The Royal Saloon boomed with people.

At a corner were Icarus, Blake, Slate, and Gian, the four white knights, all blowing smoke that they had sucked from cigars. Near them was Ronald, the yellow mage, narrating a story to a brown-haired wizard, Zeb, who was carefully listening and laughing at jokes that were occasionally thrown in. The magenta knight, Cass, and Ara, a lady in a butterfly-themed dress, were also listening in, but both of them were seated at a different table, since they were too meek to come over. Close to them were Talc and Gleen, who were having their own conversation, intentionally spoken at a nearly inaudible volume, as their eyes watched an exchange happening at the saloon's counter.

Rin lifted one of her legs so she could cross it over the other. "This really isn't what I expected from you."

Dorias shot her a dark scowl.

"I thought you'd be instigating. What with your strong and domineering personality, I even half expected you to ask."

"My strong and domineering personality is what allows me to exercise absolute personal control." Dorias signalled at a bartender on the other side of the counter. "Another mug."

"What is it?" Rin collected all her hair to one side of her neck, beginning to speak with a siren's seductive tone in her voice. "Is it my hair? The manner I speak? I move? Or my clothes?" She slid her a hand onto Dorias's thigh. "Clothes shouldn't even matter. They'll be taken off."

Dorias closed his eyes, caught Rin's hand, and gave it back to her. "My answer is no."

Gleen and Talc giggled.

"Oi! Another here please!" A drunken Alder slumped on a table, raising a limping hand to call attention. "If you can make it a barrel, it'll be much appreciated!" He hiccuped.

Odess grumbled. "Didn't I tell you not to drink too much?"

"That's no problem," said Clarence, that cyan knight they met in the Assembly. "We'll just drag him to his room like we did the last time."

"The last time? We couldn't bring him inside." Mycela, in a blue and purple dress, was busy mixing chocolate into a glass of wine. "We couldn't get him to open the door so we left him at the doorstep."

"He slept there for twelve hours." Lion spun a ring on the table. He was one of the baronets who Winston couldn't really watch back at the meeting, but they got to know each other in the training exercises that they had yesterday. Lion was quite old compared to the rest of the Royal Circle. In contrast to Linus and Bling, sitting on either sides of him, Lion looked like an uncle parenting his nephew and niece.

Linus patted Alder's head. "It's a mystery how no housekeepers mistook him for trash."

Bling was gazing with glittering eyes at where Dorias was. "He's tall, dark, and handsome."

Linus and Bling. Twins about the same age as the king. They had white left eyes and black rights. The smallests amongst the baronets, but they weren't all cute and games as far as they've proven in practice.

Thomas chuckled. "I can bring him inside. Just watch over me so I don't get as drunk as he is."

Winston watched his glass as a waitress filled it with more alcohol.

He hasn't joined any of the conversations, which he actually felt bad about since everyone seemed to be having fun. He's just been drinking and drinking, his thoughts revolving around the meeting last Tuesday.

King Lux.

A lot about him has been bothering Winston.

The king's expression whilst he described Zeal Quire made him look as if he was telling a tale of a demon eating a god. Zeal will be the fourth enemy that they'll have to fight. His magic sounded so powerful that most of the baronets were even convinced that the sudden choice to deploy everyone was rightfully justified.

Winston will really have to test Zeal out. Could that man's strength really be enough to make a king so sure and confident suddenly freeze at his own nerves numbing?

"Gah! My back hurts." Ethan reached over his shoulder to massage himself. He'd worn the same dark gray tabard that he had during the meeting, but it looked somewhat dimmer, as if he had rolled on a bunch of dust.

"You didn't even train with us yesterday. What happened to you?" Lion picked up the ring that he was playing with.

Ethan groaned. "Helped Mistress Opa feed the Phobetlings."

"Did you have to wrestle with one?"

"I lifted their food."

"Do you think you'd be fit to fight in that condition?" Odess asked.

A waitress placed a cask right in front of Alder. "Here's the barrel!"

"I'm so thirsty!" The amber wizard positioned his mouth just under the barrel's tap, then twisted the handle and let beer flow out.

The foolish set of actions earned him several rewards from Odess: a fierce glare, an elbow to the ribs, and a shove that pushed him off his chair and let him to the floor. "Have some control!"

Ethan rolled his shoulders. "I'll be fine. Just one bath in my pool and this'll go away. Anyways, I really don't think we should be as on edge as we are. There'll be four of them against all of us. It'll hardly be a fair fight."

Alder crawled on the floor, then laid down just under where the alcohol could pour into his mouth.

