“Jan!” 

Dawn would have stopped the girl from running, except that little Elys did stop herself halfway. She squealed and giggled and caught the attention of her parents, her brother, and of course Dawn. At least five pairs of eyes turned to a rather comical scene, which involved a man named Jan and a woman who had knocked him down very effectively. The duchess hid her amusement behind a cough, but the duke and Elys’ older brother did not bother. Dawn thought it wise to follow the duchess’ example, and fought against her natural urge to laugh only to keep a straight face.

Dressed in finery and with a face that probably made countless women weep, he must be the second son of the Emperor – Jan Leon Le Roux. Elys did call him Jan. This was the man who, at a young age, was partially responsible for the fall of Galorien. He was the Necromancer, the man who could summon and command legions of undead to do his bidding. Finding him in that specific situation destroyed the mental image of Jan Leon Le Roux that she had conjured in her mind. Because he possessed a terribly dark gift, she imagined him to be grim, introverted, and most of all heartless. Perhaps he was all of that. Perhaps he was just good at pretending to be otherwise, but beneath the veil of his smile, she imagined a darkness so dark that it sucked the light out of anybody that came near enough. He was, after all, one of the reasons that her countrymen were now slaves, that she had lost the life she once knew, the father that once loved her, and those countless faces she used to know.

Before her rage took over her, Dawn dragged her attention from his face and turned instead to the woman who was staring down at him with much contempt, but nevertheless helped him back to his feet. She wore plain clothing, which told Dawn that this woman must be a servant, though a special one, seeing that the prince tolerated her behavior. He introduced the woman as Risey. Lord Cassius advanced from behind Dawn and she was soon followed by Lady Cecilia. The duke bowed while the lady curtsied, while one of the duke’s son, Sebastian, stepped up beside Dawn and Elys.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Risey,” greeted the duke. “Please do inform my brother and the queen that we have arrived safely.”

[i]"Tell mother and Sig that I call dibs to Elys first! I have a gift for her,"[/i] said the prince and Elys could barely contain herself. [i]"Her birthday was not long ago...It is a shame that we missed it." [/i]

Upon hearing it, the girl twisted her hand free from Dawn then squeezed in between her mother and father. The prince mentioned something that sounded like a complement for Risey. To which the duke answered with a solemn nod and a brief, “I am not allowed to speak ill of her majesty,” although he was smiling as he said it.

“Jan! Jan!” Elys cut in.

Dawn and Sebastian took a step forward, but Lady Cecilia was taking the matter of her daughter into her hands. Very gently she told Elys, “Softly now, my darling. It is very unlike a lady to be shouting. Apologize to Jan.”

“Mother, I want to see Jan’s present. You have it, Jan? What is it? I want to see.” But upon seeing the look that her mother gave her, Elys looked down and lowered her voice. The duchess was a soft-spoken woman, but like all mothers, she possessed a look that could silence her children. Elys was no exception. “I’m sorry, your highness,” she muttered. 

But Dawn was not a mother, and she could not pass off an opportunity to get to know this man. “I can accompany Elys, my lady,” volunteered Dawn. She stole a quick glance at the prince then turned her attention back to the duchess.

Meanwhile, the young girl’s pale eyes shone with hope. “Thank you, Dawn!” she cried with excitement and ran back to the Galorian to hug her. “We will be back soon that there is plenty of time to rest,” she reassured softly.

“I shall make sure of it,” added Dawn.

Lord Cassius sighed. “Darling, looks like our little princess will not behave unless she gets what she wants.”

“There you go again, spoiling Elys.”

“You do the same with Sebastian, dear.”

The boy in question spoke for the first time. “Mother does not spoil me, father. Can we now please retire to our rooms? I truly am tired.”

“Alright,” answered Lady Cecilia. “I apologize for my daughter’s whims, Dawn. Please take care of Elys and make sure she behaves herself.”

After that, they left Dawn and Elys with Price Jan. The girl was smiling broadly, from the little victory she won that afternoon. She let go of Dawn and ran to the prince to hug him instead. “I missed you. Why have you not visited us in a long time? I’ve wanted to tell you about my new friend, Dawn.”

“Your highness,” she curtsied, finally. 

“This is Dawn. She sings like nobody you have ever heard before,” the child boasted, running back to the older woman, and grabbing her gloved hand. 

Dawn smiled. “Don’t set your expectations too high, sire. I can sing, but I am not the best there is. Come now. The sooner she gets what she want, the sooner we can both return to our own duties.”

“Come now, your highness,” Elys imitated Dawn’s tone. She raised her little hand – the one that was still free – and waited for Jan to take it.

*********

The royal suite was silent when Sig entered. Neither his father nor his mother was talking. Both the emperor and the empress were busy sipping on their respective cups, although the emperor’s brows were knit together in a frown as he read what appeared to be a letter. The crown prince found them this way in the sitting room of the royal suite. None of his mother’s hand maidens were present at the moment, which was a rare moment for her.

“Mother,” he said. “Risey told me that you wished to discuss something with me.” He didn’t think that his father would also be involved in the discussion. Hopefully he was not and was just reading through his letters in his room.

