𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐍 𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐘. Seeing as Talil would soon inherit the throne and the kingdom, he was expected to attend, and it was set to take place mere hours after Rael had announced Odin's invasion of Tobruk, the time delayed due to some members having to make their way from their positions in different parts of the region; although the process didn't take very long, everyone involved was relieved to have some time to themselves before decisions were made and further chaos ensued.

Much to his relief, the royal supper was, of course, cancelled, as he had expected it would be in light of new events, although he would have much rather sit through the supper as opposed to worrying about a potential invasion at the hands of Odin the conqueror.

Talil was left alone for the most part, only expected to come early to the council meeting with his father, and was left to his own devices until then. His mother had suggested he go for a walk to clear his head before rushing off to instruct yet another handmaiden. He almost took her advice, even went so far to put on more comfortable shoes before glancing out the window and hearing the shouting and protests in the street, deciding against it and easing down onto a chair for the rest of the night.

He wished he could say he did something productive—even if he was lying to himself—but as much as he wanted to believe otherwise, Talil was lost in his thoughts and worries until it was nearly time for the meeting, many people in the streets having been sent home with instructions on how to be kept safe. He shook his head as he went to dress—his mother had told him to dress more formally for the meeting, although he hardly understood why—as if trying to ward off thoughts of the inevitable, hoping that history would not repeat itself.

He was just putting on his headdress when a knock on the door came, calling for the person to come in as he made slight adjustments, raising his eyebrow in the mirror as he caught sight of his vistor's snow white hair.

"Beatrice," Talil greeted, his lips moving into a smile despite his mood, speaking to her through the mirror, "What are you doing here? I thought you were to do inventory tonight, were you requested at the meeting?"

"Sadly, no," she answered, closing the door and leaning against the door frame, wringing her hands as if unsure what to do with them without her spear, "I'm glad I caught you, I wanted to talk to you before you left."

With one last glance at his reflection in the mirror, he turned around to face his friend, catching sight of her stern expression as he took in her expression, moving to open the door as he figured they could speak as they walked, only to find her pale hand grasp his just as he went to turn the knob.

"I wanted to speak with you alone," Beatrice insisted, gently removing his hand and briefly cupping it in hers before dropping her arms at her side.

Talil wasn't quite sure where she was going with this, but the uneasiness in his stomach only doubled as he sat down across from her, beckoning her to sit down as well, folding his hands in his lap with a concerned expression. "What did you want to tell me?"

The woman took a deep breath as she glanced out the balcony and across the dimming lights of the kingdom—despite the late hour, it seemed many people were still awake, no doubt discussing what could happen next—with a troubled look on her face, turning her head to face the prince before she spoke, her voice low.

"I know you don't care for such meetings," she began, her fingers tracing a chain on her sleeve, "And that you aren't very comfortable speaking up unless spoken to, and I respect that, but these are different circumstances. Our people need to know they will be kept safe, that their king cares about them and will protect them at any cost."

"Where are you going with this, Bea?" Talil asked slowly, the nickname suddenly heavy on his lips as he listened to her speak, unaware he was digging his fingernails into his palm while he waited for her to continue.

"With all due respect, but we both know your father and his advisors will be tripping over themselves to please Odin," she continued, leaning forward slightly, shoving her hair away from her face, her gaze on him unwavering, "It's understandable, yes, but giving him whatever he wants on a whim won't help our people in the long run, we must come up with a better solution other than groveling like cowards."

Her foot began to bounce as her words trailed away, seeing his expression remain the same, holding her breath as she waited for him to say something, smoothing her skirt in an attempt to appear more formal, but whatever she thought Talil was going to say in response was not what came out of his mouth.

"You forget yourself," he said quietly, placing his hands on the arms of the chair and rising, her words earning her a harsh glance, "I'm certain my father and the rest of the council will make the right decision. One that will keep all of Nekhen safe and Odin content."

A muscle in Beatrice's jaw twitched as she surveyed the prince—suddenly, she saw him as such, not as a friend, but as a royal that could easily have her executed if the thought crossed her mind—and yet she forgot their standings for a moment, only thinking of the calamities and the inevitable battle that would ensue if the Allfather's greed carried on as it had done to so many other kingdoms before them.

"Talil, you cannot possibly agree that rolling over at Odin's command is the best path!" Beatrice cried, standing up abruptly, her hands tightening into fists, "We have many able-bodied warriors, our freedom is within reach, all we have to do is—"

Her words were cut off by Talil slamming his hand on the table, his usual calm demeanor replaced by one of anger and indignation, the woman flinching and turning her head to the side and not meeting his gaze, refusing to lower her head. His voice was still low when he spoke. "Thank you for your input," he said, moving his eyes in the direction of the door, "But if you don't mind, I have a meeting to attend."

