Siren's Reach - Fallen Lands Book 3

Chapter Fourteen

The Fellowship of Disaster-Control

Evelyn

The clean-up after the battle took nearly a week. That shouldn't have been much of a surprise, but it just felt like it took forever. It was probably the smell. I tried to have a constant breeze blowing away from the town - it helped push the goblin corpses and smaller monster chunks out of the cove, but more than anything, I really just wanted to escape that awful smell. Still, even I had to take breaks from time to time. I didn't suffer alone, though. Septimia came by several times to check on me, and if I was resting, she would even sit and talk to me about how things were going with the cleanup and the operation of the estate. Kira was often by my side, and Haunt was having a lot of fun "helping" by chasing away birds that came too close and keeping me entertained with his playing.

It was late in the afternoon of the sixth day when high tide came in, and several of the larger ships could begin towing the remnants of the Abyssal Star out into the sea. While they did that, I stood on the town wall above it all in a wizard-ish robe with my staff raised in my best Gandalf pose, summoning a storm to help clean out the cove. A major bonus to that was it let me assist the ships with much heavier winds. It was a bit of a balancing act making sure the wind wasn't so strong it damaged the ships while also holding back the building rain and storm surge until they finished. I probably won't ever admit to them how close of a call that really was, but when the rain started to pour down, and the winds began carrying in the bigger waves to cleanse out our little piece of the Shallow Sea, I was running on empty. I stayed in a guard post most of that night, making sure the storm was under control, bringing the lightning down to incinerate anything large enough to be a problem still floating out in the water, and then making sure the storm moved out to sea by the morning. When the sun broke the horizon the next day, I was able to take a breath of almost clean sea air. One storm, no matter how well controlled, wasn't going to completely clean the harbor, but it was enough to get things into a much more normal state that the local ecosystem could handle.

I double-checked that no more issues at the harbor needed my attention before finally stumbling out of the guard post with Kira right behind me. I only made it a few steps into the city before nearly walking right into Amélie.

"Wow, Evie, when was the last time you slept? You look terrible!"

I groaned at her, "Thanks Amélie. That is exactly what I want to hear. I took a few naps last night between things."

She smiled and took my hand to walk beside me, "Do you want a pick-me-up spell?"

"No no, I'm going directly to bed. You can send someone to wake me up in a month. How did someone convince you to get out of bed so early, anyway?"

She grinned at me, "Perhaps I missed my beloved sister."

I found a way to slump even more, "The news is that bad, huh?"

Amélie laughed, "No, but it is important. The Silver Talons, the mercenaries you hired, ran into another raiding party trying to sneak in through a mountain pass using the storm as cover. I guess they didn't realize you were preventing it from coming overland. Anyway, it was a band of around fifty men doing a poor impression of bandits. It is a pretty big escalation. We think they were all mercenaries, but none were taken alive to find out. It's impossible to know if the ones who retreated back into the pass will be able to tell that they were fighting hired mercenaries or not, but from what I understand, it was dark, and the ambush was chaotic."

"Is anyone hurt? I guess I should go check on things," I said, changing directions.

Amélie just tugged me back on course, "Septimia is handling it. There were no serious injuries on our side. We just had to make sure you were aware in case it is part of a larger attack. "

I sighed, "I was really hoping they'd give up on this stupid war thing. We have enough problems with pirates and whatever this mess is with the sea monsters. Were they trying to head for the town or the road?"

She hummed, "Well, it happened on the north end of the valley near the road, so I guess that way. I am a little lacking on details."

I nodded, "They were trying to secure the pass out of the valley then. They might still attack it from the north, but I doubt it. There is a gated wall at the entrance to the pass. Without support from our side, they'd just be stalled there. They would need to be moving a force big enough to attack the town if they were going to try anyway, otherwise it'd be pointless. I think that would have been spotted by now. They could try to camp a smaller force outside, but why bother? Even if they blocked the road, we still have a harbor. Unless they're in league with the pirates and think they still have ships nearby." I was exhausted and my thoughts just spilled out of my head.

"I thought we ruled out the pirates being hired mercenaries?"

I shrugged, "We did, but we could be wrong. And they might just have an understanding with them. I'm not sure if I have three wars going on at once or just a lot of weird coincidences."

