“There was only enough produce for two teams to win! How would that have been fair?” Cora shouted, leaning forward in her seat beside Seiji.

“What kind of competition would it have been if every entrant could win?” Eir challenged, her arms crossed. “Regardless, you and your Servant were the sole victors. Don’t waste energy concerned by hypotheticals.”

“I had to carry him all across the Grand Garden while I gathered!” Cora groaned, pointing a thumb to Seiji. Seiji said nothing. He’d since learned the futility of butting into a conversation between Cora and Eir Lambros. The girl beside him turned back to her mother, and after a wordless staredown, the two burst into tear-filled laughter. They’d done this plenty of times throughout the night, so Seiji decided to lean back into his seat on the plush couch and do his best to avoid the gaze of the Felzian man across from him.

After the Botanist’s Bond Event, Seiji awoke to find himself sprawled out on the bed of his dorm room. He’d seen The seated on his couch, transfixed on the thin bright rectangle across from her, eating his leftovers, drinking cans of ‘wine coolers’. She’d pointed a lazy thumb at his kitchen table.

“Take a shower and wear that… Her parents called for you…”

“You really shouldn’t come into my room without–”

“Shhh! Shut the fuck up! Show’s almost… back.” Thea pointed furiously to his kitchen table, her eyes still transfixed by the bright rectangle. It reminded Seiji of his System a bit. “Clean up, w-wear that, and go~!”

As much as his unwelcome guest bothered him, Seiji couldn’t help but give Thea credit where it was due. The outfit she picked looked great. It was a two-toned black and maroon shirt with a high collar, bronze shoulder pads with a thick bronze sash that lay diagonally across the chest paired with black leather pants and tall black boots. When he’d stepped outside the Servant’s Dormitory in that outfit, Seiji felt very confident. As well he should. As soon as a pair of butlers came to ‘transport him’, he’d felt that confidence wane a bit, reality setting in. The King and Queen of Haven wanted to meet with him? When he’d been teleported to the center of the Royal Family’s personal chamber, he’d been overtaken by nerves. The King and Queen were right across from him.

Though the Royal Family’s personal chamber was quite luxurious, it wasn’t as grand as the ballroom the System Ceremony took place in. The marbled walls were various shades of brown, each piece of furniture some earth tone or another. Seiji himself had materialized beside Cora, who’d been engaged in conversation with Eir, who herself sat across from him with King Vassilis at her side. No one seemed surprised by Seiji’s sudden appearance, though Cora whispered concern over his wellbeing after the Bond Event.

As Seiji considered the events leading to this moment, he found himself wandering about the chamber. Cora and Eir had long since gotten up to walk down a distant hallway into a far-off room, leaving Seiji alone with King Vassilis. A distant part of him hoped Cora came back. Talking to her was easy. How was he supposed to make conversation with the King of Haven? Rather than dwell on it, he decided to stare out of the floor-to-ceiling window in front of him.

“Congratulations on your advancement,” King Vassilis said, approaching Seiji’s side. “And… thank you for helping Cora with her plan. She sure does take after her mother.”

The king laughed softly as he looked out of the window, transfixed on his floating city. Seiji, meanwhile, was very focused on a bush in the far distance.

“I appreciate your… congratulations. Your majesty. It means…”

“Please, relax. This is a casual setting. Speak to me as though I am your friend, not your king.”

“Sorry,” Seiji sighed. “I’m still new to all of this.” He turned to meet the king’s eyes. “Thank you for having me here. Also, if she hadn’t suggested that plan, I probably would’ve.” Seiji extended a hand and gave him a sincere smile.

That wasn’t much of a lie. In truth, a younger him would’ve butchered his opponents whether Cora agreed or not, but that wasn’t entirely him anymore.

The king laughed more heartily, shaking Seiji’s hand with a firm grip. When they separated, the king turned back to Haven.

“Levels are not guaranteed in Bond Events,” King Vassilis said. “They’re just a bit more likely. It’s due to the nature of the Servant System.”

Seiji recalled the System Ceremony. Advancement occurs when the Bond between a Cadet and Servant is deepened. He found himself questioning that, though. Sure, he was closer now with Cora than he was when they’d first met, but his advancement was triggered after he’d accepted a deeper part of himself. Besides, how does being close to someone strengthen your body and soul? Questions for another day, Seiji supposed. For now, he decided to make conversation with the king.

To his surprise, King Vassilis was far easier to talk to than he’d assumed. They’d been talking about their perspectives of the System Ceremony, the king revealing his ‘secret language’ with Cora that explained their silent conversations across the ballroom. Seiji thought the topic of his and Cora’s argument would’ve been uncomfortable, but the king understood.

“Cora tends to put the cart before the horse sometimes. Please be patient with her.”

Though he wanted to, Seiji didn’t say anything about Selene… or Thea. Those were problems for him and Cora to deal with. The conversation began to take a bit of a shift when they spoke about the day leading up to the Botanist’s Bond Event. King Vassilis had known about his and Cora’s plot with the map, and his exchange with Eir. Seiji decided to be honest. Though part of him hated how honest he was being.

