Kristoff, who clearly had no idea they had just walked through a mental energy wall, brought Garrett and Ryn to a waiting room and asked them to have a seat. Pulling Garrett up next to one of the chairs, Ryn sat down, crossing one leg over the other, as she looked around with interest. The room they were in was lavishly decorated, with crimson and gold curtains covering the large square windows that overlooked the inner courtyard. Dozens of chairs lined the walls, and a pair of impassive guards stood like statues at one end of the room, guarding a door that no doubt led to the royal throne room.

Though Garrett had never been in the waiting room, as he had spent most of his time in the palace following the young prince around, he was familiar with how this sort of thing worked. And when Ryn started to get fidgety, after they had been waiting for half an hour, Garrett patted her and told her to calm down. Even as he did, he sent her a message through the flowers that connected them.

"Do me a favor and go to the bathroom."

Smelling a scheme, Ryn perked up and got to her feet, walking over to the guards.

"Excuse me, do you know where the bathroom is? All this waiting is making me nervous."

The guard's expression didn't so much as twitch as he raised his hand and pointed to the hall.

"Thank you," Ryn said, practically bouncing as she left the room. There was an attendant outside who was soon able to direct her to the bathroom. After admiring the beautiful decor and the gold-plated fixtures, Ryn washed her hands, waited for a few minutes, and then returned to the waiting room.

Garrett was sitting there with his eyes closed, his body relaxed, almost as if asleep. Though she didn't know why Garrett had sent her out, she knew that he was up to something. Her intuition was spot on. As soon as she had left the room, Garrett had taken control of Isabelle, who had been hiding in one of Ryn's hairpins.

Cautiously at first, just in case there was somebody or something monitoring the interior of the palace, Garrett controlled Isabelle to bounce to one of the mirrors that dotted the palace's walls, and then to a gilt frame on a painting of a long-dead king. The entire time, he kept his senses on full alert, but there didn't seem to be any danger. So he grew bolder as he began to head towards the center of the palace.

As far as Garrett could tell, the barrier that surrounded the palace had been produced by some sort of mysterious artifact. After thinking it through, he was fairly confident he knew where he would find it. As he explored the palace, continually moving lower until he reached the basement, Garrett kept half an eye on the waiting room, just in case they were called in.

As he was about to enter the first level of the basement, Garrett heard the door open in the waiting room, and had Isabelle lurk in a silver candelabra that was attached to the wall while he returned to his own body. As he opened his eyes, he saw a servant heading towards where he and Ryn sat.

"The princess is ready to see you now," the servant said.

Leaving the waiting room, they walked down a long hall that curved along the side of the palace, and passed a pair of large double doors that Garrett knew led into the throne room. At the end of the hall was a flight of stairs, and for a moment the servant paused, unsure what to do with Garrett, who was in a wheelchair. With a grin, Ryn simply lifted him up, wheelchair and all, and they proceeded up to the second floor, Ryn carrying Garrett in front of her.

"Have you been gaining weight?" she muttered when she finally put him down. "I mean, it's not like you're heavy, but you certainly seem to be heavier than before."

"I don't think so," Garrett replied, pinching the skin on his arm.

"Then maybe I need to train more," she said. "I've been doing a lot of eating and sitting around lately."

They followed the servant down another hallway, and stopped in front of a plain wooden door, which the servant knocked on.

"Come in."

The voice he heard was not the princess's, and exchanging a glance with Ryn, Garrett steeled himself for the coming encounter. The door opened, and the servant stepped aside, gesturing for Ryn and Garrett to enter.

When they did, they found themselves in a comfortable library, larger than was typical, with half a dozen bookshelves arranged in one half of the room, and a large wooden desk in the other. There were a variety of chairs scattered around the room, and a large fireplace, with a cheerful fire dancing in it. The walls were covered in art, trophies, and weapons, each meticulously cared for. Princess Eloise sat in one of the two wingback chairs nearest to the desk, while behind the desk sat the owner of the office, his piercing eyes fixed squarely on Garrett.

