Chapter 21: The School

“Miss Laurel left with her maid, Sarah to tour the city,” Chasel told him and Adolph frowned. He had seen Sam and Lynn still on the castle grounds.
Chasel huffed, “While I’m sure they’ll be fine in the Imperial City, I wish she would have taken her escort.”
Adolph chuckled and left Chasel. He lifted the hood attached to his vest over his head and left the palace with a few nods to the guards. The road into the Imperial City had been cleaned, but the flowers still littered the lower streets and colored the air with a soft floral scent. It was pleasant enough and made him remember that he should go take a look at the orchard the late luna had established.
With any luck, it hadn’t fallen too far into disrepair and could be used to continue producing food for the army and whoever else needed it.
He sighed. It was such a tragedy that he had never met his daughter-in-law. Based on her efforts, she had been such a bright young woman. He hoped his lecture had settled in Basil’s mind, and the ministers would act appropriately.
He doubted it, but he shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind. Basil and the ministers would have to wait. It was time he walked his city and spent some time with his mate outside of the palace walls.
It had been a while since he’d been back in the Imperial City. Adolph wondered what Laurel and her maid were doing. Did she have money with her? He’d have to remember to make sure she had enough to enjoy herself in the city as she pleased.
Perhaps she needed to meet other young women of the capital. He wasn’t sure if she would get along with the noblewomen, but it was worth a shot.
He watched a pair of children run down the street for a moment before he heard her voice, angry and stern. He chuckled. How could someone so small have such a large voice? She may have been born on the outskirts of the kingdom, but she had all the character of a great luna. Though he loved the sound of her voice, he hurried towards it. There were only a few reasons she could be screaming like that and her words were sure to cause a fight.
He rushed down an alley towards a large, mostly abandoned building. There were several werewolves in the courtyard behind the gate where Laurel’s voice was coming from. One of the larger men neared her and her maid as the man who stood in front of her raised his hand.
Fury surged in him and he darted across the courtyard to get between them. He grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted it, and pulled it from its socket. The smell of blood filled the air as the man realized what happened and drew back with a howl of pain. The man’s eyes flickered red and waves of red light swirled around him.
A rogue in the Imperial City? What had Basil and the ministers been doing?
He grabbed the man by his collar and grabbed his jaw before twisting it with a sharp crack. Adolph let the body collapse at his feet and cast his gaze around the courtyard.
The larger one that had been approaching paled, “Murderer!”
The others rushed towards the gates, calling for soldiers. When they were alone he turned to Laurel.
“Are you--” His voice left him at Laurel’s horrified expression. His heart lurched and he went stiff. Had he scared her?
Her maid burst into tears behind her, trembling and pressing close to Laurel.
He reached for her and Laurel stepped back. The sight sent a lance of pain through his chest but he calmed himself.
“... Have I scared you?”
Laurel’s jaw trembled. Her eyes darted between him and the man’s body on the ground. Her hand twitched and inched towards her neck. It took everything in him to remain calm and still, waiting for her to respond to him. He watched her carefully, listening to her heart beat start to slow as she breathed.
She lifted her chin almost defiantly as her maid stumbled behind her.
“No, Your Majesty… I saw his eyes turn red, and you did the right thing…. He would have…” She shook her head, “Thank you for saving us, but why are you here?”
“Chasel said you left the palace, so--”
“You followed us?” Her voice was tense and her expression was scrunched in anger. “How dare you--”
Her eyes widened again and darted to the body on the ground. Then, she let out a little hiss of breath that Adolph wasn’t sure how to interpret. She was still trembling. He accepted that he frightened her, no matter what she said, but did she think she could not be upset with him? Did she think he would hurt her?
“... I’m sorry,” she said. “I… That was inappropriate after you saved our lives.”
Adolph relaxed. Shock. Fear. Anger. They were all things he was accustomed to dealing with, especially on the front lines with new recruits. He was relieved that Laurel’s shifts in mood were normal reactions to the situation rather than a reaction to him.
He offered his hand to Laurel, “May I?”
She took his hand tentatively and he pulled her into his arms gently. She was stiff for a moment, but relaxed and leaned into his embrace. He smiled softly.
Laurel almost sighed with contentment as Adolph’s warmth wrapped around her. Her fear and anger eased and she felt her mind calmed. She could have stayed there forever, but the sound of running boots drew her attention. She pulled away from him.
“Don’t worry, I’ll deal with them.”
Laurel nodded and turned back to Sarah. One of the children shifted in her periphery and she took Sarah’s hand.
“It’s okay. Let’s go into the school, okay?”
Sarah nodded shakily and allowed her to guide her into the school towards the children and the man they were with. She recognized him from her past life. His name was James, he was one of the teachers she’d hired for the school.
He approached her with a nod, “Thank you for stepping in to help. Are you hurt, miss?”
“No,” Laurel said. “Are they alright?”
James sighed, “I got them into the classroom once the argument started. They should be just fine. Who are you? My name is James. I was a teacher here while the school was maintained. What should I call you? Where did you come from?”
“I'm from the castle.”
James’ eyes turned sad as he shook his head, “Since Luna Laura died… no one has been by to oversee the school and orphanage, and the funding was cut. Most of the teachers left, but these poor children have no place to go…”
Laurel looked at them and her hatred of Basil and the ministers only grew. The thought of the children left without anyone to take care, teach, or guide them infuriated her. They deserved better from the ministers who were meant to look after the welfare of the people alongside the king. Her position at the castle was only temporary. Perhaps, being a teacher in the future would be a good choice. She heard heavy footsteps and turned to see Adolph entering the building. “Bring in the tables and chairs and put them back where they belong,” he ordered a few of the soldiers behind him. “The rest of you, go and get more furniture to replace what’s already gone and food for the children.”
“Yes, sir!”
James gasped and Laurel smiled up at Adolph, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Adolph shook his head, “I am merely continuing what should be done. It is the late luna who deserves the thanks.”
Laurel’s heart swelled with gratitude. On her own, there wasn’t much she could do. She hadn’t expected Adolph to take an interest in the children of commoners like this. Basil had worn his station with pride and arrogance, only ever sneering down his nose. It was such a relief that Adolph seemed to care.
James flinched and bowed his head, “My apologies, Your Majesty. I did not recognize you.”
Adolph waved his hand, “You need not apologize. Laurel, a word?”
She nodded and stepped aside with him.
“The soldiers informed me that the werewolf I killed lost his mate.” His jaw clenched and his tone turned frustrated. “He was supposed to go to the hospital for treatment, but the hospital the former luna built for werewolves that purpose no longer provides free treatment because the funds were cut. The man was kicked out of the program and was just scraping a living together.”
She wasn’t surprised by that. She’d figured that Basil and the ministers had cut all of her programs, but she was surprised by the tones of regret and remorse in Adolph’s voice.
He huffed, “Basil and that group of pedantic nobles can't do anything right. This can’t go on. I need someone to take over the former luna's job.”
Laurel agreed, but she didn’t expect him to look at her.
“Would you consider taking over?”