as charming as Ainreth. But being compared to Ainreth just made him angry at this point. He wasn’t Ain, and he never would be, no matter how much he tried. He wasn’t as likeable, not charming, not even a natural leader. Without Daryan, he’d be completely lost.

Daryan…. He didn’t know what he felt anymore about him, which was another thing that was on his mind all the time. He liked Daryan, and he was very flattered someone as wise and powerful as Daryan was interested in him, but he wasn’t sure if he liked him the way Daryan wanted him to.

But when Fennrin thought about it properly, he always came to two reasons for that—the age difference, but much more importantly, feeling like he would be betraying Ainreth by giving Daryan a chance. And it made Fennrin angry whenever he’d thought of it.

Ain had broken up with him. He had told him that as explicitly as he possibly could have. So why did Fennrin care what he thought? He shouldn’t.

His angry mental tangent was interrupted by knock, making him flinch, Snowflake making an unhappy noise from Fennrin jerking her in his arms.

He muttered a sorry to her, continuing to pet her. “Come in.”

The door opened, revealing Daryan. Not that Fennrin was surprised by that. It was usually only Daryan visiting him.

“Hello, Fenn,” the man said. “Do you mind coming with me to talk for a moment?”

Fennrin nodded, putting Snowflake on the bed. As it turned out, Daryan was allergic to cat hair, which meant that he and Snowflake couldn’t be in the same room.

It did make Fennrin a little sad because Snowflake was very dear to him, and he couldn’t share that experience with Daryan. But not only did these thoughts make him feel very childish, there was also nothing to be done about it. It was hardly Daryan’s fault.

Snowflake made a displeased noise as Fennrin got up, wiped her fur off himself and walked out, closing the door behind him. “Nothing new has happened, has it?”

Daryan made a vague gesture with his hand as he walked to his office, holding the door open for Fennrin. Fenn walked in, automatically taking a seat while Daryan closed the door behind them.

“Given our lack of progress, I have drafted a plan that will help us,” Daryan said, sitting down.

Fennrin immediately straightens up, focused. “Yes? You have?”

Daryan nodded, humming as he propped his chin up on his joint hands, his elbows resting on his desk. “I believe we will have to take more drastic measures.”

Fennrin blinked, immediately concerned. How drastic were they talking. “You aren’t planning on killing anyone, are you?”

Daryan smiled, his eyes amused as he shook his head. “No, of course not. I would never suggest going that far. No. There will be a celebration here at the palace in a few days.”

Fennrin frowned because he had no idea where this was going, but he nodded. “Yes, I’ve heard.”

He had heard from a servant about there being a feast planned, though he had somewhat missed the purpose of it.

It had something to do with the celebration of the moon since a full moon was coming up. Though he wasn’t certain why this particular full moon mattered. It must have been specific to Kyr-Toryl as well because Fennrin hadn’t been familiar with this.

There was a celebration of the moon and sun in all corners of Lys-Akkaria as far as he knew, but it was slightly different everywhere on account of all these traditions having been started hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago.

“You will be there, at my side,” Daryan continued. “And you will protect everyone present once an Orinovan fanatic attacks.”

Fennrin frowned harder, for a split second not understanding what Daryan was saying at all, but then his eyes go wide.

“You…. You want to stage an attack?”

Daryan hummed, staring off into space, lost in thought, while Fennrin is too surprised to voice his questions.

“We are running out of time,” Daryan said finally while Fennrin managed to get over his shock a little. “Desperate times call for desperate actions.”

He heaved a sigh as he continued. “Orinovo will attack our soldiers sooner or later, and without you there to support them, there will be casualties. But I cannot convince the people to be on our side without you here.” He sighed once again. “Sometimes we must take charge of our fate to ensure a better tomorrow.”

Fennrin nodded, but he was very unsure of this. It seemed too far. They hadn’t been lying until now. To convince people like this was a betrayal, even if no one got hurt during it.

“But is this truly the best course of action? I do not want to lie to people. They deserve better than such deceit.”

Daryan shook his head. “What they deserve is peace. Which we cannot give them under these conditions.” He sighed, giving Fennrin a soft, sympathetic look, reaching out over the desk to Fennrin. Fennrin raised his own hand, Daryan squeezing it.

