Alex watched as the royal advisors and William left the hall. He had been surprised and unsettled when the mage had suggested putting the question of his own presence to a vote; they were not ready, and he doubted that his little speech about how brave and courageous they had been in Lenz had had any real impact.
He looked back at his father, who had taken off his crown and was rubbing his temples.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm just tired. I worked too much these past few days."
"You shouldn't have sent me away."
"Perhaps not, but once again, you solved a problem I didn't even know existed."
His father motioned for him to come closer, and Alex took the seat beside him.
"Are you all right, you and William?"
"Yeah, don't worry. It was less traumatic than Narea."
"You should have prevented him from using himself as bait."
Alex lowered his gaze to his gloved hands. "I tried, but when he gets something into his head there's no way to make him change his mind. And then he was so sure I would protect him that I thought he might be right."
Silence stretched between them, then his father sighed.
"Who made you feel trapped?"
"The governor of Narea, although it wasn't quite how I described it. While we danced, his hand kept slipping a little too low."
"Did you let him lead you during the dance?"
"Yeah."
"Alex, for the spirits' sake, you mustn't let him take the lead! You are the Prince."
"I know, damn it, but I was worried about William. The situation was going to hell, and I was alone handling it." He rubbed his forehead. "I did my best, and when he crossed the line I forced him to kneel. But I felt uncomfortable, with that hand on my ass."
"Just uncomfortable?"
"What I told the advisors was just for show. But… I suppose that's what William felt. In Narea and in Lenz. I wanted them to understand how much he'd risked for the Crown, so they would start seeing him as the man he is."
His father placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps it helped. Before you arrived, I was having some trouble convincing the Council that he was trustworthy."
"You shouldn't have sent us away."
"If I hadn't, you wouldn't have come back changed once more."
"I haven't changed, Father. I've just opened my eyes."
He had only realized that he was capable of saving people, and that he didn't have to turn into his father to be a good sovereign. That he could find his own path and his own reason to rule.
That perhaps Vellara needed Prince Alexander, not a poor imitation of King Klaus.
His father tightened his grip on his shoulder. "I don't know if you have the numbers to win the vote. If you lose, though, I can't guarantee that William will stay."
"That's not necessary, I'll make sure of it myself. Whatever the Council decides, Will stays."
"Alex, you can't rule without their support. I'm doing all this for you, to smooth the path ahead of you."
"You don't need to." Alex rose from his chair. "I'm not like you. I tried my best, but I can't rule the way you want or make compromises the way you do."
"You didn't really try."
"I did! In Narea I tried to compromise, and it was a disaster. I almost lost Will. I can't do what you do and make it work. I'm different, and if I want to be a good king I have to find my own way of ruling."
His father watched him in silence, then stood up.
"That young man means a great deal to you, doesn't he?"
"I know the Council thinks he's manipulating me, but that's not true." Alex hesitated. "He just helped me find the path I'd been searching for all my life. He didn't push me to do anything, he simply lit up the darkness I had been lost in and let me see what had always been right in front of me."
"I understand." His father's gaze grew distant. "You may go. I imagine you'll want to rest."
Alex left the hall. He would have liked to retreat to his chambers and sleep, but he had a lot of work to do.
First of all, he needed to understand what the situation inside the Council was like. Then he had to speak with William, scold him for getting into trouble again, and work out a strategy together.
And then he wanted to retrieve a few history books from the library.
He had told his father he would find his own way of ruling, and perhaps reading the biographies of his ancestors would give him some inspiration. There had to have been at least an idealistic and impulsive king like him, right?
He looked for William in his room, but found only his luggage and the grimoire. For the first time, Alex realized how small and humble it was compared to the chambers of the other royal advisors. It was even located in one of the areas reserved for the least important guests.
He didn't deserve to be treated that way. Alex had to do something.
He left the room and went to the chamberlain.
"I need to speak with you."
The man smiled at him. "How can I serve you, Your Highness?"
"My mage needs to be moved. His current chamber isn't suitable; it's too small and it's in the wrong wing."
"Where would you like me to relocate him?"
"I don't know, there must be some vacant chambers in one of the wings where the other royal advisors reside."
The chamberlain looked thoughtful. "A few chambers are available, though I wonder whether it would truly be wise. Master Traver is not a noble."
"He is my Court Mage. It's as if he were."
"That's true." The man drummed his chubby fingers on his chin. "In all honesty, I expected you would have asked me to relocate him much earlier."
Alex blushed. "Ah, well, I hadn't thought about it."
