“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” she said, as a voice in her earpiece told her she was live. “And we’re continuing our live coverage of the crisis at the Royal Palace this morning, where we are eagerly awaiting news of the situation inside. Speculation has continued to grow surrounding the ongoing absence of Crown Prince Ryu, and we have yet to hear any… Uh… Oh! It seems we have some movement at the palace gate!” she all but crowed, noticing a sudden flurry of activity amongst the guards. “Captain Landis has just arrived, and it seems he wishes to address the crowd. Can we get a close-up of the Captain?” she prompted the cameraman, knowing he was already zooming in on the gate.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you all for your patience this morning,” the Captain said without preamble. “I’d like to announce that we will be holding a formal press conference in just under thirty minutes. Could you please make way for the journalists to move towards the front of the crowd.” Saying nothing more, he abruptly turned around and headed back inside the palace, leaving Marissa fumbling for something to say.
“Well, it seems we’ll soon be receiving some news after all,” Marissa said cheerfully, grateful that the endless wait would soon be over. “Stay tuned for the press conference in half an hour. I’m sure whatever the Captain has to say will be well worth the wait!” She beamed at the camera, until her producer confirmed they’d cut back to the studio, then breathed a sigh of relief. “Finally,” she said to her cameraman, who looked as worn out as she felt. “About time they figured out what the hell’s going to happen next.”
The next half an hour dragged by, each minute seeming longer than the last. A group of guards brought out a podium, and a flurry of technical staff went about setting up a microphone and linking it to the public address system that was mounted on the palace wall. Press conferences were a routine event for the palace, and they were adept at making sure whatever announcement was made could be heard.
Twenty-five minutes after the Captain’s announcement, a new wave of activity started up at the gates, and Marissa was intrigued to see that Lord Kentario Amagarda was among those milling about at the entrance. He exchanged a few words with the police, then abruptly, the line of spectators was being pushed back, right down to the bottom of the stairs. Captain Landis, meanwhile, was issuing orders to a handful of guards, who scurried about, setting up a defensive line in front of the podium.
Urgently, Marissa waved to her cameraman to start rolling and alerted her producer to the burst of activity. “Welcome back, and it looks like the press conference is about to begin,” she said, adopting a serious tone, as befitted a seasoned journalist of the sort she longed to become. Her post here was actually rather accidental. She’d happened to be in the right place at the right time when the news had broken the day before, and then she’d simply dug her heels in and refused to leave, desperate to finally earn some respect from her boss, in a world where junior journalists were a dime a dozen and few of her colleagues managed to make it past their first year on the job.
“Lord Kentario Amagarda has just appeared outside the palace gate, and I think we’re all extremely eager to hear what he has to say. We heard yesterday, of course, that Kentario’s father, Danag Amagarda, was killed in the line of duty, and no doubt his death has had a significant impact on the new head of the revered family. Kentario Amagarda is only twenty-one years old, though it seems he’s taking his new responsibilities very seriously. Well-known for eschewing tradition, Lord Amagarda is today dressed in the formal uniform of the Royal Guard, and it seems that he and Captain Landis have been… Oh my goodness…”
Marissa’s running monologue ground to a sudden halt. A new figure had just arrived at the gate, significantly shorter than either Kentario or Captain Landis, and the crowd abruptly fell silent as they recognised the young man. Then a cheer went up, drowning out any other sound, and Marissa simplyhad to rely on her cameraman to capture the moment, her voice completely inaudible through the din. Prince Ryu stepped forward to stand before the podium, dressed in a black suit, looking far older than he had just days ago. As he gazed out at the crowd, patiently waiting for the exuberance to subside, he looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
◊◊◊
Fumbling through his prepared speech, Ryu worked hard to maintain his composure. Addressing the public was a serious responsibility and one he wasn’t prepared to delegate to either Maro or to the usual spokesperson who handled palace announcements. Given the events of the last few days and the growing concerns of the public regarding his own safety, he’d felt that anything less than a personal address would have been taking the coward’s way out.