They had been doing that lately, Fennrin had noted. The more he and Daryan touched, the more natural it seemed. More comforting. He squeezed back.

“It is a regrettable plan, I am aware. I would not ask you to go along with this if the situation weren’t dire, Fenn,” Daryan said, looking right into his eyes. Fennrin couldn’t look away, the other man’s gaze too intense.

“What do you say? Will you help me save our country?”

Fennrin couldn’t shake off the wrongness of what this plan entailed. But he nodded without hesitation. He certainly had no better ideas, and he trusted Daryan’s wisdom.

“Thank you, my dear. I cannot do this without you,” Daryan said, smiling, still holding Fennrin’s hand. “I trust no one more.”

“Yes, of course. I want to help. Always,” Fennrin said, smiling back, even if his own smile was a little weak. His heart fluttered at Daryan’s admission about trusting him so much. “No one will get hurt, correct?”

Daryan nodded. “To make the attack seem genuine, someone will likely sustain minor injuries, but I assume you will be able to stop the attacker before they can cause any real damage, hm?”

“Yes, of course,” Fennrin immediately confirmed. “Is there more to your plan, or is this it?”

Daryan smiled, once more looking amused. Perhaps he thought that Fennrin was questioning his ability to come up with strategy, which had not been his intention at all.

“We will need to wait for the public to respond to the news. Depending on that, I do have a few ideas drafted.” He paused, squeezing Fennrin’s hand again before letting go. “Thank you, Fenn. I truly appreciate your help in all of this.”

Fennrin smiled again, this time more genuinely. “Of course, Daryan. I just want to help.”

“That you do, my dear.” Daryan smiled more, nodding at him. “You may go now if you wish. I believe someone in your room requires more pettings.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Fennrin chuckled a little as he got up, surprised at how light he felt despite what Daryan had just told him. The man always made him feel so reassured somehow. It was remarkable.

“Oh, and do come see me before the Day of the Moon celebration. I will have something for you,” Daryan said just as Fennrin was about to turn to the door.

“Something for me?” Fennrin repeated, frowning in confusion.

“A gift,” Daryan smiled. “I will not give hints.”

Fennrin blushed a little, ducking his head. Daryan had gotten him a gift? How had he deserved that? “O-oh. Thank you. That is most kind of you.”

Daryan smiled, his face very fond as he waved at Fennrin, who took that as his sign to go, still trying to process everything.

What they were going to do was dishonorable, but hopefully simple and effective. And Fennrin would be damned if the plan failed because of him.

+++++++++

On the day of the celebration, just as Fennrin was about to go see Daryan about this gift he’d mentioned, there was a knock on his door.

Fennrin got up, worried that perhaps Daryan had thought he was late, even though there was still a few hours before the celebration began. But when he opened the door, the person waiting on the other side was Mhalyn, Daryan’s Apprentice.

They hadn’t talked much, even though she was helping with their cause, but Fennrin knew of her at least. It was mostly due to working in very different spheres, as Mhalyn tended to deal with paperwork, and things like that. Things Fennrin had no understanding of.

“Hello. Is something wrong?” he asked, assuming there is perhaps a change of plans.

Mhalyn shook her head. “Can I come in?”

Fennrin shrugged and stepped aside to let her in, frowning and expecting her to explain as he closed the door. But instead she gasped when she saw Snowflake on his bed.

“Kitty! Look at you,” she cooed, walking up to her and petting her. Naturally, Snowflake started purring up a storm, rubbing her head against Mhalyn’s hand. “So pretty!”

Fennrin smiled, unable to help himself. It was nice to see Snowflake get some attention that wasn’t only from him. He simply didn’t have anyone visiting him aside from Daryan, who couldn’t touch Snowflake without sneezing.

Fennrin watched as Mhalyn picked Snowflake up, cradling her and swaying as if dancing with the cat. “I didn’t know you had a cat. What is her name?”

Fennrin smiled at his pet’s loud purring. “Snowflake.”

“Aw.” Mhalyn nuzzled her nose into the fur on the cat’s forehead. “She’s adorable. So fluffy.”

Fennrin nodded. “Careful. She is shedding, currently.”