The queen looked from her tea cup. Her blue eyes were much like his, only a shade darker. Quietly, she set the tea cup on a porcelain saucer, then down on the side table. “Do sit, darling. This may take a while. Where is your brother?”

“Risey might be looking for him as we speak,” he answered, but upon noticing the slight movement in her mother’s brows, he quickly added, “I did ask her to accompany me, so she might not have had the time to look for Jan. Please don’t get mad at her.”

“There is no need to defend a servant, my son,” said the emperor, but his eyes didn’t leave the pages he was reading. The empress, though, sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I called for you to inform you that the arrival of your future bride might be earlier than expected. Lady Leila and her parents have sent note that they will be three days earlier than schedule, which is a week from now. Are you not excited?”

“You know how I feel about this, mother,” he answered gently as he took a seat opposite her parents. They were separated by a coffee table that was made of ivory, which rested atop an expensive carpet. 

“Lady Leila is the most beautiful lady you will ever meet. She has exceptional manners and is quite witty. I believe you two are the perfect match. She will make a good wife, but you need to cooperate and show her all the proper manners befitting a future emperor,” the empress reassured, but Sig had heard of this more than a hundred times. He had not always been agreeable to the idea of marrying for political gain, but this was always the fate of a highborn like him. The emperor and the empress had gone through the same arranged marriage, but everything turned out well. He hoped it will be the same for him and his future wife. “Jan will be next,” his mother added, smiling proudly. “Your father and I have discussed that he…”

“Jan will not marry, darling. I have already made that clear,” the emperor butted in. “I still need him unattached to anybody but me, his emperor.”

The empress’ blue eyes widened. “Lucius, don’t be cruel to your son. Haven’t he done enough for you?”

“Mother, perhaps Jan would not want to marry. We both know how he is, perhaps he would agree more with father’s plan.”

The emperor nodded in agreement and finally placed the letter he was reading down. “Precisely my point. I need Jan to be in Galorien soon. Perhaps he can travel back with Cassius and his family.”

Sig’s mother gasped. She lifted a hand to her heart and stared at the emperor as if he was a ghost of a stranger. “You cannot be serious, Lucius. Galorien is a dangerous place even for somebody like him. You cannot place my child’s life in danger once more.”

“He’s not a child anymore.”

“This is a decision that Jan will have to make on his own,” interrupted Sighart. He was trying to placate the situation, knowing that if it escalated, his parents were going to be shouting at each other again. Although at the end of the day, he knew that they would make up and act as if nothing had happened, he did not like to be in the middle of the cross-fire that was about to happen.

However, the emperor barked a laugh at his son’s statement. “I make the decisions, Sighart. I am Jan Leon’s superior officer. I shall make decisions for him, no matter how trivial.”

“I will not allow it!” The empress answered back. “Jan will stay in the capital and marry.”

“My son will have more use in Galorien than he would be hiding behind your skirt.”

“The boy has suffered enough, Lucien and you know it.” She shot up to her feet.

“Sit down, Eleonora.” 

But the empress refused to back down. Sig got to his feet and started to put an arm around his mother’s shoulder, but the empress shrugged him away. “Stay out of this, Sighart.” She turned her attention back at the emperor. “The kind of power he wields does not come without a price and you know it. You have dozens of other mages at your disposal. Deploy them all for all I care, just leave my boy out of this scheme of yours.”

“Jan Leon is not a boy, Eleonora,” boomed the emperor’s deep voice. When Sig was a child, he thought his father’s voice was like the thunder. That voice still had an effect on him, but the empress could very well handle it. She stood with her back straight and her eyes burning with the same intensity of the emperor’s. “Jan is not anymore your boy. He is my mage, and he shall obey my will. And--”

A knock quickly silenced the emperor, but just one look at him says that he was not at all pleased with the interruption. Had it been any other servant that came out of the servant’s secret door, he would have surely ordered the person flogged. Nevertheless, he was wise enough to know that his wife would never forgive him for it.

The emperor held his tongue until his wife started discussing state matters to a commoner who needed not hear the details of his son’s engagement. Sig looked apologetically at Risey and waited for his father to leave the room. To his mother, he offered affirmation that he would indeed want to greet his uncle and his family, besides he was also curious to meet the Galorian woman who everyone was talking about.

“I apologize for my father’s behavior, Risey,” he said, opening the door for her and the empress. 

********

As was customary, the Duke and his family headed straight to the throne room to meet with the rulers of Nicaea. They arrived at a well illuminated, vast empty room with a high roof and towering white pillars. It was not uncommon to wait for the emperor, and none showed their displeasure for doing so. 

Emperor Lucius didn’t let them wait long, though. He arrived soon and so did his wife and Sighart. The formalities were made and they were all about to go back into their proper businesses when finally Sig walked beside Sebastian and asked, “Where is Elys?”

“She went with your brother. Jan claims to have prepared a present for her.” Sebastian answered quietly. He did not have the energy of his younger sister and would rather sit alone with his scrolls and books than interact with people. 

“Thank you.” The younger gentleman nodded then followed his parents together with the emperor and empress. Sig, on the other hand, turned on his heels and walked the other way. He would look for his brother and their favorite cousin.