Taliesin woke up in a strange bed, his face pressed against a too-comfortable pillow that had worked his neck into knots while he slept. Blinking blearily, he stretched out, still half-expecting for his fingers to run into a wall or his toes to slide past the foot of the bed.
They didn’t – the bed was too big for that. Taliesin smiled faintly, taking a slow breath as he reminded himself that this was his bed, and that from now on he got to wake up to soft sheets and softer pillows and more space than he knew what to do with.
Taliesin shifted, turning himself about carefully so that his neck straightened and didn’t twinge uncomfortably anymore. He could stay in bed the whole morning if he wanted to. No one would come wake him, not after his mother had scolded Marissa for waking him up yesterday. Not that it was his sister’s fault that Taliesin’s pale skin made the perpetual shadows beneath his eyes stand out all the more so when he was first woken.
He didn’t really want to stay in bed all day, though. He could go eat breakfast with his family, and that was a treat that Taliesin didn’t think he was going to tire of anytime soon. Pushing back the covers, Taliesin climbed out of the huge, soft bed. He paused to smooth the covers back into place and to straighten the pillow, though he knew it would be much neater when he came back.
Because he had a real manservant now, and not a nurse. Taliesin tried not to smile at that, but his brothers had outgrown their nurses before they hit their teens, and Taliesin had been stuck for far longer than that. Not that Kelsey had been a bad woman, but there was only so much coddling Taliesin could take. Even if his mother had fiercely insisted it was necessary when he was sick.
Pulling open the wardrobe doors, Taliesin surveyed his clothing choices. There were so many more outfits here than there had been at the summer house, and none of them were anything Taliesin had worn before. Skipping past a dark colored jacket, Taliesin removed a light grey jacket, a crisp white shirt, and a soft pair of pants, making sure to match the styles of clothing.
It took him only a few moments to change (and he really should make Tamati help, but Taliesin liked to dress himself, now that he actually had the strength to do it). Taliesin left his bedclothes in a neat pile near the wardrobe before finding a pair of soft, indoor slippers to slide onto his feet.
He let himself out of his bedroom, into the private sitting room that buffered his room from the hallway. There was a new tray of sweets set on the table by the fireplace, a note propped next to them, and a small pile of letters next to that.
There hadn’t been a big fuss for Taliesin’s return. He was thankful for that, even if his mother was overreacting a little. He’d been sick, but he was better. Maybe not as robust as any of his brothers, but certainly up for a bit of fuss.
Still, he was glad. He’d seen the way some of the nobles – hardly any of whom he recognized any longer – fawned over his siblings. Taliesin might have been schooled in the manners befitting a prince, but he wasn’t so sure of them in practice and he didn’t want to inadvertently offend someone.
That and he really didn’t recognize most of the nobles, something that would no doubt offend some of them. Taliesin didn’t want to pick any fights when he could avoid them, so he was glad his mother was letting him settle in before announcing he’d returned from his stay at the summer house.
Taliesin ignored the letters for now. He wasn’t keeping his presence a secret, but he wasn’t advertising it. He could read the notes later and reply to them properly at the same time. Perhaps he could even rope one of his siblings into helping him. Smiling at that idea, Taliesin opened the door to the hallway, not bothering to dim his smile as he met the gaze of the morning guard.
“Good morning, Caspian,” Taliesin greeted, folding his fingers around the cuffs of his shirtsleeves. “I don’t suppose you know where my family is dining this morning?”
“The blue dining room, so far as I am aware, highness,” Caspian replied, one corner of his lips twitching up in a smile. “Your mother left orders to force you back to bed if you need more rest.”
“I’m fine,” Taliesin protested, but he couldn’t help but smile still. “The blue dining room is in the north wing, right?”
“Yes, highness,” Caspian confirmed, giving him an assessing gaze. “You seem sturdy enough to make it across the castle.”
Taliesin laughed softly, shaking his head. “I’m fine, honestly.”
“As you say, highness,” Caspian agreed, stepping away from the wall. “I will escort you, to be sure.”
“And because it’s your job,” Taliesin pointed out, shutting the door to his sitting room behind him. Caspian gave him full smile but didn’t disagree, keeping pace with Taliesin as they walked down the hallway.
~~@ @~~
“Mother will have a cat if she finds out you’re not actually resting.”
Taliesin started guiltily, leaning away from the window he was staring out. Lucas laughed, flashing him a grin.
“I won’t tell,” he promised, ruffling Taliesin’s hair playfully. Taliesin made a face, but just ran his fingers through it a few times. “What were you looking at?”
“Nothing,” Taliesin said, shrugging. “Just a garden.”
Lucas peered out the window at the garden that stretched across the grounds beneath them. “You want to go out there?”
“Um,” Taliesin hesitated. “I’m supposed to be resting?”
“If you get caught out of bed I’ll tell mother we were bonding,” Lucas promised, winking at him.
“Then yes,” Taliesin said, unable to keep from smiling. This was bonding, even if Lucas ruffled his hair too much. Taliesin might’ve been the youngest of his parent’s children, but he wasn’t young. Though the age gap was widest between Lucas and him.
