I leaned on the railing of my balcony—still no creaking, thankfully—and studied the night sky. Unfamiliar patterns of stars wove and wound through the black expanse, trailing around the twin moons; Tonok was furthest west, and Aras chased, halfway across the sky behind her.

Turquoise chasing crimson. I wondered if it was symbolic, if there really were gods looking down, telling us what we needed to know but didn’t want to hear.

I doubted it—it was just light.

Still, it was a hell of a sight. An alien sky. I was so engrossed I didn’t hear my newly arrived companion until she cleared her throat, and my skeleton left its fleshy prison.

“Hana!” I said, breathless. “What are you…?” I trailed off, my words lost as I took in her figure. Rather than her normal, pragmatic uniform, she wore a lace nightgown with a low neckline, its skirt ending halfway down her thighs.

Normally, she looked like you could get a paper cut just from hugging her, but now, every subtle curve of her body seemed to be on display, shining with the care and seriousness that imbued her every action. Her posture lacked its usual rigour, though; instead, she looked easy, her muscles unwound and movements loose.

Moonlight reflected from her milky white skin, and it drew me in. Hell, just the smell of her, like sweet apples with a metallic undertone…

I started. Since when was I this horny? Someone, anyone, I require a bonk, please!

Eyeing me quizzically, she put her hand on the railing. “Sire?”

“Sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my head and hoping my nose didn’t start bleeding. “Just surprised, given, y’know, that this is my room and all.”

“My apologies,” she replied, bowing her head. “I merely saw you out here and thought that it looked… contenting.”

I squinted. “I don’t think that’s a word.”

“Are you sure?”

“Honestly, no.” I met her gaze, and we stayed like that for a good couple of minutes, studying each other’s eyes. Hers seemed to shift in shade the closer to her pupils they got, a far deeper red in the centre than on the edges.

I couldn’t stop staring.

She shifted on her feet, breaking the lock as she cleared her throat again. Then, she mirrored my position, surveying the sky with a wondrous expression.

I smiled. “So you like stargazing, then?”

She nodded. “My mother used to take me on the balconies, and sometimes to the hills, when we had to leave the palace. She taught me much.” Leaning close enough her hair tickled my cheek, she pointed at a cluster of stars vaguely shaped like the Starbucks logo.

It probably wasn’t, but I don’t know, okay? A shape is a shape.

“For instance,” she said, “do you see that constellation there?”

I nodded, still trying to work out what the fuck the thing looked like. People had a tendency to connect the dots, so there’d undoubtedly be something attributed to it.

A tiny smile wormed its way onto her cheeks. “It is called Hezras, named for a great hero of our sagas. In the legend, he is said to have defeated a monstrous boar that threatened even dragons, and many believe he lives within this constellation, due to its shape. Hence the name Hezras—it means ‘tusk’ in Ancient Sarabethian.”

It… was supposed to be a tusk? I didn’t see it. Looking back at Hana, I noted the vigour in her eyes as they flicked over constellations, the recognition lighting in her face.

My breath caught.

In other news, that history sounded really interesting, so I made a note to check out some books when I next had time.

For now, though, I was content to let Hana open up to me. Often, it felt like she was too stiff, too constrained by her duty and position, for me to really connect with her. Evidently, this wasn’t the case.

Maybe I could try some of that ‘trust’ thing again.

“You know,” I said, catching her attention, “I’ve always really liked high places. Not so I can look up, though.” I folded my arms and pointed at the plaza, where official activity had ceased, but a few drunkards still wandered, singing. “It’s so I can look down.

“From here, you can see everything. Sure, it all looks small and out of focus, but instead, you get a view of the lives of hundreds, thousands of people, all different and brilliant. Looking down, it feels really easy to see the shit I might have missed if I wasn’t looking from here.

“In the end, though, I’m still looking down. From the outside.” I sighed, regarding her with a serious expression. “It’s a slippy slope—all it takes is one wrong turn.

“If I end up like Aleister, kill me straight away.”

Just hearing those words from my own mouth set my head on a spin-cycle. I didn’t want to die. But at the same time, I wanted to be a tyrant even less.

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Hana stiffened, pursing her lips as her forehead creased. “I… do not believe that will be necessary.”

“That’s what I like about you,” I said with a wry smile. She raised an eyebrow, relaxing slightly. “You’re different from me—no matter what happens, you still keep that faith in people.”

“Different?” She furrowed her brow. “The way I see it, you have great faith. How else would you have the resolve to take the actions you do?”

“It’s not people I believe in,” I said, “just their drive to create better for themselves.”

“In that case, what makes you care so much?”

“I think…” I paused, my mouth hanging open as I considered her question. “Maybe I see myself there? Hungry, desperate for change. For some kind of progress.”

“If you don’t trust anybody, does that mean that you don’t trust me?”

What? Staring at her, my past moves all came to clarity, and I realised something quite important. “You’re an exception,” I said softly. “You’ve earned it. But if you expect too much from people, you’ll always be disappointed.”

She frowned.

