ROME
It was a slow, quiet evening for the king and it was soon approaching what seemed like the appropriate time for him to retire for the day. As advised by the royal physician, the king, even though being a Lycan royal and seemingly all mighty, needed enough rest to rule his territory. The last thing Hanaerum needed was an unhealthy king.
The physicians had advised this on multiple occasions but it mostly fell on deaf ears. Rome felt the need to bury himself in work, work that could have been easily delegated, anything that wouldn’t have him feeling he wasn’t involved in the running of the country like his father hadn’t been.
“Skye.” He called, looking at her where she perused a document on the table set up in his study for his Hand.
The only person that kept up with his unhealthy work routine was his sister and that was because she had too much free time. Her words. She was the only person that was in sync with him in most things. Perhaps the blood of their powerful ancestors burned too hot in them. That would explain their stamina.
“Your Majesty.” She answered tearing her gaze from the document in her hand.
“Okay, cut it out. We’re alone.” He waved as if the words disgusted him. Which it did because he heard it too many times a day.
“But you’re still the king.” A smile danced on her lips. It was pay back for the times he tried to be all kingly with her.
“Yes, and as king, I command you to call me by my real name.” He smirked and closed the book he was writing in. His study was the sole place he could get real work done. It was sparsely decorated save for the paintings on the wall. The large room contained a large mahogany desk and chair set with gold filigree for him, a smaller desk and chair set for the King’s hand, a couch for sleepy visitors like Skye or Teriel on days he had to work overnight and they weren’t in the mood, and a floating shelf for his numerous books. Occasionally, the gardener brought in some house plants to brighten up the room.
“Rome.” She sighed at his antics.
“I win.” He smiled, stretching his arms and crossing them behind his head, “I was wondering… Have you heard anything from that wolf we captured?”
“Wolf? You mean the one that attacked Elora and her siblings that night?” She asked cocking her head.
“Yes, that very one. Have you been able to get any information from him?”
“Rome. You hit that wolf so bad, he hasn’t been able to string a complete sentence together.”
“Well. It can’t be that bad.” He raised an eyebrow.
Rome remembered that night like it was yesterday when he first set his eyes on Elora. The fucking wolf lunged at her in his presence! His king was present and he had to guts to attack the one that had come to him for protection. Some nerve.
“Well, it is,” Skye said.
“Have Noel look at him tomorrow. He has valuable information I need. He seemed so desperate to get at Elora that night and I want to know why.”
Rome suspected something fishy in the circumstances surrounding Elora’s slavery and Kain’s special interest in her but he didn’t have any strong clues to work with.
Even if he didn’t completely trust Elora was innocent, Kain’s involvement in it had him wondering if there was sliver of truth in what she’d been claiming.
“I didn’t suggest that because I wasn’t sure we wanted your personal physician to take a look at the mere wolf prisoner.”
“A mere wolf prisoner with valuable information.” The King retorted glaring at her.
“Well, yes–”
A knock on the door interrupted Skye. There was only one person who would come see him at that odd hour.
“Yes, Teriel.” The King answered.
The door opened to indeed reveal Teriel, sharp as ever in his customary black suit and white inner shirt. Although, he had let the top button loose, the rebel.
Teriel entered the room and bowed. “Your Majesty.”
“A good evening to you, Teriel,” Rome replied with a small smile. “Skye and I were just discussing the state of security.”
“Hm. A rather serious topic.” He stated smiling in jest, “Would you like a drink, sir? You look…”
“Famished? Drained? Tired?” Skye offered. “Advisor, would you please advise his Lordship to go to his chambers as previously advised by Noel and advised by me?”
“Your Highness, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed to know the King with his high intellect doesn’t understand the word Rest.” His advisor teased shaking his head mournfully.
“Pity.” She sighed shaking her head too, “Perhaps we should inquire of Noel the cause of this strange malady?”
Rome rolled his eyes as the two closest people to him bonded over his strange malady.
“I enjoy bonding over Bale-related matters with you. I see the feeling isn’t mutual.” He shot back.
“I’m sorry to disappoint.” She answered standing up and coming to lean against her table, sharing a look with Teriel.
“Hm. Sir, I do feel you’re running away from a certain task.” The man accused, staring at him with a stubborn expression on his face.
