'My hometown,' I declared to Alum. It did look impressive; the road winding through the city's newer suburbs, past the lakeside beach and up the hill to the ancient castle. My old chambers were up there, and I hadn't been able to enjoy them properly during my last visit. Strangely, even though my sorrow at losing my parents had passed, I still felt ambivalent about staying in Haelling Cove. Was it really my home anymore? Certainly, I could not return to Hollowhold after what I had done, but I’d begun to feel more comfortable in Trackford than in Haelling Cove. When in Haelling Cove had I ever mingled with the common folk in a tavern? The answer was never, and I wondered if Alum and I should not wed in Trackford instead.

We pressed on through the city until we came to the castle. The gatehouse was still closed, though the guards were only too happy to open it when they saw that Prince Alum and I were at the head of the troupe. I dusted myself off in the bailey as stablehands emerged and took Lilac away. Regeda went with them to see to the care of our horses.

'Should I come with you?' Alum asked nervously of my audience with Timoth. I giggled at his ridiculous uncertainty.

'You're a Prince! Of course you should come.’

'I just meant that he's your brother… Maybe you should speak to him before he sees me, to explain,' Alum said.

'That won't be necessary,' I insisted. 'He's my brother. There’ll be no need for explanations.'

Alum nodded reluctantly slowly and exhaled warily as I led him into the keep. A servant explained that Timoth was resolving civil disputes, and so I took Alum to the throne room. It also explained why he hadn’t been able to greet us at the city gates. He sat on what was once Father's throne in the centre of the dais, wearing the same white robe, though it was looser on him. His face was dark with wrinkles and creases that bespoke exhaustion and dejection. I knew from his letters that managing Ebonreach alone was taking its toll on him, but I did not understand to what extent until he sighted me.

'Saemara! You’ve returned!' he called, standing and interrupting the testimony of the complainant before him. The heads of the conflicting parties, scribes, and witnesses turned to me and Alum.

'I have, brother… There is much to discuss,' I said to him, uncomfortable with the interruption. Why had he not called an adjournment before speaking to me?

'Discuss it with someone else!' he rudely declared. 'I will no longer act as the ruler of Ebonreach. I abdicate! Take my throne, sister. All that I ask of you is that you allow me to serve as a man of the Reach. I am no ruler. I pass that burden on to you.'

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Half an hour later, Timoth poured us each a glass of bloodberry wine in his chambers. County ledgers were scattered chaotically across his wooden desk but neither of us was seated. Timoth paced to-and-fro with extreme agitation. I remained stationary, uncomfortable in my own skin. This was not the welcome I had expected, though I grimly supposed that I preferred it to finding Haelling Cove razed a second time.

Still, it had not been an easy situation to find myself in. I’d been in such shock from Timoth's surprise announcement that Alum had been forced to clear the throne room, despite the fact that he’d never even stepped foot in Ebonreach before. I think the witnesses and bureaucrats were more than happy to escape the awkward situation, and had no doubt spread word of Timoth's alleged abdication among the other townsfolk by now.

It was also Alum who’d carefully suggested that we go somewhere more private to discuss what he called the 'affairs of the realm'. I had said nothing, preferring instead to contemplate Timoth's perspective., I put myself in the shoes that Timoth had worn for the past few months. If his feet had proven to be too small for them, how could mine be any different? Timoth had been bred for leadership, albeit one commencing in stages beginning decades from now. I had been bred for, well, breeding. Marriage and breeding. Though I was coming to understand my own abilities in the realm of interpersonal, if not international, diplomacy, that was a far cry from being able to lead armies and refinance the treasury.

In any case, I could make no decision until I had ascertained whether this was truly Timoth's desire. He was obviously stressed and overworked, and perhaps a few days of rest would allow him to recover. Surely I could manage things for that long - though it was inconvenient that there happened to be a major Tokuan invasion occurring right now. I went to suggest it, but in the manner of close siblings he broke the silence at almost the same instant as me.

'Saemara…' he began, his eyes narrow,. They darted in and out of my gaze. 'I-I apologise for losing my temper in the throne room. It was not the proper place for such declarations. It has… been a difficult time for me, and I could not stand to hear another complaint from the common folk. I wish they could resolve their differences among themselves.’ He paused and I waited for him to continue.

'I have thought much on my failings, he said. ‘I believe Father raised you and I to be a unit: I was to rule, but he probably considered that as Haelling Cove is a fortress city, my primary duty was to command soldiers. He intended Kaeya to manage Ebonreach's internal affairs. He wanted her to marry a landholder and placate our extended family in the countryside. You were meant to dispense justice, for it is clear to see that you have a talent for it. Oh, don't look at me like that! I know you were meant to find a good husband, but the more I think on it, the less I believe that Father would have let you to live away from Ebonreach. He cared for you too deeply. He never planned for the three of us to be apart.'

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

That there were tears in my eyes. Why did he speak of Father? Of Kaeya? I wanted him to stop. It wasn't helping us discuss the matter at hand.

