(Sorry if there's error, im inbetween class on my tablet)
Drexel's heart pounded in his chest, as if by pounding hard enough it would eventually crawl up his throat and out of his mouth. The king comanded respect, from his foreboding size to bis permanent scowl. He was talented and skilled in his ability to persaude people people. Drexel was easily intimidated by him, but stayed true to his lie. He bowed respectfully once again.
"Your Highness, if I see him, I will certainly send him your way with haste. Take care and be well, Sire." Drexel said.
Drexel tried very hard to avoid politics as much as possible. They constantly changed, depending on the ruler or the time. Kings were especially hard to deal with. Forgetting to bow at the right time or not adding the right title could result in one loosing his head. There were people in the court you did not speak about, or did not speak ill of, or did not speak well of. If a king asked for advice, it was a double edged sword. Tell him the wrong thing, you're a dead man, tell him the right thing and there's a chance someone else is dead. It all made Drexel's head spin. He avoided it, whenever possible and spoke no moe than he needed to. So far it worked.
He watched the prince examine the large tome. Like his father, he had a pressence about him. Speaking seemed to come easy for him, he seemed likable and level headed. He was the sort of person people would follow, at least to Drexel. Unlike his father, a scowl was not yet etched into his young features. The king used fear and his power to his advantage, while Alden seemed much more likely to naturally charm someone into follwing him. Perhaps that's why he choose to lie for the prince. The man seemed young enough that a wild streak was still in him. The slow, long meetings were cerntainly painful, especially for someone probably daydreaming about noble quests with dragons and monsters. To the young mage, in their brief meeting, the prince did not appear to be avoiding the meeting out of spoiled selfishness, but rather, his heart was in another place.
"Drexel, yes sire.," he stuttered, playing with his sleeves, "Ockeghem left quite a few artifacts and notes. Most will go to the academy, but they need to be shrunk. The author talks mostly about growth, that's what his king wanted. The section on shrinking I've been studying is relatively small. Ockeghem was a very organized man, at least. Everything is cataloged already, with instructions for after his death on most. "
Drexel paused. "I've only been here a week. Adressing the collection will most likely take a month or more. The king doesn't have a long list of needs from me, for now at least. If I may inquire, sir, what meeting are you running from?"