Zaos didn't want to waste time, but that visit couldn't be avoided in the end. He realized that when he noticed that his mother was even late for breakfast. Although she had changed her clothes and she looked dignified as ever, she still looked sleepy… as far as Zaos could remember, she didn't need to sleep so much before, and aside from the fact that she listened to Zaos for a few hours, she didn't do much else outside the house.

"I am going to visit the castle, mom," Zaos said as soon as he finished his breakfast. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"I will stay here, I am sure you have a lot to talk about with Ameria," Lyra smiled.

"I am sure she will do all the talking," Zaos said.

"She got sad and angry many times since you didn't write to her," Lyra said. "Even though Drannor pretty much reported what you were doing every week."

"He sure likes to mind other people's business," Zaos said.

Getting an earful from Ameria was unavoidable, so Zaos decided not to think too much about it. After a while, he couldn't help but wonder if he should go without making an appointment or something or while wearing normal clothes or armor. Although it was tiresome, Zaos decided to go with his full set of armor. Walking while in those was also a good way to train his body. In fact, he was thinking of buying some heavier ones.

"I am sure your father made the appointment for you," Lyra said. "He knows you very well."

Zaos had complicated feelings about that. He decided to return without picking a fight or arguments with his father every week like before. Still, given that he didn't change, Zaos would have to endure a lot of stress. Zaos was already thirteen, so he couldn't act like a child. Still, everything has a limit.

After putting his armor on, Zaos wondered if he should take his sword with him. He had a new sword, and the one who gave him was Commander Ruvyn, probably trying to make up for the fact that he was unable to make the kid enjoy a few days at home in three years. The sword was identical to the one the commander had, so it was taller than Zaos himself. He was training to get used to the size and weight, but that would take a while… still. Zaos was planning to use that effectively before he turned fifteen.

Zaos decided to leave his sword at home since it would be probably rude to meet the royal family with one. If something happens, Zaos could always use magic or hand-to-hand combat. He learned that in the last two years, after all.

After walking for a couple of minutes, Zaos arrived at the castle. Even though he seemed a lot different than before, the guards recognized him and opened the gate. Did they recognize him when his father told them about his possibility of coming? It was hard to say…

Zaos found several guards on patrol along the way. For some reason, all of them greeted him, even though Zaos was pretty sure he hadn't met any of them before. Zaos couldn't remember coming to the castle in the middle of the day, aside from the time he received a reward from the king after that incident where he almost died. Thanks to that, he found a line in the ante-room of the throne room of people who had something to discuss with the royal family. That was probably how things worked in the castle on a normal day. In the end, Zaos went to talk with a maid who was making the appointments, and he found out that his name was the last of the day.

"Please, wait patiently for your turn."

"Understood," Zaos said.

There weren't many people in front of Zaos, so he was confident that he would have his chance to talk with the king before noon. Fortunately, it seemed that his luck was good, and he had his chance after just half an hour. When Zaos entered the room, he saw three seats in there. Two were being used by king Dalyor, and the other was being used by queen Loellena. The third seat was supposed to be Ameria, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness… It is a pleasure seeing you two after so long," Zaos said and then bent the knee.

Zaos could see his father on the left and Drian on the right on the sides of the throne. He probably didn't have to greet his father since he saw him this morning, but he will have to wait to greet Drian. He was in the throne room, after all. Making his business short with the royal family was his focus right now.

"You can stand, Zaos," Dalyor said while smiling. "It has been truly a long while. You two grew so much that I barely can recall those two boys of three years ago."

Zaos frowned when he heard that. He didn't see Drannor's name on the list outside the throne room. That meant that he came on the previous day… Zaos had no idea if he was late or if Drannor followed the proper procedure. Regardless, what was done, was done.

"I heard of your accomplishments in the North, I am sure your father is proud of you," Dalyor said. "Aside from the harsh times you had to endure there, did you enjoy your time there?"

"I guess I enjoyed a good part of it, Your Majesty," Zaos said.

"Is that so, I thought you would complain since neither of you had time for any vacation," Dalyor said. "Well, the courtesies are over, so we can go straight to the point… do you have anything else to say, Zaos?"

The mood in the room suddenly changed when the smile disappeared from the king's face… it seemed that Zaos did something bad, but he couldn't remember what he did exactly…