I truly didn’t want this trip to end, but Keane couldn’t push aside his duties any longer.
“Keane…” I peer over at the Prince as we both dismount our horses, opting to walk them through the early morning lake city.
Keane looks at me with a content smile on his face, the deep green of his shirt moving with the breeze.
“Alexis,” he replies with a grin, brows lifted.
I shake my head and smile. “What happens after you become King? Are you expected to live in Bardot?”
The thought of Keane being a resident of the Court of Knowledge irks me. He’s always looked so right in his own Court and lands, and although he commands every hall and room at Castle Bardot, it’s just nothim.
But for as long as I can remember in our history books, Bardot and its greater lands have always been home to the Kings of Disce, a tradition that has passed down along with their family name.
Keane looks at me in thought, his brown eyes darting across my face as I stare out to Moonsbay Lake.
“What would you like?” he asks quietly.
I turn to him with a small frown.
“That’s not my decision to make,” I shake my head, “I will follow you wherever you decide to go.”
Keane continues to watch me, “and if you had the choice? To take up residence wherever you wanted. Where would you choose?”
The answer comes easy to my heart as I smile without hesitation, “Gaumond.”
I can feel Keane’s grin next to me before I even turn around to look at him. He nods his head in silent agreement.
“I plan to make Gaumond the next capitol of Disce. Strategically, it gives me quick access to our western border and also allows me to venture east into Woodlands or Knowledge within a day’s travel if needed.”
“What will happen to Bardot?”
“It will continue on as the capitol of Knowledge. I will need to appoint a new Leading Lord to govern, but Castle Bardot and its lands surrounding will continue on just as Gaumond and La Cour do, overseeing their own Courts. I suspect my mother will wish to remain.”
“You’ll be breaking tradition,” I point out.
Keane grins, “the first of many to come, Alexis.”
We continue the rest of our walk through Agnor in silence, greeting the early morning risers and the fishermen heading to Moonsbay Lake and the River Poise. It’s a peaceful morning, one that passes beautifully with the sun rising along the horizon and sparkling across the city. It’s also a morning that passes too quickly, with Keane and I mounting our horses on the outskirts of the city and beginning another hard ride to Brierman. We stop once at midday, letting Millie and Ash cool down in the banks of the river before we take our lunch and begin again, riding with speed.
Keane and I are greeted by the twinkling bottled moonslight resting along the buildings of Brierman at sunset. The full of the main road is filled with drunks and raucous laughter, everyone going about their early night with genuine smiles on their faces.
Keane brings our horses to the stables of the Drunken Stump where we’re greeted again in open welcome by stable boys and the inn’s owner, all of whom are already prepared for our arrival. I don’t know if this is a royal thing or if Keane wrote ahead to announce his arrival, but it’s nice to be greeted so warmly.
“Your room is set and ready, Your Highness,” the innkeeper smiles.
“Let’s take dinner first,” Keane nods at the man, “and ale,” he adds as an afterthought.
“Of course, Your Highness,” the man smiles again, walking us to the door, “we have a full crowd tonight. Been receiving a few traveling groups for your coronation. Some are here now.”
Keane nods at the news and stops in his walk, motioning for me to head in first with a small pinch on my ass from behind. I grin and scoot into the loud pub with Stormfall awake on my shoulder, the Bird of Ash taking in the boisterous and warm room around us with piercing eyes.
The pub is exactly as I remember, with all of the tables near full capacity and the counter rowdy. The woman behind it is running around and grabbing drinks as a light smoke fills the air, a few of the guests sitting around the main fireplace in the middle with their pipes lit.
Keane follows in behind me and comes to stand at my side next to Stormfall, and just as in Dalloway, the moment the Prince enters the room, everyone goes silent and turns in our direction. He stands tall as he surveys the inn around us, but it’s Stormfall on my shoulder who makes the biggest entrance when he extends his wings for all to see.
Proud bird,I chuckle.
The Bird of Ash caws in agreement as I try to stifle a laugh. I look up to Keane with a small grin but notice his eyes are trained diligently ahead, his features reverting into the typical Discerni look of cool indifference at whatever he sees.
