ALTGS 40

People enjoyed doing things that didn’t serve any purpose outside of “fun”.

Lord stood on a bare hill dusted lightly with bright white snow. The sky was still grey today, just like it had been for the past few days. However, it didn’t seem to snow as much here. He was outside the Capital City of Fortane, wandering the fields of a town close by. From a great distance away, he watched little children run around in the meager snow, laughing and playing in it. They threw it at each other, kicked it up into the air, pulled it together to build some strange round bulbous beast, and some took a handful and shoved it down others’ shirts. Lord didn’t really understand why playing with snow brought so much joy to those children, but he knew that the happiness they felt was authentic.

Behind him, Nedrie supervised some demons as they dug land. As a demon that was most like a snake than any other, he was covered in heavy fur coats with several scarves tied tightly round his neck. Lord observed his subject’s irritated face as he talked with a group of demons about planting. “Nedrie.” Lord called, and Nedrie looked up. Immediately, he was by Lord’s side.

“They are playing with snow. Over there.” Lord pointed at the distant children with his chin. Nedrie’s face folded in disgust at that.

“They are. I can’t imagine doing the same.” He grumbled.

“Because you don’t do well with the cold.”

“Because I do catastrophically horrendous with the cold. I can’t stand it.”

“It’s why you left my Domain years ago and wandered the human lands. Yes?” Lord turned to fix the snake with a smile. Nedrie cringed in response.

“Oh, well, that was partly the reason. Your Domain was simply too cold. Even if I stayed at the very edges, which were warmer, I really couldn’t stand it. But while that was true, my primary reason in leaving was to find a new challenge to undertake with my venom.”

“To treat human illnesses.”

”Yes. And it was quite fruitful.”

“Nedrie, do you understand why those children play in the snow? I do not understand it.”

Nedrie only shrugged his shoulders, staring at the joyous kids.

“Honestly, I can’t lie to you and say that I do. But I also understand that there are things I don’t think I’ll ever understand. All I know is that many simple things entertain children. Maybe because they’re so new to the world. Exploring their surroundings must be so fun. Even more so when you do it with other children.”

Lord fell silent, thinking about what he had just been told. Exploring was “fun”. Interacting with new things was indeed an interesting experience. Just as finding a person that could talk to him was fun. So in that regard, was he like those children?

“When those children grow up, will they continue to enjoy playing in the snow?”

“Definitely not. A majority of them won’t. They’ll have other things to hold their attention. As far as I know, many people aren’t fond of snow. It’s cold and puts a stop to many activities, like a majority of farming and long distance travel.”

So eventually the children will grow tired of the novelty of snow. Some may even grow to despise snow as they grow older because it will interfere with their new lives. Something that was once beloved will become something detested.

Would it be the same for a human that could talk to him?

An unexpected frown came upon his lips.

How could he grow to detest a human that could speak to him? Was that possible. No, it was not. Without thinking, he lifted his hand, palm facing up. Something warm.

No, he would not grow to detest that.

“I am returning to the Palace.” He announced, turning round and walking away.

“Alright. I’ll admit... I was surprised to hear that you wanted to see what I’d be doing out here.”

“Mm.”

“...”

“What is it? What do you want to say?” Lord asked, turning his eyes to the sky above.

“Why... why did you choose to do that?” he could feel the hesitation in Nedrie’s voice. Of course he would be careful. Lord had never shown any interested in any demon’s affairs. He was a being that felt so unreachable, so unbothered by everyone and everything around him that nobody expected him to be concerned with what his subjects did. So it had caught Nedrie by surprise to hear that Lord wanted to see what he did, or how he spent his day, or what interested him and what didn’t. Although it had struck Nedrie as very strange, even suspicious, it had been admittedly nice to hear Lord ask about him. So he did care, Nedrie had found himself thinking. It implied that Lord hadn’t before, and Nedrie had been quick to reel in his thoughts then. But he did know that he didn’t care. Or at least hadn’t up until that point.

Lord began to float off the ground, his black iridescent hair blowing around him in an unfelt wind. Nedrie watched him rise into the sky, feeling a sadness at his leaving.

“Because I have decided that I will care about you all.” Lord said before disappearing into the clouds.

“He left the palace?”

Celestria turned to Sir Bilaire, confused at what she had just been told.

“Yes, my Lady. He left the palace with Nedrie four days ago and has not returned.” Henri sighed, his face looking a bit haggard. Celestria folded her arms in front of her chest, then huffed. Where had their King gone? Didn’t he know that he couldn’t just up and leave his kingdom without proper preparation?

“How much work did he leave behind? Are there any important documents to look over?”

“There are some, but Metaghrindar has managed to deal with most.”

“Oh, is that so? That’s good news. Very well. Bring those documents to me. I will deal with them, and we will have His Majesty sign them when he comes back.” Celestria said, then turned away from him.

“I’ve come back.”

A smooth voice sounded, and made Celestria’s shoulders jump. There, standing on the railing of the balcony, was Lord. “Oh Jesus!” She gasped under her breath, feeling that momentary prickling feeling of nervousness. Again with popping out of nowhere!! Immediately, Celestria turned back to Henri, knowing full well that he was probably frozen in fear. With her long sleeve, she covered his eyes, then tugged his arm, turning him to the door. “Henri Bilaire, focus on my voice. Listen to me, and walk to the door. Come on.” She led the fear-stricken man patiently out the door and shut it behind him. Sighing, she then turned to him.

