Ambassador's Son

Chapter One: Family Frustrations

He's frustrating.

William Nightroad stalked into the Imperial Gardens. He wanted to kick something, but he knew his aunt wouldn't appreciate it if he damaged her flowers and bushes. And they were her gardens, technically, no matter how much everyone insisted they were the 'family' area.

His aunt. Augusta Veradica of the Methuselah Empire, also known to family and close friends as Seth Nightroad.

William slumped onto a bench, scowling at the flowers and bushes that bloomed around him. If he was honest with himself, it wasn't his aunt that had him frustrated and irritable. That honor belonged to his father.

His father. Known throughout the civilized world as August Constantine, younger brother to the Empress. Known to his close friends and family as Abel Nightroad and the man that Seth affectionately called her older brother in private.

And that was just one of the many things that frustrated William. Why tell the world he was younger, if he was in fact her elder? And if that was the case, why was Seth the ruler, instead of Abel? He'd thought at first that it might be a joke between them, a reference to the fact that Abel had reached an older physical age before he had Awakened. But he'd learned from talking to his aunt that that wasn't the case. Not that his father or his aunt had explained when he'd asked. Instead, he'd avoided the question with a sheepish smile and a subject change and Seth had just told him that it was a discussion for another time.

And then there was the subject of his Awakening. Both his parents, Abel and Astha, had been in their twenties when they Awakened, but Seth had been only 15 or so. Which meant his Awakening could happen at any time. But broaching the subject with Abel was like giving his mother's cats a bath. Nearly impossible.

Nearly impossible. That described a lot of subjects around his father. William scrubbed a hand through his blond hair. There were so many mysteries surrounding his family, and no one seemed willing to answer his questions about any of them.

Why was it that his family, of all Methuselah, could cross the lapis lazuli barrier during the day without harm and without protective measures? No other Methuselah could do it. They would burn. Why did no one in the Imperial family drink Aqua Vitae? Or blood, since there would have been plenty of donors if they'd wanted them.

Who were Lilith Sahl and Cain Nightroad? Their tombs were in the Imperial Palace grounds, and his father visited them every year on certain days, especially in spring, but he'd never heard much about them. Only that his middle name, Cain, had been given in honor of Cain Nightroad, who had been a member of the family. No information on how they'd died, or why, or when. No explanation of why his father visited them, and why those visits were so obviously painful for the man.

It wasn't just that his father wouldn't talk about them. It was that everyone else, everyone who might have known the answer, seemed determined to honor his silence by keeping their own. Astha had only told him, when he asked her, that it was a story for his father to tell. Seth had said the same. Baibars and Mirka had denied any knowledge at all, though Mirka knew just about everything that happened in the Empire.

"You're looking rather unhappy." The light soprano voice broke into his thoughts. He looked up.

"Aunt Seth." The casual attire she wore made it clear she wasn't doing anything formal, which meant he could call her by the family name. Besides, these were the private gardens, so there wasn't anyone nearby.

"Hey there kiddo." Seth stepped across the grass, light and quick, then perched on the bench next to him. "I noticed you didn't seem to be around the Palace much today."

"I wanted to get some air. Think." He sighed. "Father and I..."

"You two had an argument?" Seth cocked her head.

"Yes. No. You know how he is. He never argues. I just...he mentioned he was going to the Outer for a few weeks, connecting with some old friends. I know he has diplomatic ties, and I know he's got a trip to the Vatican planned. I know he's friends with that man, Professor William." He sighed. "All I did was ask how they met. And he acted like I wanted to know state secrets." He scowled at his hands. "I don't understand why everything is such a secret with him!" He scrubbed a hand through his hair again. "I mean...he named me after the man. Why can't I at least know how they wound up being friends?"

"Because Abel is...Abel." Seth sighed. "Even I don't know everything about my brother." She shrugged. "Abel keeps things close. And he doesn't like to talk about his past much." Then she grinned. "Still, I can tell you that Abel and William met when Lady Caterina introduced them."

"Lady Caterina? The Cardinal?" William blinked. He'd met her several times, visiting with her brother, the Pope, or on official business from the Vatican.

"Yeah. You'll have to ask Abel though if you want the details."

"Then I'll never know." William slumped back against the bench. "He's been even worse than usual lately. And mother won't tell me anything. She just says he's being an idiot, and that he has to work through it."

"And that's what's really bothering you?" Seth's voice was quiet.

