The Beast and The Swallow

"So," Leopold pinched his nose, attempting to gather his wits, "you escaped your tutors, snuck out of the Turmalin Palace, wandered around for half of the morning, and then decided to try your luck at the mouth of a lion?!"

"Pretty much." Prince Leonte took a long sip of his cup of sherbet and dangled his feet without a care in the world.

"Saints! What were you thinking!?"

"That the weather is nice and no one is going to miss me much."

The child's answer made Leopold gape. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ermin hiding his face in his palms in a futile attempt to suppress his laughter, but his quaking shoulders betrayed him. Leopold could feel the blood drumming in his temples and returned his attention to his grand-nephew.

"How could you do such a thing!? Where are your guards? And your nursemaid? Don't you realize how dangerous it was to wander here? Pixie is wary of strangers and could have killed you!"

Two azure eyes blinked at him from a thin, freckled face. Despite Leonte's mischievous smile and playful manner, the boy's gaze remained unnaturally detached and devoid of joy. It was like Leopold was looking not at a ten-year-old but at someone at least a decade or two older.

"No way Pixie would harm me. We are old friends," refuted the boy and patted the black lioness' head. The large feline purred and rubbed her body against his hand. "Besides, no one would miss me."

The last words were said with such cold conviction that both priests stiffened and exchanged grim glances. Looking at the child carefully, Leopold's mood soured even further. Dark circles rimmed Leonte's sparkling eyes, and his complexion was pallid. If one listened carefully, there was a soft, wheezing sound every time the boy took a breath. Primate Leopold felt a pang in his heart as an image from his memory overlapped with the boy sitting before him. Llewelyn's affliction had also started like this - chronic fatigue, appearing and disappearing fevers, vomiting, pains, seizures. Now, Leonte was beginning to show some of his father's symptoms, but, alas, they were progressing even faster in him. It was such a pity. The Heavens were too cruel to a child.

Outwardly, however, Leopold kept a stern appearance.

"Don't talk nonsense!" He huffed and threw a piercing glare at his grand-nephew. The boy chuckled at him unperturbed, which almost caused the old cleric to break his role. "And what do you mean by Pixie being your old friend?"

"We've been playing together for… I think four months. She is great! So soft and cuddly!"

"Cuddly?" Leopold looked at the lioness just as she was yawning and showing finger-long teeth. "You call this cuddly?"

"Looks can be deceiving." The boy shrugged and scratched Pixie's jaw, leaving his grand-uncle speechless for a moment. "Like how Lady Euphemia looks like a pious wife but has ten lovers. Or how Lord Fidmir id Carrig looks and acts like a merciless Zirati pirate but actually takes care of two orphanages… well, but he's still a pirate-"

"Hold it! How… How do you know all this? Where have you heard it?" gaped Leopold. Next to him, Ermin was bent in two and giggling like mad.

"Well, I heard it from some court ladies. At least the part of Lady Euphemia. And the guards at the eastern gate were talking about Sir Fidmir. Would you like a full report? I have names, dates…"

"No! Wait! You little rascal! Don't try to distract me with this nonsense. Tell me honestly, Leo, what in Saint Ursule's name were you doing here? Why aren't you in the Turmalin Palace?"

The boy twiddled his thumbs and chewed on his lip before answering.

"It's quite chaotic there now. I wanted to read my books and think in peace. And I missed Pixie, so here I am."

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Without waiting for further questions, Leonte opened the bag hanging over his shoulder and pulled out two tomes. One was as thick as a man's arm and richly encrusted with gold and gems. The other was a thin booklet, bound in brown calfskin. Ermin took the books and looked at the titles. With a whistle, he handed them over to Leopold, who couldn't remain calm either.

"Hmm, "The conquest of Norn-Dene". Aren't these the memoirs of Grand Pontifex Aurelius? And this one? "Of Hexes and Hexers" describes the experiences of an acolyte of Saint Arslan fighting the Binshi during the conquest of Norden. Quite a heavy read."

"It's so amazing!" Leonte's eyes sparkled, and he finally looked like a real child. "Did you know that Norden's name comes from Norn da dene, meaning the Lands of Norn? And did you know that it took over a hundred years to conquer Norden? And that the Great Five actually didn't participate there, because they were too old, but their acolytes did? But some say that Saint Ursule went there and healed Limerians and Binshi alike! Can you imagine this!? And it were the relics of Saint Marcus that won the war. But isn't it unfair to use relics? I mean, the Binshi sacrifice pieces of their souls to do magic, but our troops could use pre-charged relics to fight them. And the Slaughter at Grayback River, wasn't it horri-"

"Enough, Leo!" Leopold held the boy's hand and honestly had a difficult time. Mixed feelings formed in his heart as he listened to the slew of questions. Oh, Leo was smart! Smarter than most children his age. But some of the things he said could put him in danger. "You'd better put those books away. They are too difficult to understand."

"But I understand them. And I find them interesting," insisted Leonte. "These are the fullest records about Norden I've found until now."

"Until now? How many…?"

"Oh, not much. Five or six more besides those two. I had more free time this month, so… Uhm, grand-uncle, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing, nothing." Leopold coughed. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Ermin opening his palms like a book before making a wiggling motion with one hand. Indeed. The oldest imperial grandson was a bookworm, body and soul. He coughed again. "You seem to be preparing for your trip to Norden very seriously."

"Of course!" The boy held his head high, and his shallow chest thrusted out. "Last time I visited, I was little more than a toddler."

"You were six."

"That's what I'm saying! I only ran around and hid when the Binshi approached us. Now, I can have a proper talk with Uncle Noah. Do you know he has a Binshi knight? Maybe he can show me some magic?!

"Magic is… not a good thing, Leo." The cleric frowned.

"Why?"

"Well, it's dangerous and can hurt people."

"But so are swords. And the holy relics."

"Shush!" Leopold put his hand over the child's mouth. "You are safe with me and Er, but if you blurt that before Ambrosinus or your grandfather-"

"I know." The boy interrupted him, pushing his hand. "Although looks might be deceiving, I'm not a fool."

"Says a foolish child." The man ruffled his hair, but froze as two piercing eyes locked with his gaze.

"Says a prince of Limeria." Leonte's entire demeanor changed. There was nothing childish in him - not his voice, not his posture. Even his face looked older and somehow wiser than it was supposed to. This sudden change lasted only for a moment before the old Leonte with his radiant smile reappeared. "But I'll be a good prince and remember your advice. So please, grand-uncle, can I stay and play with Pixie a bit longer? Please!"

"You…" Leopold wanted to be angry, but something soft tugged at his heart. "Oh, alright. But only for half an hour. I don't want your wetnurse to panic… too much."

"Thank you!" Leonte beamed and his hands immediately hugged the lioness' neck, resulting in a slew of contented purrs. "Besides, as I said, they are all too busy with Leoris to care about me right now, so don't worry."

"Leoris?" A dark foreboding clouded the cleric's face. "Is your brother sick too?"

"No." Leonte rolled on the grass, pretending to wrestle with the large feline. "The Emperor is visiting today to check on… his study progress. I'd only bother them."

At the last words, Leopold jumped to his feet. With a single stride, he reached his grand-nephew, grabbed him by the collar, and tore him away from his furry playmate.

"You ran away on Assessment Day?" The man's eyes bulged out. "Come with me, before the Emperor skins us both!"