The meeting was surprisingly easy. You answered any questions the members of the court or Eret had, and gave your input when you thought you could add to the conversation. It was nothing like the long meetings you were used to back home - members of the court talked over each other and made jokes and got out of their seats to stretch when they needed to and halfway through someone popped a window open, just to get some air flowing into the room. What was the most remarkable though, was that everyone spoke to Eret like he was an equal - not their ruler.

You'd believed him when he'd said he didn't like formalities, but seeing it was another thing.

Court adjourned around lunchtime, with Eret coming to the conclusion that he would need more time to think it over before he came to any final decisions. You had been expecting that though - he had a reputation of being a gentle king after all, and getting involved in a war wasn't something to be taken lightly.

You found Simon was you were heading out of the courtroom - now awake.

"Y/N!" He greeted. "I'm so sorry I missed the meeting - you should have woken me up, or sent someone to fetch me."

You waved a hand, dismissing his concern. "I wanted to let you get your rest after last night - you were dancing longer than I was, and I'm sure you were tired."

"Thank you, but it is my duty to stay by your side during this visit." Simon said. "Next time, please wake me."

"Well, what's done is done, and we can't undo it now." You said. "Join me for lunch and I'll fill you in on what happened."

You made your way down to the palace kitchens, making idle chat with Simon as you went. The chefs had made roast chicken today, and you grabbed yourself a slice of the meat (drizzled with honey and layered with spices, just the scent made your mouth water) and let Simon do the same before wandering back up, looking for a nice place to sit down and eat.

It was when you passed a door to a garden that you paused, peering outside. "Do you think anyone will mind if we take our lunch under the cherry blossoms?"

"I can't imagine they will." Simon said, balancing his plate of lunch with one hand as he opened the door for you.

"Thank you." You said, stepping out into the afternoon sunshine. The ground was nearly covered with cherry blossoms, and they let out a sweet aroma as your feet hit the ground. You started through the gardens, following a simple stone path through the various flowers until you came across a small bench under a pear tree - still in bloom. You sat down, patting the space beside you so Simon would sit as well.

He did, smiling. "This is lovely, don't you think?"

You hummed in agreement, looking to the gardens around you. The courtyards were nice back home, and you had spent long hours poring over political agreements beneath the trees, but there was just something about this garden that seemed so much more alive. You started on your lunch, getting rid of that pesky stomach rumble as a cherry scented breeze wafted by.

"So," Simon said between bites. "The meeting."

"The meeting." You repeated. "It was the full court this time - Eret's got more than just humans on his court, did you know? There were all sorts of different species there, even some vindicators and the like."

Simon's eyebrows rose. "They can't have taken to kindly to the fact that we're fighting their kind then, can they?"

"I tried to soften it as much as I could." You said. "I'll admit I only told them half the truth - but if they knew how Etienne had been treating their kind in our kingdom there would be no chance of getting any support from Eret."

"We'll have to be careful of that." Simon said thoughtfully.

You nodded, taking another bite of your lunch.

"Anything else exciting?" Simon asked. "Any indication as to which way Eret is leaning yet?"

You shook your head. "He ended the session saying that he would need more time to think things over - no doubt he's going to talk to Maven on his own. But I expected that this might take some time. And it hasn't been that long since we arrived either."

Simon nodded, taking another bite of his lunch. For a moment, you both just ate in silence, listening to the songbirds in the trees chirp to each other.

"You know," You said. "Even the court meetings are different here."

"How so?" Simon asked.

"It was more... open." You said. "Eret doesn't just have his court to support him, they critique him as well and he actually listens to them. It's more like a council than a court, actually. And there wasn't that suffocating feeling that I get back home during a long meeting - people were making jokes and things, and the conversation was strangely personal."

Simon chewed thoughtfully, looking over at one of the cherry trees. "I've noticed it as well. He acts like any other man - like he doesn't have the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders - and people like him all the more for it. He's a strange king, Eret."

"I do rather like him though." You said, a smile coming to your face as memories of the way he had spent hours in your company last night flashed by. "He's certainly a charmer."

Simon grinned. "They called his father the soulstealer - maybe his son steals hearts."

"Perhaps." You said, grinning a little at Simon's joke.

"Best watch your heart then, Y/N." Simon said. "He seemed awfully keen at the welcome banquet."

You raised an eyebrow. "And what about you, Simon? You'd do well to keep an eye on your own heart - rumor has it Eret's had more than a few men in his chambers on long nights."

Simon flushed red at that, and you laughed in earnest, watching him splutter.