Once Kaitlyn had returned to her usual stoic self Cecilia bid Devin a good night once again. Eventually sleep found Devin, though it wasn’t long before the rising sun opened his tired eyes. A fresh set of simple clothes had been placed sometime in the night on the dresser next to the bed. Just as Devin finished dressing himself a maid entered the room with a large tray containing fruits, bread, and some type of broth steaming out of a fine porcelain bowl.

Cecilia and Kaitlyn returned to Devin’s room in the middle of his breakfast. The princess made pleasant small talk while they waited patiently for Devin to finish his meal. Throughout their exchange Devin kept a close eye on the princess’ bodyguard. Though she remained as quiet and uninvolved as she was most of yesterday, Devin could tell something fundamental had changed inside of the red haired young woman.

As typical with someone of her… characteristics, Devin deduced that Kaitlyn had been harboring feelings for Cecilia for a long time. It wasn’t hard to tell that the pair rarely went anywhere without each other. Given Cecilia’s title as crown princess she probably didn’t have many opportunities for real friends outside of the castle. That bond mixed in with some type of trauma in Kaitlyn’s childhood could easily explain her obsessive possessiveness that is beginning to surface. Devin’s arrival just so happened to be the catalyst to kick start her descent into her suppressed feelings.

Devin thought through these educated guesses while he watched Kaitlyn glance at the princess’ face before blushing and looking away. While adorable, there was also inherent danger that Devin knew all too well. He only hoped that he could be around long enough to alleviate some of that risk.

“Are you ready to go Devin?” The princess asked as Devin finished the last of his fruit.

Devin nodded, stood, and followed the pair out into the stone hallway. They walked through a series of hallways before emerging next to a large set of steel plated doors. Guards on either side bowed deeply to the princess before pushing open the weighty entrance. Sunlight streamed through as the trio stepped out into the morning air. It was the first time Devin had actually had an opportunity to see the outside world since his summoning. 

Clear blue skies and a gentle breeze greeted his face. The king and queen’s castle sat atop a central hill and gave an impressive vantage point over the land surrounding the capital city of the Fevelian Kingdom. The city itself was an impressive sprawl of houses, markets, cobblestone roadways, and even a grid-like aqueduct system. An incredibly thick and tall outer wall surrounded the city, separating the compact urban environment from the surrounding farmland. A large bay just west of the castle gave the city port access and, from the number of ships docking and undocking, a profitable trading hub.

Devin let out an appreciative whistle at what his eyes beheld. “This is incredible.” 

Cecilia beamed at his praise. “I’m glad you think so. It’s taken centuries for my family to build the city of Fevel to what it is today.”

Kaitlyn stepped purposefully between them. 

“I’ve… always thought this city was incredible…” The bodyguard stated stiffly. “You should smile at me like that too…”

The princess blinked in surprise. Devin leaned around Kaitlyn’s shoulder, far enough back so she wouldn’t notice, and mimed for Cecilia to smile. The princess complied and gave her bodyguard a bright smile. Kaitlyn blushed fiercely and her gaze fell to the floor with an intoxicated smile plastered on her face. Cecilia stepped over to Devin and held her hand up to the side of her mouth to block her words from reaching the love drunk redhead.

“Devin, what is this?” The princess asked in a hushed tone.

Devin grinned and answered in an equally quiet voice. “She likes you a lot.”

Cecilia frowned. “Well of course. I feel the same way. We’ve been best friends for our entire lives.”

Devin shook his head and sighed. The princess clearly didn’t understand what he meant by ‘like’. If possible, Devin wanted to find time alone with the princess where he could speak freely and explain the developing situation with Kaitlyn, but doing so without incurring the bodyguard’s wrath could prove tricky. She was easy to please at the moment with warm smiles and kind words from her love interest, but there was no guarantee that those methods would continue to work in the future. 

After Kaitlyn recovered from her giddiness Cecilia led them to a large temple that was just downhill from the main castle. The temple had high spiraling towers on each of the four corners of the rectangular structures. Each spiral appeared to be dedicated to a different deity with various inscriptions and statues.

“Gods of Justice, Light, Harvest, and Lust.” Cecilia pointed to each spiral in turn when she noticed Devin’s upturned gaze.

Devin felt his eyebrows lift in surprise. “What was that last one?” 

“Now I have to warn you,” The princess told Devin as they approached the large white doors at the front of the temple, “the high priest is… not what many people expect. He’s a good person though and a former adventurer. There’s no one better to help you get started on your journey.”

