It was strange to be back home again, even if it hadn't been that long.

Home.

Lucius let out a sigh. It didn't really feel like home. The few days they had been here now, he had barely seen his father.

If anyone found it odd that Lucius had arrived with his aunt Vara and uncle Iason, no one said anything. Now he was standing in attendance next to his father, as the king read out all the rewards that were granted to each individual soldier.

He tried to pay attention. He knew it was important, and he had promised his aunt Vara he would treat it as an assignment.

Lower ranked soldiers mostly received extra wages or a new weapon. High ranked officials were rewarded a horse or a title. The noble born were granted more land, horses, privileges.

The line never seemed to end.

The banquet lasted for five days, and when it finally ended, he only felt drained. He knew he couldn't avoid a confrontation with his father forever. So when the last guests had finally left Auros, he knew he couldn't put it off any longer.

Lucius stood awkwardly in the corner of the salon, waiting for his father and grandfather to arrive.

He stole a glance at his aunt and uncle. They were seated near the fireplace, enjoying some refreshments while softly conversing with each other. In a day or so, they would return to Boncini.

And he would stay behind in a place where he'd be subdued to the same old routine.

He'd be all alone again. He doubted anyone here would let him help clean the stables and feed the animals. It would be lesson after lesson, and quiet dinners that only made him feel awkward. Everything here was always so formal.

The door opened and Lucius tensed, but it wasn't his father. It was his great-grandmother. She had stayed in her quarters mostly these past few days. Her age and heath couldn't take large crowds for long anymore. But now that all the guests had returned home, she came to spend time with her family. Lucius knew his great-grandmother adored aunt Vara.

Lady Eurydice kissed Vara's cheek and embraced Iason before turning to Lucius. She smiled lovingly at him. "Come, my boy," she said, "let me look at you. You have grown in the month you've been away. It must be the country air." She cupped his face and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Did my Vara take good care of you, child? Did you like Boncini? It was your father's favorite place as a child."

"Yes, grandmother," Lucius whispered.

"Lucius is doing great," Vara smiled, "our horses have never looked shinier and our chickens are fattening up nicely."

An amused smile appeared on lady Eurydice's face. "Do they now? I am glad to hear it."

The door opened again, and this time it really was Cyrus. He entered the room behind the king who took position at the fireplace. Cyrus took a seat across from Vara.

"That was the last of it," king Marcos spoke tiredly. Apparently it was a continuation of a conversation he'd been having with Cyrus before entering the room "Arrangements have already been made. You can handpick your own guard. I have instructions for the soldiers that are residing there at the moment. They are to return to Auros and report to me after they have transferred Vertalis to you. Once they present themselves to me, they will receive a generous reward. Bring order back to Vertalis, son. We need to carefully consider who will be suited to take permanent position there. It is not a decision to be made lightly."

"I already agreed to go," Cyrus said annoyed.

The king narrowed his eyes. "Will you quit sulking like a child! This is a great opportunity for you. You will rule this kingdom one day. Show me you can rule a province." His eyes shifted towards Lucius, who had been trying hard not to be noticed. "Lucius will accompany you. He can resume his lessons there. Take his teachers with you. It's time he learns about the kingdom outside of these walls. Now that we've won the war, it will be safe enough to take him with you to border inspections. It will give him a better understanding on our defenses."

Lucius' head flew up and he stared at his grandfather wide-eyed.

"My king," Vara said startled, "are you certain this is wise? We may have defeated Balor, but we have not established peace. Smaller attacks will still occur, as the always have. You are taking a great risk."

"I am not asking to take the boy to battle," king Marcos said impatiently, "only to show him what our men have been fighting to protect." He looked at Cyrus again. "And he will start training in weaponry too. A bow and arrows at first. When his grip is stronger, he'll move on to the sword."

Lucius bit his lip, awaiting his father's verdict. He wasn't really sure what he was hoping for. He wanted his father to love him, to ride together as they used to. He wanted him to oversee his lessons and smile proudly when he recited something correctly. But the way his father was acting towards him now made Lucius anxious. What if, once they were in Vertalis, his father would continue to ignore him? He didn't know any of the staff there like he did at Boncini. People would treat him as 'prince Lucius' again instead of simply 'Lucius'. He would make friends with rocks again.

