A few weeks after the coronation, Nick was faced with little choice but to send Mayfair on a mission to overview Cypress's military outposts. Not because the job was necessary; on the contrary, he'd already sent out lower-ranking military officers to ensure that order was being restored in Cypress's outlying regions, and their reports had come back positive. With her unique touch, Mayfair could certainly improve the organization of the outposts, but that was not the instigating reason behind the mission.
The fact of it was that Mayfair's presence at Castle Cypress had become unbearable to Nick. Ever since his coronation, he'd found himself obsessed with her - or rather, with her physical form. In meetings with his high officials, he was finding it difficult to concentrate over thoughts of Mayfair's pretty lips and supple waist.
He knew what was happening; as soon as Nick entered puberty, Gyan had made sure to explain to him about the body's natural desire to reproduce. But the knowledge did him no good. He told himself that this infatuation with Mayfair's womanhood had nothing to do with her sharp wisdom, her endearing personality, nor even her sculpted loveliness, and everything to do with the fact that his body, now it was no longer occupied with war, was reminding him of the need to procreate. But he could not prevent himself from reacting to Mayfair's every movement as though he'd been hit with a Spark spell.
He'd made up his mind shortly after the coronation to ask her to be his wife, but he couldn't do it under these conditions. So, in order to continue properly performing his duties as king, he had to distance himself from Mayfair until he'd cooled himself down.
"I'd been planning on taking that two weeks leave we discussed," she said, with disappointment but no hint of argument, when he gave her the assignment at a meeting with his ministers.
"If it pleases you, you have permission to go directly to wherever you wish upon completion of your mission," he offered. "The messengers' reports should be sufficient."
She shook her head. "I'm sure I'll need at least a week here afterwards to put everything back in order."
"The youth squads will be a shambles without you," Irinod agreed. "The only reason they didn't completely fall apart during your last absence was because Luke and Eric weren't here to work their mischief."
"Eric has been much less of a bother since the war ended," she returned. "It's Halron who worries me. He's already done major injury to one fellow guard. If something were to really set him off..."
"Forget about that," Nick interrupted, "...and everything to do with the running of this castle, for the next few weeks. It is paramount that you concentrate on your mission." Gyan raised an eyebrow at that, but added no comment. "Our other chief objective is establishing relations with Emild. Have you finished gathering information on that, Richard?"
Giving a nod, his minister of foreign affairs elaborated, "The late king of Emild has been succeeded by his first born son. Iom apparently let the boy live to avoid calling attention to Gordon's taking of the throne, though they were doubtlessly waiting for the right moment to sacrifice him to Iom as well."
"'The boy', you call him?"
He clarified, "He is of age. But... younger than Your Majesty."
Nick smiled. "Not by much, if he is of age." To his amusement, Richard responded by looking down at the table while bashfully plucking at his dwarven beard.
"I'm not sure how reasonable the new king will be. His father's death, and perhaps more importantly, Gordon's posing as him, have made him paranoid. Even he was fooled into believing Gordon was his father, you see. He also seems frustrated that his father's death has already been avenged for him. Put the two together, and I'd say the boy is earnestly looking to find enemies wherever he can."
"Can May and Chester not move him at all?"
"That's our best hope. And in all honesty, it's not a bad one. Chester and May are longstanding members of the court; he should listen to them." He gave a worried frown. "The only question is, is the king paranoid enough to see Chester and May themselves as enemies?"
Nick leaned back in his chair. He liked the forthrightness of Richard's reports; he always gave all of his observations, and if you listened carefully enough to what he said, you'd find that he gave more than that. "Surely your agents would have noticed if that was so."
"True, it wasn't so when we made our ventures in Emild. But perhaps all that is needed is the right spark. A misspoken word here, a wrong look there, may be all it takes to arouse the king's suspicions against those two."
A silence fell over the table. "No suggestions?" Nick asked of those present.
"If the king of Emild is unreasonable, there's nothing you can do about it right now," Gyan answered. "Once you're certain he can't be dealt with..."
