Chapter 166:
Good to See You
Nearly facing the end of the dissent in the kingdom, the final stretch was in view to Eva and her comrades, bringing a sense of fulfillment and joy as the final pieces of foreign relations between the kingdoms would be pieced back together. They truly carried their weight in gold, holding the opinions of their kingdoms in their hands.
The arrival of the noble guests was met with a wash of relief for Eva. Her foot tapping was driving Meredith insane, nearly to the point of stepping away from the conference table to soothe his ears for a short while. However, his departure was short lived with the news of the noble carriage entering the palace grounds.
The caravan carriage, full of young nobles familiar to all of those present.
"A caravan carriage? Smart." Eva nodded, walking with Meredith at her side, smiling gently in a way that Meredith had not seen in some time. "I'm looking forward to picking their brains regarding their kingdom's relations with the Yursear palace. We're lucky to have them here."
Meredith smiled in response, "I agree." As the pair walked, he gave pause for a moment, causing Eva to stop as he said with a thoughtful hum, "Speaking of their arrival, Silas and Clarence should be back any moment. I wonder how Charlotte and Clarence will feel reuniting like this."
The sudden dethronement of Clarence by Malcolm never provided any clear solace for Charlotte nor her marriage to Clarence. There were still many hurt feelings lingering from the abrupt dissolution, but only their meeting could tell what would happen to their marriage, now that both sides carried strong disinterest in each other.
"Let's go down and greet them before they try to rest." Eva stated, staring out the window at the tired, weary nobles, her eyes glinting with anticipation. "Hopefully our conversation will be as fruitful as I've hoped."
…
"We're almost there. Hopefully we can talk to Eva soon." Silas said as Clarence rode beside him, hurrying along their journey as their traveling companions left to the next rendezvous point, having other duties to attend to. "Every time we return, it feels like something else is fixed, huh, Clarence?" He asked aloud, his eyes moving towards Clarence's face.
Due to the construction efforts still being completed on the palace, it was nearly comical to see such peasant-like elements mixed with the grandeur of the palace, riddled with damage and noticeable repairs having been made to prevent trespassers from infiltrating the palace as they had done to reclaim the castle itself.
It's like the palace invasion never happened. Clarence thought absently, staring at his childhood home with a strange sense of calm. While the damage was glaring, seeing the building still standing, full of his own people, he felt a sense of safety, making him want to stay as he had before. If only everything that happened between us before was just a passing dream too.
Riding towards the Yursear palace, Clarence and Silas were met with an unexpected scene. A large caravan carriage was parked to the side of the palace, outside the stables, and Eva and Meredith were greeting the unexpected guests cordially. From the distance, it was difficult to make out who they were speaking to, but the closer they came, the more clear their guests became.
"It looks like someone's at the palace. It's a large caravan… did a group of traders come to speak with Eva?" Silas began asking, raising a brow.
Ahead of them, some distance ahead, stood a familiar group the pair had not seen in nearly months after Clarence's initial escape from the kingdom. Alywin, Philomena, and Charlotte, nearly dressed like peasants, were still striking beside the humble caravan carriage they stood by. Their expressions were full of fatigue and relief, but their expressions would soon change as the sound of their horses trotting up to the front gate brought the attention of those waiting in front of the palace.
"Ahh." Staring forward, Clarence let out a frustrated sigh, his eyes narrowed as he turned to Silas, the other man's gaze fixed on the prince, puzzled. "Things are about to get irritatingly messy."
"What's wrong, Clarence?" Silas asked, attempting to look forward, towards Eva and the others, before Clarence moved his arm in front of him to stop him. "Quit blocking me-"
The prince, with a palpable frown resting on his face, spoke somewhat unpleasantly, "While I'm glad to see some of them…" His gaze fell over a shadow, which he quickly made out to be Princess Charlotte, "Others, I'd prefer not to meet with."
Without much patience, Silas moved Clarence's arm and kept directing his horse forward, shaking his head at the prince's childishness. While he understood the tension between the pair, it was long since time for the issue to be addressed. No better time than to address it now, I suppose.
Entering the palace grounds, Clarence held his horse back as he approached slowly, spurring Silas to slow down his own horse before the two dismounted by the stables, walking their way towards the gathered group outside near the caravan.
There was no time to greet Eva before the arriving group greeted Clarence, their relief palpable as they visited with each other. While their words were brief, their interactions all in passing, the weight of their emotions hung in the air, keeping Silas at a distance as he watched them interact, thinking of his own comrades.