“Mother wants to start training you,” Lucas told him as they headed downstairs to the first floor.
“Training me how?” Taliesin asked absently, ignoring the way Lucas skipped around him easily to lead the way down the hallway. It wasn’t like Taliesin had any idea how to get outside, not in this palace.
“Noble family lineage, alliances, feuds, that sort of thing. She wants to try you as a diplomat, since you don’t have the physical strength to help with the army and Marissa’s got the treasury under a tight hold,” Lucas explained. “All that stuff I never paid attention to in lessons.”
He grinned, and Taliesin laughed, not really surprised. Lucas had looks – he was handsome, with sun-bleached hair and the same mix of pale green and grey in his eyes that Taliesin had inherited from their father. Lucas was wonderful at diplomacy, but only because he was charming and affable and was good at playing off his miscues.
“I already know that stuff,” Taliesin said, blinking at the sunlight as Lucas opened a seemingly random door along the hallway they were traveling through. “I paid attention to my lessons.”
“Really,” Lucas drawled, holding the door for Taliesin. Taliesin rolled his eyes, but walked out before him, blinking rapidly at the bright light. “Not too long, mother’ll have a fit if I turn you red from sun.”
Taliesin winced a little in memory – the last time he’d been well enough to be out and about, he’d escaped from the summer house and spent an afternoon hiding from his nurse in the garden. He hadn’t regretted it, but he had regretted the deep, painful red he’d turned from that long in the sun without protection.
“So what about the Carmichaels, then? I know their family ties,” Lucas quizzed after a moment.
“Oh, um,” Taliesin paused to think before reciting the family tree he’d learned when he was twelve, starting from Beatrice Hartman who had married Lionel Carmichael and including the eccentric Jacob Carmichael and his eight wives. Lucas whistled as he wound down, grinning at him as they passed a bed of white flowers that Taliesin thought might’ve been tulips.
“Can you do that for any noble family?” Lucas asked, catching Taliesin’s elbow when he stumbled over a bit of uneven ground. “Here, let’s sit.”
“I’m fine,” Taliesin protested, and Lucas rolled his eyes, tugging Taliesin towards a bench beneath a flowering tree. It was covered in pale petals, and Taliesin sat reluctantly.
“Yeah, well, maybe I want to sit,” Lucas told him, snickering when Taliesin rolled his eyes in return. “But hey, seriously, how are you doing?”
Taliesin shot him a dark look. Really, he shouldn’t be annoyed with everyone for asking after his health, but it was aggravating, the way it seemed everyone was watching him for any sign of weakness.
“And I don’t just mean are you feeling okay,” Lucas cut him off when Taliesin opened his mouth to snap that he was fine, thank you. “But how are you settling in? Your room’s warm enough, the bed’s comfortable enough, you’re able to find things okay?”
“Oh,” Taliesin said, blinking. Shifting, he pulled his legs up on the bench and sat cross-legged, twitching his nose thoughtfully. “I keep getting lost, but I’ll figure that out eventually. Otherwise, good? I like spending time with all of you.” Taliesin blushed a little for admitting that out loud, but Lucas just grinned.
“Yeah, everyone gets lost their first few weeks here,” Lucas said, eyeing him with a faint air of disbelief. “I can’t believe you can sit like that comfortably.”
“I’m smaller than you are,” Taliesin informed him solemnly, like it was a big secret. “And surprisingly bendy.”
Lucas snickered, shaking his head. “Some things I don’t want to know, Tal.”
“What?” Taliesin blinked, staring at Lucas for a moment before it clicked. His eyes widened and he blushed, shaking his head quickly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Lucas just laughed, his gaze trailing across the garden to where a pair of ladies were strolling along the path, their light-colored, gauzy dresses trailing behind them.
“Oh, um, Lady Teresa and…” Taliesin frowned, trying to remember the other woman’s name. He didn’t think they were related – he vaguely remembered Teresa’s sister Victoria from one of the few court dinners he’d attended since his arrival.
“Lady Isabelle,” Lucas supplied, his tone oddly soft. Taliesin turned his head, smothering a smile at the look on Lucas’s face.
“Lady Isabelle…Deluthe?” Taliesin guessed. The only other noble family with a living Isabelle was the Carmichaels, but she was supposed to be past child-bearing years. This Isabelle was younger, possibly even Taliesin’s age.
“You know the noble families, but you don’t know them by face?” Lucas asked, tearing his gaze away from the women as they took a turn in the garden. “Though, I guess that makes sense.”
Taliesin shrugged, smiling a little. “If you want to go talk to her, you can.”
“Nope, bonding with my baby brother,” Lucas denied immediately, though his gaze strayed back down the path Isabelle and Teresa had taken.
“I don’t mind,” Taliesin said, poking Lucas in the shoulder. “You can bond with me later, if you like. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Still have to make up for lost time. That and mother’ll kill me if I leave you out here in the wild to chase after a woman,” Lucas told him, grinning. “You’re in for a rough period of coddling.”
“It does seem that way,” Taliesin said, sighing. “I’m not going to break.”
