Some days were longer than others and for Roland, this was one such day. It was coming to midnight and he was still working. Most of this work was attributed to all the changes that would be brought about by the changes in government and development plans Sigrid had helped him draft.
He sighed closed a document that he was reading and massaged the back of his neck.
"Perhaps you should start from there tomorrow." Rudbeck suggested.
The knight had been on his feet for two hours, watching Roland wince and twist, listening to one complaint after another and reviewing one document after another. He did not even get to eat dinner in peace because he was was working as ate.
Roland sighed again and started opening a new documents which was a petition. "If only I could. I have so much work to do that...." Not only did his voice break off but the frown on his face deepened.
"Trouble?" Rudbeck asked?
Roland nodded, cursing silently, "It is a petition from Sir Lachlan Valerius, urging me to have an heir as soon as possible now that the king’s life is hanging in the balance. He is advising me to take a secret mistress if I am worried about offending the Thorin’s."
In his words, a child--even a bastard child was good enough because it would add more strength to Roland’s claim to the throne. As the loyal family that they were, they were willing to sacrifice any woman of Roland’s choice in their family for the job.
Keeley Valerius was specifically mentioned. Roland told Rudbeck all of this. His knight was stunned and he barked out a laugh. "They want to give you Keeley Valerius as a mistress! They must be drunk on loyalty to make such an offer. Are they really crazy enough to ruin the life of one of the most promising women in their family just to prove themselves to you?"
There was a knock on the door and a voice announced from outside that Sigrid had arrived. Roland jumped to his feet, looking around like a desperate thief. The petition danced nervously in his hands.
At loss of where to hide it because his mind was scrambling, he tossed it at Rudbeck.
The knight who had sharp reflexes which he was so proud of caught it midair and tossed it into the fireplace. Rudbeck could not fathom why his heart was pounding as if he was the one about to be caught doing something wrong.
When Sigrid entered the office, she was carrying a tray of biscuits and milk. Powdered chocolate was an option on the side. She did not notice the nervousness of the two men as she set the tray down on Roland’s desk.
Her fingers and eyes immediately moved to the document that was sitting on top of others, presumably the last one that Roland had been reading through.
"I will give you both some privacy." Rudbeck slipped out of the room.
He did not want to be there if Roland fumbled and revealed that he had been handed a mistress on a silver platter.
"My love." He pulled her arm and guided her to a sofa.
"The tea." she winced.
"It can wait," he answered.
He pushed her into the chair and she sat down.
"You cannot work like a mad man Roland, a candle cannot burn at both ends or it will burn out quickly. I am pretty sure that nothing in these letters and petitions is more important than your life."
"Lord Evermore would disagree, as the head of the citizenship and immigration minister he will be beginning the census tomorrow. We need every Eldorian to have an Identification card and a passport before spring arrives. It is the only way we can root out foreigners. It is a great measure for keeping track of the strangers among us."
"Evermore is the minister! How did you choose him for that position?"
"He is as meticulous ad Lord Bailey when it comes to work and he is willing to oversee the task." He looked at her with a frown, "You were at the mage estate for the longest time of the day today. Are computers ready?"
She nodded. "Five computers and printers for each ministry for now." She answered.
Roland scoffed, "If my father had not been so set in his ways, we would have adopted some of the good policies introduced by Medoris a long time ago. Even Nemoris was adapting, Eldoria was the only kingdom on our end of the world still stuck in the old ways." He sighed, well beyond tired.
She climbed up the sofa, getting on her knees. Her hands found his temples and she started massaging them slowly. "He is a proud man your father. When he wakes up I am quite certain that he will be displeased with some of the changes that we are making."
"That is a matter of concern for when he wakes. For now, we have a short window to start shaping Eldoria in the image we have for the future." He closed his eyes as soon as he felt her magic seeping into his body. "Mmm..that feels nice."
Sigrid continued her massage, allowing Roland to soften like an overstuffed cat, safe in the arms of its owner. "My love, Is Rudbeck married?"
"Yes....why?" he opened his eyes, curiously raising a brow. "Do you want him too?"
She rolled her eyes. He was still very sour about her statement on the mage estate. "I explained it. I do not want Veylin as a man, only as a mage."
"I am a mage." he grumbled out.
"Not a shadow mage." she chimed in. "How many shadow mages have you come across?"
He raised his eyes thinking seriously about her question. "One actually, he gave me a scar on my back that vanished after we took out first fairy dew bath. He had this ability, vanishing into black smoke when attacked. It as if he could control space."
She jumped in and said, "They can create voids in space. Veylin can do it too, it is why I think that he will be a great addition to Eldoria. He has no family. He was an orphan taken in by Arcane society when he awakened. A man like that without ties can be turned and made to work for us."
"After years of being a member of that society I do not think that he is willing to shift alliances." He had seen many enemy knights and mages like that. Their loyalty to their homelands was as unwavering as Roland’s loyalty to Eldoria.
Sigrid begged to differ. "Not if I transfer him to a surface prison, near a tower with a beacon. He likes shadows so I am going to put him in a place with so much light. If he cannot be convinced with words, I will break him. If I fail....then I will surrender and send him to the gallows."