Seeing his old friend, Alywin hurriedly walked to Clarence's side. He looked the prince up and down with a small nod, happy to see him healthy and safe. "Mind a hug?" Alywin raised his arms up, and Clarence stepped forward, taking his childhood friend in for a brief hug before they parted. "It's good to see you're safe."
"I could say the same for you too." Clarence smiled warmly, patting Alywin's shoulder, noticing the fatigue in Alywin's face, hidden partially by his excitement to see Clarence again. "And everyone else. I'm glad everyone's safe." His gaze brushed over Theo, the man's face traced with a hint of surprise before his expression fell flat, still keeping some distance.
As Clarence stood by Alywin, Philomena stepped forward next. She was not close to Clarence, but she did not hold any distaste for him. After fairly losing the selection ceremony, her attention was directed to Alywin and Charlotte. "It's good to see you safe, your highness." She curtseyed low, a small smile on her face. Her words were genuine.
"It's good to see you too, Philomena." Clarence responded similarly, dropping all formal titles as he spoke.
To the side, Charlotte's fingers were itching to slap Clarence, but she held back her hand, keeping her fists at her side as she said with a short bow of her head, maintaining some distance between them as she spoke to her past fiancé. "It's been some time, Clarence."
Her eyes moved towards Silas, carrying a trace of unpleasant feelings, but Silas kept his face forward, knowing the pair had a long discussion ahead of them. She doesn't look too happy to see me. I can understand why. Silas thought, moving his gaze towards Clarence.
Neither warm nor cold, their interactions made them appear to be mere acquaintances as the prince replied. "It's good to see you. We'll have to talk more later."
While Clarence was trapped in the uncomfortable conversation with Charlotte, Meredith spoke quietly to Eva, standing by her side, before approaching Silas with a light, gentle smile as he raised his own arms, taking his nephew in for a hug as he sighed, "I'm glad to see you safe and sound."
Raising his hand, Silas patted Meredith's shoulder in appreciation. "Thanks, Uncle Mary. Where's Maeir?"
"She's inside, probably sleeping. She was up all night working on a project for Adora." Meredith paused, his expression full of thoughts as he said quietly by Silas's ear. "Speaking of, that woman by Clarence… Princess Charlotte. She seems to have quite a few thoughts about you."
Scratching the back of his neck, feeling somewhat awkward, Silas could only respond bitterly, "I know."
"Don't worry. If she tries to bother you, I won't be polite." Staring at the young princess, Meredith let out a light chuckle. "You're my precious nephew after all."
The two spoke quietly until Silas brought up the topic at hand regarding Malcolm. Due to the sensitivity of the topic, Meredith could only flag down Eva and let her know something important had happened, and they needed to hurry inside.
Preparing to enter the castle, the group had all but been brought forward, except for the rest of Eva's mercenary group. Their voices were neither quiet nor loud, but they carried far enough behind the caravan to make all those present curious.
"Are the rest of you coming out?" Eva finally yelled, directing her voice towards the stationary wagon. "There are more guests to greet, and we're short on time."
A flurry of nervous voices rang out, but it was quickly extinguished before footsteps were heard. The first to awkwardly step out from the back of the caravan was Neema. By her side was Yulia and Saoirse. Yulia and Saoirse's arms were linked as the young woman gently led the elven woman forward, careful of her steps as she stared towards the familiar group with a trace of apprehension.
"Neema, Saorise, where is Holland?" Eva shot out directly to the two women, who appeared as though they wished to shrink at that very moment. "I know he brought a guest with him." The word guest carried a flurry of venom, dripping her entire demeanor with danger.
Neema and Saoirse shot each other a look, making even Theo apprehensive as they let out a collective sigh. Fortunately, Yulia took the words on directly, saying, "I heard Holland talking to that new companion of ours. They're still over there."
"Then they need to come out." She spat back in response.
Everyone avoided saying Beau Laurent's name directly, knowing it was a curse to say in front of Eva. However, the two men that were speaking behind the carriage finally moved out from behind the fabric cover, knowing the bandaid would finally have to be ripped off before their true fate could be sealed.
Upon seeing Beau, there was a flurry of reactions. "Beau Laurent?" Silas could not help but say aloud, his face full of apprehension as he stared at the man next to Holland. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He tried to kill me back in Cailith, but he's now here with Eva's group? He lifted his gaze, watching as Meredith's expression fell similarly dark as Eva's. Did they capture him as a hostage to find Malcolm? Or does Holland have some reason for dragging him along?