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best?" she tried with a helpless smile. "You have friends here to help. You do not have to do everything yourself, Evie."

I looked around at the town that was just starting to wake up as we passed it by, "Yeah. I guess so. I just worry. I don't even know if I have enough troops to deal with one war. And I still have other business here, too."

"Even if they're all serious, I'm not so certain that we have three wars, Evie. We have one war with Blackstone, sure. Then we have a sea monster mystery. That isn't a war so much as potential quest material. And the pirates are more of a criminal matter."

I thought about that for a second. "Well, I guess I see your point. I am worried about taking too many guards away from the town with the monsters and pirates. But I do have other forces to use. I think if the other two problems are being looked into, Septimia would be more than up to the task of keeping Blackstone out until I find a resolution to that situation. I could ask Commander Aric to investigate the pirates. He is very knowledgeable about them and has experience on that front as a naval officer. And, we have two full parties of adventurers in town. I could commission a quest for them through the guild to investigate the sea monster incidents."

Amélie beamed at me, "See? It is not so bad… Well, okay, it is awful, but you have this under control!"

I returned a tired smile, "Any word on Mirage?"

"Oh, not yet. I'm sure she has explored most of the valley by now, though. She will be back soon enough to tell us about the best spots."

Just the thought took some stress off my shoulders. "The sooner we build our grove, the better."

Amélie snorted, "You say that now, but I am honestly a little worried how much trouble Sybil will get into without Elder Haruka keeping an eye on her."

"That.. is a good point… I'm, uh, sure it'll be fine."

She shrugged, "Most likely… and if not, at least it will be fun."

"We could use some fun," I agreed before an evil grin split my face, "Can you imagine Mirage's face the first time she has to watch one of Sibyl's weird experiments explode?"

"No, no, I cannot. Have you ever noticed how it is impossible to remember what she looks like?"

"It is?" Kira asked in confusion from behind me before gasping, "It is! How did I never notice that before?"

I nodded, "Yeah, that's part of the effect too. I think I am close to figuring out how she's doing it. Soon, I, too, will have the power to be edgy and mysterious!"

Kira groaned, but Amélie only chuckled, "I am going to be jealous of that one. I still think the double disguise is a bit much, though."

Finally deciding to join the conversation, Kira stepped up on my other side and asked, "What do you mean disguise? Do you think she's a spy?"

I laughed and shook my head, "No, nothing like that. She's just cautious, I think. Well, at least at first, she was being careful while getting to know us. Maybe it's something that comes with living so long. But now, I think she only does it because she's always done it. I'm sure she'll decide it's okay to just be herself around us eventually."

She slowly nodded, looking a little ashamed, perhaps at not realizing what was going on sooner. "I thought Mirage was just an adventurer's moniker. I hadn't considered it was something else."

Amélie grinned, "Do not be so hard on yourself. Only Evie here noticed at first with that trait of hers, and even then, she still could not see through it entirely. Mirage is very skilled."

I gave her a reassuring smile, "It's nothing nefarious. Don't overthink it."

"As my lady says," she replied, but I could tell she was still mulling it over.

I looked back to Amélie, "How is your clinic doing?"

Her face lit up with excitement, "Very good! It is only a small shop in the market, but word spread very quickly. There is another healer in town, an older man named Ram, who is also an alchemist. Alchemy is his primary profession but since he is the only one who people can usually turn to, he does some healing on the side. He has been helping spread the word and stopping by to help out as well when his shop isn't busy. I think he appreciates having someone in town who is willing to take on the role officially."

"Really? I hadn't expected so many people to be coming by already."

Amélie nodded, "At first, it was mostly guards and soldiers who'd been injured in the fighting, and then a few people over illness, but there are a lot of children and young mothers coming in for small things or for checkups. It is a lot of fun!"

