Edric wondered why they weren't taking a more straightforward approach when nearing the Emperor's castle.
"We've been walking forever," he complained, partially wondering if annoying the guard might finally get a reaction out of him. "How much longer?"
"Nearly there. Fifteen minutes or so, as the crow flies," his new companion answered. This was the first full sentence the guard had aimed at him since they left Edric's home.
Stomping through the dark brush for a mile wasn't exactly what Edric thought this evening would bring, but then again it did best being bored to death in the basement of his home.
"So are you going to explain to me a little bit about what I'm doing here?" Edric asked. "I'm not that great with awkward silences, you know. And you're the one who's making it awkward, not me."
All the response he got was the sound of the guard's boots crunching leaves and twigs on the ground.
"I'm still genuinely curious so I'm going to keep following, but if something doesn't happen soon, I might just bail if that's okay with y--"
Suddenly, the guard shushed him, swiftly yanking Edric onto the back of his staff.
So they were flying after all, however from the route the guard was taking Edric could have sworn his real intention was to make Edric puke.
They shot up at top speed, Edric having to cling to the staff for support as they reached just above the clouds where only the stars lay above them. Below, however, was an awful lot of ground to crash into. The moment he had this thought, Edric's stomach dipped as they went into a free fall, the very solid looking ground becoming closer at a rapid speed.
The guard continued in this pattern for several minutes above the Boiling Isles landscape, throwing in a sharp turn or two before blessedly beginning a proper descent.
Finally landing on top of a railing-rimmed turret, Edric breathed a sigh of relief to have something firm beneath his feet again.
"That was not 'as the crow flies' so much as the 'hyperactive hummingbird' flies," Edric remarked, his head still spinning. "I mean - don't get me wrong - that was seriously fun now. Afterwards. But you know, in hindsight. From the safety of solid stone under my feet."
The guard either couldn't hear him or was not listening, his masked face pointing across his way. Edric continued anyway, he had a point to make, even if he was the only one paying attention. Plus he liked the sound of his own voice.
"What I'm saying is that it would have been way more fun if you'd told me about it first. So please never make me do that again without warning."
He watched the guard crouch for a moment, as if attempting to hide from something, then slowly rising again, his attention still on a window on the part of the castle across the divide.
"So, is this what you needed me for?" He asked. "Just to stake out a random window in the castle you already live in?"
Still the guard didn't answer.
"Psst, Goldie. Hey, Goldie," Edric stage whispered, drawing out the last word into two long syllables.
"I asked you not to call me that," he snapped. Finally, a reaction, Edric thought.
"If you have to call me something, 'Gold' will suffice."
Edric only half tried to suppress a laugh. "Really? You don't have like - an actual name to go by?"
"It's-- classified," Gold said.
Edric shrugged, stil at a loss for why this was the guard's chosen nickname. "Okay, sure. So what do you need me for, Mr. Gold?"
If Gold were still annoyed by Edric, he didn't show it. He gestured for him to come to his side. Edric gazed out over the railing to the spot Gold had been looking at.
"Okay, I'm supposed to be in my quarters by now. In a few minutes, someone will check on me to make sure I'm in there," he pointed to a single window just above a trellis covered in ivy.
"Go ahead, do your thing."
He gave the command as if Edric knew exactly what to do, but he still didn't understand why he was there.
The guard appeared to have remembered this and added after a pause, "I need you to create a copy of me in there that will fool them and last for at least an hour."
Easy enough, Edric thought. What didn't make sense, though, was why he wanted Edric to perform this magic for him in the first place.
He did it, of course. He could sense shenanigans, and he was all for aiding in those. He figured Gold would share the 'why' of it all if he wanted.
The copy appeared inside the room as completely as Edric could make it while still not knowing what the guy looked like.
"You know," he said as he made his small spell circle with one hand. "I'd be able to do a better job if I could see your face.
Taking advantage of his distraction, Edric found his hand taking hold of the bottom of the mask before Gold could react. He grasped the metal and tugged lightly but swiftly, Gold was looking away from him but for a split second Edric caught a glimpse of his face.
That turned out to be the wrong thing to do.
The moment Gold realized what was happening, he whipped one hand to slam the mask back on and with the other he made a spell circle and blasted Edric clear across the roof, nearly toppling him over the edge.
Edric was able to find a hold onto the opposite side's rail, tripping over his own feet in an attempt to right himself. When he knew he wasn't about to plummet to his death, he allowed his knees to buckle and slumped to the stone.
He watched as Gold fiddled with the mask, adjusting it to ensure it stayed in place this time.
Once Edric felt like he could stand again, he slowly approached Gold again, a bit more cautiously.
Gold cleared his throat as he turned to face Edric. Speaking casually as if he had not just massively flipped out.
"I apologize," he said. "Only a select few have the clearance to see my face. It's supposed to prevent this exact thing." He gestured toward the window and his copy within. "The Emperor doesn't want to risk anyone impersonating me."
"You work that closely with him, huh?" Eric found himself asking.
"I live that closely with him," he corrected. "I'm one of his most trusted inner circle. Living up to that responsibility doesn't leave room for much else."
"Sorry," Edric said, finding that this one of the rare instances when he actually meant it. "I was just messing around, I didn't think it was that big of a deal."
"It's fine," Gold replied. "I mean, it's not really, but you wouldn't understand."
"Try me," he said sincerely. "I mean, I'm helping you out with whatever scheme you're pulling is. You could at least clue me in some."
