CHAPTER 6 - THE LAST GIFTS PART 2

Nick sat in comfortable silence sipping his tea and smiling at the nervous glances of the family in front of him. Awkward silences are power moves if you are not awkward while everyone else is. Nick had used this tactic many times to get an upper hand in negotiations, and this time was no different.

He was in a drawing-room of the Barnes Ducal family mansion sitting on a comfy leather winged backed chair. The room's theme, much like the rest of the house, was silver and royal blue. Oil paintings of the Barnes family ancestors lined the walls and the main centerpiece was a large tapestry of the Barnes family crest, a dragon breathing its ice breath with two crossed swords above it, above a richly decorated marble fireplace. A large bay window with blue padded cushions looked out from the south side of the room to the courtyard of the mansion. The center of the room was dominated by a long oak coffee table on a rich royal blue, gold, and silver rug. Surrounding that were two couches and 2 wing-backed chairs on the long ends and 2 loveseat couches on either of the short ends.

Scarlett Lola Barnes sat directly opposite of Nick in a wing-backed chair of her own, and her parents, Duke Fredrick Barnes and Lady Rosemary Barnes, sat on the couch adjacent to her. The Duke looked like he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Lady Rosemary had a mask of polite happiness that rivaled Mary's but was betrayed by the sweat running down her neck. Scarlett, for her part, was tapping her foot nervously, but otherwise was the image of a perfect lady. Both father and daughter had the signature Barnes family silver hair and ice-blue eyes, while the mother had chocolate-colored hair and matching brown eyes.

"So...Duke Caspian," Duke Fredrick hedges nervously, "are you certain we should not call for a healer to look over your injuries?"

"That will not be necessary Duke Fredrick, " Nick responds with a polite smile putting down his teacup on its saucer, "As you can see, I have healed the damage myself, no harm done. Just a few holes in my clothes."

Now it should be noted that Nick could have, at any point in time, stopped this situation from happening. He was surprised by the door opening in his face, certainly, but he could have gotten out of the fall a microsecond after the door opened. He, instead, made the decision to milk this for all it was worth. He was fighting an uphill battle to improve relations with the Barnes family and the crown. Kingdoms have broken into civil war for less than two broken engagements. Was it petty that he had ripped his own clothes and injured himself as he fell down the stairs only to get an upper hand in this talk? Surely. Did it shame Nick at all to do it? Not a bit.

"I am...sorry again, Prince...eh...Duke Caspian." Scarlet says lowering her head to him, "I should have been paying more attention."

"Not at all Miss Scarlet," Nick waves her concern away, "It was I who showed up unannounced. I am glad that I caught you all here, however. I had come today to give gifts to your family in apology for my disappearance and the subsequent breaking of our engagement six years ago. Would you find that agreeable?"

"Certainly!" The Duke grabs onto this lifeline immediately. If it was found that his family hurt a newly christened Duke, others would see it as them threatening or, Gods forbid, even challenging the rule of the kingdom. With Nick being a former prince and a returning hero from a God's quest, it would be all the more troublesome. They were upset at the Remingtons (mostly Matthew), sure, but they did not want to go to war over it. "I have seen first hand your generous gifts to the nation and would be most honored to receive something from you personally. As for your disappearance six years ago, the King has explained that you were given a quest by the Gods. We can hardly blame you for that, now can we? Water under the bridge."

'Good going Dad!' Nick cheers internally.

"I would also be most interested in what gifts you would be giving our family, but a question first. Do these come from you personally or from the Royal family?" Scarlet says with a raised silver eyebrow.

Pausing for a second, Nick thinks about how to respond in the correct manner... before giving up. 'I never really studied this court BS. I need more practice.'

"Sorry, but would you mind if we speak plainly? I was 12 when I left and I must admit that my social skills are somewhat lacking. I feel I could better convey myself if we speak in less formal terms."

Scarlet smirks and her father gives her a warning glare before saying, "Of course. No one is recording this conversation. Let us talk as friends!"

Nick sighs deeply and slouches back in his chair. "Listen, I am gonna level with you all. What happened with Scarlet is terrible and everyone in the family feels awful for it. I cannot really say much for myself, what with the quest from God and all, but Matt has already expressed deep remorse over his actions and you can bet my mothers have seen to lecturing him quite severely."

Scarlet snorts and says under her breath quietly, "I doubt that."

Nick frowns for a second before nodding to himself. Standing up straight and walking up to Scarlet, Nick bows deeply and says, "On behalf of myself and my misguided brother, we apologize to you and promise that we will do what we can to make it right. The Barnes and the Remington families have always been close allies and we sincerely wish for that to continue into the future."

"You surely must know that this will not be enough," An angry mother Rosemary says behind her fake smile.

"Indeed." Agrees Duke Fredrick, "I can understand your situation, but Prince Matthew..." He trails off uttering his name as if it was a curse.

Scarlet turns...well, scarlet and anger is clear in her expression. She had been wronged twice and nearly kicked out of her own home and country. Nick honestly can't blame her for being pissed.

