Lovu

  The Lords’ Residence was a walled district at Lavote’s center that held private villas for each of the 51 Lords. While they governed and lived in their own territory most of the time, they had to visit the capitol at least once a year for the annual meeting of the Lords’ Council. Between sessions, most Lords left one of their family members in charge of their villa to keep it in order and have a permanent contact in the capital.

  It got a bit rowdy when every villa was filled to capacity, but although the next session was coming soon, most of the Lords would not begin arriving for a few more weeks. For now, the Residence was calm and serene, which made new arrivals stand out.

  “Good afternoon Lord Foyrilmang!” Lovu called out to a woman disembarking her carriage. It was stopped outside of the Foyrilmang villa and was followed by a caravan of wagons carrying luggage and a full entourage of Honors. “It’s good to see that your travels have once again delivered you safely into Fam’e’s embrace.”

  That woman was Tama Foyrilmang, a younger Lord in her late 20s. Her father – the previous Lord Foyrilmang – had passed away a couple of years ago, leaving her to inherit his land. As a member of the royal family, Lovu was expected to know each and every Lord by name and face so that he could offer the proper greetings when necessary. That was his duty, but something about the way a person lights up when you recall them from only a brief meeting warmed his heart, so he put effort into remembering everyone possible, not just Lords.

  “Thank you so much for your concern, my prince,” Tama said, bowing in response. “There were some close calls, but none so great as to delay me.”

  “Oh goodness, I am sorry to hear you had trouble. May I ask what happened?”

  “Nothing for you to concern yourself with, my prince,” she said, eyeing Akil. “As you may know, my lands are notorious for roaming vit. We were lucky enough to not suffer any major losses aside from time.”

  Vit were beasts that inhabited the wildlands between cities. They were more plentiful in more remote regions and Foyrilmang was largely dense swampland, so it made sense for them to cause her trouble.

  “If only I had such an esteemed Honor in my service,” she said, continuing to flick glances at Akil, “the trip would be trivial. The Advocate’s Guard is a name spoken in reverence all across Hangkiti.”

  “Careful with that name,” Lovu laughed as he looked at Akil. After becoming one of the youngest Honors in history, he had earned a bit of a reputation and alongside it came nicknames. The Advocate’s Guard was the most popular, but Akil got prickly whenever he heard it. “The Guard himself doesn’t care for it.”

  “In that case, I’m sorry to have caused offense.”

  “Do not worry about it,” Akil said, grinning firmly. “Perhaps while you are here, I can assess your guards and offer advice. There is always room for improvement, after all.”

  “I appreciate the offer and I may well take you up on it,” she said, matching his smile. “My schedule is open between now and the Council session, so we will be ready to welcome you whenever you have the time.”

  For a moment, the conversation died down as the pair just stared at each other, waiting for the other to make the next move.

  “At the very least I am glad to see you safe,” Lovu said, taking the reins. “Before you depart Lavote, you must let me know. I would love to provide a blessing in Fam’e’s name to ensure a smooth return.”

  “You honor me,” she said, bowing once more. “Now, I must see to our attendants. I would prefer to get everything unpacked while we still have the sun.”

  “Of course. Have a wonderful evening,” Lovu said, finally leaving her on her own. As they walked, Lovu couldn’t help but notice Akil was looking back in concern. He did a good job of hiding his emotions in front of others, but Lovu knew exactly how to read his face. “It truly is a shame that Foyrilmang is so difficult to maintain. Perhaps once I am High Advocate, I can send her some extra Advocates to bless the land and take some weight off of her shoulders.”

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  “Perhaps you can,” Akil said with a smile, finally turning back to him. “I’m sure that would make her very happy.”

  As they continued making their way toward the Yelma villa, they had a number of similar encounters. Lovu waved and greeted everyone they passed. To his surprise, there were more early arrivals than usual. It was typical for a couple of people to arrive in Lavote early to handle business before they got too busy with Council meetings, but Lord Foyrilmang made ten by his count.

  “This must be a busy year,” he said, wondering out loud.

  “It appears so,” Akil said, a slight knit in his brow slipping through his guarded expression. “Perhaps they simply have more free time to spend socializing because of this year’s plentiful bounty. Lavote’s comfort is quite tempting, especially for someone like Lord Foyrilmang whose territory is so inhospitable.”

