“Mary Sue,” Orenda said as she left the dining hall with her entourage, “I fear that I have accomplished nothing of note today.”

“Can’t get nothin done around here,” Mary Sue agreed, “plus we all been up all night. I had half a mind in there to just transform and start rippin intestines out- but I meant what I said- we can’t be actin like that. They want us to prove we ain’t civilized.”

“I fear I’m becoming hysterical,” Orenda said, “it’s only been a few months and… it’s so much, all the time. I never intended to become a queen, you know. I thought I would knock Xandra off of her throne and then… then I don’t suppose I had a plan. I don’t suppose I thought it through. I had always wanted… I’m not sure. Perhaps a small cottage; somewhere where I could bake and paint.”

“Yeah, well, life is what it is,” Mary Sue said.

“I’m serious,” Orenda said, “I think I’m falling ill. I need to lie down.”

“You are shakin pretty bad,” Sonny said, “you ain’t used to it, all this life or death shit. I mean… I guess you are- you was a Knight of Order, but we seen this kinda shit every day. Them folks I pulled outta that tower ain’t my first corpse.”

“It wasn’t my first corpse either, Sonny, you know that,” Orenda said, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“I just mean… it wouldn’t your decision,” Sonny said.

“I have made decisions that resulted in corpses!” Orenda argued, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I do know what I’m talkin about,” Sonny argued, “I just ain’t explainin’ it real good. I’m tired.”

You’re not right just because you can articulate your shitty points better.

“I’m sorry, Sonny,” Orenda said, “I… perhaps it is just that I’m overtired. I told you I wanted to lie down. I think I may… I would like to go to one of the guest rooms and lie down.”

“Yeah, listen,” Sonny said and the group stopped walking because he had stopped and if they continued they would leave him, “I can give that press conference to the free press guild or whoever. It ain’t a big deal. Honestly… Rendy, you need to let us do more- us humans. I- I swear, hand on a holy text, I’m not bein a dick- but you’re still an elf. If we ain’t more visible in positions of power then… what’s the point? It just looks like a change in our masters, not like freedom. Let us do more, handle more.”

“I… didn’t realize I was… doing that,” Orenda said.

“He’s right,” Mary Sue said, “It does look better if we got more humans out there in front ‘a crowds. It’s… symbolic. Plus, you are wore slick out.”

“You’ve been up all night, too,” Orenda argued.

“I’m gonna take me a nap too,” Mary Sue said, “hopefully the damn castle don’t come down again. After the press conference. Me and Sonny’ll handle that. You get you some rest.”

“These assasination attempts have to taper off eventually, don’t they?” Orenda asked, “What do they want?”

“Power,” Klin said.

Orenda expected him to continue, but he said nothing, so she rubbed at her temples again and reiterated, “I’m going to lie down.”

“Sweet dreams,” Mary Sue said, “don’t worry, Rendy, we got this.”

Klin had left while Orenda was changing into her night clothes, but it didn’t trouble her; she knew where he was. She could see his soul shining in the castle, and could have scried him with ease had she needed to- though she was certain she needed to stop doing that. Every time she searched for him she was pulling from the wrong sort of magic, and part of her wondered if that was what was affecting her head. As a fire elf, it was dangerous to cast any kind of earth magic- and Klin exuded earth magic.

But she also couldn’t risk losing track of him. The Emerald Knight was dangerous, and, she had learned, painfully stupid. It was as likely that he would get drunk and let slip her closely guarded secret as it was that he would have a change of heart and go on a killing spree. He was a constant, underlying threat that needed to be closely guarded, something to occupy her mind when it was already full to bursting.

She noticed her friend Ali’s soul reaching out for her, but as the castle had been set up for the new electric light, she had no flame to receive him, so she reached out her hand and conjured one from the either, wondering what fresh hell was upon her. Ali was a king in his own right, another Knight of Order, who together with his lover Bubbider and his mother, Zena, had overthrown the Urillian colonizers and taken back the Fire Continent. Orenda hoped something hadn’t happened, that he wasn’t in need of some kind of military aid.

She was comforted by the smile that split his face, which had appeared in the flame, as soon as he saw her.

“Rendy!” he announced, almost with more joy than a voice could contain, “I have to show you something! Look at this!”

The scry pulled back, revealing more of the room he was in, the bedroom he shared with Bubbider. A tiny human baby with thick dark hair like his mother’s laid on a blanket surrounded by stuffed animals.

“He just did it today!” Ali said, “Aban! Aban! Look at papa! Come on, you can do it! Show aunty Rendy how strong you are!”