"I can forgive you, Nick, as we had not even met or been confirmed as an engaged couple yet, but I cannot forgive Prince Matthew. Not after he flirted with another woman in front of the entire academy while he was still engaged with me. Not after he shamed me publicly on more than one occasion. Not after he refused to hear reason or logic. Not after he ruined my reputation through slander. And especially not after he tried to banish me from the kingdom! ...If he gets on his knees, kisses my feet, and begs for my forgiveness publicly, then maybe I can let this go..." She says with heat in her voice that putters out into a large amount of hurt before saying more quietly, " What did I ever do to deserve this? I just wanted to experience love and happiness. Instead, he ruined my school life and image... I need a sincere apology from him..not you...I think I deserve that much..."

Nick considers telling them about the mind control, but honestly, it was more of a suggestion than full-blown control and no matter how he frames it, it will still sound like an excuse. "Indeed you do." Nick agrees with her, meeting her teary eyes and feeling the urge to hug her. "I will pass this along to my parents and Matt and see what I can do. Know that I will drag Matt to you by the scruff of his neck to apologize if I must. He owes you and your family an enormous debt."

Nick and Scarlet share a long moment of looking into each other's eyes. In his, she can see determination, sadness, and empathy. In hers, he can see hurt, vulnerability, and hope.

'Whoa...she is prettier than I thought she would be...Why do I feel the need to protect her?...' Nick wonders. He has never felt love or romance and is, honestly, out of his element and more than a little awkward when it comes to connecting with someone intimately. 'Is this love...or just a sense of duty?'

Meanwhile, in Scarlet's head, 'OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG. He is so hot. Like, really hot. Like, sell my soul to the devil just for one touch of those abs hot. His eyes...Gold eyes...Fuck. I wanna stare into them forever. They draw me in and make me so fucking hor...Whoa. Cool it, Scarlet. Focus. I can feel the warmth from his gaze. He is a saint, just like how he always was in the game! So nice and noble... He would love me and take care of me, I know it! He is the one. The one I wanted all along...and here he is, indebted to me...Can I use this? Should I, or should I let things play out naturally? I know I am hot as hell, and he is obviously noticing that now... Do I push for it? We would be perfect together...'

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Scarlet's cheeks start to glow faintly red as the look continues before a light cough brings them both back from whatever world they were in.

"That would be most agreeable," Duke Fredrick says with a dark look, "We never wished for bad blood between our families...but this situation has born an air of disharmony."

"Well...let me try and fix at least my part in it," Nick says, blinking and giving a small smile to Scarlet before returning to his seat and placing two ornately decorated boxes on the table. "Please treat these as my personal gifts to the Barnes family." He gives his best-winning smile and opens the first wide and bulky box with a flourish.

The family peers into the box as Nick removes layers of wrapping paper before he reaches in and pulls out a metallic lump. Once it is on the table, the Barnes family all gasp at the clearly priceless mithril statue of a dragon resting on a mountain of ice.

"Duke Caspian, this statue...!" Duke Fredrick says flabbergasted, "It must be worth hundreds of thousands of gold. It is the perfect representation of our house! Where on earth did you find it? I will see it as the centerpiece of our mansion!"

Chuckling to himself, Nick responds, "This is no statue, Duke Fredrick. This little guy's name is Eldenoir and he is an ice dragon construct. Wake up, buddy."

To the visible amazement of the Barnes family, the mithril dragon raises its head from its perch and opens ice blue eyes that perfectly match the eye color of Scarlet and Duke Fredric. It stretches its wings languidly before flapping them and flying up to Nick's shoulder.

"This..." - Fredrick

"How..." - Rosemary

"Nick..." - Scarlet

Scratching the dragon under its metallic chin, Nick continues, "He will bond with the head of the family and protect the Dukedom and its interests. He can change sizes from what you see here to the size of an ancient dragon and has a power level slightly above that of an ancient dragon. It also has the capabilities of a real ice dragon - ice elemental resistance, ice breath, weakness to fire - so keep that in mind. I would recommend keeping him as a trump card and last defense for your family, as advertising you have it may gain unwanted attention..."

Duke Fredrick Falls to his knees and stares at the statue, mouth agape. Lady Rosemary has a similar shocked dumb expression and Scarlet looks to be frozen solid.

"Duke Caspian!" Fredrick bows deeply, still on his knees, before Nick and stares at him with veneration, tears in his eyes. "This gift... It is beyond anything I could have ever imagined... I cannot even begin to thank you enough. You have given me the means to bolster my land's defenses, protect my family, and secure my family's legacy...all while our houses are on shaky terms..." He lowers his head before standing again, pulling his wife and daughter close to him. "This show of goodwill and dedication to the longstanding friendship of our families... I can see no other alternative..."

He stands straight again and smiles at his wife. She nods and smiles back. Scarlet is still in shock and stares blankly at the construct on Nick's shoulder. "Nick, by your actions and generosity, and by your father and family allowing you to give us this gift that clearly would give us an advantage in a war against you, you have proven the bonds that bind our two families are still strong, perhaps stronger now than ever and that one bad apple souring the wine we share will not break our ties. I declare our feud with your family over...that is, except for Matthew. He will still need to publicly apologize to rescind his comments about Scarlet."

