Dealings in the Council of Avalhein - Chapter 14

Dealings in the Council of Avalhein

Chapter 14

The sun rose in the east, bathing Avalhein in its brass glow. It was going to be a beautiful day for commoner and noble alike, save for one. Malkknrre stirred from his sleep to a painful throbbing in his front left paw. He suppressed it, showing even a sign of small weakness was fatal for anyone that dealt with the council. A semblance of authority was something that Malkknrre excelled at.

The thing was, whenever he saw Geirrha, his knees wobbled and his heart seemed like it wanted to break into a million pieces. That and the pain in his paw rocketed, but he took it as his inability to suppress it because of setting his sights on the woman of his dreams. Nevertheless, he regained composure soon after.

His world and that of the Council’s was no place to be soft. The council beat at anyone that was brought before them with an iron fist, the only solution was to beat at them with a harder fist or allure them like a woman would. Malkknrre, though, had no passion for subtlety.

He gave a start when he heard soft snoring beside him and looked down at a drowsing Kimaha. He had forgotten that Kimaha had taken care of him while he was in pain and then offered to play the Game of the Fayett. Truth be told, it was comforting to play the game and it brought back fond memories of part of his childhood at a farm.

Malkknrre noticed the amount of sunlight streaming through the windows and gave a start. Someone from the council should have sent for him by now. The council was never lenient on punishing those who were tardy, although for him, it was more of a cold-shoulder treatment kind of punishment. Something was awry, and he knew it.

Kimaha stirred and Malkknrre took the chance. “Elder, I must go, the council must be looking for me by now.”

“Shush, child, one of those flustered elven nobles burst into this room in the wee hours of the morning saying that the council found it imperative that you convene with them immediately. I told her you were in much pain and I was tending to you,” said Kimaha in a matter-of-fact tone.

“But--!” before Malkknrre could speak, Kimaha cut him off with a sharp gesture.

“Child, do you really think that you could speak in front of the council, provide effective arguments and refrain from staring at Geirrha while trying to stop a boulder’s worth of pain?” said Kimaha without pause. Her words carried conviction and Malkknrre reddened.

If a Ceree could pout, Malkknrre was doing a great job at it. He couldn’t deny the truth of Kimaha’s words, nor could he just take them as they were. He opened his mouth to protest once more but his muzzle was gently slapped closed by a soft blow from Kimaha’s alerons. Malkknrre glowered at the elder, producing a low growling that could have been considered whining.  If there was one secret in his life that Malkknrre did not want anyone to know, it was that he liked acting the child at times.

The stress of being something only short of being a king was stressful and in his life, only his childhood was stress-free. Though he had lived on a farm, his brothers and sisters were plentiful enough to take care of the work. After all, he was his mother’s favorite. He wasn’t at the farm for a lengthy period of time, anyway, as he was taken to Avalhein before long.

Kimaha was just finishing the drink she had brewed for Malkknrre while he was brooding and now she was walking towards him, cup and saucer held by steady Alerons. She was one of the few Ceree that didn’t have to turn to elves for such menial tasks, unfortunately, Malkknrre wasn’t.

He changed to an elf and happily took the cup. He almost dropped it when he finally got a good look into Kimaha’s eyes. The old softness that was once there wasn’t anymore, it was replaced by a fiery fervor to please some unknown master and only a reflection of the old Kimaha was there. Before he could ask, the door burst open and in went a flustered Geirrha.

Now that he was an elf, his face really could redden and he did indeed feel the blood rushing to his face.

“Well, a pleasure to see you here…” she mumbled pointedly at Malkknrre. Her voice, though, was hoarse and her eyes were grainy.

“What happened?” asked Malkknrre, completely forgetting about Kimaha’s eyes.