“They have a unique relationship.” Seiji frowned. “I can’t understand it. She sees her daughter for the first time in months, ruins her plans, yells at her, then begs her to stay and hear her stories about work. The whole time Cora sits there and looks like she planned the whole thing!” Seiji took a deep breath. He didn’t want to raise his voice too loud. “When I see Eir, all I see is…”

Cora’s crying face. Her neglect, her insecurity. Those felt like the wrong words, so he changed them.

“All I can think of is my own life. My… family… was the type to ignore me and then shower me with praise only when I achieved something. I don’t want that for Cora.”

The king nodded along to every word Seiji spoke, giving appropriate nods and grunts of acknowledgment. When Seiji finished, he wasn’t sure what the king would say in response. King Vassilis was not an opponent he could beat in a fight, and he wouldn’t want to either. Regardless, he turned to the man, ready for whatever came next. The king didn’t turn to meet his gaze. His eyes were still focused on the city outside the window. After an awkward moment, Seiji turned back to the window himself. The two stood in silence, Seiji placing his hands in his pockets while the king folded his hands behind his back. Thankfully, the king was the one to break the tension.

“Eir has always been a bit… unique.” The King spoke softly. “The two of us had always known each other. We learned from the same teachers, frequented the same stores, shared the same hobbies.” The king left Seiji’s side, pacing about his chamber.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“My father was not the greatest person.” His words carried the weariness of a man far beyond his years, and Seiji turned to meet his sullen eyes. “He very suddenly handed me the keys to a sinking ship, and to this day he hasn't explained why. One day, I was a fourteen-year-old prince. The next day, I was the youngest king in Haven’s history. As I worked to fix the mess he left for me, I became angrier. More bitter. More cruel. More like him. Though I managed to fix Haven, I became someone I didn’t even recognize. Blessedly, my savior arrived in a few short years.” The king’s eyes suddenly regained their lost light. “Eir’s Servant turned out to be a spy from an enemy nation. She’d been forced to kill him, leaving a vacancy for her position.”

Seiji recalled something he’d been curious about since Valkyrie Eir mentioned it. King Vassilis must’ve read the understanding on his face because a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“She forced me to be her Servant,” The king confirmed. “She didn’t even ask.”

“How did she force you? There wasn’t a… process or something?”

“There was!” the King laughed. “We dueled, she won, and I became her Servant!”

As King Vassilis spoke about his time with Eir, Seiji found himself viewing the woman in a new light. The Valkyrie was intense. Victory was an absolute for her. She never planned for losses because she never considered them possibilities. Seiji compared it to the philosophy of the Hidden Hand. He imagined Eir would’ve fit in eerily well with them. Despite her intensity, the king spoke far more fondly about her personal side. The Valkyrie was… aloof. She overthought far too much, she fought awkwardness with stoicism, and the only time she laughed was at the expense of another – regardless of the context. As the king put it, “She is the most powerful Valkyrie to have ever existed, and she forgets that at the oddest moments.”

Seiji compared those words to his experience with her in the gazebo. He remembered how insistent she was to keep Cora there, how awkwardly she shoved the map into her armor, how happy she looked when she spoke about her mission, how proud she looked before the Bond Event. Seiji sighed. Perhaps he’d been a bit hard on the Valkyrie. Still, he felt a bit bitter. She made Cora cry. His pettiness… no, his indignation was justified.

“How did your relationship change?” Seiji asked, if only to keep his pettiness off of his mind.

“It just… did,” the King shrugged. “At first, I hated her for making me a Servant. As I spent more time with her, that hatred slowly turned to intrigue, then infatuation, then love.” King Vassilis smiled, his eyes distant. “I told her how I felt, and she ignored me for a week. She ended the quiet period to hand me a letter of confession, though she again refused to speak to me until I returned one of my own.” He chuckled softly as he thumbed at two framed sheets on the far wall. “I’m quite certain she was just nervous to face me after my confession.”

The king went on for a while longer about his and Eir’s relationship, and Seiji was surprised by how interested he’d become. Their romance was quite the tale. He imagined Thea would seethe if she heard about someone’s successful love life, so he made sure to commit every detail to memory. As the King’s story of his and Eir’s fight against a group of powerful monsters concluded, Seiji decided to ask a question.

“So, how did you two end up getting married? I imagine Eir… Valkyrie Eie wouldn’t just let you propose normally.”

The King’s face fell so quickly it reminded him of Cora at the System Ceremony.

“Ah,” the King sighed, his body slumping. “You just had to bring that up.”

“I'm sorry,” Seiji apologized. “We don’t have to talk about it.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s only right I end this story with our… proposal.”

The King stood from his seat on the couch and walked back to the window they’d been standing before just moments ago. Though the king didn’t gesture for him, Seiji rose to stand beside him anyway.

“I proposed after our mission to Enphilix ended. It seemed a perfect time, considering how free our schedules were.” With a deep breath, the King muttered. “She rejected it immediately.”

