Head in the Clouds

Chapter 29: The Future King of Jericho

There were two things Clyde never imagined he'd see in his lifetime. The first was his father visibly shaken, pacing from one end of the room to another. His eyes shifted to and from the corner of the room. The always calm patriarch of his family seemed beside himself with stress as his bright brown hair clung to the sides of his face.

As he neared the door, the second odd occurrence presented itself- or more like herself.  His future wife, Ana, standing in the corner of the room with her arms folded one over the other as she whispered harshly to his father. He didn't enter directly, but stood there and listened.

"We cant... her... fairies," was all he managed to hear from Ana.

"Don't you think I know that?" The king's voice was clearer than his future daughter in law's, but still very low. He stopped pacing and narrowed his eyes at her, "You're treading on thin ice, Princess."

Ana lowered her eyes to the ground hoping to escape the absolute rage filling his eyes. She only looked up when his body neared her.

"I don't know what makes you think you can just come in here making demands, but I'd be careful," he uttered inches from her flawless face, "very careful."

Both their faces turned upon hearing the door creak open. Clyde's heart leaped into his throat as his father's angry eyes now pointed to him. Ana's eyes peeled back as though she'd seen a ghost. Clearing her throat, she stepped back from the king and smiled at her fiance.

"Clyde!" She greeted him, kicking her skirt along as she approached him, "We didn't see you there."

"I don't doubt," he replied. She reached her slender fingers up to his face, but he pulled away, "What were you two talking about?"

The king walked over to his position at the table. His eyes darted between his son and daughter in law. 

"The state of the kingdom," the king stated blandly, "now that we have the resurrection of fairies, we can expect all manner of creatures to rise from the ashes."

Clyde walked past Ana like he couldn't see her.

"Is that why we're enlisting children now?" He asked accusingly.

"What children?" King Archie questions quietly. His chin rested on his hands again.

Clyde stood right before the table, "You have thirteen-year-olds on the fields to fight these things."

King Archie shrugged, "Thirteen-year-olds are hardly children."

Clyde's eyebrows furrowed, "Yes, they are. They've barely made it into training and we're sending them off to face magical beasts who defeated an elder warrior without so much as wincing."

Another shrug, "And Deidre fought three wolves at fourteen with a lot less on the line."

"My life you mean," corrected his son. Clyde lip twitched a bit, "My life was on the line."

Archie sighed squeezing his eyes shut, "Have a seat, Son," he opened his eyes finding Ana still standing at the door, "Will you excuse us, Princess. I do believe Queen Avina needs help in the library."

Ana nodded once and headed out the door her long dress lingering in the doorway just a bit longer. Clyde sat in the chair opposite his father, his brows remained furrowed as though deep in thought, and his eyes a deep blue now, losing every hint of green. The king looked at his son, not with the usual indifference, but with dismay and irritation.

"Why are you here, Son?" King Archibald asked the boy before him. He arched his brows a bit, "Do you expect to tell me to take the new fighters off the field? Hmm? Do you think jumping in her with your chest puffed will make anything you ask seem to make more sense?"