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But it was true, wasn’t it?
He didn’t need anything else, as long as he had Calix.
He nestled a little closer to the big man, feeling the press and pressure of thousands of bodies around him.
It was strange. He never normally felt nervous in a crowd, but suddenly, his heart was racing at their mere presence. His throat felt tight, his mouth dry. And he was very glad it would be Ms. Securia giving the speech, rather than him.
Must... must be all the swords...
By contrast, Securia positively bounded onto the stage, throwing her arms up to receive the cheers. She blew kisses and bowed, pointing to a few people and waving.
I never imagined her as someone who rose to the energy of a crowd! But she probably knows most of them, doesn’t she?
Securia and the king alternated speeches. As their uplifting words on camaraderie and duty and passion brought the crowd to repeated cheers, Aurelius’s mind wandered, able to think properly for the first time since the grand revelation that he was a therian.
“What is it?” asked Calix, off his furrowed brow.
“I just realized. If I’m like you, that means my family must have done something to upset Ondo?”
“Your father, you mean?” said Calix with a little smile.
“Oh, shit,” said Aurelius through clenched teeth. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”
“Believe me, it’ll probably never feel normal,” he said with a chuckle. “And on upsetting him? Yes, your mother must have done something.”
“But I can’t think of anything. And it would have to be something really massive for Ondo to take notice.”
“Not necessarily.”
“Oh really, wise sage? You never actually told me what House Viralis did to anger Ardor?”
The prince stared up at his father, his eyes narrowing. To Aurelius’s shock, Calix’s next words didn’t come in Dynosian, but in Voresoma, a language he didn’t know the man could even understand, let along speak. It was somewhat hesitant, clearly from lack of use, and laced with the strange infiltration of his Ardoran accent, but it was still comprehensible. “My father was seeing two women in the year before I was born. One of good breeding and socially powerful, but who he certainly didn’t love. The other was a much less typical choice, who brought light to his days.”
“And he chose the one he didn’t love?” said Aurelius, also in the ancient language.
Calix nodded.
“Why?”
“Class? Power? Arrangements between the right families? Patriotism? But the main reason was that the noblewoman was already pregnant with me. And that was the sin. Keeping a child out of calculus, rather than affection.” The prince sighed. “I might be the only one of our kind that created myself.”
Aurelius rubbed his pinkie against Calix’s, hidden by the mass all around them. Calix returned the gesture.
“It isn’t your fault,” said Aurelius. “You weren’t even born yet. And besides, I can’t believe that something so small would be enough for Ardor to punish your family? If that were the case, half the people here would be therians.”
“We are born to ruling families. The Five probably hold us to a higher standard than regular people.”
As the king spoke, a final piece clicked into place. Aurelius chuckled. “So that is what she meant.”
“Hmmm?”
“A few months back, Zosime proposed that I seek the military agreement through her, not you. I thought she was trying to take your spot in the succession, though I now realize she was just messing with me to protect you. But she hinted that there was some scandal related to your birth. I finally know what she meant now.”
Aurelius laughed. Calix didn’t return it. “Zosime said that?”
“Yes. Why?”
Calix looked around. There was something desperate in his movements. In his face was a look of panic.
