by C. M. Cevis
“Let me guess, Seth sent you over here?” she asked. Ethan held up the bottle of wine and nodded.
“How’d you know?” he asked.
“First, Onan would have called so he could make sure that I had on a shirt when I answered the door. Seth is more of a man than he lets on, and seems to think that I don’t get laid enough and that a good tumble every once in a while would calm my temper. Second, O also would have sent you with beer, because he knows that I don’t drink a lot of beer and there would be some left for him the next time he stops past. He also would probably have tagged along instead of sending you alone on your first trip over here, in a city that you are unfamiliar with. Seth expects you to be intelligent enough to figure it out on your own with the address and your brain,” Sen said, smirking.
“Onan went out for a date and Seth seemed to want to be alone with his book, so I figured I’d take his advice and find the address on the note. Plus, to be honest, I was a bit curious to see where you live,” Ethan said with a grin. Sen laughed softly and motioned for him to come inside.
“At least he sent you with wine I like,” she said, taking the bottle of wine from Ethan and eyeing the label.
“Does he normally not bring wine that you like?” he asked. Sen shrugged, leading him through the entry hallway past several dark rooms and into a kitchen that was large and open, so suddenly that it was almost a bit of a shock.
“Seth is fancy, he likes dry white wines. Dry wine is really bitter to me, so I prefer fruity wines, and red wine makes me feel fancy. I gravitate towards a good red Moscato, which he hates,” she said with a snicker.
“I don’t really like dry wines either, when wine is the choice. And my taste in beer is expensive,” he said. Sen grinned.
“You and Seth probably like the same brands, then. Fancy and hard to find is pretty much the only time that he drinks beer. Though I will admit his beer is good, sometimes I don’t feel like going an hour and a half across town to the one place that carries what he likes just for a few bottles,” Sen said with a smile. An honest, calm one that made her look like she was the girl down the street that everyone had a crush on.
“I wasn’t interrupting your plans tonight, was I?” Ethan asked, several minutes later than he should have asked. Sen shook her head and handed him the corkscrew and the bottle.
“Nope. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do tonight. Sitting outside and reading with a beer and a pack of cigarettes was in the lead though,” she said, pulling down two glasses.
“I haven’t met many noblewomen who smoked,” Ethan said.
“I haven’t been noble in years, Ethan,” Sen said softly. Ethan looked up at her, stopping what he was doing and watching her gentle face.
“You may not have lived in that big house of horrors on the hill, but you are more noble than any woman I’ve ever met with a title. Barring my mother, of course,” he said. Sen looked up at him, a bit of shock on her face before her lips turned up into a grin.
“Even though I almost snapped your neck earlier?” she asked. Ethan laughed.
“That noble temper of yours seals it,” he said. Sen laughed with him as he poured the two glasses and handed her one.
“Have you eaten?” she asked. Ethan shook his head.
“No, I haven’t,” he said. She nodded and took a sip.
“There is a place around the corner that makes the best pizza in the world. And they deliver, so I don’t have to put a shirt on,” she said. Ethan laughed.
“Pizza and wine. Sounds like the perfect dinner,” he said.
The pie arrived via delivery forty minutes later. Ethan answered the door, since Sen didn’t have a shirt on and he said that just seemed indecent, which only made her laugh. They spent their waiting time scrolling through the guide on the television and picking out a movie to watch over dinner. Sen’s den led to the back patio through heavy, wide glass doors that emptied out into a small yard with a high fence and winding vines that gave the wooden slats a fairytale look. The warm night made the gentle breeze blowing in nice as they sat back on the couch and had a cigarette together, talking about Irencia since she was curious.
“Okay, my father is King Geoffrey. He’s a third-generation ruler, and has a pretty high approval rating from the people. It’s mostly those with money that don’t like him, simply because he doesn’t cater to them,” Ethan started.
“Wait, back up. Third generation?” she said. Ethan grinned. Sometimes he forgot how odd it was that his line hadn’t been in the monarchy forever.
“My great-grandfather was a great general in the royal army, though not a friend to the King. The King, at the time, was a tyrant who was halfway mad and not willing to step down to take care of his sanity issues. Long story short, the castle was stormed and the King was removed via force. Once the throne was empty, the people chose my great-grandfather to lead, even though it wasn’t something that he really wanted to do,” he continued.
“Wow, that says a lot about his character,” Sen said with a grin. Ethan smiled and nodded.
“He passed before I was born, but from what my father tells me, he was a great man and I’m just as stubborn and rebellious as he was,” he said with a laugh. Sen snickered.
“What’s your father like?” she asked, her eyes wide and completely engaged. Her gaze was something Ethan found himself almost falling into.
“He’s about the same height as me, but wider. A bit pudgy around the midsection, but don’t tell him that,” he said with a wink. Sen laughed at that. “He’s very wise, and makes great decisions, way better than I do. He also knows how to work a crowd, but not in that fake way where you stab everyone in the back later. More in the genuine way, where he can smile and shake your hand once, and when he sees you again three months later, he remembers your name still. He cares about people, truly. It’s one of the things that I admire most about him, actually,” Ethan said, his eyes dropping down to his lap as he smiled and found himself thinking once again how thankful he was for his father.