The baby stared at him as if it did not understand him, but then put his tiny arms under his body, and shoved himself up.

“He’s doing pushups!” Ali declared, “Have you ever heard of something like that? Why is he doing that? He’s barely three months old and he’s working out! Isn’t that amazing?”

“I imagine he would like to be strong,” Orenda suggested, “he’s a bit confined as he is, isn’t he? He can’t exactly get off that blanket.”

“I think he will, soon,” Ali said, “if he can do pushups, surely he can crawl soon.”

“Three months is too early for a young’un to crawl,” Klin said as he walked into the room holding a bedroll, “he’s gotta build up his strength. He’s gonna start sleepin through the night though- won’t cry so much on accounta he’s startin to understand language, so he’ll start doin that baby babble thing. When they that little, they love music…” he seemed to come out of a sort of trance, to realize he had been speaking aloud and looked around for a moment as if gathering his courage, but he decided to continue, “I uh… I reckon they really like it if’in ya sing to ‘em… might… uh… might be different for humans… I’m realizin… I mighta just fed ya bullshit...”

“I’m not projecting you,” Orenda told him, “he can’t hear you.”

“Thank the lord,” Klin said as he knelt to fluff out his bedroll.

“Your child is adorable, Ali,” Orenda said, then in a softer voice she said, “Aban! Hello, Aban! It’s Aunty Rendy! Are you growing stronger? Are you working out, as your father suggests? You must keep an eye on him, you know. One day you’ll have to care for him. Oh, you’re so cute! Look at your huge, dark eyes! Why are your eyes so big? Have you a lot to see, little boy? A whole new world to take in? Oh, Ali, how I wish he could play with the baby Brigaddons. They aren’t much older than him- of course, they’re walking now. I’ve always liked young children.”

Ali had gone to sit next to his son on the blanket and pulled him into his lap, where he sat upright, leaning back on his father’s chest. He reached for Orenda’s face in the flame his father held and Orenda found this concerning.

“Can he touch that?” she asked.

“He probably shouldn’t,” Ali agreed, “no, darling, that’s hot. Fire is hot. When you’re older, we’ll teach you all about magic, but right now you shouldn’t touch flames. He does seem to like it though- not just right now, but any time he’s near a flame. I think he likes it more than an average child. I think he has an affinity for fire magic.”

“Ali, it is important to me that you do not give that baby a fire crystal,” Orenda chastised.

“That doesn’t shock me in the slightest,” Ali said, “because it’s also important to Bubby. If you want to see her angry, I suggest you try to give him a focus. She won’t have it.”

“How is she?” Orenda asked.

“We’re all doing well,” Ali said, “We’ve had to keep security tight around here, but we’ve got the entire Allisanian army, as far as that goes. How are you? You look awful.”

“Thank you,” Orenda said.

“Well, you do,” Ali said, “you were always willing to tell me when I looked awful.”

“You don’t anymore,” Orenda praised, “I will admit that you scared me for a bit. You were… gaunt. You looked a bit like a ghoul.”

“I’ve come to the profound realization that drugs are bad,” Ali said, with a far away gaze that Orenda did not like and did not want to push. “A lesson I hope to impart to my son, when he’s old enough.”

He ran a hand over the back of the baby's neck and smiled. This prompted a smile from Aban as well, who giggled loudly.

“Does that tickle?” Ali asked, and giggled at the cooing he received in response before turning his face back to the flame, “Seriously, Rendy, are you alright?”

“There was an attack on my life last night,” Orenda admitted, “again. I don’t think I need fear death any longer, but this… constant… it simply… I believe it’s wearing me down.”

“Don’t let the bastards wear you down,” Ali said, “would you like some backup? I’m sure that there are people within our ranks who would love to travel to Uril. Actually… where’s Gareth? Shouldn’t they be with you? I mean, I understand why Tolith left once he was… replaced… but Gareth left?”

“Yes, Gareth left me- does that shock you?” Orenda asked. “Really? As if this was the first time?”

“It does, a bit, yes.” Ali admitted, “I didn’t think he would. I wonder if he… knows what he’s doing.”

“I don’t think that old sea dog knows much of anything anymore,” Orenda said, “I truly don’t. He’s been hacked apart so much and so slowly that there isn’t much of him left. He was never going to stay with me, Ali, I’ve accepted that. It isn’t who he is. I haven’t forgiven him, but I’ve accepted him. I don’t even know what he would do. He couldn’t protect me. He would be a liability.”

“I just… didn’t think he would… leave again…” Ali said slowly, as if he was aware he needed to change the subject but could not think of a graceful way to do so, but was hoping he would discover such a way by the end of his sentence. But he did not, so they sat in awkward silence while Aban kept trying to reach for the flame in his father’s hand.