“It’s all those letters your nurse wrote, claiming you were near-death,” Lucas told him solemnly. “She thinks you’re going to relapse unexpectedly and not recover.”
“I wasn’t that sick,” Taliesin protested, curling his fingers around the edges of the bench seat. “Most of the time, anyway.”
Lucas laughed, shaking his head. “Right. Are you attending dinner tonight?”
“I don’t know.” Taliesin shrugged, blinking as one of the flowers above his head rained a few petals down to his lap. “Depends how I feel later.”
“We’ll probably have to do a formal announcement in the next few days,” Lucas told him, stretching his legs out in front of him. “I’ve already had a few questions about who you are and why you’re so close to the family even though you just got here.”
“Huh,” Taliesin murmured, fidgeting with the flower petals. He supposed that made sense – though no one had bothered to ask him who he was.
“You’ll get really popular once people know,” Lucas warned him. “But you can brush people off if you want.”
“Okay,” Taliesin accepted, though he probably wouldn’t. If he was really being groomed for diplomacy, he couldn’t just ignore people. He could work on his diplomacy in brushing people off, though.
“Mother will be happy one of us paid attention in our lessons. She’ll probably get you started on learning names to faces, since you’ve already got the family trees down,” Lucas said, making a face as a few petals drifted down to land on his shirt.
“Mmhmm,” Taliesin agreed absently, letting his gaze drift across the garden. Plants were not one of the things he’d studied at the summer palace, but he had a sudden urge to find a book on the topic. There were a lot of flowers he didn’t recognize in the garden, including the one raining petals on him and Lucas.
“You’re not falling asleep, are you?” Lucas accused, shifting towards him a little. Taliesin shook his head, dropping the petal he held in Lucas’s lap.
“This garden is quiet,” Taliesin observed, fidgeting with another petal. “The one beneath the library is always full of people.”
“This one’s smaller and out of the way, but too open for trysts, so fewer people come here,” Lucas offered as an explanation.
“I like it,” Taliesin declared, collecting a small handful of flower petals off the bench beside him. He casually sprinkled them in Lucas’s lap, flicking the last few up to land on his shirt.
“Brat,” Lucas muttered, brushing his clothing off. “Come on, I should get to sparring practice.”
“Can I come?” Taliesin asked, unfolding himself quickly. “I’ll be good and just watch.”
“Sure,” Lucas agreed easily. “Just don’t tell mother I said that.”
Taliesin laughed, climbing to his feet. “I’ll tell her you said no, but I followed anyway.”
Lucas laughed, tugging him into a quick half-hug with an arm around his shoulders. “I knew I liked you. Come on, you can watch me beat Richard and Nicholas into the ground.”
Taliesin laughed, not bothering to point out that Richard and Nicholas were in charge of the royal army for a reason, and it wasn’t because they were the king’s sons.
~~@ @~~
It was early fall, so the weather wasn’t yet cool enough to force the sparring practice inside. Taliesin was just as happy to stay outside, even if Lucas put up a bit of a teasing fuss about keeping him outside for too long where he could succumb to the inclement conditions at any moment.
Taliesin hadn’t smacked him, but it had been a near thing. Now he was settled with a crowd of onlookers, half of whom were dressed sharply, with an eye to the current fashions and half of whom looked like they belonged in the servants’ quarters.
Taliesin was keeping to himself, not meeting anyone’s eyes so he wouldn’t have to strike up any conversations. Instead, he watched his brothers outfit themselves, Richard and Nicholas snapping orders to the palace guards lazily stretching their muscles in the center of the wide, dirt sparring ring.
Then the practice actually started, and Taliesin couldn’t keep from grinning at the sharp comments Richard and Nicholas called out to the group of fighting guards. Lucas was still warming up, carefully stretching out muscles, and Taliesin wondered briefly if he could convince Richard or Nicholas to show him the basics. He probably didn’t have the strength to lift a sword though, let alone do the basic sparring exercises with it.
“Good afternoon, my lord,” a soft, pretty voice spoke up from his right. Taliesin blinked, a little startled about being addressed, but he turned anyway.
“Good afternoon, lady,” Taliesin greeted, bending slightly at the middle towards the Lady Isabelle Deluthe. She smiled slightly, coolly, and Taliesin wondered if he’d done something wrong – but he’d only seen her once or twice at dinners before seeing her earlier in the gardens, so maybe that was just how she was.
“I am afraid, my lord, that I have not had the pleasure of making your acquaintance yet,” she said smoothly, and Taliesin smiled faintly, glancing back to the sparring field when he heard Lucas yell something loudly and incomprehensibly. He and Richard were fighting, now, and Taliesin wondered when that had started.
“Nor I, yours,” Taliesin replied automatically, returning his attention to Isabelle. He probably shouldn’t mess this up, not if Lucas had taken a liking to her. “Though Lucas has spoken well of you, Lady Isabelle.”
Isabelle looked faintly startled at that, her gaze slipping away from Taliesin to the field where Richard and Lucas were still fighting fiercely.
“Did he really?” She asked softly, and Taliesin smothered a smile. The Deluthe family was a good match, politically, at least. Taliesin was relatively sure that there were no suitable princesses from the bordering countries that would make a better wife. Lucas would be engaged already if that were the case.
