Chapter 22

  The passing of the thirteenth of May was a day of significance. For it was exactly two months to the thirteenth of July. Hektor’s birthday.

  In his quaint cottage, Hektor stood staring over the map of Roheim that Mister Upson had given him. He had studied the piece of cartography so thoroughly to point of memorizing it. Its lines trailed etched in his mind like snaking ribbons. He could imagine the terrain on the flat parchment rise and dip with depth. He could see swirls of activity in the town with the fort growing out of the hill staring down the roofs of houses below.

  A diorama contained within the edges of the map, blooming upwards in imagination. Hektor would pace around the map on the table to observe it from different angles, lost in his vision.

  Like a bird gliding, banking round and round, circling to find its roost.

  Coming out of his trance, Hektor shook his head and the model of Roheim collapsed flat into the map. Unbeknownst to Hektor, a small yearning had taken root within him to observe the place for real and see if it compared to his imagination.

  Over the past few days, he had heard, read and studied so much about Roheim that he felt like he had been there in a dream.

  Tearing his gaze away from the map, Hektor sighed. In his solitude, he had become bored and restless.

  His mother had forced him to take a day off. Made him promise to rest and relax.

  But the frenzy of the past eight days had left an impression. At the start, Hektor had felt that he was trying to swim through a maelstrom without any land in sight. And then eight days later, the storm had passed and he found himself waddling in shallow waters close to shore.

  In the calm after the storm, Hektor felt strangely hollow. Almost as if he missed it. The endeavor. The grind.

  “How absurd,” thought Hektor.

  He was distracted by the sound of footsteps crunching upon the gravel path outside.

  Hektor eagerly opened the door to find Jamie on his threshold. They had corresponded a few days ago to meet and catch up.

  Jamie stepped inside and looked around curiously. “This is so much like my flat,” he observed. The comparison perplexed Jamie. Even though he knew the reason behind the peculiarity, he couldn’t help but think that there was a perfectly fine castle a stone’s throw away and here was Hektor living it up in this shed of cottage.

  Hektor didn’t pick up on Jamie’s incredulity as he became a busy body in his tiny kitchen. In anticipation of his guest, he had asked the maids Wendy and Hazel for a sandwich spread. He just had put the ingredients together.

  Strange as it was Hektor had missed doing household chores. There was something soothing in taking care of yourself and your home.

  “Would you prefer beef or pheasant?” Hektor asked, waving a sliced bread loaf.

  Jamie was busy peeking around the new place. “Half and half,” he answered distractedly.

  Hektor prepped two cold meat sandwiches with toppings and sauces, cut them in half and plated them. “Forgot the cheese,” he murmured.

  Meanwhile, Jamie had spotted the map on the table and was studying it intensely.

  Bringing the plates over, Hektor saw what had Jamie captivated and felt awkward. After a few moments of indecision, he cleared his throat. “Could you roll that up, please?” he requested, gesturing to the plates in his hand.

  Jamie obliged, slowly rolling up the map scroll and delicately putting it aside, his expression guarded. Hektor had feared his friend might be cross with him and worried that he might have been right.

  Jamie took a chair, not reaching for his plate, pinning Hektor with his gaze. For a moment, both the boys stared hesitantly at each other, unsure.

  “Congratulations?” offered Jamie questioningly.

  “Thank you,” Hektor replied reflexively. “For what exactly?” he asked after a second’s confusion.

  Jamie couldn’t help the snort that escaped him and suddenly the tension disappeared. “You getting hitched,” Jamie said gleefully.

  Hektor tried to act big, but blushed nonetheless at his friend’s teasing. “Engaged,” he clarified vehemently.

  Jamie shrugged with a smirk. “Same thing. When’s the wedding? Who’s best man?”

  Hektor spluttered. “No, it’s not like that,” Hektor defended, hiding behind his sandwich.

  Jamie took a bite as well. “This is good!” he complimented and Hektor nodded in agreement. “So, mind telling me? It’s the talk of the town,” he pointed towards the map.

