Elsurion stood on the balcony in his chambers and looked down on the streets of his kingdom. He observed the folks going about their daily business. The merchants at their stands, the costumers, the curious eyes of their children. The streets were crowded as they always were before noon. Elsurion smiled. He wondered now, as he often did: How must it feel? Being a common man? A common person? Not a king, not a man of royalty? Would he stand there, looking at the palace and wonder how it would feel to be a king? Probably. A knock on the door ripped him back into reality.

“Yes?”, Elsurion asked.

A servant entered the room.

"Excuse me, Sire. A messenger has arrived with his escort. He is from Ayumir and asks for an audience. He states that his message is of great importance.”

The king nodded.

"The nature of his escort is of armoured soldiers, yes?”

"Yes, Sire.”

"Lead him to the throne room and him only. The soldiers are to await his return outside. I will arrive shortly.”

“As you wish, Sire.”, the servant bowed and left to carry out his orders.

Ayumir…word from king Leopold II? Elsurion wondered what this was about. Leopold did not send word often, for he could be considered a man of action, not of words. The two kingdoms had a very lucrative trade agreement. Among many common goods that were exchanged, there was one of particular interest; Ayumir was in control of one of the few mines in Aurelia that contained an arcane crystal deposit. As Solaria was in constant need of these crystals, his father had concluded this contract long ago. Momentarily, memories of his father began to emerge in Elsurion’s head. He shoved them aside quickly, as this was not the time to get sentimental.

“Well, let us hear what the messenger has to say…”, the king said. He nodded towards the figure standing in the shadows the whole time. “Sarenya.”

The woman peeled from the dark and quietly started following him to the throne room.