Xerxes finally reached Eileen's stall. It felt like hours to get there since he kept getting stopped by women of different ages and often cooing at the tiny kitten. He thought they wanted something else due to many blushing at the sight of him. Eileen blushed softly when he approached her stall. Pleasantries were exchanged between them.
It took Eileen to calm down a bit since her heart was racing. Xerxes is her best friend…well, her best male friend. Emma is her best friend ever. Thanks to Xerxes, Eileen helped Emma and her grandfather, Chief Igor, go to the Land of the Morning Light to open up trading between the two nations. Eileen and Emma enjoyed themselves, and Xerxes helped them go to different sights and pick out the food. To see Emma's face light up and free from worry and stress was the highlight of Eileen's trip. Chief Igor was pleased to see his granddaughter so relaxed and yet took charge of negotiating a better deal.
Eileen looked at Xerxes, who was trying to keep the kitten from attacking his hair. His silvery blue eyes were in sharp contrast with his tan olive skin. She pondered if it was just him or if all of his countrymen had the same look. Eileen wanted to ask, but the question kept getting stuck in her mouth, and she did not want to come out. Xerxes noticed this and gave her a quizzical look.
"So, father wants you to come over for dinner?" she cursed herself for asking the wrong question.
"It seemed odd for him to invite me," Xerxes told her. "I brought alchemy books from Valencia when I visited last month."
Eileen felt excited about the prospect of learning about Valencian alchemy. She wondered if it was any different than Calpheonian alchemy. Clorince would also want to look through the book. With that thought, her heart sank. Clorince would surpass her rather quickly. Eileen indeed made vast improvements; she was nowhere close to Clorince.
Xerxes knew that look. The "I can't compete with a sibling" look. He did learn how to compete with his older half-brothers, but none of those skills would be helpful to Eileen. Xerxes wished Saya was with him to help, but she was busy with her thing. A thought did drag itself out of the back of his head. He could help her. The late queen always told him to help others when they struggled. Thinking back, he was trained in alchemy when he got shipped to Qabal when he was young.
"If you want, I can help," he said. "Part of my training for the Qabal is to learn alchemy."
Her heart skipped several beats. Xerxes always helped her when he didn't have to. Like when he agreed to help Emma but later became known as the Breaker of Chains. Later, Xerxes gave her so much information about the Mangus Abyssal that she wrote a good handful treatise about it. The professor and her father were impressed with each one of them. They did verify the information so it could be published. Another was to open up trade to the Land of the Morning Light. She wondered why he never asked for anything in return. Eileen mentally shook her head; that's what friends are supposed to do. Help each other. But what could she do for him?
Eileen tried to still her heart a bit. "Thank you. You don't know much this means to me."
"You're very welcome," Xerxes said with a smile. "I must go; I think she's getting hungry and tired. And I know Lorenzo asked you and Clorince to come over to pick a kitten."
"I'm sure he mainly wants Clorince to visit him," she giggled. "The poor man's heart belonged to her, yet he's too scared to admit it."
" I would be, too, if Santo had tainted the well somehow."
"Which is a shame," Eileen said. "Lorenzo has always been kind to Clorince and never gave her a creepier feel."
"Clorince might see him as a friend," he pointed out.
"And he doesn't want to ruin it," Eileen mournfully looked toward her sister's stall. "My poor sister does not know she has a good man wrapped around her little finger."
Xerxes chuckle. We should play matchmaker then."
Eileen delightfully looked at Xerxes. She couldn't help but vomit on how that's a great idea and how they should do it. The young woman rattled off so many ideas on how to do it without a hitch—sometimes revising the same plan thrice. Once in a while, she would ask him about his thoughts on a plan. Xerxes gave a couple of ideas.
