"I take it you will be staying for dinner, as always?"
Henry gave Susannah a nod and from the corner of his eye caught a glimpse at Howard's furrowed brows behind his mother. It was hard to not notice, with how he towered her by more than a head.
"Very well." She clasped her hands together and brushed the skirt of her, how Henry found, fairly antiquated dress. "Dinner will be served in an hour sharp." She did not say anything but he caught the silent request to not wander around in her home unaccompanied, regardless.
Susannah had this trait about her to sense people's motivations and intentions, especially if they went against the expected norm. One of the many reasons Henry had never particularly gotten along with her or York, whom he deemed a worse stickler than Howard. At least Howard was not so obsessed with punctuality and efficiency as his father, who would rebuke anyone for being two minutes late to an official gathering. He had done it even with Vikus once, following which Solovet had provided a perfectly valid explanation in a single, utterly crushing sentence. Needless to say, York had not spoken to either of them for several months.
"I'll see you there", he tipped an imaginary hat to her and Howard. Susannah put on a courteous yet genuine smile, her son did not.
"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Howard caught up to him as soon as his mother was out of sight. "Mother might be too polite to remind you to not wander around in here unaccompanied, but I know you've been doing it ever since your first visit. This is private property." Howard shot him a glare and nervously glanced back to the central hall roofed by the large spherical dome. They stood in one of the eight arcades that bordered and connected it to four hallways that lied around the hall in a square and led deeper into the mansion.
"I'm not wandering anywhere", Henry shot back and slowly inched towards the exit. "Not unless you have proof, that is."
Howard's gaze at him was icy yet his lips were tightly shut.
"I'll be looking for my flier... OUTSIDE. If you don't mind", he shrugged and began strolling towards the entrance hall and the exit. Howard remained behind but Henry sensed his gaze on him until he had disappeared out of sight. As soon as Howard could not see him anymore he began running. His rough boots nearly slipped on the strangely unfamiliar polished floor tiles and Henry slid the last few feet to the entrance, much to the amusement of the guards who lazily loafed by the gate.
"I'll be back in a minute", he cried in their direction, "just forgot something." Then Henry darted through the open iron gate.
How infinitely glad he was the Fount mansion had an actual exit on ground level, as opposed to the Regalian palace. Then again – he stared down at the foaming moat that went all the way around the elevated island on which the mansion towered, some hundred feet below – they didn't really need one. There was no way to get on or off the island without a flier apart from an extendable bridge that could only be operated from this side. More than enough foolproof, he deemed.
"Hey, there you are!" He caught sight of Thanatos hanging from a specifically designated ledge with some other fliers he thought lived here. As soon as he spotted Henry he spread his wings and soared for a couple heartbeats, then landed beside his bond. "Did they invite us to dinner again?"
The exiled prince nodded. "In an hour, Susannah said."
"And you intend to spend that hour..." Thanatos glimpsed at the entrance, "inside, correct?"
Henry grinned and nodded. Of course he would go back inside. For a moment his gaze was caught by the buzzing city beneath, he watched the miniature people go about their business for what must have been minutes. The crowd of fishermen tidying up and tying down their boats, then loading off the day's catch in the bustling harbor. The shopkeep arranging an intriguing array of wares in her display. The barber whetting his large scissors, calling out to passerby's to promote his services. The band of miners shoving a cart with utensils down the uneven road.
Then the stench of old fish someone must have dumped into the moat crept into his nose and he turned. For as much as he loved spending time in the city, little beat the drama and gossip around York's and Susannah's household.
With five children and the large array of servants, there was always something going on. Like that affair between a Lighthand and a cook, he had uncovered last week. They had very blatantly been making out in a closet and ever since he had never once eaten anything but his favorite dishes – courtesy of the devastated cook who feared to lose her job if she was exposed consorting with a married man.
