Fear filled Evander when he entered the guest quarters and saw that the doors to the balcony were open. He crossed the room quickly, praying that he was wrong. Stepping out onto the balcony, Evander was relieved to see that Patrice was sitting at the garden table with unexpected company.

Dutifully, Evander smiled as he tipped his head.

"Grandmother. A pleasant surprise as always. When did you arrive?"

"A few minutes ago." she rasped. "When I heard that my jackass grandson was up to no good again, I knew that it was time to return to the capital. I don't like it here."

"I know, which is why it is so surprising to see you."

Patrice detected a hint of sarcasm in Evander's tone. She liked Rivlea. The woman was nothing like Jarek, probably a little closer to Evander's personality. She was sprightly, sassy and was not afraid to speak her mind.

When Patrice entered the room, she found Rivlea sitting on the lounge with an expectant smile on her face. She stood, leaning heavily on the cane and introduced herself. Then she declared that she'd come to the capital to meet the woman that would be queen.

Patrice didn't think that it would come to that, but deep down, she knew that Rivlea was right. That was her destiny, whether she or Jarek liked it or not.

Rivlea sized her up, asked a few questions and then declared that she was perfect. With a yank of the cord, Rivlea had maids running. Afternoon tea would be arriving any minute.

"Don't think you have escaped my attention. I know you stink of certain females, and I've got my eye on you."

Evander gritted a smile, turning to see Niwen standing a few steps from him. In her hands was a platter filled with afternoon tea for two.

"You can go now and tell your brother that I expect his behaviour to improve, or I'll have him over my knee before the sun sets."

Patrice grinned, saying nothing. She looked at Evander with smugness. He merely rolled his eyes and turned out of the room, leaving poor Niwen to deal with his frustrating grandmother.

"He means well, my dear," Rivlea said as she patted Patrice's hand. "He's just an idiot."

"Who? Evander or Jarek?"

"Both," she hummed, picking up a biscuit. "Good to hear that the monster has been kicked out of the building. Not sure what Jarek saw in her. Maybe she honked like a goose in bed or something."

Patrice choked on her tea, struggling to remain dignified. Rivlea patted her on the back, helping her until she stopped spluttering everywhere. The girl clearly needed a little more training. Not much, but a few pointers would help. At least she was better than the previous.

"Do you have geese in this world?"

"Clearly," Niwen muttered under her breath.

She gave Patrice a look that said she had to be brighter around this woman. She did not take fools lightly and if Patrice didn't pick up her game, she'd know about it.

Picking up the tray, Niwen curtsied and then left before the Duchess turned her attention on her. The less she saw, the less she could figure out which was what Niwen wanted.

"I never expected to lose their grandfather," Rivlea said as she handed back the letter. "It was something that broke me into thousands of pieces. We are immortal but that does not mean that we cannot die. I expected that I would grow old as I am now with Kylen by my side as we progressed into our rejuvenating years. He would have already passed on the leadership to our eldest. We would be living in the north to wait for our youth to return to us. It did not happen and I did not see it coming."

Rivlea clutched Patrice's hand, looking at her with understanding.

"He does not understand, and we all pray that he never will. It's of no consolation to you. The damage has been done. His words were horrid and they cannot be taken back. All you can do is move forward with the understanding that this is not who Jarek is. I know my grandson. I know that he is a good elf. If I know him as well as I believe that I do, Jarek would have regretted his words as soon as they came out of his mouth. He's as stubborn as his father. He will struggle to even walk through the door to apologise to you but trust me, it will happen. All that I ask is that you try to remain calm. It is the best way to keep him calm and without his stakalis, his emotions will be all over the place. Perhaps even a little volatile. Such curious times."

The warmth left Patrice's hand as Rivlea returned to her teacup. In the lounge room, the sound of a door shutting echoed and Rivlea smiled.

"Told you so."

Jarek frowned at his grandmother. The withered hand gestured for him to come closer.

Jarek leaned down cautiously, knowing his grandmother well. He was not surprised when she took hold of his ear to scold him.

"Your father would be turning in his grave if he could see you right now." Rivlea hissed softly.

"Grandmother," Jarek groaned.

"Before you is the woman that your stakalis has selected for you. Have the tales of old been for nothing? What happened to all those nights where you'd sit on my knee and ask me when it would be your turn? Why have you forgotten and need to rely on a book to tell you what you should know?"

Rivlea let go, frowning at Jarek. With a sigh, he lowered to one knee in front of her.

"What did I say on the night of your tenth birthday?"

Jarek glanced at Patrice. Her eyes were still swollen and red, but at least she wasn't crying anymore. He would not admit that it pained him to see her suffering. Regret had found him almost instantly. He would say something to her and had intended to until Evander told him that they had company. Old and crotchety company.

Returning to his grandmother, Jarek grimaced.

"That it can happen to a king and that I should be prepared in case it happened to me."

"And why does it happen to a king?"

"Because sometimes he makes poor choices, and the stakalis will leave to find the right choice so that the course is altered."

Rivlea looked at Patrice and nodded with a smile. The pain was still strong in her heart, but Patrice returned the smile. After all, she liked Rivlea and did not want to upset her.

Rivlea knew that what was going on was normal. It was not new, and if they'd bothered to remember their past, both Jarek and Evander would know the answer without needing to consult a book or clerics.