Xerxes felt his heart flutter a bit. He always enjoyed being with Eileen. He never told her he was a prince, albeit a bastard, fourth in line to inherit the throne. But Xerxes doesn't want to say this to her yet. Deep down, he felt that Eileen would treat him differently. He remembered the treatment he got back home when he was young. The common folk and nobles treated him differently. Xerxes hated it with a passion. Eileen and, by extension, Emma treated him as an equal. Clorince had a particularly cordial relationship with him but lacked warmth like with Eileen. Their father might have an idea of who he is. Yet the elderly alchemist didn't say or do anything to indicate he knew.
He felt a small bite on his hand. Xerxes looked surprised and realized the tiny furball might be hangry. He gave a slight chuckle and let Eileen know he had to go and feed the poor thing. The kitten mewed that he should have fed her. Eileen tried not to giggle but agreed the kitten must be hungry. Xerxes reminded her to get herself a kitten as he left. Eileen waved goodbye to him. Maybe she should pick a kitten for Emma as well.
The Hashashin walked home and picked up some fish and other meat. He finally reached his humble Velian home. Gently placing the kitten down, Xerxes walked to the stove to cook the food. The kitten walked to him, meowing in protest, letting him know she was hungry and demanding food. Xerxes ensured the meat was fully cooked before giving it to the kitten. The tiny kitten climbed up his leg again, meowing at him. Xerxes chuckled at the kitten's moxie spirit. He gently picked up the kitten and plate of food. The kitten tried to reach the food with her paws.
Gently placing the kitten and the food on the floor, it didn't take long before the little fluff ball started to eat. She mewed in approval while she ate. Xerxes had cut the meat close enough to be called minced. This way, the kitten wouldn't choke on anything. He decided to name the little thing.
"Aysu," he said to the kitten. She looked up, licking her lips before going back to the food. "I guess you're Aysu."
Xerxes looked through his books while Aysu ate. He had taken an alchemy book from the royal library when he last visited his siblings, but it took him a while to find it. He made a mental note to return it and not let Eileen keep it. Saya would chew him out if she learned he had let someone keep it.
Pulling the book from its spot, he walked over to sit on his couch to look through it. Some potions brought memories of learning them from the late queen. Only one brought a smile, remembering all the havoc he and Barhan did with it. Their father never forgave them, but the late queen loved telling the story. Of course, Queen Marumin often let them do it out of spite for what their father did.
He felt tiny little claws digging into his clothes. Aysu finally reached Xerxes's lap and walked over to sit in the middle of the book. She meowed at him. How dare he not give her attention?! And looking at this stupid thing to boot! His focus and love should be on her and her alone. Xerxes gave Aysu head starches that made her purr of approval.
After a few more moments, Aysu decided she wanted to be held. Before she took more than two steps, Xerxes scooped her up and held her close. She headbutted his face while meowing at him. Xerxes gave Aysu chin starches, which she purred. Aysu gave him another meow. She wanted more attention from him.
He cracked a smile. Xerxes gave her more head stretches. Aysu tucked her forepaws underneath and warped her tail around her. She slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep. The Hashashin sighed. As a follower of Aal, he couldn't stir the sleeping kitten no matter what. It wasn't much of a law, but moving a sleeping cat is heavily frowned upon.
A foggy memory of a large black cat sleeping beside him as a child. What was the cat's name? Shadow, was it? It must have been an early memory when life was easier and simpler. He pondered on why Shadow became his sleeping partner. He could recall from his early memories that Shadow was a mouser. The kitchen and granary staff loved the cat. Was the head chef who told him Shadow had the highest kill count, or was it someone from the granary?
Giving a soft sigh, he decided it wasn't worth fretting over. He might ask his older half-brothers if they remember anything of the sort. When the time came, he needed to figure out how to get a sleeping kitten off him.
Xerxes had the feeling that Emma wasn't making the meal. He did recall that Eileen told him they had a maid of all works living with them. He knew how to deal with servants back home but did not know how to deal with a singular servant. Treating this servant with respect and decency would be the best policy to work with. It did work with the servants back home. They treated him well, but some looked at him with pity, mostly with his mother's servants. The subject of how he was conceived or born was off-limits. Any fool who brought it up would be escorted out rather quickly. Watching his mother quietly cry about the subject just broke him.