She continued telling us stories about her shop until we reached our… house. I wasn't sure I could call it a home. In fact, I was still unsure what to call it at all. From the outside, it looked like a lovely two-story home with a gothic-inspired design. It was even surrounded by beautiful, well-maintained gardens and only separated from the land around it by a six-foot tall and slightly ornate iron wrought fence. It wasn't even too obnoxious in size, having about six thousand square feet of interior space. But that interior space was the problem. When I'd won the duel with Count Alexandros Oriol Vega and claimed ownership of Siren's Reach, our contract had given me everything that went with it, down to the incredibly gaudy, pompous, awful furniture, the ridiculously lewd and over-the-top artwork both in paintings and sculptures, and rugs that could make my eyes bleed if I stared at them too long. It had been such a shock the first time I'd been shown the place that I had turned right around and walked back outside. I'd considered dragging the furniture out to the lawn and just having a bonfire, but Septimia had cautioned me against it, reminding me that despite the over-the-top baroque carvings, exaggerated flourishes, and gold damask-patterned velvet, it was all quite valuable. So, I was dealing with it until I could have something else made and figure out what to do with the current décor.

I had been a little worried when Septimia offered to show me to my home that I'd be imposing on her as I had no idea how having a Castellan worked, but it turned out that she had her own small mansion that was nearby. There was also a small castle a short distance away, but the small mansion-style homes had been built and then never used by Alexandros as he didn't want to sleep in a drafty stone fortress if he didn't have to. It turns out he never had time to use this place as a vacation home or whatever he had been planning before he lost it to me. As we walked up to the front door, I could only regret that he didn't lose it to me before he'd furnished it. I hugged my sister, and then, with Kira's aid, I made it to my rooms, took a short bath, and then slept until dinner. When Kira gently shook me awake to let me know I had twenty minutes before dinner and we had guests, I groaned. But I knew if we had guests, I couldn't roll over and go back to sleep. So, instead, I got up, let Kira dress me in a comfortable but appropriate dinner gown, and we made our way down to the dining hall. This, too, was obnoxious, but at least the art was covered with sheets. More important was the long table with nearly twenty people seated at it, all standing and halting their conversations at my entrance. I didn't even have to think before my face automatically took on its polite smile, and I nodded my acknowledgment to them.

"Welcome, everyone! I'm delighted you could all join us this evening. Please, take your seats. I've been told dinner will be served any moment."

Despite my words, everyone waited until I made my way to the head of the table to sit in my ridiculously oversized ugly chair. If it wasn't more comfortable than sitting on a cloud, I'd have gotten rid of it days ago. I looked out over my guests and was happy to recognize everyone, and I even knew most of their names. Septimia was here with a few representatives from the town guard and even a man wearing a uniform with a silver hawk talon emblem on the sleeve, so I could guess who he represented. Derik and Lilith sat together, and beside them sat Reinhold, the leader of the other adventuring party in town. I was surprised to see Commander Aric and our tactical officer, Penelope Hawkwood, present, as well as the captains of all four combat-capable ships in the harbor. It seemed anyone related to defense or logistics was present or represented. When my eyes found Mirage, however, they lit up, and I couldn't hold back a much more genuine smile, excited to hear what she had found. But first, it seemed I needed to sort out why everyone in town was having dinner with us. Amélie was seated directly beside me, looking very pleased with herself, so I knew whose idea this dinner had been. I looked at her expectantly until she noticed and, with a happy grin, explained.

"As we discussed this morning, we need to review the current situations we are dealing with around Siren's Reach and begin delegating assignments to bring them to a resolution. I have summoned everyone we need and anyone who may have input on the situation."

I gave her the most polite smile I could manage, "Thank you, Amélie. I cannot imagine a more wonderful way to wake up." I knew she could see the daggers in my eyes, but it was obvious she didn't care. I let out a little huff and nodded, "You're right, of course. We should deal with this as soon as possible. Valoranthe Septimia, I would like to begin with the most pressing issue. I heard of the attack this morning. Can you give us some details on that?"

As I spoke, platters of appetizers began making their way to the table, and without any pause or interruption, the guests were being served.

Septimia gave me a gracious nod, "Yes, Lady Evelyn. First, I wanted to convey the thanks of everyone here for all of the work you put into helping us throughout this week. Without the assistance of you and your people, we would have suffered far more losses in the battle, and I doubt we'd have gotten very far with the cleanup."

Stolen story; please report.

I nodded in return, "It was nothing more than my duty, Valoranthe Septimia."