"I could ask the same thing." Eva responded sarcastically, her expression resembling a cat playing with a weakened prey. "Care to explain, Holland Joey? Why bring along a traitor?"
Restraining his own urge to roll his eyes, wishing he never stepped foot in the familiar enemy territory, Beau kept his mouth shut as he turned towards Holland, hoping to find an answer to satisfy Eva's unquenchable rage towards the knight captain.
The tense pause in the air brought with it an immeasurable tension. Finally, after many pointed glares, Holland opened his mouth. "That's because-" Having already made an excuse before, Holland smiled brightly, nodding his head towards Beau with a self-assured wink.
No! Sensing something terrible, Beau opened his mouth to speak, ready to reach out and strangle the words out of Holland's mouth, but the man was too fast and spoke before Beau's hands could wrap around Holland's muscular neck.
"That's because… he's my partner!"
Though the word spoken was companion, the ambiguous tone of Holland's left much to the imagination. The space around them fell quiet, leaving only the sound of a stray, wandering cricket to respond solemnly with two chirps. It echoed, making even the wind feel shy, leaving a still breeze to hang awkwardly in the air as Holland continued to stare forward, a confident smile on his face.
After a moment, he turned to face Beau, twinkling his eyes as if asking, Did I do well? The only response he received was Beau's narrowed eyes and his seething anger drifting towards him. Gritting his teeth, he wanted to refute those words, but the safety Holland carried with those words was enough to make him smack his lips shut, as if what was spoken was the holy truth.
Everyone's face carried varied levels of anger, astonishment, disbelief, and some shyness. Philomena, standing next to Charlotte, held onto Charlotte's sleeve with a gaping mouth, her gasp nearly audible as she stared forward at the two men standing side by side. Even Meredith, often composed and collected, showed a rare expression of disbelief, staring between Eva and the "pair of lovers".
Why didn't I see it before? They do make a good pair. Philomena thought pensively, her romantic innocence permeating through her head with such an explosive thought.
"We'll discuss this more inside." Before Eva could express her frustrations, Meredith hurriedly spoke, hiding a laugh behind a light cough. "Follow me. There's much to discuss." Yulia walked to Eva's side, taking her hand in her arm as the pair walked inside, speaking in low tones, followed by a soft chime of laughter from Yulia.
Without looking back, Neema and Saoirse led Charlotte, Philomena, and Alywin inside to rest in their new accommodations, hiding their own expressions of disbelief at Holland's audacious attitude. Meredith followed Silas and Clarence, looking over his shoulder at Holland with a small shake of his head, unable to say anything.
Once the area around them was clear, nothing was held back. "You're a fucking moron!" Beau, unable to restrain his anger, nearly wanted to strangle the words out of Holland's mouth, but the other man only laughed along, quickly evading Beau's approaching figure as the other man's eyes narrowed in rage.
Shrugging his shoulders, Holland responded directly, his smile still just as testy as before. "You were worried about being used and tossed out, right? This way, Eva won't be able to do with you as she pleases."
Holding onto what little patience he had left for Holland, Beau responded, "We'll talk about this later."
"Come on, let's get inside." Holland chimed in response, ignoring Beau's threatening tone, "There's a meeting we can't miss."
Walking side by side, the two men stomped on the gravel towards the palace stone path, leading to the side entrance. Beau looked left and then right, feeling as though something was missing. Staring back at the caravan then forward, there was a noticeable, hateful presence that was missing during all the commotion.
"Holland, where's Jasmine?" Raising a brow, Beau shot out the question with a hint of panic.
"Hm, that is strange." Resting his hands behind his head, Holland laughed in response, "I think she took off just before we got here. I'm sure she won't be gone for long, though. Come on."
The sinking feeling in Beau's gut only continued to grow as he followed Holland, stepping forward into the palace with trepidation as the meeting to catch Malcolm was soon to begin.
…
With the noble guests sent to their new accommodations, the rest of the members of Eva's group were quickly assembled, except for the absent Jasmine. The meeting room was swiftly filled with old and new guests, arranged around the large square table in a way that everyone could be seen and heard with a short glance. The group was quickly served tea and other light refreshments before the servants departed, allowing for the late meeting to begin.
"-after escaping the hotel, that is what we found." Silas answered with finality, laying out the paper in front of the group. Eva took it in her hands, reading it carefully as the conversation shifted from the previous events of the day.
Listening to Silas, Maeir leaned to the side, her head close to Meredith's as they read over the letter with interest, "I never thought that man would be foolish enough to leave a written record. At least we know where he is now. But, who will be going after him?"