A knock at the door disturbed his thoughts. He called to let them know they could enter. Edan walked in and tried his best to cover his laughter when he saw Xerxes being held down by a kitten. The mighty adventurer who defeated his own Black Spirit is being used as a personal bed.
"I'm sure you want Orwen to do this to you," Xerxes teased his friend.
Edan coughed for a bit. His love for Orwen wasn't much of a secret to anyone. While Edan did wish they were more than friends and colleagues, he held too much respect for Orwen. Besides, he didn't know how a romantic relationship would work. Orwen is of mixed race, and her father is the famed alchemist Caphras. It didn't help that Orwen treated Edan as a close friend, not showing romantic feelings towards him.
"At least you got someone," Edan shot back. "I wanted to tell you I'm going to Valencia with Alustin and one of his daughters after you get permission from the royal family, of course."
Edan knew they got in occasionally, but the process was slow and tended to drag on. The few times they got were thanks to them being part of the Secret Guard or the Society of Equilibrium members. But their access was restricted. Strangely, when Xerxes helped them once, they had full access to the library.
It made Alustin pause and wonder if Xerxes had a relationship with the royal family. It made no sense that their restricted access would be lifted by assorting with a nobody. Sure, Xerxes was part of Qabil, but the restriction wouldn't be lifted unless he was high on the pecking order. In private, with only walls to listen to, Alustin told Edan and Orwen his belief that Xerxes must have ties with the royal family. The thought of Xerxes being Kayal gnawed at Alustin. What information he held made sense, but he told the two to keep their mouths shut since the elderly alchemist might be wrong and could cause problems for all. They knew if Alustin were right, Calpheon would do anything to kidnap Xerxes and hold him as a political prisoner.
"I'm guessing you and Orwen would be joining us for dinner at Alustin's place," Xerxes broke Edan's train of thought.
"Of course, my friend," Edan smiled at his living "relic." "I'm guessing Alustin wants to give us more information on what needs to be done."
Xerxes smiled, "and here I thought he wanted to adopt us as his sons."
Edan softly laughed. The young man always felt his relationship with Alustin was like that of a father-son. Sure, Alustin is his mentor, but Edan didn't have a father figure during his childhood. He clung to the idea that Alustin becoming one wouldn't leave. Edan wasn't sure about the type of relationship Xerxes had with his father but was pleased that he saw Alustin as a father figure.
"Oh please," Edan smirked. "Alustin would rather have you as a son-in-law."
Xerxes chuckled, "and listening to my mother giving me baby names before my wedding day to his daughter."
"I'm sure Alustin would be there helping out with the baby names."
Xerxes slowly got up without disturbing Aysu and held a book in one hand and another, Aysu. He guessed it was a good time to go to Alustin's home. Edan agreed, and both young men walked together. They chatted in low, hushed tones about what Alustin might be looking for. They knew the information wasn't for other people's ears. At one point, Edan asked about the book that Xerxes held. He told Edan it's an alchemy book from Valencia.
Reaching Alustin's home didn't take long, or at least it didn't feel long for them. Edan was the one who gave a soft knock, letting people inside know who it was before opening up the door. Eileen greeted them with a smile. Alustin greeted them when he came out of his workroom. Orwen wasn't there, which saddened Edan a great deal. Xerxes gave an empathic smile.
Xerxes handed Eileen the alchemy book he had brought. She gave him a warm hug and thanked him. Eileen flipped through some of the pages. There were recipes she didn't know, and she did some of them. Part of her wanted to try some of the recipes. Some of them looked simple enough. The instructions were clear and straightforward, with no flowery language that bogged them down. Her father brought Eileen back to the real world, letting her know dinner was ready.
