Eric Linnaeus | Book 3 | Chapter 17 - My Brother Can Have the Castle, I Need Sleep (Patreon)

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𝕄𝕪 𝔹𝕣𝕠𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 ℂ𝕒𝕟 ℍ𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕒𝕤𝕥𝕝𝕖, 𝕀 ℕ𝕖𝕖𝕕 𝕊𝕝𝕖𝕖𝕡ɴᴀᴛʜᴀɴɪᴇʟ ᴋʟᴇɪɴ: ᴀᴘʀɪʟ - ᴍᴀʏ, 𝟸𝟶𝟶𝟶.

─── .✦········· ───

In the following week there was much work to be done. I left Eric in bed most mornings and had breakfast sent to my room for him. He needed time to recharge the energy in his leg so he could walk again. That was never a specific limitation I imposed; it was simply that no magic is without limitations. Nothing is endlessly powerful, although some creatures come close.

I passed others in the hall without acknowledging them, and when I reached my office, a letter was waiting on my desk. It was dusted in an unfamiliar magic, and I opened it with trepidation. Only twice had such a letter ever arrived, and neither of those times had I been the one to deal with it. Unfortunately for me, it stated that I was to meet with Enforcers in a very short time.

“Of course,” I muttered to myself.

The Enforcers are an ancient species tasked with upholding treaty law. They have not much changed from how they originally were despite, being known by many names: Angels, Valkyrie, Divine Spirits, Messengers—none of it matters to me, save for their influence and penchant for premature actions.

When Fae make plans, it can take months, years, or decades before we follow through with them. After all, time moves differently for us than for most. But when the Enforcers decide on something, it must happen immediately, and I would hardly have the time to dress appropriately.

I was still buttoning my vest as I left the castle grounds. We rarely permit other species to enter the castle, especially not when we are not familiar with them. For this reason, there is a temple in the woods, just beyond the castle shield, that is a traditional place of negotiation.

It is a tall, moss-covered structure entirely made of neutral stone, similar to a chapel. The ceiling is somewhat open with wide gaps between the supporting arches, and the floor is polished. I arrived shortly and trotted up the marble steps, making no effort to conceal my presence.

Inside the temple was clean and well-maintained; human monks are responsible for its upkeep. They are not more than a small group, but they understand well that we exist.

“You’re late,” an unfamiliar voice chastised the moment I entered.

“I was given unreasonably short notice. It’s fortunate I saw fit to come at all,” I replied dryly. I hadn’t even told anyone where I was going; perhaps that wasn’t wise.

“Watch your mouth, Faeling. Where is Lazarus?” I could hardly make him out in the darkness of the room. He was a dark, feathered creature hiding in the shadows with an array of glistening eyes and mass enough that the tips of his wings touched the ceiling.

“My father is no longer responsible for these territories.”

He paused for a moment as if contemplating, “…Very well. Then, you are the one responsible for maintaining discretion within your territory. As such, you should be aware of an incident on your northern boundary?”

“I’m afraid you will have to be more specific; the northern boundary is extensive.”

“Two from your castle attended the scene. A small town was decimated.”

My heart began to race. I hadn’t sent anyone out, so he must be referring to Eric and Charles. “Yes. I sent Peacekeepers out to investigate, as per treaty laws; all instances of mass human interaction must be investigated and settled. There were no witnesses, and I have already begun implementing cover-up steps,” I lied, reciting the scripture of my childhood calmly.

“Are you aware of its cause?”

“…No,” I admitted with reluctance. If I were to lie in that instance, it could be easily disproved.

“So then it would seem you don’t know everything,” he jeered.

“I have never claimed omniscience.”

The enforcer chuckled. It was a deep reverberation that rattled my vertebrae. “It seems the Old Ones have returned to the area. Ensure all matters regarding species confidentiality are handled appropriately; failure to do so will result in unpleasantries.”

“That is inequitable. We cannot be held responsible for the actions of another species,” I argued firmly.

