Working Together
exhausted from the long day of meetings and tours. All day, he’d played host to leaders from Calrok and Loralith. Edford had prepared a full day of events for them, and Pernden upheld his obligatory duty to attend most of them. His kingly responsibilities included being present and strengthening both parties’ confidence in the fact that Whitestone as a whole stood behind the endeavor to establish a joint city on the Gant Sea.
Much of the prior communication between the parties had been through Edford, so the first interactions between the engineering elves of Loralith and the fisher-orcs of Calrok were thick with tension. Throughout the day, however, Jalko, the Master Fisher-orc, had displayed a great deal of amicability, and the pair of orcs who accompanied him followed his lead well.
The elves were more troublesome. Zilon, a brilliant elf who’d helped build much of Loralith’s city over the last few hundred years, had a harder time hiding his emotions. He seemed to view everyone else as less intelligent than him. Occasionally, he sniffed disdainfully at some flaw in the architectural craftsmanship of the men who’d built various buildings around Whitestone. His elven companions often whispered at him to correct his arrogance. Pernden assumed that King Solorin had sent Zilon because of his brilliant work, wanting to show Loralith’s support with their best architect, and had chosen the companions specifically to help Zilon play nice with others.
Though most of the day had been tough, Pernden had enjoyed one beam of light. High Commander Mattness had excused herself from the events and sent Nera in her stead. Pernden had to spend the majority of his time with the representatives from Loralith and Calrok, but throughout the day, Nera had been good enough to sneak short moments with him. Short conversations. Quick looks. A comforting grip of his hand.
At the end of the evening, Edford showed the Loralith elves to their rooms, and the king’s dining hall fell quiet.
“How are you holding up?” Nera asked.
Pernden was thankful that she’d stayed through dinner and remained after the last few people left. He knew she had to be up early for training the next morning and understood the sacrifice. He sat back in his chair, exhausted, and exhaled a deep sigh. His eyes wandered over the ornate tapestries that clung to the stone walls.
“That was a big sigh.” She chuckled, moving to a chair closer to him.
“Was that as awful for you as it was for me?” he asked, his face showing the ache of the long day.
“I thought you did very well,” she said. “I was afraid you were going to punch Zilon in the nose, though, when he snorted at Edford’s enthusiasm about the intricacies of the Grand Corral.”
“Right?” Pernden agreed, still disbelieving the nerve of the stuck-up elf. “When Jalko introduced himself and the other orcs and Zilon could hardly be bothered to look at him, I thought the whole thing was about to come crumbling down.”
“Thankfully, Edford has been talking with both parties. He knew what to say to keep things together.”
“Yes,” Pernden agreed reluctantly. Edford had performed admirably. Though it pained Pernden to admit it, he didn’t think he would have been able to hold everything together like the elder man had. “He’s put more work into this than most.”
“I think it will be a beautiful thing once it’s established.” Nera nodded thoughtfully, as though she could see the future bustling city by the sea. “Might be a pretty place to live, out there by the sea. High Commander Mattness and I have been discussing the Guard contingent that we’ll need to post there.”
“Not you,” the king blurted. He shifted as the words came out faster than he’d meant them to.
Nera stared at him with a surprised smile. Then she said, “No, not me. It wouldn’t make sense to post the Talon Squadron there.”
“No. You’re right.” Though he agreed quickly, his original statement revealed he had more personal stakes in mind.
A blushing smile spread across her face, and her eyes fell to the table.
Pernden slowly stood from his seat. Nera followed his lead and stood. He gazed into her brown eyes. “I—”
“Well done, my King!” Edford entered with a triumphant laugh. “We’ve made great progress today.” The elder man paused, noting the guardian’s presence. “Captain Nera, I was about to suggest we go down to the kitchen and have a celebratory cake. I saw them making a cinnamon one earlier. I think it is supposed to be for tomorrow, but today went so well, I thought we might indulge a little early. Why waste a cake on tomorrow when you can enjoy it today?” He shot her a mischievous wink.
Nera turned toward Pernden, disappointment in her eyes, and quickly responded to the elder man. “Unfortunately, Master Edford, I must be up early tomorrow for training.”
Pernden touched her elbow, a plea for her to not go.
That smile of hers made him melt. “Another time,” she promised.
“Of course,” Edford said, straightening. “You won’t tell on us if we do, though?”
“No,” she laughed. “You two enjoy it. You’ve earned it today. Good evening.”
She turned and walked out of the king’s private dining hall. Pernden watched her go, his heart aching.
Edford strode toward Pernden, the look of a giddy boy betraying his grey features. Pernden grinned and shook his head. The man had done great work, and whatever tensions he and the elder man had faced in the past, Pernden agreed that he deserved a little reward. When they arrived in the kitchen, they discovered the little reward was a much larger cake than either of them had anticipated.
Garron grinned as his cousin came around the corner. Dona had just helped him light some candles and collect the wax from long-burned ones. Outside of his cell, she was organizing the mess of books and parchments.
“My triumphant cousin returns?” Garron asked with a smirk.
“Triumphant enough for cinnamon cake.” Pernden revealed the small plate from around his back.
