Whispers.
He could hear them again, soft, venomous murmurs curling through the air like smoke, each one a reminder that he did not belong.
Sitting at the edge of the lake, he stared at his reflection. Pale skin, obsidian black hair, and round brown eyes stared back at him, features that stood in sharp contrast to the brown-haired, green-eyed tribesmen who shared his village. The wind rippled across the water's surface, biting against his cheeks until they flushed pink. He traced his fingers just above the lake, and small waves stirred wherever his hand passed, caressing his skin with icy threads that sent shivers up his arms. The sensation was uncomfortable yet oddly soothing. The water never judged him.
"Circe! Circe!"
The shout broke through his thoughts.
It took him a while to remember that that was the name of the person he was impersonating.
He looked up
Across the lake, a small boy with braided hair and long sharp ears waved frantically, his voice bright and clear. It was Teigo,Circe's uncle's youngest son, six years old and still too innocent to understand hatred.
He wondered silently how long that innocence would last.ten years, yet they never tired of finding fault in him, never stopped reminding him that his mother's sins were his to bear. They said she had defied their sacred laws. But he hadn't even been born when she did it.
"What is it, Teigo?" he asked, with a faint smile.
"Father's calling you! He said to hurry!"
His smile faltered. The uncle was one of his obstacles, although his acting was good the epira were children of nature and the older ones usually noticed a difference in body and soul. Since he came he had rarely been summoned.
"Get up, Circe!" Teigo urged. "There's a nobleman with Father. He looks really important!"
"A nobleman?" he repeated quietly.
"Yeah! Human, he has Fancy clothes, arrogant look, "
"I know what a nobleman is," he interrupted. "Do you know what he wants?"
Teigo shook his head. "No idea. They talked in Father's office, and then he told me to call you."
Circe had been chosen as consort, it was one of the reasons Eliphas agreed to help him.
"Then let's not keep them waiting," he said.
He lifted the boy up considerate of his short legs and walked back.
After a while, they reached the village gates. he set Teigo down, took his hand, and together they approached the chief's house, a structure of enchanted wood and monster hide that pulsed faintly with life. The scent of earth and sap filled the air, a mark of the tribe's connection to nature.
"Uncle," he said, bowing respectfully as they entered.
The man also had brown hair but short reviling his ears that leaned back donned with ornaments.
He could feel his left thigh burn as the man looked at him with glowing green eyes. He knew that a man had suspected something the instincts of the Epira were known through out the land. But for now he was safe he trusted Eliphas' magic.
The chief, nodded and gestured for him to rise. Beside him stood a tall, golden-haired man dressed in imperial silks, his bearing proud and measured. A member of the royal family, no doubt, different from the one who'd come last time.
"You may leave now, Teigo," the chief said.
"Yes, Father." Teigo obeyed, though his small voice trembled with disappointment.
"Circe," the chief began, "this is the Duke of Rafion, Lord Caspian Iorwerth."
"Your Grace," he murmured, bowing again.
The duke's lips curved into a practiced smile, a diplomat's smile, polite but hollow. he glanced at the 'uncle' for an explanation, but this time, the man avoided his gaze.
"There was a decree from the Emperor a year ago," the chief continued. "I trust you remember."
"You were been chosen as the Crown Prince's consort. The Emperor intends to pass the throne soon, and all chosen consorts are to be brought to court for official training."
Circe had told him of the cruelty of his people, he had experienced it himself for the month he was here. His uncle had given him to the humans as. Consort knowing very well most humans do not like them and some even hunt them.
"When do I leave?" he asked quietly.
"At dusk," the duke replied. "Do not worry about your belongings. You'll be issued new garments at the palace."
"You may go prepare," his uncle added. "Servants are waiting outside your quarters."
He bowed silently and left.
The moment he stepped outside, a small body collided with him.
"What did they say? Tell me, Circe!" Teigo pleaded.
He ruffled the child's hair with a gentle laugh, he reminded him of his younger brothers. His only hope was they do not get angry when Eliphas tells them that he had gone for a mission in the human lands with out telling them.
The sound of the assembly horn echoed through the village. The chief was summoning everyone, no doubt to announce his departure.
"It's a surprise," he said lightly. "You'll find out soon."
"But, "
"Patience," he interrupted, smiling as he walked away.
As promised, servants waited in his room. They stripped away his worn garments, scrubbed his skin, and layered him in fine silks, ten layers, by his count, before draping a crimson cloak across his shoulders. He fastened around his wrist the only thing that truly belonged to him in here: a small headpiece once given by Eliphas. Then they led him outside, where two carriages stood ready under the dimming sky.
By the time he reached the gathering, the sun had already begun to sink. The villagers watched him in silence, some with envy, others with awe, as the duke gestured to the carriage door. He bowed to his uncle's family.
"You're twenty one nearly grown now," his aunt said with a smile that looked evil even to him..
Technically Circe was not nearly grown Epira are fully grown at the age of forty that is when they can convince
"This will be good for you, and for the tribe."
He nodded. "Yes, Aunt." Her hug made his skin crawl, she gripped his shoulders with such force he was sure it would bleed.
He turned to Teigo, who stood quietly beside his father, eyes red and glistening. He smiled and patted his head once more before stepping into the carriage, it was his first time in a carriage driven by a beast this small back home beasts that drove carriages had four eyes huge horns that looked like continuous leaf less branches, they had four legs each leg with immense pressure they called them Trisies.
Inside, two strangers sat opposite him, watching in silence. When the door shut and the wheels began to turn, their stares only deepened.
"Won't the duke be joining us?" he asked after a while, mostly to break the tension.
The woman nearest to him sneered. "You expect a duke to ride with a commoner? Are all savages this foolish?"
"Ananke," the other said warningly. "Forgive her, she's been on edge lately. I'm Ruda, she's Ananke. We've been assigned as your attendants."
So one was openly hostile, and the other wore politeness like a mask. He had met enough of both kinds to know the difference.
"Pleased to meet you," he said mildly, though his thoughts were far from kind.
Ananke scoffed and turned toward the window. "Troublesome."
"Ananke," Ruda hissed again.
"What? It's true."
He looked away, ignoring them.
"Don't mind her," Ruda continued after a moment. "Have you been told who your escort will be?"
"My escort?" he frowned.
Ananke gave a low chuckle. "Each of the eight consorts is to stay with a younger royal to learn palace etiquette. You're the only one being escorted by a duke instead of a prince."
He blinked, understanding dawning slowly.
The king had likely assigned the younger royals to serve as escorts in order to humble them , a subtle warning not to interfere with the crown prince's succession. However, choosing the duke for the same duty seemed intended to disgrace him. From this, he deduced that the other consorts must have come from powerful families the king dared not offend. So instead, the king chose a consort from non human background using that as a convenient pretext to force the duke into the role of escort , an act humiliating enough for any untitled royal, let alone for a duke who governed an entire province. That explained their contempt. They were likely from the duke's own household, offended that a supposed outcast like him had been assigned their master.
He looked out the carriage window as the trees blurred past. The setting sun painted the forest in gold and crimson, and his thoughts turned dark.
He had to be vigilant.
He had been warned about humans and their deceptive nature.
Whatever awaited him at the imperial court he'll face it head on, he cannot afford to fail his mission.
The beast leaped and he felt them soon on air.