Of Plots and Mischief

Chapter 18: Enigma

Phyllon was troubled by what the Sahora shared as he rejoined the rest. He wondered how far the conspiracy had reached the court and hoped that the Sahora could catch them. Who was the person who almost successfully drugged and manipulated royalty, and if their suspicions were right, half of the younger generation of nobility? He wondered if his incident was also connected to this unknown puppetmaster. If so, why did he only drive him away, not try to control him like the rest? Phyllon started second-guessing his decisions and wondered how much was due to the machinations of the unknown actor.

Phyllon turned as the door opened, and Asmir joined him outside. "You alright, kid?"

Phyllon rubbed his face tiredly. "When did everything before so complicated?"

Asmir was silent for a time, though Phyllon could feel a complicated mix of emotions coming from him. Phyllon sighed. "How were the others like?"

"Shocked. Suspicious," Asmir paused. "How did you know?"

"I know that his mother's side of the family can be a bit naïve and emotional, bit... He is still royalty. He was reacting too quickly and brought too trusting. He might have had a slight inclination to trust me before never meeting me before, given that he had known me by reputation, but he was being too open for a prince. I've grown up around his older brothers, so I could feel something was wrong."

"You know his older brothers?" Phyllon winced as he realised his accidental slip. "But I thought he knew you through his cousin."

"He was too small back then. We never did get to meet."

Asmir eyed him sceptically, but let it go for now. He glanced back behind him before continuing in a lower tone. "Do you think Sonaya had anything to do with it?"

Phyllon shook his head immediately. "It is not his style. He is dangerous, with his own agenda, but he does not appear to have anything to do with it."

Asmir did not say anything, but Phyllon could feel his scepticism. He sighed before leaning against the wall. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind before sighing as he felt a bundle of confused emotions, making their way towards the door. He squeezed his eyes, trying to enjoy the coolness of the night air as he waited for the next worry to appear.

"Phyllon? Asmir?" The voice was suspiciously calm, but Phyllon could feel the turbulent emotions underneath it. Anger, frustration, and trust? Phyllon found his eyes bursting open as he saw the prince standing before him, a hint of unspoken gratefulness and trust in his eyes.

"Prince Karriv?" Phyllon tried to hold back his emotions, but Karriv cracked a slight smile as he caught a tremor before his expression turned serious.

"You know more than you are telling."

Phyllon raised an eyebrow. "What makes you that?"

Prince Karriv shook his head. "It took me too long to figure it out, but you really are the Sahora's heir, in more ways than one. What are you suspecting?"

"Do you know what you are asking?"

Prince Karriv gave a slight smile. "About the Sahora?" At Phyllon's nod, the prince continued. "I know more than you think. I know enough about the role of the Sahora. And I have an idea what happened that made run away from your birthright."

Phyllon gave a bitter smile. "Not everyone would agree with you. Besides, I did not run away. I merely..." he looked at Asmir helplessly.

"Took up another role? Another responsibility?" Asmir offered. Phyllon felt his satisfaction and amusement and held back a glare.

Prince gave a weighty sigh, catching Phyllon's attention. "There are plenty of merchants in the whole of Harqor. But there is only one Sahora."

Phyllon felt something squeeze his heart as his eyes fell to his signet ring. He found himself fitting his hand, the cold band pressing against his hand.

"They were wrong, you know," Phyllon looked at him sharply. "There is a reason why the Sahora has always been feared and respected, but what makes every Sahora stand out, is that we know they can be trusted." He held Phyllon's eyes. "I know, no, we know that you can be trusted. From all your achievements that is well known, to your service to the kingdom hidden from the eyes of other nobility, we know." There was a hidden weight to his words, that made Phyllon feel that the young prince was more aware than he had realised earlier. Prince Karriv laid a hand on his shoulder. There was something comforting about it. Phyllon found himself comparing the feeling to a knight acknowledging the trust of his liege. "I know you are someone I can depend on, even though you might hide somethings from me." Phyllon felt the hand squeeze his shoulder a bit tighter, making him tense as he felt a surge of emotion from the young prince. "But I think it might be a bit too late for me to kept in the dark, don't you think?"

This was the first time Phyllon felt the presence he had felt from the king or the older princes from his young friend. Watching the moonlight highlight his serious expression, he felt a certain allegiance to the young prince. He opened his mouth to respond before he paused, feeling someone else approaching them. The prince followed his gaze to the door before letting go and stepping back, his earlier intensity leaving him. Phyllon would have thought he imagined it, but for the emotions left pooling inside him.

"Looks like we will discuss this later." There was a promise in the prince's words that was almost threatening. It was an order, realised as he nodded his acquiesce. The prince was far more complicated than he had first realised. He watched him as he greeted Sonaya at the door before slipping past him inside. From what he could feel from Asmir, he was not the only one who thought so as he followed.

There was a tacit agreement not to talk about what had happened earlier when they rejoined the others. Phyllon could feel the prince's wariness as he kept stealing glances at Sonaya and Yron. It was easy to guess at his suspicions, and it appeared he was not the only one. The earlier feeling of comradery was shattered, and Phyllon wondered if there was anything he could do to fix it. He hoped Captain Drwyn and Aunt Naura had better luck uncovering the secessionists while they were safely out of the way.

He wondered if that might not be Gerash's original intention, given that he had known that Phyllon could easily complete this fool's errand. Phyllon stared at Yron and wondered. Was it really, though? His old friend had changed in the years since they have met, and from what he guessed from his talk with Sonaya, had been up to much in the intervening period. Was it something he knew or something he could find out? Phyllon knew he could trust the two siblings with his and the Sahora's interests, but as for the rest, it was not that simple. He let his gaze pass from person to person, thinking about the range of agendas and complex personalities, and wondered if it was really possible for everything to be resolved smoothly. After looking at Sonaya and thinking about his mission before glancing back at the complicated prince, he realised that it might be too much to hope for.