Chapter 98
As they entered the palace of Cista they were quietly escorted to it's back garden. Roses covered the pathways. The scent of grass and rose tickled Vorbuk's nose as he breathed in the fresh garden air. It was a beautiful place that suited the Cista King perfectly.
King Micah sat patiently under a large white gazebo. A small cup of freshly brewed tea in his hand as he watched them approach. Calmly sipping the tea in silence with an expressionless look on his face. It was difficult to understand what was on his mind as they came near.
"Crown Prince, Leo, of Cadirade greets His Majesty." Leo spoke as they all respectfully bowed to the king.
The king's eyes carefully looked them all over. Sitting his cup down as he raised a hand to usher the prince into a seat. Prince Leo followed his direction without hesitation. Vorbuk sat beside him on the ground while the others stood away from them in order to give the king privacy.
"Welcome, Prince Leo. Under better circumstances I may have greeted you sooner.. but given events recently that was a bit difficult." The words King Micah spoke were kind on the surface. It was only on the surface.
Leo could tell easily by Micah's tone and the way he phrased it that he was deliberately trying to mask the fact that he was implying he didn't quite agree with their methods that had caused great damage to the capital. In truth the king simply was toying with the prince with his words.
"That is understandable, your majesty. You do not need to waste your time on this prince." Leo gave a simple and kind response to the king.
"I would hardly consider greeting the crown prince of Cadirade a waste of my time." King Micah smiled and raised his cup to take drink before continuing his words. "Why don't your group rest in my palace to recuperate before you leave Cista? I will be holding a banquet in a few days. I'd appreciate if you participate as well. After recent events the people will be interested in meeting the ones who.. aided my kingdom."
If I leave them alone.. Only the gods know what that dragon will do again. And this one.. King Micah wore a gentle expression to hide the unease he felt. The thought that Bredret could get out of control again made him uncomfortable. He wanted them to leave as soon as possible and the only place he felt he could keep an eye on them was under his own roof. If he turned them away as if they had not been involved it would only make the people of his kingdom question their king's moral actions.
"Thank you, your majesty. We will accept your offer." Prince Leo felt he had no choice but to accept the offer. Turning down a kind gesture from the king would make things very difficult if he had considered refusing him.
"I have already had rooms prepared for you all while you're here. I surely hope you know how to control yourselves and keep from causing problems." The King smirked slightly as he spoke.
Prince Leo carefully drank the tea in front of him while watching King Micah. He knew the king did not trust their group. It was only a matter of politics. The king could not do nothing when so many people were aware of their group already.
"Your Majesty, about the war going on right now between Cadirade and Ethiadan.. You must have heard by now that the gods are getting involved. I was wondering if I could convince you to-"
"Stop." King Micah held his hand out in order to motion the prince to quiet himself. Blue hair slipping down his shoulders as he moved. He had no interest in listening to words about joining in the war between the kingdoms.
"If you continue to stand in the background-!" Leo did not want to give up right away on convincing the king to take a side. Cadirade could benefit greatly with Cista if they took a chance.
"STOP." King Micah's voice rose greatly. His eyes looking as though he was greatly offended by being pushed to listen to Leo's words.
"I apologize for over stepping.." Prince Leo sighed as he tried to defuse the king's anger towards him. Perhaps he had pushed him too hard.
"My people have always lived in peace within the bounds of my kingdom. I do not wish to break this balance for something like the war between the kingdoms. I have no interest in which side between you two win. The way your two kingdoms are going has been the same for many generations. My only concern are the lives that are at the palm of my own hand." King Micah was not worried about the future.
He simply wanted to protect what was already in his grasp. If he sent his people to battle for another kingdom's sake it would also raise a flag on him. It would anger the kingdoms that were sided with Ethiadan and only put his kingdom at risk if things did not go as planned.
"We can talk more later.. for now I shall have someone escort you to your rooms." The king waved is hand in order to motion a servant over.
Shuffling over to the prince the servant bowed to them both. Obviously the king was not willing to let the prince get a word in towards the topic. No matter what the prince said it would only be pushed aside or rejected by the king.
"Very well.. Thank you, your majesty." Prince Leo stood up and bowed to King Micah. The prince was not yet willing to give up the idea of convincing the king to eventually side with Cadirade. Even though that was true he knew it was best to back down for now or he would only anger the king further.
Following behind the servant their group left the garden. The only one left within the garden was King Micah and the occasional servant or guard. As king he could never be left alone. It was required for the Cista king to always be accompanied by a guard. Though the king was still capable of protecting himself in most situations.
King Micah swished the tea around gently in the cup as he watched. His mind was deep in thought. There was a faint light in his eyes as he went over the actions he had seen their group perform before him.
"They are truly a strange bunch." King Micah's face gave a faint smile.
"Your Majesty, some hidden guards have been prepared." The king's butler said quietly as he walked up to him.
"Good. Make sure to have them supervise the dragon carefully. I do not want that man going on a rampage within my palace. Take care of it." King Micah ran his thumb against his temple. He could not imagine the damage that could happen to his palace if Bredret went on another rampage. It was something he did not want to see. The image of what could happen to the palace made his body shiver.