Tale of Four

Walking the halls, returning to his room, Tristan suddenly paused and peeked out of the corner of his eye, spotting a red-haired man with a soft smile underneath his sharp eyes. "Lord Fox." William stepped forward and nodded, hearing Tristan call out to him and wrapped his hands around his back.

"The cupbearer." Taking a step closer, his eyes darted across Tristan. Analysing him before focusing on the dove nestled atop his head. "Thank you, pretty dove, for your help." Speaking to Annabell, William lowered his head. Annabell lifted her head ever so slightly, happy at being called pretty. Tristan could tell and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, instead looking at William warily.

The court had always been dangerous, everyone who inhabited it always having their own agendas and capabilities, but to Tristan, William posed a danger that was different from what he had seen before. It was similar to Brandon in that he found a way to worm his way into people’s minds, but where Brandon tore a person down until he was inside their mind, William was different. Always smiling, a kind, playful smile created to disarm. And his gaze. It hid what he really was. His eyes, always curled to look like small slits, hid his cunning, rather showing a man who simply enjoyed life.

He knew the Fox family got their namesake from their founder’s story of being raised by foxes when abandoned, but seeing William, he couldn’t help but believe he was one made flesh, disarming to look at but having sharp teeth.

"Lord Fox, I do not believe you were waiting on the route back to my room to simply thank Annabell." William rested a hand on his chest as if offended.

"Of course, I only wished to thank your dove, but now that I have your attention, let us talk." William moved, moving as close to Tristan as possible, almost attaching himself to him. It was an invasive movement, one that broke any personal space Tristan wanted, but seemed natural for the man. "Before, I had wondered why you were the King’s cupbearer. But it makes sense now."

"Is it not possible his grace only trusted his blood to be the one to serve him? After all, poison is an easy way to kill a king." William nodded in agreement.

"That is what I assumed at first; after all, our King is not one to fall to a man’s sword." William grabbed his chin and smiled to himself, a different one to his usual kind, playful smile, almost enjoying that he was solving a puzzle. "But I had underestimated his Grace far too much. To place a living lie detector right next to his council, one that no one would suspect."

Tristan wanted to deny it, but looking at William, he knew it would be pointless to; the man had seen through Annabell’s ability. "He knows you withheld many secrets from him in the council meeting, Lord Fox."

"My role requires me to have many secrets. The fact I still have my head proves His grace understood this." William replied, "Listen, I will be honest with you, not that it matters if I lie. I need secrecy for what I do, and whilst I won’t hurt the crown, my job requires me to act in certain ways."

Tristan looked at William and met his gaze. "Does it require that for you to do your job, or for yourself?" William stayed silent for a moment. Looking at Annabell, he chuckled.

"Can one sit on the council and not wish for more power themselves? Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy power, but I am not foolish enough to overreach." Silence filled the halls once more. Tristan looked away from William and nodded.

"Had you said you didn’t wish for power, I wouldn’t even need Annabell to know it was a lie. I have lived here long enough, Lord Fox, to understand what people who reside within these walls want." William smiled in understanding.

"Then I am glad we have an understanding. Now, you and I don’t need to be enemies, Tristan; rather, we could help one another." William paused to gauge Tristan’s reaction. Tristan showed no change, waiting for William to speak. He let the silence drag for a moment longer. "Due to this issue within Everlight and the Cardinals’ foolishness, the Cosmatons have a chance to remove one obstacle to their rule."

"That borders on heresy, Lord Fox," Tristan warned. Lord Fox chuckled and shook his head.

"I haven’t even said anything; just the Cardinal is a fool," William replied. Tristan groaned inside and wondered if this was how he sounded to others when he skirted the line, understanding why people found him annoying. "There are reforms that have been left unresolved for centuries. At such turbulent times, they can be brought back." Tristan narrowed his gaze.

"The war of the Creator?" William nodded. "What are you on about? No, actually, how do you know what caused that?"

"It’s my job to know things." William smiled, making Tristan chuckle.

"That answer is not good enough, Lord Fox. History regarding that has been scrubbed clean. We know it ended with Otto, but the cause for the war does not exist." Tristan paused the words he wished to say, getting caught in his throat, realising there was one being who knew about it. Peeking at William, he couldn’t be sure what to say or do and decided to test the waters, "Unless you learnt it from someone who was there."

It was William’s time to be surprised. It was a moment, almost unnoticeable if Tristan didn’t look at him, but he saw his smile crack ever so slightly, and his eyes widen, fixed in an instant, making him wonder if he read it wrong. "Such a person wouldn’t be alive, Tristan. They would have to be over 700 years old."

Tristan narrowed his eyes. Annabell didn’t react, proving he didn’t lie, but Tristan understood why she didn’t react. ’Of course, a person that old couldn’t be alive, but it wasn’t a person who told him.’

"That is true. After all, no ’person’ could be alive for so long." William smiled and nodded, not biting into Tristan’s emphasis on the person.

"Things exist if you know where to look. My source can be revealed in time, but as of now, there is no trust between us. I appreciate your doves’ help, but that is not enough. All I ask now is if you would be willing to assist the Magi and me. The realm is too fractured the way I see it. Sure, the Lord of Creation and their pantheon is a uniting religious force, but no one region worships the same god in earnest. The Desert has the One-Eyed Traveller, the Flatlands have the Lord of Harvest, and the Hilllands have Helios. Let us not even mention the Deadlands and Twin Peaks." William grabbed Tristan’s shoulder and firmly squeezed it. "So many differences between people will always breed war. Culture is a harder bridge to gap, but religion." Shaking his head, he smiled, "Let it linger long enough, and people will forget who they worshipped before. After all, who were the Pagan Gods that existed before the Pantheon was created?"

"If that is the case." Tristan looked deep into William’s eyes. "Who is the God we shall all worship in time?" William stayed silent and removed his hand.

"Food for thought. Think about what I said and get back to me. Just know." William looked above Tristan at Annabell. Placing a hand on his chest, he gave an exaggerated bow, "My loyalty to the crown is true, and I will do everything to see the King’s victory in this war." Rising, he spun and walked off. Tristan watched his back disappear into the distance, vanishing around a corner.

"Annabell?" Tristan asked, not needing to say anymore, for the dove to understand what he wanted to know.

"He never lied, Tristan. If we merged, I could understand the deeper intent behind his words, but right now, all I can say is he didn’t lie." Tristan took a deep breath.

"On him, did you feel the Crow? Or its presence? I don’t know." Tristan asked, unsure what he was looking for. Annabell huffed above him.

"No." Annabell replied, "But he holds many secrets; I know that much." Tristan didn’t need her to say it to know it himself. "What do you want to do?" Grabbing his chin, his fingers rubbed his neck as he saw William disappear around a corner.

"Is there anything we can even do right now?" Tristan shrugged. "Probably not, but I don’t think there is much need to act." Annabell took off, flying up into the sky. Looking up at her, he saw her looking down at him, waiting for an explanation. "They wish to play with faith. There are enough things in the way to cut down a schism before it even begins."

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