"Did anyone see Gris around?" Thomas twirled his neck to search.

"Who's that?" Winston asked. Those were the first words he'd said since getting there.

"One of us." Thomas stood up, increasing his range of sight. "I asked her to join us have fun because she never gets to talk with anyone. She was here for a while but vanished without saying anything."

Winston held his glass by the brim, watching Odess give Alder a kick under the table.

Thomas sighed. "I'll be back, everyone. I'll just look for her."

Winston swigged his alcohol. As it burned the walls of his throat, he decided that it would be his last glass for the day. "Hold on. I'm coming with you." He got off the chair and chased after Thomas towards the exit.

The saloon gates danced as they slipped out, as if joyful that they finally stopped their vice. A 3:00 PM sun beamed upon their eyes, and little mockingbirds glorified their ears with chirps and a ballad.

"The best part about being intoxicated is it feels like the world is an artwork!" Thomas laughed, then inhaled as much of the warm summer breezes as he could.

"Only if you aren't as wasted as Alder," Winston joked.

"Hi guys." Ling went by. Her white cape flailed as she catwalked towards the entrance.

"Hey! Wait!" Thomas hurried to step in her way. "Do you know where Gris went?"

Ling raised an eyebrow at him. "Gris? In the garden."

Thomas nodded. "Thank you."

Ling went around him and entered the saloon, letting the gates dance once again as she passed them. The two men of course went their own way, onto a pebble path that led to the royal garden.

******"

Pastel flowers and lush green trees proclaimed the garden's disparity between the saloon. Instead of tobacco and whiffs of whiskey, it had puffs of pollen and sniffs of roses. The garden was quite sophisticated and undoubtedly well looked after. Metal trellises arching over the path had not a single rust, and the waters spraying from quartz fountains were attracting birds and rabbits.

"How do you find the Royal Circle so far?" Thomas asked, pulling a leaf from a tree.

"A group of highly skilled and earnest people." Winston looked back, wondering if the saloon was still visible from where they were. It wasn't. Foliage had already hidden it from view. "Alder didn't really give a great first impression, but it didn't take long for that impression to last."

"Agreed." A quick chuckle crackled from Thomas. "Did it surprise you too finding out that those white knights are here? The four of them have been especially amicable. Gian even let me hold his sword."

"Were you able to lift it?"

"You bet." Thomas's teeth locked to a grin. "There's a reason I asked that, by the way. I never heard you say anything to anyone in the saloon. I thought perhaps you didn't like the company."

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"Ah." Winston shook his head. "Definitely not the case. I love everyone's company so far. Other things have been keeping me broody though."

Thomas studied Winston's face.

"I can't help but think that something's happening to the king." Winston's eyebrows furrowed towards each other. "But I don't have any clues what it could be. Something's just telling me he's not being himself."

"I get what you mean." Thomas nodded. "Some of the baronets have been talking about it too. They think the king may just be nervous of what's to happen."

Winston's feet stopped, his concentration spilling over to his thoughts once again.

"Hey." Thomas also paused and held his friend by the shoulders. "Don't think about it too much. Here. I'll give you something else to think about. Something to anticipate. Something to excite you!" Thomas's grin came back again. "After tomorrow, let's go on an adventure. The mission posts are always available for us. Let's accept and complete one together! I'll even let you keep all the extra rewards."

Amusement pulled apart Winston's lips and created a smile. "Alright. Fine." He raised his hands as if surrendering. "I'll try to keep my head off it. But I won't be forgetting what you just said. All mine!"

Thomas bit his tongue. "Well. Depends on what actually the rewards will be." He let go of Winston, then continued walking, only to stop again, as he seemed to have found something somewhere amongst the plants. "Aha! I think I just saw Gris. This'll just be a minute. I'll be right back. Just gonna get her." Thomas rushed off into the bushes, making leaves rustle as he paved his way through.

His absence soon caused a sudden silence. Only winds and swishing trees were left to remind Winston that his ears were still working.

Then, like a shot, whistles of a flute pierced through the air, breaking the quiet, and quickly transitioned to a melody of sweet high notes.

It sounded distant, but probably not as far as where Thomas had gone since his steps were completely unhearable. Winston decided to take a little stroll, just to see if he could track down the music's source.

Apparently it was Synth playing. His fingers were graceful and yet precise as they flitted on the holes that generated the tunes, and his body swayed just a little bit as the sounds of his instrument filled his own ears. He played like he was alone, but he definitely wasn't, because listening to him was King Lux, who was sitting in a swing that hung from a willow.

Winston crossed his arms and leaned by a tree, staying hidden behind some hanging vines while he kept his ears open.