“That’s great and all but can we go back to-” Devin’s words were cut off by the heavy doors creaking open and a religious man with a large hat.

“It’s about time!” An elderly man Devin could only assume was the high priest growled at Cecillia as he strode forward. “I told your father not to let all those political wolves descend on the hero yesterday and look what happened, we’re a full day behind.”

True to the princess’ words the high priest was not what Devin would expect from a religious leader. He had dark tanned skin, clear scars across his neck and cheek, as well as a bad limp that caused him to lean heavily on a thick walking stick.

“The medical examination was a necessary precaution, your grace.” Cecilia noted calmly as she curtseyed to the high priest.

The scarred old man rolled his eyes. “Save the ‘your grace’ stuff for ceremonies. You know I don’t like the formalities.”

“As you wish, uncle Kingston.” The princess laughed and hugged the grizzled old man.

After their friendly embrace Kingston faced Kaitlyn and gave her a firm handshake.

“Kaitlyn. It’s been too long.”

Devin thought he detected a note of sadness in the old man’s tone when he addressed the red haired bodyguard.

“I know we haven’t spoken since your father’s-”

“It’s not an issue, high priest.” Kaitlyn stated stiffly. “We came here to help the hero discover his class and magical potential.”

Kingston’s face fell ever so slightly but he turned to Devin with a determined smile.

“Of course. Our fabled hero.” Kingston put forward a hand.

“That’s what people have been calling me.” Devin accepted the high priest’s greeting.

“Come on in. As I said, we’re already behind.” Kingston brandished his walking stick aggressively towards the open temple doors.

The group entered into the quiet temple and the doors were shut behind them by a pair of veiled figures that flanked it on either side. Devin had to admit that the temple was even more impressive on the inside than the exterior. He would have said as much to Kingston but there was a reverent atmosphere inside the high-ceilinged that Devin was afraid to break with even a whisper.

Kingston led the group past lengthy rows of benches until they reached a central podium where a flat silvery plate sat upon a velvet blue pillow. Kingston leaned his walking stick up against the podium before gently retrieving the shimmering plate using both hands.

“This is a spegill.” Kingston explained quietly as he held the thin plate up for Devin to take. “It can read the soul of whoever holds it and provide a brief description of what potential the wielder holds within themselves.”

Devin took the plate, marveling at how light the material was. The silvery surface began to shimmer and change. Bright colors erupted from the spegill and swirled around Devin like a gentle tornado though there was no wind to follow the theatrical display.

“Astounding.” Kingston stepped into the spiral of colors and began to point out specific blotches of colors and patterns. “True to the prophecy. You are no simple fighter or even a magic wielder. You are chosen as a Patron Champion.”

Cecilia and Kaitlyn gasped audibly. Devin tried to follow Kingston’s gestures, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of the magical colors that surrounded him.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?” Devin asked the grinning old man.

“A Patron Champion is someone who has been chosen by a deity to represent them in the mortal realm. Through their connection with their patron a champion is able to call upon powerful magic, physical abilities, and even devine favors. It is the rarest form of class. I myself am the only other known patron champion in all of the human nations.” The high priest pointed up to a mural of the goddess of harvest. “Hausta is my patron. Through my bond with her I was able to protect the kingdom and humanity as we know it for most of my lifetime.”

Devin glanced up at the four deities depicted on the walls and ceiling around them.

“Justice, Light, Harvest, and… Lust. How do I know who chose me?”

Devin had a sinking feeling in his stomach that he already knew the answer.

“Your patron will make first contact.” Kingston said with a chuckle. “Believe me, it’s quite-”

Devin blinked hard. He was no longer standing inside of the large temple inside the capitol city. Instead, he was standing inside a lavish bedroom that was adorned with a countless number of candles, flowers, and silky material. Turning his head slightly to the left, Devin spotted a sight he knew he would find, a large cushy bed adorned with velvet red bed sheets and rose petals. Sprawled out across the bed in a sensual manner lay an impossibly beautiful woman in nothing but a lacey nightgown that was unbuttoned suggestively down the front.

“Hello Hero.” The woman spoke with a sly grin. “I am Eros. Your patron and goddess of lust.”

JTNestman

Regularly scheduled update as promised. Thanks again for reading and thanks for all of the support. I hope you enjoy and check back soon, I'm going to try and get a second chapter out this week.