The room fell quiet again. Neema and Saoirse, while prepared to take on any mission that required them, were not suited for direct assassinations. "We can take the mission if you need us, Eva."
"It's okay, I have something else in mind for you all." Eva smiled appreciatively.
Thinking of his own score to settle with Malcolm, Clarence said resolutely, "I can-"
"The ceremony to reinstate you is too close. We can't risk something happening to you, Clarence." Standing by Meredith, Eva's words cut directly through the air, her tone heavy. "Malcolm, while significantly hindering our plans, does not need you to find him."
Seeing Silas open his mouth to speak, Maeir stopped him, "Silas, you aren't going either. It's still not safe for you to be traveling. Malcolm's goons would recognize you two faster than you two could find him."
It's not that I wanted to go, but… Awkwardly, Silas wanted to defend himself, but Maeir's glare kept his mouth shut.
The tense pause that filled the room made everyone fall still, feeling awkward in the tension of the space.
"In that case, I'll hunt him down." Theo raised his hand, stepping forward with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Malcolm and I still have some things to discuss."
There was a trace of hesitation, but the silence was quickly filled. "I think Theo's the best option. We already know Malcolm's whereabouts, and there's a small window for us to find him and kill him before he runs away again." Holland spoke up, his usual joking smile covered with determination. "There's no telling what Malcolm will do if we don't catch him this time."
"Wonderful, it sounds like you and your companion will be the perfect volunteers to go with Theo. Make sure you kill him. I don't want another live hostage." Eva rolled her eyes, her hostility unhidden towards Beau as she moved her short hair off of her shoulder, her words biting. "You three will need to travel tonight. Can I expect you to be ready by then?"
Holding back his laughter at Beau's irritated expression, Theo responded, "Of course."
With part of the difficult conversation tackled, the group was prepared to be dispersed by servants to prepare for their next steps. Having traveled all day, many of the group members were tired enough to slink away from the table, but Theo, Holland, and Beau left the table together, preparing for the fun the night had awaiting them.
"It's about time the rest of you rest up. Once that mission is taken care of… everything else will fall into place. Until then, have a good night." Eva stood from the table, helping Yulia stand as she spoke. "Follow me, Yulia. I'll take you to your room."
"Thank you-"
The pair left, and Maeir and Meredith continued a short conversation they had been having earlier, allowing those left to their own devices. As the room cleared, Silas and Clarence were nearly the last to leave, full of fatigue.
"Let's go to bed." Wishing to hold Silas in his arms, Clarence clenched his fist lightly at his side, keeping his desire for affection at bay. "I'll ask the servants for some hot water."
"That sounds lovely." Silas responded with a tired sigh. "I'll help you wash your back." Blushing in response, Clarence wanted to grab Silas by the hand and run him back to their room, but, as they walked out of the room, they were not expecting someone to be waiting for them.
Waiting outside the room in a new set of regal clothes, Charlotte and Philomena stood together, looking as if they were waiting for someone. Upon seeing Clarence, Charlotte, standing upright, waved her hand to the side to stop the maid approaching her and Philomena, nodding her head towards Philomena.
"Please leave without me." She finally said, moving her eyes towards Clarence. "I would like to speak with you for a moment, alone." Directing her words towards her previous husband, there was no hostility in her voice, but the muddy feelings hanging in her heart were enough to weigh on the prince.
Standing by Silas's side, Clarence looked to Silas for a moment, as if asking him something, but Silas only nodded him along. "Go with her. You can't avoid this forever." He whispered quietly, his warm breath tracing Clarence's ear. "I'll be waiting here."
He could only smile gently as the prince helplessly followed Charlotte towards the door, looking to speak in private. Watching the pair leave, Silas felt a weight of tension lessen on his chest. He lifted his hand to his chest, letting out a small breath as the sigh he held left his lungs. Hopefully everything falls into place now.
…
Apologies in advance for the two week delay and any choppiness with this chapter. I was fighting severe fatigue and writer's block, trying to get this out. I had repeated work emergencies to work through, so I had no time to physically sit down and write :( Oh, just to add, the part with Silas and Clare being ambiguous near the end was completely unintentional. They sound down bad to shower LOL
Thank you for the lovely comments. They really do keep my old ass going ahaha! Still many characters floating around, so we'll circle back. Most of you just want that bath scene next chapter, don't you? ;A; 痛いよwww
Also, if you like Joel from TLOU, I drew a sketch of him on my twitter (Cat Masseuse)! Until then, see you all when I'm back again >u<