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The poise and intensity Lady d'Ronja had displayed melted away in a flash as her eyes came to rest on Lex.
“Alexander...” she cried softly. “Is it really you?”
“Yeah...” he muttered, taking another forward.
She made a movement towards him, but stopped, her eyes locked on Lord d'Ronja as if looking for his reaction. There was a malice in her eyes that made Dusk shiver internally.
“He’s back too,” Lex said, grabbing his father’s shoulder. “The real him.”
Unable to contain it any longer, she let out a stifled sob as if she’d been holding it in for years. Hiking up her dress she ran down the stairs and threw her arms around them both, pulling them in tight. She kissed Lex on the cheek, looking him over.
“You look so dirty,” she said, tears in her eyes.
Then she turned to her husband. Gently she grabbed both sides of his face in her hands and pulled him close.
“Is it really you, Xander?” she asked timidly, her eyes welling up.
“It’s me Lucia,” he replied, hugging her around the waist.
They stayed locked in an embrace for more than a minute. Lex eventually sidled his way over to Dusk and took his hand once more. There was a smile on his face that could only be described as relief. Even a few of the servants had stopped to stare at their exchange, their mouths open in surprise. It was obvious that the Ronja chateau hadn’t seen any sort of familial love in a long time by their expressions. Tara stood to the back of the group, her eyes now turned away from Lady d'Ronja and towards the floor.
“I can’t believe you’ve come back to me,” Lucia said, finally pulling away from her husband. “It’s been ten years since you left to take Lex to Eblesal. When you came back, you weren’t the man I married. I never knew what happened but I always hoped someday you’d find your way back to me. What... what became of you?”
“I don’t remember any of it,” he replied, tears coming to his eyes. “It’s all gone, all ten years of it. What terrible things did I do to you? To everyone?”
“He was under an enchantment,” Lex cut in before his mother could find a reply. “It’s a lot to explain and we will eventually, but we just rode a dragon across the entire continent and we’re exhausted. I’m so happy to see you mother, but all I want right now is a hot bath and a soft bed.”
“A dragon?” Her eyes grew big, but then she shook it away, regaining her posie. “I understand and we’ll talk tomorrow. I’m still quite angry with you for running off like that, but I know why you did it and because of that... I can’t blame you.” She glanced down at Dusk’s hand held by Lex, then back to her son. “Your room is just the way you left it.” She turned over her shoulder and called to one of the servants, “Please prepare baths, meals, and beds for my son and his guests.”
“As you wish milady,” the servant replied with a bow.
He and several others scattered, heading in multiple directions to dole out orders to the rest of the staff Dusk assumed. They were all dressed in clean servant uniforms and he couldn’t tell which of them might be slaves and which were hired due to their long sleeves. He wanted to shake Lord d’Ronja and scream at him to set them all free, but he also knew that there had been enough disturbance for one night. A part of him also realized that Lord d’Ronja didn’t have to listen to him at all if he didn’t want to. He was the master of his own house and the maker of laws in his own city. If he didn’t want to set his slaves free or pay them for their services, the only thing Dusk could do was either kill him and wait for Lex to take his place. Neither of which seemed like the ideal plan. But as he looked up and locked eyes with Lady d’Ronja she gave him a slight nod, glancing down at his and Lex’s hand once more. The corner of her mouth curled slightly upward, a warm accepting expression on her visage. Somehow, even though they hadn’t even been introduced yet, he knew he had an ally that would listen to him when the time came.
“Please,” Lady d’Ronja began, “ask for anything you need from the staff, they will be more than happy to assist. There is nothing too big or too small that we cannot accommodate.” She looked at the three of them, smiling at each in turn. “Take a night of rest and we’ll speak in the morning properly. But for now, I wish you a goodnight.” She looked back at her husband. “We, however, have some things to talk about now.”
Lord d’Ronja visibly gulped, his brows knitting together in worry. His wife took him by the hand, hiked up her dress on the opposite side, and led him up the stairs. They passed through the double doors that swung shut behind them leaving the three standing in the middle of the foyer. Both Dusk and Tara looked to Lex for instructions, having no idea where they were in the house or what to do next.
“My room is over in the west wing. There are a few guest rooms as well,” he said motioning for them to follow. “The bathhouse is nearer to the central portion. It’s gonna take them a bit to get it going. We haven’t had guests here in years.”
“This place has its own bathhouse?” Dusk whispered, leaning in towards Lex.
“There’s a lot of things here.”
“I’ve visited Ronja, but never been to the chateau before,” Tara said, following a few steps behind them. “The city itself isn’t bad. The food here is fucking great.”