'Timoth,’ I said, wiping my eyes on my sleeve. ‘Ebonreach has suffered enough turmoil. Why don't you take a few days to rest? I'll manage the realm in the meantime.'

'You don't understand!' Timoth shouted, his tone most unbecoming of a nobleman.

'Help me understand,' I replied gently, taking a seat in the hopes that he would calm down. He sat down before me and breathed more slowly.

'There's not much to explain; I just can't do it anymore,' Timoth claimed, and I restrained a sigh. This was like pulling teeth.

'Why not?' I asked.

'I just can't.'

'You're not being very helpful.' It was the wrong thing to say.

'I never was!' he leapt to his feet again. 'Father always told me that he'd teach me how to rule “some day”, but that day never happened. I haven't been a good ruler. I've scarcely left this keep since Father died. I spend all day sorting ledgers and ruling on civil disputes and never seem to make anything better. Now a second, larger Tokuan fleet has invaded. I have no doubt that they've sacked Trackford already.'

'Larger?' I asked, and he nodded.

'Twenty-five vessels. The new ships are longer, but just as light in the water,' he explained. Strange that he could be so comfortable when discussing a race of men determined to destroy our way of life, but not when discussing minor civil disputes.

'Set your mind at ease: they bypassed Trackford,' I told him.

A twinkle of hope glimmered in his eyes. 'They did?'

'Baron Urzo fired ships to delay them until Alum and I arrived with the Prince's Guard,' I explained, and Timoth collapsed into his seat again, shaking his head as if stirring from a daze.

'Where are my manners, sister? We have so much to discuss since last we were together. You exiled Baron Steib and presented his estate to the Crown. It has certainly benefited the county finances.'

'It was the best decision,' I said, thinking back to the trial. 'And his replacement is resourceful, and enterprising.'

'That is well. Thank you for your hard work,' he said, and I had to restrain a smile. There was still tension in the air, and I didn’t want him to think that I’d been placated by this diversion, but much of what I’d done was for Timoth's approval, and it felt good to have won it.

'Your letters spoke of a betrothal to Duke Wilbern,' Timoth began. 'Now you arrive on my doorstep in Prince Alum's arms. What has happened?'

I quickly recounted all that had happened. He confirmed the arrival of Gentleman Tefgae's housecarls with some gratitude but seemed more ambivalent when I spoke of how I’d originally decided to wed Duke Wilbern instead of Prince Alum.

'You must know that I would never expect you to wed a man not of your choosing,' he interjected.

'It was my choice,' I told him. 'It was not for you, but for Ebonreach.'

He nodded sadly, albeit with the benefit of already knowing the ending to the story, and I continued. His mouth gaped when I spoke of how I’d jilted Duke Wilbern, and he scratched his brow in contemplation when I told him that Duke Wiseria had passed. I skipped over Alum’s appearance in my chambers on the morning of the wedding.

'You must know what you have done to our neighbours,' Timoth said ominously.

'I humiliated Duke Wilbern,' I told him in acknowledgement, though he shook his head in irritation.

‘In doing so you fed the fire of the pretenders. Trent will be lucky to survive this, and it will hurt Ebonreach too. If nothing else, we rely heavily on iron imported from Iyasgorth.'

'I know,' I told him, though I had never really stopped to consider all of the consequences that might flow from my decision. Thankfully Timoth was in no mood to let me linger on the thought.

'You are betrothed to Prince Alum?' he asked me, and I nodded. I feared that he was going to say that the housecarls he had brought were nothing compared to those Duke Wilbern could offer. Could I have endured such a reaction?

Instead, he stood and held out his arms for me. I almost jumped into them, restraining the tears as we embraced tightly. It felt incredible to be alongside my brother again, and my presence seemed to have calmed him.

'I'm so happy for you, sister.'

'Thank you,' was all I could say.

When we returned to our seats, I sensed that the time for retreading the past was over. I let Timoth lead the conversation again, for I felt that he needed to speak his mind. His eyes darkened as he returned to our original topic.

'None of this changes my decision. The rulership is beyond me… I pass it to you,' he said, his last words a whisper.

I looked into his bloodshot eyes. Behind them was the force of his willfulness; his veracity. This was his true desire. Perhaps the intervening conversation had warmed me to the idea, though my fingertips trembled with anxiety, but I felt that to argue would be a waste of breath. Instead, I phrased my thoughts as a warning. A final warning.

'If you do this… there is no going back. You cannot revoke an abdication,' I told him.

'I know.'

'If something happened to me, the crown would pass to… someone. Someone we don't know, or barely know. A distant cousin or uncle, most likely. Whereas –'

'Whereas if I reconsider, you're still my heir. I know, I've spent weeks considering this. At first, just as a fantasy, but I quickly found reasons why abdication would actually be preferable. There is war in Halivaara and I am suited to lead the armies of Ebonreach, yet I am bound to the castle. Father had faith in your abilities, why shouldn’t I?'