Young Writers Society

When Buck reached the palace, he bumped into Myal walking up the front lobby stairs. He had noticed her from the bottom of the stairs, but she was only a few steps up from him and travelling much slower than he’d intended to. He hadn’t meant to spend so much time in the marketplace, so was now officially late for his meeting with Alkset.

“Hey, Myal,” he called, jogging to catch her up. He wasn’t sure if she’d want to talk to him, but that was definitely better than ignoring her and rushing by.

Myal scowled at him at first, but then she shook her head and sighed, her brow smoothing out. “Afternoon, Bucket.”

“So, uh, what are you up to today?” Buck asked as they walked up the stairs together.

“Going to see Fusane,” she said. Her voice was clipped and quiet, but she glanced at him with wide eyes as she spoke.

“Rydone’s brother Fusane?” Buck asked.

“Yes,” Myal said. “He’s helping me build my court.”

Buck drew his breath in sharply, and immediately regretted it. Of course she was going to find someone else to help her with that, and from what he’d seen on that first day back it seemed like Fusane more than had a handle on things.

“That’s great,” Buck said, hoping he could invest his words with enough emphasis that she could hear his conviction. “Honestly, I’m glad that you still get to do that.”

“You don’t feel like you’re being replaced?” Myal asked. Her voice was higher pitched than it had been up until now. She scowled and resumed her more neutral tone as they reached the top of the stairs. “I don’t want to hurt you, Bucket. I don’t want there to be any tension between us anymore. And no, before you ask, I don’t want to be friends again. Because we were never friends, were we? I was friends with Buttane, and I’ve no idea how much Buttane actually exists. That was hurtful, of course, but it’s happened now and I know enough about you, Bucket, to know that you care more about yourself than about fixing it. But there’s no point in us fighting, because what friendship would we be fighting to save? So shake my hand – acquaintances?”

Buck felt like her words had wrapped around him in icy tendrils, squeezing tighter and tighter until he was so dizzy he couldn’t remember the details of what they were talking about. But he knew she was right that he had lied to her and hurt her, and also that he had refused to do the one thing she asked of him. If she wanted a handshake, he really better give her a handshake.

“Acquaintances,” he said, the word quiet and low. But he met her eyes, which were still a little wide, and nodded firmly.

Myal breathed out slowly as she took her hand back. “Right, well, I’m off to the Banquet Hall. We’re getting the candidates to practice in there.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Buck said, leaning away from her to head down the left corridor towards Pires’s office. “See you later.”

“See you,” Myal said, making her way along to the right.

Buck picked up his pace as he walked further down the corridor; now he really was late. Worth it though, he hoped. He allowed himself to jog, but tried not to full-on sprint so that nobody would notice how disorganised he was. That was probably why Erson and Alkset didn’t hear him coming. He stopped dead still in the doorway, watching them locked in conversation by the window. They were fixed on each other so intently that they didn’t even notice him standing there.

“I would understand… It’s got to be hard,” Alkset said, chewing on her bottom lip.

“No. No,” Erson said. “Just, trust me on this, please?”

Buck gasped, taken aback by Erson’s familiarity, and his forcefulness. Weren’t they meant to be trying to charm Alkset? Not to mention convince her that they weren’t all involved in shady plots, keeping secrets from each other. There was no time to think further on it though, because the noise alerted them both. Erson whirled around and glared at him, and Alkset hurried quietly over to the chairs in front of Pires’s desk. Buck got the message from Erson: ask questions later, if at all. He headed over to the chairs – there were three of them now – and sat down on Alkset’s left. He thought about asking where in the world Pires was, but decided against it. Erson sad down on Alkset’s right, and the three of them sat there in oppressive, infuriating silence until she returned.

When she finally did, she was holding two loosely folded pieces of parchment in her hands. They flapped about as she flew around to her side of the desk and placed them down in front of her. Buck peered forward, but she sides closest to him were curling away over the fold and all he could really see was a signature at the bottom of each sheet.

“Right, that’s sorted,” she said, breathing heavily. “Sorry I hadn’t got that sorted earlier but it was a tough choice.”

Alkset nodded and picked up the letters. As her eyes scanned over them, she said, “Yep, seems good. And yeah, I know it’s got to be nerve-wracking.”

