Chapter 24: Epilogue

Einar dropped the stack of papers onto the King’s desk.

“I’m not cut out for this.”

The King, who heard this several times a week, just nodded and continued reading.

“You’re the King, can’t you just, you know, change the law so Kyanna is in charge and I’m just, I don’t know, a consort? Give her all the powers vested in kingship and all that?”

The King looked at Einar over his own papers with a raised eyebrow and a frown.

“She more or less already does that, and you should be ashamed. King or not, you are her husband and should do your own share of work. If I’d known you were this lazy—“

“Your majesty, I do plenty of work. I’ve updated the entire training system for the soldiers, personally work with them three times a week, look especially intimidating so no one thinks twice about doing anything funny with Kyanna, work the orchards practically by myself—“

“You’re a prince not a damn farmer.” The king gave a heavy sigh. “Fine, say she were Queen, how would she actively rule when she is bedridden with pregnancy or childbirth, hmm? And what of her nursing children? She’s already refused any wet nurses.”

“Of course I’ll do that much, I can substitute just fine,” and now Einar seemed to think it was his turn to sound offended. “But this—this…” He waved his hand helplessly over the stacks of numbers and names.

“Is staying well-informed and well-read,” said the King. “You can’t depend on everyone around you to do your job for you, else you’ll become the tool and they the King.”

“Then how does Kyanna manage to get all this in her head and tend the baby at the same time?”

“I’d think, being her husband, you’d know.” The King turned his attention back to his reports. “She reads them while she’s nursing…and probably while you’re over here whining.”

Einar wrinkled his nose but allowed himself a fond look towards his father-in-law before consigning himself to yet more pages of text and charts that he’d probably forget by the next day. It wasn’t that he was dumb. He could remember an entire epic almost word for word by ear or recall the layout of a land after only seeing it once. But, having learned to read as an adult, he hadn’t all that time to practice reading, and even if he had, Einar suspected he wasn’t a book person from the beginning.

Kyanna said that was ironic, seeing how much he loved stories.

Speaking of…

Einar lowered his papers once more.

“Your Majesty, have you ever heard about the Pauper and the Peeing Dragon?”

Despite all his pomp and circumstance, Einar had discovered early on that the King had a rather juvenile sense of humor.

The King’s gray mustache twitched. “Don’t you dare, boy.”

“Once upon a time—“

“Do you want to be banished?”

“You don’t have the heart. I just sired you the cutest granddaughter in the world.”

“And that was all thanks to my daughter. You had nothing to do with it.”

Einar put a hand to his chest, gaping in mock indignation. “Excuse me, your Majesty, but the princess didn’t reproduce alone. Not to mention she likes me.”

The King was smiling now, probably hoping his beard and mustache would hide it, but the crinkle in his eyes betrayed him.

“Then I’ll send her with you and keep the wee princess for myself.”

“You wouldn’t.”

A heavy knock on the door cut off their playful banter.

The messenger who came in, decked out in royal vestiture that made him look like he wore a giant pillowcase to Einar, clutched his hands behind him in a professional salute, even as his thin mouth betrayed his apprehension.

“Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have a message.”

“Obviously,” said the King dryly.

Pink tinged the messenger’s nose. “The royal princess wished for me to convey to you at the time of 17:00 that she has taken the Princess Serene to visit her ‘aunties’ and apologizes to the King ahead of time for the waste of manpower and resources to make the journey.”

An awkward silence fell over the room, much like a thud of a book hitting the floor.

“I…I wasn’t aware she had any consideration for my sister…” said the King. “Crazy old biddy terrified her as a child. Still, to leave without so much as a warning is—”

Einar jumped up, slamming the office chair into the bookcases behind.

Both the King and messenger flinched.

“You, send the word to have my horse saddled and packed with water and food for three days.”

“Heavens, where are you going all a sudden?” asked the King.

“Nishkakh.”

“Nishkakh?” Now the King was on his feet, no unimpressive feat considering his bulk and age. “What by the five do you have to do in Soan land?’

“Pardon, Crown Prince?” The messenger’s wide eyes looked to the king.

“Kyanna’s gone there,” said Einar, expression grim, though his eyes burned. “’Aunties’ refers to the Soan who saved us while we were there. The ones that more or less adopted her.”

The King visibly paled. “Organize the first knight brigade.”

The messenger did a double take. “Your Majesty?”

“First knight brigade, now! Damn that wild child, I thought she’d grown out of this years ago!”

Einar didn’t even excuse himself as he marched out of the study after the messenger, his fists clenched and his shoulders stiff, but a hint of a smile curving his lips.

After the door had shut behind him, the King sighed into the empty office.

“Guess I picked the right man after all.” He bowed his head back to his papers, licking his thumb before lifting off the top and placing it on a stack to the side. “Having a hero of his caliber chasing after her certainly does put my mind at ease.”

END