Her smile said she approved of that answer, and she went on. "In the night, approximately fifty mercenaries hired by Blackstone attempted to use a little-known footpath through the mountains to invade and capture our northern guard post by surprise. A patrol of twenty of the Silver Talons spotted them and immediately engaged. The invaders were not at all prepared to deal with mounted archers with enchantments to see at night and were quickly routed. Some few made it back into the mountain pass, but we are unsure if they saw enough to know who they were fighting. We suffered no serious injuries in the skirmish. None of the men left behind survived more than an hour, but when the patrol questioned the few still breathing, they were quick to admit to being mercenaries. We have not seen any enemy activity beyond this. It seems that Blackstone expected us to be entirely unprepared and did not expect to need to support their attack."

I nodded, "Thank you for the report, Valoranthe Septimia. Sir Gareth, have there been any further signs that we should expect another seaborne attack?"

The knight started. I suppose he wasn't prepared for the question, but he gave a slight bow and replied, "No, my lady. All watches have reported no further incursions by monsters or pirates at this time. We are seeing the smaller, more harmless sea monsters and sharks feasting on the remains outside the cove. After the storm, our waters are peaceful within the cove and its surroundings."

This was easier than expected. "Thank you, Sir Gareth. Lord Darius, how is the port after the attack?"

Looking as much like Merlin as he ever had, Lord Darius adjusted his spectacles and answered, "We are recovering, my lady. The sea wall sustained some serious damage near the Harbor Gate, but the initial investigation concluded that the foundation of the wall is intact, and we will only need to repair the surface level. The gate itself was not so fortunate. It suffered significant damage during the battle. It provides meager protection currently and cannot be opened. We have nearly completed a replacement, but the old gate could not be removed until the harbor was cleared. I expect the old gate to be dismantled and removed by the end of the day tomorrow, though any complications may add another day to the process. Once the gate is removed, our ships will be able to sail again. It will take another day to install the new gate, but the process should not impede port operation much."

"Thank you, Lord Darius. Does anyone have any concerns to bring up before I move on?" I asked, hoping the answer was no, but Captain Isolde Vane sat up straight in her perfectly pressed uniform.

"My lady, I have a report to make regarding the disposition of the pirate fleet."

"Fleet?" I asked, a little alarmed.

"Yes, my lady. I have been speaking with the other captains and merchants stuck in port currently. The flotilla that attacked our ships at sea, as well as the one that was trying to blockade our port, are not unique. Some of the merchants in port have sailed to the island nations or to the far end of the Shallow Sea and the pirates are being spotted with more frequency in these formations. They are new to the waters of The Spires, however. More important is that after putting these reports together I suspect there are two or three more of these flotillas that passed us by further out to sea aiming for regions closer to Vigilance or further west."

I held back a groan, but as I was thinking about how that was going to complicate everything, Septimia said, "That sounds like a problem for Vigilance. House Dalen has a fleet of their own and they will be able to handle it. We can send them a messenger to warn them of the danger. I do not think this will be a problem for us to deal with."

Amélie shook her head at Septimia, "Unfortunately, that is incorrect." She shot me an apologetic look before continuing, "It is not commonly known here yet, but Evelyn and I are members of House Dalen, and as such, we are responsible for the defense of the realm. We cannot ignore foreign invaders." She looked to me and continued, "You should send a mage message to Grandfather, but I think while things are quiet here, we should also consider sending Commander Aric with Dawn's Light to do a patrol of the coast. In fact, I will go with him in case there have been any attacks. People may need my skills."

I slumped a little, but only a little, and nodded. "Commander Aric, is this viable?"

He sat up straight and let all pretenses fall away. "Yes, Princess Evelyn. I can have the ship ready to sail by morning."

"Thank you, Commander. Please take care of my sister. Anything else?" I waited for several seconds, but no one spoke, so I continued, "Alright. I will cut right to the heart of things. We have what appears to be three separate emergencies at once. The war with Blackstone, the pirate fleet, and the waves of monsters from the sea. We have the forces to fight one war but not three, so we need to sort these things out as quickly as possible. First, I will review the situation with the monsters as we have the least information there. Everyone knows what happened in the harbor. I think many of you do not know, however, that Amélie and I both heard a song on the wind that seemed to be directing the entire monster swarm. We could not understand it, but I now expect that to be because we were only catching some of a song being sung underwater. At the end of the battle, we encountered a mermaid. She, too, was using magical songs to control the monsters, but the original song was not from her. She was more akin to a control node being used by someone else. Once she was killed, the forces attacking us fell into disarray. We need to know who or what was really behind this attack. In this regard, I would like to create an adventurers guild quest to contract the services of our two adventuring teams and two of our monster-hunting ships to further investigate." I looked in the direction where they were all sitting and asked, "Are any of you willing to take this on?"