“He did,” Taliesin confirmed, drawing her attention again. She smiled at him, suddenly warmer and Taliesin smiled back.
“Oh!” Isabelle exclaimed, one hand going to her mouth. “You’re related, aren’t you?”
“Yes?” Taliesin asked, a little startled by the question. Surely she’d known that? “Lucas is my brother. I’m Prince Taliesin.”
“Oh,” Isabelle said faintly. “A pleasure to meet you, highness.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Taliesin said firmly, bowing slightly again. “As I said, Lucas has spoken well of you.” That was stretching the truth slightly, but if Lucas objected then Taliesin would point out how longingly he’d been staring in the gardens and the other evening at dinner.
Isabelle colored a little, turning to watch the sparring again. Taliesin smiled a little, making a note to badger Lucas into asking Isabelle on a ride or a walk in the gardens or something. If he didn’t already have such plans.
Taliesin made his excuses from Isabelle’s company after a short while, not really as interested in the sparring as the other spectators seemed to be. He slipped off without Lucas, Richard, or Nicholas acknowledging it, tired but not wanting to go back inside quite yet.
He really should rest if he was going to make it to dinner this evening. Taliesin sighed, combing his fingers through his hair to straighten the tangle the wind had worked it into. Caspian followed behind him, quiet as he had been since Lucas had found him in the hallway upstairs.
He’d go back in, but not to his rooms. He liked them well enough, but there was no reason to spend as much time in them as he had in his rooms at the summer house. He’d go to the library instead, since he hadn’t finished exploring the rows of books yet.
Taliesin smiled faintly, debating whether to continue the exploration of the library – he’d only barely finished looking around the first floor the last time he’d been – or whether to just find one of the interesting books and settle in front of the fire.
It took him until he reached the library to decide to read, and to pick the book. There had been an interesting looking book on the history of the palace tucked towards the end of one shelf that Taliesin wanted to get his hands on.
The royal library was open to the city’s university, so Taliesin wasn’t too surprised to find a dozen scholars settled in for the afternoon. One even had a pot of tea and an extensive selection of crackers to go with it. There were two nobles too, by their dress, but Taliesin didn’t recognize either of them. He skirted the edges of the library shelves, not interested in getting caught in another round of small talk.
It didn’t take him long to find the book he was looking for, and Taliesin retreated to the upper level of the library, taking the stairs slowly and forcing himself to not open the book and start reading.
The second floor was emptier – only two scholars settled at one of the round tables set up in the center of the room. Taliesin made his way to the soft, comfortable reading chairs placed in pairs along the far wall, settling in with a smile because even though he’d had his pick of the library at the summer house, he didn’t often get to do much reading outside his bed.
Carefully opening the book, Taliesin tipped the book up at a slight angle and began to read.
He wasn’t sure how much later it was when he heard someone else take a seat in the adjoining chair. Taliesin blinked, but didn’t look up until he turned the page.
The young man sitting in the chair was one of the nobles from the first level of the library. He was handsome and well-dressed, but Taliesin had no idea who he was. Taliesin gave him a faint smile, smoothing out the pages of his book.
“Quite impressive isn’t it?” The nobleman asked, gesturing to the bookshelves opposite them. “I’ve never seen so many books in one place before.”
“It’s the largest in the country,” Taliesin acknowledged, shifting slightly as the man’s gaze met his. He had bright, pale blue eyes, Taliesin noted before looking away, to where Caspian was watching them with sharp eyes.
“You’ve got most of the palace quite curious about you,” the man said, and Taliesin sighed, because really, of course that was why he’d garnered the man’s attention. It wasn’t like Taliesin was eye-catching enough to warrant attention otherwise. “Especially insomuch as you require a guard.”
“I don’t require him,” Taliesin refuted immediately. He’d do just fine without a guard, unless he needed to defend himself. And then he was always a fan of running or, alternately, hiding.
“Mmhmm.” The nobleman shifted, leaning towards Taliesin. “Can I have your name, fair sir?”
“Only if you give me yours,” Taliesin bartered immediately. The man laughed softly, reaching out and carefully brushing a lock of Taliesin’s hair off his forehead. Taliesin blinked, a little startled, but he didn’t move away from the touch.
“It would be my pleasure. I am Lord Vincent Thedor of the Forsyth province,” Vincent introduced himself, inclining his head elegantly. He stared at Taliesin expectantly, his hand resting on the armrest to Taliesin’s chair.
“Prince Taliesin Montgomery,” Taliesin admitted, amused when Vincent’s eyes widened slightly. So he hadn’t known or he was a good actor.
“That certainly explains your guard, highness,” Vincent pointed out with an easy smile. Taliesin shrugged, glancing at Caspian. Caspian was staring at Vincent intently, like he expected Vincent to do something worthy of Caspian lodging a blade in his chest. “You haven’t enjoyed a stay at the palace for quite some time, have you?”
“Not for nearly ten years,” Taliesin answered dryly, earning a soft laugh. Taliesin smiled faintly, wondering why it was Vincent had sought him out.