"I guess." William exhaled, staring at a bush across the lawn. "I know he loves me. But ever since I had my last growth spurt, he's been odd. Especially if I startle him. He'll give me this...this look. Like he's a million miles away, or like he thinks he's about to get attacked. Then he'll come back and act like it never happened." He looked down at his shirt, a simple green tunic. "It's worse if I'm wearing white. I've actually put all my white shirts, except my formal ones, in a different closet and told the house servants not to lay them out for me."

"That's very wise of you. And very kind." Seth smiled, but there was an edge of sadness. "I can tell you part of the reason why, I think." She leaned back, her eyes going distant. "It's because of Cain. You look a lot like him, you know."

"No. I didn't know." He'd never heard from either of his parents what Cain Nightroad looked like. And all that was in the tomb were ashes in a simple urn.

Seth glanced at him. "You do look a lot like him. He and Abel were identical twins, except that Cain had blond hair, like yours." She reached up and ruffled his already mussed locks. "They were separated at birth, and they didn't meet until they were about the age you are now. I imagine it's a bit disorienting for him."

"I guess. But then...why does he look afraid of me sometimes?" That was the question that really bothered him.

"The story between Cain and Abel is very complicated." Seth shook her head. "I know it isn't what you want to hear, but that story is Abel's to tell."

William's jaw clenched. "I hate seeing that look in his eyes. And he won't explain. And neither will anyone else. Everyone else seems to know what's wrong, but no one will tell me!"

"No. We won't. Because we all understand why Abel keeps his own silence." Seth reached out and brushed his wild blond hair back again, stroking it soothingly. "Abel is trying to distance himself from the sorrows of his past. He wants to avoid making those things a part of your life. I think he's afraid that talking about them will only upset you more, just as it will trouble him."

"That's stupid. I'd rather know than not know." William grimaced. He twitched his head away, and Seth dropped her hand.

"So would I. But he doesn't tell me everything either. And Abel...when he loves, he loves forever. It's one of the most amazing things about him. But...when he grieves, it is also forever." Seth's voice was soft. "He wept for Cain and Lilith for 900 years, before he even came this far."

"900 years?"

Seth nodded, then tilted her head to look him in the eyes. "You've probably wondered why, if Abel is truly my elder brother, that he is not the one who rules the Empire." She pulled one foot up, wrapping her slender arms around her knee. "The Empire was formed right after the Armageddon, and the Dark Years, the Methuselah-Terran War. At that time, Abel was mourning for Lilith and Cain, and others. He fled and hid, far away, where even all my resources could not find him. That is why I became the Empress. By the time Abel returned, my position was too deeply established. Besides..." Seth grinned. "Abel really does not want to be a ruler. He is content where he is. And I must say, I think he's rather more effective as an Ambassador than a monarch, and he's certainly better at that task than I would be."

"I guess." William couldn't help his answering grin. Seth was far too sarcastic and sharp to be an effective ambassador. Besides, even William had met enough dignitaries to know that no one would ever take her seriously, with her petite frame and childish looks. It was a miracle that Ion Fortuna, the youthful Earl of Memphis, managed as well as he did, but he possessed a solemnity and gravity that Seth lacked, which made him seem older and more mature than his outward appearance.

Abel might act clumsy and scatterbrained at times, but he could look regal and majestic if he wanted to, and he possessed an insightful and compassionate nature, as well as a keen mind and a broad understanding of several topics. More than that, where Seth was primarily concerned with the welfare of the Methuselah and always would be, Abel had a genuine love of Terrans as well, eagerly embracing friends of both races.

"Come on." Seth hopped off the bench. "I actually came out to find you for a reason, you know."

"Really? Why?" William pulled himself to his feet, interest taking the place of irritation. Usually when Seth came looking for him for a reason, things got entertaining. He still remembered when he'd been eight, and she'd taken him on a tour of the Terran part of the Empire and gotten them both lost in the streets. At the time he'd been terrified and his parents had been more than a little upset, but in retrospect it had been fun. They'd found all sorts of places in little shops in the wall.

Seth gave him a bright, quick grin. "Come inside and I'll tell you."

William grinned, brushed some dust and grass off of his clothes, and followed his aunt.

Author's Note: So...what do folks think of William? I was going to name him Cain, but I don't think poor Abel could stand the stress...

Next up...Seth has a plot to get father and son to talk...