~Roy
The next morning, the king was busy with meetings, so there was no time to see him before we left. The road was chilly, with thick clouds covering the sky and blocking the sun, creating the kind of calm and quiet weather I liked.
As we rode, Andrew turned to me. "We should stop by the professor's place. It's on the way, anyway."
I nodded. "Alright."
When we arrived, something felt off. The tent was untouched, but there was no sign of him. Andrew cupped his hands around his mouth and called out, "Hey, old man! You in there?"
Silence. No response.
Frowning, Andrew stepped toward a small wooden box near the entrance, flipping open the lid. Inside, several letters were stacked on top of each other. He picked them up, flipping through them before holding one up. "Looks like he's been gone for a while. No one's checked these."
I exhaled. "Probably out on one of his collection trips again."
Andrew chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, wouldn't be surprised." He shuffled through the letters again, then suddenly stopped. "Huh? Roy… this one's for you. It was sent a week ago."
I took the letter from him and quickly opened it. My eyes scanned the words inside, and my stomach clenched. "It's Kevin. The Prince of Drayton wanted to meet me."
Andrew replied with surprise, "What? The Prince of Drayton wants to meet you?"
I held the letter tightly, my mind racing. How did he even know about this place? Why reach out like this? There were too many questions, but one thing was clear, Kevin wasn't the type to set up a trap like this. If he wanted me dead, he had better ways to do it.
Andrew leaned against the tent pole, arms crossed, as he absorbed the news. "So… what do you want to do?"
I looked at the letter again, thinking. "I'll meet him. I need to hear what he has to say."
Andrew nodded. "Hmm, if you want, I can come with you."
"We'll see, but later," I continued. "I'll set the time and place. Maybe next week."
After a brief discussion weighing the risks and benefits, we mounted our horses and continued toward the base. The ride was quiet, but my thoughts weren't. I kept replaying different possibilities in my head, trying to figure out what Kevin could want.
When we arrived, I saluted the soldiers at the gate before heading straight to my desk. I took out a fresh sheet of paper and started writing my response.
Kevin had left instructions in his letter, telling me where to send a reply. Some random location, not the palace. Strange. Why go through so much effort to keep this quiet?
Whatever the reason, I would find out soon enough.
After finishing the letter, I stood and called out to a nearby soldier. When he arrived, I handed him it. "Deliver this to the location written on it. No delays."
The soldier saluted. He took the letter and left quickly.
I sat back in my chair, fingers tapping against the desk.
"Let's see where this goes."
~Kevin
Days passed, and my patience was wearing thin. I reached the vendor in an old shop in the town. "Hey, old man, did you get a letter today?"
The vendor looked up from his work, chuckling. "Yes, yes, I got it today. You've been asking me every day this past week. Ha!" He waved his hand dismissively, clearly amused by my persistence.
I smirked, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry, sorry. I must be tiring you out."
He just shook his head, still grinning. "Ah, no trouble at all. I owe you a lot."
Finally, I held out my hand, and he passed me the letter. I tore it open quickly, eyes scanning the words. My lips curled into a satisfied grin as I read. "So... the meeting's soon," I muttered to myself. "And he accepted. Interesting..."
I folded the letter carefully and slipped it into my jacket. I'll tell Lily about this. She'll want to know.
I looked up at the vendor, already turning toward the door. "Alright, old man, time to go. Thank you!"