Elara blinked a few times, as if confused by the interruption. Then she smiled brightly.
"Of course, Lord Ashencroft, but the king must talk to him. Don't you think?"
The question was innocent enough, but it landed like a gauntlet thrown. The princess's hands still hadn't released Arthur's.
Tension crackled between Sauron and Elara. Arthur could practically see the calculations running behind Sauron's eyes—how to oppose royalty without appearing treasonous.
"With all due respect, Your Highness," Sauron pressed, "tradition dictates that new manifestations undergo evaluation by the Four Houses before royal audience."
"Tradition?" Elara's nose wrinkled. "But manifestations are so rare... is there really a tradition?"
Sauron's jaw tightened. "There are protocols—"
"I believe that Her Highness speaks with the authority of the crown." General Draketower interrupted.
Sauron's head snapped toward the general, annoyance flashing in his eyes.
Lucas watched the exchange with careful neutrality, though Arthur caught the slight twitch of surprise at the corner of his mouth.
'This is going better than expected,' Lucas thought. 'Elara seems to want to protect him. And Draketower is in her favor. But Thornwyck and Gilderhaven are still wild cards...'
Before Lucas could complete his assessment, Lady Seraphina Gilderhaven stepped forward. Her movements were liquid grace, her steps almost hypnotic.
"I think," she purred, her voice like honey poured over velvet, "the princess should take our handsome friend to the king."
Her serpentine eyes tracked slowly up Arthur's body, lingering just long enough to make the assessment clear.
"We have all the time to... know each other."
Her tongue flicked briefly over her bottom lip as she spoke. Her ruby-red mouth curved into a smile that would topple down empires.
Lucas stared at her in shock.
'She isn't opposing it. That's interesting...'
Sauron bristled. "Lady Gilderhaven, this is hardly—"
"I agree with Seraphina," Arch-Healer Thornwyck cut in surprisingly. "The king should be informed immediately. Event of this magnitude falls under royal jurisdiction."
Three against one. Sauron's defeat was evident in the rigid set of his shoulders.
Elara beamed, apparently oblivious to the power struggle that had just played out.
"Wonderful! Then it's settled." She finally released Arthur's hands, much to the visible relief of her guards. "Guild Master Azarel will attend court tomorrow morning."
Sauron wasn't finished. "Your Highness, at least allow us to question him about the nature of the manifestation."
"Lord Ashencroft," General Draketower interrupted, his scarred face impassive. "The princess has made her decision."
Something unspoken passed between the two men, a history Arthur couldn't decipher.
"The general is right," Elara said brightly. "Besides, I'm sure Arthur is tired after such an eventful day."
Sauron's eyes narrowed, but centuries of being at the top kept his voice level. "As you wish, Your Highness."
Elara turned to leave, then paused. "Oh! I almost forgot."
She reached into a small pouch at her waist and withdrew a scroll. With a whispered word, it glowed briefly before returning to normal.
"Your official summons to court," she explained, handing it to Arthur. "Show this to the palace guards tomorrow."
Their fingers brushed during the exchange.
Sauron watched the interaction for a second, before turning around and leaving. His body disappeared before Arthur could register his movements.
Before the royal procession finally departed, the four patriarchs had all left, but not before each gave Arthur one final look.
Inside the guild building, Arthur looked at lucas.
"Your father seemed particularly unhappy."
Lucas's expression darkened as he nodded. "He doesn't like losing control. He is what you call a control-freak."
"And Lady Gilderhaven?"
A hint of color touched Lucas's cheeks. "Seraphina plays her own game. Always has."
"She seems... forward."
"That's one word for it," Lucas muttered.
Arthur placed the scroll inside the guild's inventory.
'I no longer need to have hundreds of bags stored inside of each other. I could use the guild's infinite storage.' He thought.
"So I have a royal audience tomorrow, the attention of the Four Houses, and a guild hall that's transformed into... whatever this is now."
"You are in the same class as the princess," Lucas added. "Don't forget that complication."
The pillar of light had long since disappeared.
Before Arthur could ask more, Lucas pointed to the crystal flower.
"Keep that safe. And prepare yourself for tomorrow."
"Figure out what you want from the king," Lucas advised. "Because he'll certainly know what he wants from you."
Arthur glanced at his hand, where the black guild mark seemed to pulse with power.
Inside the royal carriage, Princess Elara maintained her cheerful smile.
The Byakko's powerful wings carried them smoothly through clouds, the city sprawling beneath them.
"Anna," she called softly.
The air shimmered beside her seat. A woman materialized as if she'd been there all along or perhaps she had been.
Dressed in form-fitting black leather armor with the royal insignia etched in silver at her collar. Long dark hair pulled into a severe braid. Eyes gray as storm clouds.
"Yes, Your Highness?" Anna's voice was low.
"I want you to go protect him."
Anna's composed expression cracked, genuine shock breaking through years of training.
"Anna." Elara's voice cut through the protest.
The bodyguard's mouth thinned into a tight line. They both knew what this meant. Anna had shadowed Elara since the princess was five years old, she was her silent guardian, her lethal protector. In seventeen years, they had never been separated for more than a few hours.
To send Anna away meant Elara would be vulnerable.
"The guild master," Anna stated rather than asked.
Elara nodded, turning to gaze out the window. "Someone will make a move against him before morning."
"Send another royal guard. I won't leave you unprotected."
"This requires your skills. I can only trust you with this mission," Elara's tone left no room for argument.
"I think I'll be safe enough in the palace for one night." She smiled.
Anna bowed her head. "Yes, Your Highness."
"Stay hidden unless absolutely necessary. He can't know you're there."
"And if someone does move against him?"
Elara's expression hardened, all traces of the bubbly student vanishing completely.
"Then you remind them why the royal family should be feared."
Anna's lips curved in a cold smile. "With pleasure."
With a shimmer of displaced air, she was gone.
Elara returned her gaze to the window, watching as they approached the palace spires.