The Forged King

Garret expected questions, not some blank stare as Reuben looked him up and down, not that Garret could muster the courage to say anything more himself.

This was the first time he’d seen Reuben this close. They had the same eyes, and their hair was a similar texture, though Reuben’s looked shorter and a little more burnt. Reuben was also clearly stronger physically, probably from working in the Forge.

“I’ll offer you two some privacy,” Ivy said after a moment.

Garret grabbed her hand as she walked past him. He didn’t want to be alone. Ivy offered him a squeeze in return and left the room.

“I don’t have much experience with court protocol, but I don’t think you’re supposed to grab a princess’ hand without permission,” Reuben noted. Garret tried to figure out if his tone was playful, curious, accusatory, or something more dangerous.

“She recognized me because of you,” Reuben continued, “Are you close?”

“What do you think?” Garret asked. The stupidity of his decision was coming into full-bloom. Anything he told Reuben might make it back to Solam, or some untrustworthy member of the court.

Things stayed quiet a moment longer.

“You are Garret, right?” Reuben asked.

Garret nodded. He could confirm his own name.

“And you’re Reuben, the Forged Prince.”

Reuben blew off the accusation.

“Both our parents came from the Forge, but they don’t call Solam the Forged King, do they?”

“Because he doesn’t align with the prophecy,” Garret explained, “But you just might.”

“What prophecy?”

How did Reuben not know.

“You’ve never heard it?”

Reuben just offered him a stare. Garret sighed, recalling the words.

“Phoenix Born

“Forge Raised

“Unite the Peoples

“Endure the praise

“Forge the bonds

“You’ll have to break

“Defeat the tyrant

“For his own sake”

“Why would I align to that? I’m no Phoenix.”

“But you—we—were born there, and everyone’s been wary of Solam since what he did to our mother.”

“She left!” Reuben accused.

“After Solam attacked her, and us for that matter.”

Reuben stayed quiet after that.

“He regrets it.”

“Now that he can be sure you’re his son, he does.”

He’d expected someone less naive, but Reuben didn’t seem to see much further than his own eyes, glasses or no.

“He can be sure you are too. He wants to find you. That’s why I asked Ivy about you.”

Solam knew there were two of them. Of course he knew there were two of them, but every report had said there was only one.

Intentionally ignored from his own birth, hidden because of shame or some other factor. He should be grateful it kept him safe until now, but now his brotherly impulse could lead to the war Ivy predicted.

“And here I was hoping you were curious for yourself.” He wanted the words to sting. Garret didn’t want the public eye, but that didn’t stop him resenting Reuben for having it.

“As far as I knew until recently, I was an only child and my mother was dead.”

“She is dead,” Garret lied on impulse.

He immediately wanted to take it back on seeing Reuben’s haunted expression.

“I never got to meet her,” he said, “All because I’m some stupid heir to a throne I’ll never have, not that I want it in the first place.”

“What do you want?” Garret finally sat down.

“I wanted to be a smith,” Reuben said, revealing his hands, callouses noticeable, “But I can’t leave now.”

“Why not?” Garret asked, “Just tell Solam you want to go home. Since he doesn’t plan on you inheriting, it’s no loss.”

The flaws in his reasoning were clear the moment he opened his mouth.

“He’s won’t let me,” Reuben said.

“Have you asked?”

Even if it took several attempts, Garret still managed to go to Phoenix, and Solam had even less reason to keep Reuben in one place.

“Right, I’ll ask our father if I can return to where I was hidden under his nose for the past 16 years. I’m sure he’ll understand and not feel abandoned. It’s not like his wife ran away from him, or the community that raised him keeps him at arm’s length.”

Garret hadn’t thought about Solam much as a person, just a danger. He hadn’t thought about if he might actually care about them.

He shook his head.

“You should meet him,” Reuben said, “Tell him you’re alive. He’ll take you in. We can—”

With a twist of his hand, Garret blew Reuben’s hair back with a breeze.

“Our mother was accused of an affair with an air mage. Nothing good shall come of our meeting beyond making you suspect.”

“We’ve done the rituals.”

Garret grabbed Reuben by the wrist, revealing a bracelet that had to have come from the forge. Every political disaster he’d read of was racing through his mind.

“Runes can interfere with runes. What’s written on the inside of this?”