“Your Majesty...”

“Hello, Celestria. I have returned.” He stated, floating to the ground and walking into her office. Dressed in a long, white tunic that ended in the middle of his shins, Lord really did look like some kind of angel. The emotionless smile that was always on his lips was indeed unnerving, but it could easily be viewed as divine. A beautiful man with eerie energy.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty. But you can’t just leave the Palace whenever you’d like.”

“I don’t see why not.”

”Because you leaving makes things difficult for everyone. Just a little prior warning would be appreciated. That way I can prepare for your absence.”

“Does my absence make things difficult for you?” He asked, curiously tilting his head.

“Well, this one escapade didn’t make it harder for me specifically, but any future ones would.”

Lord’s eyes grew wide all of a sudden. The smile that he always had dropped, and for some reason, that caused Celestria to jump. Why?

Resisting the urge to tug at the hem of her dress, she stuffed the nervousness down.

“Hm....” he hummed, then turned away, seemingly disturbed. “I see.”

“Where did you go, Your Majesty?” Celestria hastily asked, feeling the need to change the subject. She didn’t really know why, but she felt that she had to.

“Where I went? I accompanied Nedrie to Papilova. He’s studying some plants that could be used to cure some diseases.”

Celestria’s brow furrowed just a bit. Why would he go there?

“Was there something you wanted there?”

“Not at all.”

”Did... did Nedrie need your help there?”

“No.”

Now Celestria was confused. So why did he go out there?

“Were you... bored?”

“Not particularly.”

“Then why??”

“I wanted to know Nedrie and some of the other demons.”

“Know them...?” Celestria blinked, then came to understand.

“You wanted... to get to know them better than you think you do?” She asked, her voice just a little more quiet. He nodded in response. Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Celestria felt a strange happiness when she heard this. If he was able to care deeply about others, then there was a chance he would come to care about this kingdom.

“Did you get to know him better, then?”

“Yes. He has a passion for the Tamerst herb that grows during the winter.”

“Is that all you learned?” Celestria laughed slightly as she turned to her desk. Lord kept his enigmatic eyes on her as she collected some papers.

“He likes poultry. Chicken and duck. He likes them whole.”

“Whole??” She exclaimed, turning to him quickly from disbelief.

“Yes. He likes to eat them whole after a good roasting.”

“Gosh...”

“He also hates the cold. He cant stand it.”

“Because he’s a reptile, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’d thought he’d dislike it. I noticed he started wearing lots of fur and only appearing when it was warmer out. It’s difficult to find him in his office when it’s particularly cold out.”

“How did you know that?”

“Hm? Oh... well, I just... I just noticed it.”

Lord’s brow furrowed. So she knew without Nedrie having to tell her. Was Lord really that detached from those that were always around him? He had known Nedrie for centuries, and yet he’d never bothered to notice such simple things. It was not... a pleasant feeling that his obliviousness stirred.

“I only learned about this a few days ago.”

Celestria did not reply. There was a bit of awkwardness from his answer. How was she supposed to reply to that? Was she supposed to sympathize with him, or chastise him?

“Well... it’s good that you know now. Better late than never, after all.” She smiled, wanting to push the awkwardness away.

“Is it really?” Oh gosh, he was staring very very hard right at her. Celestria wished he would learn to stop that. He would never understand how disconcerting it felt to be watched with those strange eyes....

His eyes.

His eyes looked just like the stone she had found at Godhanid.

With a silent gasp, she remembered that strange smooth stone that had seemed to consume her attention completely. Somehow, It did not feel like a coincidence at all. His eyes and that stone.

“Your Majesty... would you allow me... would you allow me to ask you a question?” She carefully began, feeling her hands begin to get sweaty. Was it the right move to ask?

Lord’s eyelids dropped just a little, dark swooping eyelashes fluttering lightly.

“Mm. Ask.”

“Do you... have you ever been to the Vrimian Lands?”

This earned a scrunch from him.

“I know where that is on the map, but I don’t remember ever having been there.” Lord murmured, thinking hard about this. Despite his answer, he could not say for sure if he had never been there. He had been alive for one thousand years, long before any of the current kingdoms stood. Was it possible for him to have been that far south? He didn’t really know.

“I-if... if you went there yourself... would you know?”

He did not fail to notice the strange urgency within Celestria’s eyes. Although she stood straight and tall as she always did, her eyes were wide with some sort of anticipation. He didn’t know why she looked that way, but he did not mind.

“I would.”

He heard her release a tiny breath of relief, then she looked away, rubbing her hands together nervously. Was there something that she was planning?

“Your Majesty. I have a lot of things I want to inform you of. To make a long story short, there is a way to make your rule indisputable. But...”

“But?”

With a deep breath, Celestria calmed herself.

“But you will have to help someone else solve a long-standing problem that Fortane has.”

Lord’s eyes narrowed with curiosity.

“Who is this person?”

”The last remaining Duke within Fortane, The Duke of Enteford and the leader of the western army, His Grace, Erich Vemir Enteford.”