"Welcome,” Duke Arkov said, his voice warm and rich. "Thank you so much for being willing to meet with us."

"It is my honor, your highness," Garrett said, bowing at the waist.

"None of that," Duke Arkov said, waving his hand. "Come on, pull yourself up. And who is this young lady?"

"This is my attendant, Ryn," Garrett said, glancing back at Ryn, who was practically frozen behind him.

Garrett knew exactly how she was feeling, as he was feeling a lesser version of the same thing. The Duke's aura was almost completely contained, but despite that, there was a distinct sense of suppression that filled the room. The feeling was like nothing Garrett had ever felt before, and even as his body wanted to instinctively tremble, he could feel his soul spark flaring, sending out waves of power to combat the suppression.

Ryn wasn't so lucky. She was still in the lighting stage, and the Duke's nearly overwhelming strength was almost too much for her, clearly illustrating that the difference between a manifesting stage awakened, and someone in the lighting stage was like the difference between heaven and earth. Had Duke Arkov been forcefully expressing his aura, Garrett was almost positive that Ryn wouldn't have been able to move, as even when he restrained it, she had trouble walking forward with steady steps.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

A flash of appreciation flickered through the Duke's gaze as he watched her push Garrett closer to the desk. Waving his hand, the Duke seemed to dismiss her, and nearly gasping for relief, she quickly backed up to stand by the door.

Flashing his shark-like smile, Duke Arkov looked at Garrett, carefully assessing him. Though he could still feel the intense pressure behind the Duke's stare, Garrett had an easier time of it as his soul spark stabilized. He had wondered if Duke Arkov was actually in the manifesting stage, as rumors had circulated for years that he was. Now, the definite proof lay before him in the almost physical presence the Duke possessed.

"Thank you for coming," Princess Eloise said, breaking the staring match between Garrett and her uncle. "And thank you, again, for allowing me to stay with you when I first entered the city."

Shifting in his seat slightly, Garrett bowed towards the Princess.

"My pleasure, Your Highness. I'm glad that I could be of service."

"We're hoping you can continue to be of service," the Duke said, watching Garrett carefully as he spoke. "But before we get into all of that, I'd love to know a little bit more about you. I must admit, I was taken aback when your name came up after the Princess' letter arrived. I hadn't anticipated Victor's son being so well-connected."

"I fear it's good fortune more than anything else," Garrett said modestly.

"Unlikely," the Duke replied with a laugh. "Your father has served this kingdom well for years. His father before him, and his father before him. You follow in a line of highly competent individuals, and are proving yourself just as valuable. In fact, I find myself quite indebted to you, both for protecting Eloise and for your excellent counsel. She informed me that you were the one who encouraged her to write the letter to return to the palace. Tell me, when everyone else was encouraging the opposite, why did you tell her to return?"

The Duke's piercing blue eyes seemed to cut a hole straight through Garrett, but he didn't grow nervous. Instead, with a small smile at the princess, he answered the question evenly.

"Though I have never met your excellency before today, I've spent considerable time in the palace and know your reputation well. Rather than believe the rumors that you were the one behind the attack, I think it much more likely that your only involvement was in eliminating the assailants. Given your actions in the last few months since the attack, it struck me that you could have seized power quickly, completely cementing your control over the city. Instead, you've delayed, much to the chagrin of many of the nobles who are counting on being able to ride your coattails. Whether you knew the princess was alive or not, I'm not sure.

“But given your strength and the political support you currently enjoy, it struck me that if you wanted to be king, you could have been crowned almost immediately, and no one would have been able to protest. Since you've remained as regent, I came to the conclusion that you were waiting for someone, likely the princess. So rather than have her remain at the inn in a potentially dangerous situation, I thought it more appropriate for her to be here with you, where she would be guaranteed protection. After all, during the time that she was at the inn, we had more than one intruder, clearly out for blood."