Cyrus glanced at the boy and sighed. There was no point in arguing with his father. It would be an endless battle. "Fine. I will find him a good instructor. Can we stop talking about formal matters now? It's been nothing but formalities for the past weeks. I'm tired."

His father was about to argue when lady Eurydice spoke up. "Marcos," she said gently, "Cyrus is right. Enough of state affairs. It is so rare for us to be together as a family. Let us enjoy each other's company. Vara and Iason will return home soon, and Cyrus will leave for Vertalis with Lucius. We don't know when we will have the chance again to be together like this."

King Marcos sighed. "Very well, but we will speak again in the morning. There are still arrangements to go over."

"I'm sure there are," lady Eurydice spoke, "there always are. But not tonight. Tonight we are simply a family, enjoying a meal. Tomorrow you can be king again."

...

Darius leaned back against the wall from where he was watching his eldest son's riding lessons. He felt at peace. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything even remotely close.

Not far away, brazen Shahzad was climbing the paddock fence while a slightly annoyed Mehr attempted to keep him from tumbling underneath his brother's horse. It made Darius chuckle. And it seemed little Roshan was a copy of her brother. The girl could barely walk but already knew no danger. Wherever her brothers went, she wanted to go as well.

There would be lots of trouble with that girl. He would have to keep a close eye on her. The world was not the same for women as it was for men.

Before, he would have said women needed to know their place. The world was ruled by men. It was the world he knew, the word he had been raised in. It had horrified him when he'd met Vara that any woman would be so outspoken and would dare to speak to a man that way. He had known Zeir customs were different, but it was still insulting. Only after meeting Elora had his mindset changed. She had changed it. He knew now that it didn't make him less of a man when a woman spoke her mind.

Even if the world would always be crueler to women, he wouldn't deny his daughter the same opportunities he'd give his sons. If she wanted to learn to ride a horse, he would let her. Reading, writing, math, embroidery, music. Whatever she wanted she would be allowed to learn.

But he would draw the line at sword fighting.

"What has your mind so occupied this morning?" Elora had approached him with an amused smile on her face and a squirming Roshan in her arms.

Darius watched it with amusement. "That we have a bunch of reckless children," he said and he held out his arms to the wiggling girl.

Elora happily handed her over and sat down next to her husband. She, too, watched their sons. "They are growing so fast," she sighed lovingly.

Darius nodded in agreement. He had been away for only a few months, but it already seemed like he had missed a lot. Ardashir had become an excellent rider, and with a bigger horse, Shahzad was much more focused. And then there was Roshan, who had still been struggling to crawl when he left but could now walk on her mother's hand.

He tore his eyes away from the children and looked at his wife instead. "So where is Torcan this morning? I haven't seen him yet. Lord Mikos and the girl are also unaccounted for."

Elora smiled. "Torcan accompanied them into town. Malati had asked to visit the market. I thought it would make a lovely outing. Don't you agree?"

Darius shrugged lightly. He didn't know about such things. And he certainly never visited the market place. If he had need of something, merchants came to him.

"Did you need Torcan for something?" Elora asked.

Darius shook his head. "No. I was just wondering." He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Let's have a family meal tonight, with Mikos and Malati. And Torcan too. Have you decided on wedding gifts yet?"

"Of course I have," Elora smiled, "have you?"

Darius snorted a laugh. "I already owe Salvire a great deal. I promise you my gift to them will be quite generous." He had thought about it for a long time. Aside from gifts from the royal treasury, he would solve the problem with the harem too. Some had already married the soldiers. But there were still others. He would give them the opportunity to find position in the Salvire household, as servants, if they wished.

He turned his attention back to his son, who had just ended his lesson.

Ardashir nodded at this teacher as the man bowed to him. The young prince then approached his parents and bowed at Darius. "Father."

"Son," Darius nodded at him, "you have become a strong rider. Keep improving. In your other lessons as well."

"Yes, father," Ardashir spoke seriously.

