The incident, as Mari referred to it in her mind, had brought her and Dainan closer. He believed her, and he had watched over her when she was completely vulnerable. Ever since then, Mari had continued to go back to his cell and see him every day. She quite enjoyed the visits; she learned so much. Things were slowly making more sense; she could give things their proper names again.

"So, you say I am a queen, and before you were a king, and the area a king or queen has control over is kingdom or queendom?" Mari tapped her fingers over the crown that sat in her lap.

Dainan smiled, but shook his head. Mari huffed; he tended to do that right before he told her she understood something wrong. He said, "It's called a kingdom even if a queen is ruling over it."

"Why?" Mari slumped forward. Why did she always make the wrong assumptions?

Dainan shrugged. "I don't entirely know. I would guess that it has something to do with the fact most queens don't rule alone. It's rare for a queen not to have a king."

Mari leaned onto her fist balancing it on her knee. "So, many kings and queens rule together. But, you didn't, and I don't, does it depend on the kingdom, like an aspect of it? For instance, large kingdoms require both, but small kingdoms do not?"

Dainan leaned on his hand, copying her posture. "No, kings and queens rule together because they're married. Sometimes they marry to increase their kingdom's power or to secure peace, but the inherent size or power of the kingdom has nothing to do with whether or not there's a king and queen. In order to manage large kingdoms, kings and queens have lords under them who are responsible for certain areas of the kingdom."

Mari groaned, burying her head further into her palm. "This is all far too complicated. So, why didn't you have a queen? If, uh, marrying one would increase your kingdom's power, why not?"

"Good question." Dainan shifted his foot; the chains scraped against the ground. Mari no longer paid the noise any mind. "Truth is, we're both very young to a ruler. I had only been king for a year before you arrived. My father, who had been king before me, passed away, and once I took over, it was chaotic. I didn't really have time to consider it."

"Father?" Mari frowned. Had she heard that word before? She didn't think so. "What is that?"

Dainan sat up, causing Mari to sit up as well. He quickly wiped the surprised look off his face, but Mari saw it. Much to her surprise, she didn't mind as much anymore. She could not blame him for being surprised at her lack of knowledge anymore than she could blame herself for not having the knowledge. He never made her feel lesser for not knowing, and that was enough.

His eyes glazed over for a moment; Mari wondered if that was how she looked when the Seven took over. He shook his head and gave her all his attention. He said, "A father is...well, everyone has a father and mother, they're called parents. Parents are the ones who have children and raise them. Children then marry other people and have children of their own."

"I do not have these parents," Mari said, testing the word out with her own voice. It sounded awkward when she said it as opposed to Dainan's eloquence. Parents... She struggled to wrap her mind around the idea.

"Some people lose their parents when they're young, so they don't remember them, but someone had to give birth to you. You wouldn't be here otherwise." Dainan screwed his face up, and Mari could tell he was thinking. Mari was almost certain her face was the same; she was struggling with her thoughts and words as well. As much as she was struggling to understand, something about this idea of parents appealed to her.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"You say I had them once, but lost them. Where did they go? What happened?" Mari leaned forward. Something in her burned. She needed to know.

Dainan held his hands out towards her, palms up. "I don't know. It's possible they died, like mine. Or they could be out there somewhere, and you were somehow separated from them. Are you sure you don't have any memory of them whatsoever?"

Mari slumped forward again. Her hand tangled in her long hair, pulling it out of her eyes. "I don't. My whole life, the only ones I remember are the Seven. And even any recollection of these parents were somewhere in me, I could not dig deep enough to find it. My memories...they are...scattered, chaotic, confusing."

Dainan stared at her, and her heart dropped. He said, "If you don't remember, then the only people who could tell you about your parents would be the Seven. I'm sorry."

Mari put on a tight smile. She did not know what 'sorry' was, but she did not want to change the subject just to find out. Deciding to ask later because she had more important questions, she said, "Just, tell me about your parents, so I might know more about the concept. What do they do? How does one 'raise' a child?"

"Well," Dainan said, taking a deep breath. He took a moment, and Mari patiently waited, watching him. He glanced back at her and said, "My parents were busy people. We didn't see them much when we were young, but they tried to make time for us. My mother would sing to us in the evenings, and my father, when he could, would tutor me. He taught us how to fight, and specifically he taught me what I needed to know to eventually become king after him."

He paused. His mind seemed to be elsewhere as if in a memory. Mari waited. He smiled at her, but something didn't quite seem right to Mari about it. He continued saying, "Parents are supposed to love their children, teach them right from wrong, teach them what they need to know to be independent, so they can take care of themselves when the parents aren't around, so that their children may one day be able to do the same for their own children. My parents, they did their best."

With a long sigh, Dainan stared at his wrists. A storm gathered on his face, pooling in his eyes. He folded in on himself, retreating to his mind. There was no way Mari could know what was occupying his thoughts, what he was remembering. Her heart shuddered; it reminded her of looking into the glass that showed her an image of herself. His voice wavered, beginning to fade. "They did their best, but sometimes, I feel like I'm the one who is failing them."

Mari bowed her head and closed her eyes; she did not want to see his pained expression. She had no desire to watch his shoulders shake. She pretended she did not hear him cover his mouth in an attempt to muffle his sharp breaths. There was a long pause before there was no more, and Mari sat up, asking, "You, uh, you mentioned 'we.' Who else were you referring to?"

"Did I not tell you before?" Dainan looked up, rubbing at his eyes. "I have a sister, Regan."

"A sister?" Mari watched him steady his breathing. He kept his gazed lowered as if he could not bear to look at her, or to let her see his struggle. Mari did not know which, but her heart continued to throb.

He nodded. "Yes, Regan is my sister, and she's the other child my parents had. When parents have several children, they're called siblings, and to each other brothers and sisters. As a whole, they're called a family."

"Is she also," She paused. Mari had the idea she should not ask for fear she would cause more pain, but she needed to know. She continued, "uh, lost to you?"

"No." Dainan shook his head. "Not at all. She was in the castle when you came and was placed in the dungeon with my old advisers. I haven't seen her, but I believe she is still alive."

Was she not with the other prisoners when the Seven had them all brought out? Mari wondered. How odd. She needed answers, and for once, Dainan couldn't give them to her.

Mari picked up the crown. She turned it over a few times before standing up. "I should be going."

"Right," Dainan said. He stood up, brushing dust and dirt off his clothes, but it was pointless. His clothes would never be clean again. "Will you come back tomorrow?"

"Yes," Mari said. She bowed her head, placing the crown back on it. "Provided the Seven do not return, I will be here tomorrow."

Dainan smiled. Her lips twitched, unsure of herself. She turned and left the cell. She carefully shut the door behind her, catching a glimpse of Dainan staring at her as she went. The door shut with a click, and she locked it. Dainan had explained the concept to her. She did not quite like the idea of locking him into the cell, but she reasoned it didn't matter as his chains did not even reach the door.

As she walked away, she had much to think about, and while she wasn't good at it, for a lack of practice, Mari found it preferable to waiting.