Chapter 24: Next Steps

  Julien

  The trip back to the palace was done in silence. They all seemed to need time process what they had just learned. Julien's mind was whirling at the implications. And not all of his thoughts dwelled on how his personal life would change. His eyes flicked ahead to settle on his father whose face was a placid mask. He couldn't really glean anything but he had a hard time imagining that his father wasn't fighting disorder in his own mind.

  He wasn't human anymore. Although somewhere in the back of his mind he had wondered. Consciously, he had always assumed that his appearance had been the only thing changed. According to Petra the thing made them human. A code of some kind contained within their blood had completely changed. It was now so foreign to her she had all but begged his father to study them. His father had gone pale at the news, and he had been catching his father stealing glances at him with uncertain eyes.

  When they arrived back at the palace the rest of his squad wondered off on their own, nobody spoke; and he understood why. They each would need time to come to terms with what this meant. He surely would. Not in the least because this meant he could no longer inherit the crown. There was no way the nobles of the kingdom would accept a non human as a King.

  He wanted to talk to his father, to see... well he didn't know what. His mind was so jumbled with questions. From what this meant when it came to his family. Was he even still related to his mother and sister? What did it mean to be a new race? What was the blood running through his veins now capable of. His father had only allowed Petra to keep a small vial.of his golden blood but an uneasiness had spread through him the moment he had left.

  His brains was so full that he wasn't surprised when he finally returned from.his thoughts to find himself at the royal knights training yard. A small courtyard in the palace, one of several courtyards the palace possessed. But instead of gardens and orchards, this one held a sand pit and a shed with racks of blunted metal blades hanging inside for anyone in the royal knights to.practice with. The yard was empty but Julien wouldn't have cared anyway. He needed to clear his thoughts, and he knew just how to do it.

  He wasted no time stripping off the Grey cloak and even the blue and gold tunic and leather vest beneath. He retrieved a longsword from the shed and checked it over. It had no.rist of the blade but it was far from ornate. Hit was a simple leaf shaped double edged blade with a sime leather wrapped hilt. A good blade, if a bit too heavy for his liking.

  Julien set his feet in the ready position he'd been taught at the academy. He took a deep breath and begun moving through the forms he'd worked so hard to master the last three years. His feet flowed over the sand moving fluidly from one form to the next. His sword lashed out glinting in the light as he cut in the appropriate angles.

  His feet blurred even to his own eyes as he moved. He started slow then put more muscles into it until the literal air was reverberating with a loud snap everytime he turned his sword to a different direction. How long he practiced he had no idea, time blurred and he reveled in the complex dance he created. Something about sword play calmed his mind as he pushed other thoughts aside to focus on his posture and the position of his blade.

  By the end of his exertion he was drenched in sweat his golden skin glistening. But his mind had calmed a lot. He sprawled put on the sand his chest heaving as he stared up at the sky. With a start he realized it was already well after noon he must've been going for hours. That thought alone boggled his mind and he marveled at his new body.

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  "You are definitely my son," a voice said from the entrance to the courtyard. He turned surprised but not alarmed to see his father stride into the courtyard a wooden tray of delicious smelling food in his arms. He looked more tired than when. Julien had just seen him and he had been crying? If the redness of his eyes was any sort of clue. Was he mourning the son he lost? Did this mean he no longer thought of him as his son? His father followed his gaze and julien saw his eyes widened.

  "Don't misunderstand," he said a touch awkwardly. "When Petra told us what she did I had my doubts I won't lie to you. But I also know you and I feel like no matter how your body or mind may have changed that remains true."

  "Are you sure about that?" The question came out no louder than a whisper but his father heard it. His father walked over to him at a brisk pace. He set the food gingerly down on the sand before turning and cupping Juliens face in one course hand. Julien was forced to look at his father. He saw the love there in his eyes, the fear, the resolve. He couldn't explain it but in that moment he knew his father loved him.

  "I'm sorry Julien," his father said finally after a long moment of silence. "I've been so wrapped up in my revenge for your grandfather and great grandfather that I've neglected you. For a moment his gaze hardened but only for a moment then his gaze softened again.

  "I want revenge. I want to make the elves pay. But I never wanted do it at the cost of my kids." He looked away turning to stare at the far wall of the courtyard.

  "Father, what happened to grandfather?" He asked tentatively. It had always been a forbidden topic to his father. Everytime he had asked it in the past his father had grown angry or just ignored him. But he wanted to know. What did the elves do that was so bad that they earned his father's permanent enmity. His father sighed clearly expecting the question.

  "I'll tell you soon," he said after a long pause. "But not today, we have enough to figure out as it is." He paused again.

  Julien cleared his throat. "So what are to do next?" He asked changing the subject. If his father wasn't ready to talk then he wouldn't push the subject. He already considered it an immense improvement that he hadn't started yelling at him.

  "First you'll eat the food the cooks were so generous to make you after you missed the noon day meal." He gestured at the still steaming tray. On it a heel of bread, a still steaming slab of meat and a chunk of marbled glithain cheese sat. He looked back at his father and little sheepish.

  "Then tomorrow we will visit this refuge you spoke of. We need to understand more of what we are dealing with here and I want to do it before the nobles of the realm begin arriving for the council I called in response to the elves arrival. Though at the time I didn't know their stay would be so short."

  "At least tell me what happened to the envoy and his guards?" Julien asked as he picked up the hu k of warm cheese. After seeing the food he realized just how hungry he was.

  His father smiled. We imprisoned them in the dungeons for now. They will be of use when the council is convened." But one thing kept nagging at Julien a thought he'd had since his explosive awakening the day before.

  "But how are you keeping them, they have magic."

  His father smirked, " yes but long ago when me and your grandfather happened across a group of elves escorting their own prisoners we learned of a exceedingly rare ore called Apophite it has the ability to disperse mana. After many years if searching your father here discovered a view of the stuff underneath the castle during a collapse of one of the old section." He paused his smirk fading as he clearly remembered something painful.

  Then his father shook his head, "It is quite possibly the only deposit of the stuff in human lands for if couldn't find it in any of the other kingdom. Call it luck or destiny but we found some."

  Julien found himself leaning forward even as he took another bite of the soft warm cheese. It was a bit salty but he liked it. "How did you get the elves to divulge that information?" He asked. His father snorted before reaching out and ruffling his hair. Julien scooted back only a bit annoyed.

  "That's a secret," he replied his smirk fully back on display. "Now hurry up and eat many things have to be planned if we are to head out tomorrow morning and begin the exploration of this so called refuge."

  With that his father turned his cloak billowing around him as he did so and left the courtyard. Julien sighed before turning to his plate in earnest. This was probably the most his father had spoken to him in months and for himnto apologize l, maybe things between him and his father were finally looking up. As he dug into his food he couldn't help but get excited about exploring the refuge with his father.