“If you will forgive my impertinence, highness, you look quite healthy for being on your deathbed,” Vincent informed him, smiling as he studied Taliesin with interest.
Vincent was flirting. Taliesin briefly, uncharitably, wondered if it was because he was a prince… but surely Vincent could work his charms on one of Taliesin’s siblings more easily.
“Oh, um,” Taliesin managed, stalling for time but failing to come up with a good reply to that. Vincent laughed softly, sliding imperceptibly closer to Taliesin.
“Have you been to the observatory yet?” Vincent asked, still smiling. His eyes really were a dazzling color, Taliesin noted.
Not really trusting himself to say something intelligent, Taliesin just shook his head. He hadn’t even been aware there was an observatory in the palace, though it made sense. His grandparents had been quite devoted to the pursuit of knowledge – they’d founded the city’s university and built the library for that reason.
“I’ve only really seen the gardens and the library,” Taliesin admitted, carefully shutting his book because it seemed Vincent wasn’t leaving him be anytime soon. Not that Taliesin minded too much.
“It is one of the more breathtaking features of the palace,” Vincent informed him, tilting his head playfully. “Though I am finding myself quite short of breath now.”
Taliesin laughed, unable to smother it in time. “Oh, I’m sorry,” Taliesin said quickly, but ruined the apology by letting another laugh slip out. Vincent didn’t seem to take offense, smiling wryly.
“I admit, that wasn’t one of my better lines,” Vincent said, shaking his head. “Still, your laughter wounds me, highness, as lovely as it is.”
Taliesin clapped a hand over his mouth to smother another laugh, hiding his smile behind his hand.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude,” Taliesin said through his fingers.
“Come with me to the observatory,” Vincent proposed, reaching out and clasping Taliesin’s free hand lightly. Taliesin blinked, startled again.
“What, now?” Taliesin asked, glancing out the nearby library window. His eyes landed on Caspian again, but Caspian was still watching Vincent intently.
“This evening. If the weather holds, there should be quite the view of the moon,” Vincent said, squeezing his fingers gently.
“I don’t –” Taliesin began, frowning a little. He wanted to – it sounded lovely; he’d always liked watching the night sky – but he probably shouldn’t be taxing himself quite so much. Staying awake that long… but wasn’t he here so he could do such things? To be flirted with, to see the stars, to stay up too late, and sleep far into the next morning? And if he rested this evening instead of going to dinner…
“Alright,” Taliesin agreed after a moment. Vincent brightened, and Taliesin couldn’t help but smile. “What time would be best? I confess I don’t know much about when the moon rises.”
“Would eleven be too late?” Vincent asked, not relinquishing his hand.
“I’m amenable to that,” Taliesin agreed easily, not looking at Caspian. It wasn’t Caspian’s job to dictate where he went and when, though, just to make sure he was protected as he did it. “Though I’m afraid I don’t know how to find the observatory.”
“Shall we meet here beforehand then? Say, ten-thirty?” Vincent suggested easily, and Taliesin tried not to feel too excited.
“I do know my way here,” Taliesin said thoughtfully. “And I don’t believe I have any pressing engagements at ten-thirty either.”
Vincent laughed softly, bringing Taliesin’s hand to his lips. Brushing a kiss against the back of it, he finally released it, standing. “I look forward to it. A pleasure to finally meet you, Prince Taliesin.”
“And you, Lord Vincent,” Taliesin replied with a smile, letting his hand fall back to his lap. Vincent bowed quickly, giving Taliesin one last smile before disappearing back down to the first level of the library.
Taliesin waited ten seconds, decidedly not looking at Caspian, before cracking his book open again. He found the page he was on quickly, and if it took him a few minutes to start reading again, well, it wasn’t like anyone was going to call him on it.
~~@ @~~
Taliesin sighed, frowning at the walls to his bedroom. He couldn’t settle, too distracted by thoughts of the impending meeting with Vincent. He’d tried reading, but he couldn’t even focus on the interesting book he’d borrowed from the library (with permission of the head librarian, who had looked suspicious even after Taliesin had mentioned his part in the royal family).
He should really try again – maybe have some tea before lying down, but Taliesin didn’t really want to rest. Pacing across the room to the window, he pushed back the curtain. His bedroom overlooked the royal gardens, the plans for which his mother had tweaked extensively during his lifetime. Not that Taliesin had been around for most of the changes.
There were quite a few people out still, even though it was nearly time for the court dinner to start. Taliesin weighed his options. He could go to dinner, if he dressed quickly enough. He could order tea and try to rest again, like he promised his mother he would do earlier. Or he could go exploring again.
Taliesin smiled, letting the curtain fall back into place. He’d go to the garden Lucas had brought him to earlier. They hadn’t gotten very far in their explorations, once Lucas had decided to sit instead of walk. Though that reminded him, he needed to look for a book on plants the next time he went to the library.
Well, the next time after tonight, since he didn’t think Vincent wanted to meet him in the library so he could look at books.
