After his self introduction, he nodded his head to the spot I sat at just a moment ago.
“Why don’t you take a seat, Peter? Tonight, you’re my guest.”
His demeanor was bright, more than welcoming, more than just friendly. This was a gratitude on the highest level. The smile was genuine. The eyes were bright.
And honestly?
I was truly touched.
We released our grasps, and I took up his offer, sitting next to his daughter, who had also snuck back on her cushion after her recent release. He slowly walked to the head of the table, which wasn’t really a head of anything.
But it was the short end of the table, large enough for just one person to be.
When he sat, the man let out a deep, relieved breath, turning to Rojin.
“Do you mind heading to Granny’s Kitchen? We could use one of everything I think.”
Without missing a beat, not even taking a breath, the young man stood, straightened his robe, then bowed deep. “Of course master.”
He then moved to the door as the oldest in the room's—maybe other than Griffith—gaze shifted to another young lady.
Sensing it, Synthia sighed, standing up too.
“Rojin, wait up!” she called out to him, moving fast enough that he had already left the room.
I’m sure he won’t complain.
There were a few moments of silence, only Synthia’s and Rojin’s distant footsteps—getting more so by the second—accompanying the silent room. But, when they were undoubtedly gone, Sei leaned back on his hands, releasing another sight.
“That man…” he groaned, troubled.
Imitating his posture to a tea, something deeply amusing to me, Mei groaned with just as much annoyance.
“I don’t even think that Synthia would refuse… Maybe she wouldn’t be as excited as him, but still—Quite a coward for the family guard.”
Though a little stunned, I found the behavior to be adorable. All that pressure that emanated from Sei was gone at that moment. This was just a father and daughter, frustrated at someone close to them for not taking their shot.
“He’s been so stiff even as a child, you know?” Sei reminisced, turning to me, including me in their moment. “His circumstances were tough. So… If he said anything that could've—”
I raised my hands gently to stop him, shaking my head. “Nothing he said was taken to heart. And nothing was bad enough to anyway.”
“Good,” he said calmly, leaning forward, placing one hand on the table, lightly tapping it. “Without going too into details, I will only say that this continent—country, is not all so… developed.”
“Right.”
…
…
“Dad?” Mei called out, pushing his leg, thankfully ending the lasting silence. “I need something.”
“Eep,” she yelped, as her father looped an arm around her waist, placing her on his lap.
“Anything for you,” he cooed. I watched silently as Mei looked up, stifling a laugh, preparing to ask her question. One I already knew, and considering the atmosphere, figured it was a really bad idea.
“Maybe I should—”
I started to say, but it was too late.
With every word that spilled from Mei’s mouth, the atmosphere changed again.
“Peter has taught me a bunch of new stuff. Ways to grow. It could really help us if I learned as much as I could.”
I could see the conflict in his eyes. A desire to grant the desire. An almost instantaneous flick of his eyes to me. It wasn’t targeted hostility, but my heart nearly stilled with it. Suspicion. The gratitude was gone, perhaps not entirely, but it was displaced by doubt. In me.
Mei I guess couldn’t sense that exchange that lasted less than a second because she continued.
“He’s a king of his land, so it’ll be safe—”
I don’t think I ever told her that part.
“So… Can I go?” she finished, giving the sweetest tone a voice she could, preying on the fatherly instincts of the deeply conflicted man. “Pleeease.”
“I—uh…” Sei cleared his throat. “Let me—You know what? Granny’s doesn't have any good desert, could you grab some? I promise we’ll talk about it.”
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“Really?” she mumbled quietly.
He nodded, looking into her eyes. “I never break a promise. Take your time. I’ll think about it while you're gone.”
No complaints, or further pushing. Mei stood, shuffling herself off his lap, and heading out the door.
Just before she exited the room, she turned, giving one final request to the patriarch. “Don’t be too mean. Peter isn’t a bad guy.”
I blinked.
Her father waved a hand, dismissively with a smile now. “Go on. Get something nice. We’re celebrating today.”
“But I lost,” she groaned from the hall audibly.
Sei glanced at Griffith who had been quiet for most of our trip, and now, even more so—his eyes locked on the stranger.
Both of us, left in a room with a threat impossible to face. He wasn’t large. No fangs and thick hide. But the danger was palpable.
“A king, huh?”
I jumped a little, hesitating for a moment before moving my hand through my hair to rub my neck, summoning an awkward laugh.
“I—I’m pretty sure I told her there were only a few citizens.”
“How few?” he pushed.