Mhalyn chuckled, wiping her nose to get rid of the fur no doubt on it now, her head waving a little. “No worries. It’s worth it to cuddle her.” Then Mhalyn flushed. “If you don’t mind.”

Fennrin shook his head. “It’s okay. She likes attention. As you can see.”

Mhalyn rocks Snowflake in her arms, grinning. Fennrin hadn’t seen her this happy before. Or that happy in general.

Fennrin watched for a bit as Mhalyn let Snowflake gently chew on her finger before remembering he’d meant to ask her why she was here.

“Did something happen?”

Mhalyn shook her head, biting her lip. She sat down on his bed, cradling Snowflake still who kept purring. “Daryan told me what he has planned for tonight. Just now. I assume you know about it?”

Fennrin nodded, grimacing. “Yes. He’s told me a few days ago.”

Mhalyn sighed. “Right. Of course.” Then she muttered: “Of course he would tell you first.”

Fennrin didn’t think he had been meant to hear that, but he had, and he couldn’t help but ask. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Mhalyn grimaced, giving Fennrin a guilty, sad smile. “Sorry. It’s nothing to do with you. It makes sense he would tell you before me. You’ll be directly involved.” She sighed. “Anyway, I wanted to ask what you think of the plan.”

Fennrin nodded, reading between the lines enough to figure out what she was actually asking. “You have doubts.”

Mhalyn scratches the back of her neck while Snowflake slept in her lap. “No, I wouldn’t…say that. It simply seems a bit…extreme. Especially for Daryan. Do you think it will be worth it?”

Fennrin sighed, taking a moment to answer, staring down at the floor in thought. He wasn’t entirely certain. If this information somehow got to the public, they would lose trust in Daryan, at the very least. And that would be disastrous.

But Fennrin knew Daryan was smarter than to share this information around carelessly.

“Worth trying? Certainly,” Fennrin said, nodding. “Will it work? I hope so.”

He sighed heavily, sitting down on the other end of the bed. He was quite tired of this whole ordeal, but he knew it was far from over. How Daryan managed to handle politics for years like this was beyond him. He would die from the stress.

“It simply seems very…disingenuous,” Mhalyn said, petting Snowflake again absently as she stared down at the floor. “Do we truly want to gain trust by lying?”

Fennrin nodded, agreeing but having no other ideas. “I trust Daryan. If he thinks we have to do this to progress than we do. I for one do not see any good alternatives.”

Mhalyn sighed and nodded, gently picking up Snowflake so she could put her on the bed and get up, running her hands down her shirt to try to get some of the fur off. “Daryan wants to see you, by the way.”

Fennrin hummed. “Yeah, I’ll go see him immediately then.”

He thought Mhalyn was going to leave, but she stopped by the door, turning around. She cleared her throat. “By the way, is there, uh, something going on between you and Daryan?”

Fennrin frowned, having no idea what she was talking about at first. Then he blinked, his eyes wide when he realized what this was likely about. “I…don’t know.”

Mhalyn raised her hands in a placating gesture. “I don’t mind. I’m just curious. He’s…well.” She looks away, sighing. “I’ve known him my whole life. He’s the closest thing I have to a father. That’s…why I was curious. You don’t have to tell me.”

The fact that Mhalyn was just a few years younger than him and saw Daryan as a father figure certainly didn’t make Fennrin’s view on the age gap better, but he decided not to say that. He’d known the whole time how far apart in that sense they were after all.

“I…genuinely do not know,” he sighed.

Mhalyn nodded and smiled. “That’s okay. Either way it’s okay. He really likes you.” She smiled wider. “You should hear how fondly he talks about you.”

Fennrin immediately perks up. He doesn’t want to be too pleased about it, but he can’t help it. He liked it when Daryan complimented him. He hadn’t been aware he did it without Fennrin’s presence as well.

Mhalyn nodded at him, smiling again. “Good luck today. I hope it goes okay.”

She sighed and waved at him, walking out of the room. Fennrin took a deep breath. He couldn’t wait for this all to be over. The war, the drama, the emotional anguish….

He pulled himself up, petting Snowflake before leaving his room as well, closing the door behind him and walking to Daryan’s office. By now he could actually navigate the palace fairly well, which was a blessing.

