In the Dark

Chapter 10

The grounds leading up to the palace sloped gently up to the behemoth of a structure. The stone walls surrounding the grounds felt more like a formality with the dense forest acting as its own barrier to entry. Riccardo often suspected a determined werewolf could scale the walls easily, and that was nothing to say about a vampire's ability to fly over it. Perhaps it was just to keep the animals of the forest away from their orchards, though. 

Well kept fruit trees were planted in rows around the grounds. In the harshness of winter, most of them were dormant, and wouldn't bear fruit until spring and the region's short and mild summer hit. For now, the snow had most of the gardens dead, and the palace was living off of the harvests that had been collected in fall. 

The dormant gardens and snow covered grounds added a coldness to the scene that had nothing to do with the temperature. And the palace itself didn't help. At four stories tall the structure was made of stone, towering above the trees, but dwarfed by the mountains that made the backdrop to the Tenepri home. It had been designed with defense in mind, the innermost part of it where Riccardo and the rest of his family slept while the parts closest to the borders of the grounds housed their guards, servants, and other members of the household. The stonework was especially strong at the base, and windows were small and narrow and not easily clambered through by anything larger than a cat. The small windows helped with insulating the house as well, though, which Riccardo had always been grateful for. 

It was the only home Riccardo had ever known. It was cold and uninviting and the glint of black metal accents shaped into spikes that adorned the roof and added an almost-artistic edge made it look as harsh as the environment it was surrounded by. Despite all of this, Riccardo had fond memories of running through the orchards in summer, of being a child dripping with orange juice from fruit he'd picked right off of the tree, soaring as a bat from the windows to catch the wind, flying Taizong to the mountains and lake which were not as far as they appeared. 

Looking at it now, though, with Leon at his back, he could see the harsh bits of it more clearly than ever. It was nothing like the quaint houses the humans had with their lights always on and large windows likely to let the sun in on the rare days it showed in winter. How did the fae live, though? They were creatures of light, if Riccardo's memory served him, and he was sure it did. What had Leon's home been like? 

Before Riccardo could ask this, however, his ears pricked up at seeing a bat flying towards them from the palace. It squeaked in delight and Riccardo smiled softly as the bat transformed in the air to land on its feet as a boy with the same raven-black hair he and Riccardo both shared with their father. 

"Father, I was just practicing my sword in the courtyard," Erik excitedly exclaimed as he walked with a bounce beside their father's mount. Their father's expression didn't change as he looked down at the boy, his usual unamused expression pulling down at the corners of his lips. Riccardo felt sure he was ready to scold Erik for some reason or another. "I was showing Mother that I could come help you find - Riccardo!" He turned before their father could gripe at him about whatever behavior he found to be improper at the moment. 

"I didn't know you had a younger son," Riccardo could hear Mahvash say to their father as Erik rushed away from the head of their group.

A few snorts and chuckles escaped mounts and riders alike as Erik ran down the line to Riccardo on Taizong. Riccardo smiled wider and leaned over the side of Taizong to offer his brother a hand when he reached him. He pulled the child up to sit in front of him and was immediately hugged tightly. 

"I missed you," Erik said, face smushed into the front of Riccardo. 

Riccardo hugged him tightly back with his good arm. "I missed you, too." He hissed softly. "Careful of my arm, though... I got hurt."