When the first rays of the morning sun hit the king’s villa, several residents and some personnel were already up and about. Among them were the king, who routinely rose with the first bell of the day, and Lait, who made attending to his superior his lifelong duty. Though today, in a rare display, he was for once not standing at attention, but was sitting across from Hertar at his desk inside his office.

“How is Zara adjusting to her new situation?” King Hertar asked.

Lait squirmed in his seat. He felt a little uncomfortable in this position, but the king had insisted. Worse though, he didn’t know how to respond to the question. “I’m not sure... She is... peculiar, Your Majesty. Her reluctance to act in accordance with the expectations placed on her will undoubtedly rub certain members of our echelon the wrong way, but she is surprisingly adept at it if she tries. I’m suspecting that she could fit in if she made the effort, but she doesn’t have much interest. All her thoughts revolve around her little sister.”

“That doesn’t come as much of a surprise, Lait,” Hertar said with a frown. It was a major reason for why they had gone this route after all.

“No, Sir, but it’s even worse than it appeared initially. She seems quite obsessed. She would not tell me why she is so desperate to see her again, but it can not be healthy.”

“Let us consider that to be positive for the time being, given our hopes for her. You two will be ready to depart?”

“Yes... Quite so...” Lait said with a sigh. “After ignoring me completely at first, she then kept me up late into the night with preparations and interrupted my sleep an hour before first bell. It took me several minutes to convince her that we couldn’t leave ahead of time. If I may be frank, Sir, she is quite irritating.”

The king smirked. “Oh, the joys of married life. Don’t worry, it will undoubtedly get better. No matter the reason you entered this union originally, you will get used to each other. You have seen many couples go through the same process. But remember that you need to be the one in control, especially in these early days. You can’t let her desires run rampant, or they will end up carrying this relationship away.”

“I understand.”

Lait nodded, his heart heavy with the knowledge that in a holy marriage, the less assertive partner was often swept away by the bold ideas of their more dominant counterpart. While the thought of a harmonious and equal partnership sounded promising, it was rarely seen in reality. Lait was proud that that king was placing so much trust in him.

“Good,” Hertar said. “According to the guards they appear to still be in the woods south of here. The trip there shouldn’t take longer than two hours, so I expect you back before sundown. Pay close attention to their situation while there and use their plights to your advantage. Living in the Wildlands can’t be comfortable, even for them. I trust that a combination of pressure from Zara and concessions from our side will allow you to be successful.”

“I will do my utmost, Your Majesty.”

“Let’s invite your wife in then,” the king said before calling for Zara.

A few seconds later the door to the office opened and the young woman stepped inside gracefully. Zara wore a nice dress and greeted the king with a perfectly executed formal curtsy. Momentarily enamored by her charming smile, Hertar was at a loss for words, not having expected such a transformation this quickly. Could this truly be the woman who haunted him for the last couple of days? He then remembered what he had just been told. “She can do it if she makes the effort.”

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

“Zara,” he said. “What a pleasant surprise to see that you attempt to fit in. I’m happy to see it.”

“Thank you,” Zara said, bowing her head slightly.

Not a word too much, Hertar thought. A glance at Lait’s confused frown told him that his attendee hadn’t had a hand in instructing her. The king’s curiosity was piqued.

“You appear well acquainted with how you’re expected to act. Why is that? Our previous interactions suggested something else.”

“In my line of work as a seamstress I have had the occasional opportunity to work for Rulers such as yourself, Your Majesty. I have been instructed on how to approach such situations.”

“I’m impressed. Keep this up and you will have no issues in your new role.”

Suddenly, the facade cracked, and Zara stopped smiling. The sparkle disappeared from her eyes and her muscles relaxed. “Great,” she spat. “Happy now, Lait?”

Hertar watched the two closely. Lait was silent as Zara berated him what a hassle this had been, and how it had been a pointless exercise. Important to the king was that she had put up with it though. Lait was taking control and things were progressing smoothly.

Zara eventually let herself fall into the chair next to Lait, not a hint of respect left in her. She addressed the king again, in an ironically mild mannered tone. “It’s been suggested to me that the other Rulers might take offense at my manors and make my life more difficult,” she said, dropping the act afterwards. “But I won’t keep this up in front of you. It was not part of our deal.”

Taken aback by this declaration, the king needed a moment, and he was surprised by his own reaction, as he broke out laughing. “Is that so? Ha, ha, ha. Very well.”

Lait’s frown intensified, unable to comprehend why Hertar was amused by her antics. Zara on the other hand was stone faced, not moving a muscle, which only added to Hertar’s enjoyment.

