Royal meeting

Miroïr went to his room, took a bath, and then changed himself. He was paying extra attention to dress in clear colors. This was hiding the paleness of his skin and his white hair. The only time he dressed in black after taking Jäwell's clothes, everyone around him froze out of fear as if they saw a very true demon. 

He sat in front of his mirror and took a deep breath. Somehow he was very tense, he stayed here for a while before he joined the dining room. 

As he entered, he realized that only two seats were prepared. A servant installed him, and at first, he thought his brother wanted to dine with him alone. He waited patiently for him when he saw Zarkhaïm entering the room with a large smile. 

"I am sorry to have made you wait, I prepared something special for us today."

Miroïr blushed, he didn't expect to dine alone with Zarkhaïm but the memory of their last diner was so pleasant that his heart bumped strongly and he was a bit embarrassed about it. He tried to speak with a normal voice but Zarkhaïm was smiling slightly amused, Miroïr could swear that Zarkhaïm was hearing his heart beating wildly in his chest.

"Special for me? Jäwell won't join us today?" 

Zarkhaïm sat in front of him, watching him right in the eyes.

"Jäwell is having fun in the front, he stayed to lead some battles. I didn't want to wait for him. I couldn't wait to see you again." 

Miroïr didn't know what to think about it. He was a bit stressed but Zarkhaïm continued. 

"How is the tower? The mages? I heard you are working a lot recently."

Miroïr smiled as he thought about his precedent night.

"I am happy that you asked me. I spent the night with a wonderful woman."

Zarkhaïm had round eyes for a moment. Miroïr realized his sentence and corrected himself in a burst of laughter.

"I mean, we received our most recent recruit and she is a woman with extraordinary potential. Until now, the mages were only men. No woman dared to come to join us yet. I have good hopes that she will be a great mage and she will help us to recruit equally men and women in the future. It opens potential, and chances for everyone no matter their gender. When she will be ready and perfectly integrated, I am sure that she will bring a positive effect on society and women will be watched with a bit more respect thanks to her."

Miroïr's eyes were enlightened, the red of his pupils was shiny like the color of fresh blood. Zarkhaïm relaxed as he listened to his explanations. 

"I am happy to hear this. You know it will be hard to include her in the tower. These men are not ready to hear that they are a woman's equal," Zarkhaïm chuckled before sipping his wine.

"I know, Zarkhaïm, this is why I decided to train her personally," Miroïr answered with excitement. "She has the largest potential among all the men I have in my actual group, with proper training she would defeat them all in one."

Miroïr was very excited about it while Zarkhaïm seemed thoughtful. Miroïr asked with an enchanted tone.

"Why did you come back Zarkhaïm? Is there any matter you have to deal with at the castle?" 

Zarkhaïm took his glass and let his lips on it a moment while answering with a soft voice.

"I just missed you." 

Miroïr had goosebumps. He didn't expect such a conversation and things became awkward. He didn't understand what Zarkhaïm meant and didn't want to have false presumptions. Miroïr had taken a special interest in Zarkhaïm since their first exchange and it was hard for him to believe that it could be reciprocated. He had been an outcast all his life while Zarkhaïm was the beloved king of the land. 

Zarkhaïm broke the silence.

"I asked the kitchen to prepare some special animals today. I hunted them at the border, these beasts only exist in our neighbor's territory. Since they attacked us first Jäwell and I decided that there is no need to keep friendly relations anymore. We are crushing their army." 

Miroïr had a bad feeling about it. He felt touched by the attention but he couldn't stop being worried about the attitude of Zarkhaïm and Jäwell.

"Don't be overconfident, this is how the bests fall." 

Zarkhaïm was enchanted by the situation and the fact that Miroïr was so caring. The servant brought the plates and the two men ate their dinner. They exchanged a few words about everything, and without realizing it, the moment continued until the night came. They spent all evening together. Miroïr strangely felt very happy to have this private time with Zarkaïm. Along their discussion, Miroïr became the king's confidant, an intimate friend, and maybe something more. He felt lost but the only thing he was sure of was that it was intense to him. 

"I am sorry for my weakness Zarkhaïm, I need some rest. The night with the recruit was tiring," said Miroïr while yawning.

In his mind, a voice was screaming to speak the truth: "I enjoy your company."

Miroïr couldn't speak out loud his feelings, he stood up to leave, but Zarkhaïm followed him and took his hand. Miroïr felt the cold skin of the king on his and yet it felt so warm to him.

Zarkhaïm whispered in a low voice, "Let me accompany you." 

They walked together to Miroïr's quarters, Zarkhaïm was keeping his hand tenderly while they didn't pronounce a word. Once at the door, Zarkhaïm wished him a good night and went away without waiting for Miroïr's answer. 

Miroïr entered his room in silence. He took out his clothes and went to bed. He stared at the ceiling, unconsciously he was caressing the part of his skin that had been in contact with Zarkhaïm's hand. 

At the moment he realized what he was doing, Miroïr felt ridiculous and sighed. Tonight he had issues finding sleep. 

What happened was an indescribable and unique situation and he wondered what was happening to him.