Kings Game

Chapter 107 - Revisiting the Past

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Roran was vaguely aware of someone knocking. It was a gentle, if not persistent, sound. Gentle enough that Roran was able to ignore it. Rolling over, he buried his face in his pillow and went back to sleep. The knocking came again, this time louder. Roran knew he should get up and check the door, but the veil of sleep was heavy and he couldn't bring himself to crawl out of bed.

Finally, his door clicked open and someone came in and started gently shaking him.

"Roran?"

It was Matriarch Gwendalyn. She managed to roll Roran over onto his back and he stared up at her with bleary eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"You requested that I wake you mid-morning. You left a note for me in the dining room."

"I did?" Roran blinked and rubbed his face. Being conscious was such a chore. Slowly, memories filtered into Roran's sleep-addled brain. After the conversation in the library, Roran had taken the plates downstairs, ate the one meant for Nul, then scribbled out a quick note for the Matriarch to wake him at a reasonable hour. He couldn't sleep through the day, he had things to do.

"Right," he said. "Yes, I did. Thank you."

"Of course, dear. I also brought you food and coffee." She gestured to a plate and a steaming mug on his desk. "Is there anything else you need?"

Roran shook his head as he forced himself out of the bed. "I'll be fine, thank you. I'll be out for most of the day. I should be back tonight." The Matriarch pursed her lips and eyed Roran. He stared back. "Is something wrong?"

"Wearing her robes even in sleep? I know you miss her, but that isn't healthy. And I have a hard time believing that's comfortable."

"Oh, it's not. I don't..." Roran sighed. "It's not something I can talk about. Not yet."

"I see. Well, it's not my place to pry. I shall leave you to your business. Shall I check on you in a few minutes to ensure that you make it out the door."

"That won't be-" Roran interrupted himself with a large yawn. "That would be appreciated. Thank you."

The Matriarch gently squeezed his shoulder then left. Once alone, Roran laid face down on the floor and began working his way through a series of pushups. His body was responding better than before. He was moving at a snail's pace but he was recovering. Once he'd worked through his morning calisthenics, and was covered in a glistening layer of sweat, he sat down at the desk and began picking through the morning's offerings.

Before he began eating, he said, "I know you're there, Rath. You can come in."

Rath appeared in the room beside him. "You seem a little better rested today."

"I'm improving. I need to do something about the lyhlim barriers though. I had to sleep in a stairwell because of them. It would also be good if I could visit the King's Sanctuaries without blacking out."

"I agree on all accounts. You may also consider an adjustment that allows you to take off the robes."

Roran picked at his sleeve, pinching the fabric in his fingers and gently rolling it. He liked the silky robes, even if they were a little inconvenient from time to time.

"It's a thought," he said.

"You seem to have something planned for the day. Care to share?"

"I'm heading to the Crucible. I'm going to revisit my old cell. I don't think there's anything left there, but it doesn't hurt to check. Any idea what they do with people's belongings when an entire village dies?"