"Good," Darius nodded, "go meet with your history teacher then. Tonight you can recite what you have learned about the history of the nomad people."

"Yes, father," Ardashir said again. He bowed before making his way inside. This studies would take place in the inner courtyard where it would be cooler.

Darius stood up with Roshan in his arms and walked up to Ardashir's horse that was being held by his riding instructor. Carefully, Darius lifted the girl onto the horse and held her tightly.

Roshan squealed happily and patted the horse on the shoulder.

"Me too!" Shahzad shouted from on top of the fence. He was about to launch himself from the fence onto the horse, but Mehr grabbed him around the waist and put him down on his feet.

"No, young prince," Mehr told him firmly, "if you wish to ride the horse, ask your father for permission. Do not frighten the animal. It will think a predator attacks and it will throw your sister."

Shahzad pouted, but looked guiltily at his little sister. He adored her and he would never want anything bad to happen to her. But he really flinched when he met his father's stern stare. The boy shuffled forward with his head down. He knew he was in for an earful.

But his father said nothing. He merely nodded his head towards the palace.

Shahzad sighed. This meant the scolding would come later. He had been told many times before to think before he acted, to not be so impulsive. But it seemed he forgot every time, a few minutes after he'd been told.

Dragging his feet, Shahzad walked inside.

Mehr sighed and bowed at the king before following after his young charge. When he had first been appointed as lady Elora's personal guard, he hadn't imagined chasing after the royal children. Other soldiers mockingly called him 'the nursemaid', but Mehr had decided to see it as a position of honor. Prince Ardashir would be king one day. Who knew if he would appoint Mehr as his personal advisor and manservant, the position Torcan held now for king Darius.

The past few years, Mehr had grown to respect Torcan. He had endured mockery from his peers for much longer.

It was proof that king Darius was a king worth serving. A fair king. A king that recognized other men's worth as well, despite their circumstances. Mehr would do his best to live up to his king's expectations, no matter how much mockery he'd have to endure.

...

"Vara."

Both Vara and Iason paused at the sound of Cyrus' voice. Yesterday had been a long day and both were ready to return to Boncini.

Iason looked at her questioningly,. She placed a hand on his arm, indicating him to stay. She wasn't quite ready to deal with Cyrus on her own. Their argument from not too long ago was still fresh in her mind and she didn't know what to expect. He could be really unpredictable.

Cyrus glanced at Iason a moment, but didn't question his presence. He looked at Vara again. "I need you to do something for me. When we leave Auros, take Lucius with you to Boncini. Let him live with you there."

Vara stared at him noncomprehending. "What are you talking about?" she asked, "live at Boncini? Your father told you to bring him with you to Vertalis."

"My father does not need to know," Cyrus said.

Vara shook her head. "Cyrus, you cannot just abandon your own son. Think about how it will make him feel. He thinks you don't love him!"

Cyrus looked away. "It's because I love him. I can't... have him around me yet. I read the reports. I know he loves it with you and Iason. I know he is well protected there. And loved. I know he'll grow up fine. I will visit him when I'm ready."

"Cyrus..." Vara countered.

"Your Highness," Iason spoke, "prince Lucius will be better off with you, his father. Of course he will always be welcome at Boncini, but..."

"Do not tell me what is best for my son," Cyrus growled.

"Cyrus!" Vara glared at him. When he looked at her, she let out a deep breath. "He just needs his father." She shook her head. "Your father will never allow it anyway."

Cyrus shook his head. "I told you. He doesn't need to know. I choose who rides with me. No one will report to him without my permission. He wants me to rule the province, so I will. You said it yourself, it is not safe yet so close to the border. He'll be safer at Boncini."

Iason placed a hand on Vara's shoulder and gently pressed it. "We will take care of prince Lucius," he said gently, "until you are ready to take care of him yourself." The boy was most important now, not winning an argument.

"Good," Cyrus nodded, "we'll ride out together and I'll part with you at Boncini."

Vara sighed sadly. "You should be the one to tell him," she told Cyrus, "he should hear it from his father, and he needs to know why."

"No need," Cyrus said while glancing behind her, "he already knows."