My arm froze, and my eyes narrowed.
“Not many. It was just a story to amuse her.”
He stood a bit stratier, twiddling his thumbs on the table. His violet eyes lowered, voice lowering to a mumble laced with the suspicion that had graced me earlier.
“What do you want from my daughter? Is that why you spared her? What your territories’ leader offered to get you to?
There had been too many dangerous encounters. The shift in tone was understandable to a degree, but I had done nothing wrong. And considering his thanks—all I had done was help.
“It was a simple exchange. And,” I leaned forward, faking as much bravado as I could, “I don’t appreciate you suggesting I took advantage of anyone. Serith didn’t offer me anything. I didn’t spare her. To me, this was never a battle to the death.”
There was more I could say. For one: Mei’s position in such a battle, but to him, it could be a totally natural thing. Plus, my goal wasn’t to insult him or his parenting, only to not be bullied. After all, I actually had a backing now.
“Oh!” he said, all tension gone from his voice suddenly.
Did this guy have a mental issue?
“Oh?” I parroted.
“You seem honest.” It was a simple statement, but held more than just the words. “And there’s only one way that you wouldn't have been told by Serith about the deal… There was no need to.”
“You’re a strange man,” Griffith noted, finally saying something, but visibly more relaxed.
“And you,” Sie remarked, pausing breifly, “have very large muscles. You have my respect for building such a body considering the conditions I’ve heard from your home.”
I tried to relax a little with the strange change of atmosphere, but it felt like I was getting whiplash at this point. At least Griffith seemed much happier with the compliment.
“What deal?” I pressed.
Sei sighed, leading back again.
“Her mother didn’t have much issue sending Mei. Where she came from, it was different. When she was young, plenty of children fought. But I guess, in the calamity, there wasn’t any helping that situation.”
Uhh… What? The calamity? Didn’t Mei say that was a long time ago? A really long time ago?
This man must be ancient, Wyrem admired from within me.
Luna coiled around me, small shavings of her falling in fair amount, indicating that she was undergoing her purification manually. No wonder she had been so quiet recently. Just an old jerk. Met too many of them.
But his next words betrayed that theory. Well, to a degree.
“But now? When I was a kid even. Sending your only daughter out to fight a battle to the death was—is out of the question.”
My poker face needed obvious work, because with one look at my expression, Sei began to laugh softly.
“It feels freeing to say it out loud these days. It would've been quite the scandal if it was only a decade ago.”
He waved his hand in front of him, particles of yellow light exiting it. Light pollen in a summoned wind, the moved, swayed, arranging themselves in an unnatural manner. Into an image, at first unclear, but slowly, becoming human, then—a woman.
A recognizable woman.
A powerful one.
Someone with, at least on this side of the planet, the greatest authority.
And the look in his eyes of total transfixation. One with the fervent youth of something I’d only seen in Trevor, but with the love that was unmistakably in Marcus’.
My mouth hung open, unable to comprehend what was going on. Well, actually, I could totally comprehend that. The issue was the how.
How the heck did this man capture the heart of Amei?
Holy… Even the name. And with more thought on it, the facial structure, thing with protruding cheek bones. I would say the hair, but it seemed that everyone in this place had a stark black.
But… Why?
“Why are you telling me this?” I said the question aloud.
He shrugged.
“Lots of reasons. I wanted to tell someone, I guess. For a long time.”
I raised an eyebrow, not totally satisfied with that. There’s no way that there weren’t better people to tell than me.
“Your expression gives your thoughts away.”
I didn’t respond to the statement, still waiting.
He gave up, finally giving something away.
“We’re going to tell Mei, and I think… She will need time to adjust. Maybe some time away from her official duties, visiting her old home will be good for her,” he explained.
I took a pause to take in what he said.
“You’re not talking about your daughter, are you?”
He shook his head, but didn’t deny it.
“I am, but I’m not. A change of scenery will be good for them both. But Amei… she has been too disconnected for too long,” he murmured, scratching his arm. “There’s a place I’d like you to visit with Mei. It’ll give her mother a good reason to go there too.”
Another moment to let everything sink in.
“Essentially, I’d like to ask you—someone powerful enough to come back unscathed against my daughter to go somewhere potentially dangerous, though, I’m only relying on a few words she said.”
I got the distinct feeling that this wasn’t going to be a hard request to fulfill.
“Amei mentioned it was under a different name, but I’m not sure what. I only know what she used to call her home.”
He leaned forward.
“Please take Mei to the Bridge of Caedia.”