When they arrived in the Avestani throne room, Aleksei felt all of his feelings from the afternoon fade. What if the king judged him for taking on a new name, pronouns, or outfit so quickly? Especially when Aleksei himself still had a whole lot he needed to learn about himself, still.
But when he saw his reflection on the glass floor, things changed. He felt like himself. Aleksei knelt before the king, trembling. But he couldn’t help but distract himself by looking at his new reflection.
“Your Majesty,” he said, enunciating the Gundethar as best he could. “It’s an honor to be here in your courts. I am Aleksei, Son of Orland, blessed by Orthanik. I am here at your service.”
“The physicians alerted me about your magic,” the king said. “we need to protect you, and we need to protect those around you. Are you willing to go through rigorous training and follow every rule set before you?”
Aleksei wanted to say no. But he had to say yes. Even if it was only temporary. He had to get the support he needed from the king to grow. After all, he had nowhere else to go but to where the king bid him to go.
Aleksei nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty. It is my honor to follow every guide set before me.”
“The rules will be intense. Just because you were deemed worthy doesn’t mean you’re not going to be corrupted,” the king said. “we will watch you closely. Therefore, it is best that you have a new family to keep a close eye on you. You will be adopted by the Ethorian manor.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. Aleksei’s other stepmother had likely died because of him. Now, he would have a new step family. It would have been smart for him to just say yes. But he couldn’t. “Are we sure that they won’t pay the price for my evil doings should it come to that? I don’t want anyone else paying the price for my mistakes.”
“There’s twenty children in that family, and they’re all highly trained. Even Tylvielle. You’ll be safe there,” the king said. “Nevertheless, it gives me ease to hear such a comment from you.”
Aleksei resisted the urge to cry as he thought about his old step family. They died for his sake. And now, he was alone to deal with the guilt. He wondered what would have happened should he have never left the village. He would have died, but he still felt guilty about leaving.
“My honor is at stake, Your Majesty,” Aleksei said. “I must defend it. I do not want more people dying for my sake.”
“As a king, it’s well known it’s impossible to defend something so pure as honor,” the king said. “Nevertheless, your main goal should not be defending your honor from other people’s points of view. It should be defending your honor for the sake of yourself. Nevertheless, you will be escorted off to the Ethorian manor shortly. There, you will begin your training.”
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