Iztris worked as much as the king would allow. No one could argue that they could work faster and more efficiently than most, but the king still wanted them to rest—they didn’t need it but the man stubbornly insisted, so they were forced to spend at least an hour a day doing nothing. That time was spent working in spite of it (such as if it happened to fall during a meal or at night) and somehow being roped into acting as a substitute teacher for either of the princes. They could tolerate it, but it still wasn’t always preferable.

They entertained mild conversation with the king in the afternoons. Alyson typically only helped in the morning, so the king seemed to be more willing to try his luck with what he could talk about. He apparently rambled more when he needed to spend hours in a room with a person who barely spoke a word of their own volition.

Reports came in a few times during the day, brought by the same two or three people. The king frowned while he took them. “I still don’t know why these have been coming late,” he muttered.

“Are the reports coming from the same area?” Iztris asked. “The causes could range from weather to deliberate intervention.”

“Cheryn gets a lot of storms when summer comes,” the king mused. “The reports aren’t anything important—just whatever information I need from the nobles in the area. Nothing typically happens unless there’s a big storm or an ambitious kid with a knife, but I’d still rather not have them delayed at all. There are a few towns I haven’t heard from yet because of the delay.”

“I’d assume the worst, but I also assume that you would rather be optimistic,” Iztris noted.

“You need some optimism when you look at a few of these,” the king replied. “Until further notice, I’ll just assume that the weather’s delaying a few—there are also several procrastinators among the nobility, so they could just be putting it off.”

“Inadequate speed in communications is what led to Letrela’s fall,” Iztris pointed out.

The king looked at them oddly for a moment, then looked back at the papers. “Letrela had problems before then. Even if that last ruler had been told of his assassination, someone would’ve went to kill him anyway—they’ve destroyed enough lives as an empire to gain enemies.”

Iztris sighed. “All nations will fall, one day. Mortals get tired of the same conditions and fight against them; even the nations that existed in my time have since been renamed or destroyed entirely. It’s in man’s nature to destroy, however much they may wish to create.”

The king seemed to somewhat agree, falling into silence for a few moments. On occasion he would discuss something he thought could be helpful, but Iztris usually discarded the possibility.

Over the course of the next few days, Iztris was a common enough sight that some of the servants gave them a nod of greeting. It likely helped that the princess and prince spoke with Iztris on occasion, but they still weren’t fond of the attention. It felt more like the servants just wanted to pester them instead of anything else.

About a month passed, with some reports still being delayed. There was one town in particular that stayed silent; Iztris addressed this with the king one morning. “The heirs and I could visit that one,” they offered after the king mentioned it. Alyson was with them as well. “At the very least, it would dispel the sense of uselessness that us being here gives.”

“It’d be better if I sent actual knights,” the king said. “If it’s just weather, that’s fine—if it’s something else, then I’d rather have other people find it first.”

“You let me and Jacob leave despite the dangers,” Alyson pointed out. She paused for a moment, then added a bit quieter, “And I agree with Iztris saying that it feels…kind of wrong to still be here. I’d stay if I would, but it feels selfish to.”

“You would be willing to help a storm-ravaged town at best, and bury a few corpses at worst?” The king asked.

Alyson nodded. Her father seemed to consider it for a moment before saying, “Maybe. I’ll need to talk it over with a few people before any actual decision can be made; it’s possible we could hear something from them before you head out.”

Iztris and Alyson both murmured their agreement, and as Iztris expected the king took a few days to consider it. Iztris wasn’t present when the possibility was discussed—mostly because all of the family conversations happened during meals, which Iztris didn’t attend—but they were told that the king ultimately decided to let them go. Given another few days of preparation, the princess and prince offered quick goodbyes and the small group left.