362: The Falcon Sovereign

The Falcon Sovereign

Initially, it was a night devoid of dreams. 0

Adela fell asleep before she reached her bed yet still felt that her father hadn't left immediately. She knew what would follow once he departed, or rather, who would come. They took turns visiting her, beginning with the Baroness, whom Adela hadn't yet had the chance to greet, followed by the Queen and Larissa. But the one person who never left after entering her room was her son.

Noctavian...

As she tried to conjure his image in her mind, her worries for him deepened, and with those worries came a dream. It commenced as a recollection of the vivid memories she had of his childhood, but as it progressed, she began to witness an older version of him, passing like the waters of a river—too swift to grasp, unstoppable.

Adela drifted in and out of that state, seeing images that sometimes felt like memories and at other times like fragments of an undecided future. However, one vision stood out with exceptional clarity, compelling her to pause and concentrate on that moment.

Her son, no longer a child but a man, bore a striking resemblance to Kaiser de Lanark but possessed the same brown, predatory eyes as Egon von Conradie. What made this vision remarkable, perhaps, was the surreal vantage point. Noctavian stood in what looked like an open carriage, but it wasn't pulled by horses; instead, it soared through the air, carried by a massive army of oversized falcons that dwarfed even her beloved Kannen.

Beneath the Emorian Sovereign, the crowd roared with excitement.

***

The sensation of a calloused hand brushing her forehead and then her cheeks began to erase the visions, pulling Adela back into reality.

"Rest a while longer," Noctavian suggested, his words in contradiction to his touch.

Why was he still here?

Her eyelids fluttered open, she found herself waking up to the sight of her seven-year-old son sitting in a chair beside her and realized he had taken her hand into his own while she slept.

"Why are you here, Your Highness?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep.

"To make sure you're all right."

Adela's gaze drifted to his bracelet, and she felt reassured that he hadn't taken it off. When their eyes met again, she saw traces of hurt in his expression.

"I promised to reserve all my power until I start training with Rauul, didn't I?"

Why is he upset?

"You did, I apologize if I offended you," she murmured. While her mind was partly occupied with assessing her surroundings, she noticed the trays of food. Her suspicions were confirmed: he hadn't left her side for a considerable period, even going so far as to request his meals to be served in her room.

"...How many days have I been asleep?" 

"Just one night. It's dawn now."

Her lips curved downward. It was evident that skipping a night had no apparent impact on Noctavian's growth or power as he possessed an abundance of both. Nonetheless, she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt whenever that happened.

"…Are you worried he would come through the window again?" She inquired.

Noctavian's shoulders slumped, and his face and head drooped. "He comes and goes unnoticed by our knights. It is intolerable."

"Noctavian, in order to be obeyed by your subjects…" Adela paused, letting him finish the sentence.

"…You must order them to do only what they are capable of," he concluded.

Adela nodded, acknowledging his understanding of leadership.

"Then you know that it can't be helped; we've worked on those loopholes for so long. Humans can fend off humans. Anything above that... it needs equal superiority," Adela explained.

"Our falcons are masters of the skies; they can fend off supernaturals if properly trained, I am sure of it... I have been working with one for some time now," Noctavian disclosed.

This was news to Adela, the kind of information her son wouldn't share unless he had made a significant breakthrough.

"Tell me more," she encouraged.

"… I believe she had been tracking Alkadim and that man from the moment they arrived in Lanark. She was poised to strike as they approached, and I had to use a whistle to signal her to descend peacefully."

"If that is true, then it is very promising," Adela pondered for a moment. "I wonder if that is why the warlocks target our falcons so often… Apart from them being a symbol of House de Lanark."

"I am telling you, Mother, falcons are the answer!" Noctavian exclaimed.

Falcons… Noctavian and falcons. Was this all a coincidence?

With a sudden sense of urgency, she sat up, vividly recalling the vision of him in her dream. Noctavian noticed her reaction and saw an opportunity to press his case further.

"The falcons must come back to this estate," he urged.

Adela's excited expression was quickly replaced by a more reserved one as she never wanted to promise her son something she couldn't fulfill.

"Shouldn't we reinstall that defensive barrier around the two estates?" she suggested.

"No. It proved to be useless. The only thing it would have managed to do is lower the morale of our people once the attack hits and penetrates it. Let's go visit them now, Mother."

"Them?" Adela looked at the window where it was dawn.

"Our falcons."

"I can't. I have to be here for Arkin today."

Noctavian appeared to be deep in thought, wrestling with something in his mind before he spoke again.

"His Majesty does not want you to interfere between the Baron and Sir Arkin."

Adela sighed, considering the situation.

"...Let me get dressed. We can make the trip and return here before people wake up." She was determined to handle both matters. "We should also visit the Viscount in his sickbed. Is that acceptable?"

"Alright, mother."

A portion of the guards on duty along with the platoon responsible for safeguarding the Crown Prince followed the Archduchess and her son to the border between Latora and Lanark where the falcons were being kept. And all along the way, the horses were acting agitated, disturbed by the presence of Egon von Conradie who openly followed Adela and Noctavian on Xavier's back.

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