“If they are on your lands, it is in your best interest to do so. Otherwise, we may have to investigate further into your operations, there’s no telling what we may find then.”

“All of Dunkel’s activities are within treaty terms. You are welcome to review the paperwork yourself, if you wish.”

“That won’t be necessary at this stage,” he replied without true concern, “Keep a handle on your territory, little fae, or else.”

He vanished without allowing me the opportunity to respond. ‘Or else,’ if I hadn’t understood it was a genuine threat, I could have laughed at the irony of it. I let out my breath slowly when I realized I had been holding it. It’s not often that I’m reminded how little my power is compared to ancient beings, especially in my current state.

The last time they were near was in 1929. I only remember it because it happened close to the borders of Dunkel, and our father was concerned enough to visit. It seemed the old ones had been destroying towns haphazardly across the north until they reached a mining town. For whatever reason they left a single witness alive, an elderly blind woman, and that broke treaty laws.

From what I was told, the family responsible was eliminated in a single night. No man, woman, or child was left. They were used to set an example. Before that, the previous issue the enforcers needed to step in for was the witch trials.

─── .✦········· ───

I returned to the castle and began making the arrangements immediately. The first step was to understand what human authorities knew of the matter and compulsion would grant me the records easily. Second, I needed to ensure the narrative of what happened was ‘nothing unusual’ as far as humans were concerned. That was easy enough, I sent out a small publicist team. They had handled such things before.

After that, I sent word to all alliances and, more reluctantly, a letter to my mother at Leúchtend. It was not because I wanted to speak with her. Rather, that despite my personal grievances, she was still the current leader of our sister castle and needed to be informed regardless.

Next I had to resecure the borders of our lands. We needed to know the moment something crossed the boundary, and for that, I would need to coordinate with the spell writers. Although I was sure Tóru would be more than happy to express her skills, she almost never let it rest that she wished to do more.

The additional work this incident created only added to my usual responsibilities. Infirmary reports, construction progress check-ins and permissions, maintenance and repair requests, deliveries and orders. I was grateful when my brother took care of the interpersonal requests, contracts, marriages and so forth.

When the human interaction documents came in I was ready to quit. Reports from law cases and correspondence from the publicity team—Achaicus could have the castle. I almost didn’t care.

Admittedly, most of it is as simple as signing it, but it all at least needed to be read. It’s important that I know of everything that’s going on both inside and outside the castle. I worked through the day, and when I at last remembered the time I realized I had missed dinner, again.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes; the paperwork was never-ending. I would have to come up with a better way of handling it. Achaicus had arranged all the documents so neatly that I couldn’t find anything anymore and I was sure I was going to be the first fae to need glasses at this point. Our eyes aren’t designed to focus so close for so long.

“You missed dinner,” my brother commented as he came to stand in the doorway.

“I had realized as much,” I replied bitterly without looking over to him. So when he pushed aside the paperwork and set a plate down in front of me, I was caught off guard. “Oh… Thank you.”

“Of course, if you starve, that means I have to take up all the paperwork again.”

“You don’t have to do anything, assign it to someone else, abandon the castle. You’ve got options.”

He ignored me, commenting instead. “You realize you missed your appointment with Markos as well. And Jørn has been requesting an audience with you.”

“I’ll see Jørn tomorrow; that matter is unimportant,” I muttered; Markos was going to be pissed with me though.

“And your appointment?” he prompted, pushing his luck with my patience.

“I’m fine. I don’t need it.”

Achaicus sighed exasperated, “Fine. What of your Pet then?”

“What of him?”

“He didn’t make any appearances today, is he away?”

“No. He’s probably just still in my room.”

“Your room?”

“Yes, he sleeps there, and he needs time to recover from his work.”

Achaicus was quiet as if deciding something before he spoke more gently. “Brother-..” he began, but I cut him off.

“Not you as well,” I groaned.

“Are you and he…?” he continued regardless of my objections.