So, as little as he was supposed to creep around in the mansion unattended, it was not like any of them had the power to stop him. It very much helped he knew his way around from his frequent visits as a child – and he had been able to confirm that his unfiltered hearing indeed had great application in eavesdropping.
Henry grinned and called "see you at dinner!" in Thanatos' direction, then threw the guards a quick salute and disappeared inside. Who knew what he would find this time?
He made his way into the entrance hall and nearly collided with two women in brisk discussion, one of which he recognized as Susannah. The Lady of the House threw him a somewhat suspicious glance as to what he was doing here but apparently deemed her conversation with the other woman more important. "No, it is what York and I want", she continued with a hushed voice at whom Henry only now recognized as Stellovet's governess Dalia.
The young woman with the much too loose-fitting, plain dress and the intricate hairdo was shorter than even Susannah and nearly as ghostly and frail as Nerissa. Next to her energetic and imposing mistress, who Henry thought must have been a quite stunning beauty in her youth, she almost disappeared.
Though their conversation interested him greatly, for now, he had no choice but to creep away before Susannah could inquire where he was going. Luckily, she was all taken up explaining something to Dalia, gesticulating wildly as always. Henry could only catch it had something to do with Stellovet before they disappeared out of hearing distance, even for him.
He let out a frustrated sigh and somewhat aimlessly took a side path leading in the direction of the children's private quarters. He grinned as he remembered a day, some four years ago, when he, Nerissa, and Luxa had spent a whole week here, on Vikus' and Solovet's request. It had been shortly after the deaths of Luxa's parents and he wondered if they had thought connecting with her other family could cheer Luxa up.
And it indeed had, at least somewhat. But not the part where she connected with her other family, but the part where he and Luxa had pranked the whole household into thinking a massive pincher-army was on its way here and they must prepare to defend the city. Only the day before Howard had mentioned York had told him the story of how a rat had once led a pincher-army to attack the Fount, shortly before he had been born, and Henry had thought there was hardly a better idea for a prank.
His grin widened at the memory of the frantic bustling, the shrill alarm bells, and the desperate attempts to keep the children safe. And it dropped at the memory of the massive tirade that had followed when they had discovered it had all been a prank. Oh well, Henry shrugged and resumed grinning. It had been worth it.
Just as he contemplated whether he should pull something like that again at some point, his peeked ears picked up the faint sound of approaching steps. Henry glanced around for somewhere to hide and dove into an empty supply closet. He dropped the curtain just as whoever it was turned the corner.
He squinted and the sounds painted the shape of a teenage girl. When he dared peek through the curtain he saw it was Stellovet, and she seemed to be in quite a hurry. Her hair, that she usually put a lot of time and effort into, creating beautiful and intricate hairdos, now loosely cascaded down past her waist, and she clutched the seams of her long though, for her standards, fairly plain yellow dress tightly.
Without taking any notice of him she whizzed past and towards the central hall. On a whim, Henry decided to follow. The sight of the usually so proper and orderly Stellovet in such a state tingled his drama senses and whatever had her hurry in such a manner could not be trivial.
Quietly he followed and when Stellovet reached the central hall she abruptly ended her run and dusted off her dress before proceeding. Henry, moments later, ducked into the shade of an arch. His echolocation painted the shapes of three people now standing around the dinner table. Two adults and the so familiar teenage girl.
"Father, mother, you called for me?" Henry furrowed his brows at how uncharacteristically bashful her voice sounded. Seldom had he heard her speak with anything other than disgust, arrogance, or the occasional spite.
"Stellovet, we need to talk about your behavior around the Death Rider, recently." That was York's voice, Henry made him out clearly, his almost six-foot-tall shape looming over the table.
Yet before she could answer, Susannah spoke over her – "Oh Stellovet, dear, how are you even looking?" An image of her hurrying towards her daughter flashed in his head, she seemed to fumble at Stellovet's dress and hair. "You are usually so mindful of your appearance, what in the world has gotten into you today?"
