Chapter 8

Felt had decided that two weeks in Zwital was long enough. It had been fun, and he would definitely visit at some point. But for now it was time to get on the road again.

He had left that morning, with a fond send-off from Poe, who he had scarcely seen for the first few days since his initial arrival. Of course, Felt had an idea of why he hadn't seen his friend, but did not bother to call him out on it. Mainly because it wasn't any of his business.

But, whatever, he was almost out of the Dark Forest. The massively tall trees began to thin in rank as he strode along the subtle pathway, their shadows beginning to lighten slightly. It would be another hour or so of walking before he would truly be able to see any real light on the ground.

Felt had elected to use one of his few remaining Fear Bottles, not wanting a repeat of his first solo venture into the forest. The remaining length of his journey from the forest passed relatively uneventfully, the only interruptions to the mundane journey being the occasional were-cat passing through the trees above. Maybe it was his hormones, but the were-cats were perhaps anthropomorphic enough that...

Felt killed that line of thought quickly, it must be boredom or horniness. Probably horniness, not that he would act on his baser impulses or anything, but he probably needed to get a hobby to keep him occupied on the road. Maybe he'd take up whittling, or writing, something to help kill the mind-numbing tedium of walking for hours on end.

Felt could see the edge of the Dark Forest in the distance, the trees were sporadic in their placement, the sun's rays unabashedly penetrating the canopy above, bathing the forest floor in a rich golden light.

Felt's next stop would be Riesevelt, he had been meaning to see the city now that some time had passed since the Slaith dynasty had been restored fully. The last time he had been in the capital, outside just the palace, had been just after the Imperials had been forced out. He was curious as to the state of the city, would conditions have improved?

He figured they would have, Fee had always been rather prodigious when it came to planning and logistics. Felt, on the other hand, was about as good at that as a severely dehydrated blind man was at mountain climbing in the desert whilst wearing a three hundred pound fur coat, complete with gloves and ear-muffs.

The sun was getting close to setting now, Felt had quickly passed through the checkpoint into Riesevelt and was currently wandering the streets. The city seemed much more vibrant than when the Silvaresta empire had ruled, its streets were cleaner with more people out and about, not to mention the general atmosphere was much more positive. This was why Felt fought, to see the people safe and free. This is what Elusmus would have wanted...

The thought struck Felt's good mood a crippling blow, his smile slowly dissipating. The question he had been running from resurfaced: What now? What was his purpose? Felt closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath he followed the familiar streets, his feet leading him somewhere foreign yet familiar.

The silver gates of Riese palace seemed to be grey in the fading sun's light, the palace's outline seeming to be an eerie silver colour. Grey and silver, the two colours which were so similar yet so different. Felt supposed that there was some sort of symbolism here, reflecting on his current state of being, but whatever it was, it was lost on him.

He did not know why he had come here, perhaps because he had been in the palace more than he ever had been in the city proper. The guards must have recognized Felt, his passage through the gates was met with twin salutes from both men. However, this brought him no pleasure, he was still empty, lacking any real motivation. Was this what it was like for Gray, during all those years of drifting around Belkhyde?

It was not a good feeling, Felt reflected. He had little time to ponder the intricacies of this notion, as a green-garbed man's torso clouded his visage of the palace's red carpet.

"Hello there, uh... erhm, pal?" Felt only knew of one man who would introduce himself with such a pathetic line. The blonde prince smiled at him, his warm blue eyes holding a certain fondness for the Azoth wielder.

"Hello Max, its been a while, hasn't it?"

"So, how have you been?" Max asked him good-naturedly.

"Oh, I've been alright." Felt responded tiredly, hoping the blonde would take the hint. But you know how blondes are, so dumb they can't even read and walk.

"Well, my sister will not be here until her meeting ends in about a half-hour or so..." The blonde trailed off, motioning for Felt to follow him. Felt sighed and began to trail after the older man.

They were in Fee's study, perched on a couch in the corner nearest the desk. Max had already called in a maid, citing that he wanted refreshments for himself and his guest.

"So, er-Friend, you promised me a story?" Max queried half-jokingly.

Felt nodded and began to regale the Slaith prince with his tale, starting immediately after the battle with Palaxius and finishing when he got to the palace. He made sure to skim over the more personal details, also making sure to give his own commentary for good measure. The maid had come in at some point carrying a tray of tea and some sort of pastry confection, however, the duo had paid her no mind, too engrossed in the story.

It was mere moments after his tale was completed, did Fee quietly slip into the office, looking worse for wear.

"Fee! How've you been?" Felt made sure to stay put on the couch, not wanting to break any royal protocol or anything.

The purple-haired girl's face lit up upon seeing her former companion, all tiredness seeming to vanish instantly, a large smile graced her features along with a slight pink hue.

"Felt!" The young queen seemed to teleport in front of him, her arms wide. Felt awkwardly patted her back as the younger girl embraced him tightly, the force nearly squeezing the breath out of him. She glared at Max over Felt's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me Felt was here?" She hissed dangerously at her brother, her crimson eyes carrying a thousand promises of retribution. The prince chuckled, his mood completely undeterred by his sister's anger.

"Well, Fernando here did insist that he catch up with his old friend Max first." The blonde, quite obviously, lied. Fee's glare did not subside, and if anything, intensified.

Max really was starting to get nervous now, when she got this angry, the only way to appease her would be to volunteer to do her paperwork for the next two days. This had happened to him exactly once, and he did not want a repeat.

"Well, um... he's uh... he's single and ready to mingle?" Max was visibly sweating now, his sky blue eyes locked with his sister's hellish crimson, the girl still not letting go of Felt.

"What did you just say?" The queen was quite perturbed now, only Felt's presence saved Max's plans for tomorrow.

"Er... that he's looking for a wife?" Max trailed off, his voice getting smaller.

Felt was confused, not once during his story did he mention wanting a wife. That aside, why was Max telling Fee all this? And why had she not let go yet?

"But I never said-" Felt began indignantly, not wanting Fee to think he'd came to marry her or anything.

"It was implied when you said you were looking for a purpose." Max interrupted coolly, his composure rapidly returning.

Felt could feel his cheeks warm, he had been having thoughts of acquiring a more permanent companion, but a wife? He'd admit he had entertained the notion a few times, but had never really questioned it any further than the initial 'Wouldn't it be nice' phase.

"Am I wrong Flea?" Max smirked, well if his tone was anything to go by, he was definitely smirking. Felt still couldn't see the man's face, what with being trapped in Fee's embrace.

"I mean, that's not what I came here for... a-and its not like I was planning on finding one for a little while longer." Felt finished, losing his cool.

He didn't know why, but Fee seemed to deflate slightly at his response. It must be in relief, Felt assumed, his line of reasoning being that she would want her freedom for as long as she could have it. He couldn't tell for sure, but he could swear Max's smirk grew.

"You know, Audrey, I wouldn't mind taking over for a few weeks while you went on your honeymoon." Max teased them, his grin threatening to split his face in twain.

"You do realize that you're doing all my paperwork for the next week, right?" Fee sweetly informed her brother.

"Yes, yes, to give the two of you time to catch up..." Max admitted defeat, but decided quickly for one last shot. "Oh, and Fred? Make sure to make an honest woman of her if anything does happen."

Fee growled at Max's retreating form, her ire so intense that even Felt could sense it.

"What'd Max mean about the making an honest woman of you part?" Felt queried, confused at the older man's comment.

"it's nothing, just him being an idiot. So, how have you been?" The queen quickly changed the subject.

"Uh, could you let me go before I tell you?"

Short chapter, but setting up for later.

Now updating once or twice a week.