Between the Veil and Crown

Arvek 53

In a subtle attempt to appease his father, knowing he had caused him to already be upset, Arvek stayed in the throne room for the rest of the day.
It was hard to focus, admittedly. It was difficult to bite back the searing anger towards Rasinod and the concern of how letting the Rangers in would impact Selim's recovery. Morganne seemed fairly confident in her ability to save him, but still there was the chance that everything could go wrong. Rasinod could somehow screw things up.
But what did Rasinod have to gain from all this? What did a healer care about Selim? Was he truly working under Masitof?
That thought alone was concerning enough. If he was, then Masitof had designs to get rid of his own son. If not, then some unknown force was behind this, their goals shrouded.
At long last, the throne room work was done and Arvek was free to seek out Rovyna.
She was waiting for him in Selim's room, keeping Niara company. One of the Rangers was there as well- Preman, if Arvek remembered correctly. Seeing him enter, his wife smiled at the other two and excused herself to talk with him. They went down the hall, a few rooms away, before a word was spoken.
"What is your impression of them?" he asked her.
"I do not believe them to be malicious," she said. "However, they know something they're not sharing."
"Regarding Amelia? We already know they're connected."
Rovyna shook her head. "No, something else. They received no message from us to come here."
"They came of their own accord?"
"Or they were informed. They were purposefully vague, making sound as though they just somehow knew."
Arvek inhaled deeply, folding his arms as he processed this. "So they may have been informed. So then, who informed them, and why?"
"What of the Myst?"
It would make sense. Kendra would've guessed Selim was ill rather easily, and the timeline would line up. "But it does not answer the why. Unless the Myst and Rangers are somehow connected to each other."
"Which leads me to other thing- I am not sure they believe this to be innocent."
"Selim's condition?" Arvek asked sharply.
She nodded. "I am speculating, but they may already have suspicions about Rasinod. However, they will not say so- perhaps to stay out of it."
"A speculation I believe as well," Arvek said. "Given some of the things Morganne has said."
"And done," Rovyna added. "It is under the claim that she wants to be informed of any change in Selim's condition that she is having a Ranger present at all times, but that is likely not the only reason."
"Will the Rangers speak with us without the presence of their Diplomat?"
"Preman was comfortable enough to speak, though only on unrelated topics. And he will switch out in the night for Kylin. Kylin appears to be highly out of his comfort zone, and is unlikely to be as engaged in conversation."
Frowning, Arvek added, "I don't think he'll speak with me anyways. He seemed to hold something against me."
"Perhaps you came across him when you were in the villages and did something he didn't like?" Rovyna suggested.
He paused, reflecting on his time in the Veil. Then he shook his head. "No. The only interaction I had with a Ranger was Morganne. Beyond that, I only dealt with the soldiers."
"Then perhaps he has a grudge against royalty in general," Rovyna said soothingly. "He was not thrilled in the throne room either."
That made sense. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I will stop by Selim's room later and persuade Mother to rest in her room. Perhaps I can get Preman to be a bit more frank with just the two of us."
She gave him a parting kiss, then returned to the room to give Niara company.
Arvek lingered, going over what he had been told and the next steps.
The Rangers had said they had come to avoid hard feelings against them for Selim's plight, which could be very will be true. But why, if they had, would the Myst inform them? If the Myst wished to save Selim, why not do it themselves? It was a risk sending the Rangers.
But this couldn't be solved on an empty stomach. First, dinner.