The woman seemed to hold back a scoff, raising her head only to meet the prince's eyes for a brief moment before bowing, lifting her chin as she addressed him, a mocking undertone lying underneath the title she spoke. "Of course...Your Majesty."

With that, she strode to the door and, without a backward glance, closed the door with a heavy thud, leaving Talil standing alone in the middle of the room. He gave a heavy sigh as he thought of the encounter, running a hand over his face as the guilt began to wash over him; he hadn't meant to get upset in the moment, nor should he have slammed his hand on the table—he may have been upset, but Beatrice's flinch from the loud noise didn't pass him—and he felt an urge to run after her and apologize for his actions; he would have done so, too, had it not been for the servant knocking on his door and informing him that everyone had gathered for the meeting and were only waiting for him.

He tried to walk quickly as he made his way to the council room, giving a small smile to whomever he passed until his feet carried him over the beautifully decorated flooring to the large room at the end of the hall, ornamented double doors guarded by the two men, uncrossing their spears and nodding at him as he drew the curtain aside and entered the room.

The council room was beautifully flourished, despite the fact it didn't need to be, much like the rest of the palace's chambers. The small steps leading to the middle of the room stood beside hand rails of ornate mahogany, carved and polished so that it shone to the eye, family portraits of previous advisors and family members hung around the room, painted in oils and hanging in gold frames, accenting the carefully crafted furniture that each consultant had to his own person. The air, he noticed, usually scented with fresh flowers, smelled dull, as if the vases that ordinarily stood on the side tables were wilted; a quick glance to the side confirmed his nagging suspicion before making his way to his father's side.

"We've been waiting for you, my son," the king said with a tired but fond expression, patting the empty seat beside him, "I hope whatever kept you was important," he added, an accusatory edge in his voice.

"I was attending to a personal matter, I apologize," Talil said, briefly taking in his father's stern expression and bowing his head, sitting obediently with his hands folded in his lap.

Even without looking up, he could tell his father was beyond not happy—obviously, the king wouldn't have been pleased about his son arriving late to an important council meeting to begin with, but seeing as the circumstances that warranted the meeting were fairly unprecedented, he was sure he would be hearing more of it later—as he fiddled with his fingers under the table, being careful not to present wrongly.

The king made a guttural sound in his throat before letting out a heavy sigh, looking around the room at his advisors. "Now that we are all here, we have much to discuss."

○ ○ ○

The meeting ran for several hours and became very heated at times, the king even sending the servants out of the room at one point when an advisor began shouting obscenities about Odin. The man beside him had patted the man's shoulder with a concerned look before suggesting he take a walk to gather himself again, everyone else shaking their heads sympathetically as they watched the man leave, his shoulders begining to shake.

While he may have been the prince, Talil certainly couldn't claim he knew everything that went on in the castle, and he understand very well that this was one of those times.

It was nearly dawn when the council members began to conclude, everyone still present bowing to the king and saying a few words before leaving in pairs, and while he had fully expected to receive a lecture for his tardiness, he was not at all prepared for his punishment—in fact, because his mother was present, having slipped in towards the end of the meeting and was now standing at her husband's side, he hadn't expected a punishment at all, since his mother was always the one who had the ability to somehow cool his father's temper and convince him not to give consequences.

That didn't mean Talil was spoiled or coddled, he certainly learned his mistakes through other ways, it simply meant he didn't receive the traditional punishments his father seemed to admire.

He held his breath as the last council member filed out, keeping his gaze focused on the designs carved into the table, tracing his finger along just as he used to do as a child whenever he tagged along to meetings with his father. Remembering how many times he'd been instructed not to do so, he dropped his hands in his lap again, not wanting to bring out his father's temper as he listened to his mother soothing whispered voice.

"We need to talk," his father began, and Talil resisted the urge to snort, desperately wanting to point out that he would be doing all the talking but held his tongue, only raising his head and looking at his mother, who gave a small nod.

"Odin heard of the expedition the heralds made a week ago," he began, holding his wife's hand placed on his shoulder as he spoke, "He believes it was a plot to overthrow him and invaded Tobruk as a warning of what destruction he's capable of unleashing. We've heard news that those who were not capable of seeking shelter in time were either slaughtered or beaten."

A sharp gasp escaped his lips at his father's words, looking to his mother for confirmation hoping to see that it wasn't true, his heart falling at her solemn nod, and he could feel the tears beginning to form, biting his lip as he waited for him to continue.

"Given our alliance with Tobruk, it's highly likely that Odin will invade Nekhen next," his mother said, her voice breaking as she spoke, "And there will be no guarantee that his army won't break through our defenses in order to try and get soldiers to come out and fight."

"What are we going to do?" Talil exclaimed, his breathing quickening as he envisioned all the horrifying possibilities, recalling the methods the Allfather's army had instigated during the Avaris Massacre many years ago; even now, he found it difficult to flip through his old textbooks, lest he come across a gruesome picture. "You can't convince Odin not to invade, he is brutal and bloodthirsty, and he will not hesitate to murder innocent people, this isn't the first kingdom he has conquered!"