  “That would make sense,” Lovu said, as they finally arrived. The attendants and Honors bowed at their entrance, welcoming him home. He returned the greetings in kind and took his time to tell everyone about the ceremony, but a fire was dancing in his belly. It took all he had not to just keep his eyes locked on Akil.

  “Start work on dinner,” he said to Lehil, his head attendant. He was an old man who had served their family since long before Lovu was born and been his personal attendant for as long as he could remember. “Once it is ready, feel free to dismiss the rest of the staff for the night. I wish to celebrate in private.”

  “Of course, your grace,” Lehil said, bowing deeply. At the same time, Akil was whispering something to Sir Itkilmo, the villa’s head Honor. While Akil was his personal bodyguard, Itkilmo handled security for the villa itself.

  Shortly after they finished giving their respective orders, the staff hurried off, leaving them alone. He grabbed his bodyguard by the breastplate and pulled him toward his room. “Now… I was promised a prize.”

  “I am at your mercy.”

  *** *** ***

  “Maybe I should pick fights more often,” Lovu said, his head resting on Akil’s bare chest. He absentmindedly traced his fingers through his course dark hair. “I could get used to being treated like that every night.”

  “I wouldn’t advise it,” Akil said, his own hand gently massaging Lovu’s back. “There’s no guarantee you’ll beat me again and I doubt you’d enjoy the prize I’d take in return. Besides, you’ll be High Advocate soon. Your duty is to end conflict, not spark it.”

  “Is it still wrong if everyone involved enjoys the fight?” he asked, playfully biting Akil’s pec just hard enough to leave an imprint.

  “That’s a question for the scripture, and we’ve clearly established that I’m not the best reference on that front,” Akil said. He started to lean in for a kiss when a knock at the door interrupted them. Lovu had spent enough nights like that to know what it meant, so he started climbing to lay across Akil’s stomach.

  “Nope, you’re not going anywhere.” He had hoped to keep Akil pinned to the bed with his weight, but the Honor simply scooped him up in his arms and stood anyway. Lovu pouted up at him. “What about my prize?”

  “Oh, I thought you already claimed,” Akil said, kissing Lovu before promptly tossing him back on the bed. “Be careful, it is unbecoming of an Advocate to show such unrepentant greed.”

  Lovu pouted while Akil went to the door, a bedsheet wrapped loosely around his waist. Sir Itkilmo was on the other side. They whispered back and forth for a second before Sir Itkilmo gave a sharp salute and hurried off. As soon as the door was closed, Akil dropped the bed sheet and started to get dressed again.

  “But I thought we were going to have dinner together,” Lovu said, crawling to the edge of the bed and helping Akil gather his clothes despite his protest.

  “I will hurry back, but something came up and I need to handle it as soon as possible. It shouldn’t take long,” he said, looking out the window at the sun. “I should be back a little bit after sunset, so it will be a late dinner, but a dinner nonetheless.”

  “Promise?”

  “I promise to do everything within my power to return as quickly as possible,” he said, bending down to kiss Lovu on the forehead. “Are you happy?”

  “No, but I will be in time,” Lovu said, slumping back into the bed. “Now I just have to figure out what to do to fill the time until you return.”

  “How about you go and report what happened at the ceremony to your family? I already had Itkilmo check, and your sister is going to be meeting with your father shortly. You’re welcome to join if you want.”

  Lovu immediately perked up. “Really! I was planning to send a letter tomorrow, but it’ll be even better to handle it in person. I’m sure there is a lot to do before my appointment, so I’d love to get a jump start on it.”

  He pulled a cord by his bed to call an attendant to help him get dressed. If he was planning to meet with the Voice himself, he had to look his very best.

  Lovu’s father – Engteng Yelma – was the Voice of Hangkiti, a title passed down through the Yelma family for centuries. He was a Lord among Lords who oversaw the Council, guiding their decisions and enacting their policy. While House Yelma had a villa, his father resided in the Voice’s Palace at the center of the Lords’ Residence. Lovu’s older siblings worked closely with his father, so they spent the majority of their time there as well, leaving Lovu in charge of the family villa.

  “In that case, I’ll escort you to the Palace,” Akil said, clipping on the final few pieces of his armor.

  “Don’t worry about it. If something urgent enough to keep you away from me has come up, I’d rather you address it as soon as possible.”

  “The Palace is on my way,” Akil said, his face feigning injury. “Or are you telling me you don’t want me to escort you?”

  “Oh, well if you must,” Lovu said, returning the sarcasm with a grin on his face.