"Good Evening your Highness" said the two guards that were the guards of the King's Chambers.
"Good Evening" said Liam as he smiled and he walked into his father's room, he had been too busy all through out yesterday and early today to come and see his father after the alert of the assassination.
Liam looked around, he could not see any sign of his father anywhere, and his father was placed on bedrest, and yet he could not find him, Liam sighed, he should have known that his father would never rest, even if he needed to.
Liam walked out of his father's chamber, and he turned to look at the guards.
"Where is he??" asked Liam as he looked at them, and the guards appeared nervous.
Liam had guessed that his father had used his authority as king to order the guards to let him leave, even though Liam had ordered them not to.
"Ahhh well your highness.... his Majesty is...." said one of the guards as he finally spoke up.
"Do not bother, I know where he is" said Liam as he sighed, there was only one place that father of his could have gone to at this time.
"Please forgive us your highness, his majesty refused to be locked up like a prisoner" said the other guard as he spoke up.
"You do not need to be forgiven for anything" said Liam as he smiled, after all his father was a very persuasive man, and he could have threatened them if they did not let him leave.
"Oh Thank you your generous highness" said the guard as he smiled in relief and Liam walked away to find his father.
...
"Father please do not tell me that you are working late... once again" said Liam as he sighed and he walked into Alaric's office.
"Oh well alright then my boy, I will not" said Alaric as he looked up to look at Liam.
"Father" said Liam as he sighed and he sat down right across his father.
"What do you expect of me my boy??" asked Alaric as he looked at Liam.
"I have rested enough" said Alaric.
"And besides, it felt more like I was a prisoner in my own Kingdom than rather the King" said Alaric.
"It was for your safety father" said Liam.
"And Father, I remember telling you repeated times, that you should stop working late" said Liam.
"But my boy, that is where you are wrong" said Alaric.
"Oh is that so??" asked Liam as he looked at his father, he was not blind, he could of course see the documents in his father's hand
"Yes my boy" said Alaric as he nodded.
"You see I am doing no official work" said Alaric.
"I am only looking through some archives of the Kingdom" said Alaric.
Liam sighed, of course, he should have known, his father was fond of looking through the archives of the Kingdom, and Liam did not seem to know why, he thought that maybe it was an old man thing.
"So before you can even think of scolding me, I will already save you the trouble" said Alaric as he smiled.
"Oh father, you really did catch me this time" said Liam as he smiled.
"Father what is it in the archives that catches your eye??" asked Liam as he was truly curious as to what his father found interesting in looking through the past.
"My boy, a good attribute of a great King, is that he dives into the past" said Alaric.
"There will be sometimes that the Lord will not let you rest, until you have been brought into remembrance of something in particular" said Alaric.
"Which is why every once in a while, I ask for the archives" said Alaric.
"To go through the past, to find those who risked their lives and were not rewarded for it, and most of all to remind myself that all men are the same under God, and there is no one that he cannot use to fulfill his plans for us mortals" said Alaric as he looked at Liam and Liam listened to him intently.
"My boy, one thing you should always remember is that, no one has any power of their own" said Alaric.
"You might believe that you are a strong man, very strong willed, and capable to achieve what it is that you set your mind to" said Alaric.
"But you forget that there is one who can decide to take you away before you can even reach those heights of yours" said Alaric.
"I am grateful everyday to my God, he could have decided to take me away at anytime, most of all my age mates, those who I grew up with, they have all died, from one ailment or another, or it was just their time" said Alaric.
"But I... I am still standing, I cannot count the amount of times I had fallen ill, and yet it would not be to death, I would always rise up again" said Alaric as he smiled.
"I have gone to countless battles and wars, I have seen people die before me, and yet I am still here in this old age of mine" said Alaric.
"He has kept me alive, to see you grow up into a fine young man my boy" said Alaric as he smiled and he looked at Liam who smiled back at him.
"If there is one person you should never forget my boy, it is him" said Alaric.
"Because it is he who made us, and not ourselves, we are his people, and just the sheep of his pasture" said Alaric.
"Do not worry father" said Liam.
"I will never forget him, I will always give the victory to him" said Liam as he smiled and he kissed the back of his father's hand.
"Yes my boy, yes" said Alaric as he smiled.
"And I strongly believe that one of the reasons he has not taken me away yet" said Alaric.
"Is because I am yet to see you fulfilled and you know that my fulfillment I am referring to a wife" said Alaric as he winked.
"Oh Father, you are still as cheeky as ever" said Liam as he laughed.
"Well father, there is no need to worry" said Liam.
"The wedding preparations are already in place" said Liam.
"Ahhh I am glad my boy" said Alaric as he smiled, to think that in a few days, he would now have a new member added to his family, he would have a daughter in law, and hopefully a grandchild very soon.
Alaric had found Wura a very polite woman, and she was very respectful too, not only was she elegant and gentle. but Alaric could not have chosen a better wife for his only son.
"According to tradition Lady Diwura would be moving to the Castle soon" said Liam.
"Ahh I cannot wait for that day" said Alaric as he smiled.
"And I see that you both still refer to each other with titles" said Alaric.
"Very... very... respectful of you both" said Alaric as he laughed, he was not as gentle as his son.
"Well father Lady Diwura insists that we leave all pleasures till we are married" said Liam as she smiled.
"Well Lady Diwura sounds like a very principled woman" said Alaric as he smiled.
"Oh father, if only you knew" said Liam as he laughed to himself.
"Ahh and before I forget, I was invited to dinner by the Scots" said Liam.
"I see" said Alaric.
"Yes father, it is not a formal arrangement, I believe it is just a way for me to get to know the family more, and I am not opposed to the idea" said Liam.
"And neither am I my boy" said Alaric.
"A word of advice my boy" said Alaric.
"When you marry a woman, you are not only marrying her, but her family as well" said Alaric.
"So it is best that you build a cordial relationship with your in laws" said Alaric.
"Shew yourself friendly, and approachable" said Alaric.
"Yes Father I will" said Liam as he smiled and he nodded his head.
"That is my boy" said Alaric as he chuckled.
"You see my boy, I still have a cordial relationship with the family of your mother" said Alaric as he smiled.
"Yes, I know father" said Liam as he smiled.
"Speaking of which, have you sent Nigel an invitation for the wedding??" asked Alaric.
"Yes Father, I was going to send him an invitation as soon as they were ready to be sent to the entire Kingdom" said Liam as he smiled.
"That is very good my boy, I am sure that he would be more than happy to attend your wedding" said Alaric as he smiled and Liam smiled at him.
"Well father, enough talking today, It is about time that you go and sleep, the night is no longer young" said Liam.
"Oh my boy, of course, of course" said Alaric as he closed the archives and he placed it on his desk and he stood up.
"Let me accompany you to your chamber" said Liam as he stood up.
"Thank you my boy" said Alaric as he smiled and Liam smiled at him.