Seiji let out an involuntary laugh. The king glared at him, and Seiji turned to stare out the window.

“She demanded that I duel her in front of all of Haven.” The King stood a bit taller. “Her exact words were, ‘If you love me, you must defeat me in a duel. Stand tall as a champion before every Man, Elf, Tauran, and Felzian in Haven, and claim me as your Queen before your subjects.” The King smiled for a brief moment as he finished recalling Eir’s words, but went back to scowling after a few seconds.

Seiji turned to him again, confusion clear in his eyes. When the King turned to meet him, he looked frantic. The King seized Seiji by the shoulders, his tone pleading.

“I should have lost!” the King breathed. “By all rights, Eir is a smarter fighter than I am. Sure, I have more power than she does, but I could never… should never beat her in a fight. Yet, she lost to me!”

“Maybe she was having a… rough day?.” Seiji tried, unsure what words would console the man. Evidently, those weren’t the words. The King groaned, shaking Seiji by the shoulders.

“She left herself exposed, man! I kicked her with the force of a Tier Fourteen Servant, yet she flew into the wall like I was a Tier Fifty! I know my wife well, I know when she is hiding something! I wanted to win fair and square! I was prepared to fight for the rest of my life, such was the strength of my love! That was not a true victory, she let me win!”

Tier Fourteen? Tier Fifty?!

In truth, Seiji’s mind was taken with the capabilities of Servants outside of Haven. How strong would he be at Tier Fifty? How many Tiers were there? He decided not to think about that right now. Instead, he focused on the pleading king before him. Seiji couldn’t think of the right words to say, so he instead thought of what Thea would do.

She’d try to relate, then she’d make it all about herself.

That wouldn’t do. Just as that realization clicked, she recalled Endora’s ‘Felzian Trick’. As awkward as Seiji knew this would be, staring at the king and saying nothing would be far more awkward. So, with no thought behind it, he placed a hand on the king’s head behind the ear and began to massage.

King Vassilis closed his eyes, releasing Seiji’s shoulders from his grip and leaning slightly into Seiji’s hand.

I was wrong. This is way more awkward. I pray Cora doesn't show up to see me petting her dad.

After an uncomfortable minute or so, the King stepped back from Seiji’s… embrace? He stood tall, as a King ought to.

“Thank you, Seiji.” He smiled. At least he didn’t feel weird. “I see Endora has taught you well.”

“...I suppose she has.”

The King laughed as he returned to the couch. Wordlessly, Seiji followed. When they sat, the King affected an air that seemed a bit personal. Seiji couldn’t quite place it, but it reminded him strangely of the old man from The Ardor.

“Eir shows love in unique ways.” he began. “I apologize if you felt affronted by her stern demeanor, but please know she truly means well.”

Seiji was a bit taken aback by the topic change, but he adjusted nonetheless.

“I can see that now. When she returns, I will apologize to her for–”

“No need,” the King interrupted. “She won’t accept it from you. Well, she will, but I don’t think you want to be the one to put Eir in an awkward situation.” King Vassilis smiled softly. “I’ll convey the message to her myself. Think of it as an upfront payment for my request.”

“Request?”

Images of the Hidden Hand flooded his mind. Executors and their self-serving demands veiled as ‘heavenly decrees’. When Seiji looked into King Vassilis’ eyes, he didn’t see an Executor. Seiji supposed they could exist anywhere, though. Even in the skies above. He instinctively reached for a dagger he didn’t have.

“Have faith in my daughter..” the King said, an earnest smile on his face.

“I-I’m… sorry?”

Seiji was shocked by how dark his thoughts had become. He wanted to apologize, but he didn’t want to open that can of worms again. He’d have plenty of time after the Valkyrie Exam ended.

“As the King of Haven and the father of Cora, it is my responsibility to ensure my daughter’s safety.” His words radiated the regal authority of a king. “She will undergo harm during this Exam. She will bleed, sweat, and cry, and yet – I have faith she will succeed despite that. Your job as a Servant is to protect her from other Servants and Cadets, not from the world.”

“Protect her, then. You’re her Servant, no? That’s part of your job!”

Endora’s words echoed in Seiji’s mind as he listened to the king speak. Seiji wasn’t her father. He didn’t want to shield her from everything. He just… didn’t want to see her get hurt. Sure, they just met, but she was his first real friend. What kind of friend would he be if he let her get hurt?

“As a father, I appreciate how protective you are of my daughter. As a king, I must tell you that she is the most powerful Cadet in this year’s Valkyrie Exam.” The king smiled upon Seiji once again, his regal air gone. This was no longer King Vassilis. This was Cora’s father.

“Have faith in my daughter. She is far stronger than Eir and I.”

Seiji recalled how quickly Cora adjusted after she cried. How in control she was during her conversation with Eir in the gazebo. He remembered how easily she defeated the other Cadets in the Botanist’s Bond Event. Hell, the strength coursing through his body was merely a portion of Cora’s. Seiji let out a breath and looked Cora’s father in his eyes.

“You have my word, I will try.”