He didn't finish, but Nick nodded. "I have an idea if it should come to that. In the meantime, Richard, continue to feel things out at the Emild court. As soon as possible, inform them that we will gladly provide aid to help pull them out of their struggles, once a relationship between our two nations has been solidified by the trade agreement we've had drawn up."
"Don't you think the king's suspicions will be aroused by the old bait-and-switch, Your Highness?" Irinod put in.
"If that's what this trade agreement was, I'd expect him to become angry, not suspicious." Nick leaned forward again over the table. "But I have no desire to anger Emild's monarch. The terms of the new agreement are completely equitable, although they are more restrictive of Emild's ability to alter the agreement than Cypress's."
The old centaur nodded with approval. "And Emild won't care about that at the moment. Very good, Your Highness."
"It wouldn't do to apply a reversal on Emild any time soon, but the security of being able to do so is important. Mayfair, once you have the time, I'd like you to draw up a military alliance with Emild. We must ensure that Emild does not become easy prey again; they can too easily be used as a stepping stone to attack Cypress."
"Now, wait a moment," she protested. "What is this idea of yours for dealing with Emild's king?"
"There's no need for you, or anyone at this meeting, to know that," Nick said firmly. "You have all the information you need to do your duty."
There was a pause. "Then I suppose there's no point in asking who you're expecting to attack us, considering that Iom is in shambles and Guardiana is our ally."
"Mayfair." Another silence fell.
"Forgive me," she said at last. "I didn't mean that to come out the way it did."
Her humble contrition was even more charming than her willful questioning of his secrecy had, in truth, been. "The possibility of conflict between Guardiana and Emild, however unlikely, cannot be ignored," he explained. "More importantly, we must ever be prepared for the future. Iom will eventually recover, and other major nations may become more involved in our part of the world, now that the ice has been broken by our relations with Guardiana."
"...Why won't you look at me?"
He had no decent excuse for averting his eyes, and although the king of Cypress needed no excuses, it was best not to arouse concern. He focused on her eyes, but those warm pools were easily as captivating as the rest of her body. "I didn't know eye contact with me was important to you, Mayfair," he said in a bemused tone.
Her lovely cheeks colored with embarrassment; all present at the meeting knew that in addition to being her sovereign, King Nicholas was also on friendly terms with her. She returned, "When all but oneself are being graced with your gaze, Your Majesty, it is difficult not to feel bereft."
Gyan chuckled at her unconvincing pronunciation, drawing him a quick glare from the general. This gave Nick a good view of her profile, framed by her long hair. He had to grip the underside of the table to control the blood pounding through his head. "Ahm. You understand what I want from the alliance, Mayfair?"
She bobbed her head. "Yes, Your Majesty."
He stood. "Good. I believe we have covered every issue of importance, so we may consider this meeting dismissed."
"Your Majesty, wait -" Jaron said, shooting up to his feet so suddenly that his chair fell over. He said in a flurry, "There is still the matter of the coin commemorating your ascension to the throne."
"Arrange a meeting with me once you have the designs ready."
"They are ready, Your Majesty."
The king cocked his head at him. "How many have you prepared?"
"Three."
"Notify me when you have enough designs that you are confident I'll be satisfied with at least one. I do not have time to waste on a potentially fruitless meeting."
He ignored Jaron's flustered apology as he walked from the room. He waited as the others passed out as well, and nodded his head at Mayfair when she came. "Mayfair, if you will kindly accompany me?"
Giving her assent, she walked beside him, following him into an isolated corridor. He didn't like being alone with her in his current state of infatuation, but... "I want to apologize for embarrassing you like that about the eye contact. It was thoughtless of me."
She nodded. "It's all right." She cleared her throat and looked up at him, but he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. "You were very harsh with Jaron."
"I have to be honest with my subjects, and my time is becoming more and more valuable. I'm not even sure how we're going to handle the issue of the lands we annexed from Iom yet. Without any major authority in Iom for us to discuss the matter with - but that's just one more task among many that I have to attend to."
"You know you can always trust me to lighten your load, if need be."