"It doesn't matter. Your wishes are orders, Your Highness. I'll inform Master Traver that he will be relocated and I'll show him his new chamber."
"Please make sure there's a bathroom with a very large bathtub."
That way, he could slip in there with William and do indecent things in the water.
"I don't think that will be a problem, although knowing him, I fear he'll prefer walls full of bookshelves."
"That's not a problem, right?"
"Do not worry, Your Highness. I will do my best to meet Master Traver's needs."
Alex left the royal chamberlain and headed to the library, certain he would find William buried in books. As soon as he entered, he spotted him near the window, with a stack of volumes at his side. Sitting in a chair in front of him was Myrina, intent on writing something in a notebook.
He approached them. "Are you two studying?"
Myrina lifted her head and her eyes lit up with joy. "Alex! How was Grandmother? And Flori? I'm so happy to have you back!"
"They were both well." Alex hugged her and kissed her on the cheek. "I see you didn't waste any time kidnapping my mage."
"Don't be ridiculous, it was William who wanted to have a lesson. I told him it would be better if he rested."
William gave a sharp smile. "I'm not tired. His Highness has taken good care of me."
Alex grinned. Was that a jab? "Did you enjoy the way I cared for you?"
"Very much."
"Good. Earlier you were complaining about how much your backside hurt—I'm glad to see it's already better. That must mean you won't have any trouble riding later."
"I don't like riding, Your Highness."
"That's because you still haven't found the right stallion. Maybe I could suggest a really good one for you to ride."
William pressed his lips together and smacked him on the head with a book. "Sit down and stop being so shameless. You're disturbing the princess."
Alex huffed and took a seat beside his sister. "You're a cruel mage."
Myrina gave him a deadpan look. "You deserved it. That'll teach you to make tasteless jokes."
"Aren't you a bit too young to understand them?"
"I'm not a child."
"In my eyes you'll always be my slightly whiny little sister."
"I hate you, big brother."
Alex laughed and moved to an armchair a short distance away so he wouldn't disturb them. He grabbed a few biographies of his ancestors and spent the next two hours reading. He stopped only when William dismissed the princess and approached him.
"For the record, my backside still hurts."
Alex closed the book. "Too bad. I think my stallion wanted you to ride it."
William looked away. "Thank you for earlier. In front of the Council. When you… explained what it means to feel trapped. I thought you would mention me, but you didn't."
"I could never have done that, and I'm sorry if my words made you uncomfortable."
"They didn't. They just made me very sad." William knelt in front of him. "For a moment, I sensed fear through the bond and… I wondered if you were talking about something you had lived through."
Alex hesitated. "I didn't feel exactly that way, but the governor of Narea did make me uncomfortable."
"I'm sorry, I hadn't noticed."
"Don't apologize. It wasn't your fault."
William smiled, then leaned toward his face and kissed him on the lips. "Earlier, in front of the Council, you handled everything brilliantly. I'm so proud of you."
"If you liked it, I could do it again."
"I did like it." He cleared his throat and stood back up. "Your father has given us a week. We need to understand where we stand and what we can do."
"You know that if you had kept quiet, we wouldn't have gotten ourselves into this mess, right?"
"I know, but this way we'll shut Lord Ballard up once and for all."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," William exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with determination. "After this, he won't bother us anymore, and everyone else will finally see you for the man you truly are."
Alex pressed his lips together, then stood and kissed him. William stiffened, then parted his lips and let Alex's tongue explore his mouth, moaning and grabbing at his clothes.
Alex pulled back. "By the spirits, when you smile like that you put my self-control to the test."
"You have no self-control at all, Your Highness."
"Since I gave you the pendant, I have even less." He kissed his neck. "I can never get enough—it's as if touching you only makes my hunger worse."
William blushed and caressed his hips. "The feeling is mutual."
"I've never felt this way with anyone else before you."
He kissed his neck again, then pulled aside the edge of his robe and the collar of his shirt, moving down toward his collarbone. The bite mark from when they had sex in the carriage was still visible on his shoulder.
"Y-Your Highness…"
"Sorry, you're right, I shouldn't—"
Alex blushed as a sudden warmth grew between his legs. How the hell did he get hard in the middle of a conversation?
William gave him a deadpan look. "It's not just my imagination, is it?"
"It's… your fault."
"How can it be my fault if you have no self-control?"
"I'm sorry. I'll handle it myself."
William glared at him. "No, I'll take care of it—but no penetration. And… be careful not to dirty the books."