Dusk was feeling a little overwhelmed as they passed through door after door, turning through a maze of corridors that made him feel more lost than he’d ever been. They passed rooms that looked like they’d been sealed off for quite a while, cobwebs gathering in the high corners of the door frames.
“Maybe we can go into the city tomorrow for a couple hours,” Dusk suggested, training his eyes back towards the floor. “We deserve to rest a bit and I want to see it... At least once.”
Tara grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him around. “Will you stop fucking talking like we’re all going to die in a couple days?” Tara snapped. “You’re giving me the creeps. I don’t know about you all, but I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.”
“I don’t either, I just...”
“Then stop,” she said sternly, poking him in the forehead. “Half the battle is in your head. If you draw your sword thinking you’ve already lost, you might as well lay down and die right there.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Just try to be better.” She sighed, patting Dusk on the shoulder, pushing him to continue walking. “I don’t know what we’re going to do yet, but if there's a fight, you need to be ready. Instead of trying to see everything just in case we don’t survive, leave yourself things to look forward to. A soldier with something to lose will fight a hundred times harder than the others. And it’s those like him that change the tide of battle.”
“Well, here’s my room,” Lex said, disrupting the air of unease that had swirled up around them. “One of the servants is prepping a room for you over there, Tara.” Lex pointed her towards an open door where there was a steady flow of people rushing in and out. “Just let them know what you need and they’ll take care of it.”
Tara nodded and took a few steps before looking back at them both. “I want to come with you tomorrow into the city. Don’t leave without me.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t get separated again,” Lex replied, giving her a nod back.
She continued walking and slipped through the open door. Lex reached out and pushed open his own, pulling Dusk inside. There were already a couple of people inside the room dusting, fluffing pillows, and replacing sheets on the bed. Dusk was surprised to see a large four poster bed, the largest he’d ever seen, with a mattress that could easily accommodate three people, and thin muslin curtains hanging all around it. Next to it stood a massive dark wood wardrobe, its face decorated with a large dragon that had its wings spread. There was an ornately carved fireplace in one wall where a fire was currently being stoked into life. The floor itself was made of stone tiles, but most of it was covered by a series of large rugs decorated with swirling geometric patterns in a vast array of colors. There was a glossy wooden desk near the fireplace, a handful of armchairs, and a couple of small tables with lanterns on them. The walls were decorated with tapestries, shelves full of knick-knacks and books, swirling metal sconces, paintings, and many other things Dusk had never seen before. The room itself was bigger than most of the taverns they’d visited. It seemed almost obscene that one person should take up so much space.
“Well,” Lex muttered, seemingly ashamed. “Here it is. Make yourself comfortable.”
Dusk stood still, staring down at himself covered in dirt, dried blood, and soot from their travels.
“I... I feel too dirty to move.”
“We are kinda filthy.” Lex turned to one of the maids. “Excuse me, miss?”
“Miss DeVillier,” she replied with a small curtsy, turning away from the table she was dusting.
“Miss DeVillier, my companion and I are going to need fresh clothing and a bath. Is that something you can do?”
“Of course my lord. We can accommodate any request you may have.”
“I don’t want to make it difficult on you. Even cold water and a wash basin is fine.”
She looked shocked that Lex would even suggest such a thing and confused as to why he was asking instead of giving orders. “I... I will make sure a hot bath is prepared for you both. Your wardrobe is still here and I can find clothing for your companion as well.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, can you find us both something... less auspicious? We’re going to travel into the city tomorrow and we just want to blend in.”
Her eyebrows knitted together even harder in confusion. “As... you wish, my lord.”
“Thank you Miss DeVillier.”
She curtsied again and rushed out the door and down the hallway.
“Drop your bag here,” Lex instructed, tossing his own to the side. “Let’s go take a walk while they heat up the water.”
Dusk also threw his bag next to Lex’s and together they headed out into the corridor. Lex led him by the hand around a few more bends until they came to another set of double doors. Pushing his way through Lex pulled him across a tall room with a mosaic floor. Above them a glass ceiling spiderwebbed with metal that held the individual panes, each bending the moonlight in a different direction. On the other side of another set of doors they found themselves standing on a large stone porch that overlooked a sprawling garden full of flowering hedges and plants, all in full bloom. The smell that washed over Dusk was intoxicating and not unlike the one that usually announced Fayard’s presence.
“Is there a unicorn out here you’re not telling me about?” Dusk asked, leaning against the stone railing and taking a deep breath.
“No,” Lex smiled briefly before it faded away. “Sorry to rush you away from all that. I... I don’t know how to... act around them anymore.” He looked up at Dusk. “I know some of the servants are slaves and after everything I’ve been through, I don’t know what to say to them now. They expect me to act a certain way, but I don’t want to do that anymore. This is all so strange and uncomfortable now that I truly understand what’s going on.”
