“Has every single one of them gotten lost on the way here or something?” Leo groaned, as he, Iona, and Heston waited impatiently for the King’s advisors to arrive. The unseasonably warm day along with Heston’s obvious reluctance to be there made for a stuffy, tense atmosphere. The time had come for the group to compile a final invite list for the ball and start on the heavy lift of accommodations and logistics. Iona could feel the dread radiating from Heston.

“Can someone crack a window, for fucks sake?” he huffed. Leo and Iona exchanged a look; he took care of the window as she walked over to Heston’s seat at the head of the table- normally reserved for the King- and patted his shoulder. Heston looked up at her, eyelids heavy with uncertainty.

“You’re going to be just fine,” she assured him, “There are many more unfortunate realities than marriage and kids and ruling a kingdom.”

Heston didn’t so much as crack a smile. “I had this grand idea, though” he said, “that one day I’d marry for love.”

“Really?” Iona questioned with blatant skepticism. She cleared her throat before trying again, “Um, you never know, Hest. You could still fall in love.” She tried to will some hope into her voice, but Heston was unconvinced.

“Well, whoever he ends up marrying, she won’t need to be worried about having big shoes to fill,” Leo chimed in from the other end of the room, peering out the window. The boys didn’t often talk about Margot, so Iona opted not to chime in. The room grew silent once again. It was almost midday, and the sunlight that had poured in was going to start waning. “Where in the heavens are they?” Heston griped. Practically on cue, the first of the four advisors walked through the door.

“Iona!” Adina said, hurrying over to the High Commander with arms wide open, “I’m so sorry I’m behind, it seems there are some issues with the road in causing delays.” The women embraced, excited to be in the same place for the first time in years.

“No apologies needed,” she responded. Iona leaned back from Adina and looked her over. A smile beamed across her face- “You’re pregnant!” Iona gushed. Adina was easily eight plus months along, and questions flooded out, “Why didn’t you write me? How was your trip here? You didn’t have to come, look at you! What do you need, water? Anything to eat?”

“Iona, darling, take a breath. Nothing was going to stop me from making this meeting. The ball, on the other hand, I’ll have to miss. And I wanted to surprise you! And yes, water would be lovely,” she answered all at once. Iona got a guard’s attention and sent them off to the kitchen. She took Adina’s hand and helped her lower into a seat.

“How’s the town holding up after construction finished? How’s your husband?”

“He’s great, everything’s great, really. Just waiting for this little one to get a move on,” Adina responded, patting her bump. “You owe us a visit, then you can meet the baby! And I’m sure our people would love to see their fearless leader in person soon.” She gave Iona a wink.

Iona cringed a bit at the comment. “Not their leader,” she corrected, “But yes, I do need to get back out there. I would love that.” Iona had missed her Adina. Her friend.

See, Leo, I do have friends, she thought. Well, at least one.

“Let’s get this going!” shouted Vin, sauntering into the room a few minutes later. Behind him trailed Liza, then eventually, Grayser showed up. Everyone said quick hellos, before Iona called them to attention to begin the meeting. The advisors each took a turn presenting their list of eligible brides over the next several hours, and Iona watched as Heston turned from overwhelmed to pained to totally exhausted. In total, there would be close to two hundred women invited as potential matches for Heston, each with their own escort. The meeting room could fit upwards of thirty people, but watching the prince run his hands over his face and rub his eyes, it felt suffocating and cramped. “Why don’t we take a break?” Iona suggested. “Get dinner, come back after and start on logistics.”

Lord Grayser let out a grumble, just loud enough for her to hear. “Is there an issue, Lord Grayser?” she asked. She fixed her gaze solely on him, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see Leo, Heston and the other advisors shooting little glances at each other. Grayser was older than the King, a stuck-in-his-ways entitled grouch, and he never approved of Iona’s promotion to High Command.

He raised an eyebrow, and coughed a bit to clear his throat. “I’m just so grateful that our High Commander chose to take a break from reconstruction work to plan this ball. I know it must have been quite tiring for you to be gone.” Was he going to be so bold as to insult her here? In front of the other advisors and future king? “And the hostiles’ stronghold, it still has not been located, is that true?” Grayser was sporting a smug expression that grated on Iona’s very being.

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“If there is something you wish to say, Lord Grayser, then say it.” Iona’s patience was growing thin.

“Alright, Commander, if you insist. The tales of Prince Heston’s…debauchery are well known throughout the kingdom. No offense meant, your highness,” he nodded at Heston, “And rumor has it that the urgency to find the prince a wife and future queen, is because the King is ailing from the War. That he may pass any day now.”

The uncomfortable atmosphere caused by Heston’s earlier apprehension was nothing compared with the bubbling tension that filled the room now. “What’s your point, Grayser?” Iona rejoined.