Immediately Captain Arabella sat forward, her mad gypsy pirate shirt showing far too much cleavage while she grinned at me, "I'm willing to negotiate payment… and reward… Princess."

I blinked at her owlishly for a moment, but cleared my throat and nodded, "Okay, good. Anyone else?"

Derik and Reinhold exchanged a few quiet words before they both looked up and nodded, and it was only a few seconds later before Captain Isolde said, "Yes, princess. We will join as well. My ship has been repaired in port."

"Thank you, everyone. I am glad to hear it. Then, we will move on to the issue with the pirates. Commander Aric, I was hoping to rely on your expertise for this problem, but that will be sidetracked now."

I paused to think on it, but Aric replied, "Princess Evelyn, I am more than willing to take on this role. I am here to assist you now, and the patrol to the west will not keep me away for more than a few days at most. Once Vigilance and Lihume have been warned of the threat, they will begin sending out squadrons to counter the pirates."

Well, that was a good point. "Thank you, Commander. Do you have any recommendations for where to begin?"

"Yes, Princess. In the immediate future, we need to ensure that the fishing vessels of Siren's Reach are safe. With Dawn's Light traveling west, we do not have the vessels to patrol the waters in the area against pirates traveling in flotillas, so we will be limited to warning merchant ships and advising them to stay in port if possible until reinforcements arrive. This may only be a few days, but not all ships will be willing to wait. We will be short two armed vessels as they will need to investigate the sea monsters in the region and search for clues to our mystery monster, but if the other two monster-hunting vessels are willing to work nearby the fishing vessels, they will be more able to spot trouble before it is too close to withdraw, and if needed, provide covering fire so all our ships can make it back safely. If our ships are able to operate near trade routes, they may be able to warn passing merchants as well."

"Yes, I suppose there is not much we could do proactively against the pirates just yet," I muttered, mostly to myself. Sensing this, he didn't respond, and I thought about it for a few seconds before asking, "Captain Elias, Captain Tobias, are you willing, and is this feasible?"

I hadn't had a chance to speak to the two of them yet, but I knew who they were through my conversations with Septimia over the past few days. Captain Elias of the Sea Serpent was the younger of the two, in his mid-thirties, but he was a former naval captain as well and had a calculating military mindset. Captain Tobias of the Leviathan was in his late forties with a lot of experience and a very hands-on approach to running his ship. He was known for his fair attitude and pragmatic approach to problems. The two had a brief conversation before coming to an agreement. Then, Captain Elias answered.

"Yes, my lady. It would not be far out of our normal rotations for this time of year. If there is a chance we're going to be firing on pirates, we will need some additional munitions, however."

I nodded, "Thank you, Captains. I will cover the cost of the weapons."

Finally, I focused on Septimia, "And that leaves our war with Blackstone. I had nearly forgotten about it in all the excitement, but I suppose they aren't going to back down and go away. What is their grievance?"

"My lady.." she began but paused to correct herself, "Princess Evelyn, Lord Edgar Batanero has accused us of the destruction of several fishing communities on his coastline. He has provided no evidence for his claims, however."

"We didn't do anything like that, did we?" I asked, mildly concerned.

"No, Princess. We would never attack our neighbors unprovoked. Further, without evidence, there is no indication that any communities were attacked at all. I suspect that the supposed attacks are only a pretext."

I nodded, "I think you are right, and if we want to investigate, we have to invade, which only justifies his attacks. If I have to take his fief, do we have the forces to do it?"

She thought for a moment but answered, "I am uncertain. If we are able to do so, we will lose a lot of soldiers. We are very well situated for defense, but there has never been a need to attack our neighbors."