“Cinnamon cake?” Dona started. “Enly was saving that for tomorrow!”
Pernden gave her a sheepish look and passed the plate to Garron as though handing it to his cousin quickly would turn her scolding onto him. Garron shook his head and raised a hand innocently.
“I had nothing to do with this,” he said as he slowly brought a bite to his mouth. “But it is delicious.” His words were muffled by the delicious cake.
Dona put her hands on her hips and glared disapprovingly at Pernden.
“It was Edford’s idea.” Pernden threw the man into the fire. “Though I probably ate more than he did.”
“Well, I’ll have to have a conversation with Master Edford tomorrow then,” Dona replied. She clicked her tongue and went back to work on the scattered articles. “You boys are always causing trouble.”
Pernden shot Garron a glance, and they both felt bad for the scolding Edford was going to receive—but not too bad. He was saving their hides.
“So, did you kiss her?” Garron asked as he took another bite.
“Straight to it with this?” Pernden shook his head. “No, ‘How did it go with the representatives from Loralith and Calrok?’ Just straight to my love life.”
“I told you.” Garron gulped the bite down. “It’s the highlight of my days.” He paused and turned toward Dona. “Aside from seeing Dona, of course.”
She gave him a disbelieving side-eye, and he smiled as she turned back toward her organizing.
“Well, the representatives were fine. Thanks for asking,” Pernden pressed on. “The elf that King Solorin sent is a bit …”
“A bit what?”
“High on himself?” Pernden finished the thought, not sure if that was the exact wording he was looking for.
Garron chuckled. “Is that unusual for an elf?”
“Come on, now,” Pernden pleaded. “We’re supposed to be leaving hardened notions behind us to start something new with this settlement.”
“You’re right.” Garron raised his fork apologetically. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. Anyway, Jalko and his orcs did surprisingly well, holding it together. I wasn’t sure how they’d respond to the elves. This is the first time we’ve had them all together. They seemed almost solemn.”
“Well,” Garron started, placing his fork on the clean-scraped plate. “This is a big deal for everyone. No one’s been able to establish a city there because of the differences we’ve had for centuries. They’re probably under strict orders to be kind and play nice so everything goes smoothly.”
“Yes,” Pernden nodded. “It also seems Merrick and Ralowyn have done a good job endearing us to the orcs.”
“A huntsman from Tamaria and an elf of Elderwood Forest.” Garron shook his head. “Who would have guessed?”
“Ellaria has been proving herself quite the guardian as well.”
“She’s been telling me of her training. Sounds like Nera is working her hard. Makes me miss the Corral …” Garron trailed off.
“Cousin,” Pernden said softly.
“No, no. It’s alright. It sounds like everything is going well and accordingly,” Garron said. His innocence faded, and a wry grin crept across his face. “So, did you finally kiss Nera?”
Pernden sighed. “No.”
“Foolish boy.”
The cousins turned toward the table where Dona had stopped organizing. She looked side to side and straightened her dress.
“That’s what I’ve been telling him,” Garron said.
“It’s not so easy,” Pernden complained. “There are people around me all the time now. Every time we get even a small moment together, something interrupts us. It pains me. Have you ever been in love?”
Garron smirked. “I’m pretty sure Dona and I have a little spark going.”
“Well, I never …” she exclaimed, flustered. “I’m married.”
The cousins looked surprised.
“I am,” she insisted.
“It’s just …” Pernden chose his words carefully. “You always seem to be here with us.”
“Yeah,” Garron agreed. “You must spend more time with us than your husband.”
“He requires far less babysitting.” Dona huffed and gathered some of the tomes and parchments.
Garron shrugged at his cousin. “That’s probably fair.”
As Dona waddled away with her arms full, she turned and looked over the men. “And that girl has loved you for years. I can’t believe it’s been this long. How long do you plan to dance around her?”
“Well …” Pernden seemed to shrink at the scolding. “I—”
“Yes.” She didn’t let him answer. “You always have people around you, and you hardly get any moments alone with her.”
“Right. And—”
Again, Dona didn’t let him finish. She clicked her tongue and shook her head sadly. “If you don’t do something, you’ll watch the world go by you. Nera’s a beautiful woman and will make a beautiful wife. And she’s probably the only woman I know who can straighten you out.”
Garron gave Pernden a goofy grin. Except maybe Dona, he thought.
“Don’t let time pass you by. Make a moment with her. And then make another. And then make another. Don’t let stupid things like representatives stand in your way. The only heart you have is yours, until someone you love shares theirs with you.”
Pernden didn’t dare speak, figuring if he tried, she would cut him off again.
Garron’s hands climbed high on the bars as he leaned toward them.
“Dona,” he said with a goofy grin. “You’re a romantic!”
The little woman stood straighter, cocked her eyebrow as if it were about time the two men recognized her greatness, spun on her feet, and waddled around the corner.
Pernden turned to see Garron leaning on the bars, grinning widely. “You better kiss her before Dona pummels you. You won’t be so pretty with two black eyes and a broken nose. Nera will probably have to find someone else.”
The king punched his cousin’s arm through the bars.