A Studio Interview with Beau, Penny & Elias of the Heart-Mage Trilogy

Penny settles immediately into a provided seat, then watches with amusement as Beau tries to edge the right-most chair out of view of the camera, accidentally catching the wire of his lapel mic and yanking its clip off his collar. Elias feeds it back through, clips it on, and firmly puts the chair back on its taped-off mark. He sits there, and Beau, with a sigh, takes the middle seat.

Hello! Thank you so much for joining me today for the latest episode of Princely Prattle. I've got our new king and queen here today, along with their...?

Elias: Guard.

Beau: Boyfriend, surely? Wait, what do you mean, guard? I'm not paying you anymore. You don't work for me!

Penny: Consort. The word is consort. Thank you for having us. By the way, do you do a lot of post-production editing? I may need to look at the final transcript. I suspect we'll have some...digressions.

[Laughter] Oh, of course, Your Majesty, you'll have a final look before we send it out. Obviously, the kingdom is familiar with our queen from your many achievements as Duchess of Veritelutte. But King Beauregard, you're more of a mystery. You made quite a stir with some of your changes as crown prince. What would you say is your favorite part of being king?

Beau: Oh. Um. Well, I like being married to the queen. [Chuckles] I guess that's probably not what you mean, though. It's good to be able to address the corruption and unfairness that's been left to build for too long. And getting to know some of the dukes and duchesses as people—not just, you know, stuffed suits at a ball—as we've worked together on problems has been nice. But my favorite part is the queen, for sure. Out of all the responsibilities I have, trying for an heir—

Penny: Beau.

Elias: [Snorts with laughter]

Beau: What? It's not like it's a secret. People ask about it daily!

Since you brought it up, any chance of a new arrival in the royal family soon?

Penny: When the time comes to make that announcement, the kingdom will know. For now, we're focused on rebuilding the connections that Courdur's uprising broke, creating stability for Granvallée, and neutralizing the threat of the Destiny Riders at our border.

And if anyone among you knows about neutralizing a threat, it's Master Elias here. You're the most mysterious of all. What should Granvallée know about you?

Elias: Oh, I'm just a pretty face and a deft hand with a blade. If you're intending to hurt the royal family, you'll find out everything you need to know about me. Otherwise, pay me no mind.

Penny: Elias is being humble. He's a brilliant tactician and well-versed in what makes people tick. And in terms of the king's agenda to improve the lives of the common people of Granvallée, he brings much-needed perspective that Beau and I lack. The kingdom should be very glad we have him as an advisor and partner.

I think people do have questions about the relationship dynamic between the three of you.

Beau: Elias is my safety. Penny is my sanity. Be glad I've got both or you wouldn't have a king. What more do people want to know?

Penny: I suspect they're wondering about the line of succession.

Elias: Any child of Her Majesty's will be Beau's. What arrangements we have beyond that are none of the kingdom's business. Next question.

Of course. Your Majesty, since your violent ascension, you've sported many, very unique scars. Can you tell us about those?

Beau: Well, Elias, as most people know, used a pretty fucked up artifact to become a revenant and help me win the throne. In that process, he gathered a lot of injuries. When I briefly died—

Penny: Beau, that's not—

Beau: —so I could bring him back from the dead, the magic decided we should trade: I carry the scars from his injuries and he carries the scars from mine. They're pretty, aren't they? I mean, bizarre-looking, for sure. I don't blame the people who stare. But I like them.

Elias: They're gorgeous. He's joking about being dead.

Beau: I am?

Penny: A bit of an exaggeration. Elias's wounds would've been fatal if Beau hadn't found a relic that was able to heal them, with the scars as an interesting side effect. The vault holds many wonders from the time of the Maurilel, and Beau's got an exceptional mastery of artifacts.

Beau: Yeah, because of the whole mage thing.

Penny and Elias, in unison: [Sighs]

Beau: Oh, shit. Was that supposed to be a secret?