“What does it matter?”

“If you prefer men-”

“I don’t prefer men.”

He folded his arms, and I could tell he didn’t believe me. “Whatever, I don’t care what you prefer. Regardless, you could have anyone you wished. Choose someone else, anyone else, choose a thousand others, Nathaniel, just not him.”

“What is it that you have against him? There was a time when you rather enjoyed his company.”

“I only enjoyed his company because he would drink with me without chastising me for it. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good person.”

“Tell me then, which one of us are ‘good’?”

“He will hurt you, and I cannot bear to see it.”

“Eric has never hurt me.”

“He will betray you.”

It was difficult to place the feelings of simultaneous irritation and pure astonishment that he would even dare speak to me about this, “He won’t.”

“How can you be certain? I implore you please, listen to reason. He has a thousand reasons to hate you, and he is not the type to forgive.”

“I am certain because I recognize what betrayal looks like,” I stated coldly, and my brother paused. I could see him connecting the meaning behind my words as I continued. “You betrayed me to father, several times. Do you not remember holding a blade to my throat? You wanted to kill me so badly I could see it in your eyes. I loved you most of anyone. When Father sent you away it hurt so deeply, most days I couldn’t breathe, and when you returned all you felt for me was hatred. If you believe that didn’t break something in me, you’re mistaken.”

“You know how much I regret that… You’re my brother, I could never hurt you.”

“That didn’t stop you from trying.”

“Brother I-”

I held up a hand to silence him, “It’s fine; it’s in the past. Which is entirely my point. I trust you regardless of your actions and your intent. It’s not men I like; it’s only him.”

“It’s not real; it’s a trickery,” he insisted, “Believe me, he can make you feel any way he wishes you to feel about him.”

“He’s just a man; how do you believe he has any way of compelling me to feel anything about him?”

“Because I know it!” he exclaimed, exasperated, “Because he has used the same charms on me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember the night you came to find him drinking with me?”

“Yes,” I answered simply. That had been the night Eric had kissed the palm of my hand.

“It was as if I were under a spell. I told him a great many things that not anyone but you or I knew. I told him how I had tried to kill you, and that we had switched. I told him how father killed Raisa and your manticore… I told him everything. I wanted to tell him. There is no natural reason for that, and before I knew it, I was on the floor with him.”

“You and he slept together?”

“…No. He left before it got that far… I don’t know where he went from there.”

“Why did you not tell me of this before?” I muttered, annoyed.

“Because he was not my property to be doing such things with… I feared you would be mad.”

“I am mad. You were so drunk you couldn’t keep from telling him secrets others were not meant to hear! What else did you tell him!?”

“N-nothing else…”

I felt ill. Those were things I never wished for anyone to know, especially not for Eric to know. “Get out,” I growled icily. I was just like our father. When I was upset, I wanted to hurt something, and my temper was rising—as if I hadn’t dealt with enough things that day.

He left as requested, and I chose to sleep in my office. Partly because I didn’t want to see Eric knowing what he knew about me, and secondly because I didn’t want to take my anger out on him. The amount of times I had almost hurt him were too numerous; how could I claim to have changed only to revert to the same behaviors?

─── .✦········· ───

In the time that followed, I did my best to maintain a certain level of composure. Our mother, sister, and two of our nieces arrived with their escorts not all that long after I sent word to Leúchtend. They brought word of more attacks near their borders; and with that information, we were able to track a path downward from Leúchtend toward us.

“It’s almost as if they’re testing the line,” Alvíss commented, looking over the map.

We were gathered in the war chambers to discuss the matter and had been doing so for some time. My brother and I sat across from one another while Markos, Alvíss, Baltzar, and Killian sat down the length of the table.

“Or they could just be traveling in that direction,” Baltzar countered. They had been politely disagreeing for hours; it was clear they didn’t like each other all that much.