"Lower your voice," the king commanded sternly, his voice low, despite there being no one else in the room other than the three of them and the guards outside the door being too far away to hear anything, "As you heard during the meeting, we feel the best way is to invite Odin for peace talks and reassure him that there are no conspiracies against his rule. He will be allowed to interrogate the heralds as he pleases, but he may not bring any weapons into the kingdom. As a show of faith, you are tasked with escorting his son around during these meetings."

"What?" Talil nearly yelled, jumping out of his seat in disbelief and threw up his arms, ignoring the warning look his mother shot him as he stared at his father in disbelief, not believing he had heard correctly, unaware of the small clinking of armor near the door, indicating that the guards had heard his outburst.

In a matter of seconds, his father reached across the distance between their seats and grabbed the prince's forearm, twisting it in his grip before forcing him to sit down, pushing his face roughly when Talil continued to stare at him, a low growl forming in the man's throat.

"What is wrong with you?" he hissed, glancing at the door as a clenched fist formed under the table—out of the queen's sight—leaning forward nearly enough for him to smell his breath, "This arrangement between you and Prince Thor is meant to stay between us and the council, the people need not know their prince is traipsing around with the son of a murderer, if you do not behave yourself—"

Talil couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What is wrong with me? What's wrong with all of you? You want me to babysit Odin's son all day while you sugarcoat his father and beg him not to kill us too? Whose brilliant idea was this—"

"If I have to tell you to keep your voice down one more time, there will be serious consequences," his father warned in a low voice, and he could see a muscle twitch in his jaw, looking up at his mother who avoided his pleading look.

"I am not thrilled about this arrangement either, but if this is what it takes to protect Nekhen, so be it," he said in such a tone that Talil had to wonder was supposed to grant sympathy, pinching the bridge of his nose, "And I suggest you quickly get on board. It will not be for only a day, Odin will wish to take his time with the interrogation and during that time, he will be an honored guest. You will not let your feelings cloud your behavior while acting as Thor's guide."

He could sense an 'or else' silently tacked on to the end of the sentence, and it was incredibly difficult not to say anything or display anything other than a mildly annoyed facial expression, biting the inside of his cheek until he tasted the metallic taste of blood. After a few moments of silence, the king waved a dismissive hand toward the door and told his son he was dismissed, before turning to his wife and conversing in whispered tones.

As much as he wanted to stomp and scream and curse at his father, Talil knew he couldn't display any form of anger within the castle—a rule in place since he was a young child, lest he disgrace his father—or until he was alone, and, even then, he had to keep it very hushed, hardly even allowed to make noise should someone passing by hear and inquire what instigated it. His feet carried him to the living quarters section of the castle, no doubt attracting odd looks as he did so, but at this point, he hardly cared, he only wanted to be alone.

His hands gripped the doorknob tightly and he threw open the door, nearly slamming it closed before swearing under his breath and catching it just in time, shutting it softly before screaming silently in frustration.

His mouth was rigid and open and his fingernails were digging deeply into his palms, kicking off his shoes until they flew into the air and hit the wall, leaving two painfully visible black marks, ripping off his headdress but resisting the urge to throw it down as well, instead placing it heavily on a side table—even in his anger, he was well aware of the severe consequences of damaging a royal headpiece, his father would have his head—and Talil continued to scream silently and kick pillows to his heart's content until his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths and the room was in complete disarray.

A servant rushed in looking worried, staring at the damage done to the room before hurrying to pick the broken pieces of a vase off the floor, averting his eyes. Something inside him snapped, and a moment later he heard himself snap. "Just leave it!"

The servant flinched as he set down the glass pieces, rising to his feet and straightening before giving a small bow and hurrying out of the room, closing the door lightly behind him, leaving Talil alone and in complete silence for the first time that day—despite the fact that it was dawn—with only the occasional bird song interrupting his jumbled thoughts.

He sat down heavily on the bed, rubbing his face as the guilt began to settle—he hadn't meant to yell, he would apologize as soon as he saw the servant, he had half a mind to open the door and follow him now—while the anger continued to bubble as he thought of his upcoming task.

Talil scoffed to himself as he imagined how he would spend time with the Prince of Asgard, son of the supposed Odin the benevolent. He might not have had a say in the matter, but he'd be damned if he didn't quietly make Thor's visit as miserable as he deserved to be.

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄

Okay so I know Talil's reaction to finding out he has to spend time with Thor may seem a bit extra, but if you think about it, it totally isn't, okay, I swear

I hinted at his relationship with other people during his interactions with Beatrice and Pabu but there's more to it than him just coming off as an asshole, it'll keep coming up, it's a whole thing

Thanks for reading!