Chapter 299: 299:Talk
Nearly two weeks had passed since the distribution of the Moon Crystals. The excitement surrounding the decision had gradually faded, replaced once more by the quiet rhythm of everyday governance.
The capital remained busy despite the cold. Merchants wrapped themselves in thick cloaks as they sold winter goods along the market streets, children ran through the snow-covered plazas laughing without care, and soldiers continued their patrols with little more than a light dusting of snow upon their shoulders.
Life had not stopped because history had been made. For Atheline, that realization had become one of the greatest lessons of becoming king.
Not every day required a battle, most days simply required showing up. His mornings had settled into a routine.
He woke before sunrise, long before the palace corridors became busy. The white fox had somehow learned exactly when he awoke.
Almost every morning, the little beast climbed onto the bed before he had fully opened his eyes, nudging his cheek with its cold nose until he reluctantly admitted defeat.
"You’ve become an alarm clock."
The fox wagged its fluffy tail. It received a scratch behind the ears as payment for another successful wake-up.
After washing and dressing, he stepped onto the balcony. The Court spread out beneath him, covered in untouched white snow.
Smoke rose peacefully from hundreds of chimneys, and for several minutes, he simply watched. There was something calming about seeing a kingdom waking up.
The balcony door slid open behind him.
"I thought I’d find you here."
Lilith stepped outside carrying two cups of hot tea. He accepted one gratefully.
"You’ve started predicting my habits."
"I’ve had enough practice."
They stood together in comfortable silence. Neither felt the need to fill every quiet moment with conversation. Eventually, she spoke.
"You’ve become fully accustomed to palace life."
"I have."
"It suits you."
He smiled faintly.
"I wasn’t sure it ever would."
She looked toward the city below.
"Neither was I."
He turned toward her.
"You doubted me?"
"I doubted whether you would enjoy it." She met his eyes. "I never doubted whether you could do it."
The answer warmed him far more than the tea in his hands.
Breakfast had become another ritual. They insisted on eating together whenever neither had urgent duties.
The attendants no longer found it surprising to discover the fox already sitting patiently beside the table before either monarch arrived.
It had also developed the unfortunate habit of believing every meal contained food intended specifically for it. The servant sighed as the fox stared hopefully at a plate of grilled fish.
"It has learned."
"It certainly has."
Atheline discreetly slipped her a small piece. She noticed immediately.
"..."
"...What?"
"You encourage it."
"It looked hungry."
"It ate before we arrived."
The fox looked at her with practiced innocence. She sighed.
"I appear to be outnumbered."
The morning council proved uneventful. They spoke of winter grain reserves, road maintenance, and reports from the northern watchtowers.
There were also applications from villages requesting additional lumber before the deeper snows arrived.
Instead of remaining silent as he had done half the time, Atheline now actively questioned reports.
"How many villages remain without repaired storehouses?"
The councillor of infrastructure consulted his notes.
"Five, Your Majesty."
"Can the work be completed before the next heavy snowfall?"
"Three certainly. The remaining two..." He hesitated. "The roads have become difficult and there is no teleportation circle."
Atheline thought for a moment.
"What if military engineers assist?"
Several councillors looked toward him. The councillor’s eyes widened slightly before looking down at his notes.
"That would reduce the completion time considerably."
Lilith quietly watched the exchange without interrupting. She simply allowed him to continue. By the end of the meeting, several adjustments had been approved.
As they left, the Noble elder quietly walked beside him.
"You’ve grown."
Atheline laughed.
"I hope not physically."
"I meant as a ruler."
"That’s considerably less embarrassing."
The elderly councillor smiled.
"The kingdom notices."
The remainder of the morning passed beneath clear winter skies. After finishing several reports in his study, Atheline decided he had earned a short walk before lunch.
The fox immediately followed. It trotted proudly beside him through the small outer palace gardens since the fox needed the cold to start practicing.
