Gabriel continued walking unfazed when he didn’t feel Vathin’s presence by his side any longer. He turned around and found him staring at the king, his mouth wide open, like one who had seen an apparition.
Thoron closed in on them, his eyes narrowing when he saw Vathin. Gabriel’s eyes darted between the two. They seed to be communicating with their eyes.
"Have you two t before?" He asked when Thoron was close enough.
"No," they both answered in unison, though their expressions spoke the opposite.
"Vathin, this is His Majesty, the king," Gabriel introduced. Vathin offered a slight bow.
"Apologies Your Majesty. I never...."
"No need to apologize," Thoron dismissed with a wave of his hand. And turning to Gabriel, "I’d like to have a word with you, alone."
Gabriel’s eyes turned to look at Vathin and gave him a soft nod. Vathin took that as a cue and left, leaving the father-son pair in the empty hallway.
"The rogues are all dealt with if that is what you want to ask," Gabriel said just to save ti. Spending a minute longer with his father always brought the anger boiling afresh in him. Many were the tis he wished he never breathed the sa air with this selfish man!
Thoron nodded in return, clutching the book tightly in his arms. "Do you trust him?" He asked instead.
"He saved my life. He didn’t send to a suicide mission," he added, the words tasting sour in his mouth.
"I did it to save you."
"Save you say?" Gabriel forced a laugh. "You sent on a deathly mission knowing well I’d die. And to make sure you wiped out my existence, you sent Brandon to finish off in case I survived. And you speak of saving?" He was already fuming in anger, his eyes turning slightly red.
Thoron’s expression turned to that of confusion, driving Gabriel’s anger to unseen levels. "Don’t pretend you new nothing about it!"
"I ordered nothing of that sort!" He said, his voice slightly loud. And adopting a softer tone, "What did you do to him?"
"Your son? You care so much about him, don’t you? If you’re asking if he’s dead, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m not the monster you think I am, but I wish I had killed him when I had the chance."
Thoron was dumbfounded! No sane person could leave his competition living if he truly wanted to win. But Gabriel, what did he want?
"I thought you wanted the throne, badly."
Gabriel leaned back, his voice low and filled with mirth. "Fuck the throne!" He turned around to leave in briesk steps.
"I had promised to na whoever settled the matter in the werewoods as crown prince," Thoron said, making Gabriel halt in his tracks. "The title is yours for the taking."
Gabriel turned, taking steady steps towards where his father stood. "By naming crown prince, you’ll be setting the kingdom apart! I don’t want it!"
Thoron placed his hand heavily on Gabriel’s shoulder, a gesture Gabriel mistook for disrespect. "It doesn’t matter what we want son, but once we get it, we always want more. Such is the nature of man." He took a step back. "Yet I chose to do it anyways."
Thoron didn’t give him the luxury to ask more questions. Instead, he left, clutching his books even tighter. He only released a sigh when he was in his chambers.
But his peace was montarily cut when he spotted the sa man from earlier perusing through a book on his desk. He took short but steady steps towards the desk, halting close to where Vathin stood.
Vathin stopped perusing the pages. "So many reading materials for a king," he said, his back facing Thoron.
Thoron took a step forward, though stealthy. "I know it’s you," he said, his free hand dangling in the air.
Vathin turned around, a smirk dancing on his face. "What do you an it’s ? I’ve never seen you before."
"You can play the fool with everyone else but not . I knew it was you the mont I looked in your eyes. Otherwise why would you be here?"
Vathin smiled sheepishly. He’d been caught. With just a thought, he transford into his original self, a figure of a woman familiar to Thoron. Allicent!
"You’re quite observant, aren’t you?" She asked, now approaching him where he stood. Her hands cupped his face, her long nails slightly piercing through his pale skin. A thin line of blood ford on Thoron’s sharp jaws, one that was quick to heal.
"What do you want from him?" He asked, his red eyes searching her dark ones. Unfortunately, she was unreadable!
"To be there for him," she replied. "To make up for the ti I was absent, all because of you."
"You would have corrupted his mind if I let you raise him. I’ve given him what his heart desires. Isn’t that proof enough for a father’s love to his son?"
"Do you even know what would have happened to him in the werewoods if I didn’t intervene?" She asked, searching his stoic eyes. "No, you don’t." She shook her head and took a step away from him.
"He would have died!" She said, her voice dreadingly hoarse. And lifting her eyes to et with his, "But that’s what you’ve always wanted."
Thoron rested his hands on the edge of the desk. "That’s not true. If I wanted him dead, I’d have strangled him the day I held him in my hands. I hated the golden eyes that were staring back at . A child, born of .... " He looked at her in disgust. "What could be more dishonorable to royalty than a bastard."
"He’s your son," she reminded.
"You forget yourself Allicent. You forget what you are. I never asked for any of this. You forced it upon . Gabriel is purely the result of your foolishness!" He raked his hair with his fingers, trying to maintain his cool.
Allicent was hurt by his words. Her eyes welled up but not a single tear dropped from them. "All I ask you is to love him for who he is."
"I’m trying."
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