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. An armored servant wearing a cloak in Faylinn’s red and silver led Warren across the carpeted floor to the throne. There were guards standing  to either side of it, where the king sat dressed in red robes trimmed with silver along with  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. “Rei- I mean, His Highness, Prince Rei.”

The king nodded solemnly. “It is truly horrible what our enemies have done. It is an act that shall not be forgiven, I assure you.” He eyed Warren with a raised eyebrow. “But what specifically did you wish to tell me?”

“I…” He dropped his gaze to the floor, suddenly unable to find the words he was looking for.

“There is no need for hesitation, Sir Warren. If you wish to speak, then do so. If not, I ask that you not waste my time while we are in the midst of war.”

Warren bowed. “Y-Yes, my apologies. Your Majesty, I would like to request a…temporary leave.”

“Granted,” the king said, without a moment’s hesitation. “I will give you two weeks and then you are to return to active duty.”

With one last bow, Warren thanked the king and left the room.

The large double doors shut with a loud echoing sound, but Warren barely heard it. He was thinking about the conversation he’d just had with the king, and it was in that moment that the weight of everything seemed to hit him. He sat down right there in the middle of the hallway, prompting perplexed and even amused looks from passing servants and knights.

Rei’s gone. He’s really gone.

Warren rose unsteadily to his feet, starting to walk without any real idea of where he was going. There were times he almost bumped into the maids or guards and several of them shouted at him to watch where he was going, but he didn’t seem to notice. Somehow he ended up in a wing of the castle that he knew all too well, one with a large, ornate door at the end of the hall guarded by a single knight.

Warren eyed the man with unfocused eyes. He had seen him countless times and recognized the tall, tanned figure, but he couldn’t be bothered to greet him.

“Sir Warren!” The man exclaimed, startling Warren.

“Ah, hello,” he replied absentmindedly.

“That’s all the greeting I get?” The other knight said with a teasing smile. But his expression changed, becoming more somber.

“This is about His Highness, isn’t it?”

Warren’s eyes went wide. “You know about that, then.”

The knight gave Warren a crooked smile. “I think everyone in the castle does at this point. But regardless, I think it makes sense I’d be informed, right?”

He gestured toward the door he was guarding. Warren gulped. 

Rei’s room.

“But why bother guarding it anymore?” Warren crossed his arms and continued, though quieter this time. “What’s the point if he’s…gone?”

The knight smiled a knowing smile. “You’ll have to ask Her Majesty the Queen about that.” He stroked his goatee thoughtfully. “She wanted to speak with you, now that I think about it. You usually stop by, so I told her I’d pass on the message.”

“Thank you,” Warren said with a quick bow. “I should go find Her Majesty and-”

The knight put a firm hand on Warren’s shoulder. “One last thing. The Queen has ordered us not to breathe a word of this to His Majesty.”

At first Warren thought he misheard. “ P-Pardon?”

“Sir Warren, do not tell His Majesty that you are meeting with the Queen. Do not tell him what you speak about with her. Understood?”