Rowan
Rowan came back that evening, aggravated he hadn’t been able to stay with Milo and help him settle in. After lunch, he’d been informed there’d been a recent attack from the Drachifel on the northern outskirts of town, resulting in two guards being injured, and he’d had to redo the patrol units to make sure areas outside the ward were covered. It was an important task but it still grated.
The second he opened his bedroom door, he looked for Milo. He only half expected him here, as it was almost the dinner hour. But there he was, stretched out on the couch, with a… What was that, anyway? It was a very thin board, balanced against his knees, and he was either drawing or writing something. Oh, it was one of those artist boards for drawing, it seemed.
As soon as Milo realized he’d entered, he lifted his head, and the most beautiful smile lit the man’s face. Rowan felt his heart do that skipping thing again at the sight of his smile. He’d do evil things to keep it on his lover’s face.
“Well, hi there, handsome!” Milo set the board aside, revealing a drawing of some sort, but Rowan’s attention was mostly on him. “All done?”
“For tonight, anyway. You’re unpacked?”
“Perfectly. Well, not the work room, that needs more things, but yes. I am for the most part. Thanks for the furniture. I wasn’t sure how to unpack or where to put things until I saw your note.”
The note had clearly pleased him, too, since Rowan had considered Milo’s circumstances despite his duties. Milo wasn’t used to someone taking care of him. A fact Rowan was determined to change. “Hopefully it was enough space. What are you doing?”
“Designing the new ward. The inscriptions of the last ward are so worn down I can’t even properly read parts of it. I’d rather start from scratch so I know it’s made correctly. Also had a thought to run by the whole family. Oh! You can answer a question for me. The watchtowers, are they in any kind of configuration?”
“Eight-pointed star.”
“Really, a star layout?” Milo’s expression turned dreamy. “Oh, I can do a lot with that.”
“Why?”
“I’m thinking of creating two wards.”
Rowan blinked. Of all the things his lover could have said, he hadn’t anticipated that at all. “Why two?”
“I’ll explain at dinner. I want to explain it all at once. But the layout will be stronger, for one, and give you a fallback. Plus more space to safely put people if things go to shit.”
“That does sound beneficial,” Rowan admitted. “For now, dinner?”
“Sure! One of my favorite meals of the day.”
“Along with breakfast and lunch?”
“You know me so well.” Milo rose from the couch and stole a kiss before skipping right out the door.
Amused, Rowan followed, then realized Milo seemed to already know the way. “You know where to go?”
“Raina showed me to the most important places. After watching me eat lunch, she made sure the kitchen and dining hall were two of those places.”
His eldest sister had always been wise.
They walked to the dining hall and found the rest of the family. Well, those currently home. Raina, Troy, Ruben, and the twins were already seated at the massive dining table, with servants placing dishes down on the table as Rowan and Milo walked in. According to what Raina had said earlier in the afternoon, shouldn’t Riley have been back by now? Well, likely she was delayed if the roads she’d taken were in poor condition, like they’d experienced on the trip in. Rowan was not worried about his sister. Nothing was scarier than Riley.
“Ah, here’s our new mage,” Raina greeted warmly. “Milo, come meet my husband, Troy.”
Milo, not having a shy bone in his body, did just that, a hand outstretched. “Hiya, nice to meet you.”
Troy immediately shook hands. His eyes were thoughtful on Milo’s face, but he had a welcoming smile. “Nice to meet you, too. Come, meet my daughters. This is Reagan and Roana.”
Milo greeted them just as easily. “Hi, hi. Wow, the ginger runs strong in this family.”
It really did. Troy’s dark hair and gray eyes hadn’t stood a chance of winning. The twins were sixteen, and both had the same ginger hair and tall, slim build as their mother. Reagan had her hair in a curly bob, while Roana styled hers in a long braid over one shoulder. Other than that, they looked nearly identical.
The girls were just as interested in Milo, their blue eyes following him as he sat down. Rowan, of course, sat right next to him, which meant they were directly facing both girls.
Knowing food was a serious business for Milo, Rowan made sure he had a mounded over plate with smoked ham, scalloped potatoes, and roasted asparagus with dinner rolls before he bothered with his own plate. Milo tucked in with a happy hum and then groaned in gastric pleasure.