Legacy of the Remembered

16. Alterations

Though Jeun V'Nell officially checked out of Haven's Den the other day, Xuun Zaanphirr had yet to leave the city. His current arrangement was with a bard who performed at the inn. He housed them after the census forced them out. Fohrn, as the bard was called, only cared about the payment behind the deal and asked little to no questions regarding Xuun's purpose.

As the day after the attack stretched on, and Xuun took care of his burn, his anger bristled. Sitting on a lone bed, Fohrn nowhere in sight and Meirr still missing, Xuun seethed.

Eske had been right there. Xuun had cornered the prince, had trapped him so effortlessly. Despite the surprise of the third party attack, Xuun was able to work that into his plans favorably. He had whom he sought. Or, he would have him, if not for the mage's interruption.

He was one of the Fumarian ambassadors, one of the Muhnads. Xuun could not recall their exact names, nor would he have remembered which one burned him. It mattered little. Muhnad had chased Xuun away with fire, leaving him injured and a failure.

He had been so close. Eske had been so vulnerable; it would have been so easy to take him. After all these years, the boy only seemed terrified of Xuun. He needed to take advantage of that before it was lost. Now that Eske was aware Xuun may appear, the chance of catching the former unaware and speechless fell.

That was how Xuun needed the other. For Panjuun's plans to work, they needed Eske to be subservient and submissive. They needed him easy to manipulate. It would have been preferable for Eske to grow up in Panjuun. They would have had years to mold him into a loyal citizen. Unfortunately, the boy was stolen away and taken back to Ehvera.

It was hard to make a foreign prince swear allegiance to a different kingdom. While the original plan failed, Xuun's current king had a backup plan, one that would tie Eske to Panjuun.

Xuun thought about that as he held the pocket stone over the burn wound. The faint teal light indicated that the life magic stored inside was working on mending him. Marriage. That could be the only plan left to provide Panjuun with a successful outcome.

With Eske being at the top in Ehvera, for him to find loyalty somewhere else, he would have to marry someone of higher importance. Xuun wondered if Itheir, a mere prince at the time of Eske's initial abduction, had always planned on this. Now that Itheir was king, he was the sole option to force Eske to belong to Panjuun. Itheir had never married, either.

Yes, it was probably always meant to come down to this. As a prince, Itheir had been intrigued with Eske. Itheir had almost ten years on the Ehverian prince, however, but as king, he made the rules.

On that thought, Xuun knew he needed to speak with his king. They had failed the initial attempt at recapturing Eske. Once Meirr returned to the house, they would need to seek water and connect with their king. It would be best to work together to amend the plan. If Xuun failed a second time, it would be even harder to gain another chance. Even now, he expected King Bohjin had his brother under lock and key.

First, however, Xuun needed to find Meirr. She had been absent for the entire night. Instead of being worried, Xuun was suspicious. Where had she gone? If she were apprehended by the many soldiers searching the streets, he would hate to leave her. Shapeshifting was a powerful asset; Meirr would prove useful in upcoming ventures.

Her attitude needed work. At times, Xuun worried she did not support her kingdom enough. If she were caught, would she spill their secrets? Xuun hated to think she would, but he would need to consider that when forming new plans. Perhaps he should seek an audience with King Itheir without her.