They sat in silence after, Charlotte still weaving her fingers through Hector’s short hair. The movement helped Jon feel calm, even if it was just happening across from him. He wondered if it was something about seeing Hector at ease.

With a final snort, Mallory opened his eyes. “Do I smell cooking?”

Jon had just noticed it too. The scent of the meat had carried over from the stove in the kitchen.

“I hate smelling what everybody cooks,” Hector muttered as Charlotte gently moved his head aside.“Especially when I’m not hungry.”

“Aw shut up!” Charlotte gave Hector a playful slap on the head before moving back towards the kitchen.

Jon figured that since it was stovetop, Charlotte would be flipping the meat over its side.

She raised her hands before she got too close to the counter and snapped her fingers towards the kitchen.

The pan of meat quickly erupted into a large flame.

Jon didn't know why he expected anything different.

Pretty soon, the three boys were eating the pieces of the meat that had been divided between them. Charlotte served them at a large round table that sat right next to the kitchen.

“I’m sorry I didn’t cook any vegetables,” Charlotte told them as she took her seat at the large round table they all sat in. “I guess I was pulled away from the-”

“Don’t care,” Hector was barely able to mutter as he chewed through his food.

“Yeah,” Mallory added, waiting until his mouth wasn’t full anymore unlike Hector. “I’ll just pretend that this is the best tasting vegetable I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes as the boys continued eating.

Jon agreed. The meat was different, but even if the top was charred, the center of the meat was incredibly chewy. Yet, it began to break apart in his mouth at the perfect time for it to be consumed properly. Jon also recognized the flavors of the spices within the meat, but he never could have realized that such a rich flavor could have been made from their combination. His own seasoning skills were all very simple, and Jon realized how much he had never really varied in his own cooking.

“I was talking to Hector,” Charlotte explained as the boys ate. “I think you should wait here an extra day.”

“Right!” Mallory nodded. “I can do that. As long as Lana knows that it’s you she has to get mad at!”

“Deal!” Charlotte exclaimed, delighted in her own response. “I’ll call her tonight.”

“Awesome!” Mallory let the matter go and continued eating.

Hector took a glance at his sister between two of his bites but didn’t respond to her suggestion. Again, Jon assumed that Hector was okay with the way things were playing out. It was unlike Hector to not push things he was curious about, but Jon didn’t quite feel like prying.

When Mallory finished eating, he took a couple of breaths as if he hadn’t been breathing during his meal.

“I should go to sleep properly now,” Mallory said. “Thank you, Charlotte, for everything.”

“Aw, please, Mallory,” Charlotte waved dismissively at him. “But you’re welcome.”

“Jon. Hector.” Mallory nodded to each of them as he said their name. “Good night.”

He stood up from the table and casually walked back to his room.

Hector was also finished with his plate, but he hadn’t said anything after doing so.

“Can we go back to the couch?” Hector asked once he saw his sister finish her own plate.

“Sure,” Charlotte said. Both of them stood up and went back to the long couch.

Jon didn’t want to disturb their peace, but he wasn’t quite feeling tired yet, and so he waited at the table, watching the back of Charlotte’s head while contemplating his own life.

“You can come, Jon,” Charlotte called out again, pulling Jon out of his trance.

Jon nodded and went back to his seat across from the siblings, sitting down.

Like before, Hector’s head was back in his sister’s lap. His eyes were closed this time around.

“Why did you come back?” Hector asked again, clearly not satisfied with his sister’s previous response.

“I’m not gonna tell you,” Charlotte replied. “I’m glad that you seem to be interested this time around, but relax There’s too much going on right now.”

“Is it me?” Hector suggested.

“Even as King you should know that the whole world doesn’t revolve around you,” Charlotte said. “The politics of other lands goes on without you. Look, I’ll tell you when everything blows over. Promise.”

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“Okay,” Hector mumbled, though Jon questioned if Hector believed her. In whatever case, Hector moved on from the conversation.

“How long have you been here?” He asked quietly.

“I came back as soon as I was able to,” she answered. “It took me a few days or so, but once I came back, I saw Dad, and I gave him a piece of my mind, then I left to take care of business. I returned when I could, but Dad had left by then.

“So you were here for a while,” Hector muttered.

“I wouldn’t quite say that,” Charlotte began, “I-”

“We could have really used your help.”

Charlotte stopped talking. Her cheery visage diminished. Jon wasn’t sure if Hector had known about the expression; his eyes were still closed.

“I wish you came earlier,” Hector continued. “Things could have been different.”

Charlotte made her first real frown of the day. “Hector… I…”

She had trouble finding the words.

“It’s okay,” Hector said. “I still forgive you…”

That last word became a snore.

Charlotte continued stroking Hector’s hair without comment, her dampened expression still hanging on her face.

“I know things could have been different…” Charlotte muttered. Jon was sure Hector was still asleep and hadn’t heard any of what she said. Maybe it wasn’t meant for him.

