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“Well, um—”
“Go ahead.” Her voice had a bit of harshness to it. Like she had other matters to deal with. Alzerion scooted down a seat or two to be closer to the queen.
“Honestly, I don’t want you to be offended,” he whispered. “However, you have the maids doing a lot of cleaning. This is kind of out of the norm.” His gaze stared back at the maids. He shook his head.
“Oh, didn’t Francisco tell you what’s going on?”
Alzerion snapped his attention back to her. The queen beamed from ear to ear. He raised his brow.
“No, he didn’t mention anything to me. What’s going on, Your Majesty?”
“Alzerion, I wish I could tell you.” The queen shifted her gaze to the scone on her plate. Before she took a bite Alzerion caught a glimpse of her scratching at the back of her neck. He sat back and as she ate her scone she averted his gaze. Something was going on and he wanted to know.
“Nobody is hurt, are they?”
She swallowed her bite and waved him off. “Of course not. We are all fine and well.”
“Then why can’t you tell me what’s going on? You know I don’t like being kept out. The suspense is killing me,” Alzerion pleaded. He stood up and circled around to the other side of the table. Walking always helped him when he tried to keep calm.
“I know, but I can’t tell you. If the king didn’t say anything to you, then he must want it to be a surprise. I can say that you will find out soon, I promise.”
“You know Ihatesurprises.” He folded his arms in front of his chest.
“I know,” she chuckled. “But you should head out. Don’t you have some training planned for the Royal Army tonight?”
“Yes, I do. I almost forgot. Your Majesty, I can’t believe you’re going to have me leave without telling me this … surprise.”
The queen smiled. “Have a good practice, Alzerion, and try not to think about it.”
“Yeah,” he said flatly. “Practice, though, will not go well. Conditioning is never a fun thing for the guys or me.”
With that, he walked away from the queen and went down the hall. He continued out the big front doors and once outside, he took a deep breath.Ugh, please don’t let this be something bad.However, he continued to take some breaths.
In came all sorts of wonderful aromas from the beautiful bushes in the front of the palace. He closed his eyes.Aironell. Then he opened them and realized that time had the last laugh. It was a cruel thing.She’s all grown, he thought as he clutched his necklace; hidden beneath his shirt. He scowled at the thought of what was to come. She would be courted by many suitors. His face twisted as he crossed his arms.A cruel thing indeed.She would return just so he could lose her all over again.He felt a sudden ache in his chest. Then he heard a sound that broke his reverie.
At first it was faint, but then it grew louder. He realized it was a voice calling his name. In fact, it was the king who stood in front of him, trying to get his attention.
“Alzerion, what are you doing?” King Francisco was firm.
“I was thinking, Your Majesty, and I got lost in my thoughts,” he admitted.
“I see. Normally I wouldn’t care, but aren’t you supposed to be training the Royal Army, now?”
“Yes, sir.” He nodded. How could he let himself get so distracted?
“The men are still waiting for you. They sent for me when you didn’t show up,” Francisco said flatly.
“I’m truly sorry, Your Majesty. I’ll head there now,” Alzerion replied as he started walking toward the training field.
“Don’t take too long tonight,” the king called after him.
Alzerion turned around, “Why not, Your Majesty? I should probably make up for the time I lost.”
“Well, you could do that, but there’s a surprise back at the palace for you. Honestly, I think you’ll be pleased.”
With those words, Alzerion tilted his head. The king was in on this trick. He smirked as he turned around and continued on. At least the king wasn’t angry for his lateness. He hiked down the path and veered around to the field by the barracks.
* * *
