"Naturally, there will be a few trials you must face before I can accept you as my pupil," Bezel Domini began. "But if you wish it, I will grant you the chance to try. Should you succeed, I will take you under my wing and my protection, and no payment will ever be asked of you. But if you fail, fear not. You may return when you are older and your mind is sharper. Then, though not as my pupil, you may still earn a high place within the Archivum Civitas, as others do, through merit and coin for the opportunity."
Kael looked around at all the faces present. Blanc, Lune, Mera, Auren, Celine, and Miyanna.
And although he did not know what to really expect from all of them, he surely did not expect warm smiles and nods, pushing him along to accept the proposal. It was an understatement to say that he felt like crying.
But holding it all together as much as he could, he turned back towards Bezel Domin, straightened his back, cleared his throat of the choking sensation he was feeling, and spoke. "It will be an honor," Kael bowed lightly to the old man.
With a smile painted on his old face, Bezel Domini turned to face the Patriarch of Blood Maroux, Lucien.
"Lord Maroux, may we borrow some chairs and move to a farther part of the room so as not to disturb your conversations?" he asked.
"Be my guest," Lucien smiled, "It will be an honor to have such a thing happen in our halls."
"Then let's not delay, Kael," Bezel Domini nodded, "Bring two chairs for us to sit and speak at our leisure."
With a sharp nod from Kael, he picked up two chairs with ease due to the Raw Vita in his body and followed close behind Bezel Domini as he walked, leaving the others behind.
"What just happened?" Blanc muttered, not believing the last minutes were real.
"My love, I do not know either," Celine sighed, "But I do understand that if he succeeds, we will gain a strong ally in our midsts."
"This is…" Auren said, her eyes lost in her thoughts, "What would Elion say if he were here?"
"He would be proud, Lady Auren," Lucien replied as he approached the group, "Proud as we all are, since for weeks now I attempted to bring High Bezel Domini on our side as a full-fledged ally, yet did not succeed, but a small child may really have an opportunity at doing it in a single night."
"When you put it like that," Mera scratched her forehead, "Lune, dear, since when did you know Kael's dream?"
"He said it out loud a few times in our tent without even realising it," Lune shrugged, "But was too afraid of giving Brother Blanc more to bear alone, since he knew Blanc would offer to help him. But now that you, mothers, and Lord Bezel are here at the same time, I thought, why not?"
Blanc sighed, but remained silent as a sense of frustration overtook him, realizing that his younger brother was prepared to remain silent forever if it meant not inconveniencing him.
"Hubby," Miyanna placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head, as she could easily guess what he was thinking. Celine wasn't blind to it either, as her hand grabbed his own.
"All is well, don't blame yourself for what did not happen," she whispered.
"But was about to, if not for Lune," Blanc muttered, closing his eyes and thanking the Vita for Her continuous blessings.
"But now," Lucien said, looking towards Blanc and his wives, "I wish to have you all meet someone."
Nodding along to Lucien's request brought Blanc, Celine, and Miyanna face-to-face with a group of three people.
Two women and a man with a darker shade of color on their skin, either from the Southern part of the Empire or completely outside the Empire.
"These three are important guests from the Kingdom Isles of Iskahul," Lucien explained, "They are envoys who started their long journey before the High Monarch passed, and are now under my protection until they can get safely back home."
"I am the First Princess of the Kingdom Isles of Iskahul, Velakia," one of the two women curtsied, "It is a pleasure to see such moments throughout all the darkness in this world."
"Your Highness," Blanc nodded lightly, as Noble Bloods do not bow to other Kingdoms' Royalty, "I am Blanc of Blood Denegis, and these are my two wives, Celine and Miyanna of Blood Denegis."
"Your Highness," the two of them nodded as well.
"Although it was not meant as a show, I am overjoyed that it brought some semblance of happiness," Blanc concluded.
Which in turn made Velakia giggle.
Velakia's presence was not that noticeable, a thing that Blanc focused on after hearing she was royalty. It was weird when thinking about it, but it wasn't unheard of, as there were ways to conceal it, and Foreign Royalty surely had all that they needed to walk safely, without drawing too much attention to themselves.
Next, he focused on her appearance.
She had short, curly, wet brown hair, with a haircut that seemed to have been made a day or two ago, to maintain an image of care, from what Blanc could assume. But what stood out most, beyond her fresh haircut and the scent of dried flowers clinging to her newly washed clothes, things that Blanc knew were done for appearances' sake, was the only thing she could not fake.
Her eyes. They were of two different colors.
One was a dark brown, deep and heavy in color. While the other was a sharp pink, with only a dark dot in the middle of it. Calling it beautiful was an understatement. They were breathtaking.
"And these two are my protectors," Velakia turned to the side, looking at the man and woman standing behind her.
Besides having the same unique feature of having eyes of two different colors, each of them different from the other, nothing stood out that showed their strength, another sign that they planned on traveling under everyone's sight.
Velakia continued after a moment, "This woman is Tahreni, a good friend of mine."
"Mismerha," the woman said, nodding lightly, a small smile on her face.
"Huh?" Miyanna muttered, confused by the words Tahreni spoke.