The music shortly ended, and Synth completed the whole performance by doing a bow. "Thank you. Always a pleasure playing for you, Your Majesty."

"Your music calms me down." King Lux kicked the ground to start swaying.

Synth opened a pouch hanging from his belt, and dropped the flute inside to store it. "We've always thought your nervous system couldn't recognize fear. Much less anxiety."

As the swing brought King Lux nearly two meters off the ground, the king let his eyes upon trembling grass right below him. "Silly things like height don't normally scare me."

"I wonder what does." Synth parked himself at the edge of a fountain. "Even Talc isn't powerful enough to figure it out."

"Anyone who's been with her for a while will eventually learn how to block her magic." King Lux waited for the swing to slow down, then planted his feet firmly on the ground. "But there is something that I'm afraid of." He watched his fingers around the swing's chains. "It's to realize that I've lost control." He lifted his feet from the earth, and the swing started wiggling right on its own.

"Do you mean of the future?"

"It's really the only moment we can control." King Lux's grip tightened around the chains. "I've done something. But I can't quite figure out what. I've been thinking about it this past few weeks."

Curiosity masked Synth's face.

"It has caused a slight difference, but everything else has stayed the same. I probably shouldn't be as anxious as I am. But I'm afraid that the slight alteration may cause a major difference soon."

Synth looked at the water behind him. "Like a pebble making ripples in a pond?"

"Exactly." King Lux grounded his feet once again, and rested his hands onto his lap. "Thank you again, Synth. I believe they're all waiting for you at the saloon."

Synth pulled himself up. "Any time you need me, Your Highness." The man bowed once more and proceeded towards where the pebble path was.

King Lux was left alone. He returned his fingers around the swing's chains, and closed his eyes as his face bathed in a shower of sunlight.

Just like earlier, the lack of human noises amplified the sounds of nature. The birds could be heard tweeting. The winds were whooshing, and the leaves were sizzling. The waters trickled, and the rocks crunched as Winston stepped on them on his way to the back of the king.

"Sometimes, you have to lose control." Winston pushed the swing's seat, letting the king sway forwards. "That way it's more exciting."

King Lux gasped. "I--You were listening."

"Sorry, Your Highness. I heard the music and found you here. I was with Thomas but he ran off to find Gris." Winston caught the seat. His lips ended up right by King Lux's ear. "I did hear everything, though I still don't completely understand."

King Lux took a breath in. "This is a perfect example of not being in control. I never thought you'd be here."

"Is that something you hate?" Winston tried to see the king's expression, but couldn't because King Lux looked away.

"It's something that's making me nervous."

Winston bit his lip, not knowing what to respond.

King Lux flinched, as if something had just come upon him. "Wait a minute. You said Thomas is looking for Gris?"

"Ah, yes."

The king looked down. "If that's the case, then..." He slid off the swing, then ambled unfocused towards the fountain. "...then maybe...maybe control isn't completely gone."

"Aha! Hey!" Thomas called out, running over to where Winston was. "You disappeared. Thought you came back to the saloon. Glad we could find you before I had to run back and forth."

"I'm with King Lu--" Winston gawped at the fountain. King Lux was no longer there. "Well, I was with King Lux. I guess he teleported away."

"I see." Thomas nodded. "Oh! Here's Gris." The man turned around to present the lady, but also found nobody behind him. "Wha--For my sake! What's with people vanishing? Anyway, Gris didn't really wanna come. Let's just get back by ourselves."

"Ah." Hadn't Winston decided to stop drinking for the day? He has. But that conversation with King Lux made him want intoxicants all over again. "Sure."

*******

The two of them returned to the saloon. Just in time for a concert by the Royal Circle! While Synth played his flute, the rest of the baronets sang words to the song, but couldn't really follow the tune since many of them were drunk.

Alder was still sprawling under one of the tables. Merely drips of alcohol were oozing from the barrel, but he didn't seem to want to stop until it was all depleted.

By the time that everyone was contented and ready to leave, the outside world had already been curtained by a black sky. Clarence had thrown Alder over his shoulder, and him and Thomas brought the wizard all the way to his chamber. Everyone else has also decided to retreat to their own rooms, exchanging farewells and kind smiles before doors locked and parted them.

Thursday ended, and Friday came.

*******

Blue curtains keeping Winston's room dim were fighting the sun as it dared to force its way in. Several rays of its bright light managed to break through, but found their efforts useless as Winston had already awakened. A clock by the wall said it was 8:27, which meant Winston had slept for more than twelve hours as he went to bed by seven last night.