Stellovet shifted. "It's not like anyone is around to see me", she quietly mumbled and before Susannah could respond, she continued – "And why are we talking about the Death Rider? He's not visited in a week." Only now Henry realized she had not been there to greet him.
"We are talking about him because he arrived here earlier today during your absence. He will be attending dinner in half an hour."
Stellovet let out an audible gasp at her father's words. "He... he is here?", she stammered and picked at her dress. Were Henry to guess he'd bet a lot she was blushing. "You... was it a sudden visit?"
York shook his head. "I specifically ordered Dalia to take you out today, to avoid further embarrassing behavior, as you so often display in his presence."
"We understand all you children are fascinated by an outcast like him", Susannah clasped her hands together, "with exciting tales and unique gadgets, but you are old enough to not act on it, like your brother."
"Yes, why is it possible for your brother to remain dignified and not for you?" York shook his head and leaned on the table.
Stellovet tugged at her dress again. Only this time, Henry thought her movement was irritated rather than nervous. "I know, father. Howard is perfect, how dare I forget."
"Mind your tone, young lady!", York rebuked and Henry unexpectedly felt a surge of sympathy for her. He knew that tone well enough. From back after the pincher-prank.
"And for the love of everything, stop swooning over him as you do, it is a most embarrassing kind of behavior for a girl your age. Your fifteenth birthday is in a few weeks, only a year from now you will be an adult. This is most inappropriate behavior for a daughter of mine, are we clear?"
Stellovet stood silent, like frozen solid, and York continued – "Your mother and I have already informed Dalia to take you out whenever he visits as often as possible." Quieter he added, "Perhaps we should send note to reduce the number of supply deliveries altogether. He's been coming here far too often, these last couple weeks, if you ask me."
Henry was so taken up by the conversation he barely heard the footsteps before the others and winced when someone else abruptly stopped in the middle of an archway.
"Howard, is that you?", Susannah turned. York moved not an inch. "Would you please go fetch your other siblings for dinner? Stellovet will join you shortly, after she has tidied herself up."
Howard's figure stood still in the arch for a few heartbeats, then he nodded. "Right away, mother."
"You are dismissed, Stellovet." York not even flinched. "But heed my words, will you? I expect impeccable behavior from you at dinner."
She silently nodded and stepped backward until she had nearly disappeared out of sight. As soon as her father turned, she stumbled out of the hall and towards hers and her sibling's quarters. But she did not get far.
Even Henry jumped when he faintly heard Howard's voice from further down the tunnel. He inched backward, eye on York and Susannah, who exchanged exasperated looks, and carefully made his way around towards where Howard had waited for Stellovet. "Nothing – hey, Stello, wait!"
Yet her steps undauntedly continued, from what Henry's echolocation showed she seemed to be in a hurry. Howard continuously followed, attempting to get through to her, yet she adamantly ignored him. Henry thought he was lucky they were so taken up with themselves they did not even think to look back and check whether someone was following. No matter how cautious he was, had they not been so distracted, they would have most likely spotted him.
On what must have been Howard's hundredth "Stello, please stop!", Henry just about managed to duck behind a large pillar when she at last halted. "Leave me alone!"
Only now the exiled prince registered the two stood in front of the large arch that led into the siblings' shared living room.
Before Howard could speak, Stellovet hissed – "Have you not heard? I must tidy myself up or mother will send me to eat alone in my quarters again!"
Her brother determinately grabbed her by the arm before she could disappear through the arch. "Of course, but there will still be enough time for that after you have told me what that was about. They seemed angry with you." Howard's brows furrowed. "Are you in trouble?"
She snorted. "How is this any of your business?"
"Stellovet, I am your older brother." He gently yet firmly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Of course it is my business if you are in trouble."
They exchanged a prolonged, bitter stare, then she shrugged. "I'm not in trouble. Father simply meant to remind me to not be so friendly with the Death Rider. "Inappropriate behavior for a girl your age" my ass."