Taliesin walked to his wardrobe, opening the doors and finding a light jacket. No sense in giving himself a chill, even if it was technically summer. Pulling it on, Taliesin wondered briefly how much of his movements were reported to his parents. Surely they knew some of what he was doing… just hopefully not the important parts. Taliesin smiled wryly, because they probably already knew about the late-night meeting with Vincent.
Taliesin smoothed down the fabric of his jacket as he made his way out of his bedroom and into his sitting room. He probably should play it safe and see what the gossip about Vincent was. If he had a predilection for preying on the newly arrived nobles and that sort of thing. Vincent was nice, and he flirted well, but Taliesin wasn’t completely stupid.
He could go ask now… but most of his siblings would be at dinner, and Taliesin had already decided to skip that. He wasn’t going to show up late and get even more attention for that.
So he’d go to the garden. That would keep him busy until it was time to meet Vincent. Crossing the sitting room quickly, he pulled open the door to the hallway and smiled sheepishly at Caspian, who merely raised his eyebrows.
“I’m bored and going to the garden,” Taliesin informed him loftily, but he ruined it by smiling wider as he shut the door to the sitting room behind him. Caspian bowed slightly, looking amused.
“As you say, highness,” he said, gesturing for Taliesin to precede him down the hallway. Taliesin did, wondering if he should try to give Caspian the slip for tonight’s meeting with Vincent. Surely that was the “proper” thing to do, for such a meeting, but Taliesin wasn’t sure he was comfortable enough to leave Caspian guarding an empty room.
“Caspian,” Taliesin began hesitantly, slowing his walk and turning his head to find Caspian following a few paces behind him. Caspian caught up with a few quick strides, his face calm and implacable. Taliesin took a steadying breath, blushing faintly because he really was about to ask Caspian about this, wasn’t he?
“Yes, highness?” Caspian prompted when Taliesin didn’t immediately speak up.
“Lord Vincent – the man who was speaking with me in the library – what do you know about him?” Taliesin asked. It wasn’t exactly what he’d planned on asking, but it was a good question nonetheless.
“I’m sorry highness, I don’t know much,” Caspian began, looking thoughtful. “He’s been at court, representing his family for a few years now. I think he might have briefly gained the favor of one of your brothers – Prince Daniel, if I recall correctly.”
“Oh,” Taliesin said, startled. He hadn’t thought of that possibility. He should definitely try to speak with Daniel then, before things got too far with Vincent. “He asked me to the observatory this evening.”
Caspian laughed softly. “Highness, the observatory is an infamous place for romantic rendezvous.”
“I thought it might be,” Taliesin admitted, blushing faintly. “You’ll be following me, yes?”
“Everywhere,” Caspian replied promptly, setting a reassuring hand on Taliesin’s shoulder. “Though I can keep more of a distance between us this evening if you prefer.”
Taliesin shook his head, giving Caspian a shy smile. “If you’re hovering, it might curtail any liberties he tries to take.”
“If you’ll forgive my impertinence, highness, why are you going if you don’t want him to take liberties?” Caspian asked gravely as they slowly made their way down deserted staircase to the first floor.
“Because I don’t know yet if I do,” Taliesin answered slowly. “Because he seems nice, and if he is, that will be wonderful, but I don’t want to just blindly trust his motives are what he says they are. Especially without asking Daniel or someone else about him. But he does seem nice.”
Caspian nodded slowly, looking thoughtful. “If he gets grabby, I’ll break you two up.”
Taliesin laughed, his cheeks heating again. “Thank you, Caspian.”
~~@ @~~
The garden was quieter than it had been earlier. Taliesin walked slowly, making a note of the more curious plants, even as he wondered who was in charge of planning for the gardens. He knew his mother had a heavy hand in the royal gardens, but there were lots of smaller gardens like this one that didn’t show signs of her meddling.
There were no roses for one. Taliesin liked roses, but his mother loved them. This garden didn’t seem to have any rosebushes. It had some lovely tulip beds, but the rest of the flowers were outside the knowledge of plants that Taliesin had. Which, admittedly wasn’t much.
Taliesin liked the garden though, half because it was so quiet but half because of the plants. Taliesin glanced behind him at the one giant tree in the garden. It was large, leafy, and green, with the vines of a beautifully flowering plant twisting around its trunk and limbs.
Taliesin kept walking slowly, stretching his shoulders and smothering a yawn – Caspian wouldn’t make him go back to his rooms, but he didn’t want to make him worried that Taliesin was trying to overdo it. The sun was low in the sky, but not quite setting yet, and Taliesin decided that he probably should go back to his room and rest for a bit, especially if he was going to be meeting Vincent later.
Turning back to Caspian to let him know, Taliesin didn’t get more than a chance to open his mouth before he ran into someone – or rather, someone ran into him. Taliesin tried valiantly to keep his balance, but didn’t manage it, falling to the packed-dirt path with a soft curse.
The person he’d run into wasn’t so quiet – he cursed rapidly and fluently in a language that Taliesin didn’t recognize, moving quickly to pick up the scattered gardening utensils that had spilled across the path. Taliesin blinked, working to make sense of the gardener – he had the darkest skin Taliesin had ever seen, a rich brown that made the dirt seem like it was pale and unhealthy in comparison.
