Gabriel went back to Cooke Street. He immediately decided that, without Joan around, the place was boring, cold, and unhappy. Or perhaps that was just him without her. Maybe his attitude was reflected in the state of the house.

Gabriel shook himself, and went to his study, knowing he was being ridiculous. He had the whole day ahead of him, until about four o’clock, which was when he needed to head over to Myles’ enormous manor house, where the ball was being held, upon the King’s insistence, as Myles could better protect his son in the place he knew best, his own home, which just as beautiful, if not more modern, than the royal palace itself. It was also far easier to navigate than the cold, winding hallways in the palace, which were maddeningly identical.

This got Gabriel thinking about the King, of course. Thankfully, the current monarch had been accepting of Myles and Gabriel’s presence there as keepers of the peace between their two peoples, though few knew of the Locke brothers’ true identity.

Myles thought of himself and his brother as defenders of justice, but Gabriel really just liked solving problems. Although perhaps Joan was right, maybe solving crimes was his way of caring for people…Gabriel decided that he’d gone soft, but that it didn’t matter to him anymore.

Perhaps being soft wasn’t a bad thing.

Joan wouldn’t want him if he was anything but kind, and he’d slowly come to realize that what Joan wanted mattered more to him than anything else. But…if he was so attached to her, surely she ought to be one of the few people that knew who he truly was.

Of course, it would be a proper shock to her, finding out that the man she had grown accustomed to wasn’t actually Gabriel’s proper physical form…But she was an intelligent woman, and would eventually accept his deceit as something that had been necessary, he hoped, as it allowed him to pass rather unnoticed amongst human society, whereas his true appearance would had caused a ruckus no matter where he went. Both he and Myles would have been in that situation, in fact…Myles just chose to hide himself differently, and used glamours every day, since he liked being able to sleep in his own form, and typically had far more privacy than Gabriel did.

Gabriel, on the other hand, had opted for a far more permanent disguise, and had chosen to use a spell, which Myles himself had cast, to bind himself to this form for long periods of time so that he didn’t have to deal with the nuisance of putting on glamours everyday. There was also always the chance, when you used glamours instead of a long-term disguise spell, that you might forget to put the glamour on one day before letting someone else see you.

A sharp pain shot up Gabriel’s spine, and he fell to the floor, knees slamming against the ground. Gritting his teeth, he waited out the pain, which was mercifully short. It appeared that the spell was slowly coming undone. It probably was about time, too, this one had already lasted longer than Gabriel had expected it to. The pain subsided, and he stood once more, then went over to his wardrobe to retrieve his new suit, which needed ironing.

Myles would soon have to touch up the disguise spell so that it could last another couple decades or so…Of course, they would have to move homes and change their names. Gabriel would also have to have Myles alter the way the spell made him look, so that they could stay in the country.

They’d moved around Averah many times in the five hundred years they’d been here. King after king had come and gone, and as each one took the throne, Myles and Gabriel had been there, each time with a new guise, an introduction from the previous human king, as well as their own king, telling of their presence in Averah, and how it was beneficial for the king and his country, if the brothers were allowed to stay, and they’d never been turned away once…Myles was a little frightening, after all, which probably had something to do with it.

That thought caused Gabriel to chuckle aloud to himself.

They’d have to move on soon, though. He’d been in the house on Cooke Street for ten years now, had been in this specific body for something close to thirty, and had been Mrs. Hudson’s employer for close to thirty as well.

It saddened him to know that he would have to leave Mrs. Hudson behind during his next move, she’d been a good friend for those thirty years, and had kept the three houses that he’d been in, the Cooke Street one included, in excellent condition. She’d kept him well-fed and looked after as well. But his dear housekeeper didn’t know of his true nature, and wouldn’t understand if he came back one day and wasn’t the man that she knew as Sir Gabriel Locke. This was why he would send her a letter, extending her holiday leave to actual retirement, and send her a large sum of money regularly until she died. She was a dear friend now, so he aimed to see to it that she was comfortable for the rest of her life.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

A frown stretched across Gabriel’s face as he ironed his suit pants.

