It was another hour before the king’s guard would allow Warren to enter the throne room, and even then they didn’t seem happy to see him. He patted down his sandy blonde hair, feeling somewhat self-conscious about its past-the-shoulder length and wishing he had cut it at least a bit before deciding to speak to the king. An armored servant wearing a cloak in Faylinn’s red and silver led Warren across the carpeted floor to the throne. A guard stood to either side of the throne, where the king sat dressed in red robes trimmed with silver, and a golden crown. He rose when Warren approached, and Warren lowered himself to one knee.

“Rise, Sir Warren.”

Warren got to his feet, head still bowed slightly.

“Do not lower your gaze, Sir Warren. If there is something you wish to discuss, look me in the eye and speak.”

Warren looked up, meeting the king’s blue eyes. Just like Rei’s he thought.

“I-I wanted to talk to you about…a-about” he struggled to keep his voice level. “R-Rei.”

The king raised an eyebrow. “And what of him? Our soldiers have returned from Edrys for the funeral service, and we will attempt to rebuild our defenses after the ceremony. And I expect you to be prepared to return to active duty.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, Rei is dead. And you’re treating it like it’s no big deal. I-I just… I can’t understand why-”

The king seemed to be silently steaming. “My people expect me to maintain the presence a king carries, even in the face of tragedy. A knight has expectations to meet as well, Sir Warren, and I believe you have proven to me that you don’t meet them. I had initially placed you on the guard for Prince Rei’s funeral service, but as of this moment I have no choice but to suspend you from active duty. You may rejoin your fellow knights once you have shown you are deserving of your position.”

Warren balled his hands into fists. “Your Majesty, you can’t do that. Rei was my best friend. I need to do this.”

“Sir Warren,” the king responded, raising his voice. “You are further proving my point. You are a man, not a child. While I understand you were incredibly close to my son, that does not change the fact that your behavior is unacceptable. We shall not discuss this further. Return to the barracks. Good day, Sir Warren.”

Warren shot the king a look, muttering under his breath as he turned around and left. Once the throne room doors had closed behind him he put his head in his hands. “Goddammit, Rei.”