"You know what would be the coolest superpower? Time travel! You know… going back in time and stuff and fixing your mistakes. It's the coolest cause that way, only your determination limits how far you'll go. It's really cool!" – a childish philosopher

Alex stares at his father.

"Does this have to be now?" Walter asks slowly as if in apprehension, and Alex feels a shiver.

'Father…'

Alex hadn't really considered his past encounters with death ever since Robert had left the manor, well not seriously anyway. Still, this scene in front of him confirmed something.

'Time, it has to be, when I die-- I go back in time. I'm not sure to when, I'm not sure what serves the trigger other than death or what constitutes 'death,' I'm a hell of a not sure why, but.'

"Um… Alex, was there something you wanted to talk with me about, it must be odd just standing there in the doorway, so are you coming in?" Walter says, his brow scrunching up with a mix of surprise and confusion, a look which Alex recognized well.

'It gave me my father back.'

Alex then runs into and hugs his father, who had been walking to get him, "Alex, what brought this on?"

'…'

"I just love you, dad…"

Walter starts patting his son's head soothingly, "If it's about the conversation, we can have it later, you know?" Walter then mumbles, "Though with how much you've been asking me, I thought…"

"It doesn't matter, dad," Alex says while grinning, then his face becomes solemn.

'What does is what am I going to do, I could try explaining, but I doubt that I'll have the time, it was only a couple of minutes from now that the army arrived…' Alex separates from his father and then sits down, 'I could still try' Alex then looks at his father, whose curious expression had just grown in intensity, 'maybe next time if things go poorly which I hope the won't, it's a bit late to start now. So then… what can I do.'

Alex ponders for a few moments more before suddenly his head popped up, and it was like a light had sparked in his eyes.

"Father, could I talk with the officials from…"

'what were their names again… ah Irkshire and Balsdom'

"Irkshire and Balsdom, I want to start my duties as a duke's heir."

"You mean a prince, my son, ever the humble one, heh…" Walter looks over to his son, "But it makes me wonder why you wanted those towns in particular…"

"I just thought they were interesting and…"

'think, think… maybe that?'

"I wanted to know their take on the new defensive measures put in place," Alex smiled at his father, hurt by the façade he was pulling to save him.

"That could be arranged, do you need some time to get prepared, those mayors tend to be right bastards if I know them, and I do," Walter chuckles, unseen to him Alex's face darkens.

"I agree, but I'm not always going to have time to prepare. I would rather practice dealing with them to, rather ironically, prepare for the worst of circumstances, not the best.

Walter chuckles at the comment, "Well then, let's call the majordomo shall we" and smiles.

'if only that would last.'

"Albi"

"Yes, sir?" says Albi as he opens the door.

"if you could bring the communications stones to" He looks towards Alex, who mouths the names, and Walter nods, "Irkshire and Balsdom ?"

"Yes, sir," Albi says, closing the door softly behind him.

"You know Alex, tell me if I'm wrong, but are the recent tensions with the western duchy what caused this new interest with Irkshire and Balsdom"

'Although time is of the essence, I'll have to wait for the majordomo to get back before I can convince father, so hearing some of the why behind the western duchy's attack wouldn't be a bad thing.'

"You're not wrong," says Alex to his father in an inquisitive tone.

"So you want to hear my take on it as well, huh? Well, it's pretty simple. Honestly, it's all imaginary. You see, my father was as fair bit paranoid, he would attach a higher nefarious plot to almost everything. The servant, a random townsperson, not even his wife was able to escape his gaze," Walter chuckles darkly while shaking his head, "he would always say, "Watch closely, Walter. You don't know what they will do, but now they will never have the chance" and would laugh before hanging, stabbing, the confirming the corpse. He would then crush it and cremate it, before once again checking it with magic. Then as if to finish the deal, he would send half the remaining dust into the void and would pay a random traveler to scatter the 'dust' across the lands. To this day, I still wonder how many actually did, instead of just throwing it into a nearby trash can. Still, knowing him, he had some other answer in his delirium. Basically, your grandfather was insane. One day though, an ambassador visited us, along with the princess of the neighboring kingdom. They were fine as far as folks go, but for whatever reason, your grandfather set his sights on them saying some bullshit that they would cause a world war or something." Walter takes a deep breath before staring at Alex, "He killed them, Alex, in cold blood, and did those egregious things to their corpses, the other kingdom demanded he be deposed or war, and we decided to acquiesce to their demands, my father included. He always was a weird man like that. it was my first day as the duke after that." Walter looks off into the distance, "they asked for his head Alex, but I couldn't commit patricide. I exiled him from our lands, and I believe he's still out there, no doubt committing his insanity in some other province. It actually weighs on me quite heavily to think how I'm in some part responsible for it."

'does that make me insane as well, believing that I've traveled from the future back... Then again, maybe it is insane...'

Walter looks back at Alex, "We took a pig's head and used magic to fashion it. They never were able to find the difference. It's why I'm more commonly known as the bloody duke in our province, and why many question my legitimacy. And so I have never really been accepted by the people of this province."

Alex looks startled at his father's words and starts to speak, "But father, that isn't f-"

"Son, I just hope you can be a better duke than I was, and when it's time, I will hand this province to you. You always take the initiative to learn in classes, and now this? I believe you will make a fine duke one day."

'Father, if only you knew you won't have a province to hand over after today.'

Alex sighs at the thought.

"Well, that's the source of the tensions, sorry for the monologue there. Just think of it as an old man reminiscing."

"SIR, the communication lines are down, something is afoot."

Walter jumps from his chair, opens the curtains, and looks out the window.

To see an army on his footstep.

'they're here...'