Ceremus slowly approached the white-haired man and his talking bird, eyeing them cautiously. It was only when he took a seat next to Hael that he finally spoke.
"So. This was the bird you were talking about?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"We are alone, and you are not on duty. You can call my name," he said.
A look of realization took over his face. "Right, apologies, Ceremus." He called.
Hearing his name come out of Hael's mouth sent shivers down his spine, but he didn't have time to think about why he felt that way when he felt the heated gaze of the bird on him.
He slowly turned and locked eyes with Loki, who stared him down in return. "…Loki was it? It's nice to finally meet you. Hael has spoken quite a bit about you." He said.
It looked as though Loki was narrowing his eyes at him, but Ceremus couldn't process the fact that an animal—a bird was capable of intimidation.
Hael sensed the strange energy between the two. "Loki, please be nice."
The bird sighed, startling the King. "Right. It's nice to meet you as well. Thank you for taking care of Hael until now. I hope you continue to do so in the foreseeable future." He said.
"…Yes, likewise." Ceremus looked at Hael, his eyes filled with unanswered questions.
Hael smiled. "Loki is special from other birds. He's a divine animal who's lived in the Aphthonia Forest until now. Since he's got divine energy, those with divine blood can understand him. So far, you are the first besides myself to understand him." He explained.
"I see. The Aphthonia Forest is quite the place." Ceremus said.
"It is," Hael said. Ceremus couldn't help noticing the fond look on his face as he spoke of the forest. The forest huh? He thought.
He recalled Anemone coming to him in a panic and talking to him about how none of the hunters could enter the forest, and if they did, they were thrown out.
Was it a coincidence that the cause of his problems led him to meet Hael? He suspected the two were connected. The man-beast they spoke of—could it have been Hael? They never did provide a physical description of what the man-beast looked like besides how tall and strong it was.
Ceremus couldn't shake the flood of questions that swirled in his mind about the man sitting beside him. Was Hael truly born in that forest? How long had he lived there? Where were his parents? Did he even have parents? And how was he so familiar with a divine creature who was known for its hostility toward humans? But more than anything, why did Ceremus feel such a powerful pull toward him—like he had known him for an eternity?
Despite his curiosity, Ceremus knew it wouldn't be fair to bombard Hael with these personal questions. He understood well enough that he would feel uncomfortable if their roles were reversed. And though Ceremus wouldn't admit it, he also knew, deep down, that everything he was feeling was somehow connected to the strange dream he'd had.
"Ceremus?" Hael called, bringing him out of his thoughts.
"Yes?"
"You're not going on your nightly walk tonight?" Hael asked.
He stared at the man for a while before shaking his head. "No, I think I'll stay in for the night."
"I see." He looked like he had something else he wanted to ask but decided against it.
Ceremus rolled his eyes as he noticed the few times Hael would glance at him before looking away.
"What is it?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing," Hael said, stroking Loki's feathers affectionately. Ceremus frowned when he did this.
"You have something you'd like to ask, right? Go ahead."
Hael pursed his lips before nodding. "I was wondering what you would do about the earlier matter." He started to say.
"Earlier?"
"About the marriage. Is it really alright for you to refuse like that?"
Ceremus' frown deepened. "Of course, it's alright. Why wouldn't it be?"
Hael kept his eyes on the ground, finding it challenging to face Ceremus under his scrutinizing gaze.
"Well, I learned from Anthanasia that it's important for a King to get married, for a Kingdom to have a Queen, especially when having an heir to the throne is…."
Again, with that woman…Ceremus thought as he felt anger bubbling inside of him. Just who is she to Hael? How long have they known each other?
"Wouldn't it be wise for you to consider their proposition?" He finished.
"No, it's not necessary. Besides, I'm still young, so I have plenty of time to worry about those things." He replied.
"Now, let's talk about something else."
He could feel himself losing his patience and didn't want to risk taking his anger out on Hael. The latter acquiesced, and the two spent the rest of the night chatting. Even Loki would chime in from time to time.
The following day, as Hael was preparing to head to the training grounds before he needed to start his guard duties, he happened to run into someone he wasn't expecting to see.
The young woman who came with the envoy from the Cleves Kingdom was accompanied by another man. They had just finished chatting with Anemone and were going their separate ways.
Hael was going to pass by them and make his way to his destination when suddenly a hand stopped him in his tracks.
The man looked down and saw Atalanta smiling up at him, her eyes sparkling with something he couldn't pinpoint.
"We meet at last." She said.
Hael frowned. "I'm sorry. But do we know each other?" He asked.
Her smile deepened. "We may not know each other personally, but we were at least acquainted at yesterday's meeting. You just so happen to have caught my attention."
"I'm afraid I don't understand. I don't think I did anything to garner your attention." He said.
"See, I disagree with that statement. I couldn't for the life of me understand how someone like you could end up as King Ceremus' personal guard."
Hael felt his heart sink. "Someone like me?"
Atalanta smiled. "Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? Can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? The same can be said about a salt spring being unable to produce fresh water." She started to say.
"What I mean is, you, two, don't mesh well. Your relationship shouldn't work, and yet it does. I've grown curious about you. How did you get the King to favor you so?"
Hael was stunned by her remark. He initially thought she was questioning his worth, believing him to be unworthy of being by the King's side, but from the looks of things, it was only a matter of character to her. Atalanta was essentially telling him that someone as good-natured as him shouldn't be associating himself with someone who was his complete opposite. Hael understood what she meant, but he didn't think it applied to their situation.
From an objective standpoint, it was confirmed that the King wasn't a kind person; some might even call him malicious, but to Hael, that wasn't the case. With his ability to judge people's character, he knew there was more to the King than his outer appearance.
It was clear he was suffering, and his suffering greatly influenced how he acted towards others. Did that justify his behavior? No, not in the slightest. But Hael could understand where he was coming from. Through our suffering, we discover our strengths, learn to grow, and discover the things about ourselves that we may have never known had we never gone through trials and tribulations. The King was stuck in the earlier stages of pain and could not step beyond that.
He could tell that he wasn't beyond saving. All he needed was guidance, a change of perspective, to cross over that bridge to see reason again.
"I appreciate your concerns, but I can assure you that I am fine. I chose to serve the King myself, and I intend to keep that role until the very end, " he said.
He then gave the young woman and the person accompanying her a slight bow before leaving.
Atalanta watched as Hael walked away, a smirk tugging at her lips.
The man regarded the young woman and couldn't help wondering why she had approached him.
Atalanta never made it a habit to approach men unless absolutely necessary. It was apparent to the people in Cleves that she disliked the male species, yet she was willing to converse with him.
Though he wanted nothing more than to ask, he could only keep quiet.