Kyoumi didn’t know what to do about this—war and fighting were things that Utaka and Takeo knew, and both of them were gone. The next best person to help would’ve been Masaru; he’s been dead for about a decade, however. With very little people to help her understand it, she knew she’d have to go to Hiroki territory—if not to understand, then to actively fight.

It wasn’t any better that she tried to put it off. She knew she wasn’t the best fighter, and she feared being forced to go out. She would have to, if Kuro kept attacking, just to attempt to seem suited for her position, but she worried about dying—about putting Rei in her position, especially as things stand now.

Oddly enough, her prayers seemed to be answered a few weeks after Kuro’s second attack. The news of guests came while she was in the office, trying to handle some of her other work—Sorai and Rei were with her. Since the guests were strangers but wanted to speak with her, she opted to greet them at the palace entrance; Sorai and Rei followed her without much comment.

The guests were, based on their appearance, from Sólstaður; a man close to Kyoumi and Sorai’s age, a boy within a year of twins’ age, and a girl a few years younger.

The man spoke first. The conversation required the two nation’s shared language. “The queen and her family, I take it?”

Kyoumi nodded. “You are speaking with the queen, king, and eldest prince.”

The two children bowed, although the man just nodded his own greeting.

“Andreas Roken,” the man replied. He gestured to each child when he said their names. “I’ve come with Kasper and Emelie, my two kids.” He offered an apologetic look, then kindly said, “I heard about the younger prince while traveling here. I understand that it may sound empty, but I apologize for the circumstances; it must be difficult.”

“To say it wasn’t would be a lie,” Kyoumi replied quietly. She took a breath to steady herself, and tried to present a more elegant air. “Roken is the name of Sólstaður’s leading family, correct? Considering Gin’s current position, I’d imagine it wouldn’t be out of place to congratulate your earlier success in removing Kuro; I’ll admit, it does make me a bit jealous. We’ve found ourselves struggling with our sister-kingdom recently.”

“That’s the reason why I came to the palace,” Roken said. “Forgive my forward approach—Sólstaður politics isn’t a place for subtlety and gentle prodding—but I would like to speak with you about the situation you find yourselves in with Kuro. Simply put, I may have the resources to help bring in something closer to a victory.”

“We can discuss this a bit further inside the palace, then,” Kyoumi decided after a quick glance towards Sorai. “Leave your weapons here, if you have them. Rei can show your children around the garden in the meantime.”

Rei didn’t look completely willing—likely a matter of being excluded from the conversation—but did nod once the other family confirmed that the guards nearby had their weapons. He simply gestured for the younger two visitors to follow him, while Sorai did the same towards the man.

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Sorai led, with Roken more-or-less in between him and Kyoumi. They went to the dining hall—the best suited place for a meeting, excluding the office—and offered Roken to sit across from them.

Kyoumi thought it best if she gave the prompting question. “Could you explain your earlier suggestion?”

“Of course,” Roken said, nodding. “Call it whatever you want—I’m willing to admit, all I’m doing here is interfering with a feud as old as the world, but I believe Sólstaður can help. We’re free of Kuro’s occupation, and thanks to that little bit of fighting, I’ve been told ever since that the men want to go back onto a battlefield.”

“I won’t deny help if you’re sure of it,” Kyoumi began, “But like you said—Sólstaður has been freed from Kuro. Do you have any reason aside from wanting to fight?”

He hesitated for a moment—the same way she did when anyone mentioned Taiyo’s undetermined state, she realized. “My wife lived at Kuro’s capital,” Roken replied firmly. “Through a portion of her family, I hear of Kuro’s state. The black kingdom is no more suited for war—they have better fighters and strong commanders, but in the end they’re only fighters and commanders. It won’t take a lot of convincing for me to arrange for soldiers to come here; they’d rather fight against Kuro than with it.”

“It wouldn’t bother you to fight your wife’s homeland?” Sorai asked.

Roken shook his head. “I’ve never thought fairly highly of Kuro’s royalty—it helps when they didn’t acknowledge her death at all. One would imagine they would send empty sympathies, at least, for a fairly important noblewoman that died somewhere on their waters; I suppose it just emphasizes their current way of things. She wasn’t strong, so as far as they were concerned, she didn’t exist. Again—if Sólstaður’s assistance somehow forces them to realize that such reasoning is harmful, I would be satisfied.”

“Could you consider staying here for another few days?” Kyoumi requested. Roken gave a confused look, so she elaborated. “The Hiroki family is mostly in charge of the military; it would be quickest if I sent word and received confirmation that it would be feasible before you returned to Sólstaður.”

“I understand,” Roken replied, nodding. “Fortunately, my kids shouldn’t mind staying a little longer.”

“We can pay for your stay at an inn while you wait,” Kyoumi offered. “I’d offer a room in the palace itself, but…suffice to say, recent events make me hesitant to do so.”

Roken smiled with a tiny bit of humor. “Honestly, I almost expected to be told to head back home without speaking with you. I appreciate the hospitality, if nothing else.”

He stood up, and offered another nod. “I’ll see to that now. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me.”

“Thank you for offering to help,” Sorai replied with his own little smile. “I know our reputation isn’t exactly the best.”

“My standards are based on what I’ve seen in Kuro’s family,” Roken said firmly. “Hearing that you’re trying to locate a lost son convinces me you care a bit more than they would. And regardless, we’ll speak in another few days.”

With that, he left. Sorai and Kyoumi both stood as well.

“I’ll handle the letter to Hiroki,” Sorai said. “You could tell Rei?”

Kyoumi nodded. She didn’t want to say it out loud, but…the offered help was refreshing. She would receive some negative opinions towards it—she always will, no matter what she did—but at least she could avoid the accusations of being apathetic. She would still have to fight; she just dared to hope that it won’t be for very long.

It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but perhaps war campaigns will be what brought Taiyo back to them.