As he rounded a hedge surrounding one of the smaller training grounds, he heard the unmistakable sound of steel striking steel.
Surprisingly, it was Simion. He stood alone in the cold, his lightning-infused sword moving smoothly through a sequence of practiced forms.
Sweat clung to his forehead despite the cold as he repeated the same combination again and again.
Atheline remained quietly watching. The older man finally noticed him. He immediately lowered his sword.
"Your Majesty."
"You don’t have to stop."
"I wasn’t sure if you wished to pass."
"I was planning to." He smiled. "But now I’m curious."
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"My father says my footwork still needs improvement despite having trained far longer than I want to admit"
"He isn’t wrong."
The younger man sighed dramatically.
"I was hoping you’d say he was."
"We all tend to have a weakness one way or the other, we just have to practice. Tell you what, I’ve also heard the very same thing from my father."
They both laughed. Atheline picked up one of the wooden practice swords resting nearby.
"Show me again."
He slightly frowned.
"Really?"
"Unless you’re afraid."
"I’m definitely not afraid."
"Good."
The Simion resumed his stance and demonstrated the sequence once more. Atheline watched carefully before stopping him halfway.
"You’re relying too much on your element."
The younger man frowned.
"My lightning?"
"Yes."
He stepped forward.
"As manipulators, we tend to rely heavily on our element even with a weapon on hand. I know we’re not weapon wielders but learning the basics and understanding is helpful," he smiled and swung his sword in the air, "come on... when you enhance your movements with lightning, you unconsciously shorten your stance."
He demonstrated.
"Which means..."
A light push against Simion’s shoulder caused him to lose balance almost immediately.
"...your center becomes unstable."
Simion stared at him.
"I’ve never noticed."
"Most people don’t, I was one of them. My brother was the one who told me that."
He adjusted his feet by a few centimeters.
"There."
"Again."
The second attempt flowed much more naturally. Atheline nodded.
"Better."
Simion smiled.
"...It actually feels easier, I think I’ve been looking for the perfect position for quite some time."
"Because you’re no longer fighting your own body," Atheline smiled," you should ask a Knight when it comes to swordsmanship, pride will do you no good."
For nearly an hour they trained together; sometimes they sparred or simply discussed technique.
Eventually, both sat beneath one of the pavilion roofs overlooking the training ground while the fox slept between them.
Simion broke the silence first.
"You know..."
"What?"
"When you first arrived..." he looked slightly embarrassed. "I thought you’d be impossible to approach."
He laughed.
"Really?"
"You were a foreign king and you married the Queen of all people. No offence..."
"Non taken."
"Only a lunatic or a pitiful person would have married the queen. Most people in the kingdom avoided the topic but some still tried to marry their sons to her. There was a clear divide among nobility about this."
"Really?"
"You were more of a saviour to the younger generation than you know."
Atheline smiled.
"I thought everyone here would hate me."
Simion looked genuinely surprised, his usual noble countenance having slipped a little due to their training. He had become more talkative.
"...Why?"
"I wasn’t born here and suddenly became your king," Atheline looked up at the falling snow, "I thought I’d always be seen as an outsider."
Simion shook his head.
"Maybe at first. But..." He looked toward the palace. "You’ve worked harder than most nobles. You actually listen, train, and attend every meeting. My father says you’ve earned everyone’s respect."
Atheline was quiet for a long moment.
"I didn’t know the Noble elder said that."
"He says it more often than you’d think."
A comfortable silence settled between them. Eventually, Simion stood.
"...Thank you."
"For what?"
"The training."
"No."
He smiled sheepishly.
"...For treating me normally, this is the first time you’re not fully on guard around me. I tend to notice these things."
Atheline stood as well.
"I was about to thank you for doing the same."
For the first time since they had met, neither of them felt like they were speaking to a king or a noble, just two young men of similar age.
Perhaps not close friends, not yet, but the distance between them had quietly become much smaller.