  “Still?” Hektor asked. He hadn’t visited the city for more than a week and held on to a fool’s hope that the rumor mill would have moved on from him.

  “Trust me, your popularity isn’t going away any time soon.”

  Hektor groaned.

  “It is true then?” Jamie had to make sure.

  “What did you hear?” Hektor asked, resigned to tell the tale. Again. He had expected the talk, but wasn’t eager for it.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  “You marrying Gwen Croft and becoming a count, more or less.”

  “More or less,” Hektor parroted.

  Jamie pointed accusingly with his beef half sandwich. “Spill!”

  Hektor huffed. “I will be ennobled on my birthday to become a count and engaged to Miss Croft.”

  Jamie stopped chewing and forgetfully took a big painful gulp, coughing and choking.

  Hektor fetched him a glass of water.

  Even knowing about it, Jamie was rocked to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

  “There’s got to be more to it,” Jamie hedged. “Why you of all people?” he said without any tact whatsoever.

  Hektor didn’t even register Jamie’s rudeness. “That’s what I thought!” he agreed.

  “So, what happened?”

  Hektor had planned out what and how much he could tell Jamie. He had to be careful not to reveal anything too delicate. He didn’t want to lie, but he had decided to play down things a little bit.

  Hektor trusted Jamie, but some secrets were not his to share.

  “So, essentially,” Hektor floundered, before taking a calming breath. “Essentially, this all happened because of Miss Croft,” Hektor restarted. “She is the sole heir to the Croft fortune and a bachelorette. Not to mention that she is beautiful and a prodigious wizard as well.

  “Suffice to say that she is greatly sought after.”

  Jamie nodded along, his face furrowed in focus.

  “She had a long list of suitors form across the nations, all vying for her hand. And while the Crofts didn’t want to give away their daughter, these were the kind of people you couldn’t say no to again and again,” Hektor implied.

  “Just as well, the Crofts didn’t want to pick sides. Any suitor they chose would anger the competing rivals; you see.”

  “I think so. I know that the Crofts do business outside of Ithica,” Jamie nodded along.

  “Precisely,” Hektor praised his friend. “So, if Miss Croft wed someone from Glengard, then Triton and Ithica would not be wholly pleased with Croft Enterprises in their countries. And vice-versa.”

  Jamie thought for a moment. “I can see that I suppose,” he admitted. “Where do you come in all this? I don’t get it.”

  Hektor had to be careful with what he revealed. “I was chosen because I was the best of a bad bunch.”

  “Huh?”

  Hektor put his elbows on the table. “You see, the Crofts couldn’t keep rejecting suitors, so they chose the one that was the least harmful.”

  “You?” Jamie pointed.

  Hektor nodded. “Yes. Because of my mother,” he explained. “She is regarded favorably in both Glengard and Triton.” It didn’t need to be said how adored Sabina was in her own nation of Ithica. “So any alliance with the Duchess would make the foreign nations more lenient towards the Crofts in their territories.”

  “Why not her older sons then?” Jamie blurted and immediately realized his mistake. “Hektor, I am so sorry,” he began apologizing for mentioning the taboo subject of the Reagan brothers.

  Hektor raised a placating hand. “It’s okay, Jamie. It is a fair question.”

  Jamie was momentarily stunned. Hektor looked so different just then. Matured and pragmatic to his plight, without much of the fear and panic that Jamie was expecting. Jamie didn’t know whether Hektor had surrendered or that he was valiantly standing firm against it all.

  “Reginald and Albert, both have a right to Faymoren,” Hektor explained in an emotionless tone. “They possess far too much clout that if either of them wedded Miss Croft, it would ruffle too many feathers for the foreigners.

  “I am different,” he spoke with a rueful smile. “Illegitimate, I do not have a strong claim to the Duchy. And everyone knows about my past and that I hold no political ambitions. They think little of me. But for the Duchess being my mother, I am insignificant to them.”