"Please! Mind your tone!", Howard sighed and Stellovet shook his hands off her shoulders. "You know what", she glared up at him, "you're not any better than them!"
She took a step back and pointed her outstretched finger at him. "Do you have ANY IDEA how much harder you make things for me, HOWARD? "Oh, but your brother is so perfect" here, and "your brother did excellently" there. Everyone LOVES you, EVERYONE – mother, father, now even stupid LUXA, but why should we all even be surprised, for she is as PERFECT as you!" Throughout her monologue, Stellovet's voice grew louder until she nearly screamed. "So will YOU stop pretending to be on MY side when in truth, you think of me the same way they do?!"
Howard stood frozen solid as her final cry abated. Stellovet stared at him for a heartbeat then scoffed and turned, but he once again had her by the arm before she could disappear. "This is not true."
"Oh?" Seldom had Henry ever heard anyone sound so much like they wished to spit in their opponent's face.
Howard turned his gaze down, but he did not release her arm. "Father will not even speak to me anymore. Not after I –" He interrupted himself and abruptly released her.
But this time, Stellovet remained standing in place. "Not after... what?"
"Not after I have seized being so very perfect in his eyes", Howard scoffed, then raised a finger like York did when he was particularly eager to get a point across. "You are my oldest child, naturally, you will take over the administration of the Fount", he imitated his father's tone nearly perfectly. "I will thereby not even pretend I have listened to what you just disclosed about that flimsy passion you have developed for medicine." He dismissively waved his hand. "It will pass, certainly."
Stellovet's eyes were large and round, on her brother, but Howard was not done yet. "Oh? What do you say? It will NOT pass?" He slowly turned and even Henry winced at the look of utter disgust and shock in his eyes. "Passion for life? What you REALLY want to do?" He took a step forward and flung his hands in the air. "That is IT! I will NOT HEAR ANY MORE!" Stellovet stumbled back, "You are NO SON OF MINE! Not until you have THOUGHT OVER YOUR PRIORITIES and COME TO YOUR SENSES! OUT!"
The moment the last word had escaped his mouth Howard released a pained sigh and sank against the stone of the arch. Henry thought he had never seen the tall and sturdy Howard so defeated.
"He... really said that?" Stellovet still moved not an inch. "I... I mean you told us you wished to pursue medicine, but I never..."
"It is not something you should bother with", Howard dismissed. "I will handle this." The blatant doubt he could indeed handle this was written all over his face. "My point is, I am far from perfect. Our parents expect perfection, always, which is why I attempted to achieve it for myself. But as it appears", he shook his head, "I can no longer be perfect."
"I... I didn't mean to –" She agitatedly kneaded her hands but Howard once more cut her off. "And you know what I so learned? I learned that nobody is perfect." Her gaze darted up. "Not me, and not Luxa either. You persistently judge her despite barely having spent any time with her. When have the two of you even last spoken?"
Stellovet's mouth opened yet out came no sound.
"I will admit, I once preemptively judged her myself", Howard muttered, "but she is really not so bad. I have a strong suspicion it was Henry who had a bad influence on her, at the time."
Henry's teeth gritted and he clutched the rim of the pillar even harder. I was not a bad influence, he grimly thought, all I was, was a hundred times more fun than YOU.
"She is a good person, Stello, and maybe if you would try to get to know her as well, you would find that for yourself."
Stellovet crossed her arms. "Okay, then go and be super friendly with her, go on your stupid quests together, enjoy yourselves and become BEST FRIENDS, for all I care! Go chase your stupid dream and live your life as you want, for you apparently KNOW what you want! I, in the meantime, will remain here and fulfill our parent's expectations, for what else am I to do? If you can not be perfect it will have to be me – I must be a good girl, do what I am told, and go through with whatever marriage our parents will arrange for me as soon as possible so that you all will finally be RID of me!" Her voice audibly cracked and she angrily wiped her face on her long sleeve.
