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It took him fourteen days to gather his armies and get back to the towering walls of Northstone Castle. His soldiers had taken many prisoners of war and they all walked in single file, most with their heads down but some observing or glaring at everything. Kael let them go past to the dungeons while he looked up at his castle—Northstone Castle, the gem of the North.

Kael jumped off his horse and passed it to a stable boy before walking in. Jax followed behind him,  bruised and weary from the battle before. Jax had lost Ulysses in the crush of bodies and confusion of the East's arrival, and Kael saw that he was disappointed. He wasn't injured but was covered in blood and had a dent in his chest plate; Kael, on the other hand, had been ambushed by a Southerner on their way back and had a cut running down his face to show for it, something that would turn into a scar overtime.

Landon and I now share something, at least.

He walked across to Ethelind's chambers, ignoring the ache of his tired limbs and the complaining of his legs as he pushed himself up the polished wood staircase. Ethelind was seated behind her desk, her fingers tapping a piece of parchment as she considered what to write next. She perked up at the sound of his footsteps, her gaze taking in his battered armour and bleeding cheek, then a smile took her lips.

"You're back," she remarked.

"I am. But we lost about five thousand men and we estimate Southern casualties at about three times that number," Kael said.

"And Aldric is gone," Ethelind replied.

"And Aldric is gone," Kael echoed.

I still have Landon. And he has the fox, Kael thought. The fox that was meant to spark affection in him, teach him how to care for something again. Kael had no other children and only one living nephew, who was a prisoner of war, and one niece, who had disappeared. Landon was the only heir he had left.

"Adebiyi sent knights to help the war. Why?" Kael didn't doubt for a second that Ethelind had had a hand in it. It was one of the reasons why he had left her behind, knowing how easily she would take care of his business. She was a skilled warrior, but she was of more use to him as a negotiator and manipulator.

"He is now our ally after I offered him a quarter of the South on your behalf."

Kael was quiet as he took the information in. "I never agreed to that."

"I know. But I had to do something. Plus, I couldn't ask you since you were away."

"Fine." Kael saw logic in it. The East would be useful, and if it meant that they would have to lose some of the South when they acquired it, then it was a price he would pay. "How much did he offer?"

"He's sending a thousand of his elite praetorian guard, and has paid us forty thousand Milates." She smiled. "We could build a whole fleet with that, or pay for agricultural developments."

Kael nodded. "Did anything else happen while I was away?"

"There has been talk of Damek Westerling."

"Damek?" Kael's mind went blank. He was so tired that it was hard to keep focus.

"My uncle." She lifted her eyebrows. "He took my grandmother's surname, Westerling."

"Ah, yes, the old prince. Lucian's brother, right? Owner of Lakewood Moat."

Ethelind nodded. "He is mobilising an army. I suspect he plans to come after the throne that he believed was always his."

"I see. Is that it?" Kael asked.

"Lachlan is dead."

Kael frowned. "Succumbed to his wounds?"

"No. Audrey put a sword in him."

Kael took a deep breath, trying to sort through his tangled thoughts. He was too exhausted to process his emotions properly. "Why?"

"I'm no mind reader."

Are you sure about that? he thought.

"Don't let her out unattended, then. Change her guard."

"Of course, Your Grace."

He hesitated. "Thank you. For looking after my castle."

"Any time." It might have just been his imagination, but he was sure that her blue eyes had twinkled mischievously as she said it. "Your Majesty, if I may, I believe that you should throw a ball at some point soon. A costume party, perhaps. Some of the nobles are at the verge of pledging themselves—I think that I can push them into loyalty if given the right opportunity."

"Very well. You may plan it for the next half moon, and I'll offer you a few hundred Milates out of our treasury to fund it. But, first, I want a funeral for Aldric, then I want preparations for bodies to be collected from the site of Starford Field. We need to honour the dead, and their families can bury or burn them as they please." Kael did not know where the burst of compassion had come from, but suspected that Aldric's death had stirred some sympathy in him for the dead soldiers' families.

"The Southerners will not let us cross their border just to collect our Northerners on their land."

Kael made a hiss of annoyance. "Then go by force. We've already pushed their army back, so they won't be causing us much trouble. A few battalions are stationed in the upper South, creating a few checkpoints we can work from; as soon as we tighten that grip, we can advance on Teravardi."

It would take time, but collecting bodies was an honourable act that would help the Northerners to see he was not a monster. Ethelind seemed to understand and smiled. "As you say, Your Majesty."

He nodded to her and walked out, heading down to Landon's chambers next even as his knees felt close to buckling. He knocked, and was admitted.

Landon's bedchamber was surprisingly simple: a double bed with navy blue drapes and ornamented canopies took up one side of the room and a desk took up the other, a cluster of maps and letters strewn across it carelessly. There was a large bookshelf with a lute leaning against it to the left of a window, with a sword lying across the ledge. And, next to a candle, a bowl of small, round lemon cakes sat on the bedside table. It looked like something any normal boy would ask for.

Landon was reading a letter, sprawled lazily across his bed, but he put it away and sat up as soon as he saw his father. He was dressed in a black doublet with his dark hair curling at the nape of his neck, and Hunter was next to him, warily watching Kael through sleepy eyes.

Kael had become used to the coldness of Landon's room. Despite the summer and the warming weather, he somehow always kept it at a noticeable temperature drop to the one outside the room.

"Hello, father. I see you're back." He smiled coldly as he spoke.

"Disappointed?" Kael asked.

Landon ignored the question. "Is it true then? Aldric is dead?"

