A Blaze in the Dark (A New Dawn #1)

Chapter 34 - Sebastian

The harbour master collected fines worth 24,778 pieces of gold. The Scorians and Jade Islanders have little to no Humility, yet a growing number of countrymen speak in favour of simplified trade laws. I don't see it as a priority.

Sebastian stood at the richly filled breakfast table in the dining hall, not a trace to be seen of the ball apart from the immense amounts of leftover food. While he waited for Uncle Tom and George to arrive, he stretched his arms in front of him, feeling every sore and bruise related to his uneventful flight down the staircase in the throne room. He yawned, his mouth wide open and the sound catching Aunt Crystal's attention.

"Manners," she hissed.

He shrugged her disapproving glance away. In less than half an hour Master Paul was expecting him in the royal garden for his daily sword fighting lesson. Normally, he always looked forward to the Sword Master's unconventional training methods. Rescuing innocent eggs from under tree roots or from in between rows of flowers was the only time of the day he was allowed to go wild without anyone telling him to calm down or behave more like a prince.

After what had happened to Uncle Tom's ear, he preferred to skip the training and disappear to the safety of his sill, where he couldn't hurt anyone. Not that it was a real option. He was a Prince; certain things were expected of him, like being an excellent swordsman.

"They can't have forgotten, can they? It's tradition to have breakfast together after the ball," Lana grumbled. Not even the thick pancake-like makeup could conceal the dark circles under her eyes. She hadn't gotten to bed until the sun was already rising. "It's already bad enough that I woke up from the wretched sound of that infernal army bugle, but Papa and George should have been here by now. And they promised to be here. George told me he likes the stews better when they're a day old. Where are they, Mama?"

"I don't keep track of George's whereabouts, darling, but your father left the warmth of our bed long before daybreak," Aunt Crystal said with down-turned lips. "Don't ask me why, and if it were up to me, he would have slept in as Healer Mark advised him to. But when does he ever listen?"

"Honestly, Mama, if you weren't there, Papa would never go to bed at all." Lana snorted. "George agrees with me on that, you know. Just yesterday, he –"

"There's a lot of talking about George, darling. Should I be informed of something?" Aunt Crystal arched a mischievous brow, to which Alex shot her head at Lana and stared at her, her nose all wrinkled in disgust.

Sebastian chuckled and said in a sing-song voice, "Someone's in love with Ge-o-orge."

"I'm not." Lana stomped her heel against the marble floor, a slight blush appearing on her pale cheeks. "We had a lot of fun, dancing. That's all."

"You'll still marry him." Sebastian raised his head to the ceiling, bored with waiting. He didn't even know if what he was saying made any sense, but he needed to do something to pass the time. Teasing his cousin was a fun way to do so.

"Don't listen to the gossip of old hags and spinsters, Seb." She peered at him through narrow eyes. "You're too small to understand politics."

"I'm almost as tall as you are."

"Right, you two, that's enough," Aunt Crystal whispered as loud as a whisper could be. She gestured at the serving girl approaching them with a jar of steaming hot liquid.

The blonde girl was roughly the same age as him. She had started working in the kitchens a few weeks before his arrival in Sundale. Many moons had passed, but each meal she still looked at them with the fright of a rabbit getting hunted down. Whenever Aunt Crystal or Uncle Tom addressed her, she turned so white Sebastian feared she would instantly pass out where she stood. One silly evening, not too long ago, when neither of them could remember her name, he and Uncle Tom had dubbed her Pale Rabbit.