She pocketed the letters, and the matter seemed to be over. Buck glanced at Pires.

“Oh,” Pires said. “Sorry, Buttane. It’s the first part of the form. I have to state who my duchy is being left in the hands of while I’m coming for the admission process. For contact purposes partly in case anything happens – here or there – but also they’re being tried out to make sure that the duchy will be in safe hands if I spend long periods away.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Buck said. “Who have you chosen?”

“Well, Victane is one. I trust him with co-ordinating the staff around here. And in terms of the visible head of the duchy – that would be Myal,” Pires said. She looked down when she said it, as if she thought that would hurt him. Her understood why she thought so, but he wished it wasn’t always so noticeable.

“I think those are great choices,” he said, trying his best to smile normally.

“Me too,” Alkset said. “I’ve spent time with both in the time I’ve been here and they both seem very capable.”

“My sister is exceedingly competent,” Erson agreed.

“Wow, what a compliment!” Alkset laughed. Erson seemed confused for a moment, whipping his head around to face her. But after a brief pause he joined in, chuckling shakily. Alkset took a deep breath. “Okay, anyway, shall we get on with the rest of those forms?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Pires said, pushing some papers from the side of her desk into the centre. “Thanks for all your help, by the way.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Alkset said. “I live for this. The council is my life. It’s rather sad, I know, but it makes me happy. I just like uniting people, helping everyone explore the world, you know?”

“Yeah, I know,” Erson said, smiling properly this time.

Alkset helped them through the admin for the rest of the afternoon – because it did take the rest of the afternoon – and explained what all the technical terms meant. Buck wanted to drill his quill through his forehead half the time – just what exactly was his relation to the ruling powers he was accompanying? – but Alkset’s laugh made it better. For being so devoted to her council, she was not above viciously mocking whatever clerks had picked the technical jargon out of the air for this.

“Does anyone know what a semi-stable-permanent-paramour is? Did that not get translated properly?” Erson asked at one point.

“Actually these weren’t translations. Buttane’s father taught one of the council’s legal clerks his language once. Spread around the department quite quickly – they all pick up the various languages represented by the council like that,” Alkset explained. Her smile dropped as she glanced towards first Buck then Erson. She said to Erson, looking at the floor. “Anyway, Pires is yours. Your semi-stable-permanet-paramour. You can circle or cross off any parts of that you like.”

“Oh,” Erson said. “Right, yes, of course. I know the word ‘paramour’. Should have thought.”

Buck nodded. “It’s a good word. Rhymes well with ‘adore.’”

This time both Erson and Alkset chuckled, as well as Pires, and Buck had to stop himself from beaming with glee at having broken the awkwardness.

When they were done, Pires excused herself to go talk to Myal and Victane again to go over provisions and guidelines. To Buck’s mix of dread and delight, Alkset went with her to help, leaving him and Erson alone. They hadn’t actually talked all that much since he’d overheard Erson tell Myal that he’d forgiven Buck. And today’s admin session had of course started with a furious glare from Erson aimed Buck’s way.

“Hey, Erson?” Buck said as Erson picked up his light cloak from the back of his chair. He figured he might as well get an answer to what that was about.

“Buttane?” Erson asked, pausing for a moment before shrugging the cloak on.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine,” Buck said, raising his hands up in front of himself, palms facing towards Erson. “But what was going on with you and Alkset when I came in here?”

“Oh,” Erson said. He shrugged. “Alkset just wants to be sure that I don’t share my parents’ views on the war. I get that it’s hard to trust my word, but it’s all I’ve got.”

“Huh,” Buck said. He replayed what he remembered of the words they’d exchanged in his mind and that seemed to fit. Certainly not worth pushing it either way. “Fair enough. Well, I’m going to go to my mum’s for dinner now. We’re having my friends over and I assume at some point Victane will appear? Anyway, have a good night and I’ll see you tomorrow. Ready to explore the world?”

Erson’s face had been stuck in a slightly bemused frown, but at this Buck finally got the briefest of smiles.

“I really am,” he said. Then his frown returned, and he excused himself, chewing nervously on his bottom lip the whole way out the door.