“And what could that be?” He asked, cocking his head in confusion.
“Your duties. With your mistress, sir.” Teriel answered, stubborn expression still in place.
Skye snorted and stifled a laugh obviously enjoying his discomfort.
“What do you mean, man? I believe there are more important issues to be sorted out right now than attending to a mistress.” He answered, shifting in his seat and adjusting his shirt.
The discussion right now was making him uncomfortable. He stood feeling flustered and started pacing the room as their pointed expression made the worries he thought he had buried resurface in vivid imagery.
His flustered self was something the duo hadn’t seen in a long time.
As much as Rome had been described by the ladies of Bale as having a magnetic sexual aura, he found being in the presence of women uncomfortable, the discomfort only worsening after the scandal with Erika.
His former Queen scarred him as she was the only woman he had ever loved or been comfortable enough to have physical relations with and even then, she had been the one to initiate most of their encounters. In some way, he was the cause of her infidelity.
Rome would avoid women his whole life if he could. He had sworn to never give his heart to any woman again although a certain woman had him feeling things he had never experienced even with Erika whom he’d claimed to love.
He had chosen Elora as his breeder because even though he couldn’t trust her, she was the only woman he had developed a fondness for apart from Skye. Although there was nothing sisterly in the way he saw her. He found her beautiful, very beautiful in fact, but there was something in her that drew him in and had his blood singing with blazing passion.
“Its been a week, Your Majesty.” Teriel scolded, “Why don’t I help finish up whatever is left tonight?”
“No, thank you. You’re too kind.” He answered trying to sound dismissive and failing.
“Sir, you have an heir to produce.” Teriel scolded cocking his head, not understanding his delay. He didn’t mean to make Rome uncomfortable but as his adviser, he needed to stir the king in the right direction.
“I know, Teriel and that will come in due time.”
His mind ran through all the encounter’s he’d had with Elora. He remembered how she had put herself in front of her siblings to protect them the first night he’d laid eyes on her.
He also remembered how his body had reacted when he had leaned close enough to almost taste her full red lips in the library. The stirring in his breeches now spoke of the lust he felt for her but the scared part of him wanted him to push her away for that reason so when he had heard she was the child of a traitor; he had thought what he was feeling would turn to disgust.
“Rome?” Skye smirked. She was very much enjoying herself. “Are you still hung up on Erika?”
“What? You know better than this, Skye.” He nearly yelled, glaring at her.
“Do I?” She touched her chest, feigning innocence.
Rome abruptly stopped his pacing and moved towards the door.
“Good night to you. I will take your advice and retire for the night.”
“Good job!” The vixen smiled.
“Have a good night, sir.” Teriel waved.
Rome frowned at how the two of them had played him.
As much as he enjoyed their company, he didn’t like it when they ganged up on him to get their way.
He hadn’t needed to be reminded that he had duties to perform with his mistress. As if he could forget.
It was a terrible thing he had done picking a mistress whom he was unsure of his feelings towards.
That irked him greatly.
He was used to having precise feelings towards everyone around him. It helped him know how to act and what to expect and not feeling like he was walking on a shaky bridge above a fast flowing river. To Skye and Teriel he felt grateful, towards Kain Kurt, disgust and anger.
“Your Majesty, a bath has been run for you.” A servant said with a bow.
“Thank you. You may leave now.” Rome said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He undressed himself, donning a light robe as he perused his shelf for his book for the night, a nightly ritual he had formed since he’d started his training to take the kingdom from his father.
He settled on a collection of poems from around Bale he hadn’t been able to read since he had discovered Erika’s infidelity. He had considered himself a soulful man when he was much younger and more naïve of the way the world worked.
At that time, his constant inspiration was his love for Erika. He would sit by Red River with her in his arms and write the best poems. Of course, nobody knew about this hobby. Not even her, the muse of his poet’s soul.
Rome sank into the bathtub sighing at how the bath water’s temperature loosened his strained muscles and relaxed him enough to enjoy his book.
As he read through a particularly erotic line in a poem, his mind drifted to Elora.
It wasn’t right to think of her as a prospective lover or have any feelings of affection towards her. Erika’s betrayal still burned as an undying fire in his heart, like a barbed arrow head from an old battle wound, digging deeper and deeper, constantly tearing into his heart until it probably killed him.