"Aldric is dead," Kael confirmed.

Kael saw the corner of Landon's jaw twitch before he turned his head away. Kael didn't know what he had hoped to see from Landon, but the pain between them was shared. Even if Landon could hide it, Kael knew that he mourned Aldric's death too. There was a silence where they both let the truth sink in. They had lost Elise, and now they had lost Aldric. Kael half-expected Landon to comment on his loss, and found that he wanted Landon to confess his true pain. Instead, he changed the subject.

"King Adebiyi is with us now," Landon stated.

What did I expect? I never let him confide in me before, and now he has lost any faith in me, Kael thought. I am nothing more than a stranger now, maybe an acquaintance. "I've heard."

"The East are greedy. They will turn on us if they see one crack of weakness." Landon chewed his bottom lip, a childish habit he had picked up when he was younger. He seemed to realise that the habit was coming back and stopped. "The second we break through the South, he will demand for more than he agreed to."

"Then he can have it. I'm not coming to blows with Adebiyi."

Landon shrugged. "But it might soon be inevitable. We shouldn't have allied with him."

Kael turned to Hunter, who was watching him with his mismatched eyes. He had grown more aggressive since Kael had last seen him and could walk properly, his build sleek and muscular like a wolf. Landon had trained the fox somehow.

But with affection or fear?

Kael suddenly became afraid that he had given Landon a weapon instead of a lesson.

"Landon..." he started, almost choking on the wrongness of the words as he tried to shove down his pride. "I-I'm sorry."

Landon gave a small exhale of disbelief. "Anyone can say they're sorry, father. But no one can take back the past."

Kael shook his head. "You know that I..."

"Goodbye," Landon muttered, and turned away.

Kael paused before turning and walking out, shutting the door behind him.

The corridors were full of people reuniting with their friends or family, and lively music drifted from the halls as the minstrels sang, welcoming back the guards and mourning those fallen in battle. Tables of food were set up in the Great Hall and the well was emptied as people drew water so that the soldiers could clean the blood off their tunics. Kael was pleased to realise that Lucian's men and his own had started to accept each other more over time. Even if they kept apart, they had faced a battle together and sometimes condescended a brisk nod or smile at the other. They understood what the other had been through and respected the bravery shown. Some of the Northerners even seemed to have a grudging respect for Kael. They would never love him or forgive what he had done to Lucian, but he had proven himself in battle and shown their princess mercy. And Ulysses had turned out to be just as much as an oath-breaker, which the honourable Northerners despised.

Kael slowly walked along the edge of the garden, watching as a long crowd of soldiers trickled into the chapel to hear the chaplain bless the dead and the living. Even some of the more secular lingered by the doorway, watching the religious ceremony in silence. Meanwhile, the gardeners tended to the thriving flowers, their heads bowed over petals of every colour as the blue sky looked on. The golden fountains were streaming cold water and a group of Northern ladies sat on the edges, giggling together and watching as Jax gave orders to soldiers, still working although Kael knew he had to be on the brink of collapse from exhaustion. Kael could tell that the ladies were mostly ogling the captain of the guard. He was only in his early twenties, and his golden hair gleamed in the light, his purple eyes and square jawline giving him an appealing appearance. He never spared a glance for any of them, however.

Watching him, Kael realised just how little he knew about Jaxon Field. Jax had just turned up at his tent one day, a thin, blonde adolescent with a muddy face and battered clothes. Even then, he had said little and observed his surroundings with a blank expression. Xavier had looked upon him with disdain, saying he was worth nothing, but Kael had taken him in and sent him to learn sword fighting with others his age, only to have reports of him outshining the others within weeks. Kael had called him back in and then sent him to work with a skilled knight instead. A few years later, Jax had turned into one of his most loyal and skilled soldiers.

It would be best for them to turn away. Nothing will ever come from admiring a man so immersed in his duty, Kael thought as he observed the girls before turning to go back to his chambers. He wanted nothing better than a warm bath and a long nap on a warm mattress. On the way back to Northstone, they had stopped at inns, small castles, and set up tents, but the beds had been uncomfortable and stiff. The image of a steaming mug of broth, a mug of beer, and collapsing onto the soft bed sheets...

"Your Majesty." The ambassador from the East had stepped in front of him with a swift bow just as he reached the entrance to the Main Hall. Kael hid his impatience as he nodded back.

"Calhoun," he greeted. "Thank you for all that you have done for us."

Calhoun smiled smugly. "My pleasure, Your Majesty. I've come to inform you that Adebiyi has gathered the thousand elites that you wanted. Where do you want them taken?"

"Bring them here." The warm bath was all that Kael could focus on. He wished that he could just leave all his problems for Ethelind to deal with, but reminded himself that he was the king. It was his duty to listen. "We'll extend the place to accommodate them."

With the amount of money in the treasury that Lucian had stored and Adebiyi had given, Kael could have created dozens of new castles and still have plenty left.

"I'm glad." Calhoun nodded. "My state has been waiting for an opportunity to prove itself for a while now. We will not disappoint."

Of course you won't. The East is teeming with belligerent soldiers ready to wage war and show off their military prowess, Kael thought.

"You were not involved in any of our previous wars with the Everwoods," Kael noted.

"Ah, well. We have our reasons." He gave a bow before moving out of Kael's way.

He sighed before starting the ascent to his chambers, his thoughts focused on the bath he planned to have.

Not going to lie, I would probably already be dead if I was in this world

I would be too much of a coward for war, too lazy to do anything and too awkward to manipulate others lmao

Anyway, love you all,

shelly m xx