He had every intention of going to Selim's room after dinner. He was only briefly going to stop by the library, intending to find a specific book regarding the Veil that he hoped would help him make some sense of the current situation.
Only briefly.
When he arrived, he found Veran at their usual chess table, the game set up and waiting for an opponent.
Skimming over the book covers with a finger, he casually asked, "Cor isn't playing against you?"
Veran sighed. "No. He can't stay focused. Highly distracted."
"I am not surprised. He hasn't taken what happened to Selim well." Arvek glanced over his shoulder to see Veran rolling his eyes.
"And it's not in his hands," Veran said exasperatedly. "He should be able to focus on a game of chess." He twisted himself in his chair to view his eldest brother better. "Why don't you play?"
Arvek shook his head, a little disturbed with how easily Veran brushed aside Cor's mental state. "I was going to head to over to visit Selim."
Veran huffed. "It's not as though he'll know you're there."
"Is that why you haven't visited him yourself?" Arvek asked.
Veran shrugged, but did not answer.
Arvek considered saying something about Veran's lack of interest, but thought better of it. It wouldn't make Veran to start caring. He returned to scanning the shelves.
"It was a bold decision to invite the Rangers," Veran commented after a few moments of silence.
"I considered it necessary.
"You just told the kingdom you trusted a group of troublemakers more than our own healer," Veran rebutted.
Arvek stopped on one book, not reading the title. He bit the inside of his lip, as though that alone could stop the intense wave of anger at the thought of trusting Selim's life in the hands of that man again.
Taking a deep breath, he said, "As I said, it was necessary."
"You tear down peoples trust of us by doing that."
"If he lives, it will be worth it."
"And if he doesn't? Would it still be worth it?" His tone was challenging.
Arvek turned to face him, frowning and brow furrowed. "I get you and Selim aren't close, but why are you speaking of him like this?"
"I am merely putting the kingdom first, as a kind should." Was Veran glaring, or was he merely being intense?
In a low voice, Arvek countered, "People were growing upset over what wasn't being down for him already. You would abandon your brother for the sake of appearance."
"People wouldn't be so upset if they knew what kind of prince Selim actually was." Veran could have been speaking of a prince of a northern kingdom with how detached he sounded. Arvek could've been speaking with a younger Masitof. No, not even. For all that Arvek was learning to hold against his father, there was still the recognition of his father. But something behind Veran's eyes. . . .
Was this his brother or a stranger?
"You should know that I take issue with Selim's lack of responsibility," Arvek said quietly. "It does not justify treating him as though he is disposable."
Veran studied him, calculating.
"He is not disposable," Arvek repeated firmly, unease creeping into his stomach.
"Fine. It does not justify bringing the Rangers here," Veran said. "It does not justify siding with our enemies."
"For all of the trouble they cause, 'enemy' may be too strong a word." Arvek stepped away from the shelf, wondering if his book was even worth it at this point.
Veran did not respond. He watched Arvek carefully, following his movement only with his eyes.
The book could wait. He couldn't stay near Veran right now. He could not believe Veran would easily cast Selim aside. He made to leave the room.
"Weren't you in here from something?" Veran called to him.
"Not anymore." If only he could convey the disgust he felt in those two words.

He could not go into Selim's room just yet. He was not about to let his mother or the Ranger see him so rattled. He would not be able to carry on a conversation with the Ranger if his mind was preoccupied with his conversation with Veran.
Did not Veran also learn the methods of ruling from their father? Even if Veran hadn't spent all of his time at their father's knee like Arvek had, he still learned from him. It would make sense, then, that Veran would disregard Selim.
But even then, the callousness, the detachment from his relation to Selim was disturbing. At least Masitof had the excuse that he had grown weary of dealing with Selim's rebellious and irresponsible nature.
Veran and Selim weren't close, though: That had to be why the youngest seemed so detached.
It was much later than he had intended to be when he finally went to Selim's room, boxing away his thoughts regarding Veran.
Selim had shown no improvement, as Arvek knew would be the case. However, he had still hoped deep down that there would be a change. Morganne was not present, having given the dose already. But Preman was still there, to Arvek's relief. He was relaxed and carrying on a light conversation with Rovyna and Niara. He greeted Arvek in a friendly manner.
Rovyna continued the discussion, allowing Arvek the chance to just observe. As it drew later into the night, Arvek found a lull in the conversation to once again persuade his mother to rest in her own room. She gave in and bade everyone good night.
Now they could try to get Preman to speak frankly.
Before either he or Rovyna could start off, Preman said, "Shouldn't be too much longer before I must bid good night myself. I wouldn't be surprised if Kylin arrived early."
Arvek's heart sank. He glanced at his wife. She kept herself collected, unflinching in the change of plans. Good. If Kylin's grudge was solely against Arvek, then perhaps Rovyna could lead the discussion.
They did not have to wait long. True to Preman's prediction, Kylin arrived early. Preman gave Arvek and Rovyna a cheerful good night and Kylin took his place, standing by the window with his back to it, which Arvek noted gave him full view of the room.
Silence directed the first several minutes, the bated breath before release.