SV Fic: Of Gods and Butterflies, Chapter 11, Part One (WiP)
*Points upward* Check out the awesome banner worias made for my AU Chlark fairytale!fic, Of Gods and Butterflies!
I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update this WiP. Work is still hectic, I've been on the road for a month now (a different city each week), and I'm leaving again tomorrow on another business trip. But I did manage to complete the first part of Chapter Eleven, and I decided to post it now, so anyone who still might be following this fic knows I haven't forgotten about it. :)
Worias, if you're around, I think you'll like this part. *G* As you can see, King Leo very definitely will play a big role in this, so your banner is perfect!
Very short, rated G, and, for a change of pace, this is Gabe's POV. I hope you enjoy!! :)
Chapter Eleven A
The twinkle in his daughter’s hazel eyes was still on Gabriel’s mind as he threaded his way down the crowded palace corridor toward the courtyard and the royal kitchens to start preparations for the upcoming banquet. More than anything else, he’d missed seeing Chloe’s smile. It warmed his heart better than sunshine; even in his darkest moments, it had never failed to raise his spirits, just as it did now.
With a twinge of jealousy, he wondered if her new husband appreciated that smile as much as he did. He hoped so.
Reluctantly, he pushed aside his joy at his daughter’s return and forced himself to concentrate on his duties as Prince Alexander’s steward. This last-minute banquet was just one more headache on top of his regular tasks, and Gabriel knew from experience that the prince would be satisfied only with perfection.
Gabriel was very anxious not to incur his son-in-law’s displeasure twice in the same month. Only last week, he’d forgotten to deliver the dinner that Alexander had ordered to be prepared for his ailing father, King Leo, and had frantically persuaded the chief cook to prepare something else in the vain hope that the prince would never find out his mistake.
Shortly thereafter, Alexander was pinning Gabriel with the same look of steely disapproval that had so often struck terror in the hearts of even the most arrogant nobles. The ex-shepherd had squirmed uncomfortably and wished he were anywhere else in the kingdom but apologizing to the future father of his grandchildren. He had felt like a complete failure.
For the hundredth time, he wondered why Alexander hadn’t just sent him back to the stables, where he belonged. When His Highness had first approached him, Gabriel had pointed out that there were at least a dozen nobles with far more experience in running royal households, but the prince had insisted, softly, that he valued trustworthiness over experience.
It was hard to believe that the prince would actually want a chief steward who knew nothing about palace protocol, and less than nothing about palace politics, but there it was. Even Gabriel had known better than to argue against a royal command, and, to be honest, he’d secretly been a little flattered that Alexander had such confidence in him.
And that, Gabriel decided, must be why Alexander had seemed so annoyed with him today, when he’d foolishly brought up the sensitive subject of King Leo to Chloe. It wasn’t only that the prince disliked any public discussion of the king’s illness; he also probably hadn’t liked the reminder of Gabriel’s recent blunder. No man, Gabriel thought guiltily, liked to feel that his trust had been misplaced. He’d deserved that sharp look from Alexander, and from now on, it would be doubly important to watch his words, and his actions, much more carefully.
Especially since he was considering breaching that trust one more time. For the king’s sake.
The kingdom's least-experienced Lord Chief Steward chewed his lip thoughtfully as he began to descend the marble steps leading to the main courtyard, and mentally reviewed, for the hundredth time, how much better His Majesty had seemed the morning after he’d eaten Gabriel’s makeshift dinner last week. The king had actually looked Gabriel in the eye when he’d come in to serve him his breakfast, and when a servant lifted a cup of the honeyed mead brewed by Alexander himself to the king’s lips, Gabriel had been overjoyed to hear Leo mutter something that sounded like his son’s name.
Sadly, by the time he’d summoned Alexander’s hand-picked court physician to relay this exciting news, the king had already relapsed, and Gabriel decided he must’ve been mistaken. Still, he couldn’t help wondering if there might have been a connection between his substitute dinner and the king’s apparent recovery.
Not that he suspected Prince Alexander of any wrongdoing. That would be unthinkable. It was no secret that King Leo and his son were not on the best of terms, but that was hardly unusual between a ruler and his heir. Alexander was bright, capable, and a devoted husband to his elder daughter. Since he’d taken charge, he’d lightened the oppressive taxes on the people, and the kingdom was in better shape than anytime since the curse had fallen. Gabriel refused to believe that he could have had anything to do with Leo’s illness.
But what if the prince’s treatment, whatever it was, wasn’t as helpful as planned? What if-Gabriel hardly dared even consider the idea-what if it were doing the king more harm than good? Could the prince’s loyal steward really stand back and do nothing?
Too lost in thought to watch where he was going, he yelped in surprise as his foot stumbled over an unexpected crack in the worn steps. He scrambled frantically to regain his footing, but it was too late. The flagstones of the courtyard pavement were rising rapidly to meet him when he was gripped from behind by fingers as strong as steel.
Courtiers and commoners alike stopped and stared as his unseen helper steadied him at the foot of the stairs. Drawing a deep breath, Gabriel looked around and far, far up, into the friendly hazel eyes of the tall peasant boy he’d pointed out earlier to his daughter.
“Are you alright?”
The boy’s grin was almost as dazzling as his own daughter’s, and, like hers, it made his spirits rise. In spite of his shaky knees and his worries, Gabriel suddenly felt certain that everything would be all right.
“Thank you.” He smiled back and nodded to the boy, who released him with a small, respectful bow. Gabriel caught the intelligent sparkle in those eyes, and wondered why he’d never seen this boy at the palace before. He was sure he could never have forgotten such a good-looking, charismatic youth; everything about him seemed to glow with an inner radiance. It reminded him again, just a bit, of Chloe.
But where Chloe’s brilliance was captivating, this boy’s was almost overwhelming. Underneath his mild-mannered glance, the youth seemed to explode with limitless power, throwing off sparks like a Chinese firecracker, and Gabriel, with a surprised jolt, found himself imagining that the boy, like those airborne Oriental inventions, might take flight at any moment.
Shaking his head to clear it, the older man scolded himself for daydreaming, and turned back to the youth, intending to ask his name. But the boy was already racing up the stairs, taking them three at a time with an ease and grace that suggested that he could have moved much faster if he’d wanted to.
Gabriel stood motionless, peering after him as he disappeared through the columns at the head of the stairs on his way into the palace, and felt a strange sense of reassurance. As he continued towards the palace kitchens, there was a new spring in his step, and his doubts evaporated. He knew, now, what he had to do.
While he was planning the banquet menu, he’d also make a few adjustments to King Leo’s prescribed dinner. No one else would need to know, if he was careful. With luck, the king’s health might even improve a little, and he’d win the gratitude of a no-doubt relieved prince.
When he reached the kitchens, Gabriel was whistling.
The full version of Chapter 11 is here