That was probably a good thing. After all, he needed all the rest he could to spare energy for what would happen that night.

The man got off his bed and went straight to the pool, throwing to a side all his clothes that he forgot to undress the evening prior.

In the bath, the hot water confirmed that it was just as revitalizing as it had been the first time, cleansing all the pain and fatigue from Winston's body.

"Finally awake!" Thomas poked his head through Winston's door.

"Thomas!" Winston growled. "Will you please knock?!"

"Calm down, firehead." Thomas snickered. "I just came to have this delivered." He tossed a packet onto Winston's bed. "That's headache medicine. People woke up with heavy heads so we're giving these around." He phased back out.

Winston shook his head and scooped some water to splash his face.

"Thud. Thud."

Now he decides to knock

Winston thought the door open so Thomas could enter properly.

King Lux poked his head into the room.

Winston took a second to register the face, but when he did, and saw how the king's face flurried with rosy reds, his eyes widened and his throat choked itself.

King Lux whirled around. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to see! I didn't see. I saw nothing!"

"Uhh!" Winston searched the room for anything to cover himself with. He leaped out of the pool and crashed on his bed where he yanked on a blanket and covered himself.

"The door opened, so I just..."

"I thought you were Thomas. Pardon me." Winston grabbed a pillow and placed it on his lap.

"I-I-I just needed to give these." King Lux closed his eyes, and twisted to show Winston two buds on his hand. "They're audipaths. We'll use them to communicate remotely tonight."

"Hold on, Your Highness. Keep your eyes closed." Winston folded the blanket and wrapped it around his thighs. He slid off the bed and rushed to the doorway then picked up the buds off of the king's hand. "I got them."

King Lux's fingers shuddered as he pulled them close to his chest. His eyes were shut tighter than a castle's vault. "J-Just plug them in your ears. P-Press them to activate. White to join the network and b-b-black to activate speech." King Lux stepped back, jolted off to his room, and slammed the door close the moment he got in.

A trail of shame chilled Winston's spine.

Neither a hungover nor his oversleeping gave him a headache, yet he ended up using the medicine that Thomas gave anyway, so he could calm himself after what happened.

After finishing his interrupted bath, Winston made sure that he was fully garbed before he showed himself to anyone. He put on his armor set, and even considered to wear a mask or a helm so he could conceal his embarrassed face. Unfortunately he had none and couldn't find one in the castle's armory. So he ended up walking around with a face troubled by what happened in the morning.

*******

"What's gotten into you?" Odess scrutinized Winston's figure from head to heel.

Winston shook his head. "Nothing. My day just started odd."

The two of them were standing on battlements, under a sky that had just began to be dark orange. Silhouettes of flying V's glided just below some clouds, and crickets were starting to chirp amongst the grass.

"Once you get your wage, you should come with me to the Kingdom of Hephaestus." Odess narrowed her eyes at Winston's vambrace. "My armorer's there. We can ask him to customize a set for you."

The sunlight was quickly fading, but there was still enough to define the shape of Odess's lilac armor.

She pointed at a power stone engraved in her breastplate. "This one calculates my movements and adjusts the armor's weight so I can leap higher or land heavier blows. If you can find more power stones, the armorer can carve sockets into your pieces as well."

Winston plugged his audipaths into his ears. "It'll be an honor to shop around with you." He pressed to activate.

Odess graced Winston with an abrupt smile. "And whatever that was you were thinking about, forget it for now. You need to stay focused. Remember, the plan is to visit Hephaestus. Not Hades."

Winston showed a confident smile. "Don't worry about me."

"Guys?" King Lux's voice rang in his ears. "Please make sure that everyone's audipaths have joined the network."

Winston checked the buds in Odess's pointed ears. "Are yours activated?"

Odess nodded. "Since I've put them on."

"You mean everyone's been listening to us talk?"

King Lux hummed. "We all get listened to sometimes, Winston. But, no, we couldn't hear you guys. You can keep yourself muted by deactivating the speech audipath."

Winston pressed and turned off the black bud in his right ear. "I see."

"Erudon's men will be breaching the south wall. The first priority will be to prevent them from splitting up. If you can knock them all out while they're all together, then we'll have a quick victory."

"What was Plan B again?" Ara asked.

Dorias scoffed. "Plan B is to focus on Plan A."

"Dorias is right." King Lux replied. "We'll discuss further actions if A doesn't work out. For now, the best way to prevent them from casting Prism Trap is to keep all four at the same place."

"Understood," replied Ara.

"Good luck, everyone!" King Lux added some cheerfulness to his tone. "I lay my faith in all of you."