Write your own story

8. The truth

Lußan Noctrena was a lesser noble of the empire of Ratcar and had served his emperor for almost 35 years as his loyal secretary.
He had been there when the first prince was born had watched him grow up and seen him leave for the east palace.
Lußan had always remembered these shiny blue eyes that had watched him leave after conveying the emperor's orders that he had to never set foot into the central palace again.
After prince Fharan had been abducted these eyes had started to hunt him in his dreams.
Just the day before his disappearance he had presented him with a letter from his aunt and asked for an audience with his mother but he had deemed the matter unimportant. It hadn't looked like the young prince had expected differently.
Later that day he had carefully presented the matter to the emperor, but his majesty had immediately dismissed the topic as well.
It wasn't until later that they came to regret their decision.

Today had been like any other. The only irregularity of today's scheldure had been the audience of a young independent mercenary who had shown exceptional potential and was, if everything went according to his majesty's wishes, to be integrated into this years recruitment program for the royal guards.
The emperor had just finished the last documents for today when he send Lußan ahead to check if the guest had already arrived.
To his surprise, he found the throne room as well as the corridors empty.
He started to sweat a little. What could have possibly delayed them for more than 20 minutes?
Lußan had just returned to the throne room again when loud voices awakened him from his thoughts.
He opened the door, annoyed and asked the men standing outside for the cause of their argument. One of the guards usually stationed in front of his majesty's inner chambers pointed at a black cat that sat in the middle of the corridor and seemed to intently follow their discussion. He hadn't seen it yet because one of the knight had blocked his view.
"Whose creature is that?", he demanded to know. "How can it be that an ownerless cat is roaming the palace? It..."
"He's mine.", a cold voice interrupted him, "I wouldn't have come had I realized it would be such a hustle."
Lußan turned towards the speaker.
A young man was leaning against the wall a few steps away from them, seemingly uninterested in the ruckus he had caused. A hood hid his hair and most of his face as he examined his fingers, his skin unusually pale for a child of the desert.
Only when he spoke his last words did he first turn his head towards his cat before shifting his position to look at the secretary who immediately froze when seeing the stranger's face.
It was not only because of the almost unnatural coldness that lay in those eyes, but rather the eyes themselves that shocked him into stupor.
He took a few unsteady steps backwards and one of the guards hurried to his aid otherwise he might truly have fallen.
His counterpart stayed unimpressed, pulled his hood back, revealing his striking red hair. Then he lazily straightened his posture before performing an almost mocking bow.
"Long time no see lord secretary.", he said.
"Your.... Your highness.....! But that....that's impossible!..... You died!", Lußan finally exclaimed in shock.
"I'm sorry to disappoint!", Fharan replied icily, "But it was you who summoned me here. I would have survived a few more days in peace."
Only then did Lußan connect the young mercenary with the prince in front of him, but before he was able to say anything the emperor's voice interrupted.
"Lußan, what is the problem? Send our visitor in!"
He swallowed any possible comments and opened the doors a bit wider before stepping aside. Under the confused gazes of the knights Fharan started to walk towards the open doors, the black cat close behind him.

The emperor of Ratcar had aged quite a bit in the last six years. Although his hair had not yet started to turn grey his eyes had lost quite a bit of their spirit and his face showed its first wrinkles.
He had already prepared his speech and his first words of welcome were already on their way when his guest entered the hall, but they got stuck in his throat when icy blue eyes met with dark green ones.
He recovered faster from his shock than his secretary and calmly beckoned one of his attendants to come closer. "Please inform the empress that she is urgently needed in the tea room. Fin inform the kitchen.", he ordered and stood up from his throne before turning his attention back to his son.
"We should move locations don't you think?", he asked and started to walk towards one of the side doors. If it hadn't been for the slight tremor in his voice one could have thought him unaffected by his first borns unexpected return.

They moved in silence and only the occasional greetings of the servants interrupted the tense atmosphere.
Fharan stopped from time to time to let Afrit catch back up to them after he had once again found something that peaked his interest.
They arrived in the tea room and his father motioned him to sit down.
It was also Rhisane who broke the silence first: "What is that cat that seemed to follow you around? I'm sure there are more practical animals to keep as a pet."
This comment earned him an enraged hissing by said pet.
"His name is Afrit and he has been my companion for quite a while now.", Fharan calmly replied and motioned for his bond to come closer so he could pick him up and place him on his lap. "But still, I don't really believe it's an appropriate arrangement for someone of your standing!"
"And what standing exactly are you talking about? Last I've heard prince Fharan Estariel had been declared dead.", he replied coldly and saw how the colour was drained from the emperor's face.