Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

Cameron listened to this exchange with intense interest. “Does Alric normally overdo it?”

Sasha waffled a hand back and forth. “He’s generally sensible enough not to. But sometimes, he gets in this weird mood where he has to prove something, or do something on his own, and he’ll reinjure himself. Drives us all crazy. The reason he’s got four retainers is because it takes four of them to support him.”

“Gunter doesn’t count,” Ravi denied, biting into his cake with relish. “He’s too much of a dungeon dweller. He’s only useful when Alric needs to send someone out to research.”

Cameron hadn’t met Gunter yet, only heard him referenced several times. He’d have to find a moment to do so. Right now, he didn’t want these three sidetracked. He was getting an entirely different view of Alric through their perspectives, and it fascinated him. “Four retainers? I know about Baldewin, but who else?”

“Me,” Ravi lifted a hand briefly in the air. “And Dieter, and of course Gunter. Dieter sort of inherited the position, as he was the previous king’s retainer. He helped Alric take over the role and then just stayed. Sometimes the only person Alric will listen to is Dieter. Alric chose the rest of us.”

“Indeed I did.” Alric came to stand at Warin’s side, looking them over with his mouth curled at the corners, indicating he was pleased to see Cameron surrounded by dragons. “Ravi I chose for his fighting prowess. You’ll discover he’s the fastest in the clan.”

“You chose me for my good looks and stunning personality too!” Ravi protested.

Alric’s eyes cut to him with such a deadpan expression Cameron snorted a laugh. Ignoring the dragon, he continued, “I asked Baldewin because I can trust him, and we’ve known each other so long that we can anticipate how the other wants things done. It’s turned out to be a very good decision. Gunter, I needed his mind. That said, he’ll surprise you by how well he fights.”

“He fights dirty,” Ravi confirmed, scraping up the last of his icing.

Sasha shuddered. “More like, he fights scary. You never know what strange move he’ll use to attack with. I swear he lies awake at night, thinking of how to be more efficient in killing things.”

“I think he actually does do that,” Ravi confirmed seriously. He shrugged it off just as easily.

Warin tilted his head back to look up. “Hoheit, I think Cameron should be pulled into game nights. It’s an excellent way for him to really make friends with people.”

“I quite agree. I’m not sure what the plan for the next game night is. Has anyone asked Ranulf?”

“No, we just thought of it,” Sasha explained.

“Ah.” Making a decision, Alric extended a hand to Cameron. “Come, let me introduce the two of you. It’ll be easier to ask him directly.”

“Yeah, okay.” Cameron popped up, coming around the very long table in order to reach Alric’s side. As he walked, the thought came to him that every moment he spent near Alric, his perception of the man changed. He’d initially only seen a very handsome man with a gentle smile. Now, when he looked at Alric, he saw not only the king, but the man himself—the flaws, strengths, and hopes that embodied this man. And the more he learned, the more interesting Alric became.

Cameron really disliked shallow people who had no hobbies or personality, like they were unformed lumps of clay. He’d unfortunately met a fair share of them in his life. Alric was anything but. The man was complex, and intriguing, and he really had to stop drawing Cameron’s attention like this. As it was, Cameron couldn’t tell if Alric shared the attraction. And if he did, why wasn’t he interested in making a damn move?

It was a little frustrating. Cameron felt the burn of it.

Alric drew him to another table and hailed a man who was built much like a tank on legs. Not fat, just solidly built and with a bushy beard halfway down his chest. “Ranulf.”

“Yes, Hoheit?”

“Our guest wishes to join in on game night.”

“We’d be happy to have him.” Ranulf left the chair with more agility than Cameron expected and came around to shake hands. “Hello, Cameron.”

“Cameron, this is Ranulf,” Alric finished the introduction. “He’s in charge of all the mechanics in the castle, including the vehicles. A very handy man. Ranulf, what game is set for this upcoming session?”

“Halo. We’ve not had a good Halo night in ages. You ever play that one, Cameron?”

“Me and every other boy in my generation, seems like,” Cameron answered with a laugh. “I haven’t picked it up in ages, though. Hopefully muscle memory comes back to me. What time?”

“We generally start at seven. We’ve got a gaming room set up in the right wing, up near Ravi’s room. I think we have enough controllers to go around.”