"Hey, HEY – who says we want to be rid of you?" Howard's eyes were round with disbelief and protest. "You are my sister, Stello, and yes, you are... difficult, sometimes, but I will still love you always!"
She tried hard to suppress the sobs. "Say that all you want, but you have no idea how it's like to be me! Even if father is angry with you now, he will certainly forgive you soon, for you are and will always be the perfect firstborn, the positive example for everything. The twins are twins – everyone loves twins, and Chim – Chim is just the little sweetheart we all adore. And me? What am I, even? The difficult, useless middle child nobody wanted anyway..."
"That is NOT TRUE!" He once more grabbed her trembling shoulders, this time she did not protest. "I... it saddens me you feel this way", he mumbled and she stared at the floor. "But I can assure you, nobody is trying to get rid of you. Mother and father have very specific expectations of us all, and when we do not meet them they become angry, I know that very well. But I also know they love us. You too – and not any less than us others."
She sniffed, and Howard finally locked her in a tight hug. "And Stellovet, it will always be your choice whether you fulfill their expectations, including accepting whoever they will arrange for you to marry. You are still young, perhaps someday, you will find your passion as I have."
It took a few silent heartbeats before she returned his hug. "And what if... not? Or what if I do, but I can not muster the strength to pursue it?"
Howard tightened his embrace. "I, for one, will always support you, no matter what. So I solemnly promise."
A still minute passed before Stellovet broke the hug and took a step back. "I don't believe a single word you say." She stared up at him with reddened eyes. "Was it not you who called me wretched to Luxa? She told it right to my face on her last visit. Or will you claim she was lying?"
Howard's face flushed purple and he twitched. "No... she wasn't lying. Look", he sighed, "I... I sincerely apologize for saying that, but... maybe do yourself a favor and think about how I came to say it in the first place. If you wish to be perceived as kind, you have to act kindly too. Luxa and Nerissa have done you no harm, and they are good people, both of them. If you give them a chance, maybe you will find you have more in common than you think – now that Henry is gone."
Stellovet hesitated and for a moment she looked like she meant to say something, but then her mouth adamantly shut and her eyes turned down. "I have to go", she finally pressed out and turned, then stormed through the arch towards her bedchamber. Howard remained alone to stare after her with a mix between confusion and disbelief.
After a seeming eternity, he turned and released a last sigh before disappearing into their shared quarters after his sister.
The following dinner went by without complications, only Stellovet was quieter than usual. Then again, considering what he had overheard earlier, Henry would have been surprised, had he found her as ever.
Some half an hour into the meal it was finally Thanatos who asked if anything was up, only then the exiled prince realized he himself hadn't spoken much either yet, which was quite unusual. During meals was when he normally stood and told grand tales or showed off anything exciting he had brought.
He suddenly sensed Hero's, Kent's, and Chim's gazes on him, the three whispered with each other. "Sorry, no tales today", he threw in their direction and sourly grinned. Chim giggled, Hero and Kent turned their gazes away and nodded. "Hey, I'll tell two next time, to make up for it." Their eyes instantly lit up again and their following whispers sounded excited.
Only then he felt Thanatos' stare in his back and shrugged. "I'll tell you later. Not here."
The flier nodded and Henry turned his eye back down at his plate. Yet with how noisy the room was, his echolocation painted every detail before his inner eye regardless. Of Stellovet's stiff posture, the untouched food on her plate. Of Howard throwing her concerned glances, now and then. Finally of her jabbing at Dalia to toss out the food for she was not hungry.
The young woman had been standing a little offside, in conversation with one of the scullery maids, and nearly dropped the stack of used dishes she had helped the maid carry, at Stellovet's cry.