“There was no—”

“But there could have been.”

Reuben was scowling.

“Why did you even want to speak with me?”

“I just wanted to see you,” Garret admitted, “I didn’t think you knew I existed. I didn’t intend on letting you know, but then you asked about me, and Ivy nodded.”

“You just call her Ivy?” Reuben asked, eyebrow lifted.

“So did you.”

“I’m a Forge. We don’t believe in royalty. You’re just from Armath.”

Garret slumped.

“She was just Ivy when we met.” He tried to find the right words to hide details about his life, “She recognized the relation and admitted everything after you appeared.”

“Why would an Ilvan princess hide her rank in Armath?”

“That’s why I didn’t think she was a princess. I asked for her help sneaking in. She’s the only other person who knows I’m here.”

Actually, the whole royal family knew. The twins had agreed easily, but even the queen and general sympathized with his desire to see his brother.

Reuben nodded.

“Please,” Garret begged, fully genuine, “Promise me you will speak of this to no one, especially not King Solam.”

“Our father has a right to know.”

“Our father, or someone close to him, meant harm to our mother, and likely means harm to both of us if we fall out of line, and I am already past it.”

Reuben was hesitating.

“I promise not to reveal you until you reveal yourself.”

The room warmed just a bit as the vow became binding.

In a moment of pure impulse, Garret pulled the key to his cabin off of his wrist and handed it to Reuben.

“Keep it hidden, but should you ever wish to find me, I am Garret Kitaba.”

Reuben nodded, hiding the bracelet in his pocket as he left the room. Ivy stepped in not long after.

“I may have done something very stupid,” Garret admitted.

The twins had implored Garret to watch them in their individual fights, ideally record it as well. They wanted to determine who did better, and decided Garret would be an impartial observer.

His placement seemed redundant given the presence of a scribe actually commissioned for the council also watching, though she was Phoenician. Garret took extra care not to draw attention to himself in her presence.

Sumac had been soundly defeated by Lord Avery, so they were both returning to observation. Now Reuben was set to fight Prince Ingvi. Given the whole issue with Ingvi’s betrothed wearing a ring made by Reuben, this was likely more dramatic than Garret understood. Right now it merely seemed like a fight.

“Moved to Everin already, Kitaba?” the scribe asked behind him.

“You must have me confused with someone else,” Garret answered, trying not to shrink himself like he had something to hide.

“I watched you while you were at my home. Wasn’t your name Forge until the document featuring Prince Reuben was published?”

He could keep trying to lie to her, or admit it now. Better to exhaust her energy trying to make him admit his identity.

“I’m no scribe,” Garret said.

The girl tapped a knuckle on his tablet, where a scroll detailing Sumac and Avery’s fight was.

“Princets Sumac and Nettle couldn’t persuade the attending scribe to record it for them,” Garret explained.

She hummed in a questioning tone. Garret didn’t take the bait. He watched Reuben and Ingvi fight. They seemed to be of similar power, but Reuben’s skill seemed more focused and consistent, while Ingvi’s power came in larger bursts. Neither seemed to have the upper hand, though Reuben seemed to be hesitating about something.

“It’s like he’s playing with an animal,” the other scribe said, “Letting it think it could take the rope, while ever ready to take it away once they’re bored.”

“A cynical view,” Garret said, though he couldn’t really disagree.

“The other option is that he doesn’t know what would give him the best result, victory or failure.”

These politics weren’t Garret’s business, not until one of them became a ruler, and apparently Reuben wouldn’t, which meant Ingvi wouldn’t need to worry about whatever rivalry was forming when he became sovereign of Renue.

“Does he know you’re here?” the scribe asked him.

“Who?”

“Your brother.”

Garret quietly swallowed.

“I’m an only child,” he lied.

The scribe grabbed his masked face, forcing him to look her in the eye.

“Then why do you both have the same eyes as your father?”

The girl’s glare was intense, but she seemed to be the same age as him. Why did she need to know so bad?

He pushed her hand away, keeping eye-contact.

“Does he know you’re here?” she asked, pausing between each word for effect.

“No,” Garret said.

“Same tone as all your other lies.”

It didn’t matter when she didn’t have proof, Reuben would deny any knowledge if his promise held.

“One more question,” the girl said, “Where is your mother in all this?”

