The king's eyes

Satine

“Satine, what were you doing here, alone with the prisoner? And where are his guards??

PACO?! LENNY?!” yelled my father.

He is pissed and looks around for the prisoner’s guards.

"Dad, calm down. They must have gone to eat something. Romeo is securely chained to his little makeshift prison, he can’t escape..." I said.

"You didn’t answer my question." He told me, still angry.

"I brought him food and drink, that’s all."

"They barely fed and hydrated Iris… Subjecting him to the same fate for a day or two isn’t going to kill him and it will teach him to treat his fellow human beings better." He said.

I try to reason with him "Dad… Romeo did not participate in the capture of Iris, he even says that he was on her side, and I believe him."

"Of course... a young first like him, he tries his luck trying to seduce you, it’s logical, it’s even smart." He told me, mistrustful.

"Stop, absolutely not..." I said, annoyed.

"He is the son of the worst wizard that ever existed, Satine! He was born to destroy me, destroy us! They certainly bred him to be a killing machine!! He’s been steeped in their hatred of us since he was born!" He yelled, trying to convince me.

"So what? Does that make him a criminal? Being born under certain conditions does not determine who we are! Was your father kind to you? And you, are you like him, or not?!!" I said, reminding him of his own conditions.

"Stop.. Satine, I advise you to leave it at that. The circumstances are not at all the same." He said, touched.

"Dad… I love you and I respect you. But I learned to assess the people around me so that I know how to protect myself.

Romeo is not dangerous, he is not bad, I know it, I feel it. Please take the time to really see him too." I begged.

"I cannot take the risk of approaching the descendant of such a powerful wizard.

He destroyed my life, I could never recover all these years, with you, with your mother. The damages are too big, too painful for me to give him the benefit of the doubt.

But if it makes you feel any better, I have no intention of killing him.

He is young and gullible, I grant him that. He will have a fair and impartial trial, the worst sentence he can fear is banishment, and I find that to be lenient.

In the meantime, I forbid you to approach him, to speak to him, even to look at him.

He’s going to do whatever he can to get out of this, and I won’t let him use my family. If I see you again keeping him company I will decide to be tougher on his sentence.

Is that clear?" He asked.

" … It’s unfair… So you’ve been away all this time and suddenly you want to play the strict and intractable father?

I have done very well without you all these years!! You have no right to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do!" I said, with anger.

"I won’t let you use that against me every time we disagree, Satine. I am your father whether you like it or not, and this for eternity.

Yes, you are stuck with me because I intend to keep you safe and never again let you think I abandoned you.

You’re angry, and I understand. But I am here, and I will stay even if you blame me. Even if it lasts a lifetime!

Now I repeat, did I make myself clear?!" He asked again.

"I heard, and I have no choice but to obey. But I do not agree. Now if you allow me, I’m going to go to sleep." I said, giving up.

He may not know yet how determined I am but he will find out, he is not at the end of his troubles if he thinks he can put me in a pretty little golden prison.

And yes dad… I look a lot more like you than you think.

Samael

It’s going to be complicated, but I have to hold on. She has a hard head... She is very mature and intelligent but she is 17 years old, she must not forget that.

I finally find Paco and Lenny a little too tipsy with the excess beer offered at will by the villagers, sitting comfortably next to the bonfire…

I see them having fun telling each other anecdotes about their latest conquests while stuffing themselves with the leftovers of the feast that we have already greatly enjoyed at dinner.

I hear them talking to each other.

" ...And so there she says to me “honey, I’m going to do something so incredible for you that you will never be able to forget me!”

"Oh yeah?! So it was amazing??"

"…Damn I have no idea, I fell asleep I was so drunk..."

"Hahahahaha!"

"So she wakes me up at the end saying “What the hell are you doing?!! I’m giving myself a hard time and you’re sleeping!!” I answer her "no no darling, it was so good you see I was so thorough that I lost consciousness!"

"Hahahahaaha!"

"Hahahaaha... I don’t know if she believed me... She was sulking and told me that I could put it behind my ear from now on.

Ah, look, Lord! There’s some chicken left, would you like some? It’s juicy and all."

It's time to stop these antics, I ask them "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???

If you had asked you would have been brought food to the spot where you are supposed to be guarding a POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS inmate!!"

He is embarrassed, but still talking "Ah yes, but don’t worry, he won’t run away, he’s well tied up...

And then he has nowhere to go now, the unfortunate...

And then it would not last long, the villagers are fully with us to rob traitors, even worse than us!

And then..."

"I do not care! Return to your post immediately and you will not leave it until the relief arrives, that’s an order!

Now is not the time to let your guard down! We are exposed and vulnerable, so KEEP YOURSELF UNTIL WE ARE BACK AT THE CASTLE!" I ordered.

"Yes Monsignor, we are going back there right away...”

What the fuck... They thought I had become a sort of careless joker...

The threat is far from eradicated. You have to stay focused at all costs.

We have a long day tomorrow, I want to reach the castle before dark.

I have to figure out how to wake Iris up, and get territory and species reps together, we have to put the kid on trial too, and I want to meet my underworld uncles assuming they accept it.

We have a lot on our plate and I feel alone in front of the scale of the task.