VIII

Professor Freggel, Royal Representative of the Institute for Wizardry, hunched forward and clenched his fists. King Lyron looked distractedly at his wedding ring.


"Your Highness, this is a very...delicate situation we are in." Freggel hissed, "We have no protocol for replacing a   Head Wizard in the absence of a trained apprentice. It may take a great deal of time to obtain and adequately train someone new."


King Lyron did not care in the slightest, and did not understand why this concerned him at all. He said as much.


"You see, Your Highness, while we are training this apprentice, whomever they may be, we will not be at our usual professions...."


"You want money, Professor." King Lyron sighed.


"We absolutely require it, Your Highness! I cannot stress the blow we have taken by this unfortunate turn of events, nor the depths of our grief."


"Who is your apprentice?"


"None has been chosen, Your Highness."


"It shall be Princess Valora, Professor. I can quite easily justify helping her through schooling." Lyron said this not commandingly, merely a statement of fact. Freggel's blood boiled, but he bit his tongue.


"Of course, Your Highness."