The King's Guard

Chapter 65

Long tables stretched under banners of Veridale and Stormhaven in the banquet hall in the royal palace, their colours forced into harmony for the night. Servants glided between nobles with trays of wine, every glass catching flame from the chandeliers overhead.

Kael felt the weight of the place the moment he entered. His squad moved in behind him, close but not too close, part of the decor as much as the guards stationed at the edges.

Jared walked at the front, head high, shoulders set with pride. To anyone watching, he looked born for this hall. Kael saw the strain in his jaw.

Reyna leaned closer, whispering, “He’s walking like the room belongs to him.”

“It nearly does,” Kael murmured back.

Jared didn’t turn, but his voice reached them. “You’re both loud enough for me to hear.”

Kyna smirked. “Maybe you should stop listening then.”

Jared shot her a look, then returned his attention to the dais where the royals were already seated. The King of Veridale, stern and unmoving, sat beside the visiting Stormhaven monarch, who smiled as though every word spoken so far was a secret joke.

Velreth stood behind them, arms folded, eyes roaming the hall like a hawk in no rush to strike. When his gaze swept across the cadets, it lingered on Kael.

Kael held it, refusing to look away.

Reyna whispered again, “He’s watching you.”

“He always does.”

At their table, nobles shifted aside to make room for the Shadow Corps squad. Jared slid into his seat first, smooth as if he belonged among velvet and crystal. Reyna sat stiffly, eyes darting to exits. Kyna crossed one leg over the other, unimpressed by the finery.

Kael sat last.

The feast began with clinking cups and murmured toasts. Music spilled from a corner ensemble, violins threading between words spoken too quietly for most ears.

A Stormhaven noble raised his goblet. “To the bond of our nations, may this peace endure.”

Another voice, softer but biting, answered, “Peace or pause, it makes little difference.”

Kael caught the exchange, glancing at Reyna. She shook her head, warning him not to lean in further.

Jared lifted his cup high, speaking louder than needed. “To Veridale and Stormhaven. May we both remain unbroken.”

The nobles murmured approval.

Kyna muttered under her breath, “He loves the sound of his own voice.”

Kael almost smiled.

Velreth approached their table then, his steps deliberate, his presence too sharp for the noise to soften. He stopped behind Kael’s chair.

“You’re quiet,” Velreth said.

Kael looked up at him. “Not much to toast, sir.”

Velreth’s smile was faint, humourless. “Then listen instead. What you hear tonight will matter more than what you eat.”

He moved on before Kael could answer.

Reyna whispered, “You’ve drawn his eye again.”

“Well, I didn’t try to.”

“You never do,” she muttered.

Across the table, Jared leaned forward, voice low but clear. “You enjoy his attention, don’t you? Makes you feel important.”

Kael met his stare. “I don’t need Velreth for that.”

Jared smirked. “Careful. Someone might think you’re after his place already.”

“Someone like you?” Kael asked.

Reyna’s hand brushed Kael’s arm under the table, subtle, grounding. “Not here,” she murmured.

Conversation rose around them as platters were laid down: meats glazed with spice, fruits arranged like jewels, wines dark as blood.

Princess Alana, seated two tables away, leaned close to her brother. Kael couldn’t hear, but he saw the way her eyes flicked toward Veridale’s King whom he had learnt his name: King Elric, then Velreth.

Kyna followed his gaze. “She’s worried,” she said quietly.

“You can read that from here?” Kael asked.

“I grew up reading faces in crowded rooms,” Kyna replied. “That’s not joy. That’s fear with a smile stitched over it.”

Reyna glanced at her. “Fear of what?”

“Maybe of us,” Kyna said.

Jared scoffed. “Or maybe you’re reaching. Not everything’s a puzzle.”

Kyna didn’t answer.

King Elric rose, silencing the hall with the weight of his presence. His voice was firm, echoing under the vaulted ceiling.

“We welcome our Stormhaven guests in this time of uncertain winds. May our accord stand against those who would see us divided.”

Polite applause followed.

The Stormhaven monarch stood, smile fixed. “And may Veridale remember that Stormhaven is no enemy, but a partner. We share the same enemies, after all.”

The words settled with a quiet weight. Some nobles nodded, others stiffened.

Kael leaned toward Reyna. “Same enemies?”

“Or same plans,” she muttered.

Jared chuckled. “You two hear daggers in every toast.”

Kael shot back, “And you don’t hear enough.”

Before Jared could reply, Velreth’s voice cut across the table. He’d returned, silent until now.

“Perhaps the young Varion should listen more,” Velreth said, his gaze on Jared.

Jared stiffened. “With respect, Commander, I was raised on these words.”

“Exactly,” Velreth said. “Raised on them, not beyond them.”

The table went quiet. Jared’s smirk faltered, though he forced it back quickly.

Kael hid his own reaction behind a sip of wine.

The banquet carried on, though tension wound tighter. Nobles whispered behind fans. Servants moved more quickly, as if eager to escape unseen quarrels.

Kyna leaned closer to Kael and Reyna. “This isn’t just dinner. It’s theatre.”

Reyna nodded. “Then watch the actors. They’ll slip their lines. They didn't practice well enough.”

And they did.

A Stormhaven envoy, wine-drunk and bold, spoke too freely of “supplies crossing borders unseen.” Another muttered of “Varion debts unpaid.”

Kael listened, storing each fragment like puzzle pieces.

Reyna whispered, “You’re doing it again.”

“What?”

“Filing everything away. I can see it on your face.”

Kael almost smiled. “Better than drinking it away.”

Kyna snorted softly.

Hours passed, courses shifted, the music swelled and dimmed. Through it all, Jared grew more distant. He spoke less, drank more, his eyes fixed on nothing Kael could place.

Finally, when the hall began to thin, Reyna leaned toward Kael again. “He’s gone quiet.”

Kael followed her glance at Jared. “Too quiet.”

Kyna said softly, “He’s thinking of something. Or someone.”

“Not us,” Kael muttered.

Jared rose suddenly, chair scraping loud against stone. “I need air.” He strode toward the balcony before anyone could stop him.

Reyna frowned. “Should we follow?”

Kael shook his head. “Let him breathe. If he wants to sulk, he can do it alone.”

Velreth, from across the room, watched Jared leave, then turned his gaze back to Kael. This time, the look carried weight. Warning.

Kael sat straighter, meeting it without blinking.

Reyna whispered, “He’s measuring you again.”

“I know.”

“And?”

Kael set his goblet down. “And I don’t care.”

But his grip on the cup was tight.

The hall thinned further, nobles departing in clusters of silk and murmurs. The Stormhaven royals left with escorts thick as iron. King Elric retired last, his silence heavier than his words had been.

The cadets remained until dismissed.

Darius appeared then, emerging from shadow, face unreadable. He looked at each of them, his gaze lingering longest on Kael.

“You saw enough tonight?” he asked.

Kael answered first. “More than enough.”

Darius gave a faint nod. “Good. Remember it. These halls lie louder than battlefields.”

Then he left them with that.

Reyna broke the silence. “I hate banquets.”

Kyna exhaled. “At least the food was decent.”

Kael said nothing. His thoughts stayed on Jared’s empty seat, Velreth’s gaze, and Princess Alana’s glance toward King Elric.

Too many lines crossing. Too many knives under silk.