Odeen sat within his throne room, surrounded by his council members as they commenced with their meeting. Odeen seemed distracted throughout the conference, tapping his fingers against the desk rhythmically. Vatic gazed over at his king, furrowing his brows as he snapped toward Odeen. "Sire, focus."
Odeen scoffed in amusement, rubbing his temples. "You're the only person in this kingdom who's unafraid to do that. Do we have any news on the runaway princess and her location? The Otherworlder can't stay here forever."
Vatic sighed, organising his papers neatly. "I'm the only one who knows that you wouldn't dare harm someone you rely on so heavily. As for Safire's whereabouts, she's still avoiding capture and evading detection. But this kingdom is enclosed. We will eventually close in on her location, and in doing so, free Rhudy from her unfortunate obligations."
Odeen nodded in agreement, sinking against his throne. "It's already been a year since she fled. I believe that she's gone into hiding outside the kingdom's walls. How is Rhudy excelling in her language training?"
"It's been a matter of days, sire." A nameless council member spoke up swiftly. "But I do want to bring up the concern that if she were to be married to you, her family would want to attend the ceremony, as would the kingdom of Cyrus. King Hendrics would demand to meet with his daughter in private."
Odeen grunted at the thought. "With the tensions as high as they are now, we just need to keep the public believing that Rhudy is Safire, and hope that we can get enough time to teach her basic conversation. Any word from the wizard's order?"
Vatic's lips pulled into a tight smile, sucking in a sharp breath. "Well, sire, they're happy to help Rhudy and Jasher. But the concern is that they know nothing about the 'Inbetween' or the deity Nexus that brought them there. But they know who does." The room fell silent in curiosity. Vatic felt his body tense as he spoke through his clenched jaw. "The Lost Embers."
Odeen slammed his hands against his throne, standing fast. "You're saying the wizards of Cyrus' court know about the Inbetween, but we don't?! You understand they deal in black magic, right? They cannot be trusted. Not just because they hail under Hendrics."
Vatic nodded, raising his hand to calm Odeen's outburst. "You couldn't be more right, sire. After a lengthy consultation with the wizard's order, we have reached an agreement that may please you. A trade of sorts. We will organise with King Hendrics a peace swap. In a bid to 'avoid war', we will send one of our wizards into Cyrus, and in return, we will gain one of theirs. This way, we will have an informant on the inside and gain the information we're looking for with the traded wizard."
Odeen thought on the option, seating himself again. "It's risky. If Hendrics catches wind of what we're up to, we'll have that war we've been avoiding on our doorsteps. You know I trust you, Vatic. But this is taking a huge gamble. For what? Two people who don't belong to our world? We must think of the kingdom first."
Vatic nodded, feeling a little smug with the information he held. "I'm aware of that. And what do kingdoms run on, sire? Currency. Jasher's world thrives on its precious materials. The way I see it, if we are the first to crack interdimensional travel, we can be the first kingdom to actively trade with the richer, more flourishing world."
Odeen's brows raised as he let out an amused hum. "Trading not within our realm, but with another that is further developed? You've piqued my interest. So while the risk is high for our little fake princess scheme being revealed, our reward is a possible peaceful exchange with another universe's resources. I am starting to see the appeal."
Vatic smirked, drafting the proposal. "We'll be the first kingdom in the world to make contact and actively stimulate our economy with another developed nation. One that seemingly far surpasses ours. From what I've gathered from Jasher, magic is basically unheard of in his world. We have something they want; they have the gold we want. It'll be the feat that will put Ocerania as the kingdom in the centre of our world."
Odeen grinned, straightening his posture in intrigue. "Genius. We'll become the centre of economic growth with the leverage to expand as we see fit. We may finally be able to take back the land that was stolen from us in the Red War."
Vatic felt vindication when the council members began to mutter agreements. "I'd do anything to see you sitting atop the throne you belong on, sire. Shall we go ahead with the exchange program?"
Odeen chuckled, eager to agree. "Yes, and while we're at it, let's keep our ace a secret. As far as Henrics needs to know, his daughter is still a vagabond in Ocerania. You have pleased me today, Vatic. Your mind never fails to surprise me."
Vatic felt a rapid flutter within his chest, pride radiating through him. "Sire, that means more to me than you know. Let's bring Ocerania back to the top where she belongs. This council meeting is dismissed. I will prepare the documents for exchange, and we'll prepare the order."
Odeen nodded, standing from the throne, flooded with relief. "I'll await word on who will be exchanged. This council meeting has been one of our most productive. We'll reconvene after the preparations have been agreed upon."
With that, Odeen left to wander the halls, making his way toward Ruby's room. Soft giggles came from behind her heavy oak door, music sounding delicately. "Have you never danced before, Benadin?" Her English tongue always brought Odeen a sense of relief. He pushed open Ruby's door to find Jasher sitting on her bed, while Benadin attempted a slow dance with Ruby, stumbling over the steps.
Odeen leaned against the door frame, shaking his head in amusement. "This is the strangest language lesson I've come to see. How does dancing with the Otherworlder help her understand our language?"
Benadin ripped his arms from Ruby, holding his hands behind his back. "No, sire! We were taking a small break because Jasher was playing the melodies from Rhudy's world, and she was distracted by the sounds."