“Well, since we’re all thinking it.” He reached down and gripped the edge of the table, leaning forward, “Why are we bothering with any of this? In front of me sits an un-betrothed woman, perfectly capable of marrying Prince Heston and ensuring Chrysos’ future. Yet you are so pompous, you would prefer to risk the death of the King and leave our land without a queen for who knows how many more centuries rather than serve your people the way a lady should.” Every word out of his mouth dripped with misogyny and condescension.

“I was not thinking that at all,” Liza mumbled from her seat. Iona’s deathly stare remained on Grayser, as she wrangled her outrage to stay poised.

Grayser was not finished. He sneered, wrinkling his nose and pulling back his thin, pale lips. “But perhaps it isn’t the people of Chrysos that you care about, truly. Everyone knows you’ve been sharing a bed with that Morencis boy. Perhaps when you’re finally married off to him, Prince Heston will name a High Commander with a real understanding of what our kingdom needs, someone who will finish these incessant rebuilds and snuff out the hostiles that you’ve been too distracted to find.”

“That’s enough!” A jolt shot through the room at the boom of Leo’s voice, demanding everyone’s attention. He stood up from his chair, and fixed his glare on Grayser. “When you question the integrity of our High Commander, you question the judgment of the King. He ordered her back to do this work, and you dare to insinuate he was wrong in doing so. For that alone, you should be removed from your position this very second. Unfortunately for us all, my father had other matters to attend to, and missed your remarks.” Lord Grayser’s lips tightened and his face paled. Iona wondered if he was going to get sick right there on the table. “Tell me, Lord Grayser, when Commander Iona was leading her men into battle to secure the freedom of your lands, did you take up a sword and fight with her? And last year, when she was raising frames and pouring foundations for homes that had been destroyed, alongside your townspeople, did you take up a hammer and offer a hand?” Leo’s questions were met with weighty silence. “How and with whom the High Commander chooses to spend what little time she has outside of repairing our kingdom is her business alone. Let me remind you, Grayser, that it was Prince Desmond’s armies who protected your property during that battle, under Iona’s command. And I believe it was one of the only structures left standing in your land.”

Lifting his chin and avoiding Leo’s eyes, Grayser murmured, “Feisty today, are we, Prince Leonon?”

“Lord Grayser,” Heston stepped in, pushing back his chair to match Leo and standing straight, “You are toeing a dangerous line. You may have been installed by my grandfather, but you can be just as easily replaced. High Commander Iona has served and continues to serve Chrysos with all the dignity and care that you so clearly lack.” Grayser cleared his throat again and looked down at the table. “Thank you all for your contributions today, you’re dismissed.”

Iona mumbled over her shoulder to Heston, “Dismissed? We still have more-”

“Dismissed.” Iona gave him a quick nod and stacked up her maps and notes. So much for coming back after dinner. Ending for the day meant she had more work on her plate now, but Heston seemed like he’d had his fill. She would need to speak to each of the advisors at some point before they left the next morning to discuss their travel plans, escort needs, and the like, which meant dealing with Grayser again. The bastard could question her all he wanted; he was just grasping at any bit of power he could knowing that his time as an advisor was likely coming to an end with Heston’s ascension to the throne. The group filed out of the room, Adina giving Iona a squeeze on the shoulder before she left in a small show of support. They were friends, surely, but Adina was never one to get involved in conflict. Iona could handle her own battles, anyways. Even so, she felt like she owed someone a thank you before she grabbed dinner and returned to her bedroom for the evening.

“Leo!” Iona called ahead of her, locking up the room and hustling to catch up to him.

He turned, “Please no more planning Iona, I am absolutely starving.”

“No, it’s not that. Even though that’s our job, to be clear. But I just wanted to say…to…to thank you.” Getting the words out was harder than Iona had thought. She wasn’t used to being grateful for anything from Leo. “For stepping in with Grayser.”

“Oh,” Leo’s dark eyebrows rose and his forehead wrinkled, “No problem. Ha can’t be allowed to spout that bullshit. I was actually kind of surprised you didn’t say anything…cutting.”

Iona laughed, “I don’t have to explain myself to that prick. But I appreciate that you did.” Leo responded with a mild smile and bow of his head. Iona crossed her arms, and rocked back on her heels, “Hey, if you’re interested, I’ve been training most mornings. In the old ring just outside the wall.”

“Didn’t they take that thing down?” Leo asked. Iona shook her head. “Huh, okay, well…why are you training?”

“We’re going to find the hostile base soon, I know it. I need to stay sharp, and so do you in case your men are needed when the time comes,” she said with a sharp poke to Leo’s chest, “I start just after sunrise, I expect you to be there.”

“Is that an order, Commander?” he replied with a snide delivery. Iona raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips.

Leo’s grimace was his only response before Iona headed the opposite direction. She had a lot of work to do and an early morning ahead of her.