Henry watched her rigidly clenched jaw as she took Stellovet's untouched plate back to the kitchen and suddenly wondered why Dalia did something such as carry dishes. For as far as he knew, her job was Stellovet's education and upbringing, not cleaning up after her. Then again, he shrugged and took a large bite, she was a servant. Who really knew what those did.
He tried hard to chase it, but the overheard conversation would not seize haunting him for a moment. He had always known the residents of the Fount lived by fairly old-fashioned customs, in comparison to Regalia, but never once had he been faced with just how strictly York's and Susannah's children were raised. And he had never questioned Stellovet's rude behavior towards others either, or whether she had any problems of her own.
He squinted as memories of the endless expectations everyone had had of him when he still had been the prince of Regalia, clogged his mind. And for as little as he wanted to sympathize with the girl who had mercilessly bullied his sister and his cousin – there was hardly anyone who knew better what it felt like to be overshadowed, to have what he had always called "empty expectations", weighing on you.
It is as though people expect everything yet nothing of you. To do their every bidding, to be like your perfect counterpart, to whom they never seize comparing you. Yet what exactly you should be – that, they can never tell you. Because in truth, there is nothing really they need you to be at all.
His gaze searched for York's and Susannah's children and suddenly he wanted to laugh at how taken up by fulfilling their parents' expectations they were. Could they not see? Was he the only one who could see it didn't matter, that life wasn't about making others happy?
Then again, it had taken for him to become an outcast to understand it for himself. Henry sighed, then suddenly froze with his fork in mid-air. Why did he even care about what they did with their lives? He shrugged and moved his fork to his mouth at last. It wasn't, and he wasn't about to make it his responsibility.
His gaze mindlessly wandered before it locked on Stellovet and his eye narrowed. Feeling caught in expectations was all fair, but, with something like genuine surprise, he found this time, he agreed with Howard. It did not give her the right to be nasty to others. But maybe, he mindlessly held his gaze on her stiffly locked hands and her clenched jaw, she was at least not as irredeemable as they all had thought.
As though Stellovet had sensed his gaze she looked up and flushed purple when she noticed he was indeed looking, before quickly averting her eyes. The sight at last made Henry grin.
As unfortunate as all this was, the fact that her parents thought she was being too friendly with the Death Rider amused him greatly. Of all the things they could criticize her for, he shook his head. They must all truly be centuries behind, in terms of what they deemed appropriate.
Maybe half an hour later he gathered his things and stacked the empty supply crates to leave. He and Thanatos had been officially seen off after dinner and it was about time to get back to the colony.
Henry yawned and set the last stack of crates down, then shouldered his backpack. "I really don't know what to think", he mumbled, and Thanatos, to whom he had just repeated the overheard conversation, tilted his head. "This is truly most unfortunate", he mumbled, and Henry shrugged.
"In any case", he straightened out his backpack and prepared to mount up, "it's... not like it's any of our business. Tomorrow's my free day and you bet I'll spend it on tweaking the saddle design. I promise I'm almost there, but for some reason, it is strangely difficult coming up with a system to keep the rider in place during rotation." He pressed his lips together, "I wish I could spend more time on this. It's been nearly two weeks since our first experiment and I've hardly made any progress."
"It's not like anyone is rushing you", Thanatos shook his head, "take all the time you need. Though if you'd like to –"
Before the flier could finish his sentence, they both twitched around towards the striking sound of two sets of footsteps, approaching from the residence. Moments later, two silhouettes dashed through the gate, a bigger and a smaller one. The guards were nowhere to be seen and so the two made their way towards them unhindered.
When Henry made out who it was, he grinned. "Escaped your parents to say goodbye?"
The larger shape of Stellovet, who nearly disappeared in a much too big, dull cape that covered her elegant dinner gown, flushed purple and shoved the smaller shape of Chim in his direction. "No, but she... she had a gift for you she did not want to give you in front of our parents. Perhaps then, they would lecture her for being "too friendly" with you as well." Stellovet mumbled the last part so quietly even Henry barely understood it.
