She had been wasting her time.

Wasting her time trying to help a queen who didn’t need help. A queen who needed to be there for her people. A queen who had lost sight of what really was important.

She had to tell Aesha that she could not take her away again from her kingdom again. She still wanted to be friends, but Aesha had to stay in Nokia until her brother found a queen.

Aesha was needed here.

Airya had returned to Ausrine the night after speaking with Sedeth and stayed there, needing to recollect her thoughts and resolve on what she needed to do and who she needed to be. The next morning, she portaled herself to the small pyramid, their hideout.

Aesha never showed up.

She had waited for what felt like hours for Aesha to show, twiddling her thumbs on the couch and catching things that Hethei brought her as he flew out and flew back in every now and then. He had dropped countless little rocks and three small gold coins in her hand by the time she had given up waiting.

She decided that she needed to be the one to go and find her.

But as soon as she started walking around the marketplace, she found someone else.

Sedeth was there, the purple pyramid in his hand, staring into the glass as he held it up to his face before he slid it into the deep pocket of his golden thin robe.

When he saw her watching him, he looked annoyed.

She didn’t care. She ran up to him.

“Have you seen Aesha?” she asked.

“She left The Vizen this morning like she normally does. I’m sure she is somewhere, attending to children,” Sedeth answered.

“What are you doing out of The Vizen,” Airya prodded when he stopped to study an exchange at a cart.

He brushed his hand against his pocket, “The thing you gave me keeps me up all night, you know that?” He shook his head. She was surprised to see him looking at her with kindness, “There was a fight between two of my people. I felt that I was the one who needed to intervene and see what was wrong. I did.”

So, it worked. The glass magick they had brought him worked in at least one aspect, just not in freeing Aesha from her brother’s desperation to keep her here…

Anger stirred in Airya that she forced down. She was supposed to tell Aesha that they were done, that she couldn’t travel with her anymore. She was not supposed to be sympathizing with her. She was supposed to be helping her be a better queen.

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But wasn’t one of the things that made Aesha a great queen was her desire for knowledge and to explore. Like her dad had said, how can you be a great ruler if you only know of one place?

She shook her head again.

Maybe if she talked to Sedeth more, he could convince her further. She was worried that if she saw Aesha and was reminded again of her father or even Lilla, she couldn’t do what Aesha really needed her to do.

Which was to make sure she stayed here, while Airya left.

“Mind if I follow you back to The Vizen?” She needed Sedeth to help clear her thoughts.

When he smiled, it didn’t reach his eyes, “Of course.”

"Your kingdom is very overwhelming," she stated.

He laughed, "It’s organized well. My people and the families of my people know their places. Each family knows where their jobs lie in the kingdom. Each family has a particular trade that they teach their children to love for when they grow older. So yes, maybe overwhelming, but efficient."

So, the people here were told what to be? Airya didn’t know if she would like that if her Kingdom were the same way.

He led her into the streets between the army's homes, which weren’t empty anymore. The army swarmed the streets, marching alongside each other in rows. They wore great golden armor on their bare skin, with The Vizen carved into their shields, hilts, and shoulder pads. They wore no helmets, but each wore a concentrated stern frown while looking straight ahead, refusing to be distracted.

"Other armies I have seen in books and… other places have almost all had helmets or something covering their heads. Why don't yours?" Airya asked, looking into each one's face trying to find one with some kind of smile.

"Our people have always believed that covering their heads suppresses their ability to think," Sedeth said over armor shifting. He leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Honestly, though, I believe that it stemmed from the Brillia line wanting to make sure their eyes were shown in battle for intimidation purposes."

"Why are they marching the streets?"

"Just a drill and practice.”

The number of soldiers kept increasing as more came around the pyramids. Airya looked up to see Sedeth watching his large army proudly. His shoulders pressed back further than they were before.

"Do you have many enemies?" She asked, trying to understand why they needed such a big army.

“I always wonder if we aren’t attacked as much as we should be because there are stories of the Brillia having magical powers that frighten the people." he laughed, "No, we don’t really have enemies, but we have had other kingdoms strike us before, so we like to be prepared. Honestly, I’m surprised that we don't have more enemies than we do. We have limitless salary from the mountains that Nokia protects, almost like the mountains are made out of the gems themselves,” he cringed for a moment.

She wondered what kind of powers the god-lines had in this world.

“How is—was your kingdom run?” he asked.

She swallowed, “Everyone got along very well, but we were not as big as yours. Everyone was just thankful for the horrors they had escaped in their past.”

“Horrors?”

“Yes. Leaders from their old world were trying to change people to something else.” She wondered how long the Yellow-Eyes in that lost world had left to live.

He let out a slow breath, “I’m happy that our Kingdom isn’t like that.”

“But it is.” Anger flared again around her heart at his inability to see that it was. At least for the person he was supposed to love most.

He stopped. “What do you mean?”

“Your Queen is ruled like that. Forced to change who she is and not be herself for your wants. I can see how much it kills her inside.”

They had reached The Vizen. He didn’t answer her. Didn’t say a thing to her accusation. He only turned away from her to head back inside. She could see his back stiffening with each step as she watched him go.

Airya decided to go home. She needed to think things over.