He gave a half smile. "I can't call myself king if I don't handle the responsibilities I'm entrusted with. Don't worry about me; my father trained me for this my whole life. Besides, you have your own load." He hesitated a moment, then added, "I'm sorry if I was crueler to Jaron than necessary. Should I apologize to him?"
"You know very well that you can't do that - you're the king. Just... try to be gentle with people in the future, if you can."
"I'll try."
She gave him a light hug. It took him by surprise, though it shouldn't have. The physical contact was beyond distracting, and he went completely stiff. "I'll miss you, Nick. Try not to take on too many responsibilities."
The impression of her body against his struck him dumb, and he could not manage even one word, not even after she released him. He merely stared at her hair shifting along the back of her plain dress as she walked away.
Once she was gone, he shook his head to clear it. Blessed Cypress, I'm like a pitiful schoolboy. I should have sent her on this mission days ago.
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Nick awoke the next morning by the radiant sunlight breaking through the 12-foot high windows of the royal bedroom. He filled his lungs with a deep, pleasurable breath, taking in the feel of the heavenly soft mattress beneath him, the warm blankets layered atop him, and the vast sheets wrapped around his body. Then he sat up on the large pillows piled under his head, relishing the way his room looked in the early morning light. Being king certainly did have its comforts.
He jerked himself from the warmth of his bed and got dressed. While he pulled on his boots, he gave the second of the bellropes rigged beside his bed a pull. After a moment's thought, he pulled the first one as well. A few moments later, Gyan poked his head in.
"Oh, you're just dressing," he grunted. "So, what is it?"
"I'd like you to inform the guards that I'll be going for a morning ride."
"Is that wise? Even the areas around Castle Cypress are still recovering from the war."
"All the more reason to uplift their spirits with a taste of normalcy. The people must see their king."
"Should I accompany you?"
"Of course."
Aside from Gyan, he breakfasted alone; most of the nobility were still in their beds. Nonetheless, the servants brought forth a table-spanning amount of food, multiple times what the two of them could finish, though they gave it their best shot.
"Hungry this morning, eh Nick?"
"You might say that." It would be more accurate to say that he felt invigorated by the morning, and was ready to give the day the most he could.
The guards were waiting for them outside with Nick's favored horse. Gyan instead mounted a leighorn, a squat, sure-footed animal, as no horse could safely bear the combined weight of Gyan and his bulky armor. Four centaur knights accompanied them as they rode off.
The day was clear and bright, as Nick had hoped. Entering the villages standing around Castle Cypress, they found that the common people were mostly well into their day, walking about and doing what Nick supposed were their daily chores. They looked up at him with intense interest as he passed by, though they did their best not to stare or otherwise falter in their routine. He regarded them with benevolence, but not empathy - to do that would be ludicrous, perhaps even an insult. And yet, though they were meant to see him primarily as the glory and ideal of Cypress, in a sense he should be seen as their equal. When all around was sadness, they could look upon him as a Cypressian like themselves, a contented one, and live vicariously through his happiness. Royalty, after all, were the stuff fairy tales were made of. They were glorious, yet human enough to let their riches fall on ordinary people.
The idea was to fill them with awe for his strength, his virtues, and his accomplishments, but appear a normal man at the same time. The trouble was, he was not a normal man in one important way: he was a bachelor. Until he had a queen and children to accompany him on his rides, the picture would be incomplete.
Well. No use in thinking of Mayfair right now. It's enough that, in spite of a horrific military coup and a war with Iom, beloved Cypress still has a healthy king.
As the morning wore on, he turned back to Castle Cypress. Gyan noted, "Guess you made the right call. The people seemed happy to see you."
"I hope so. The image of a king is a bit hard to bear."
Gyan shook his head. "You don't do any of the work there, Nick. Remember that. Most of it's seeing their king is alive and strong; it doesn't matter much who the king is."
"Well, there's a blow to my ego." Upon arriving back at the castle, he dismounted and said to his guards, "If there is need of me, I'll be in the gardens."
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Walking between the rows of flowers, the king murmured to Gyan, "Make sure I'm not followed."
"You mean...?"
"It's time I paid Barro another visit."