This was the first that the princess had heard of the nighttime attacks on the inn, and it caused her eyes to widen. What Garrett didn't say, of course, was that it had only been one group of five assassins, and they had actually been there for him, not for the princess. He had spoken frankly, not faltering once, even when Duke Arkov's expression grew thunderous. And when the duke let out a hearty chuckle, he knew he had made the right decision.

"Well said. It's astounding to me that one so young could see so clearly. All of the fools who call themselves nobles in this city are blind in comparison. Their only thought is how to increase their own personal gain. Every single one of them, including those who should be the throne's most ardent supporters, like Count Gelavin and Earl Von Ketter, only pay lip service, while at the same time trying to pit me and my niece against each other. On more than one occasion, I've been tempted to grab my sword and cleanse their blight from this city."

"Thankfully, cooler heads have prevailed," Princess Eloise said, smiling cheekily as she looked at her uncle.

Rolling his eyes, the duke nodded.

"Still, I have to commend you. Thanks to your good advice, the princess is now safe. From what I understand, you're in contact with a number of the nobles who support the princess's ascension to the throne. Is that correct?"

Though Duke Arkov had lost his grim look and was now smiling, Garrett wasn't fooled for a second. He knew that he was still being evaluated. The duke was weighing his every word and action to try and determine if Garrett was a threat or not. Flashing a brief frown, Garrett nodded.

"Yes, I am. Though I must admit, your highness, I'm not particularly enchanted with them. It seems to me that they're more interested in what they can gain from the princess ascending the throne than from actually supporting her to the position. One of the most troubling things was the suggestion that the nobility have the opportunity to form a council, a sort of parliament, to vote on issues alongside the king."

Catching Princess Eloise's curious look, Garrett continued to speak. "As a means of testing the waters, I had suggested that the princess forward such a proposal when she talked to Baron Gelavin, but the excitement in his eyes when he heard it was a bit too intense for my liking. And as the conversation continued, it became apparent that this was what the nobles were angling for all along, an increased say in the governance of the city."

"Indeed," Duke Arkov said, leaning back in his chair, "they've been talking to me about something like that as well. And what do you think? Is it a good idea?"

"It could be," Garrett replied, "as it would make the ruling of the city considerably easier, taking a tremendous amount of political pressure off of the royal family. At the same time, it would create a different set of problems. And though they are better problems, they would be problems nonetheless."

"Explain."

"Simply put, the political pressure that the king feels currently is grumbling and discontent. When the nobles don't like something, they have to find ways to subvert the laws. Inevitably, this creates complications for the ruler, as punishing the nobles too harshly is dangerous, but not punishing them for breaking the law simply emboldens them. Instead, if there were to be a parliament, discontent among the nobles would be funneled into political intrigue as they tried to manipulate and guide the decisions of the parliament. Given that the royal family still would have the final deciding vote, as well as control over the military and the city guard, the nobles would have to play carefully. The result would be less effort spent in subverting the rules, and more effort spent in shaping the rules, or at least turning them to their own ends. At the same time, this creates a constant tug of war between the nobility and the royal family, as each vies for the ability to control the senate."

Duke Arkov watched Garrett expressionlessly as he explained his thoughts, and when he had finished, the duke leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk and steepling his fingers as he stared at Garrett.

"You speak as if you have a solution," the duke said, a hint of a smile on his face. "Do you?"

Choosing his words carefully, Garrett gave a half shrug.

"I wouldn't call it a solution, your highness, but I certainly know what I would do."

"Do tell."

"If I were the royal family, I would institute a council, but I wouldn't just invite the nobles. Instead, I would invite the most powerful merchants and the leaders of the other institutions in the city who wield power, whether overtly or covertly. Obviously, the nobles would have more seats than those other groups."

"Wouldn't that take much more effort to balance?" Duke Arkov asked.