“Apologies, my lord,” the gardener apologized tightly, not looking too happy about it. Taliesin shook his head quickly, letting Caspian help him up. The gardener stood as well, and Taliesin noted with fascination that the gardener was taller than he was.
“It’s my fault, don’t worry about it,” Taliesin dismissed quickly, confused when Caspian smothered a smile at him.
“You’re not hurt?” Caspian asked as Taliesin brushed his clothes off distractedly.
“No,” Taliesin murmured, wondering what his mother would say when she saw the dirty clothes. Probably she’d pitch a fit about Taliesin getting into things he didn’t have the strength for.
The gardener was watching him warily, likely waiting to be dismissed. Taliesin opened his mouth to do that, but instead asked, “I don’t suppose you could tell me more about the plants in this garden, could you?”
The gardener stared at him, obviously taken by surprise. Taliesin blushed a little, but didn’t retract his question.
“I could,” the gardener said slowly, not looking thrilled by the idea. Taliesin smoothed down the front of his shirt, trying not to fidget too much under the man’s flat, unimpressed gaze. Caspian discretely gave them some space, stepping away unobtrusively.
“You probably have duties to attend, though,” Taliesin murmured, a little disappointed. He wasn’t going to make the gardener tell him anything. He could find a book just as easily.
“A few, my lord,” the gardener admitted, still obviously unenamored of Taliesin.
“My apologies, then, for disturbing you,” Taliesin said softly, a little disappointed. The gardener didn’t say anything, just bowed slightly and waited for Taliesin to walk away before resuming his trip across the garden. Taliesin sighed, making a face.
“I think I should go back to my rooms,” Taliesin told Caspian, sagging a little. Caspian just nodded, his eyes lingering on the gardener for a long moment before he focused on Taliesin.
“Very well, highness,” Caspian agreed, following Taliesin as he made his way out of the gardens.
~~@ @~~
The library was dimly lit when Taliesin arrived. Vincent was already waiting, idly studying a bookshelf. He was dressed neatly, in dark clothing that contoured to his every curve. Taliesin barely suppressed the urge to straighten his hair. Caspian was hovering in the darkness behind him, dressed in colors as dark as Vincent’s to help him blend in.
Taliesin had picked lighter colors – he didn’t like dark clothing, it made him look sicklier than he usually was. He was still tired, too, which wasn’t fair. He’d had a healthy nap once he returned from the gardens, but his body was too used to resting at this hour.
“Good evening, Prince Taliesin,” Vincent greeted when he caught sight of Taliesin lingering by the doorway. He bowed elaborately, smiling widely. He gave Taliesin a rather thorough look, combing his eyes along Taliesin’s body in a way that made Taliesin blush and almost squirm.
“Call me by name, please,” Taliesin requested, stepping into the library and leaving Caspian to loiter by the doorway. Vincent’s eyes slipped past him to Caspian, but he didn’t say anything.
“As you wish, Taliesin.” Vincent said his name slowly, like he was savoring it. “Do you know much about astronomy?”
“Not a lot,” Taliesin admitted, smiling as he crossed the library to where Vincent was standing. “Enough to be interesting in the observatory.”
Vincent laughed softly, offering his hand once Taliesin got close enough. Taliesin took it, a little surprised to find Vincent was wearing soft, velvet gloves and wondering briefly if the observatory was very cold.
“I would hope you were displaying an interest in more than astronomy when you agreed to accompany me to the observatory, Taliesin,” Vincent said softly, squeezing his fingers gently.
“Perhaps,” Taliesin replied with a smile, tilting his head to meet Vincent’s gaze squarely. “But perhaps I have an honest interest in seeing the stars.”
Vincent laughed again, bringing Taliesin’s hand to his lips to brush a kiss across the back of it. “Shall we, then?”
“Of course,” Taliesin agreed, letting Vincent pull him from the room.
~~@ @~~
The observatory was at the top of the north tower, a wide, tall room paneled with glass and outfitted with a number of devices that were used for studying the stars. Taliesin recognized a number of them, but didn’t have any idea how to work any of them. Vincent laughed when he confessed as much, tucking Taliesin’s fingers closer to his.
The room was a little chilly, which Taliesin noted but chose to ignore. It was a relatively large room, circled with a balcony, and Taliesin immediately headed for the door outside. Vincent followed without protest, and Taliesin caught a glimpse of Caspian slipping into the tower after them.
“You should be dressed warmer, Taliesin,” Vincent said as Taliesin tentatively leaned against the balcony’s railing. It didn’t budge beneath his weight, so he leaned more steadily on it, ignoring the chill that burned into his arms from the metal.
“It’s okay,” Taliesin dismissed, smiling when Vincent simply wrapped an arm around his waist and didn’t press it further. “The view is lovely.” The stars were bright, half-occluded by wispy grey clouds that stretched across the sky.
“It is,” Vincent agreed, shifting closer. Taliesin could feel his warmth all along his back, and thought briefly the chill wouldn’t affect him with Vincent so close. “May I ask, highness, why you brought your guard?”