Nick nods solemnly and shakes the Duke's offered hand while explaining how to bond to the dragon construct. The ice dragon seems happy to have new friends and flys to Lady Rosemary's lap, enjoying some good pets.

'What the fuck just happened.' Nicks's mind, however, is a bit more tumultuous, 'It is just a dragon construct, why is he freaking out so much?... Is it really so strange to gift one?... I have a feeling I should have asked before giving this gift now...Dad won't be pissed, right? I cleared the hostility! That is what they wanted! I am sure it will be fine...right?' Sweat trickles down his neck and he clears his throat.

*Ahem* "Now onto my last gift, this one is specifically for Scarlet." Nick opens the long box and pulls forth an ice blue longsword scabbard with embedded sapphires and platinum filigree. At the base of the scabbard is the Barnes family crest made from lapis lazuli as the background and platinum for the dragon and swords. A mithril cross guard and hilt are attached just past the scabbard, and Nick draws the blade out gently past the scabbard showing off the long mithril sword. He lays both the empty scabbard and the sword on the table and looks up to meet eyes again with Scarlet.

"This sword was crafted and designed by me personally," Nick says with a slight smile as Scarlet's eyes go wide. The Duke and his wife gasp and clutch at each other's hands. "It is enchanted with a number of spells," Nick continues, sliding a notecard across to her, "The most important one, however, being its animation. If you say 'Protect' it will come to life on its own and work to protect you from any and all danger, allowing you to cast your spells freely and safely from those that would engage you in Melee combat."

The Duke is beside himself in wonder and amazement and Lady Rosemary keeps looking between Nick and Scarlet with tears in her eyes. "It also has several danger sensing abilities and will protect you on its own before you even know you are being attacked..." Nick trails off as Scarlet starts crying and shaking.

"Nick....I...No one has ever..." She shudders before meeting his eyes with tears pouring from her own. "Thank you..." She gets out between sobs before she is hugged by her father who also is openly crying. Her mother shortly joins them and Nick smiles at the family enjoying a nice moment. Nick stands to leave and give the family the time they need to go over the items (the bonding information is on the card he provided).

He gets a few steps away and is making his goodbyes to the family when a sobbing Scarlet envelops him in a hug and buries her face in his chest. Nick is stunned for a couple of seconds before slowly closing his arms around her and hugging her back with a small smile. Scarlet cries into his chest as her parents look on with smiles of their own. Nick mutters nice words of comfort for the Dukedom heiress who is a balling mess in his arms.

Five minutes later, Scarlet pulls herself off of him and curtsies deeply, her face, ears, and neck red from a deep blush. "Thank you, Duke Caspian. Your gift means... more to me than you will ever know."

"I am glad you like it and I hope it will serve you well," Nick says with a smile and a bow.

"You have given us two new family heirlooms today, Duke Caspian," Lady Rosemary says with the genuine grin of a happy mother, "The protection of our daughter is the most important thing to either my husband or myself. It is good to know that she is personally protected by your hands..." Her smile turns slightly more devilish as she continues, "On that note, I couldn't help but hear a rumor that you will be attending High Academy to find love and a wife...is that true?"

Nick sweats a bit at her intense stare and smile and even more when both Duke Fredrick and Scarlet look at him the same way. "Ah...uh...yes..." Nick hedges, "That is true. I would like to find love and start a family..."

"Then, perhaps...we could skip a step and you could renew your engagement with Scarlet?..." She hedges, her smile widening further as do the Duke's. Scarlet's eyes turn wide and hopeful. "But where are my manners, this is no place to talk of such..."

"Forgive me, Lady Rosemary," Nick interrupts her firmly, "but I will not be taking any engagements at this time."

Lady Rosemary's smile falters and her eyes narrow just a bit. Before she can say anything else, Nick bows and continues, "I wish to find love...fall in love..." Nick blushes and looks to the side, "That is not to say that it cannot happen with Scarlet, just that I want it to happen naturally and not based on politics or deals." He looks back at her with determination, "I will fall in love on my own and win my own engagement by asking myself."

Lady Rosemary thinks for a second, then nods slowly. "I can see you are determined in this Duke Caspian. We shall respect your wishes..." Her Cheshire smile returns, "And I am sure Scarlet will do well with this information. Thanks for the headstart."

Nick looks down at Scarlet to see she now has a smirk of her own on her face as well. Her very beautiful face... That little smirk of defiance and promise both excite Nick and scare the shit out of him, so he decides to make his escape.

*Cough* "Yes, of course. It has been very nice meeting with you all today and I look forward to seeing you at school Scarlet..." Nick says, his voice breaking slightly, as he starts to back out of the room to leave.

Before he can make it 3 steps, Scarlet is there, in front of him, up on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek. "Likewise Duke Caspian. Thank you again for my gift." She whispers in his ear.

"Eep!" Nick lets out a surprised squeal as he flushes from his chest to his ears and quickly activates his teleport to flee this situation.

His last view of the Barnes mansion was one of Scarlet and her little smirk.

'Dangerous.' Nick decides, 'She is dangerous.' He holds his cheek where she kissed him and tries to hide his goofy smile even as no one is around.