“Your mother?” Sen asked, as if she was afraid that she was interrupting something sacred going on inside his head. Ethan brought himself back around, and grinned.
“My mother is Queen Eve. She is… a lot like you, actually. When no one is around, she swears like a sailor. She used to sneak me sweets when my father wasn’t paying attention, and then feign ignorance about cavities and tummy aches. One of the noble wives made a thinly veiled dig at my father at the last royal ball, and she stomped on the woman’s dress train as she walked away, causing her to fall and thoroughly embarrass herself. You’ll love her,” Ethan said with a laugh that Sen joined him on.
“It sounds like it, yes,” she said softly.
“I’d like to bring your brothers to Irencia with us, when we go,” Ethan said. Sen blinked for a moment, a slight confusion crossing her face.
“Really?” she asked, curious.
“Yes, if you don’t mind, and they don’t either. It can be a vacation of sorts for them, and they won’t have to worry about your father coming after them, at least for a while. I’d also like them to meet my parents, since we all will be family,” he said. Ethan felt like he could see the wheels turning inside of her head, as she thought about his suggestion.
“I think they’d like that,” she said quietly. "Maybe you aren’t as pompous as you pretend to be,” she smirked.
“May I ask… about the fire thing?” Ethan said, his voice careful. Sen grinned and ignited the tip of her finger.
“This?” she asked, as Ethan watched the small flame held impossibly on her skin,
“Yes. That,” he whispered.
“My mother, before she passed, was Faerie. Since Seth nor I ever met her, we didn’t actually know more than the title, and father was so…” She stopped, her face falling a bit. “Anyway,” she continued, “our mother was elemental, and it was passed down to us through our blood. We stumbled into the abilities by accident when we were 17, about a week apart. Mine is flame, Seth�
��s is ice. We’re opposites,” she said with a smile that Ethan shared with her.
“I thought that those with Faerie magic were taken away and trained,” he said. It was a statement, but he made it sound almost like a question. That was the way that it was always handled in Irencia, but perhaps it wasn’t there in Artifice. That wasn’t good; Fae magic was incredibly potent when not controlled. But Sen nodded her agreement at his statement.
“Normally, yes. Father never bothered to send us, and we ran away a few weeks after we discovered the abilities. We can control them, but it was something that we taught ourselves,” Sen said.
“I didn’t know that was possible,” Ethan said softly. Sen smiled and shrugged.
“It was either that, or end up burning everything down or freezing everything over every time one of us got excited about something,” she said. They sat together there in a comfortable silence, eating for a few minutes. It was Sen who finally asked another question. One that surprised Ethan.
“Do you think they’ll like me?” she asked. Ethan looked up that the woman across from him, wide eyed.
“What?” he replied, his shock having stolen thoughts from his mind.
“The people, and your parents. Do you think that they’ll like me?” she asked again. Ethan swallowed the bite of food in his mouth.
“I think that they’ll love you. Though I will admit, I didn’t think that approval was something you cared about,” he said, honestly. Sen smiled, and looked down as she took a sip of wine.
“If I am to lead, the people should like me as a person, and as a Queen. And if I am to be your wife, your parents should like me as a person, and as their daughter-in-law,” she said. She was right, of course, Ethan just truly didn’t think it would matter.
“Would you like to find out? We can leave as soon as you’d like,” he said, leaning forward and taking her hand in his. It was still warm, and it still made him smile.
“Tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’ll have the plane prepped, and speak to your brothers tonight,” he said. Sen smiled, this one bright and infectious, as she nodded.
“I’d like that,” she said.
6
SETH AND ONAN HAD READILY agreed to go to Irencia with Ethan and Sen. Neither had hesitated, and King Geoffrey had almost roared his excitement at them all coming. He loved having company and being the happy host, and had immediately put the staff to work on preparing rooms for all.
Ethan had arrived on a private jet, and the entire group would return to Irencia in that. They’d aimed to leave early afternoon, to give everyone time to buy a few last-minute things if needed, and pack. Ethan had given all three of them access to his royal account, and told them to buy anything and everything that they’d need, but noticed that, while they appreciated it, none of them had gone overboard. That was something that he liked about them. While their finances were limited, since cut off from the royal finances of Artifice, none of them were greedy or manipulative. None of them wanted for more than they had. That was refreshing.
Sen had picked up a few bathing suits, after Ethan informed her that his mother had a heated pool and a large sauna in the house. Seth had laughed about that, saying that she didn’t have any bathing suits because she never did anything fun. She’d punched him in the arm for that one, and the two of them laughed together. That was the first time Ethan saw the two of them interact as siblings, and not as some sort of wounded protectors. He liked that happy, playful side of them much more.
Onan had picked up a few pairs of shoes and some sunglasses, but that was all. He liked to run to clear his head, he’d said, and his shoes were in dire need of replacement. Ethan had talked him into getting more than one pair, saying that it was okay, he wanted Onan to have them. Even then, it had been twenty minutes of convincing before he’d happily trotted to the counter to check out with his boxes. Ethan had smiled to himself and shaken his head. Onan was a good guy, and he found himself wanting to dote on him, as if he was an older brother already.