Eileen realized that Orwen came in not long after Xerxes and Edan. It wasn't hard to miss how Edan looked at the half-elf. She felt it would be cute if they got together like Clorince and Lorenzo. Now, she wanted to talk to Xerxes about how they should play matchmaker for Edan and Orwen. A small thought came: what did Alustin think about this? Did he approve of Edan courting Orwen? So many thoughts and questions pop into her head. Eileen would ask Alustin about it after dinner.
Speaking about dinner, their maid-of-all-work, Eva, made a simple yet elegant meal. Xerxes gave a warm smile and thanked Eva. A soft, rosy blush and a bashful smile appeared on Eva's face. Eva has been thanked and is treated well by the family. Sometimes, it felt like they treated her as family, often helping her with her work or getting a lot of free time. Eva knew other maid-of-all-works didn't get this kind of treatment. Her blushing and bashful smile was the thank you from the young, handsome man at the table. She knew Alustin wouldn't allow this guest to treat her ill or try something. The horror stories Eva heard made her skin crawl.
Dinner went well, with lighthearted conversations. Some of it was the adventures of Xerxes, Edan, and Owren. A few were misadventures that provided laughs to the audience. Like the time Xerxes and Edan gave Lady Jarette the wrong wine vintage. Quickly thinking on his feet, Xerxes dared Jarette into a drinking game where he drinks her under the table. At that time, Xerxes broke Princess Saya's unwanted suitor's nose "by accident." The man wasn't seen again when Prince Barhan "politely" asked the man to get forgiveness from Xerxes for breaking his nose or if it was a thank you. Xerxes wasn't sure, but Barhan's tone was sickly sweet towards the unwanted suitor.
"Seriously," Clorince looked at him. "Why would Prince Barhan do that?"
Xerxes shrugged. He didn't ask Barhan, nor did he want to know. Both didn't want that man to marry Saya for any reason. Besides, the man wasn't worthy to marry into the royal family. He was less than nothing in the eyes of Barhan, and he wouldn't let that man marry his baby sister. Eileen thought that was extremely sweet.
"What about Princess Saya?" Clorince asked. "Does she have a say in the matter?"
Eileen realized that Clorince had a point and looked at Xerxes for the answers. He only gave a thousand-yard-stare that confirmed something. Did Princess Saya have a secret weapon to get her way, or what? When Eileen was in Valencia, she didn't meet any of the royal family. She only saw a couple of members, but none of them said anything to her.
"Believe me," Xerxes said. "Saya has her ways against her brothers and uses them extremely well."
"I know from working with her," Orwen finally spoke up. "She's very intelligent and level-headed. Princess Saya is quite practical when it comes to statecraft. Seeing how she got King Sahazad to rethink some of his policies without raising her voice or overstepping is quite a sight."
"Yeah, Saya tends to do that. She's different from her mother's daughter."
Alustin knew about the late queen. Long ago, the late queen asked him to live in Valencia City to be the royal alchemist and teach the royal children. When he met up with the late queen, she was very poised, level-headed, and well-versed in statecraft. Alustin had to reject the offer for personal reasons. The late queen accepted without much fuss, but she did tell him he was always welcome and could use the library when he came to visit.
What struck Alustin as strange was when the late queen asked about restoring a woman's ability to have children. After a few probing questions, while respecting the woman's privacy, Alustin informed the queen there wasn't a way to restore such function. The late queen looked saddened, as if he had personally ripped and destroyed any hope she held.
Of course, this was when Princess Saya was a mere baby. Rumors held that a bastard prince was born around the same time as the princess. Alustin felt the late queen had an ulterior motive toward Kayal's birth mother, Though he couldn't say for sure without solid proof. He wondered if Xerxes knew something about it.
"After dinner," Eileen said, making Alustin return to the present. "Could you go through the book you brought tonight with me?"
"Sure," Xerxes smiled.
A/N: Please, R . I would like to hear some feedback.