Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Tai'ray wasn't sure what to say. He was actually speechless as he looked at a very bashful Aw'endo, a slightly embarrassed General, his bemused chosen and a stubborn foster son. "I left you in charge of them for an hour," he blurted out, walking over to Aw'endo while looking at Yerir'o. He yanked the boy into a rough hug. Aw'endo complained, trying to pull out while also clutching onto his sleeve.
"I apologize," Yerir'o offered weakly, sitting next to Fetmar as Ryraso tended to his leg. "I wasn't quite expecting the danger to come from noble younglings. They aren't the first people to come to mind when I think of blades. Words, and general mind games sure, but not blades."
"They want to be warriors. It's not that big a leap," Fetmar commented with a touch of amusement in his voice. There was an edge of tightness to the words too. Tai'ray was sure Ryraso had given him something to reduce the pain of being stabbed. "I'm more concerned with the fact they thought they could get away with stabbing Aw'en."
"They won't," Tai'ray growled, his feathers puffing out angrily and his grip on Aw'endo got tighter. "I had no idea it had gotten this bad," he murmured into Aw'endo's hair.
"It's not that bad Da," Aw'endo tried to reassure, pulling back to look at his father. "I wasn't expecting blades either. It's all been talk. Nothing serious," he said sincerely. "I've been dealing with it fine. Cai'ress pointed out that they are probably jealous about what I did. Which makes sense because they have been worse since I got back," he started to ramble slightly, not quite meeting Tai'ray's eyes. "Tia'em's brothers are all in the army and all he wants to do is be in the army but his dad wants him to be a part of the political side of things because he's clever. He's not that clever," he grumbled.
"Wait, Cai'ress?" Tai'ray frowned deeply. He hadn't known that Cai'ress had interacted with Aw'endo, ever. Was this new? Had Cai'ress lied to Nel'os when he promised to stay away until Ryraso and Eyeri's situations were dealt with? "You spoke to Cai'ress about this?"
"Yeah," Aw'endo shrugged, looking puzzled. "He kind of is the only person who gets it. I mean, he's a noble but his family's minor so he has to deal with similar stuff about not having the right to be here."
"Who's Cai'ress?" Fetmar asked.
"No one you need be concerned about currently," Tai'ray commented softly, his mind trying to wrap itself around this new information. It sounded like Cai'ress and Aw'endo had been on talking terms for a while now. He already knew he had missed a lot from Aw'endo's life over the past couple of years, was this just another thing? Aw'endo had found a what? Friend? Ally? Confidante? In Cai'ress and didn't seem to think he should not be so by how he was currently looking at Tai'ray.
"Doesn't sound like it," Fetmar muttered, before hissing as Ryraso pressed harder than needed on his wound.
Tai'ray ignored them, focusing on his youngling and this new revelation. "When did you talk to Cai'ress about this? Why didn't tell us?" he asked seriously. Even if Cai'ress had been there while the Royals had not, something Tai'ray would be questioning the submissive on about his motives, they had been here for the past week. Surely Aw'endo knew he could tell them stuff now?
Aw'endo flushed and his eyes were moving everywhere in the room. "You've been busy?" he offered lightly, his shrugging. "I've... bumped into him a few times in the shrines. Not here in the consort rooms. I know he promised to stay away. Um. One time I was trying to avoid  Ver'per and his collection of thugs. One time was after you caged Eyeri and I wasn't really..." He trailed off, not really wanting to admit the fact he had been too unnerved by Tai'ray's actions to think about talking about this with him. "Didn't seem the best time to talk to you."
"Aw'endo," Tai'ray murmured, letting go of him. There was the distinct feeling of a dagger twisting his chest. His son hadn't trusted him. His son didn't trust him. Maybe he had been too naive with his assumption that by bringing Ryraso back, their bond would fix as well. Aw'endo had certainly seemed to want to fix their relationship.
"Da," Aw'endo offered, this time speaking in k'nairi. Tai'ray felt a twinge in his chest at the shift.  "You haven't been here for a while. This is nothing new. Sorry, the blade outside of the training ring is new," he corrected idly. "You knew, I was alone here. Cai'ress is one of the few people who bothered to talk to me. And I do mean talk. Not like the other nobles who only tried to talk to me to get close to you guys. They pretty much stopped when they realised..." he bit his lip. "When they realised you didn't care about me anymore."
"I cared about you," Tai'ray said softly, trying not to let out to the room full of people how much those words had hurt him.
"Then why weren't you here?" Aw'endo snapped, taking a step away from Tai'ray. "Why are they still here Da? You brought them here so I would have company and all they have ever done is made my life hell," Aw'endo said bitterly, meeting Tai'ray's eyes again. There was a lot of hurt in his eyes and Tai'ray could feel Ryraso, Yerir'o and Fetmar watching him closely. Eyeri wasn't in the room. Tai'ray wasn't sure where he was at the moment but it seemed odd. Everyone else was here. And this was not the thought thread to be going down right now.
"They are noble kin. I can't banish them from the court. Once they were invited, they were here to stay," Tai'ray explained. "I can banish the one who stabbed Fetmar though," he settled on.
