The afternoon sun had already begun descending by the time they returned to the estate. His father had finished most of his work and was now enjoying tea in the garden pavilion despite the cold.
The fox immediately ran toward him. His father produced dried meat from somewhere within his sleeve. Atheline narrowed his eyes.
"You’ve been spoiling it."
His father looked innocent.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about."
The fox happily devoured another treat. Evidence sat directly in front of him. Atheline felt good, having a normal conversation with his father without guilt being mixed in it.
Time seemed to have healed a lot of wounds.
Helther walked out onto the veranda carrying two wooden practice swords. He tossed one casually. Atheline caught it without thinking.
Helther smiled.
"Mother finally released you?"
"Barely."
"I figured."
He rested his own sword across one shoulder.
"Come with me."
Atheline raised an eyebrow.
"Where?"
Helther’s grin widened.
"A walk. And afterward..." He tapped the wooden sword lightly against his shoulder, "We’ll see if becoming a king has made you any better."
Atheline smiled.
"I was hoping you’d ask."
Together, the two brothers left the estate once more, their footsteps disappearing into the snow-covered streets as the winter afternoon settled over the High Elven capital. Behind them, their mother watched with a contented smile, while their father quietly poured another cup of tea.
"It’s been so long since we’ve seen our children together," his mother said quietly.
His father nodded." The winds are changing."
His mother nodded. "We should enjoy this moment."
"Yes."
.
.
.
The estate slowly disappeared behind them as the two brothers walked through the elite district of the High Elven capital.
Unlike the bustling market he had visited earlier with their mother, this part of the city was considerably quieter. Large noble estates sat behind elegant stone walls draped with snow. Ancient trees lined the roads, their leaves refusing to fall even during winter. Different coloured light crystals hung from every branch, glittering like stars whenever sunlight caught them.
Neither of them spoke immediately. The atmosphere wasn’t uncomfortable but serene. The silence between brothers never needed filling.
The white fox rested lazily atop Atheline’s shoulder, occasionally opening one eye before deciding nothing interesting was happening and returning to sleep.
Helmer looked sideways.
"It really sleeps a lot."
"It does."
"I’ve never seen a magical beast this lazy."
"It becomes very energetic whenever food appears and it’s probably young."
Helther nodded.
"That sounds much more believable."
Atheline laughed out loud.
"It also likes stealing blankets."
"..."
"And my pillow."
"..."
"And apparently Lilith’s chair."
Helther stopped walking.
"The Queen allows that?"
"The fox doesn’t ask permission."
Helther imagined the feared Queen of the Dark Elves returning from a council meeting only to find a tiny fox sleeping in her chair.
For some reason... He could actually picture it.
"...I don’t know whether that’s brave or suicidal."
"We’re still trying to figure that out."
They continued slowly walking. The conversation drifted naturally between stories of home and amusing incidents from the palace.
Helther was particularly interested in hearing about Prince Lucifer.
"So he really challenged your wife to a duel during a diplomatic banquet?"
"He did... he might have gotten too comfortable after getting the deal or just plain stupid which I doubt. "
"And?"
"The banquet hall lost two walls... he went through both of them."
"..."
"The banquet continued afterward."
Helther stared at him.
"I almost don’t want to know how it went."
"It was surprisingly good food."
Helther burst into laughter.
"You’ve become strange."
"So I’ve been told. They said I’m taking after my wife," he chuckled, "I like that even more. You should get married, it’s enjoyable... most of the time."
Helther rolled his eyes but didn’t answer. The streets gradually became quieter.
Eventually, they left the residential district altogether, following one of the older roads that overlooked the northern part of the capital.
Snow crunched beneath their boots as cold wind drifted through the surrounding trees. Helther’s expression slowly became more thoughtful.
"I suppose you haven’t heard," Helther quietly said.
Atheline noticed the change immediately.
"Heard what?"
Helther folded his hands behind his back.
"About Lord Dusk."
Atheline frowned. He was one of the Great Four Aetherion Lords and his son was the one who was supposed to marry Lilith. Atheline had put the household to the back of his mind after marriage.
It came as a surprise to hear about them.
"I haven’t."
Helther sighed quietly.
"He died."
The words hung in the air.
"When?"
"About a month ago."
Atheline stopped walking.
"What happened?"
Helther shook his head.
"No assassination, poison, or political conspiracy. He simply... passed away."
Helther looked surprised.
"He was healthy or so everyone believed," Helther looked toward the distant skyline, "the physicians eventually concluded that it was his heart."
"A peaceful death?"
"Apparently."
Silence followed as Atheline fell into his thoughts. Atheline remembered the old lord, the man had sworn to get revenge on him or something along those lines, but Atheline never saw any of it, but now he was just... dead.
To simply hear that an enemy was gone... it felt strange.
"I never imagined..."
Helther nodded.
"None of us did."
For a while, neither spoke. Winter seemed quieter than before.
Atheline finally asked what had been disturbing him.
"His son inherited everything?"
"Immediately."
"And?"
His brother smiled faintly.
"Better than expected."
That caught his attention.
"The estate stabilized quickly since there were no succession disputes, factional conflicts, or internal rebellion."
Atheline nodded thoughtfully, that alone spoke volumes. Many noble families collapsed after the death of a patriarch, especially those possessing influence equal to the Great Lords.
Atheline found that weird. The Dusk household was large. While he had killed the weaker son, there were more contenders to be the Lord.
Atheline shook his thoughts away. He looked at the positive side, one enemy was gone.
Helther continued.
"The new lord has handled things surprisingly well. I’ve heard the ministers praising him. We’re almost the same age..."
"I know."
"And yet..."
"The territory is already flourishing."
Atheline smiled though he wasn’t fully pleased.
"Then that’s good news."
"It is, the world needs something positive at the moment. "
Helther hesitated for a moment.
"There is something else," he added hesitantly.
"What?"
"The Royal Family has officially accepted his marriage proposal."
Atheline almost stumbled.
"What! Marriage?"
Helther nodded.
"To the Princess."
For several seconds he simply processed the information.
"The Princess accepted?"
"She did."
"What? The last time I saw her she was inlove with a fox beastman at my wedding?" He said incredulously.
Helther chuckled.
"Another one of her true love ended when you left."
Atheline shook his head. "When?"
"What?"
"When was the engagement decided?"
"The announcement was made three days ago."
"I’ve really been away too long."
Helther chuckled.
"You’ve been busy becoming a king."
"Fair point."
They resumed walking. The conversation naturally shifted toward the engagement.
"When will the ceremony happen?"
"In two months."
Atheline smiled.
"I suppose I’ll receive an invitation."