"Move!"
Troan barked, and Beastie leaped out of the way. Allowing him passage through the door and out of the room.
Troan strode quickly down the hallway, back straight, and expression deliberately impassive.
The stormy aura he emitted made servants move closer to the walls as they went about their chores, and houseguards straightened their backs as they patrolled.
Clack! Clack! Clack!
There was a steady cadence to Troan's steps. Like a timer for a kettle to come to boiling.
Troan's lips pressed together tightly.
'I need to calm down. Anger is a vulnerability. Argh! Mother has some explaining to do. Why didn't she wake me up? She always had a way of rousing me anytime this happened as a child."
He fought back an ugly look and managed to retain a stoic expression.
"Troan! You are awake!"
Came a sudden excited cry as he was about to turn a corner.
Looking sideways, he instantly found himself wrapped in a bear hug and practically lifted off the floor. Before being waved from side to side like some sort of doll.
Troan's eyes turned to saucers.
"Ancestors above!" He exclaimed. "Sol, you dolt! Put me down!"
He glanced around and saw a servant watching this embarrassing spectacle. Immediately, his face took on a tint of red.
The youth, sensing his struggle, put him down with a sheepish grin.
"Sorry, I got too excited." He said, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "You woke up! We were worried!"
Straightening the folds in his uniform, Troan glanced at the familiar figure.
Lieutenant Sol Lost. An ice elemental, and most importantly, a friend.
He was a youth a few years older than Troan. He had short dark hair, gentle green eyes, bronze-colored skin, and a heavy muscular build.
Lt. Sol stood a few inches taller than Troan, who was already taller than half of men. His height along with the scars running down his face and another on his muscular neck, made him a frightening figure to behold.
He wore a loose-fitted, short-sleeve shirt atop a dark trouser and with a pair of boots. A metal dog tag hung on his neck; on it was his details on one side and a depiction of a mountain split in two on the other: a symbol indicating him being part of the Mountain Brigade.
The Mountain Brigade were the heavy lifters among the armies of the atrocious north, having the highest allocation of elementals. They were sent to secure only the most dangerous of regions.
Troan let out a quick sigh.
"Yes, I'm awake, as you can tell. But I haven't fully recovered. As you could probably deduce from your success in sneaking up on me."
His eyes twitched, looking disgruntled at himself. Then he shot Sol a stern look.
"You should be more careful, Sol. You could have been seriously hurt if I had mistook you for an assassin. For your sake, do not do that again."
He warned, and Lt. Sol chuckled nervously muttering an apology.
Troan glanced at a pair of guards who had just appeared down the hallway.
"It's fine." He waved it away dismissively.
'My mind and emotions are unstable at the moment, and it's hard to calm down because I have Ervhen's with me; I need to be careful that I don't harm the wrong people." He mused, with a slight furrow to his brows.
Lt. Sol suddenly slammed a fist against his chest, in salute. A big smile on his face.
"I understand! Thank you, Lord Seventh. I was just so shocked and happy to see you up, and walking with so much energy and vigor!"
He said, letting out a good-hearted chuckle.
Troan rolled his eyes and smiled.
Although Troan hadn't asked, he was quite curious as to why Lt. Sol was at the royal capital in the first place. He was supposed to be at Fort Strand at this very moment.
Troan and Lt. Sol knew each other from the forward encampment of Fort Strand. A military outpost stationed deep within the freezing north.
It served to secure the Fort Strand while it was still under construction, as well as providing security for bluestone miners.
He had also treated Lt. Sol's wounds a few times while he worked at the medical tents.
Sparing at the training grounds had also served to strengthen their relationship, not to mention they were both ice elementals and peers—at least age-wise.
Suffice to say, Lt. Sol's presence here at this moment was one Troan appreciated.
Even if it wasn't expressed.
Troan's eyes softened.
"I apologize if I have made you worry, Sol. It was not intended."
He said, and his eyes curiously drifted to a dark folded garment in Sol's hand.
"What...is that?"
"Huh? What?" Lt. Sol looked at his hand, and his eyes widened.
"Oh! No! No, no, no." He panicked and unfurled the cloth. "Don't tell me I wrinkled it!"
Troan observed the garment with interest.
It appeared to be a black cape. On one side was a depiction of Mount Avalon outlined with a sparkling silver embroidery.
'A good design and excellent quality material."
Troan thought, looking impressed.
'It looks like it might match what I'm wearing quite well."
Lt. Sol breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it was fine. Then he looked at Troan.
"Oh! You're already wearing it. The prince's gift. I was just heading to your room to drop the cape off."
Troan was shocked.
"Gift?! Wasn't this prepared by Mother for my fa—for the late king's burial ceremony?"
Lt. Sol's expression became queer.
"Err, no. Your brother had previously sent it to the fort by train along with a message. But by the time it arrived, you had left for the capital."
Troan eyebrows pulled down slightly. "My step-brother? Where is the message now?"
Lt. Sol paled. "Ah! The message—your mother took it." Sol's eyes couldn't meet Troan's as he said this. "S-she can be really compelling."
Troan shook his head. "No, it's fine. I was on my way to see her anyway." He then gazed at the cape.
"...."
Lt. Sol glanced between him and the cape.
"Do you want me to put it on you?" He proposed, seeing his silent stare.
Troan cleared his throat. "I am already wearing some parts of the outfit, might as well put on the whole ensemble. Please do."
Folding his hands behind his back, Troan stood still in thought as the cape was clicked into its clips.
'I just hope Kaydin's intention behind this gift is not too tasking. He always gave me gifts before asking for favors."
Lt. Sol moved in front of him and observed how it looked.
Troan gazed back at him.
"Is it decent?"
He gave two thumbs up, with a grin.
"Majestic!"
Hearing this, he nodded content.
"Thank you. The person who divulged my sizes to Kaydin can almost be forgiven."
Troan said before proceeding to walk past him.
His grin froze in place, and sweat rolled down his face.
Lt. Sol turned and followed him with an apologetic expression.
"Please forgive me, Milord! When he wrote to me and said he wanted to surprise you, I thought it was a good gesture so I wrote back with your measurements."
Troan glanced back at him with a small smile.
"It was only a guess, Sol. You are too easy to read sometimes."
Then he looked ahead and said. "Walk with me, please. And don't worry about that."
He said, and Lt. Sol followed him, letting out a relieved sigh.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, their gentle rays emphasizing their shadows on the ground and walls. They mimed their matching paces.
A companionable silence soon settled between them.
Troan walked with ease now. Conversing with Sol had somehow doused the flames within to a simmer.
He noticed Lt. Sol glancing at a large portrait to the side, portraying raging seas and stormy skies, and Troan got lost in thought.
'Portraits like this could be found all over the castle. Since House Seasult was founded from a family of pirates. Most of the territory within their direct control were island cities offshore: the Isles of man."
Davor was the only city that connected them to the mainland. The city held immense strategic value both in an economic and a militaristic fashion."
Troan cleared his throat, the sound getting Lt. Sol's attention.
"Did grandfather send you to me?"
Though he asked this question lightly, a palpable tension arose as the words hung in the air.
Lt. Sol's smile slowly fell, sensing the disappointment in Troan's tone.
Troan threw Lt. Sol a glance and said.
"While I...appreciate your presence here, Sol. It is not needed. The mission I have been charged to fulfill is one I need little help with. The commander needn't take you away from your duties back at the fort."
His brows furrowed slightly. "His actions simply reveal a lack of faith in my capabilities."
He looked at Sol with a certain sharpness in his eyes.
"It is not a wise choice."