There was only so many times he could get lost in the endless corridors before it got truly embarrassing. He’d turned into a shadow simply so no one could see him wandering the place more than once.

He knocked on Daryan’s door, walking in when called. Daryan was scowling at papers on his desk, his eyes dark, but his expression cleared up when he looked up at Fennrin.

“Oh, Fenn, yes, good,” Daryan said, getting up and smiling. “Come with me.”

Fennrin just nodded, not questioning anything as he walked out of the room again, following Daryan to his chambers. He hadn’t been here before. It felt very intimate. Intensely so.

Fennrin tried not to gawk around when he stepped in after Daryan, but he couldn’t help but be surprised at how sparse and simple the room was. It was as humble as Fennrin’s own room, albeit larger, and with more decorations. Namely plants.

Fennrin let his eyes wander over the many, many kinds of them, covering every available surface, some in shadows on top of dressers, others on the windowsill, absorbing sunlight. And in the corner, a large rose bush grew in a planter, nearly as tall as the room. It took up quite a bit of the room when compared to the other plants.

“Ah, here we are,” Daryan said, making Fennrin focus on him. He was pulling something out of a dresser in the opposite corner.

Fennrin frowned, his eyes widening when Daryan turned to him, holding a full outfit on a hanger. It was a very deep purple with a black coat over it, a fur collar adorning it. The rest of it seemed to be made up of a jacket, shirt, and trousers, each decorated with swirling patterns made with gold thread.

“That…is that the gift you mentioned?” Fennrin asked, shocked. This must have cost a fortune. It looked so well made.

Daryan smiled easily. “Yes, I made this for you.”

Fennrin blinked at him, completely shocked. “You made it?”

Daryan nodded, smiling more as he handed the clothing to Fennrin, who took it, gawking at it, rubbing the soft yet strong fabric.

“I…. I didn’t know you could…sew?”

Daryan chuckled, making Fennrin blush. Had he said something stupid? But before he could get too nervous, Daryan explained. “I can. But that is not how I made this.”

“No?” Fennrin studied the clothing, still taken aback at how nice it was.

“I made it from a rare plant,” Daryan explained. I used my power to make it knit itself together into fabric on its own. I made it form the clothing itself. I merely dyed it and added the fur for the collar.”

“But….” Fennrin shook his head, deciding not to question anything. This was clearly beyond his understanding. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” Daryan took a step forward, gently turning the outfit around in Fennrin’s hands, showing him the back of the cloak. The back, which had the shadowforger swirling symbol sewn into it with gray thread. It wasn’t starkly visible, but it was impossible to miss.

“A hero like you deserves a proper uniform,” Daryan said, smiling at him.

“But….” Fennrin didn’t know what to say. This was too much. The gift was too much. But beyond that, he also wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. “People do not like shadowforgers. Is it a good idea to make it obvious to everyone who may not know my face that that is what I am?”

Daryan put his hands on Fennrin’s shoulders, letting him relax a little. “You are a shadowforger. An incredibly strong, power person. Those who know you will be in awe of you, know what hero you are. And our enemies will fear you. As they should.”

The conviction in his voice nearly shook Fennrin. He felt inspired, empowered. He’d never liked being feared for what he was. It was nearly worse than being hated. But he had enjoyed it when the Orinovan armies ran from him, from his power.

He couldn’t deny that it didn’t sound quite good, even if this reminded him of Ainreth and his insistence on having a sun symbol on everything he wore.

“Of course, you do not have to wear it,” Daryan said, his face falling a little as he put his hands away. “But I would like you to. You will look most regal. The clothes are more fitting of your station than anything else you’ve worn.”

He chuckled a little, blushing. It was strangely adorable to see on such a wise, old figure. “If you do not mind me sounding conceited about my own work.”

Fennrin shook his head. “It’s wonderful. I simply feel…unworthy.”

Daryan shook his head, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “There is no one more worthy than you, my dear.”

Fennrin blushed, smiling at Daryan. “Then I will wear it with honor.”

Daryan beamed at him, making Fennrin grin back. He felt strangely light, given what was to transpire tonight. But he was determined. He wouldn’t fail Daryan. Everything would work out.