Then there was the problem of Joan. He would not, no, he could not just leave her behind, as a memory that he was entirely too fond of.

She would have to come with him, and that required her to know the truth, the full truth, so that she wouldn’t be confused when he suddenly looked different. Maybe this time Myles would agree to make him look younger. Sure, looking younger made it more difficult for people to take him seriously, but he didn’t like looking ten years older than Joan, as it made them seem a bit mismatched, as a pair, as a couple…

Not that they were a couple. And…and maybe Myles would allow him a face that looked more like his own proper face, which was far more attractive than the visage he currently wore. After all, their people were known for their beauty…Yes, he would beg his older brother for those things on both knees, need be.

Joan deserved someone who looked closer to her age, and whose looks pleased her. Although she didn’t seem to mind the way he looked now, but he wanted to be more for her. She deserved only the best of everything. Gabriel was very aware that he wasn’t perfect, much less a particularly good man, given that he’d been lying to her about who he was for the whole time that they’d known one another…But at least he knew that he could be far more physically attractive, and if that was the only way he could make himself better for her, then he would definitely do what he could to facilitate that.

The detective finished ironing his suit, and inspected it. When he was certain that he’d done a satisfactory job, he laid the clothing out on his bed, lest it wrinkle.

His bones ached momentarily, drawing a gasp of pain before magic swelled in his body, and quieted his nerve endings. Yes, he would have to speak to Myles soon about fixing the spell.

Though it was causing him considerable discomfort every time it wavered, Gabriel estimated that he had a few weeks left before the spell started to come off completely, but that would give him plenty of time to get his affairs in order, purchase a new house, send a letter to Mrs. Hudson.

Joan also needed to be told the truth, the full truth, and convince her to come with him to his next home and identity. Once she knew everything, he would ask Myles to let her see his proper form before the next disguise spell was in place. Indeed, that meant Myles wouldn't have to wear his glamour around her anymore, if she knew the truth.

Gabriel hated that he could never stay in one place for very long, but any longer than ten years in one place, and his neighbors would definitely begin to notice that he didn’t age any. Of course, Myles was able to combat that just by making his glamours age appropriately, and then just eventually faking the departure, or death, of the person that he was pretending to be. Once he’d done that, he’d just reappear with a different glamour, as a new advisor to the King, literally his own replacement.

That’s how he was able to stay in the same place, with the same people. His brother was quite the actor. Although, admittedly, his most recent personality was the closest to his own actual one, cold and calculating. Gabriel preferred it when Myles acted as a man who actually cared about others, and was warm and kind. Even though they both knew it was a lie, it was somewhat comforting to Gabriel to see that side of his older brother, a side that may or may not actually exist.

A slight ache throbbed across his shoulders as he walked through his study, and left his quarters, meaning to find some lunch. It wasn’t an intense pain, so he was able to ignore it until it faded, as he’d been doing since the pains started, maybe about a month before, though the pain had slowly grown in intensity over time.

Gritting his teeth, Gabriel sipped his tea.

Joan wasn’t there, and it was lonely. The house was far, far happier with her in it.

The detective looked around the kitchen, feeling melancholic. He’d have to leave this place soon. He prayed Joan would accept the truth, and be willing to come with him.

Gabriel idly spoke aloud his worries, in his own language. Somehow, hearing the concerns voiced was comforting, like by telling the universe, he somehow wasn’t alone in his plight anymore.

Joan would have to learn his native tongue. The thought of her little voice speaking the words so dear to him warmed his soul, and caused him to grin stupidly.

Before he’d met her, this clear effect of sentiment would have infuriated him, that he’d allowed himself to become weak, but where she was concerned, he found that it was entirely acceptable to have sentiment, and that it felt like sentiment made him stronger, more resolute because he had to be strong for her.

Though she was a strong young woman, he could see it in her face, in her wide, dark eyes, that she wasn’t self-sufficient, she wanted someone’s support. He was wanted to be the person who offered her support so much that it caused almost an aching sensation in his chest…or maybe that was just more pain from the spell slowly coming off…Regardless, he was resolute in his decision that she must know the truth about who he was, and sooner rather than later.