Gold seemed to consider this as they both watched his illusion self within his room, pouring over a book of some kind, his illusion shadow dancing.
"It's not wise to go against the Emperor's wishes," he said. "Even for those in his coven, even for his-- even for something as seemingly insignificant as a mask."
Edric didn't press on that subject, but he did feel compelled to ask something, something to show he was indeed listening.
"Are there a lot of rules like this?" He asked, referring to the mask.
"This is a special rule just for me, lucky me," he added the last part with a mumble. "But there are other things. There are times he removes his mask, or communes with the titan. It's absolutely forbidden to be in his presence at those times."
He didn't make a comment, Edric simply let Gold continue for as long as he wanted.
"And with our coven being able to use all forms of magic, he expects us to be in top form in every kind. He even has us prepared to demonstrate them all upon request. He likes to keep us on our toes"
"Sheesh, that's gotta be tough."
"You don't know the half of it," Gold said. "I'm not allowed outside the grounds unless it's on official business, I train every day and must report every success directly to him… and every failure."
"Well, there's your problem right there," Edric said. "You can't actually give him every detail of your performance, right? Fudge the truth a little to give you some wiggle room."
"You don't get it," Gold's voice grew harsh. "He's not some school teacher I can slip up in front of and get a slap on the wrist. He's the Emperor. He's my mentor, he's frankly everything to me and I can't--"
He halted for a second, sighed, then continued.
"I can't show any weakness under any circumstances."
His mask had slipped - metaphorically and literally - and for the first time since they'd met, Edric fully understood that this other boy was another boy. He was a teenager not much older than himself. A teen who had the responsibilities of leading a coven and working directly under the emperor on his shoulders. He guessed he couldn't fault the guy for being about as much of a stick in the mud as Mittens. His worries were even more significant than his and his sisters' efforts to please their parents.
This guy wanted to please a parent of sorts, too. One that was even harder to please than Odalia Blight by a longshot.
Edric had pretended not to have caught a glimpse of his face since it seemed so important to him (although from the feathery blonde hair, bright crimson eye, and sculpted cheekbone he'd seen, Edric didn't think the boy had any worry about his looks). Still, the metaphorical unmasking was something he didn't think he could let slide.
"Look, I'm not going to pretend I know everything about your whole...deal. But I certainly know what it's like to have someone in your life who is impossible to please."
He didn't acknowledge Edric's words at first, his mask still looking far out over the edge of the railing. Edric was close enough to him that if he had turned his head towards him, Edric thought he might be able to catch another sighting of the boy's eyes through the slits in the mask. He found himself hoping to see just that little extra bit of 'person' and not 'faceless soldier.'.
"He's not my father," he said at last.
Edric scoffed. "Well, that's obvious. He isn't anyone's dad. He doesn't seem like the type." He then gave Gold a sly smile he wasn't sure the boy would see from his angle. "Plus, from the fraction that I saw of you, you're way too pretty to be related."
He raised an eyebrow when the guard started to tap the railing with one hand. Edric couldn't be sure it was a nervous gesture, but it was encouraging to him nonetheless.
Gold cleared his throat again. "Well, in any case, even if he's not my father biologically… he's the closest thing I have to a parent. I owe everything that I have to him and his coven, and he doesn't let me forget it."
"I'll bet," Edric answered. An obvious platitude, he knew. Yet as they lapsed into silence, it gave him a twinge of pleasure to be able to give him even that much of an understanding gesture.
They watched the illusion Guard inside his room, a slit of light appearing on the opposite side of the room, bathing it in light for a moment. Someone checking in on him, as the Guard had predicted.
"So, I'm wondering, you're in the Emperor's Coven. You can do every kind of magic if you want. Why tell my mom you needed me? You could've done this no problem."
"True," he replied. "But maybe I wanted someone my age to show me a good time for once. Do you know how many contemporaries I have around here?"
Since his face was still obscured, Edric couldn't tell at first that he was waiting for an answer.
"I'm asking," he added.
"Oh, uh… not that many?"
"Darn right, and it's frustrating. Half the adults are too afraid of my relationship with the Emperor to spend time with me, and the other half think I'm a brat who doesn't deserve my rank."
Edric laughed softly. "Well, if you wanted somebody to show you a good time, you should've just said so."
Then Gold looked up, proving Edric's guess correct. He could see the other boy's eyes in the faint light, making their shade of red that much more intense against the gold. His hand reflexively made to pat his shoulder playfully, but the Guard's reaction to being touched before caused him to pause, his hand hovering just above its mark.
"I'd absolutely love to take you out on the town. Of course, you'd need to ditch the mask."
"I… hadn't planned to go far. I assumed you couldn't keep up your illusion if you left the area."
"Pfft, you underestimate me," Edric said with a playful scoff. "Just because I'm not a homeschooled prodigy doesn't mean I don't know a few things." Suddenly, an idea struck him. "This was just a test run, wasn't it? You just wanted to see if I could do what you wanted, right?"
"I couldn't ask for your help properly unless I saw for myself the proof, yes."
Edric's smile grew into his most favorite expression, his grin of mischief. It really was the best look on him. Already a plan for the next day began to form in his head.
Forgetting his previous hesitation, he clapped the guard on the shoulder for real; this time, Gold did not flinch away. Instead, he turned again to look at him, and Edric could just make out the intrigue in the other boy's eyes.
"Meet me tomorrow at my house. I think we can give you the normal day you want."