  “And making you a count?” Jamie dared to ask.

  Hektor shrugged. “It is a show of support from the Crown to protect me and Miss Croft from our detractors. Ennobling me sends the message that the Crown has blessed the union which prevents people from misbehaving. Furthermore, it serves to send me away from the limelight, to my county tucked away in a small corner of the nation.

  “Out of sight, out of mind.

  “Meanwhile, Miss Croft would be wed to the son of Duchess Sabina and saved from being forced to pick a bad match of a husband. She would be free to go about her life without powerful suitors hounding at her heels for fear of infringing on the Duchess’ honor.”

  “You will not be together?” Jamie asked, incredulous.

  “Not all the time,” Hektor replied, feigning that he was unsure. “Miss Croft is after all a wizard and heiress to a vast fortune. How could she continue her education in wizardry and expand her father’s business beside me in Roheim?”

  Jamie scratched his cheek. “So, this all just to protect the Croft family?”

  “Pretty much. Ithica does not want the Croft fortune falling in the wrong hands. Nor can we hoard it without starting animosities. The marriage is foremost an agreement between the Crown and the Crofts. I am just the pawn to be the groom.”

  “Chosen, or forced?”

  Hektor shrugged. “Both. The Crown has approved. I can do nothing but obey.”

  After some time, Jamie asked, “And you? How are you taking to all this?”

  Even before Hektor uttered a word, Jamie could tell that his friend was putting on a brave face.

  “I was terrified when they first told me,” Hektor admitted. “But I am better now.”

  Jamie didn’t know whether he should console his friend or have him open up and confide in him.

  “Why did you move house?” he asked instead.

  “Safety, mostly. It is also more convenient to have my lessons here.”

  “Safety?” Jamie asked, alarmed.

  Hektor chuckled. “Not what you’re thinking. I was worried about people recognizing me in the city and making a spectacle.”

  Jamie scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “So, when would be leaving for Roheim?’

  “Within a week after my birthday.”

  “Oh,” was all Jamie could say to say.

  Hektor was touched by his friend’s concern and decided to cheer Jamie up. “You know, I have good news for you.”

  When he saw that Jamie was paying attention, Hektor continued. “If you want it, mother has allowed for you to get a job in the castle.”

  Jamie’ mouth hung open. That was no small favor. Employment at the Faymoren castle, no matter the position, was amongst the most sought-after jobs in all of the Duchy.

  If you were sensible and diligent, you could be set for life. The Duchess was known to be extremely demanding, yet just as generous with her staff. Jamie knew it wouldn’t be farfetched that if he put his head down and got serious, he could easily make a decade’s worth of his current salary in just two to three years under the Duchess’ hire!

  Hektor took great pleasure in Jamie gopping like a fish and laughed.

  “Are you, are you serious?” Jamie asked hoarsely.

  Hektor nodded with a twinkle to his eyes. “I had asked mother well before to hire you. She waited only because she wasn’t sure how our friendship would fare should you work here. Sorry about that.”

  Expecting a jubilant yes, Hektor was surprised when Jamie stood up and started pacing about in small circles.

  “What is it, Jamie? I thought you would be happy.”

  Jamie stopped pacing about, though he was still twitched with nervous energy.

  “Sorry, Hektor. I am happy,” Jamie tried to sound convincing and failed badly. “It was just that, I came here hoping to ask,” his voice went quiet to a whisper at the end. He opened his mouth and closed it twice without managing to utter a word.

  “What is it, Jamie?” Hektor asked, concerned.

  Jamie grimaced. “I spent the last few days trying to think up ways to convince you to take me with you,” he finally managed to say.

  Hektor tilted his head in confusion. “Where did you want to go?”

  Jamie was sidetracked. Was Hektor being airheaded, or that he couldn’t imagine taking Jamie along with him on his adventure?

  “To Roheim, you mad lad! Where else?” Jamie pointed out.