Meetings with visiting Eterian representatives were never an easy affair. The war had finished only a year ago, and while Leeden had been victorious, the peace was tense. Maron had done well in the past, always the picture of grace and dignity in a way that his father couldn’t manage to embody. This was far from the first time he had been sent to deal with dignitaries in the king’s place–for the majority of the latter end of the war, he had been the one to handle direct communications, balancing the desire for peace and his father’s demands for power better than Finneas imagined anyone else could have.

This dinner, despite the pressure of it, seemed as easy as breathing compared to the morning they had endured.

Maron sat beside Finneas in the car, looking over a paper in his hands. He let out a soft sigh, and Finneas quirked a brow. “You don’t need to worry about this. I’m fluent in Eterian. If we have any issues with translation, I’ll be right there.”

Maron set his notes in his lap. “I need to know it. If I’m going to be our primary peacekeeper and negotiator, I need to–”

“You need to be a good strategist and understanding of their culture,” Finneas finished. “And you are those things.” He turned the wheel, pulling them around a corner. It was pleasant, being able to drive with just the two of them. It didn’t happen often, and there were certainly other armed vehicles tailing them. There would be guards posted in the restaurant, ensuring that no one else entered. Even though it was a bit of a hassle, Maron had insisted on attending these meetings in local eateries instead of inside the stifling walls of the palace. It was overbearing to force someone into that environment, showing off the royal family’s wealth and power, he had said. Besides, it was good for local businesses to be patronized by a popular heir and allowed visiting dignitaries to experience the culture of the people more than if they were to speak in an office.

All of Maron’s points regarding the setup were valid, of course, but for Finneas, it was just nice to be out of the palace at all. He was sure it was just as beneficial for Maron. Especially the driving. It was a short ride, only twenty minutes, but it offered a routine sense of comfort. Even Maron’s quiet complaints were a welcome addition to the experience.

“I would still be a better representative if I could speak well. I sound like a child.”

Finneas shook his head. It was difficult to argue this. It always was. Despite lessons for the past five years, Maron’s speech was always off when he tried to speak Eterian. It was less that he sounded like a child and more that he sounded like he had heard the language once in passing and grasped the grammar, tones, and cadence, but never wrapped his tongue around the pronunciation. Finneas, in addition to serving as protection, was tasked with the role of translator should any communication issues arise.

“Do you feel prepared aside from the language barrier?”

Maron leaned back in his seat. “I will not have the answers they are seeking.”

Finneas nodded, knowing. It wasn’t that Maron was unintelligent or that he was left in the dark regarding matters of the crown. He knew every answer to the questions they were anticipating. However, it was unwise for him to answer any of them too readily. When people, be they diplomats from foreign nations or even just members of the public at home, asked his explicit personal opinion on current matters, it was hard to respond. He had become a master of the middle ground. He kept himself quiet enough on matters not to be reprimanded by his father and the council, but was amenable enough toward change that the public liked him.

Sometimes, even Finneas found it a bit frustrating to try and see through his neutrality to find where his thoughts lay.

“They’ll be asking mostly about magicians’ rights and labor policy,” Finneas said.

Maron opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it. At the look Finneas gave him, he continued. “I should have spoken with you on the matter more. Both of those things affect you directly.”

It was strange, hearing that. It wasn’t as if Maron never asked his opinion–quite the opposite. The man often liked to get some perspective from someone more closely tied to the people, even when he didn’t have enough time to have surveys conducted. Not that Finneas was a perfect representative, given that the last decade of his life had been spent within palace walls, but his position alone allowed him a better glimpse into the lives of commoners. It was, however, odd for Maron to bring up magic around him when he could avoid it.

Finneas understood, of course. It was an uncomfortable subject, and there was a chance that he might get answers he didn’t like if he asked questions. That, and he always seemed to tiptoe around anything he worried he wasn’t knowledgeable enough in out of fear of offending.

“It won’t help you during this meeting, but we can talk about my thoughts after if you want them.” He wouldn’t hold Maron to that, but he put it on the table. Though he had never been able to determine the man’s exact plans for magic users once he took the throne, he’d seen the way the man interacted with magicians. If it were only Finneas that he offered sympathy to, declaring him one of the good ones, it might have been more upsetting. But he always offered the same respect and dignity to others. Even if they’d never gone over intricacies of policy or discussed it more than in passing out of a desperation to avoid discomfort, Finneas knew Maron was a good man. And for now, that was enough.

“I’d like that,” he said, looking out the window as Finneas parked the car.

Finneas nodded and stood, exiting the car before coming around to Maron’s side to open the door. The man rose, his back tall and straight, and followed Finneas carefully down the sidewalk. A small handful of cameras were positioned across the street, but they didn't move any closer than that.

Author's Note

Chapter 3 is a longer one, so here's the first part a day early, as a little treat. I'll post the rest tomorrow morning! Thanks For reading!