Larissa and I were dressed in dark green robes accented with black. Our father stood in front of us bedecked in the regalia of the Order of the Purple. His dark armor with gilded accents was polished to a shine and reflected what little sunlight poked through the dark clouds.

Rows ahead of us stood a man in identical clothing. He was tall and wiry. His back was turned towards us, but his close-cut silver hair was a dead giveaway for his identity. On his left was Caterina in her usual decadent garb. Next to her stood the young Duke Rollo a large gap separating the two. While I was watching, she turned and spoke to him, causing the boy to flinch away for a moment. She gave him a chuckle before turning back.

Further ahead still was the imperial family, the old man of an emperor stood at the head of them. He faced the gathered crowd from the steps of his palace. He is white hair was matted against his head, dark rings around his eyes. He was flanked by his children, all twelve minus one. In front of him, the portrait of the third prince was held aloft by two of the Palatini. Three people were bound and gagged, forced to kneel on the steps in front of them facing the crowd.

One of the Palatini stepped forward and blew a long note on his cornum signaling the start. The crowd quieted down in anticipation. Nothing happened for a few moments. Then the emperor spoke.

“For the crimes of losing your standards, the countless deaths of those who followed you, and…” the old man wavered for a moment. “The crime of not protecting my son, you will pay with your lives and serve as a reminder for those to come. Be glad your families were spared!” His magically assisted voice boomed throughout the crowd. The old man clutched some type of pendant to his chest with his left hand. His right removed an ornate sword from its scabbard. Then without warning, he stabbed the first man in the back.

“Jesus Christ,” I gasped, an instant weight forming in my stomach. The emperor uses his foot to dislodge the blade and kicks the man down the steps. Looking around, it seemed like I was the only one with such a guttural reaction. I glanced back up just as the emperor readied his next thrust. I closed my eyes and grabbed onto Larissa’s wrist. The sound of the blade piercing the second man and his muffled cries made me feel sick. Finally, the third is killed, this time I only hear his body as it tumbles down the steps.

The emperor’s booming voice shocked me into finally opening my eyes. “Let it be known to all, I am issuing an immediate convening of the senate. All those of senatorial ranks must attend effective immediately.” As if the executions never happened, the crowd erupted into murmurs upon this new announcement. The ceremony ended there. The emperor abruptly turned and ascended the steps of his palace. His long cloak and many children trailed after him by a few steps.

Father turned to us before saying, “I suppose that also means me. Will the two of you be able to make it back to academy without me?” Technically, the Senate meets and deliberates often throughout the year, but these meetings are more like advisory councils that most are too busy to attend. Only when the emperor convenes it does the Senate take on the traditional roll as the law giver for the entire empire.

“We will be fine father,” Larissa answered. I nodded in agreement while trying my best to put the previous events out of my mind.

“I’ll call you both a carriage,” he said in response.

“That won’t be necessary Lord Batvi,” interjected Caterina from behind him. She must have made her way over as soon as the announcement finished. “Duke Rollo has offered me a ride, but his carriage has more than enough room for my two friends,” She explained with a wry smile.

“Thank you, young lady!” Father replied. “Are you by chance Old Severian’s daughter?”

Caterina’s smile twitches ever so slightly. “Why yes, how did you know?”

“You look right like that old beansprout!” he says with a laugh before realization crosses his face. “Not that you look old or like a beansprout, er you look like a fine young lady.”

“Well said father,” replied Larissa. Gavayn gave us both hugs before disappearing into the crowd.

“Friends?” questioned Larissa when he was gone.

“We even eat lunch together; we are at least friendly right?” Caterina responds. “Come on now, can’t keep my loving fiancé waiting too long. He might leave without us.”

“I wouldn’t put it past him, not that I blame him either,” I replied, happy to get my mind on anything but the past few minutes. We followed her through the crowds for a bit when I remember to ask her, “What did you say to Rollo before the executions?”

“I just teased him by mentioning a cute brunette in my practical magic class. It’s not my fault he took it the wrong way,” she replied with a shrug.

“It’s not like you’d be able to do any physical harm to her,” I sighed. That was the whole premise of the book. Gyra was about as talented in magic as Julian and her rustic homelife meant the girl was probably physically stronger than him too. She was able to brute force her way through most of Caterina’s traps and schemes. That on top of her therapeutic personality made her a great fit for Rollo.

“It’s hard not to be annoyed with him, this is the first time I’ve seen him in weeks despite my best efforts,” she replied. “And, I understand why he avoided me before, but now I’m me. The real me and his distrust hurts even though I understand it.”

“Can I assume inviting us into his carriage is just another way to mess with him then?” I asked.

Caterina gave me a blank look before answering, “Maybe, though he might actually enjoy spending less time alone with me.”

Rollo was waiting for us near the gates of the palace complex, his carriage just one among the hordes of nobles that were leaving the area. He had jet black hair of medium length and red eyes. His pale white face, owing to his people’s territory in the northern spine mountains, had a look of impatience on it.