Dusk studied him for a long moment. Lex had changed significantly in their time together. He’d gone from a clumsy kid with no idea how the world really worked to a man who’d faced death more times than anyone should really have to and learned more besides along the way. The world had changed for him and until that moment Dusk didn't realize how hard it must’ve been for him to be back home. There were expectations of a noble, even from the serving staff, and Lex wasn’t willing to behave that way anymore.
“Just treat them like people,” Dusk replied simply, leaning his body into Lex’s. “Do what feels right to you and if you really want to change the way things are done around here, talk with your father.”
“It just seems so wrong, asking things from people who can’t refuse no matter what.”
“Then do what you can to change it.” Dusk wrapped an arm around his waist. “The world won’t change overnight, even I know that. But you can set it in motion.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“I don’t know honestly. There are more riches in your room alone than I’ve seen in my whole life. All of this is strange to me.” He glanced out across the garden. “But I guess if I can face the things we’ve seen, I can figure this out too. This seems much easier than facing the Circle, although it feels like there are a lot more rules that I’m unaware of.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
They were silent for a long moment, the crickets chirping all around in the cool night air. A few white flowers slowly spiraled themselves open, pointing their pale faces toward the moon. It really was an incredibly beautiful place, unlike anything Dusk had ever seen. He gazed out over the wall in the distance, wondering if Lyra was already fast asleep in the tall grass at the foot of the mountain that loomed over them all.
“So your mom is kind of terrifying,” Dusk chuckled. “I have a feeling she’s someone not to be messed with.”
“You have no idea,” Lex sighed, a smile pulling at his lips. “I’m fairly certain she only wears dresses that big to conceal her weapons.”
“Is that normal for a noblewoman?”
“Definitely not. But back before dad got... enchanted I guess, she basically ran the entire city by herself. He was the figurehead that gave the orders and signed the papers because his title holds more power, but everything good that ever happened here was because of her.” Lex looked up at the stars, thinking to himself for a moment. “It also wouldn’t surprise me if she’s had more than a few people killed, but I’ve never been brave enough to ask.”
“I... don’t know how to respond to that.”
“Honestly, neither do I. Definitely don’t get on her bad side though. She’s much faster than she looks in those shoes.”
Dusk was quiet for a moment. “She already knows we’re together, you know.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t care.”
“How could you know that?”
Dusk thought back to her knowing look and smile in his direction. “Just trust me on this one. She’s on your side.”
“She was the only person on my side for ten years,” he sighed, leaning against Dusk. “Hopefully I haven’t upset that trust too much by running off.”
“I think you’re probably fine. Best talk to her tomorrow before we wander off, though. Wouldn’t want you to end up on her hit list.”
“Yeah,” Lex chuckled.
They stayed out on the porch for a while longer before finally heading back inside. On the other end of the glass room they found a different servant waiting for them. He let them know the baths were ready and ran off before Lex could thank him. He’d been right, the servants were so used to a certain way things were done that they hardly gave him the chance to be friendly.
The bathhouse was huge, like everything else in the chateau, and sectioned off into a handful of private rooms, each with a tiled soaking pool sunk into the floor. Dusk and Lex were ushered off into their own, each with a servant. Dusk’s helper was extremely confused when he said he was capable of washing himself. It seemed like an odd thing that nobles or their guests would need help washing, but then again he’d never been in a place like that before. He soaked for a long while in the tub, enjoying the hot water, and scrubbed himself down with the floral soap, brushes, and cloths that were provided. After a long while, just when he thought he might fall asleep, he heard a soft knock at his door. It pushed open a crack.
“Can I come in?” Lex’s voice said from the other side.
“Sure,” Dusk replied, feeling his cheeks flush a little.
Lex stepped inside, a towel wrapped around his waist. His skin had been scrubbed pink and his blond hair was light and shiny again. He’d grown a bit thinner and wiry on their journey. Months of hard travel had made him leaner and stronger than before and the sun had tanned his skin a darker shade. It wasn’t an unpleasant look for him.
“You’re drooling,” Lex said, pointing at Dusk’s face.
He reached up automatically to wipe it away, but realized his mouth was closed. The skin of his cheeks burned as he blushed harder.
“That’s not funny.”
“No, it really is,” Lex laughed, closing the door behind him. “That’s what you get for ogling me like a piece of meat.”
“Then put some clothes on!”
“Absolutely not.”
Lex reached down and pulled his towel away, dropping it on the floor beside him. Dusk sunk down into the water, blowing bubbles as he tried to hide the blush that threatened to consume him.