“Your Grace,” Aushen called out, directing the room’s attention to himself. “I saw firsthand what it is that Sir Valleus is referring to. He has large, scaled wings, and is able to produce fire at will. He can also draw long claws from his scaled hand.” The duchess gasped, clearly disturbed by the description. “All of that said, though… he still took very attentive care of me, and is still the same knight I’ve always known him to be.” Aushen knew he was overstepping his bounds a bit, but he felt he simply had to protect Valleus any way he could. 

The duke paused, gathering his thoughts. “Well, it’s clear that you remain every bit the knight I expected you to be when you first pledged your loyalty to this realm, and to our glorious kingdom.” Valleus allowed a small smile to play upon his features. “That said, given the nature of such a wicked ritual… it’s possible there could be consequences not yet seen.” Valleus looked down, then stole a glance towards Aushen. The crown prince’s eyes met his own knowingly. “Therefore, I’d like some time to consult with the elders and courtiers, and to send a letter informing His Majesty the King, before I make my final decision.” 

Out of the corner of his eye, Aushen noticed both the duchess and his cousin, Rita, relax a bit. He suppressed the urge to think bitterly towards them. ‘They just don’t know Valleus like I do.’

The young knight saluted accordingly. “I completely understand, Your Grace. It shall be as you say.” 

It was barely decipherable, but the chief knight’s expression softened slightly at Valleus’ response. He ran a tight ship, and he was immensely proud of the way the young man was handling this bizarre turn of events.

“Of course, we can’t just have you twiddling your thumbs while you wait on our correspondence to and from the palace, so I shall speak with the chief knight now to come to a satisfactory arrangement for the meantime. After all, I intend to keep both you and the Northern Realm safe.” The young knight nodded resolutely. He would expect nothing less from the Grand Duke, protector of the north. The duke rose to his feet, beckoning the chief knight to follow him. “Sir Valleus, you may wait in your room for our decision to be met.” 

“Ahem, Your Grace?” Aushen stood from his seat. “If it’s all right, I’d like to discuss some things with my sister, and I’d like for Sir Valleus to be present. Is that okay?” 

“Yes, that’s fine,” the duke replied without hesitation. Many in the castle would likely fear Valleus once they heard about his condition- even the duke himself had to admit he wasn’t without worry of the full measure of consequences this dark ritual would have on the young knight. That said, he was perfectly confident the young man who’d served his land for nine years would never do anything to cause harm to the royal family he so dedicatedly served. “If you finish speaking before the chief knight has found you, please make sure to go right to your room,” he said to Valleus. Valleus knew the duke trusted him, and was sure that this command wasn’t to keep the castle safe from Valleus, but rather to keep Valleus safe from all the attention, both ill and well meaning. 

With that, the duke and chief knight left the room. The duchess and her daughter mumbled a few words of parting and quickly left as well. Aushen looked over at Odessa. “Shall we chat in my quarters?” he asked her. 

She cast Valleus a curious gaze before looking back at her brother. “Yes, that’s fine.” The three departed to Aushen’s room in silence. 

While the matter of Valleus’ new draconic influence was indeed urgent, Aushen hadn’t even broached the topic of his secondary sex changing out of the blue. He intended to at least discuss things with his sister and try to get a letter written to his parents. As for why he asked Valleus to accompany him, he simply didn’t want the young man to be alone. Further, because of their childhood history, Aushen knew Odessa would come around quickly to Valleus’ new characteristics. He hoped to make her an ally in protecting his dear friend. 

The three filed into Aushen’s quarters. As soon as the door latched shut, Odessa spun around to face Valleus. “A dragon? A real-life dragon? You have wings? Can I see?”

Valleus blinked, slightly taken aback, before chuckling at her enthusiasm. “You haven’t changed a bit, Your Highness.” He cast a quick glance towards Aushen. He assumed the prince had some other intention by asking them both to be here. 

Aushen shook his head. “She won’t give up until she sees them. Go ahead, we’ll get it out of her system and then get to the topic at hand.” 

At mention of yet another topic, Odessa looked over at her brother, but immediately returned her gaze to Valleus as he removed his top. Both siblings couldn’t tear their eyes away. 

Valleus seemed not to notice the way he was being ogled and stretched his wings out carefully in the room. For Odessa, the novelty of wings was even more eye-catching than the young knight’s chest, but Aushen felt his face go warm as he continued to gaze at Valleus. Luckily for him, the knight was busy answering a flurry of questions from his sister and didn’t notice Aushen’s poor attempt at subtlety. 

Finally, once Odessa had temporarily exhausted her questions and Valleus had put his tunic back on, they were ready to move to the next topic. After several tries, Aushen was successful in getting Valleus to sit with them in the parlor area. Tea was ordered and delivered, and Aushen collected his thoughts.