How did he navigate getting the two of them in the same room together with him alone so that he could convince them that they needed to pack up their lives, move into the castle, and have their wicked way with him? Preferably at the same time.
Instead of finalizing a plan and truly having the answers, Eden was overwhelmed. He didn't want to explain things to his family. He knew they wouldn't see it the way he did.
Romilly, who'd just solidified his mating with Archer, his little human, had a complicated situation as well in finding his mate. But his was more of the dragon-meets-human, must-explain-the-supernatural-world kind. Eden's was different.
The good news, though, was that the castle itself was calmer. Archer's presence had created an energy shift. It brought with it a sort of lightness that had been absent before. Some of it was due to how Romilly had reacted to Archer, how the pair were so deeply in love that nothing could bring the king's mood down.
As a member of the horde, Eden liked that fact. He could appreciate how smoothly things were running now. As Romilly's family, he was even more elated. He wanted to see his oldest brother happy, wanted to know that at the end of the day he'd gained another sibling and they would live happily ever after within the castle walls.
It paved the way for the rest of them to settle down too. Though Soren was too busy being a grouch and dealing with Fae squabbles to take note, and Hadrian was working more with their father than ever.
It was suspicious. Eden knew as much, and if he didn't have his mind wrapped up with his mates, he would point out how much his brother, his partner in crime, had been absent lately. There were more pressing matters at hand, though.
For one, part of the bonding that happened between Archer and Romilly had led to Archer becoming a little less human. He now had powers that were emotion-based. He could pick up onpeople around him and his intuition led him to find things more easily than anyone else.
It was a gift Eden understood as beneficial for the horde, though he wasn't sure how just yet. Fate would reveal all in due time. It always did.
The late-night wandering led him to the kitchen. Though it wasn't intentional, he could probably admit that his subconscious was very much wanting to self-soothe with cookies.
Nothing could be bad with cookies.
He kept quiet as he walked through the space. There were no traps or sensors to alert Belinda, their head chef, that anything was amiss. However, he knew from experience that touching one thing or moving an item slightly would alert her to someone being in the kitchen.
And if she took inventory and noticed the cookies missing, she would blame Eden first. Hadrian could have been just as guilty, but Belinda knew it was always Eden.
He grabbed his spoils and left the kitchen immediately so as not to have a run-in with anyone. This time he intentionally went to the observatory. He liked all of the plants there, and after hearing the story of the Gnomes' history, which he had forgotten in the many, many years since he'd first learned it, he wanted to spend more time with them. Wanted to see what they were truly about.
The clan that the Gnomes belonged to was vast. If there was news to be found, maybe Eden could bargain with the creatures for the intel. If he could find out what his mates were doing and who they were doing it with, he could set some things in motion.
He had power as one of the princes in line for the throne. He could have someone go out and look. Again, he hadn't really expressed his intentions to the people around him, so he would work around the obvious choice.
When he stepped into the observatory, his heart slowed. The plants were a welcome treat. They surrounded him instantly, swallowing him up as he wove through the pathways until he reached the area he'd last seen the Gnomes. He sat down, crossing his legs, and nibbled on his first cookie.
Normally he would shove the entire thing in his mouth and follow it with several others. He needed to savor them this time. He didn't think he'd be going to bed anytime soon, and if the Gnomes came out, he might feel like sharing some. Hopefully he’d grabbed enough to do so.
The quietness of the room echoed around him. A magical breeze fluttered the plants and brought with it the sounds of the beings living within the space. Various insects and creatures made a song of the night. The first grumblings of familiar Gnome sounds brought a smile to Eden's face. Good, they were here.
The small men came out of the brush without fanfare. They walked straight up to him, holding out their hands in a line. Six of them had shown up. It was less than he thought might, but he was thankful since he had just enough for these few.
He placed half a cookie in each hand. They could have had a whole one, but a Gnome on sugar was dangerous to the castle. That much sugar, at least. A half a cookie wouldn't do any harm.
For as much as Eden was a brat, the Gnomes were hellions. They would bite and kick when provoked. Some of it was for safety purposes, others simply because they enjoyed it.
They only ever avoided his mother. Not avoided in the way of never speaking to her should she show up. It was that they didn't approach her too closely.
Rumor had it that one of them had tried to bite her once, and her dragon had unleashed hell upon them, showing them who was truly the boss around here. His father had laughed.
Or that's how the story went anyway. Getting the truth out of his parents would be impossible. His mother preferred to be thought of as kind and gentle. She was only formidable when need be.
Eden shook his head, nibbling on yet another cookie as he watched the Gnomes gobble theirs up. When they finished, they sat down, forming a circle with him. He ate the last cookie he had with him, then dusted his hands off on his pants.
"Good evening," he told the group. They dipped their heads at him, staring without blinking in that sometimes-creepy way.
"How are things with your people?" he asked. He let his eyes roam over each one taking in the details of how they looked and sat. He didn't see anyone who stood out as their leader. The group remained silent for a moment before the one seated directly across from Eden spoke up.
"Our people are fine. They are resting, and the others are protecting the plants as needed."
"And your family outside? They're well?" Eden questioned further, stalling before he could figure out how to ask his real question.