“Life is what it is, Ali,” Orenda said, “Gareth is who he is. It’s fine.”

“It isn’t, but I know what you mean,” Ali said, “We’re fine or we’re dead, at the end of the day.”

“Your son is adorable,” Orenda said, “Perhaps he’ll stay adorable as he ages and grow into a fine looking young man.”

“It can’t possibly hurt him anymore,” Ali said as if it was in agreement, “to be good looking. It isn’t dangerous anymore.”

He ran a hand over the back of his neck, and Orenda wondered how long it would be like this. How long life would be horrible and awkward, how many conversations it would be possible to have without calling up memories that one could not possibly have intended to call up. Surely it had to fade at some point, didn’t it?

“I’m afraid I have to get some rest,” Orenda said, “I’m falling over.”

“Sweet dreams, Rendy,” Ali smiled, “I’ve not slept in months.”

He kissed his son on the head to accentuate his point.

“Say ‘sweet dreams’ to Aunty Rendy!” he prompted, but Aban elected instead to chew on his father’s sleeve, though Rendy took his meaning.

“Goodbye, Aban!” Orenda waved at the flame, then extinguished it.

“Cute kid,” Klin said and Orenda crossed the room to see him sitting on his bedroll. He had taken off his boots and the tunic he always wore, but which had gone out of fashion at least a century earlier, along with his bag, though he kept it close and reached into it to produce a comb. He untied the ribbon that kept his long, blond hair corralled, and as it cascaded down his back Orenda became aware that she was beginning to be able to tell the Urillians apart with greater ease. Klin’s hair had even less body than the already lifeless straw most of them had; it was as straight as a measuring stick. She wondered if this was a trait he had inherited from his mother.

“He is rather cute,” she agreed, “all babies are cute.”

“Yeah,” Klin agreed, running the comb through his hair.

“Do you ever wash your hair?” Orenda asked him.

“Weird… weird thing to… ask… somebody…” Klin said, “I just… am greasy… that’s just how it is. Like I have a weird little nose and weird eyes. I just look weird. I… done made my peace with it.”

“You don’t look weird,” Orenda argued, “you look like an earth elf.”

“I mean…” Klin shrugged, “folks used to make fun of me for how I looked. I know how I look. I get it. An’ I’m short.”

“You’re all short,” Orenda said.

“Yeah, I guess from way up there we are,” Klin said, “I do wash my hair though, like once a week. I just ain’t really had a lotta time to do that on accounta you holler at me an’ I don’t wanna… take a lotta time or… show up naked, ya’ know? Seems like… not a good… not real… professional. Maybe I oughta just pull it up an’ put it under a hat. Folks used ta’ wear wigs, back in the day. Lice got real bad.”

“Klin,” Orenda asked, “What are you going to do?”

“I reckon I’m gonna take a nap,” Klin said, “So I can get up when you do. I ain’t got much else to do. I hate sleepin but it sure as hell does pass the time, don’t it?”

“I mean in the long run,” Orenda said, “what’s your plan? Are you going to try to find a way to kill me? Take back the throne? Avenge Xandra?”

“Xandra…” Klin said and his shoulders fell. “God I… most folks, ya know, they find somebody and they know… they know it ain’t gonna last forever, ya know? They know that. They know that eventually one of um is gonna die. But I… I thought… I really thought it… it would be forever. I thought I found a way to… make it forever… I just… I just wanted her to be safe. Happy.”

He clawed at his arms and his back began to shake.

“I was… I was supposed to protect her. That was my one job. I was supposed to save the princess, protect the princess- that’s all I was ever… all I had to… I got that sword and it was… I was… I had to save the princess because I got the sword… I was just… the guy that had the sword and… I mean… I was the thing that held it. And before that, that uh… position, I reckon… was filled by… a rock. And the sword- Emerald- The Sacred Sword- he said… he said I was special an’... he said… I was… he said he loved me… he said he was gonna give me everythin, and I reckon he did, but I… I just threw him away an… I couldn’t save Xandra… so now… now I ain’t the guy who has the sword… I ain’t the guy who has to save the princess… so…”

“I need to lie down,” Orenda said, “stay here. Don’t go wandering off while I’m asleep.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

As Orenda closed her eyes, she heard the soft gentle crests of his voice, singing as if he was having difficulty catching his breath.

“After the ball is over,

After the break of morn,

After the dancers' leaving

After the stars are gone;

Many a heart is aching

If you could read them all

Many the hopes have vanished

After the ball.”