Eavesdropping

Finding the throne room was not as easy as Alaron had thought. The Castle Valiant was an intricate pattern of rooms, but the prince had grown up knowing how to navigate it. These caverns were a mix of natural and gnome-made. They were unpredictable. Add to this the fact that he had no bearings because he was underground, and Alaron was utterly lost.

His nose caught the scent of food, and his stomach growled. If the prince was lost anyway, he may as well not starve. But then Alaron remembered that the real Lukoss was heading to the royal kitchen. If this were the same place, that could be a problem. "If it happens, I will deal with it," the boy muttered.

Quietly, Alaron crept into the large cavernous kitchen. There were trays of food on the counters that a dozen beautiful ladies were preparing and plating. Alaron stuffed some of the contents of one of the plates in his mouth. They were so delicious that the boy groaned. One of the ladies looked his way, but seeing that he appeared to be a gnome, she quickly averted her gaze.

'These are not gnomes,' Alaron decided about the ladies. 'Perhaps they will tell me where I need to go without asking questions.' He made himself known by standing beside the counter and clearing his throat. Only one of the ladies dared to look up. She actually seemed pleased to see him.

"Lukoss? Did we not just see you? If you have finished your food, I can give you something else to give the king. As long as His Majesty's belly is full, hopefully he will not bring us any trouble," the lady said. Her words were almost playful as she tucked her purple hair behind her ear. The rest of the ladies kept their heads down and worked.

Alaron grunted and moved around the counter to receive the platter. 'Lukoss has a sweetheart in the kitchen,' the prince mused as he stared into her lovely sapphire eyes. 'Too bad she is a servant…' Alaron tripped on something heavy and metal. It was a chain.

The ladies were all chained together by their ankles. 'She is not a servant,' Alaron corrected his thinking. 'She is a slave.' It made sense now that the rest were not looking at him. They were afraid. The prince took the platter from the friendly lady. "Thank you," he said quietly.

The girl's face scrunched up. "Are you ok?" She took a small step toward him before the chain was taut.

Alaron nodded frantically and backed away. He gently stepped over the chain and left the kitchen. Turning a different direction from which he came, the prince found the hall which led to the throne room. He was not as far off as he thought. Guards stood attentively around the room, and others seemed to be nearby ready to fulfill the king's every whim. Alaron walked with his tray to the second group.

Nearby Cafer and Baak were having a lively discussion. "I will not bow down to some self-important prince," Baak asserted.

"I am not asking you to bow to him. Just give him respect as the future Emperor." Cafer countered.

"But I should be the Emperor." Baak slammed his fist against his throne.

"I know, Your Majesty, but it is far easier to have the humans rally around Prince Alaron. He has a legitimate claim to the throne." Cafer held out his hands as he explained.

The king stroked his chin. "I do like easy. And you promise that this boy would be Emperor in name only? I mean, are you sure you can control him?"

"You do not need to worry, my king," Cafer assured him. "The prince knows what is good for him. He will not be a problem."

Alaron scoffed, which caught the attention of the two powerful gnomes. Realizing his error, he coughed to try and cover up his outburst.

"Are you dying, Lukoss?" Baak asked with a derisive sneer.

Alaron shook his head silently.

"Then stop coughing, and bring me my food!" The king bellowed.

The prince moved forward and bent at the waist to offer the fruit on his tray. As Baak made his selection, Cafer looked hard at the gnome holding the tray. He smelled…wrong. The former councilman reached out toward Lukoss. He bumped against Alaron's invisible sword.

The mirage around the prince's weapon sputtered, and momentarily the sword was visible. Cafer's eyes went wide. Alaron gave him a guilty look. They both glanced around to see if anyone else had noticed. The guards were focused on the exits while the others were focused on the king. If anyone had seen the strange happening, they were keeping their mouth shut.

Having made his selection of fruit, the king was confused by Lukoss's presence. "Why are you still here?" he spat.

Alaron backed away. Cafer tried to shoo him out of the room the rest of the way, but the stubborn boy would not budge. They stared angrily at one another. If not for the king, Cafer would have hoisted the boy by the collar and escorted him outside. But that would interrupt the Semblance Stone, and Baak would recognize that he had been fooled by Alaron.

"Let us say that I join you, what will you do with the Empress?" Baak interrupted the two's silent quarrel.

"Ideally she dies in the attack on the palace," Cafer said evenly. He ventured a glance at Alaron, who was still staring daggers at him. Though whether it was from before or because of what he just said, the gnome was not sure.

"Yes, but if not..." Baak prodded.

"Then you and Xander can discuss that. He has designs on her as well," Cafer said vaguely. Should the Empress survive the siege and be captured, Cafer was unsure which fate would be worse.

"Ah yes, the pirate you mentioned." The king nodded.

"He is one of our many allies. Prince Alaron has quite the following. The list of supporters grows each day." Cafer declared.

"Is the prince not a twin? What about his sister?" Baak knew how fickle human loyalties could be. His own subjects would be the same if they did not fear him so much.

"Mairwen does not wish to rule," Cafer confirmed.

"But she could be a problem. If I cannot take care of the Empress, surely the princess would do," Baak negotiated.

"Prince Alaron will not allow you to harm his twin."

"If she becomes a problem, then we will revisit this issue," Baak warned. Cafer nodded and ventured to look at Alaron. The prince looked like he might murder the king.

"Does this mean you will join us?" Cafer tried to find something positive to focus on.

"I think you have made a compelling argument. I look forward to putting those blasted humans in their place." Baak gave a guttural laugh as he threw berries into his mouth. The juice went flying, and some landed on Cafer's cheek. The former councilman dabbed at his cheek with a cloth.

"Excellent, Your Majesty," Cafer said with a bow. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the real Lukoss in the doorway. Cafer rolled his eyes. What a mess! "If you will excuse me, Your Majesty. I will go check on the prince and give him the good news." He spoke extra loudly, hoping Alaron would catch his cue.

Cafer used his earth magic to trip the real Lukoss by the door. As Alaron saw the incoming problem, he slipped behind the king's lackeys and slid along the wall. The commotion in the doorway drew Baak's attention. "Lukoss? What are you doing over there?" He asked with a confused grunt. Alaron hid his face and ran through the far entrance of the room. Fortunately, the guards were so busy watching the commotion, they barely registered the prince's exit.

Alaron ran swiftly down the hallway. Just when he thought he was clear, the ground opened up and swallowed him whole.