Alyssa was a gentle horse, trotting gracefully along the road, taking him from one place to another and receiving carrots from time to time. Each time he had to deliver a letter, he would be stopped before having to give the Rheins to a guard. From then on, he would enter and pass the letter to an official, who then gave it to the person it was meant for. It took some time, as there would be letters he would have to return to the Marshal. The good thing was that the guards were easy to get along with, giving him food and water while also petting Alyssa.
Whenever someone saw his attire and the Veil of Service, there was a certain amount of respect. His robes signified that he was the personal Page of the Imperial Marshal; while the Veil was not mandatory, it was used in cases when an official wanted to hide the identity of their Page for various reasons.
In the end, all that was left were two golden letters, personally meant for the Emperor, causing Valtherion some worry. The inner palace... Things were far different there.
It took him twenty minutes to arrive at the checkpoint, and soon he was escorted by two guards on horseback, before they had to dismount. Valtherion was checked on multiple occasions; however, the guards did not make it hard for him, as they'd pat him and say
'It's just the procedure, lad'
It was quite the opener, at least, as the inner palace was gorgeous in every sense, even if heavily guarded at every corner and high point. Finally, he reached the Palace; however, he did not enter as he was told to wait.
Soon, a man in a white robe came and told him to follow. Surprisingly, Valtherion was not led towards the Palace, but rather towards a man-made path through what seemed to be a forest. The guards here were far fewer, but each of them was the same as Luther's personal guards.
"Is it your first day, Page?" the man in white spoke as he looked at Valtherion, smiling amusingly.
"Yes, sir! Have I made a mistake, sir?" Valtherion felt his heartbeat race as the man looked at him this way. There was no way to know who was who in the Palace; every single person was of high status. He had made sure that his etiquette was in check, just as his mother had taught him, yet he had no clue if there was something he had missed. Maybe the palace had its special etiquette system?
"Not at all, young man, not at all." A reply came from the man, as he smiled even more, causing Val to feel like something was wrong.
The guards escorting them let out a low chuckle before one of them whispered in his ear, "This is the Emperor's Right Hand, Leeroy Jenkins. He expected that you would know him!"
A realisation hit him, and he realised why the man in white robes was so amused. Honestly, he knew his name, but he had never seen the man; thus, he had not greeted him properly. On his way here, he had seen that there were also other Pages, just like him, from different departments; however, he had been given the privilege of skipping the queue. Most likely, military matters were of priority, while the rest had to wait before someone came and received their letters, sending them straight to the study of the Emperor.
"Apologies, sir Jenkins! I have long ago heard of you; however, I have never seen you until now." Valtherion hurriedly apologised with a light bow, causing the man to laugh even more. He seemed way too young to be the right hand of the emperor himself; at most, Klaus thought that he was in his early thirties as well.
In the end, under the escort of the guards, they reached a patch of grass among the forest of trees. There was a table with food on it, a fire and a few guards on post. Ahead of him, Valtherion saw a man in golden robes, his head full of blonde hair. He was fishing, his feet in the lake and beside him lay a casket full of fish that Valtherion had never seen in the past.
"Wait here, young Page. Pass me the letters." Leeroy Jenkins said as he extended his hand and received the letters that Valtherion gave in a hurry. He even saw Luther here, giving him a wink before receiving a wink back.
A strong hand landed suddenly on his shoulder, startling him. It was one of the Imperial Guards.
"Are you the brat that this fool is constantly bragging about?" the guard asked, causing Valtherion to just stare. He had no idea who this man was and whether he should speak.
"Relax, brat! It is me, your cousin Dain! Dain Garcia! Maybe your brother-in-law one day! You've grown up!"
Valtherion suddenly smiled as he looked around, making sure that it was only the guards who were watching before bending his knee a bit and headbutting Dain's armour, causing Dain to laugh lightly before both of them soon assumed a dignified stance.
"It is me! When did you become a guard here? I was not aware at all, and you are not in Grandpa's Manor at all!" Valtherion asked as he kept his eyes on Jenkins and, most likely, the emperor who was now talking. The Emperor was now writing something while discussing things with Jenkins. It did not look like they would be done anytime soon.
It gave him plenty of time to talk with his older cousin; he had not seen him in ages, but he remembered him vividly. He was the man who wanted to teach him how to swim, throwing both Valtherion and Alexstraza in a pond. Dain was supposed to be around 26 now; Valtherion did not expect that the cheeky brat would become an Expert and a personal Guard. His uncle Julian, Dain's father, was probably proud.
"I am extremely busy, as you see! I am not leaving the Palace anytime soon. Come to the training grounds tomorrow; I will be beating you up! On a side note, I will be present at your baptism!" Dain said as his eyes never left the Emperor. It was a light conversation, one that the other guards probably heard, but did not pay much attention to. It was normal, relatives and simply, colleague formality between them.
"Thank god then, glad you're here. Had you been in the Manor, I'd be worried in my sleep. Last thing I want is an old man throwing me into the water again." Valtherion mocked him, causing some guards to smile "I would come to the training grounds, but I don't have access to that place. Come pick me up from Luther's place, but I cannot guarantee that you will be kicking my ass...you see, I eat Experts for breakfast nowadays."
"When do you finish school, brat? At what time will you be there?" Dain asked as he pinched his cousin's thigh. He had sparred Valtherion once and was there when the boy beheaded an Orc. During their spars, he would smack his ass with a wooden sword, causing Valtherion to get angry all the time.
"I will be entering the Palace at 1. We have a maximum of one hour and thirty minutes. I am a page now. Cousin...is that fisherman the Emperor?" Valtherion asked as his eyes never left his target.
"Calling the Emperor a fisherman in front of his Imperial Guards...Cousin, your brain is really fried...But yes, this Fisherman is indeed The Emperor...Be careful what you say; the Emperor hears everything here. He is a very kind person and very easy to get along with, but still, be careful!" Dain was holding his laugh at Valtherion's stupidity, causing the other guards to laugh as well. By now, Val's face was all red, even if it was just half of it that was revealed.
He could not see the Emperor's full face, but his presence was strangely...calming, as if it was one with nature. People spent their lifetimes never being able to witness Royalty, yet here he was, looking at the man who ruled the whole Empire.
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"Leeroy, am I wrong, or was I just called a fisherman by the brats in the back?" The Emperor said as he smiled wryly.
"To tell you the truth, you were...but you're fishing, aren't you...?" Leeroy replied with a smile on his face as he was folding a letter and sealing it.
"It seems like my Palace has become a gathering ground for relatives..." The Emperor smirked as he threw a light glance back at Valtherion, Dain and Luther. At the moment, they were pretending to be inspecting him, while secretly pinching him and placing a cookie in his pocket.