“She’s dead.”

The girl smiled.

“You told him that, didn’t you?”

She wanted something out of him.

“Someone in the court was working against my mother, and likely against Reuben as well. You seem smart enough to find them.”

The girl offered her hand.

“Wise to make me an ally, I’m Ava Vulcan.”

Garret took her hand.

“Garret Kitaba. Never share that with anyone.”

“Of course not,” the girl said, “Who do you think might wish your kin harm.”

Garret shook his head.

“I don’t know the court well enough to even guess.”

“Should Reuben be told?”

A glance up at the podium after a splash revealed Reuben to have finally won the bout.

“He knows,” Garret confirmed.

“Good.”

Garret waited nonchalantly outside of the council chamber. He needed to let Ivy know about the conversation, and hopefully get approval instead of concern about war.

Ilva wasn’t the first party to exit, instead Garret saw, closer than ever before, King Solam, his father. He did his best not to be angry at the man.

“Reuben was fighting Prince Ingvi apparently,” Solam explained to his aide.

“I thought we advised him to stay away from Princess Marina.”

“For all intents and purposes, she was hostess to him,” Solam defended, “And he claims Ingvi started it.”

“Easy to believe with the boy’s personality, but I doubt your son is as innocent as you wish.”

Garret had expected a king: someone controlling, stoic, not defending Reuben for what was clearly an unwise an action.

“It’s not like we can punish the boy without being obvious,” Solam said, “Besides, he was running to Princess Ivy for help, which is the best hope we have for him ignoring Marina in the future. We owe Ivy just as much for revealing his status to him.”

Garret stopped himself from scoffing at the idea of Reuben and Ivy. Ivy didn’t expect nor desire any interest in her from Reuben.

“Apparently the Garret she mentioned was a dead end,” Solam added, “Ivy isn’t even sure which half of Armath he lives in.”

At least Reuben had lied well enough to keep things secret.

The aide held a hand in front of Solam, stopping them both, before turning around to face Garret.

“Why are you following us?”

Garret hadn’t even noticed he’d done so, but he didn’t want to miss what they were saying.

“I heard you mention the Forged Prince and was curious,” he gave an apologetic bow to Solam as he tried to make his voice higher and less like Reuben’s “My apologies, your majesty.”

“You’re forgiven,” Solam said, “Curiosity is a fine trait to have.”

“If not a dangerous one,” the aide added, cadence sounding not unlike Ava’s “Careful what you butt your nose into in the future.”

“Yes, of course.”

“There’s no need to bow,” Solam said, “We hold no power over Ilva.”

Garret couldn’t stand up, his eyes would give everything away, not that there weren’t any mages outside of their family with red eyes, but if they’d been talking about him, then they already had the idea on their minds.

“Thank you for waiting,” Ivy said from behind him before placing a hand on his shoulder, “I requested a servant to meet me and act as an escort to greet Princess Marina before the final ball. I haven’t had much chance to speak with her after all.”

“Of course,” Solam said, “We won’t keep you.”

He and the aide continued past them.

“What was that?” Ivy whispered, lifting him up in a somewhat jerky motion.

“I wanted to speak with you, but they came out first speaking of Reuben, so I followed them. The aide caught me.”

“What you were you thinking?”

“It was an unconscious response. I wanted to know more about what they were saying. Reuben pulled eyes away from you with what he told them at least.”

Ivy took deep breaths.

“Did they see your eyes?”

“I don’t think you would have been able to interrupt if they had.”

Ivy held her folded hands just below her nose.

“We need to see Marina.”

“She doesn’t need to know.”

“No, but…” another sigh, “If they suspect anything, they’ll ask Marina if we got a chance to talk, so I need corroboration.”

Garret nodded. Ivy saw all the issues, he could trust her.

“There may be another person who knows our secret though,” he admitted.

“Who?” Ivy’s expression made Garret take a step back.

“A scribe from Phoenix, Ava Vulcan, she came up to me, knew who I was, and my relation to Reuben, so I tried to make her an ally to keep her from sharing our location with Solam.”

He waited for Ivy to get more afraid, or perhaps get angry at him, but her eyes were gentle, if a little weary.

“I doubt you had any other options. We’ll just have to keep an eye on her.”

Garret nodded.

“Let’s handle what we can,” Ivy ordered.