Seth had gotten a few books, and Ethan had picked him up a tablet, saying that he could use that for reading as well. Seth preferred the feel of a physical book, but saw the economic reasons for ebooks. He appreciated the gesture, and took the tablet with a grateful smile. He’d also gotten a few pieces of luggage, more than Ethan thought one person would need, though he hadn’t pointed it out. It wasn’t until he watched Seth hand a few pieces to both Sen and Onan that he understood why he’d gotten so many bags.
They’d all returned to their homes, and packed everything that they’d needed. No one spoke about how long they’d be gone, so Ethan advised that they bring everything that they couldn’t live without. He’d made sure that rents would be paid while they were gone, and that their father wouldn’t know where they were or when they’d left, and made the arrangements to get all of them to the private airport that currently housed the jet.
The flight from Artifice to Irencia was about six hours, give or take. They had a late lunch aboard the plane, and settled in to amuse themselves for the length of the flight. As the descent started, and the plane dropped below the clouds, Ethan smiled as his home came into view.
“Look out the windows. You can see everything from up here,” he said to the others. Sen and Onan crowded into one window, and Seth peered through the one beside Ethan.
“Your country is beautiful,” Seth said.
“Thank you, Seth,” Ethan said. “I adore this country. The people are so genuine and warm, and the landscape is varied and beautiful. There is no place in this world that I’d rather call home,” he said. Seth smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.
“That is exactly the way that a future King should feel,” he said. Ethan sat back and eyed Seth.
“Do you feel that way about Artifice?” he asked. Seth nodded without hesitation.
“To me, Artifice is the most beautiful place in the world, with her tall buildings and smog filled streets. It’s loud, messy, a little angry… but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. Ethan smiled and went back to looking out of the window. Seth was going to be a great King.
*~~*
“THERE IS MY HANDSOME SON,” a deep voice boomed before they’d taken three steps off of the plane. Ethan laughed.
“Dad, we were coming straight to the castle,” he said, turning to face a man who Sen noted looked exactly like him, but was wider and had more age in his face. Ethan had accurately described him.
“I was excited, so sue me,” the King said, hugging his son warmly, before turning to the three unknowns in the group. “And you all must be King Michael’s children,” he said, his voice dipping into something akin to dislike when he spoke the other King’s name. Sen smirked.
“We dislike him just as much as you do,” she said. King Geoffrey roared with laughter and swept Sen up into his arms before she even had a chance to protest, or before Ethan had a chance to tell his father that Sen wasn’t quite as much of a hugger as he was.
“You, I like,” he said, finally setting her back on her feet. Ethan shot her an apologetic look, and she grinned in response.
“And you are the brothers? Well, obviously, you are Sir Seth, yes?” he said, holding a warm hand out to Seth. He promptly took it and gave it a firm shake.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” he said.
“Please, call me Geoffrey, we are to be family now,” he boomed. “Except in front of cameras. That will upset some,” he said with a wink.
“Yes, we are well versed on how to play the game,” Seth said. King Geoffrey chuckled and nodded his approval.
“And you are Sir Onan?” he said, holding his hand to O. Onan shook it as well, more reserved that Ethan had ever seen him.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Do I get to call you Geoffrey too?” he asked. King Geoffrey laughed.
“Of course you do! My goodness, you all are so much more pleasant than your father,” he said, stopping short to add, “no offense.”
“None taken,” Seth said.<
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“Come, let’s get moving. Eve will hurt me if I don’t bring you all straight home to meet her as well,” King Geoffrey said, motioning towards a long, black limousine that no one had actually noticed until that moment.
“Mom didn’t want to come along?” Ethan asked. King Geoffrey made a vague motion with his hands.
“She said something about making sure that you all ate well, and shooed me out of the castle. Imagine that, shooed out of my own castle. It’s a castle! I could have stayed and not run into her, but she made me leave! Luckily, I was planning to leave anyway,” King Geoffrey said, crossing his arms.
“Oh yeah, sure. Of course, it was all your idea,” Ethan said.
“I am the man of the house, you see,” King Geoffrey said. Ethan smirked.
“Of course, Dad,” he replied. Sen, Seth and Onan shared a look, and grinned at Ethan picking on his father.
“Don’t look at me like that,” King Geoffrey said.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you are referring to,” Ethan said. Sen snorted the beginning of a laugh, bringing everyone’s attention to her… before everyone erupted.
“I apologize, Geoffrey. I tried not to laugh, I swear,” she said.
“Hush, you did not,” he said with a grin before he climbed into the car. Ethan took hold of Sen’s arm gently and helped her inside, with a wink.
“He likes you,” he whispered.
*~~*
THE CASTLE IN WHICH THE royal family of Irencia lived was grand. Just as grand as the home of the King of Artifice, but without the foreboding and sense of dread that Sen normally had when pulling up to homes like this. Something about this place gave off an aura of warmth and happiness.
The driveway led from a secluded road through a set of guarded gates, and through trees that took a solid three minutes to drive through before parting and letting them all see the manor up close, and in all its glory. At the entrance to the house stood two guards, and a woman in a flowing white dress.
