♠️ Exceptis Centrum ♠️ ✔︎

Chapter 25

Normally Alfred wasn’t afraid when he was requested to have a private talk with someone, but a private talk with Ivan had both piqued his interest and got him a little nervous. The last thing he wanted was to be alone with a man he disliked, but he couldn’t ignore him plus Yao had pleaded with him to hear him out. He was still reeling from the nightmare he had last night he barely touched his breakfast, and from Yao had told him even he wasn’t certain as to what Ivan wanted to talk to him about.

Alfred had a good idea what it was about.

Ivan was the first person to notice that he disappeared when he went to Arthur’s garden, no one else had ever noticed that before. It had to be the reason why Ivan was so keen to talk to him, but Alfred wasn’t certain what to tell him. He didn’t want to tell him about the garden or Arthur just in case he was indeed the one who imprisoned him, but he couldn’t think of an excuse. Heck, Ivan might find a way to use it against him or accuse him for being a poor excuse for a King for continuously allowing it to happen. His mind was still filled with the images from the bizarre dream, most of it taking up his thinking space and no matter what he tried to think of what to say, the memories cane flooding back.

Swiping his hair back and making sure he looked at least a little presentable for the Club King, Alfred entered the area where Ivan was waiting for him. Curiously Ivan had requested to meet him by one of the balconies that over looked the Elder tree garden. It was a rather open space so Alfred doubted the conversation was going to be one of those intense ones in case certain ears were listening in.

He spotted Ivan standing upon one of the balconies, staring off into the garden and not realising Alfred was approaching until he heard his loud footsteps. Glancing over his broad shoulder, he gave Alfred his signature smile and turned to face him.

“Good morning young Alfred,” he said with a small bow, “I hope you are feeling better? Your Jack has informed us you were not feeling your best this morning. I hope that wasn’t because of me?”

Alfred tried to keep his cool. “I just slept funny, that’s all,” he insisted with an attempted smile, “no biggie.”

“That is good,” replied Ivan, “I’d hate to talk to you whilst you are feeling... how do your people say? ...under the weather?”

He tried smiling but Alfred found that even his face was in no mood to form one. “Relax Ivan, it’ll take more than a dodgy sleep to put me out of action. Now then... Yao said you wanted to speak with me?”

“Ah yes.” Ivan brushed his bangs out of his face and then glanced back out at the Elder tree garden. “It is beautiful, is it not?”

Alfred stepped closer to get a better view of the garden, he just wanted to get this over and done with but he remained polite and humoured him. “The gardeners do tend to it rather well, so it should be.”

“I meant the tree.”

Alfred then turned his attention to the actual tree, the silver bark shimmering in the daylight and the blue leaves looked like fairy lights from a Christmas tree as they illuminated the branches. He wanted to agree with Ivan but something about the tree was making him feel uneasy again, even more so than usual.

“I have always envied your Kingdom for having an Elder tree,” confessed Ivan, sighing a little as he placed his hand upon his chest. “They say that no matter the environment, beautiful flowers will always bloom beneath its branches. Even the harshest of deserts to the coldest of tundras, flowers will always bloom where there is an Elder tree.”

He couldn’t help but notice that Ivan’s tone had changed and he actually sounded sincere as he spoke.

“I have researched them ever since I was little you know, trying to figure out where they grow and how to find them. I looked into all the knowledge gathered by the four Kingdoms, learning about the myths and the facts and figuring out which one was which, their history and their origins. I am quite the expert according to the Heart King, as I apparently know more about them than any man. Yet I do not have one growing in my land, no matter how I wish it. In fact this is the only one I’ve ever seen.”