“All this speculation is useless,” Markos spoke up at last. “If they are testing the borders, they would strike next beside the lake. If they are simply traveling south, they should cut the corner toward our west boundary.”

“If I send guards toward the lake townships, and station lookouts near the west border, would that be advisable?” I asked, trying not to sound as tired as I was.

“Yes, I believe that would be wise,” Alvíss agreed, and Baltzar nodded. If they were in agreement, that was wonderful. Now this dreadful meeting could end.

Each day had been just as exhausting as the day the enforcer visited. My brother still treated me with unnecessarily apologetic behavior, although I had tried to assure him that it was days ago, and I had already resolved it. There’s no point harboring unpleasant feelings, and quite frankly, no time for it.

In the early mornings I trained with Charles, and in the afternoon I handled the paperwork. I received notification that Tougo wished to investigate the matter independently from us and I granted the request. Meanwhile, Seraphia from the Fae to the South replied with a curt letter stating that whatever our troubles she wished no part in our affairs. The only blessing was that I heard nothing more from the enforcers.

Eric was still unable to find his cane and, after seeing how much distress it caused him to be unable to walk, I had Jørn make a simple wooden replacement for him. It was not as fine as his original, nor did it hide a sword within it, but it was enough to temporarily settle his complaints. Although it did little to fix his mood of late.

Since returning, he had been on edge. He woke in the night more than once, sitting straight up in a cold sweat and reaching for his sword.

“Eric,” I complained groggily when he disturbed me. That was another reason I hardly slept. He couldn’t make it through the night without waking, and I had half a mind to order that he return to his own room.

“Go back to sleep,” he muttered, pushing the hair back from his face as he calmed.

“This happens too often.”

“It’s not like I’m doing it on purpose,” he snapped, irritated. Exhaustion was getting the better of him as well. It took everything in me not to give in to anger, and he continued to refuse to tell me what was causing him such distress.

I allowed myself a second to calm, before I pulled him closer to me, wrapping my forearm across his face as I did. “Nathaniel…” he complained half-heartedly, trying to push my arm off before becoming still.

“Relax… nothing will harm you.”

“…You can’t know that…”

“I won’t let anything hurt you…” I rephrased. He was warm against me, and I was almost asleep again.

I couldn’t say how much time passed before he spoke a second time. “…Are you still awake?” he asked quietly. I thought I answered, but I must not have, for he continued, “Do you think you could ever forgive me..?”

I didn’t understand what he was talking about, or what he meant. I wasn’t even sure I had heard him speak, or if it was nothing more than a dream.

In the morning, he was still beside me, and I assumed I must have misheard.

During the day he no longer attended training with Calla and Charles. Instead, he disappeared each morning until evening. I hadn’t asked him where he was as I was doing my best not to be so controlling. However, as far as I was aware, no one knew where he went, but he was still in attendance at dinner each day, so I supposed he wasn’t going too far.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing I came to learn was that he no longer spoke to Calla; she didn’t so much as look in his direction anymore. After dinner they went their separate ways and Eric no longer secretly took any additional sugar cubes from the table.

Of course, I approached Calla about it. By this time it was clear something was wrong with Eric, and it had gone on long enough that I needed to know, “Calla, might we have a word?”

“Yes,” she answered with a small curtsy, “How may I be of service?”

“What’s going on between you and Eric?”

“Nothing.”

That was a frustrating answer. “Why are you not speaking to each other?” I reiterated.

“Because there is nothing to say.”

I got the impression she was being purposefully blunt with me. It was almost rude, and it’s not often that Markos’s well-trained doll acts out. “Is there nothing to say, or is it that you don’t want to talk to him?”

“It is both.”

“Why..?”

“He’s not who I thought he was. He cannot be trusted,” she stated simply. For Markos or Achaicus to say it was one thing, but for her to say it gave me pause.

“Did Markos ask you to say that to me?”

“No. May I be excused?” Her gaze met mine, and I felt uncomfortable. I recognized the expression, pure, deep anger, covered over by a complete lack of caring.

