When Kade went to shower next, Florian stretched out on one of the two beds in the guest room. They were on opposite sides of the room with one large window between them, and both were narrow and low to the ground. He could see down into the city below when he glanced out the window. The view was spectacular, but he was far more interested in closing his eyes, just until Kade was done.
He’d only meant to rest for a few minutes, but the sound of knocking at their door roused him. Kade was already getting up off the opposite bed when Florian looked up groggily, moving to answer the door.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Florian mumbled, sitting up. Kade only smiled at him in affectionate amusement before opening the door.
A different person stood there, a woman with no armor or weapons on her. She bowed her head to Kade as she spoke.
“Thank you for your patience, King Florian, Prince Kade,” she said. “King Tetsuo invites you to dine with him. Please take a few moments if you need them, then follow me to the banquet hall.”
Kade nodded, then glanced back at Florian. “Is there a dress code, or...?”
The woman shook her head. “No, no need to wear anything special. But please, take your time if you do want to change.”
“Thank you.” Kade closed the door, then turned to face Florian entirely. “Ready?”
“How’s my hair?”
Kade smirked. “Messy.”
Florian groaned, getting to his feet. He did his best to tame his sleep-mussed curls in front of the mirror, hoping he was presentable enough for the king to take him seriously. The clothes they had packed were more practical than formal, so he picked the least wrinkled shirt and jacket that he had and got dressed.
“How do you always look so perfect?” he teased Kade, who was already dressed and waiting, looking much more put together than he did. During their trip, Kade had picked up a leather jacket that was as practical as it was nice—Florian wanted one of his own now, he decided.
“You look handsome,” Kade replied, wrapping his arms around Florian’s waist. “You’re just nervous.”
Florian smiled weakly up at Kade. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Kade leaned down to kiss him. “We’ll be fine, no matter what. With or without their help.”
They had come this far without help, after all. But just getting this far had been such a struggle, and there were two Arrows in the Blight near the dragon kingdom. With their help, finding and retrieving the Arrows might be a matter of weeks rather than months.
Florian pushed the thought away and hugged Kade, nodding into his shoulder.
“You’re right,” he said, steeling himself. “We’ll be fine no matter what. Let’s go.”
The attendant led them through the palace into the banquet hall; they passed a few others on their way, but they were all other workers. As Florian and Kade walked by, each person would pause and politely step aside, their gazes downturned. The halls were clean but almost bare, making them feel clinical—as they went down to the lower levels, though, things seemed to become more lively. The wing they had been housed in appeared to be one that was mostly unused, Florian guessed.
They passed more workers who were obviously in a hurry, only giving them polite nods as they strode by instead of stopping entirely. He could smell food cooking from somewhere nearby as they walked through a wide pavilion; on the opposite end, he could see a large table with people already sitting around it.
“Wait here. I’ll introduce you,” the attendant said, turning to them as they approached the covered patio where the banquet table was set out. Florian nodded, waiting at the bottom of the steps as the woman stepped up to the head of the table.
He could not quite see the figure sitting at the head of the table, but there were three figures facing him whom he could see. One was a man with a short, wiry beard—he guessed the eldest prince, Daichi, who Miyuki had mentioned was older than the rest—who was pointedly not looking at them. The second was a man who looked closer to his age: clean shaven with shoulder length hair, and a polite smile on his face as he glanced curiously down at Florian and Kade. Both men wore robes that looked nice, but not especially formal—they resembled the hakama Florian had remembered seeing at some shrines that they had visited during their trip, more so than the lighter yukata that he’d seen various palace attendants wearing. Third was a pre-teen girl with an expression that was trying to mimic the serious face of her eldest brother, but her curiosity was obvious, and her continual glances down at Florian and Kade were not nearly as surreptitious as she seemed to think.
“Our honored guests, King Tetsuo,” the attendant said, bowing deeply before the head of the table. Florian tried to peer past her, but one of the cotton curtains hanging from the eaves, drawn open but swaying in the evening breeze, blocked the visage of King Tetsuo. “King Florian of the Winter Court, and Prince Kade of the wolf kingdom.”
“Send them in,” a man’s voice answered, and the woman turned to gesture for Florian and Kade to follow her up the steps.
“You first,” Kade said softly, pressing his hand briefly to the small of Florian’s back. Florian nodded, then stepped up into the banquet hall.
King Tetsuo did not look especially older than his eldest son; but Florian knew shifters, like fae, aged much more slowly than humans, so the dragon king was likely not much older than Jerah had been. He was clean-shaven with short-cropped dark hair, and he wore robes that were similar to those of his sons, though his were a deep emerald compared to the more muted navy and gray of the other two men. He wore no crown, and other than the color of his robe and his place of honor at the table, there was nothing about him that made him look outwardly kingly. A polite smile was on his face, but there was a hardness to his eyes that made Florian wonder how he had reacted when he had first been informed of their presence.
“Your visit honors us,” the man said to Florian as they approached the table. “Please, sit.” He gestured to the opposite end of the table, where two empty seats were set across from the other.
“Thank you for hosting us,” Florian said, bowing his head. “And I apologize for our abrupt arrival.”
Tetsuo waved his hand. “No need to apologize.” His gaze turned toward Kade, who followed Florian to the far end of the table. “You honor us as well, Prince Kade. I hope your father is well.”
Kade bowed his head. “Thank you. He’s doing as well as can be expected.”