But nonetheless, when he’d stepped up to the podium and seen the response of the crowd, he’d felt a moment of unadulterated panic, wanting at once to both run away and hide back inside the palace and to burst into tears.
Somehow, he’d managed to do neither, stiffly delivering the news that the palace was returning to order and that the governance of the country was back on stable ground. He read out the announcement of his parents’ funeral, to be held in two days’ time, only needing to take a few deep breaths to compose himself enough to force the words from his throat. “Beginning today, Galandeen will observe thirty days of mourning. A temporary monument to King Sou and Queen Elise will be set up in the palace courtyard, and any members of the public who wish to pay their respects will be welcome to attend. However, we also ask that you limit your visit to no more than thirty minutes, to accommodate the volume of people we expect to be visiting in the weeks to come.” How dull and dry that particular part sounded. His parents had been so much more than their public roles, though most of the people in the crowd would have no concept of how much had been lost due to the reckless actions of a handful of revolutionaries.
“Palace staff are also in the process of arranging a coronation ceremony for next Monday,” he continued reading, hands gripping the edges of the podium like a lifeline. “The ceremony will take place in the Temple of the Goddess and will begin at eleven o’clock in the morning. I am deeply grateful for your concerns over my safety and wish to assure you that I will serve this fine nation to the very best of my ability.” That part done, the rest of his speech was a little less difficult, and he consoled himself that in another five minutes, this seemingly endless torture would be over.
“I would like to commend Captain Maro Landis for his efforts in securing the palace after the attack. His quick thinking and his leadership ofthe Royal Guard prevented more lives from being lost. Fifteen members of the Royal Guard lost their lives during the attack, and those courageous men and women will be honoured in a state funeral, to be held on Tuesday the twenty-third of June.
“I would also like to offer my personal thanks to Emica Amagarda, the daughter of the late Lord Danag Amagarda, for her assistance in investigating the events surrounding the attack on the palace and for helping to ensure that the responsible parties were duly arrested.” A round of applause rose from the crowd, and Ryu waited patiently for silence so he could continue.
There was just one more part to his prepared speech, and he resisted the urge to glance over at Kentario. His solid presence was like a beacon of light in the middle of the longest, darkest night, and Ryu doubted he’d have been able to stand up here and say words that cut him to his very soul without the man standing beside him. He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, velvet case. He’d managed to grab a private moment to talk to Maro, after the meeting in the lounge, and he’d been relieved beyond measure when Maro had assured him that he had exactly what Ryu needed. Sneaking it into Ryu’s pocket had been a more difficult task, with Kentario hovering over him like a mother hen, but Maro was nothing if not resourceful, and Ryu had felt the weight of the object drop into his suit pocket just as he’d come through the palace gate.
“There is one more person I need to thank,” he said, feeling suddenly more emotional and more breathless than he had throughout the entire rest of his speech. “As you all know, Lord Kentario Amagarda was assigned to me as my personal bodyguard some two years ago.” Kentario looked around in surprise, no doubt having overlooked his own invaluable role in this crisis. “In that time, he’s fulfilled his duties with impeccable diligence. But moreover, I can truly say that without his assistance during the attack on the palace, I firmly believe that I would now be dead. The attackers were intent on murdering not just my parents, but the entire Galandia line. Lord Amagarda was able to ensure that the Nalmagians were unable to carry out their plans, and he succeeded in securing safe passage out of the palace, and in protecting me until it was assured that it was safe to return. And for these accomplishments, I would now like to award him the prestigious Golden Wing, a medal which has been earned no more than four times in the history of Galandeen, and which is the highest honour a member of the Royal Guard is able to earn.”