"Still doesn't get rid of the rest of them. The only person that has been kind to me this past couple of years has been Cai'ress. Matron Iss'tine has been too busy with them. Some tolerate me but none are my friends. You didn't bother to contact me. Nor did Nel'os or Dyn'ad. They pointed that out regularly, you know," Aw'endo said icily. "Even if you are here now, how long until you have to leave again? And even being here, I only see you at night," he argued.
"Aw'endo, you are my son. You should tell me if something is wrong. I have not been here for the past few years, and I am sorry about that. But I'm here now," Tai'ray said firmly. "Certainly for the next six months at least. And Ryraso will be here far longer and I doubt you have talked to him about this."
Aw'endo snorted, looking over at Ryraso. "I love both but you are very busy at the moment. Eyeri was so scared," he cut himself off visually. His shoulders were tense and his wings shivered at the memory of Eyeri begging not to be locked in the cage. "My issues didn't seem that big compared to what Eyeri was dealing with. Ryraso has other problems too. I hear the whispers, you know?" he commented. "Nel'os, Dyn'ad. Well, Dyn'ad not so much. You are all so busy and being bullied didn't seem a good enough reason."
"So you talked with Cai'ress," Tai'ray growled.
"That's all you care about, isn't it?" Aw'endo spat back, with a growl in the back of his own voice. "Not that you left me on my own for so long. Not that the bullies stabbed Fetmar instead of me. But that I trusted a man you haven't bothered to look twice at despite being in your circle for five years," he snarled. "Well, father. That's what happens when you leave people alone. They make allies. And I definitely needed them."
"I don't want you talking to him," Tai'ray warned. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Ryraso murmuring something to Yerir'o. Fetmar also was looking serious, the young man only sitting because Ryraso and Yerir'o's hands were on his shoulders. The human couldn't understand k'nairi yet but their tones and body language would be clear to see. "He should never have spoken to you ..."
"Without your permission?" Aw'endo scoffed. "So you really would have rather I have been completely alone?" he demanded, his wings spreading wide. If he was older, it would be signs of a fight. Learned behaviour from the warriors but not behaviour Tai'ray expected from his son.
"No," Tai'ray shook his head. "I'd rather you'd made some friends with people who were not trying to use you!"
The sound that came from Aw'endo was best described as a laugh but there was nothing joyful about it. It was an almost broken sound. Aw'endo gave his father a dark look. "Then you definitely picked the wrong people to be my company," he said coolly.
The room was silent for a moment. Tai'ray not really sure how to respond to that. Aw'endo looked at Ryraso before walking out of the room. The door slammed behind him and Tai'ray swallowed a yell for him to get back. Aw'endo was right. He was surrounded by people who were going to try to use him to further their positions. The difference between Cai'ress and the young nobles they had brought to court was simply age. And the fact Cai'ress was destined to be eye candy as opposed to anything of any real use.
"Well," Fetmar commented. "I didn't understand any of that but I think you have yet another issue on your hands, Winglord. I, er, think we should leave," he said looking up at Yerir'o.
"I think that is wise," Yerir'o nodded, looking at the stance Tai'ray was in. He was not a court gossip but he knew Cai'ress' name. He knew Cai'ress was someone who had caught the heart of Nel'os and Dyn'ad. But not Tai'ray it seemed. The rumours had suggested so but it seemed like it ran deeper than just not clicking right from that argument.
Ryraso nodded slowly, his face unreadable.  "I agree. Take Fetmar back to the consort rooms. I believe Nel'os had one of the servants make up a room for Fetmar to use."
"I thought..." Yerir'o started to say but cut himself off as Tai'ray looked at him harshly.
"I will allow you to court Fetmar, Yerir'o. But I will not be giving you him as some kind of prize. You will court him like a normal person and he will remain in my nesting rooms until further notice," Tai'ray said tightly, anger in his voice. Dark anger which was quickly filling the room and making the hairs on the back of Yerir'o's neck stand on end. "Plus, you leave in a week. I will not have Fetmar alone in Navat while you are gone."
"Understood, my lord," Yerir'o quickly agreed, bowing low. He knew the anger was not really directed at him but now was not the time to be risking anything. Fetmar seemed to sense this too as he wasn't saying anything.
"Good. Understand this too, if you reveal anything you saw here today to court, I will make sure you never court another person again. Is that clear?" Tai'ray threatened darkly.
"I will keep your secrets," Yerir'o breathed, his chest suddenly tight. It almost felt like the link was surrounding him tightly, constricting his ability to breathe easily. He was frozen in place in his bow, looking at the wooden floor. Any other man who threatened him like that would get a very different response. The Winglord was a different story. Tai'ray could ruin him if he wanted to. A hand touched his back and the magic disappeared. Yerir'o fought not to gasp for air and remain composed. He had never experienced anything like this before.
"Tai'ray," Ryraso warned. "General Yerir'o can be trusted to keep his mouth shut, I'm sure," he said soothingly, rubbing his back. "For now, take Fetmar to his room, General Yerir'o," Ryraso ordered firmly. "The Winglord and I need to talk."