Gyan silently disappeared among the taller plants. The beastman knew his duty well, and in spite of his bulk he could move undetected by all but the finest trackers. There was limited ground to cover here, and he would spot anyone who came near enough to learn the secret of Barro.
Nick called out gently, "Eruminshus?" Getting no reply, he walked towards the gardener's shed. "Eruminshus?"
"Right here, Your Highness," the dwarf answered, popping his head out from between two shrubs.
The king nearly jumped at this sudden appearance. "You certainly bury yourself into your work, don't you?"
"Hmmm. Well, when the sun's shining this hot, it doesn't suit me to stay out in it all day. Even with my hat on." He took a moment to brush some small leaves and twigs out of his beard. "Well, with the way of it being between kings and gardeners, I assume you're here to see Barro."
"Are you bitter, Eruminshus?"
"Eh? Ah, no! That's just the way of my speaking. I bring out the obvious without reason or an instant's thought. Nothing meant by it." He shuffled forward, throwing a beckoning gesture to the king. "Come. I'll take you to your coz."
They found him by a section of flowers, plucking off the head of one. Eruminshus jumped forward and grabbed his arm. "None of that, lad. Told you that before."
Barro sighed out an apology. Nick shifted his feet and said, "Would you leave the two of us alone, Eruminshus?"
"'Course."
Once he was gone, Nick squatted down before Barro. "How are you today, cousin?"
"Fine." He twisted the flower bud he still had in his hand, then let it fall. "It's boring here, cousin Nicholas. Can't I stop hiding now that you've got your crown?"
The king was silent a moment in consideration. "I'm sorry, Barro. Until I have a wife, our bloodline is still vulnerable."
"But you beat Iom. Nobody's going to kill you now!" Barro protested, grabbing hold of Nick's arm. "Are they, Nicholas?"
He smiled in reply. "I hope not. But I would have said the same thing to my father as you're saying to me now."
"You can't die. You and Eru and Mayfair and Gyan are the only people I know. If they make me king, I won't be able to see Eru anymore, and I don't like Gyan."
"That still leaves Mayfair, doesn't it?"
"Yeah... but she's a girl." He scuffed up a bit of dirt with his foot. "When are you going to get married, cousin Nicholas?"
"Soon. Within three months, if all goes right."
"And then I'll be able to go into the castle?"
"Yes."
He smiled. "They've got people my age there, right?"
"Not many right now, but they'll bring in more now that the war is over. Just remember to be careful about mixing with people who aren't of the nobility. Life has a way of tearing royalty away from commoners - even when they're close friends."
"Why should I worry about that?" Barro scowled. "I'm not going to be king!"
"Even after I'm married, you still could be king someday. If something happens to my children..."
"Don't say that!" He stomped his foot. "I don't want to be king! I don't want to make decisions and fight wars! I just want things to be normal again."
Nick stared at him a moment. "You really mean that, don't you?" He smiled and laid a hand on his heir's shoulder. "You're a good boy, Barro. I'm glad that you, at least, were spared during Woldol's coup."
"Me too. I mean... I'm glad you were spared too, cousin Nicholas."
The boy's hand clasped Nick's arm, and they remained like that a few moments. It was strange, but Nick liked that Barro had no desire to be king. It was heartening to know a member of royalty could live outside the shadow of that mantle, even though Nick was pleased to bear that mantle himself.
A faint rustle violently ended those thoughts. Nick's head shot up, but seeing and hearing nothing more, he called out, "Eru?" There was no answer.
He headed quietly back in the direction of the shed, taking Barro with him. Following his cue, the boy said nothing. They found Eruminshus in short order.
"Watch over the boy," Nick said to him, giving him a meaningful look. He left them, and walking a short distance away, called for Gyan. After half a minute's wait, the beastman emerged from the tall bushes.
"Lo, Nick."
"Did you spot anyone?"
Gyan shook his head. "Something out of place?"
"I thought I heard a noise. Probably the wind or a falling leaf, and I just mistook it for something else. But we have to be careful." He gestured back towards Barro and Eruminshus. "I have to deal with several dozen matters today. Watch over the boy for me. And I mean don't let him out of your sight."
"No problem."