Leonard tapped his fingers on the oak table covered in documents in front of him, reading down the list of families who'd already pledged their alliances to him and the Royal House of Marfont and their members, only glancing up in the direction of the door when Rafferty opened it.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah," he confirmed. "I thought Joachin was going to guard the door today."
Shamus, Henry, Andrew, Joachin, Otto and Rafferty were his personal guard and his men. They'd all met when Leo was just a boy in Chandrila, and he learnt to fight with them. He trusted his life to their hands and knew it was mutual. Right now, they were the ones organising the security of the castle and the Royal Guard, and while that wasn't set in stone, everyone had agreed to be personally responsible for Leo's safety, at least until the coast was clear. No one knew if Blackhall had secret allies still waiting for a moment of weakness to attack the king who had replaced their leader.
"He had milk again," his friend chuckled. "So I'm here."
Leonard shook his head. Rafferty couldn't drink milk or eat anything with it. Not that he ever cared about it in time of peace, but was equally frustrated as it was annoying.
"Okay," he shrugged. "Anything wrong."
Someone is here to see you," he explained, and Leonard suddenly stat straighter, his mind going right to her. The girl who'd been in his mind forever. The Lady Coraline.
"Who is there?"
"Lord Talbot," he answered. "Your friend Paul."
Leonard's shoulders dropped a bit, but he was quick to hide his disappointment. Paul wasn't a bad visitor.
"Send him in."
Rafferty left, and he put his paper aside, standing up just as Paul Talbot entered his office. He was an old friend he rarely got to see when he was on the hide.
"Your majesty," he smirked, reverencing him.
"Shut up," Leo rolled his eyes.
His friend hugged him tightly, and he squeezed his back, feeling happy he was finally reachable.
"You're home, friend," Paul grinned. "Finally, Plaenia has its rightful king back."
He sighed.
"I don't know… I feel like mum was more fit than all of this than I'll ever be."
Paul gave him a sad look.
"I can imagine," he squeezed his shoulder. "I'm a man with a mission today, though. I have to ask you something that might be related to why you look so broody?"
Leonard frowned, realising his friend had a familiar gleam of knowing in his eyes.
"What do you know?"
"Something with the Lady Coraline," he sat down and Leo did the same. "Your father said you sent Andrew to collect information about her."
He shook his head. Of course, his father had told Paul. Why was he even surprised?
"Are you thinking what I think you are thinking?"
Leonard gave him a confused look.
"I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat your tongue twister."
Paul crossed his arms, resting back on his chair.
"Leo, she's a lovely girl," his friend affirmed, not even mentioned who he was talking about at first, though they both knew the answer. "She is gorgeous and all, but she is still Coraline Blackhall," he put an emphasis on her last name. "She's Raignald Blackhall's granddaughter."
"She's Leonard Dunch's granddaughter as well," he pointed out.
Paul shook his head.
"We both know that this is not what I mean."
Leo stood up, and his friend did the same, ready to follow him.
"Come with me."
He left the study room and his Duke friend tagged in his heels, walking silently by the closed doors of the better rooms of the castle, going down and down. They continued for probably five minutes when Leonard finally found the door he was looking for, completely isolated and apart from anyone except guards, and so far from the main area that it was completely silent - in a nightmare-ish way.
"Open the door," he instructed, and Paul complied.
The bedroom inside was a shell of whatever it was supposed to be. It had a bed of a thin mattress and old covers, a small table infested with termites and a chair that had seen better days.
When his friend spoke, his voice was confused.
"What is this place?"
"The Lady Coraline's old room," he looked around.
There were no windows, not for a source of light or air circulation, and it was smaller than his own quarters in the Falcon. This place was very claustrophobic.
"She had three dresses to choose from every day, which had sewed herself. She trained swimming in the lake before the dawn when the water was still cold, and trained sword fighting with real swords so that she would learn to defend herself or hurt herself," he told him, deadpanned. "The women in the kitchen were kind enough to feed her at night in secret because Blackhall wanted her to learn how to go to bed hungry, like a real warrior."
Paul shifted uncomfortably.
"The Princess was treated like this?" he asked, looking clearly uncomfortable.
"Paul, look at this place," he continued, ignoring his question. "Do you really think this girl will still defend a man who did all of this to her after his death? I sent her to live with the Dunchs, their house is a paradise for her."
His friend's lips twisted down regardless.
"I still think you shouldn't take any steps without making sure you know what you're doing."
Leonard breathed in deep, knowing he was right and only saying this out of love, as they considered one another brothers.
"I know," he affirmed, reassuring him. "That's why I'm sending my cousin Margaret and her friend to see what they can gather from the Lady Coraline. Her life, her personality… And her loyalty, of course."
Paul gave him a nervous look.
"Give the girl some time too, Leo," he asked. "She's been through a lot, and you did too. Some time relaxing and adapting to this new life is going to be necessary."
"I know. I'll try."