Taliesin twisted a little in Vincent’s grip, turning to meet his eyes. “My name is Taliesin,” he chided softly, smiling a little. “But Caspian will stop you if you get too grabby.”
Vincent laughed, looking rueful. “Do you have that little faith in my intentions, Taliesin?”
Taliesin smiled widely, leaning against the railing. “You’re the one who invited me to the observatory within five minutes of introducing yourself to me.”
“Point,” Vincent conceded, running his velvet-gloved fingers along Taliesin’s jaw. “You are quite bewitching, Taliesin.”
“Better than the breathtaking line,” Taliesin teased lightly, wondering how much of this Caspian would allow before he stepped in. Vincent laughed softly, sliding a few inches closer. His hand trailed along Taliesin’s neck, and Taliesin barely had time to realize what was happening before Vincent was kissing him.
It was a sweet kiss, soft and quick, and Vincent pulled back after barely a second. “What does your guard consider too grabby, Taliesin?”
“I’m not sure,” Taliesin murmured, carefully licking his lips. They tasted of Vincent, who was watching his lips quite intently. “Why don’t you try what you have in mind?”
“If you insist,” Vincent agreed pleasantly, ducking his head slightly to draw Taliesin into another slow, sweet kiss. Taliesin could feel his face heat, but that was a secondary concern to the way Vincent was kissing him. Taliesin unhooked his fingers from the railing and carefully wound his arms around Vincent’s neck.
He wasn’t sure how long they stayed there, just kissing, before they were interrupted by a pair of giggling voices climbing the stairs. Vincent pulled away with a grimace, not looking pleased at all about the interruption. Taliesin just laughed softly, a little breathless but also more than a little thrilled and happy.
“What now?” Taliesin whispered, tilting to see around Vincent. Two nobles – no, one noble and what looked like a rather tipsy maid – were standing in the center of the observatory. Granted, they looked involved enough with each other, and Taliesin blushed because the maid appeared quite eager to divest the nobleman of his clothing.
“Free show?” Vincent replied just as quietly, his hands not moving from their light grip on Taliesin’s waist. Taliesin giggled, biting his lip to stifle the noise. The pair inside the observatory didn’t notice – Taliesin doubted they’d notice if he and Vincent made a break for it, even though they had to go through the room to get to the door out.
“That’s really crass,” Taliesin informed him with as much of a straight face as he could manage. It wasn’t much, but Vincent laughed softly, taking a quick kiss before pulling away, his hands sliding from Taliesin reluctantly.
“I should return you to your keeper, Taliesin,” Vincent said, looking quite put out. Taliesin straightened his shirt carefully, ducking his head slightly to focus on the folds of the fabric.
“I don’t have a keeper,” Taliesin replied softly. “Would you like to meet again?”
“Nothing would make me happier,” Vincent told him with a bow, his lips twisting in amusement as one of the pair inside the observatory moaned loudly. Taliesin clapped a hand over his mouth, refusing to laugh at them. “Unless you could be convinced to leave your guard further away.”
“We’ll see,” Taliesin hedged, stepping closer and pressing a kiss to Vincent’s cheek. “Thank you for showing me the observatory.”
“My pleasure,” Vincent replied, briefly touching the fingers of one hand to Taliesin’s cheeks. “Until we meet again.”
“Good night,” Taliesin replied, stepping away and searching out Caspian. They slipped through the observatory unnoticed by the other occupants – they were half-hidden behind a rack of star-mapping equipment, Taliesin noted – and out into the hallway below the tower.
Caspian waited until they reached Taliesin’s rooms to say anything, following Taliesin into the sitting room and shutting the door behind him.
“Is this a good idea, highness?” Caspian asked, sounding respectful but wary. Taliesin shrugged, unable to keep the smile off his face. He’d made out with someone in the observatory, and Vincent was nice.
“I don’t know,” Taliesin admitted after a moment, shedding the light jacket he’d worn. He was a little cold, but crawling into bed and staying there for the night would help with that. “I’m going to talk to Daniel about it tomorrow, see what he has to say.”
A corner of Caspian’s lips twitched up. “That sounds like a good idea to me, highness.”
“Thank you, Caspian,” Taliesin said solemnly. “I know it’s part of your duties, but thank you for watching out for me tonight.”
“You’re welcome, highness,” Caspian sounded rather amused. “Go to bed before you collapse.”
“I’m not going to collapse,” Taliesin objected automatically, like he did when anyone said that. He’d collapsed enough in his lifetime to know when it was… if not imminent, when it was likely. He was just tired.
“A figure of speech,” Caspian said mildly. “Shall I fetch your manservant?”
“Oh, no, don’t bother him,” Taliesin dismissed the idea lightly. “I’ll manage by myself. Goodnight, Caspian.”
“Goodnight, prince,” Caspian replied as Taliesin made his way into his bedroom. Caspian would sleep in the sitting room as he usually did, and wake up long before Taliesin did. Taliesin carefully peeled off his clothing, dropping it almost neatly near the wardrobe. He pulled on his nightclothes slowly, wondering tiredly when the last time he’d been up this late was. Deciding it didn’t matter, Taliesin crawled between the covers on his too-large bed and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
