His Majesty was sitting on his throne when Addam entered the room. It wasn't surprising, but it put a lot of distance between both of them. It made it hard to gauge what he did and didn't like hearing so it was yet another added difficulty. Addam wouldn't be able to talk personally with him like this, which wasn't going to be helping anything.
Addam bowed deeply. "Thank you for seeing us, Your Majesty," he said.
Malos made no such move to do anything. He didn't even say anything and it made Addam want to panic. Would he be angry at Addam since he was the Driver? Or just Malos since he was a special case and Aegises did not follow the rules that were typically applied to Blades?
"Prince Addam, I thank you for being so cooperative," the Urayan king rumbled. By the Architect's blessing, Malos' faux paus went ignored. His voice was deep and Addam thought that he could feel it in his own chest. The high, stone ceilings made it so his voice traveled even more than it already did so it reverberated throughout the room. It had to have been deliberate—to make whoever on the throne seem inhumanly large and anyone else feel like a bunnit running from a hungry feris. It also probably made it easier for a crowd of people in the room to hear him, but intimidation was no doubt a factor as well.
"And I thank you, Aegis, for appearing before us like this. Thank you for saving Fonsa Myma in our time of need," His Majesty continued. Addam still kept his head low in his deep bow but he heard Malos shift his weight next to him.
"My Driver wanted me to stop the attack and that's what I did," he said. There was no such formal reverence in his tone that speaking to the king would typically require. Addam grimaced. "I don't care about your cities or politics."
"You still saved us, Aegis. No matter your intentions, I owe you thanks. Your motivations may be important later but that time is not now. You're a direct creation of the divine so I can understand why you would not care for our politics. But who I was asked first to address is Addam."
…Oh no.
"I have a message for you from Indol. They have taken full responsibility for the actions of the Aegis. We have received a message that they confirm one of their quaestors trusted you to its Core Crystal and you did not have any remaining options given the circumstances, which my wife the queen has confirmed. Your unsanctioned awakening of the Aegis has been completely forgiven by the Praetorium. They have promised to forget any wrongdoing that you may have done."
Addam couldn't stop himself from looking up and almost gaping at the king. "I… Thank you, Your Majesty. I—"
"Do not thank me yet, Prince Addam," he interrupted, holding a single finger up. It had to have been the first movement he had made since they entered the room. The heavy sound of his robes echoed in the room nearly as much as his voice did.
"Indol has requested you meet with Quaestor Amalthus, with the Aegis. He wishes to meet him and ascertain if we will have better luck with this one than we did the last. They have sent a ship to collect you and will arrive tomorrow morning. You will return to Uraya afterwards and plead your case to me then. In the meantime, Queen Eris will be allowed to return home from Torna. She is a friend of the queen and I have ruled that she had nothing to do with your actions, nor the ones of the Praetorium. She will be leaving tonight at a neighboring harbor since Fonsa Myma's is currently… Under maintenance."
Addam grit his teeth, bowing his head more. "Of course, Your Majesty. I appreciate your graciousness—I don't know what I would say to the Tornan King should Queen Eris not be permitted to return home because of my actions."
"She is lucky that she is friends with my wife. Otherwise I would not be so charitable. Do not mistake me for being merciful to you, Prince Addam."
Addam couldn't decide whether or not the king's tone was more warning or more akin to his own father scolding him for being too careless with whatever he was doing; reminding him that he was a prince now and he needed to act in public as such lest it reflect poorly on the royal family.
He supposed there wasn't that much of a difference really. His Majesty had always scolded him as a princeling he had taken in than his father. It sounded as if they were simply semantics but there was a difference. There was a difference and the Urayan king was speaking to him in the same way that the Tornan did when he messed up after first coming to the Tornan royal court.
Addam clenched his jaw. "Of course, Your Majesty," he said, holding his fist even tighter to his chest as he bowed. "I am nevertheless appreciative of your favor, even if it is not for my sake."
The Urayan king was silent for a second. It was a heavy second and one that lasted far too long. "You are welcome, Your Highness. I accept your gratitude on behalf of Queen Eris since she did not thank me herself." It sounded like he wet his lips before continuing. "I may see now why some in Torna revere you so. I look forward to seeing you again once you return to the Praetorium."
Addam let out a shaky sigh, hoping that it didn't carry throughout the room like the king's voice did. "I look forward to it as well, Majesty. I hope that I will not disappoint."
He chuckled, somewhere deep within his chest. "You are dismissed, Prince Addam of Torna. I wish to speak with the Aegis now."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Addam raised from his bow slowly and left the chamber.
What could the Urayan king possibly want from the Aegis? Uraya did not particularly treat its Blades very well—especially apart from their Drivers—but it stood to reason that the Aegis would be different. He doubted that Malos would exactly react well to any slights, the king may not be above giving them, and then Addam didn't know anything about how Malos would react to that. He barely knew him and it was impossible to predict what he would do. He hated that—he needed to get to know him, sooner rather than later.
"What did the king have to say to you?" Was the first thing that Addam said to Malos when he returned to his room.
"Were you waiting for me?" Malos grumbled in response. He glanced at the candle that Addam had lit on a desk. "It's late. Don't you humans need to sleep?"
"I had to stay up late anyways to help Queen Eris pack her things. And I just—"
"The Urayan king told me that I wasn't supposed to tell you anything," Malos said.
Addam pursed his lips, frowning deeply at the floor. What could the king have possibly told his own Blade that he wasn't allowed to know?
"But I don't care about what he had to say," Malos continued, sighing and crossing his arms. "Ask whatever you want but I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of all we talked about."
Addam sighed tiredly. He couldn't afford to go into the king's bad graces before he was in the clear and he didn't think it would be a good look if the Urayan King decided that the Aegis wasn't trustworthy.
"Never mind," he said, sighing again. "Let's just go to sleep. It's been a long day."
"Blades don't sleep."
He looked up at the Aegis, a small smile pulling at his lips. It was the first smile that felt genuine all day—the interaction reminded him of something from years ago. "I know that they can. You should try it. A Blade I know really likes it now. You don't have anything better to do, do you?"
Malos huffed. "Fine. You're the boss, Driver."
"Addam."
"Prince."
Addam must have blanched at the address without realizing it because Malos chortled. It was the first sign that the Aegis showed any feeling aside from apathy. Even if it still held that sharp, condescending tone. "Go to sleep, Addam."
When Addam bid Malos good night, his spirit felt lighter. Malos was not just a tool made by the Architect; he was a person too. He could work with that.