"Oh, is that so?", he knelt in front of Chim. "Well, whatcha got there?"
The little girl grinned, revealing the large gap where a baby tooth must have fallen out, not long ago. Then she leaned in and whispered – "It was Stello who dragged me out here, it's her who wanted to say goodbye, not me." Henry's grin widened. "But pshh, don't tell her I told you, or she won't let me play with her dolls anymore!"
At that, Henry at last broke into laughter. His gaze darted up at Stellovet who nervously kneaded her hands. "You still play with dolls?"
Her blush intensified and she shot Chim a death glare. "NO, I do NOT!", she cried and dramatically straightened out her cape. "Whatever she told you, she lied. I am almost a grown woman!"
Henry forcibly suppressed laughter. "Whatever you say!" Then he turned back to Chim. "Though, didn't your sister say you had a gift for me?"
The little girl nodded and pulled out a rolled-up piece of paper. "I made it for you. So that, if mother and father ever forbid you to come back, you don't forget us, okay?"
Henry unrolled it and instantly broke into vigorous laughter again. Thanatos glanced over his shoulder and could not suppress a chuckle either. "My, how sweet. You will one day be a masterful artist, indeed."
"Thanks, Than!", she wrapped her arms around his neck. Only Chim was allowed to abbreviate the flier's name in this manner. "The paper wasn't big enough to draw you, I'm sorry, I'll draw another one with you soon, promise!" Moments later, Henry found himself caught in her hug as well. "With you and Than and your mega sword!"
"I'll hold you to that!", he laughed, then looked back at the nothing short of glorious picture she had drawn for him. "Death is not wrong, though", Henry nodded and cowered down beside her again. "This is a masterpiece."
Chim was six, and her drawing was not the best, skill-wise, but for what it was, it was certainly an accurate representation of her family.
Howard's legs alone were as long as Stellovet was tall. Her hair reached the floor and she wore a beautiful, flowing gown. Hero and Kent were almost identical, except for Hero's long hair and dress, as opposed to Kent's pants and vest. The widely grinning Chim stood next to Henry, who wore a mischievous smirk and, of course, the eyepatch and his fur coat. She had drawn him holding Charos, which was taller than the outcast himself. The other arm Henry had around Stellovet, and when he asked Chim about it she grinned and shrugged. "She would like that", was all she said, and Henry and Thanatos both broke into laughter again.
"I would like what?", Stellovet asked, from where she stood, somewhat offside, and Henry quickly rolled up the picture, then winked at Chim. For how he knew Stellovet she would most likely get angry at her sister for exposing her so, and out of all the Fount-siblings, Henry had found Chim was his favorite.
So, he slid the scroll with the picture into a side pocket of his backpack and stood up. "Thank you for the most beautiful gift", he tipped an imaginary hat at Chim and gave Stellovet a smile. "But I'm afraid we will have to get going now. It was our pleasure."
Stellovet eagerly returned his smile and gave something like a curtsy. "Any time! We hope you will grace our presence again, soon!"
"Oh, most certainly." Henry swiftly turned and mounted up. "Fly you high!", he called at the two as Thanatos lifted off and watched Chim excitedly jump where she stood, screaming her own "Fly you high!" until the sisters had disappeared out of sight.
"So, do you think this obvious crush she has developed on you would disintegrate instantly, should she ever find out you are Henry, and not some mysterious, alluring stranger?", Thanatos asked when they already soared over the dark city, most lights had been killed for nighttime.
Henry shrugged and grinned. "Probably. In fact, it would greatly surprise me if not, considering she always seemed to have hated my guts when we were children. Then again", he once more recalled hers and Howard's conversation, "who really knows."
For a while they flew in silence, and soon left the Fount behind altogether. Thanatos knew the way and Henry had just stretched out to sleep a little, as tired as he was, when the flier suddenly addressed him again – "You have been doing better, recently, have you not?"
