Some days later, Benarus was less than pleased in a meeting room. Relma didn't blame him. Wherever they went, rumors went out that the Heir of Kings had returned. What had been little more than a morale-boosting bluff was soon expanded. Now, people were speaking as though she had routed an entire army. Now, people were talking about the second coming of the Kings of Old.

The only consolation was that very few people actually connected it to Relma. The light had obscured her from view to a large extent. It was difficult to reconcile the warrior of legend with a fourteen-year-old child.

So here they were in absolute silence. The steward remained silent as Aren and Aunt Pan sat across from him. His face was stony as he drummed his fingers against the long wood table. His gaze was not on any of them but on a banner with his house's emblem. Relma wondered what he was thinking.

Finally, he looked at Aren with a weary look and let out a long sigh. "We have a problem."

"I am well aware of the fact, Benarus," said Aren sadly.

"You assured me that the Heir of Kings would not be unveiled for another generation," said Benarus. He looked bitter. "I never questioned the matter since I have no sons or daughters. I had expected Hadleim to claim his lineage at one point, but nothing came of that.

"So what exactly is going on here?"

Benarus had departed the village almost immediately after negotiations concluded. Aren had been more than a little concerned about that and had followed after him as a bird. There had been all kinds of discussions and negotiations among the nobility. Their response to the Heir of King's return was lukewarm and an understatement.

"Relma acted on her own," said Pan. "She is a fool but did not mean any harm. And Hadleim's example should help to pave the way. It has given her credibility."

"In the girl's defense, she wanted to avoid bloodshed," said Aren. "And she did just that. We'd have had a battle if she hadn't unveiled the sword. A great many good men would be dead.

"And truth be told, I'm not sure we'd have won. It would have been a near thing. And the winner would have been left a shadow of-"

"I know," said Benarus, raising a hand. "Understand, Arengeth, I can't yield control to her, not like this.

"I mean... the finding of Lightning Trail may make for an excellent story. Certainly, no one is more pleased at avoiding bloodletting than myself. But she's only learning to read. So you can't expect me to put Gel Carn in her control?"

"I expect no such thing," said Aren, leaning back in his seat. "I'm afraid that this was never part of the plan." He clasped his hands together and lit a pipe. "Still, it may work to our advantage."

Benarus hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"Relma's father was a hero of the Satyr Wars," said Aren. "He was well known during the wars. And now Relma has found Lightning Trail, stopped a war, and intimidated Telix."

"I don't think I intimidated-"began Relma.

"Yes, of course, you didn't," said Aren, nodding. "If things had come to blows, he'd have eaten you alive. Telix is a direct descendant of the Wolf Spirit Yamas, one of the devourers of the Alpha. But the stories men are telling are that you did intimidate him." What was the Alpha? Hadn't that been the legendary god of werewolves that fed itself to five wolves over many lives?

"How does that help matters?" asked Benarus. "Now, people will be clamoring for her to take the throne."

"I think you overestimate the power of prophecy, Benarus," said Pan. "Prophecies are fulfilled in their own time and way. And they rarely happen because someone was trying to fulfill it. With a great many setbacks and detours anyway.

"No, Relma will almost certainly never take the throne of Harlenor Reunited. But she may be able to clear the way."

"What do you mean?" asked Benarus.

"Well, Kings don't take kindly to people joining their company as equals," said Aren. "When a new king comes to power, it takes a few generations before they are accepted.

"She's right. If some random farmboy were to become King of Harlenor Reunited, the nobility wouldn't like it. And he might well resent the nobility. In my experience, the best leadership change is one where things change slowly."

"Father, get to the point," said Aunt Pan.

"Benarus, you have had no more children since your son, Aiden, died in the satyr wars," said Aren. "You have refused to remarry. Therefore, you will need an heir."

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"And I have one," said Benarus, though he sounded reluctant to admit it. "My niece, Fayn. I've been pressured to adopt her for some time now."

"Yes, but you haven't made anything official yet," said Aren. "So this is what I suggest. Relma will continue her education in Gel Carn, Pandora, keeping a close eye on her. She'll be trained in everything she would need to know to fill the role she hopes to fill.

"When we are satisfied with her abilities, we will give her some kind of position of authority. A minor land to look after. Something that will be to her credit if she does well but will be a manageable loss if she fails. If she impresses you, consider ensuring that the succession passes to her.

"If she works hard and proves herself, Gel Carn might have a Queen. From there, future generations might work to create Harlenor Reunited."

"What if I am unsatisfied with her performance?" asked Benarus. "It is all very well for commoners to talk about the return of the golden age. But when a King, or a Steward, makes a rash decision, thousands can suffer for it."

"Then you are under no obligation to do anything you don't want to," said Aren. And then he smiled. "In fact, why don't we give Fayn the same deal. One tends to work harder when you have a rival."

Benarus clasped his hands together. "...And I'll keep my power no matter what happens."