His initial impression of her had been off the mark. She was brash and cocky, but if it served her, she could also switch gears in a heartbeat. She was ready to butter up Rulers, but she was also able to recognize when it wasn’t necessary. She didn’t appear overly intelligent on the surface, but she could make calculated decisions. It was unusual to see from a commoner, but whatever had gotten her to this point, he was delighted to see that she would fit right in with their kind.

“Let us get over the task at hand then,” Hertar eventually said. “You are to consider this a diplomatic mission. Our official stance is that they repeatedly and unlawfully took a child of Alarna away from their legal guardian. Even if your sister might have gone willingly, it’s an immoral and untenable action to take.”

“Tsk...” Zara averted her gaze. “You shouldn’t have let them take her then.”

“You must understand that we were unable to act without risking lives at the time. But now you can make it right. I’m granting Lait the authority to negotiate the release of Riala, so as to bring her back here. Should you be unable to find a satisfactory resolution, we will reconvene. You have my word that we won’t stop trying to rescue your sister from their bad influence.”

“Mhm.” Zara stared unhappily at the king. The price she paid for this concession was high, having essentially turned over herself and her future to the Rulers. It was done though, and all she could do now was look forward.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

“Yes?” the king prompted.

A guard entered the room and saluted. In his other hand he held a folded piece of paper. “Your Majesty, I apologize for the interruption. A strange letter was found at the front door.”

“A letter?” the king asked in confusion. “How did it get there?”

“We don’t know, it was suddenly lying on the front porch.”

The letter changed hands and the guard immediately exited the room again. They wouldn’t usually interrupt the king’s meetings, but the fact alone that a letter was left at the front door was baffling, since they would usually be delivered directly to the recipients or their attendees. Not to mention that guards were stationed at the entrance around the clock, and nobody was supposed to be able to get close without them noticing.

Upon closer inspection, the note revealed itself to be strange indeed. It read “For King Hertar’s eyes only” right below what appeared to be a wax seal. However, Hertar was unfamiliar with this custom, nor the emblem that had been imprinted into it. It seemed to depict a category three beast, its front-facing silhouette staring proudly at the recipient. Perplexed, the king decided to open the letter immediately, tearing the seal in half and unfolding the paper while Lait and Zara looked on—one patiently, the other less so.

As he read through the message, the king's face displayed a range of emotions—from confusion and surprise to exasperation and even ridicule. The announcement of a so-called "Guild" that claimed ownership of the Wildlands and all business within seemed like a poor joke at best. The letter even detailed rules and regulations regarding Alarna's limited rights to travel through and work within the lands outside its immediate vicinity. As if that wasn't enough, the Guild also made claims regarding the security of the blessing that protected the town and demanded payment for keeping them up. Hertar found the whole thing preposterous and was ready to dismiss it as some sort of prank, until he reached the end of the message and saw the signatures of Miles, formerly known as Tomar Remor, as well as his niece Hayla Varant. It was when he recognized her signature that he realized this was no joke. This fact was underlined by the guard rushing in again and noting that several more letters had been found.

***

As the sun rose above Alarna, small crowds of people were beginning to gather all over town, curiously taking in the notices that had been posted in various locations. The guards were already hard at work trying to remove them all, but as was to be expected of the townsfolk, word traveled fast, and even those who didn’t see the notices in person were guaranteed to learn about them soon.

A group claiming to live in the Wildlands announced that they were taking it upon themselves to act as a shield against all threats that beasts posed to humanity. They promised to maintain the blessings and fight any monsters who dared to get close to the people. However, they would not do this out of the goodness of their hearts, but as a business model.

Reading this, many were appalled by the mere idea that someone might want to take advantage of people’s fears in such a way. Despite this, they kept reading, their attention drawn to the fact that this proposed business venture had multiple branches and went both ways.

The group was expecting to be paid for their services, but they also offered huge rewards for work done for them, which ranged from hunting beasts, over construction work, to even mundane tasks, such as gathering firewood. Jobs that even a child could do were promised to pay amounts that hard-working adults had trouble matching with their salary. If these notices were to be trusted, people’s lives could change substantially by working for this group even part-time. Though the situation presented a dilemma for the citizens.

Most assumed that this was the group recently banned from Alarna, which meant they were dealing with criminals that had destroyed properties and lives. But on the other hand, it was hard to ignore the fact that they were strong and had the ability to protect the town.

The restrictions on leaving the town without special permission posed another issue. Working for the guild did not seem possible under the current laws. However, the promise of prosperity was hard to resist, and increased wealth would benefit the town greatly.

The people eagerly discussed the Guild, blinded by promises of wealth and opportunity and the rising prices on the market, due to a lack of incoming goods from Cerus. As they did, a fateful question lingered in the air: could they afford not to make deals with this powerful force? With concerns and biases melting away and profit on the horizon, it seemed like the town might have been on the verge of changing forever.