Ruby rolled her eyes, watching Odeen with an unamused expression. Jasher scoffed, switching the songs. "Real nice, Benadin. Blaming me for you getting distracted when Ruby began swaying to the songs? Wasn't it you that said she had a wonderful tone to her voice?"
Benadin felt his face flush, whipping his head toward Jasher in betrayal. "Well, it was very unique to me. Our way of singing is united chants, so this was something new and exciting to me. Isn't your hour up, anyway?"
Jasher smirked, switching to a different song yet again. "It's Ruby's phone. If she decides that I've had enough music, then I'll turn it off." Jasher held the phone up, pulling Ruby down to take a photo of them. "Hah, I missed taking pictures."
Odeen frowned, crossing his arms. "Taking pictures? What is so amusing about this odd device that has you so captivated? You know that after my meeting, I had a scheduled language lesson with you."
Jasher stood, approaching Odeen with the camera app open. "Sire, smile for me." Jasher held the phone toward the king, chuckling with the unamused expression he wore. "Cinematic." Jasher snapped the photo, holding it up toward Odeen.
The king felt himself panic at the sight, leaning in toward the picture. "How did you put me in the small metallic brick? Release me at once! Is this some form of soul theft that you've subjected me to?"
Jasher laughed so hard he could feel it in his stomach. "No, it's like an instant portrait! I can even put a-" Jasher frowned, realising there was no word for video in Oceranian. "A moving picture with sounds on the phone? Look, I'll show you."
Jasher turned to face away from Odeen, recording both of their faces. He waved in amusement as Odeen stared into the camera, looking lost and uncomfortable. "What a useless waste of time, Jasher. We should be practising your tongue."
Jasher gleamed as he stopped recording. "Just say that you're ready to learn English. But first, look." Jasher held the phone up toward Odeen, playing the video. "See? Sounds and all. This way, we'll never forget about you once we get back to our world. Ruby's been documenting the castle, people, and her experience here."
Odeen felt his cheeks begin to warm up, turning his gaze toward Ruby. "She doesn't want to forget about me?" Odeen then cleared his throat, shaking his head in dismissal. "Very well, you can keep playing with the odd contraption. Another time. It's time for my English lesson."
Ruby approached Jasher, taking her phone back with a playful gleam. "I think your time is up. Also, someone needs to teach Benadin how to dance. The poor guy is stiff as a board."
Ruby handed her phone back toward Benadin, trying to rial up Jasher. That was, until Benadin spoke. "Thank you." Ruby whipped her head toward Benadin, staring at him in shock as the room fell into stunned silence.
"English... he just spoke English." Ruby felt her eyes well with tears. "I only told him that a few times. Benadin – I can't believe you just said thank you. And so well too!" Ruby felt her heart flutter as she moved in to embrace Benadin tightly. "That was utter music to my ears."
Odeen furrowed his brows, clenching his jaw at the sight. Jasher scoffed, crossing his arms as he averted his gaze. "You act like I haven't said thank you to you before. I'm pretty sure I've thanked you a million times for allowing me to use your phone."
Ruby pulled away from the flustered guard, who refused to touch her in any shape or form, holding his arms out at her sides as his gaze shifted to the roof uncomfortably. Ruby wiped the tears from her eyes, shaking her head. "It's not that I haven't heard the words in a while, it's that he's clearly learning from me as much as I'm learning from him."
Jasher nodded in agreement as Odeen leaned closer toward the knight. "What is she so upset about? What did Benadin say to her? If he's insulting or bullying her, I'd see it fit to throw him in prison for a few weeks."
Jasher shook his head, smiling weakly. "She was grateful that he told her thank you in her language. I think she's going a little stir crazy, only being able to talk with me. She's learning Oceranian, but the process is slow and painful."
Odeen sighed in annoyance, watching Ruby sit by Benadin to continue their lesson. "Perhaps I should order another knight to watch over her. It seems that Benadin has grown too fond of her too quickly."
Jasher turned back to Odeen with furrowed brows. "That would not be beneficial to anybody. Benadin seems to get along with Ruby, and the other way around. I could see them learning one another's language quickly. If we do that, then Ruby will have 3 people to talk with, and she'll pick up Oceranian quickly."
Odeen growled in annoyance. "While I don't like the thought of them growing closer, I can't say that you're wrong. But the last thing that we need is a scandal. Remember, inside the castle, she's my fiancée. Outside the castle, she hasn't returned to the kingdom yet. The last thing we need is for a rumour to spread within the castle walls that Safire is back and courting a knight. Rhudy may be a commoner, but she's acting as Safire. Heaven forbid that the rumour spreads outside of the castle, and the kingdom believes that Safire has returned. A select few know who Rhudy truly is, which means any leakage of knowledge would be blown out of proportion without the facts. Her life is in danger enough. The danger she faces without that situation is high enough."
Jasher hung his head, feeling the weight of Odeen's words land like an explosive. "I didn't think about that. Ruby's life is in danger, but if that rumour comes out... she'll be seen as worse than the princess who ran away and started the tensions between our kingdoms." The tension hung thick in the air as Ruby attempted to ignore the intruders, completely absorbed in Benadin's teachings.
-End of chapter 7-