"Well, don't worry, I have no intention of ordering you to storm his walls. For now, please continue your work defending our borders, and let me know if you need anything to help. I think I am going to have to find time to investigate his supposedly destroyed villages." I looked around at the food that had hardly been touched and felt like a bit of a jerk. "I have been keeping you all from eating. Let's enjoy our meal, and we can think about anything else we need to review after dessert."

I spent most of our meal thinking about what we'd discussed and trying to think of anything I might have missed while giving polite answers to questions and avoiding politics the best I could. I also tried to pay attention to Septimia, though she was several seats away. She and "Lady Evelyn" had been getting along well. We didn't have a lot of opportunities to build much of a friendship yet, but it was obvious that we could. We were even working well together. There just hadn't been much time to discuss things other than those directly affecting us in the present, so I'd not mentioned how I became the Lady of Siren's Reach nor anything else important from my past. But she wasn't an idiot. I knew that she paid as much attention to politics as she could afford, it was important for her work, and the name "Princess Evelyn Shakespeare Dalen" must have come up before. When Amélie had first announced that I was a princess of House Dalen, Septimia had hidden the look of surprise well, but I still saw it. Now, I could tell the pieces were falling together in her mind from how distracted she was while eating and trying to hold polite conversation. I had been planning to talk to her about things soon, but it was a little late now. I really hoped we'd built up enough of a relationship that it didn't impact us overly much.

When the last course was finished, the guests stood and began to socialize more openly while the staff came in to clear the table. Kira walked with me, helping me navigate a few polite conversations with people I was meeting for the first time. Slowly, I made my way toward Mirage, where Amélie was already happily chatting with her, Constance, Lilith, and Derik, but I stopped as serving trays were wheeled into the room with teapots and delicate porcelain cups. Without a thought, I pivoted in the direction of the nearest tray and shamelessly let myself be served before anyone else. It was a traditional drink, a spice mead tea adopted from the elven cultures in the area, and the unique scent caught my nose the moment it was brought into the room. The flavor was complex, mixing a black tea similar to chai with cinnamon, star anise, and a bite of citrus mixed with a honey mead and sweetened with some type of flowery syrup. I'd never had anything similar before, but it was something I was beginning to really enjoy. The flavor really spoke to me, but I think some people enjoyed it for other reasons – such as how I was sure that without my poison resistance, more than a single serving would have me falling asleep in my chair. I picked up my cup, closed my eyes, and held it under my nose to enjoy the warm scent for several seconds before taking a sip. It was definitely a sipping kind of drink, even if I couldn't taste the powerful alcohol in it. When I opened my eyes, I found that the others had gotten tired of waiting for me and had moved to my side. I just smiled at them over my cup.

"Sorry, I got a little distracted." I knew it was hard to take my apology seriously while I was smiling, so I pushed on, "So, how was dinner?" It wasn't the question I really wanted to ask, but I was trying to be polite.

Amélie ignored my question, "Mirage found the perfect spot for our grove! She even had a chance to begin preparations for the ritual! Isn't that great?"

My eyes opened wide and I looked to Mirage for confirmation and found her smiling at my reaction. "We are prepared to start whenever you are ready."

I nearly grabbed her hand and dragged her right out the door, but my better judgment caught up with me. "How long will it take?"

Her tone changed to the one that she used while instructing us, "It is not merely the duration but the circumstances that are crucial. You must proceed tonight, commencing your endeavor under the full moon and concluding the ceremony at sunrise."

That filled me with a bit of panic, "Wait, how long do we have until the moon rises? Do we need to go now? What if we miss it?"

She put a hand on my shoulder, and I could see her holding back amused laughter. "Be at peace. You still have hours ahead, and should you miss the full moon, another opportunity will present itself in just over a month."

"If I miss it and Sibylla finds out…" I started but stopped. I didn't even want to think about the trouble she'd cause. "There is no need to miss the opportunity."

"Agreed!" Amélie chimed in. "We should leave as soon as possible to prepare."

Constance cleared her throat, "We have plenty of guests at the moment. It will be some time before we can leave."

Amélie spun in place, and I could tell she was about to do something ridiculous like tell everyone to leave, so I put my hand on her shoulder to stop her, "Amélie, wait. Mirage, how long will it take us to get there?"

"The journey by carriage will take us an hour."

