“Thank you.” Leo stood and stretched, the cracking of his spine a reminder that he’d been sitting for longer than he’d thought. The envelope on top of the pile caught his eye. “The boy who wants to join the guard. I assume there’s a story?” There normally was, when Mattias intervened.
“He’s a decent lad. He’ll do well,” Mattias said with what could only be deliberate vagueness.
Leo waited.
“Fine. There are six sons and three beds and his father’s about to turn him out,” Mattias said. “We have room, and he’ll train up well.”
It was a source of constant amusement to Leo that despite being a part of the fabric of the monarchy for so many years, Mattias still managed to have an ear to the ground when it came to the poorest areas of the city and the desire to help anyone who wanted to find a way out—perhaps because he’d grown up there himself. He had an uncanny knack for finding a suitable place for anyone who needed it. Possibly half the people working in the castle were there on Mattias’s recommendation, but it was an arrangement that seemed to work, so Leo didn’t look too closely at it. Part of being a good ruler was leaving well enough alone.
He held out the envelope with the invitation. “Will you deliver it yourself?”
Mattias grinned. “I’ll take Janus with me to collect him. Some pomp and ceremony will make the boy’s day. He’ll be the talk of the street for weeks.”
“You know, it wounds me that you’re so soft-hearted to everyone in the entire kingdomexceptme,” Leo teased.
“Well, not everyone in the kingdom is a pain in my arse like you are,” Mattias shot back, standing and taking his leave.
Leo laughed and called to Mattias’s retreating back, “Just for that, I’m going riding and leaving you to deal with all the arrangements for this damn visit.”
He went back to his rooms and changed into his riding clothes, too impatient to wait on his valet, and hurried to the stables, where he found Mother Jones scolding a lad in his teens who was scowling at the ground. “Hello, Mother. Is Felix around? I wanted to go for a ride.”
The lad’s head snapped up, his eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open in anOof shock. “Shit, you’re Leopold!”
Mother gave the boy a cuff around the ear. “Davin!” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Apologise to the king!”
The boy’s face went bright red and he gave a wobbly bow and blurted out, “Sorry, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to say shit! It’s just, why are you here?”
Mother groaned.
Leo looked the boy up and down. He was still at that age where he seemed to be made of elbows and knees, and young enough that he sported a crop of peach fuzz on his cheeks. “Davin, is it? How long have you worked here?”
“Three weeks, Your Majesty.”
“He’sbeen here three weeks,” Mother said. “He’sworkedfor maybe half that and idled away the rest.”
Leo found himself more amused than anything, but it wouldn’t help Mother keep the boy in line if the king was seen to be indulgent, so Leo suppressed his smile and put on his sternest expression. “If you work in my stables, youwork,understand me? I’ll be checking with Mother.”
“Y-yes, sire,” Davin whispered, curling in on himself and keeping his head bowed.
Mother gave Leo a grateful look. “You wanted Felix, Your Majesty?”
“If he’s around.”
Mother poked Davin in the chest. “You. Run up to the cottage and get Felix.”
Davin scurried off, casting a last glance back over his shoulder like he still couldn’t believethe kingwas standing there.As he disappeared up the path, Leo asked, “One of Matty’s?”
Mother nodded. “Nice enough, got a bit of charm when he puts his mind to it, but never met a job he couldn’t avoid. I don’t know where Mattias found him, but he’s not one of his usual waifs and strays. I don’t think he’s ever had to lift a finger in his life.”
“Oh?”
Mother snorted. “When he stood in shit on his first day, he asked who was going to clean his boots. Got a hell of a shock when the answer turned out to be him.”
Leo laughed. “Well, if anyone can whip him into shape, you can, Mr. Jones.”
“Thank you, sire. The chancellor said the same thing.” He gave a crooked smile. “And in the meantime, at least Davin’s entertaining.”
While he waited for Felix, Leo fed Blackbird a handful of apple halves and ran a hand down her cheek, and she nuzzled him back to show her appreciation. It wasn’t long before Felix appeared with creases on his face and his hair sticking out at odd angles in a way that suggested he’d been napping. He stopped a very proper three feet away and inclined his head in a respectful bow. “You sent for me, Your Majesty?”