Ringing erupted from the hallway again. Unlike the long drones of earlier, this one was flickered at a rapid pace. There was a stronger sense of urgency from it.

Charlotte quickly covered Hector’s ears.

“Could you get that, Jon?” she asked. “I’m sure it’s Lana. You've spoken to her, I assume?”

Jon nodded. He could feel a tugging in his chest, but he couldn’t tell if it was from his anxiety.

“It’s in my room,” Charlotte explained. “It’s okay. You can answer it. You probably should.”

She nudged her head down towards Hector, who was still on her lap, fully asleep.

Jon winced at having to answer another call from Lana, seeing how well the other two siblings had handled her conversation with her. However, Charlotte seemed to be a cooler head, so maybe things play out differently.

Jon took that chance, standing up and walking into the hallway, following the ringing of the gem. He had never been on the other end of a received call. No wonder the gems had been answered so quickly when he did it.

He paced swiftly as if to outwalk his apprehension, before turning into Charlotte’s now open room.

Here, there were much more proper wardrobing and drawers than in any of the other rooms. There also wasn’t as strong of a red theme to it as much as the rest of the house. Everything was much more neutral.

Jon also noted that many of the things in the room were high on top of cabinets, a place that Charlotte could reach easily, yet even Jon might have had trouble doing so.

He traced the sound until it led him to a drawer. He pulled it open.

There was a recognizable green gem, blinking in synchrony with its ring and begging to be picked up.

Jon shivered once more before picking up the gem in his hand.

He pressed the side with his thumb, doing his best to will energy into the object.

Lana’s form projected from the gem, speaking immediately at a high volume.

“What do you mean, Hector gets an extra day of-”

She held her breath when she saw who was in charge of the gem.

“Jon… I…” Her face cringed. “Don’t tell me Charlotte told you to pick up.”

Jon cringed as well. He nodded.

“I-”

“Bring her here!” Charlotte’s voice echoed throughout the hallway and into her room.

Lana tried to peek out into the hallway. “Jon, listen, I’ll just call back. It’s fine. I-”

“Now!” Despite the heavy air of the command, Jon didn’t feel like it was meant for him. He watched Lana straighten her posture from where she was sitting. Jon now understood that Lana was probably at her desk in the King’s Gaurd when she took her calls.

“I suppose… you should listen to my sister…” Lana continued. “I only have enough charge for one call anyway.”

Lana gave the closest thing to a sigh Jon had ever seen from her.

“Whenever you’re ready!” Charlotte’s voice lost its commanding tone, back to its usual cheery patience.

Lana folded her hands on the table. “I’m… ready, Jon.”

Jon nodded. Lana’s own trepidation made him feel calmer at the moment. He walked out of the room and back down the hallway.

He looked down at Lana. It was odd, looking down at the top of her head from his hand. It made her look really small, especially with the uneasiness emanating from Jon. It was as if he had to be stalwart in place of her.

Jon tried his best not to feel pity for Lana. She seemed to be a strong and respectable warrior. Even behind a desk, she looked battle-ready, still wearing her silver armor and even taking out Hector with a single attack. Yet, her endless stream of problems seemed to consist of things she couldn’t really punch. Jon started to feel that Hector and Lana were very similar in that regard. B

“Jon…” Lana said trepidly.

Jon picked up the gem and turned it so that she could see that he was listening. Once he saw her unusually soured face, he quickly turned it away, feeling awkward.

He just kept walking until he was next to Charlotte. He held the gem in front of him.

“Charlotte, I-”

“You can sit, Jon,” Charlotte interjected over her sister’s plea.

Jon felt embarrassed that Charlotte had to tell him to sit on the couch so many times. He acquiesced, returning to his single chair.

“Jon shouldn’t be involved in this,” Lana started. “Jon, I’m sorry-”

“You shouldn’t apologize,” Charlotte interrupted. “Jon’s a guest in our house. From what I understand, Mallory and Hector seem to have the highest for respect him. If he’s around the house, I assume that father-”

“Yes, father approves of him,” Lana said. “But I also owe-”

“And more importantly, you’re allowing him to pick up your calls and be a channel for you,” Charlotte concluded. “By all accounts, it seems that you trust him too.”

Jon couldn't see Lana’s face. All he knew was that she didn’t speak or even move very much her spot. She just stared in her sister’s direction.

“I do trust Jon,” Lana finally said after some time. “But-”

“Then let him be your channel and stop worrying about it,” Charlotte replied. “None of this fancy stuff. Just relax and be yourself and tell me what’s going on.”

“Fine.”

Jon didn’t know why the answer shocked him until he realized that he hadn’t ever seen Lana ever willfully acquiesce to anyone’s demands before. It was unusually humble of her.

Lana’s shoulders lowered. Jon was about to take a breath of relief when her shoulder rose even higher with her screaming.

“Why the hell would you tell Hector to stay at the house?” Lana bellowed from the gem.