The King (Vikklan AU)

. 26 .

~*Simon*~

"Alright Kai, before Fvendal goes to sleep he needs a bath, a book read to him, and his medication," as Ta'dei riddles off the nighttime routine to the brown-haired teenage boy who came to watch after Fvendal, I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"This isn't my first time looking after a kid," Kai mutters, rolling his eyes. "He'll be fine."

"What are you planning to do with the money you're getting from looking after all these kids?" I ask curiously.

Kai smiles at my question. "I'm planning on saving up the money to move to the Island Nation. I want to provide the people there with electricity and medicine that doesn't cost an entire life's savings."

I nod. "You're a good man, Kaibren. Do you speak the language?"

He puffs out his chest with pride. "I'm fluent."

"Impressive." I nod in approval. "I'll pay you 100 extra if you come here once a week to teach our son a foreign language." Ta'dei shoots me a look, but doesn't say anything.

The teen's eyes widen with surprise. "Seriously?"

"Yep." I smile at the teen. "The world is in need of people who can negotiate with everyone, no mater what language they speak. The more languages you know, the more valuable you are to a government. Because of the need, teachers are even more valuable." Kai nods in understanding. "So, Kaibrien Gaualk, do we have a deal?" I hold out my hand to him.

The teen looks at my hand for a moment before reaching out and shaking it. "It's a deal."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"What was that about?" Ta'dei asks as we leave the appartement.

"What was what about?" I ask, looking down at the green-eyed woman in confusion.

"You know what I'm talking about," Ta'dei states with a quiet giggle. "The speech about learning a new language."

I feel my face flush slightly. "I just feel like it's good for kids to learn how to speak more than one language."

"It's good you're passionate about something like that," she murmurs softly, avoiding my gaze by looking out at the street ahead of us. "The world would be a lot more intelligent if everyone thought the same way you do."

"The world would be very boring if everyone thought the same way," I state, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "That's why Notch created diversity."

"I guess so," the red-headed woman sighs softly, but doesn't shrug off my arm. I resist the urge to smirk triumphantly.

"And besides," I murmur, leaning down to her ear. "If everyone thought the same way I did, hordes of people would think you were the most beautiful woman in the world and I don't think I would be able to compete with all of them. I can barely compete with all the men who look at you now."

Ta'dei's face turns red from my words, and she lets out a snort of laugher. "I highly doubt anyone in this world is as crazy as you are to believe that I'm even remotely pretty."

"You're absolutely stunning, Ta'dei. From the never moment I met you, you took my breath away." I state, moving my free hand as I speak to make a point.

"I was nine-months pregnant and in a pair of sweatpants when you first met me. I'm pretty sure the thing that took your breath away was my body odor." Ta'dei states bluntly, rolling her eyes at me. I smile at the memory.

"You didn't smell," I reassure her, "And to be honest, those sweatpants looked good on you."

"Pervert." Ta'dei lightly punches me in the stomach and I laugh.

"What? I was giving you a compliment."

Ta'dei rolls her eyes again. "That's what they all say."

"Who else said that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "Who do I need to kill?" She  just laughs at my comment and looks up at me with a smile. Her face wasn't as red as it was earlier, but there was still a red blush pained across her cheeks. I tuck a loose strand of her long red hair behind her ear as I meet her gaze. Thousands of emotions seem to swarm her brilliantly green gaze; each one more complex and fascinating than the next. What are you thinking, Miss Aceti?

"Do you really believe in what you're saying, or are you just doing this to get more attention for yourself?" Ta'dei's question was barely a whisper as she looked up at me. The pain in her voice and the sad look in her eyes painted the entire, unspoken story. Fvendal's father broke her heart and left it shattered on the ground for her to pick up. I'm going to fix what that man broke.

"Every last word," I murmur, cupping her face in my hands as if it would snap off and blow away in the wind like a leaf if I wasn't careful. Her eyes flick back and forth as if she was searching for something on my face. I know what she's looking for. She's looking for any signs of me lying to her. I close my eyes and pull the small woman into a tight embrace, resting my head on hers. "I'm sorry," she murmurs softly into the fabric of my shirt. "I'm just not ready yet."

"It's fine. I can wait." I squeeze her once more before letting go. "Let's go get some drinks. I'll pay."

"Why are you paying?" Ta'dei looks at me with confusion. "I just-"

"It's still your birthday, Miss Aceti."

~*Wojcik*~

I rub my temples as I return to my palace. My guards keep their gazes away from me, but I know very well what they're thinking. They're doubting my power. I'll prove them wrong.

"Make sure those broadcasts don't go past the border," I snap. "The people don't need to know anything of this day."

"Yes, Emperor." A guard bows his head to me before sharing the information through his earpiece.

"That Prince will die to my hands," I mutter, punching the wall of the transport vehicle in frustration. "He, and the rest of that disgusting race of people."

"I apologize for interrupting your rambling, my Emperor, but aren't you half Min-"

I interrupt the guard. "Do not remind me of what I already know! It's a shameful realty I have to live with every  waking moment of my life."

"My apologies, great Emperor," the guard says quickly, lowering his head. I narrow my eyes at him.

"When we return to the palace, you will  spend four days in the dungeon without food," I state, turning my attention to the window beside me.

The man's face pales. "Yes, my Emperor."