The Woods

Chapter Sixteen

I wasn't surprised when I didn't see Casper and Merilyn the next morning. I had no idea where they were, but I supposed it was none of my business, anyway. I was surprised, however, when a guard took me to the study where Casper had been teaching me the Fae's history. With Casper gone, I expected no lessons, but I didn't ask any questions as I followed him.

"Ah, Fida." We had reached the study and the guard had just opened the door to reveal the king sitting at the desk. He nodded to the guard, who bowed before taking his leave, and waved a hand. "Please, take a seat."

I silently did as he said, watching him as he flicked through one of the books, a fond smile on his face. "Where's Casper?" I dared to ask. Why did I suddenly feel nervous?

"He and Merilyn are away on business. I couldn't stay away from the castle for too long, so they have gone out in my stead. You would be quite bored without Celaine or Drake, so I decided you might as well continue lessons."

I nodded, nibbling my lip. "Where is Celaine? I haven't seen her for a while."

"She has duties," the king said simply. His tone had changed slightly; enough for me to know not to press questions further. I nodded silently, watching as he picked out a book from the desk and passed it to me. "I would like you to read the first chapter. When you're finished, we will discuss it."

I took the book, noting its worn cover and wrinkled pages. Whatever it was, it had been read many times.

Opening the cover, I began to read, occasionally glancing up to watch the king. He was scribbling on a document of sorts, almost as if he were annotating. As he worked, his tail flicked, so I could only assume he was irritated about something. I almost asked what was wrong, but his lips suddenly twitched up and I realised he had noticed me staring. I quickly focused my attention on the history book.

Unlike the previous books, which contained large-scale events, this one seemed to focus on the Houses and etiquette. It told me how inheritance worked through Houses intermarrying, how inheritance of the throne worked, and how the statuses of the Houses were determined. I knew little pieces of information from conversations with Casper, but the book went into much more detail, giving specific scenarios and lists of exceptions.

It still amazed me how Cain could change everyone's status and power at will. Surely the other Houses loathed him having such power; one misstep and they could lose everything. It was surprising how Lord Benroy still had a decent status, despite him challenging the king on various occasions. If I were Cain, I would've dropped his status long ago. I could only assume the King had a reason for keeping Lord Benroy's status as it was, though I couldn't think of any logical reasons.

After about an hour, I finally finished the chapter and glanced up at Cain, who scribbled down one final thing before looking up and smiling. Silently, I set the book on the desk.

"You're finished?" he asked. I nodded. "Excellent. Now, what did you think of it?"

I frowned at the question, but said, "I didn't expect a book on the Houses rather than history, but I suppose I enjoyed reading it."

"Yes, my brother believes history is all about the wars and great events, but customs reflect how our society has evolved over time. Personally, that is more important than major events."

I nodded, surprising myself. "I had never thought of it in that way before. Then again, the history around the major events reflects change in society as well."

"Indeed," he mused. He was about to speak again, when the door opened to reveal a servant pushing a trolley of tea and small cakes. "Ah, perfect timing. Thank you." The servant placed the tray on the desk before curtseying and pushing the trolley out of the room.