“Thank you for the ride today Duke Rollo,” said Larissa as we entered the carriage. Larissa and I sat on one bench facing Rollo and Caterina on the other.

“…My pleasure,” he replied after an awkward pause.

“Who will be your representative in the senate?” I asked after we were on the road. After the initial greetings, our group had been silent. Rollo was only seventeen, but he was the head of his house after both his parents passed away. Usually, the house heads would attend senate meetings, though Rollo was too young to enter the chamber. Thus, he would need to send a familial representative.

Rollo looked at me suspiciously and asked, “what concern is it of yours?”

It was my turn to give a blank look before trying to assure him I was just making small talk.

“I chose a distant cousin from my branch family, no one special,” he replied after a while.

“Will you be entering the melee? I’m told you’re quite skilled with the sword and shield,” said Larissa changing the subject. The melee was a fighting tournament that took place towards the end of each semester.

“Oh Larissa, don’t you know he’s done well quite well in all of his appearances,” answered Caterina.

“Hopefully we will have a chance to face each other in the competition,” she replied. “That is unless my brother gets there first.”

“I look forward to it, I’ve heard interesting things about you both,” he said. The conversation died again for a while. I looked out the window at the passing insulae of the city. When I got bored of that I turned back to my companions. Caterina was lounging comfortably while Rollo was making himself scarce, trying his best not to touch her in any way. She really had made no progress with him.

“Caterina maybe now would be a great time for you to get some things off your chest,” I said, much like a mother reprimanding her child. She looked down at her chest then back up at me. “I mean, maybe you could explain your current situation to Rollo.”

The duke looked at me with a confused expression.

Caterina took a deep breath before turning to Rollo. “Have you read through my written apology on all my past wrongdoings?” She asks him.

“I did.”

“I noticed you aren’t wearing my apology gift though,” She replies.

“Focus,” I cut in.

“What I’ve been trying to tell you this past week is that I’ve changed and will no longer be pursuing your affection. I can also offer my assurances that I won’t be causing harm to any more innocents,” she replies. I close my eyes and nod somewhat proudly while exuding more motherly energy.

“And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?” he retorts.

“Well, she hasn’t hurt anyone in two, possibly three, weeks now that the curse was taken care of,” I explain. Caterina silently stomps on my foot at the mention of it.

“What curse?” he asked.

“I thought we agreed to keep that to ourselves,” she said cutting in.

“And I thought we agreed that Rollo probably wasn’t involved, so why not tell him?” I retorted. That guy is a main character. I was pretty sure he will be a helpful ally.

“Your girlfriend over here wasn’t crazy in love with you, your extravagant engagement ring cursed her to obsess over you,” explains Larissa while she rolls her eyes.

“What? What kind of half-assed excuse is this?” he half-yells. “I don’t accept your apologies, so you make up a curse?”

“Duke Rollo, I don’t take kindly to these kinds of accusations,” replied Larissa in a cold voice.

“I didn’t accuse you of making up the curse, you don’t understand how cunning-“

“Instead, you’ve chosen to underestimate us?” She retorted.

“No, I just…”

“We have proof, right Caterina?” I pointed out.

Caterina leaned back on the bench and closed her eyes. She waited a few moments before answering. “Yes, I’ve had it prelimarily confirmed. Underneath the powerful protection spell of the gem was hidden a weak mind-altering enchantment on the ring.” Both Larissa and I nod approvingly.

The young duke scratches his head for a moment without saying anything.

“Listen, I don’t expect a single conversation to change your mind. No one is saying that Caterina is blameless, but there’s more going on here than just some academy squabbles.” I explain.

“If…If you can show me some type of proof, then I might be more willing to believe you.”

“That can be arranged, maybe I could even have you out the damn thing on” Caterina replies. For the rest of the ride, we explain the situation as well as we can to Rollo. He seems to take everything skeptically, though he doesn’t brush it off like he did at first. By the time we exited the carriage at the academy entrance, Caterina had scheduled a follow-up meeting. We said our goodbyes and went our separate ways from there, though Larissa pulled me aside.

“We need to talk about what happened back there,” she said.

“I thought everything went pretty well, a problem like this requires earnest communication and honesty,” I replied.

“I’m not talking about that; I’m talking about how you couldn’t even watch an execution without breaking down,” She explained with a concerned face.

“I…I just wasn’t prepared for-“

“Exactly. I’m not judging you, but you’re less prepared than I realized,” she said before grabbing my shoulders and looking me in the eyes. “You’re a champion. From the moment you received these powers, you were sworn to defend your family, your people, and this empire. That includes killing and witnessing death.”

“I get that but-“

“But nothing. Answer this honestly. When we went hunting, did you miss your shot because you lacked the skill, or did you miss it because you weren’t ready?”

I stared back into her eyes for a few seconds before looking down at my feet. “You’re right. I couldn’t kill it.”

“I know, but this can’t go on any longer. You may not feel ready yet, but I’ll just have to force the issue.”