#lentranced

There is a polite knock on the door of the Emperor’s study, and Arvis shifts on his chair. He’d ordered his servants not to disturb him while he was working, so he wonders if that might be one of Manfroy’s lackeys. He almost considers to pretend not to be there, when the person at his door knocks again, more urgently.  

“Papa!” A tiny voice calls from outside the room, and his head shots up.  

“Julia!” He calls, getting out of his chair, “Come on in, Julia.”  

And the door opens, revealing the child and her large, misty eyes. She seems unhurt, but Arvis’s heart drops all the same.  

He gestures for her to come near, and drops to the floor, standing on his knees to get at her eye level. Julia runs to him, throws her arms around his neck and buries her face in his chest; Arvis holds her close, smoothing her hair out, and breathes a sigh of relief when he notices she’s not crying.

What a strong little girl, his daughter.

“Julia, what is it?” he asks. She stays in his arms for a second more, before pulling back.

“You and Mother aren’t leaving, are you?” she says.

He takes her face in his hands and strokes her cheeks as if to wipe her tears, and Julia smiles a little. “Where do you think I’d go without you? I could never.”

She nods, but her expression is still grave, and Arvis’s grows worried, too. No child should be unhappy, he thinks, and his daughter especially so.

“What is this about, sweetheart?” he asks.

“…Brother…”

“Ah…” he shifts, and sits back on the floor. Gods, how troublesome boys would get at that age. He still remembers when Azel was six, too. But he decides to push those memories away, before allowing himself to linger on them again, and in front of his daughter.

“What did Julius do?”

She doesn’t meet his eyes, instead intently studying the golden filigree of his doublet. “We were all playing together and he was the dragon, and I was the knight. I wanted to fight him, but he told me he wouldn’t let me see you and Mother again. He was so mean… I was upset.”

–Ah, he doesn’t like this. But he knows, despite the feeling of his blood chilling in his veins, that it’s only children’s play, and he only sighs. “What a disrespectful dragon, that child.”

Julia nods. “So he said I wasn’t brave enough to fight him, and I wanted to cry, but I beated him with my sword and then–“ “Julia, did he get hurt?” “He didn’t, I was careful –and then I wanted to see you.”

She takes his hand in both of her, and she’s so genuine that Arvis isn’t able to doubt her for a second. “I’m here, Julia. But do be patient with your little brother… You know he didn’t mean to hurt you, don’t you?”

Her expression is thoughtful for a moment, but she nods. “He… he really scared me, Papa. But I will. He just wanted to play after all.”

“Good, you are a wise princess indeed.” He says, and her eyes light up again. They’re the same dark color of his own, and Duke Velthomer before, but so, so much brighter that it fills his heart with warmth.

He kisses her forehead, and begins to stand up, but Julia catches his hand again. “Can I stay here a bit more?”

Such a precious little thing, he thinks, must be a gift from lady Fjalar.