Henry smiled and nodded, then closed his eye and curled up on his back. "I might have just missed being around humans. Like, a lot."
Thanatos let out an unbelieving snort. "Humans? Really? Being around humans for longer periods always drains me. Barely any other species is so prone to drama and petty conflicts. Nothing against your species", he laughed, "but you know I'm right."
"Well, yeah", Henry wrapped his arms around his neck. "That's my point!"
Thanatos opened his mouth and shut it again, unable to come up with a single, sensible answer.
"I don't think this made it any better, but if you insist... I told you I wouldn't argue because of this anymore." Thanatos rolled his eyes as they once more soared above the lake.
"Well, at least you're keeping to your word", Henry mumbled as he strapped on the belt that connected to the saddle. "Look, now I am as tied up as you, does that not make you feel better?"
"You know what, it kind of does."
They both laughed and Henry thought, for as much as Thanatos had always protested, he got his fair share of fun out of all of this as well. Yet when he tested the rotation device he quickly found the belt was not enough. The problem lied with his legs, they dangled all over the place and hindered both him and Thanatos.
"Dammit, it's been four weeks since we tested the first prototype and I can still not get this right!", he cursed and attempted to untie the mess his faulty planning of strings had gotten him into, as soon as the flier had touched down on the beach. "How do I fix this?!"
"You need to find a way to lock your legs in place. If these countless failed tests have proven anything then that neither of us will be able to work with a rotating saddle otherwise."
"Yes, yes, but how?" Henry had finally managed to get out of the mess of strings and plopped down, angrily tossing a handful of sand into the lake. "I really want this to work, you know?" Henry stared out onto the glistening water and shook his head. Not ever since the ignifer had an invention caused him and Teslas so much headache, yet he was firmly convinced it all would be worth it in the end – like with the ignifer.
He shot a glance at Thanatos. "You... don't mind staying here until we succeed at this stupid thing, right?" He flashed back to the vast blur of days and weeks they had spent here already and realized he had once more made a decision without asking Thanatos. "I mean if you want, we can –"
"No, I very much enjoy the peace of this place", his flier lied down beside him and closed his eyes. "Even with the occasional supply runs, it is quite serene."
Henry sighed and nodded. York had fulfilled his promise to Stellovet and announced they needed not to deliver supplies more than once every two weeks. Twice they had taken their wares to the Fount, ever since the day Henry had overheard Stellovet's and Howard's conversation, and if he was being honest, he missed the frequent visits a lot.
Then again, his gaze darted towards the vine curtain where Cevian had now appeared, that left more time for other things. Like improving the saddle design or sparring with Charos.
At the back of his skull, he sensed pecking the promise to hunt down and bring to justice Longclaw he had made to Thanatos but, in all honesty, perhaps it was better to take their time with that. Maybe, Henry gave Cevian a smile and a wave, maybe they could finish the saddle first, and then –
"Henry, you must take a look at this!" Cevian stepped at his side now and to his surprise, held out a leather case like the ones humans used to protect important pieces of mail. "This just arrived for the Death Rider, from the governor of the Fount."
Henry frowned and took the scroll, exchanging a glance with Thanatos. What reason could York, the same York who had limited his visits at his residence, have to send him a message?
The exiled prince quickly fingered the case open and unrolled the letter, holding it in a way so that Thanatos could read over his shoulder. The message was short and to the point, but Henry's face grew more dire the further he read.
When he had taken in the last line, he had long turned to unmoving stone. The scroll in his hand snapped shut.
"Oh no...", Thanatos behind him mumbled yet Henry's head spun with contradictions and questions, now more than ever. How could this be happening? How had he known... and most importantly, how could Henry have ever allowed this? His fists clenched and he let out a frustrated cry. Had he himself not promised he would –
"What is the matter?", Cevian asked and Thanatos in his back groaned. "It's Longclaw."