A game of power (book 1 of the Game series)

13.Rauk

AN- HI! Special mention to my friend who took the time to create art for this, as well as put together boards for each character. I might add a chapter to show them all off, but for now- THANK YOU KEIRA ( I sincerely hope I spelt that correctly!)

Now, with no further ado, i present, Rauk, AKA, the BBC merlin of this story!

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Rauk ducked his head as he walked through a small doorway partway up a pale stone tower, greeting the man inside before heading to the table that sat in the corner. The other man was his father, a physician in the court of Illustria and Rauk helped him.

He swept the various vials off of the rounded surface into his large hand and strode back out, jogging down the stairs, taking them in twos and taking a left immediately after exiting the narrow stairwell. He towered over the people around him, but by now, everyone was used to it, and if anything, they were looking forward to his first shift, as was he.

Rauk was an fae, or at least, a half breed. The kingdom was the only place where they still resided, the ancient descendants of the original elves, with pointed ears and large fangs. Pure fae could usually shift between 3 to 5 different forms, mostly animals and could make a bond with them, therefore adopting some of their features and abilties permanently but Rauk was different, he was only half.

Being half meant that until he was seventeen summers old, he would not gain the pointed ears or the fangs. Half-breeds, or as they liked to be called , Dimidi, would remain in their mother's form until they reached seventeen, with the rare exception of those who were able to shift a little earlier due to status. Where his mother was human, he would essentially be human until his birthday, in 3 days time, and the same would go for his fae-mothered counterparts.

At precisely mid-moon on his birthday, he would shift for the first time, being able to use the fangs, ears and increased senses, speed and strength of the fae. Not only that, but he would gain the muscle mass needed to eventually fight if ever needed, not a lot, but enough to get him started. Everyone looked forward to their first shift.

He continued on to the staff staircase and ascended it quickly, looking out of a large, ornate window to his left, looking over the sweeping city before him, draped in the gold and white of the kingdom. Tall buildings rose above the others every couple of miles or so, standing out in a similar fashion to himself, tall and lithe.

He jogged up the last few stairs and then along the corridor, littered with ornate archways, guards and gorgeous works of art. He turned through one of these archways, his favourite one along the hall, it was the one decorated with dragons, 3 of them reaching out from the top, one roaring, one with its head bowed, and one sleeping. It was the archway that led to the princess' quarters, hidden by a tall pair of doors, made from white wood with the familiar carving of dragons.

He knocked once and waited, taking a moment to look at the vials in his hand and select one from them. It was her usual vision-preventing tonic, lilac in colour with specks of a bright blue.

"Come in!"

The princess' voice was soft, indicating that she had only recently woken up. He walked in and nodded at the prince, who was slumped in a chair by the fire. The twins were a striking pair, with the signature golden hair of the royals, much like his own, but a lot brighter. They both had the same violet eyes, critical and analysing anyone and anything they came across.

The princess was laid out on the bed, a single, slim arm draped across her eyes in a dramatic manner. Her lips moved,

"Hello, Rauk, could you leave it on the table please?"

He hummed in acknowledgement, nodding his head and setting it on the table by the fire, bowing his head to the prince. He turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on his.

His head swung round in surprise and he frowned- what did the prince want?

"There's something about you Rauk, and no matter how hard you try to hide it, i will find it out."

Rauk tensed and then shrugged nonchalantly, as though to say well I don't know what it is either buddy, so you're on your own.

He grinned once to the princess and then turned on his heel, his heart pounding as he realised that they were onto him, and although merciful, the family was ruthless to those who crossed them, and the teen knew that he fell into that category. He made his way back down the draughty halls, awkwardly speeding up whenever he passed someone. He wasn't the most social person, and that was clear when he found himself saving his voice for short passages of whispered speech.

He carried on, finishing his rounds quickly, making sure that Lord Jenson actually took his vial, instead of insisting that he needed nothing so long as he had his whiskey, while making sure that Baroness Cartwik did not try to slip a few extra vials out to sell later on.

She was one hell of a lovely woman but gods was she slippery, taking whatever took her fancy, and batting her eyelids at anyone who even thought she was remotely suspicious. It was amusing really, every time her door opened, there was another pile of small trinkets and pieces of jewellery behind her. She wasn't good at hiding it, but most let her, some even left things for her to 'steal'. They all pitied her as the rumour mill said that she was dropped on her head as a child, but Rauk thought differently- He was convinced that she had them all where she wanted them, pitying her and letting her take whatever, the sly smiles and winks just sealed his theory.

"Rauk! Rauk, we need to speak with you!"

He looked behind him to see the twins walking quickly behind him, their long hair dragging behind. He stopped and waited for them to catch up, after all, their clothing certainly did not have the capacity for much movement, no matter how pretty it was.

He looked down as they came to a stop, Princess Zavi barely reached his chest, but the aura around her made up for that. It was in the shape of a large, silver dragon and was identical to her brother's, looming above him and glaring down. One of them alone unnerved him, but both? Both fucking terrified him.

He gulped and then he donned an easy persona, grinning down at the pair and waving his hand, indicating for them to speak.

"Not here, let's go to Vani's room, we need privacy."

Rauk nodded and then followed the pair through the winding maze of halls until they reached another dragon arch, walking through and openening the door. The twins went in first and he followed, as a servant should.

If Rauk thought that the Zavi's room was pretty, then her male counterpart clearly outshone it. At the far end was a tall, rounded window that looked onto the mountains that backed onto the border between them and Ignia. Immediately in front of him was a large fireplace, with high backed chairs strategically placed around it, each with a plush, velvet cushion, in the darkest blue possible. In the centre of the ring of chairs was a low, ornate table, with a few chips from it.

The walls were of a dark wooden panelling, that was the same as the huge four poster bed that sat against them, with matching drapery and sheets to the seating. Various small trinkets and statues littered various surfaces, with a library-like set up in the far corner.

The room smelt of pinewood with a hint of iron, most likely from the various swords that hung from the wall. It was a unique smell, but it was wonderful, especially when the smell of fresh books mingled in with the curious mix.

The prince sat on the chipped table, leaning forward onto his now-spread legs, his elbows resting on each while Zavi settled on one of the armchairs loser to the fire, drawing her legs up to her chest, carefully arranging her dress before leaning down and pulling a warm-looking blanked from a basket next to her, which she proceeded to wrap around herself. Rauk hesitated before perching on the very edge of the closest seat, his back straight and his leg bouncing ever so subtly.

"We need to talk." The prince spoke the words as though they terrified him, though Rauk could not comprehend what could possibly evoke that reaction from them. He nodded and it was the princess' turn to speak.

"You don't have to lie to us. We know you have the gift. You needn't be afraid either, we aren't going to tell a soul."