I nodded, "Okay then, we have time to finish this dinner properly."

"I'm glad to hear it, Princess," Septimia said from a few steps away, and I whirled to look at her. She didn't seem happy, but she also didn't look truly upset and she was leading the man from the Silver Talons with her. "This is Amasar, the vice-captain of the Silver Talons."

Amasar gave me a slight bow of a different style than I was used to, and I returned it with a bow of my head. He was only a few inches taller than me, but he was at least twice my age and looked far more rugged with his wiry frame, sun-beaten skin, and the scar running from his temple to his jawline. When he stood, he said, "It is an honor to meet you, Princess."

I gave him a genuine smile, "The honor is mine. I want to thank you and your people for the fantastic work you have been doing. I will not forget it."

He gave me a pleased grin, "Thank you, Princess. This duty is a welcome vacation from our normal work in the Desert of Mercy to the east. We made a good choice, trying our luck here in the west for the summer."

"I'm glad you did!" I cheerily told him. "I am sorry to say I'm unfamiliar with the Desert of Mercy. I didn't know there were any deserts in the noble lands."

He gave me a knowing smile, "Ah, of course not. Though it is not small, it is not often spoken of. It is not a desert in the traditional sense. The land is a hard-packed hellscape that boils in the summer and freezes in the winter. Over a hundred miles of nothing but mage-blasted wasteland. It rains there, but the ground is always dry, and the behemoths of the wasteland never stop pulling themselves from the earth. It is not rain that place lacks, but mercy."

"Okay, that is way worse than I was thinking."

He laughed, "It is terrible to the inexperienced but lucrative to the prepared. The summer is the exception. The monsters are less likely to break the surface under the summer's sun, and the horses do not fare well in that terrible heat. This year, we chose to expand our horizons, and it is good that we have. This is a perfect summer duty for us."

I smiled at his good humor, "We are glad to have you. Hopefully, if we have business again next year, it will be in dealing with something better than this ridiculous infighting."

He nodded a small bow and said, "I am certain you will find something interesting, but I can tell that the two of you also have something to discuss, so I will introduce myself to a few other guests."

Oh. Yeah. I suppose it was time to get that conversation over with. "Yes, thank you, Amasar. I am sure we will speak again soon."

I watched him go for a moment, but I could feel Septimia's eyes burning into me, so I turned back to see her standing there with her eyebrows slightly raised in that look of "You better have a good explanation for this." A timid smile made its way onto my face as everyone else quietly made their escape and left us alone to talk.

"Please don't be mad."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of being mad, Princess. I am only embarrassed that I have been acting with such terrible manners toward you."

I deflated with a sigh. "I'm sorry. That isn't how I planned on telling you. I was just enjoying the relationship we were building, and I really liked that you were getting to know me for who I am. That is the kind of relationship I wanted us to have."

She stared at me for a long moment before shaking her head, "Why do I get the impression this isn't the first time this has happened?"

"Okay. It has happened before. A couple of times. Well, a lot, actually. But it's not completely my fault! I didn't ask to be a princess or a [Hero] or anything! I guess I technically asked to be the Lady of Siren's Reach, that one's on me, but the rest all just sort of happened!"

Her eyes opened a little wider at my outburst, and she said, "So it's true? You are a [Hero]?"

I put my face in my hands, "Yes."

After a few seconds, she sighed in resignation, "Well, thank you for telling me. That does seem like a lot to have on your plate."

I dropped my hands back to my side, "It is! And I'd really like to just go adventuring for a while and see what the rest of this world is like, but the king insisted we had to study for a while first, and we need all these guards to do anything, and then this Lord Blackstone guy, whoever he is started this whole mess, and now it feels like there are a dozen other things going on!"

She was beginning to look a little amused, "It is a complicated situation – but you have been handling it well enough."

"Do you think so? I mean, I have you and my other friends giving me a lot of guidance. I felt terribly awkward leading our planning through dinner tonight."

She shrugged, "You did a good job. I think you will grow well into the position. You might even enjoy it."

I gave her a skeptical look, "I'm not so sure about that. At least not any time soon."

"We will see. You will have a lot more of this in the coming days. You might find that it suits you more than you think."

I grinned, "Not if I make you do it."