“Yes…” I agreed more softly, and she left without another word.

I had enough on my plate; Eric somehow pissing Calla off wasn’t what I needed. Perhaps Charles would know better what was going on. Naturally, he was the next person I tried to speak with, unfortunately I was interrupted before I could as Jørn approached.

“Lord Nathaniel!” he greeted me in a jovial manner and far too loudly.

He is slightly shorter than I and well-built from centuries of forge work. His hair is a long tangle of braids woven into one single larger braid down the length of his back. His eyes are deep purple, and he is older than most; perhaps my father’s age.

“That’s unnecessary,” I complained, and he beamed.

“I have completed the task you assigned me.”

“It was a request, not a task-”

He disallowed me the time to correct him before he presented me with two velvet boxes. I will admit the rings within them were beautiful. Rather traditional, upon first glance, they appeared to have a simple elegance, but as Jørn insisted I look closer, I noticed fine details.

The groom’s ring was traditional: a single ring, with engravings on the inside and subtle textures across the surface. While the bride’s rings were a set of two bands intended to interconnect and bore the same inscriptions.

“The diamond is natural, almost flawless, and all rings are made from the same gold nugget,” he began explaining eagerly, “You can see here, the tiniest inscription for the spell. So long as there is love in their hearts for the other, the rings will remain a comfortable warmth, but if there is deceit in the union, the rings will turn ice cold. Are they to your liking?”

“You’ve outdone yourself,” I assured, of course I realized by now he wanted praise.

“I’m sure your lady will be very pleased. I’ll admit I had heard no word that you were with anyone. Can we expect a wedding? Children?”

I couldn’t help but smile tightly. He was fishing for information; I knew it well—and it was precisely why I disliked speaking to others. “They are, in fact, not for me. But I appreciate the time and effort you put into them nonetheless.”

“Who are they for then?” he demanded in a more surly manner.

“A close friend of mine. I’m sure you will learn who in a short time.”

He folded his arms unhappily. Jørn values tradition and has worked at Dunkel for several centuries. Like many of the older generation, he is nosy and dislikes being incorrect in his assumptions.

“Fine. They had better admire my work,” he grumbled, poorly concealing his disapproval.

“I’m certain they will be able to appreciate it even better than I. Thank you.”

Jørn nodded gruffly before allowing me peace. Claire was going to owe me double for that.

─── .✦········· ───

I found the time to give the rings to Miss Walsh shortly after receiving them and did so by dropping the boxes on the table beside her. Just as she had dumped herself on me when she asked I have them made. Claire looked up from her sewing confused, before a broad smile spread across her face as she understood.

“Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she half stood, reaching up without hesitation to wrap her arms around my neck and pull me into an uncomfortable hug.

I suppose I should have expected as much by now as I struggled to push her off. “Claire-” I began disgruntled, but when she kissed my cheek, I froze.

“Thank you so much, Nathaniel, you’re a gem.”

“Please control yourself,” I muttered in response, and she gradually let go of me.

“I’m not sorry, oh, and I haven’t forgotten I know I owe you one now. Ahhh just nothing, like, horrible, yeah?”

“I never agreed to that.”

“Well, if it’s horrible I’ll defer your favor.”

“That’s not permitted.”

“Did you put it in writing?” she countered, and I clicked my tongue in annoyance. It seemed she’d spent far too much time with Markos. With my silence, she continued, “Do you think he’ll say yes?”

“How should I know?”

“You’re friends, aren’t you? You talk? Does he ever say anything about me?”

“No, usually he prefers to scold me instead.”

“That’s just because he loves you.”

“Yeah, alright. Don’t lose your rings,” I snorted dismissively.

Her endless cheer was simultaneously irritating and becoming. Whatever she thought, any emotion she felt it all poured out of her without any filter. I supposed she was good for Markos in that way, no way he could mistake anything she wanted or needed with his overthinking.

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