The look on Kentario’s face was absolutely priceless, and Ryu knew he would remember it for a long time. Complete shock was coupled with a brief flash of indignation – no doubt because he didn’t think he deserved the honour – and then bafflement as Ryu opened the square case containing the medal. He was probably wondering where the hell Ryu hadmanaged to get his hands on one at such short notice, and privately, afterwards, Ryu would have to explain to him that he didn’t get to keep this exact version of the medal. Maro had ‘borrowed’ it from a display in the eastern wing of the palace, the medal originally given to a colonel in the army some hundred years ago. But they’d have a new copy made as soon as possible, and from Ryu’s perspective, the far more important aspect was to be able to present the medal to Kentario in front of the waiting crowd, to make it known just how fantastically awesome his new boyfriend was.
Not that the crowd was going to find out about that last part. Not yet, at least.
With an irrepressible smile, Ryu stepped up in front of Kentario and pinned the medal to his lapel. Confusion had now given way to intense gratitude and a tenderness that Ryu had only seen on the man’s face once before: on the night they’d made love in Oris’s spare bedroom. The urge to hug him was strong, but completely inappropriate, given their copious audience. But Kentario solved the problem by snapping a sharp salute. It was something he’d only done to Ryu once before, on the day he’d officially been assigned as his bodyguard. Goddess, how he wanted to marry this man. But with thirty days of mourning to follow, he knew he’d have to wait another month, at least. And probably longer than that, given the amount of planning that went into a royal wedding. Still, his satisfaction at knowing he’d managed to surprise Kentario for perhaps the first time in his life was reward enough for now.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Back inside the palace, there were still a multitude of things that needed organising, and at the top of Ryu’s list of priorities was arranging where he’d be spending the night. Returning to his parents’ apartment was out of the question, the empty rooms and lingering memories too much to bear. So instead, he wasted no time in rounding up a handful of the housekeeping staff.
“I would like all of my personal effects moved into the Jade Apartment in the east wing,” he announced without preamble. For most of the history of the palace, the east wing had been used by the reigning monarch’s siblings, their partners and children easily accommodated in the spacious rooms on the first floor. But Ryu’s Uncle Admos was currently living in supported accommodation, due to his ongoing mental health issues, and his aunt had chosen to move her family to a villa south of the city some six or seven years ago. That meant the wing was currently empty and would afford Ryu all the privacy he needed, without dredging up old memories in the process.
“The Jade Apartment is a fine choice,” Maro said, trailing along behind him, “but it does create certain logistical problems. The western wing is also the home of the Amagarda family, and for security reasons, I’d strongly recommend that you remain within easy reach of Kentario.”
“Until further notice, Kentario will be staying with me in my apartment,” Ryu announced, not even bothering to ask Kentario’s opinion on the matter. “I realise that would be anunusualarrangement,” he said, cutting off any further objection, “but given that an attempt was made to murder me not two days ago, I think it’s a valid precaution.”
“I agree with Ryu,” Kentario said without hesitation. “Emica and Cael can stay in our current apartment. It’s about time I started looking at moving out anyway.” For all its logistical logic, Ryu’s reasoning was also aconvenient excuse for them to spend more time together without raising any suspicions, and he wasn’t surprised to find that Kentario had no objection to the plan.
The housekeepers scurried off to begin moving his clothes and belongings, and Ryu took the opportunity to pull Oris aside.
“It goes without saying that we owe you an enormous debt of gratitude,” he said to the older man. “I make a point of paying my debts. So what would you like in return for your assistance? Name it and it’s yours.” There were all manner of things Ryu might have expected him to ask for; a new car; a holiday to a tropical island; a hefty cash bonus. But true to form, Oris once again managed to surprise him.
“As far as financial gain goes, there’s nothing I want,” Oris said, waving aside Ryu’s objections before he could even say a word. “Your trust and friendship are of more significance to me than any gift you could offer. But given the way life sometimes throws us curveballs, I’ll make one small request. At some point in the future, I may ask you for a favour. Just in case the unexpected happens.”
“Fair enough,” Ryu agreed. “On condition it’s a reasonable request, I’ll do my best to grant it.”
