Each year the Kingdom of Khearia throws a festival in remembrance of one of their most beloved kings who had tragically perished along with his wife and second son. His first son, Prince Fabian, was the only one to survive. Witnesses claimed his cro...
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Alex had never been the most successful sleeper, nor was James, for a matter of fact. That night, though, Fletcher wasn't either.
ㅤAfter returning to the inn on a more cheerful note, Fletcher had dedicated himself to listing the suspicious widows from the documents by cross-referencing the two books and considering their estate's wealth. It was a good thing too, since James refused to do any more work beyond that point, spending the rest of the day napping in his bed. Alex had then become too distracted to be productive.
ㅤHe wanted to sigh. The team was barely being held together with a wispy thread and they were disastrously incompatible at the best of times. Somehow, though, they were progressing.
ㅤWhilst the rest of them tried to sleep, the gentle rustling and murmurs of Fletcher came as a comfort. Alex kept his eyes closed, patiently waiting for morning. He didn't hear any groaning from the bed next to him so he knew James must've also been awake. It was ironic that James had ended up switching places with Fletcher and Riley as the depressed and unmotivated piece of the team, despite his harsh words that morning.
ㅤThe bed creaked next to him and Alex ignored it until he heard the floorboards splinter right next to him.
ㅤHe panicked but remained still, his heart racing. What did James want with him?
ㅤAfter a moment, the bed creaked again, James returning, and Alex relaxed.
ㅤIt wasn't until dawn broke, when Alex had finally opened his eyes, that he'd noticed the dreamcatcher delicately tied above his head, hanging crudely from a knife in the wall.
➵ ➵ ➵ ➵
"Lord Harrison," Alex greeted, watching as the men on horseback approached. The section of knights pulled their reins, the horses bucking their heads and snorting in complaint. There were at least six other men accompanying the advisor, all in plain clothes. It was an excessive number for simple travel.
ㅤHarrison dismounted first, handing off the reins to one of the men to take care of.
ㅤ"Lord Alexander," he smiled, shaking Alex's hand.
ㅤ"I'm glad to see your journey went well."
ㅤ"Well, it was a little more than a journey," Harrison revealed. "But, we can get to that shortly. It would be nice to let these men rest first."
ㅤ"Of course," Alex agreed, looking them over.
ㅤHe did a doubletake, his eyes widening.
ㅤSeeing that he'd been noticed, one of the men's grins widened, his teeth on display. He jogged up to where Alex stood, bringing him in for a quick but fierce hug, slapping him on the back. Alex was too stunned to react.
ㅤ"Colby..."
ㅤ"I was starting to forget the sound of your voice," Colby joked, pulling back, keeping a hard hand on Alex's shoulder. "Well, you aren't much of a talker anyway."