"If we must be blunt, yes," said Aren.

"Good. I have no intention of yielding my position until I am too old for the task," said Benarus. "I expected to have gray hairs when the Heir of Kings first appeared." He looked upward. "Now, Relma has several chores she needs to attend to.

"Her prolonged absence has caused her to skip a great many."

"I'll get her to the dormitories," said Aren. "Pan, you had some other concerns you wanted to bring up with Benarus."

"I do," said Pan.

Aren led Relma out. Relma had to admit her plan had worked. Better than she could have hoped, in fact. But at the same time, she felt not guilty but strange. It was weird to be back in Gel Carn as if nothing had happened.

"Well, my girl, we've dodged an arrow or two there," said Aren. "Things should work out well now, assuming everyone does their best. But, of course, that is a rather large assumption.

"In my experience, people rarely do their best except in the worst situations. Now, I believe you have work to do."

"Don't remind me," said Relma.

She got her assigned duties and went about them as quickly as possible. As she worked sweeping, Estela came by.

"So, how did it go?" asked Estela, an edge in her tone.

"I've been given a chance," said Relma. "And that's all I need. Just wait, Estela. One day I'll be King of Harlenor Reunited."

"No, you won't," said Estela.

"You don't know that," said Relma.

"No, you won't because House Vortegex rules Escor," said Estela. "Escor is a third of Harlenor Reunited. My Father will never bow to anyone. And I'm definitely not going to bow to you."

"Look, can you let me have my moment?" asked Relma, annoyed.

"I believe your moment was when you stood before an army with a sword surrounded by light," said Estela.

"But I was terrified," said Relma.

"Not my problem," said Estela.

At that moment, Ronald rushed up to her around the corner. "Hey, Relma, good news."

"What is it?" asked Relma.

"Sir Frederick has offered me a position as his squire," said Ronald. "He says he has needed one for years."

"That's great," said Relma.

"Good work," said Estela. "What impressed him?"

"Well, he didn't think much of starting a fire," said Ronald. "But it was going to rescue Relma in the first place, which impressed him. So I'm going to be Sir Frederick's squire!"

"Well, on that note," said Estela, "I heard what happened to Tanith."

"What was it?" asked Relma.

"Wrynncurth sent two black dragons to hunt her down," said Estela. "They haven't been heard from since."

Relma blinked. "What? How do two dragons just disappear?"

"Last we heard from them, they were heading to attack. She was crossing the river into the heartlands," said Estela. "They followed after her, but Tanith's ship arrived safely with her on board. Apparently, the heads of two black dragons were lashed to the bow. She bought the entire crew drinks when they arrived, which was nice.

"Wrynncurth has his flight scouring the river for the bodies. If he was furious before, he must be absolutely enraged now.

"Benarus put a bounty on her head, though. One high enough that every sellsword and mercenary in the heartlands will come after her."

"Tanith will probably just enjoy that," said Relma. "She got what she wanted, after all."

"She'll make for Brisgald," said Estela. "That's up in the north near the border with Seathorius. Tanith's family has good relations with House Gabriel. So she'll have an easy time getting a ship there."

"But can't we tell them what happened?" asked Relma.

"Why would they care?" asked Estela. "Even if we said Tanith engineered a war, she'd deny it. And they'll believe her over someone they don't know."

"Well, what about Wrynncurth," said Relma. "He'll want revenge."

"Well, yes," said Estela. "But Wrynncurth isn't going to start a confrontation with Duke Vanion over this. Or at least I wouldn't. He's ancient, you see.

"If I were Wrynncurth, I'd wait for a generation or two. Then take vengeance on Tanith's reincarnation."

"But Tanith won't even remember she did the crime then," said Relma.

"But she still did it," noted Estela. "To immortals, our identities are masks worn by a greater entity. Either way, Tanith is going to come to a bad end."

"Because of the tree?" asked Ronald.

"No, not the tree, you idiot," said Estela. "Because of the way she acts. She's impulsive, bloodthirsty, and makes enemies wherever she goes. Unfortunately, being a master at killing people can only get you far.

"Maybe her luck will run out. Maybe she'll meet someone who is a better swordsman than her. Or maybe she'll get old and burn out. No matter what happens, she'll end up lying face down in a pool of blood sooner or later."

At that moment, Argath appeared. They turned to see him approaching them with a severe expression. "What are you three doing standing around here? Get your gear in place. I want you out in the training yard with all the rest within the hour."

"Yes, sir!" said Relma.

Training with a spear and shield was much better than scullery work. And training to lead and rule was something that Relma couldn't wait to start doing. She wanted to be great. She wanted her name to go down in history, to be spoken of in legends. She wanted to have books written about her. To have children grow up wanting to be like her like she wanted to be like Anoa. As she donned her equipment, she saw Anoa by the doorway, smiling. Then he was gone.

And Relma knew this wasn't the end but the beginning.