Gravensnod (manxman)

Chapter Three

Alexei

I paced in front of the large windows in my office, noticing the heavy raindrops hitting the glass. Ever since Louise got in contact with Philo I hadn't been able to concentrate. He told her he would be here by tomorrow night. That wasn't that much time until he was back in Gravensnod for being absent for four years. But of course I knew the reason why he left was because of how I treated him. He hadn't deserved that at all and I've regretted it ever since. Would it be different now that I was married and had a daughter, or would all those feelings still be present? Of course I also felt like a dick for even thinking that when Louise was so sick. My royal profile should include narcissist.

As my hands ran over my face I stopped in front of one of the windows and stared out into the darkness. My arm rested onto the cold glass while deeply sighing. The dock was all lit up and actually looked kind of pretty in the rain. I had guards posted at the docks as well as the airport to inform me when Philo arrived. Once he did he'd be escorted to the castle as quickly as possible.

After several more moments in front of the window, I wandered over to the chair behind my desk and sat down. My head rested into my hands with a deep sigh and let my mind wander more. Louise being sick was making me think about things differently, and how quickly things can be taken away. This time around I didn't want anything else to be taken away. I didn't want to leave things how they were before and live the rest of my life with regrets.

Before I changed my mind I paged Fyn into my office and waited only a few minutes before he came in. Once he did he gave a soft bow and said, "Good evening your highness."

"Fyn, can you please sit down for a moment?"

He looked nervous while taking a few steps and sinking down into a chair opposite me. "Did I do something to upset you?"

"Of course not," I said while leaning back in the chair. "I truly appreciate everything that you've done the last few years. Not only for me but for my family. You've stepped into this new role with a lot of maturity and showed me that you can be trusted with the most important thing in my life, Agatha. With Philo coming back it's really been making me think about things differently and I want to temporarily reassign you." Before he could protest I said, "I need you to be Ari's personal guard for the foreseeable future. Please don't let him out of your sight and make sure he's happy."

Fyn sat in a stunned silence for a few moments before asking, "Is Ari in immediate danger?"

"No. I want you two to be in good standings with each other though. I am anticipating spending a lot of time in the infirmary these next few days, and won't be needing as much guarding. Ari on the other hand, needs someone to watch out for him. I don't want anything to happen to him and I'm trusting you to keep him safe. Not only from the world but from himself. Is that something you can manage?"

He nodded while saying, "Yes. I will look after him."

"Good, thank you. Also I want him here because I'm anticipating a lot of drama."

"From Philo?"

"From Gravensnod," I said while looking down at my ring less finger. My ring had been off my skin for a few days now as I really thought things over. "Genevieve and I will no longer be continuing our marriage."

He looked truly shocked, as shocked as I felt. I hadn't said that out loud to anyone but knew it was the right decision. With Philo coming back I wasn't taking any chances and wasn't going to ruin anything again.

"I'm sorry that it isn't going to work," he said as his eyes looked down at my bare finger.

"Please just watch after Ari okay? I'll be placing you in the room next to his and luckily those rooms are connected. You'll easily be available to access him through the door if need be. I'd like that to start tonight so please move your things into your new room."