“It’s good to have that faith. But you’re the Arbiter, this country’s champion of honour and justice, so if you’re proven wrong, you have to accept it. If you don’t…” I allowed the implication to hang in the air, her wince driving a knife through my heart.

That wasn’t something I’d wanted to bring up. It was a sore spot for her, but it was also the drive she had to do better this time. Pain makes a great motivator.

“It is my duty,” she said, straightening, “and I will not fail it this time. However…” She turned to me with a smirk illuminating her eyes. “You will not let me down. I hope I can remain by your side and watch this kingdom ascend to great heights, as…

“As your friend.”

I beamed, my chest turning all gooey.

“I’d like that.”

***

I sat atop my throne, facing a row of eight chairs before my lovely big table, all occupied. Each held one of my Specialists—including, unfortunately, Scarlet—who sat in hushed anticipation.

Rising, I cleared my throat. Now it was time to search my brain for literally anything to say. I couldn’t just call it a ‘King’s Council’, could I?

That lacked panache.

“I now call the first meeting of the Royal Council of Larheim to order,” I said.

I was met with silent stares.

“Sire,” said Hana, looking quizzical, “why do we need a Council? Surely, you can make decisions by yourself, no?”

“I could.” Turning to her, I shook my head. “But I’m not infallible, am I? I need you guys to tell me when I’m going wrong, to offer a different perspective on matters.

“If a King doesn’t listen to his advisors, doesn’t that just make him a tyrant?”

Reminding her of our prior conversation seemed to work, and she pursed her lips in thought. Duke Kalvin actually stood, saluted, then winced.

Jesus, man. Calm down. It had only been a day since he was wounded, and, Body Mages or not, there was no way he’d returned to a hundred percent.

“That’s all well and good,” said Kell, at the far left, between Scarlet and Arter, “but why am I here?”

“I need a lot of different perspectives,” I said, shrugging. Looking out over my ragtag group, though, I realised I didn’t have anywhere near enough. On the left edge, Scarlet seemed more interested in her nails than me, and on the other side, Arter was absorbed in his sketchbook. Cannara was actually asleep.

What I needed was to open myself up to the public. I had nobles, and soldiers, and architects and musicians, but who represented the common citizen? Maybe a different form of government was required, with more representation; it was something to think about later, once I’d solved the education issue.

Still, listening was important, so I resolved to hear petitions from the people. I filed it in the already stuffed mental box labelled ‘shit to bring up in this meeting’ and continued.

“Arter,” I said. He whined, his ears flicking back as he looked up, his pencil halting abruptly.

“Yes, sire?” he said.

“How’s the district zoning coming?”

“Er, almost complete. Of course, we have to actually build everything, but the plans are nearly done.”

“Good.” I nodded, sitting back down. “Find yourself some help, the best people you can. Once the plans are ready, we’ll need engineers and construction workers to lay it all down, so hire as many as you can.”

“Yes, sire.”

“Right then,” I said, “what should we do next?”

Of course, I knew what my answer was. We’d retake Shal and Vissel as quickly as possible, reunite the kingdom, and then start worrying about the pesky issues of Education and Crime, along with the apparent abuse of subordinates rife among nobles. Actually, that would probably take precedence.

But I wanted to hear their opinions.

“What of Duke Ribera?” asked Duke Kalvin, favouring his ribs. “Will he be executed?”

“No,” I said, completely ignoring the shock that lit up their faces. “At least, not yet. I want him to stand trial.”

“Is that advisable?” said Shia, her voice small. “We don’t know which members of the Judiciary he may have on his side—”

“I can tell you that much,” said Scarlet.

“We’ll find the highest Judge in the country who’s available.” I slapped my knees. “I want everyone to see the evidence laid bare in front of them. For now, though, let’s let him stew.”

“Perhaps this time will be adequate for him to reflect on his actions,” said Hana, stroking her chin.

“Doubt it,” I replied. “Anyway, back to the matter at hand.”

“Sire, if I may?” Konstantin stood up, straight-faced, and raised his hand.

“Please.” I beckoned him to continue. It was still hard to look at him without being reminded of my failure, but I made sure to meet his serious gaze.

He stood rigid, his arms by his side. “The new projects you have envisioned require more than just workers, sire; we also need materials and tools. Though the mining operations in Ribera have raised the supply close enough to demand to drive down prices, the same cannot be said of wooden materials.

“With stone and metals, we can build structures, but without the tools to combine them, the cost is still staggering. The Treasury is finding it hard to cope.”

I sighed. -66 Economy had been enough to tell me that, but I was hoping the reunification would have had more of an effect. “It’s always the same damn problem… what would you suggest?”

“Each duchy has a monopoly on certain production,” he replied. “Most of our wood comes from Shal. Metal tools should be fine, but for the wooden ones, we need Duke Henry’s enterprise.”

In other words, the necessary action was also the one I most wanted to undertake.

The conclusion was obvious. “We’ll focus on that for now, then. Anyone got any ideas on—”

A frigid chill encased my skin, freezing even my tongue.

Everything went dark.