Alex hurried toward the High Hall, the ceremonial coat wrapped around his shoulder to hide his humble clothes. He was terribly late.
"Father's going to kill me!"
The king was probably drumming his fingers on the throne's armrest; maybe the new Court Mage was already there waiting for him, too. And the nobles…
By the spirit, they already thought he was an irresponsible man; there was no need to give them more reasons to despise him.
"Damn it!"
Today was the day the new Court Mage would be appointed. His new Court Mage, the very man to whom Alex would be bound for the rest of his life.
And he was late.
Not a good start, but he shouldn't care, should he? He never wanted that guy in the first place; if the mage ended up refusing that role, all the better. Alex could have chosen someone else.
Alex entered the room, and, as he stepped inside, a heavy silence fell over the hall, and countless eyes fixed on him.
There was only unpleasantness in their looks. It seemed they were waiting for him for quite a long time.
"Definitely not a good start," he murmured.
He crossed the hall and reached the throne, then stopped beside a slender man kneeling there.
Alex glanced at him. He was young, with long black hair that fell like curtains around his pale face. And he was really handsome, even though he had an unsettling aura that clung to him.
The young man shot him a sharp glare; he had poison-green eyes that seemed to pierce him. A shiver ran across Alex's back.
"You're late." The king's voice cut the silence.
Alex bowed. "I'm deeply sorry, Father."
His father frowned. "We'll talk about that later. Come here."
The prince moved to his side and turned toward the crowd. The royal advisors were standing near the platform, their furrowed brows and pressed lips betraying their disapproval.
Good, he made them angry, too. What a pleasant day.
The herald cleared his throat and unfurled a scroll.
"By the powers granted to Us by His Majesty King Klaus, we present to the Court gathered here today the newly appointed Court Mage and Royal Advisor. Master William Traver."
A low murmur ran through the crowd.
Alex frowned. "He's not a noble?"
"He's competent," his father said. "That should be enough for you."
"It's not enough," he whispered. "The Court would never approve of him. Are you trying to make everyone hate me?"
His father gave him a sharp look, then rose from the throne and turned to the mage. "I welcome you to the court, Master Traver. I am sure you will render good service to the Crown."
The mage bowed his head, and his black hair slipped over his face.
"I am honored by the trust you have placed in me, Your Majesty." He spoke in a flat tone, as if reciting memorized lines. "I will do my best not to disappoint you."
Alex grimaced. No one there would like the mage. What was his father thinking, appointing someone of humble origin?
"Alex?" called his father. "It's your turn. Hurry up, we've already lost too much time."
"All right, I get it."
Alex descended the steps, but as soon as he reached the mage, he tripped and fell. He landed on something solid and warm, and a faint scent of ink and paper filled his senses. He propped himself up with one hand, embarrassment creeping up his cheeks.
Beneath him, pressed between his body and the floor, was the mage, William, with flushed cheeks and a tiny beauty mark beneath his eye.
The mage bit his lip; in his poison-green eyes, there was a mix of emotions—disgust, fear, and something close to shame—that Alex couldn't grasp.
"What are you doing?" the mage whispered sharply.
"What?"
"You did it on purpose, didn't you?"
"What? No! It was an accident!" A rush of heat rose to Alex's neck. "What on earth is wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with you! You're pressing me."
"Look, I'm sorry. It was really an accident; I just tripped on something."
Alex rose to his feet and offered him a hand, but the mage slapped it away.
"Don't touch me. Ever again."
The prince froze for a second, heat creeping up his neck. His pulse raced in a way he couldn't explain. Then he dug his nails into his palms.
What the hell was wrong with that mage? Didn't he realize he was talking to the future sovereign?
"You're the last person I'd ever want to touch. I don't like you, and I refuse to bind myself to someone like you. You can go back to wherever my father found you."
A cacophony of voices erupted in the hall. The herald rang his silver bell, but even that couldn't restore order.
The mage frowned, his poison-green eyes flashing with rage. "You summoned me, made me kneel for an hour, and now you want to dismiss me?"
"It was my father who summoned you. You can complain to him if you have the guts."
"I'm complaining to you, Your Highness. You arrived late, you touched me! You didn't even care to dress properly. Does a prince behave like that?"
The uproar grew louder. From the corner, the guards moved a step closer.
Alex raised a hand to stop them and leaned forward slightly, meeting his gaze head-on. "Think what you want. I don't want you at court."
Then he turned toward his father. "How about we send him back where he came from and look for another candidate?"
Maybe someone who wouldn't get on his nerves at first sight.
"Are you kidding?" the mage snapped. "I've waited for a damn hour! If you don't like me, then you shouldn't have requested my presence at court."
"It wasn't my decision! It was my father's. And yeah, I don't like you, and I'll never like you."
"Because I'm not a noble, I guessed."
"No, because you get on my nerves," Alex smirked. "But I'd give you credit for having the courage to talk back to a prince. Courage bordering on stupidity."
The mage pressed his lips. "You're irresponsible."
"You're not the first one to think that. Sorry if I'm not what you're expecting."
"I was expecting a prince, not a superficial man."
Alex clenched his fists, rage burning in his gut. What was wrong with that guy? Couldn't the king find someone more pleasant as his Court Mage?
He grabbed him by the shirt. "If you think I don't have the gut to kick you in the ass, then—"
A tingling spread across Alex's skin, and he flinched, looking at his hand. What the hell had just happened? Did he imagine it or...
He looked back at the mage, who was staring at him with wide eyes. No, he didn't. William felt something, too.
But what was? Magic? Or... something else?
"Enough!"
His father's voice thundered through the hall, but Alex could think only of one thing.
The mage had felt it too.