He smiled Pride's smile as he reported burning down the town in my name, for my gain. He did so on his own accord. No payments or rewards were offered. 

"Seb, it's this way." Lana tugged at his hand, which she had insisted on holding while she gave him a tour around the castle. A light summer breeze caught at the deep green layers of her silk dress and swung her long pearl earrings against her cheek.

They left the royal garden and its rainbow of flowers behind them, and raced through one of the many corridors. With her taste of excessive jewellery and diamond-covered slippers, his cousin might as well have been a sister to Emily. When Uncle Tom had introduced them over a late breakfast of cinnamon buns in his office, Sebastian had already pictured her complaining to Aunt Crystal or Lady Viviane each morning that she had nothing to wear, even though her closet was filled with dresses in every possible shape and colour.

In reality, she had just as many quirky traits as Lucy. She hadn't climbed any of the trees in the garden, nor did he expect her to pull a spare sandwich out of her bosom, but the way she ran up the stairs—skipping every other step—could hardly be associated with the grace of a real Princess.

They entered a wide hall filled with grand statues and paintings in ornate frames. So many Kings of old stared down from the same elevated throne platform, wearing the same spiked crown and carrying a large iron broadsword. The only change throughout the ages was the amount of facial hair, and the clothes ranging from heavy armour to ridiculously poufy coats, and, finally, the stately grey uniform that Uncle Tom and General George favoured.

"Here it is. The statue of Lord Malcolm." Lana grinned widely, a teasing glint dancing in her eyes.

Sebastian frowned. It was just a life-sized marble horseman on a seven-foot pedestal; not even a King. "Who was he?"

"He defended the Port of Diligence from Jade Islandic pirates, but that's not important. Its recent history is far more interesting. Look." She pointed at a discoloured stump that had once been an arm. "Papa swears it was Uncle Bran who did that, but my old nanny confided in me that he was the one who tore it off. By accident, of course."

"Really?" Sebastian tried to imagine Father and Uncle Tom as children, running through the corridors as they duelled with wooden swords. It was hard; they still looked like miniature versions of their grown-up selves. "How come you know so much about them?"

"Lady Lizzy used to be their nanny too. She loved telling me about their adventures." Lana cleared her throat, changing her voice to that of a raspy old lady. "Oh, my dear Princess, how these halls have changed. We did not have a moment's rest with those two cubs creating havoc wherever they went. It didn't matter how many times your grandpapa tried to beat Bran's pigheadedness out of him, the boy always found new ways to cause mayhem. Your papa—little and sickly as he was—hopped behind him, talking his big brother into more tricks and shenanigans."

The hall filled with glee as Sebastian chuckled. He had to tell Father about this; remind him of the story each time he caught him and his friends in the act of a little mischief of their own. But he could not, for Father was dead. He would never see or speak to him again. The echo of his happiness still resounded against the walls, but his mouth was no longer laughing.

"I'm sorry." She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. "I didn't want to make you sad. We can talk about something else, if you wish."

"No, Father never talked much about himself. I've known him all my life, but at the same time, it's like I didn't know him at all." Sebastian bit the inside of his cheek. The story Uncle Tom had told him about Father giving up his right to rule couldn't be the whole truth either. Lady Viviane had mentioned that he might have been banished. "Is it because of all those pranks that he didn't become King?"

"I don't think so. He and Papa were just bored and alone." She had stopped smiling too. "Most people think life in here is like living in the heavenly halls, and though I shouldn't complain —I've never known the struggles of an empty stomach—it does get very lonely. Mama has arranged tutors for me, and Papa tries to involve me in state matters whenever he can, but it would be nice to have friends my own age. At least he and Uncle Bran still had each other."

Sebastian let go of Lana's hand and stepped around the statue. Laneby should have had their own Lord Malcolm; a true hero that would have saved them from the magical flames. Fox had done that, to some extent, but nobody could ever know that. "Father should have sent my sisters here. Though I'm sure Emily would have raided your closet while you and Lucy were out sniffing the roses in the garden."

"He should have, then they wouldn't have..." Lana didn't finish her sentence, she didn't have to. "Is it really true that you didn't know about us, and your claim to the throne?"

"Father did mention occasionally that his brother Tommy lived in Sundale. I never realised he was referring to the King."

"Tommy. Not even Mama is allowed to call him that." She cracked up, her contagious giggling chasing the sad memories away. "Come to think of it. Your story does sound like the plot of a silly book."

"My friend Nick would agree with you." He let out a snigger that died as he stared outside the window. Hundreds of green uniforms were swarming the meadow just outside the city gates. Soldiers. His uncle's men. "All the people in the kingdom will have to listen to me. It's surreal to think how much power I will actually have."

"Luckily, the control over the army will still be mine," a deep voice stated. The steady marching of boots rumbled louder as its owner approached. General George. "But those are worries for later. Your uncle has requested your immediate presence in his parlour, My Lord. I bring good tidings. A patrol has picked up your friends. They've arrived in Sundale."

"They did!" Sebastian bounced up and down, ignoring the stinging of the blisters on his feet. "Oh, Holy Gods of Virtue, I thank Thee and praise Thee forever."

"That's so great to hear." Lana smiled, but the corner of her mouth twitched. She wasn't happy. "Come on then, go with George. I can tell that you missed them a lot."

He stopped jumping. "And you? Aren't you gonna join us?"

She raised her shoulders. "You've heard George. Papa has asked your presence, not mine. It's fine, Seb. It's been a while since I've done some extensive reading in the library. I'm sure I'll get to meet your friends later."

"Alright, see you around." He walked up to the General's side, his cousin's words tumbling around in his head. He had been so focused on getting information out of her that he had disregarded her own trouble, so he turned around. "Lana, wait! We can all be your friends now. With the four of us entertaining you, you'll never have to feel alone again. I promise."

"You're the best, cousin!" Even though she had already disappeared from view, her heels ticked faster on the floor, like there was a deer skipping through the castle instead of a Princess. Definitely more related to Lucy than to Emily.

General George thrust his jaw forwards, giving him a fleeting look. "That was very noble of you. She could use the company."

"Why shouldn't I? She's nice, and I think she'll like my friends. Alex could teach her how to hunt, Nick will no doubt read the entire library with her, and Fox..." He opened his mouth partially. No, he was not going to mention his fire skills. "A lot of women like Fox, for some reason, but he's my best friend. She'll have to understand that I sometimes just wanna play with him."

The General hummed. "Fox? That's an unusual name."

"Oh, don't worry, General. He's not actually called Fox." Sebastian made a little skip himself. Finally they would be reunited. "He got that name after I lost a bet, and I had to ask Father if he could officially be named Fox. It didn't take long for Henry to disappear. I'm so used to it now, and so had everybody in Laneby."

"Hmm," the General grunted.

The man kept his tall erect posture the entire way to the parlour, which was—as Lana had explained earlier—a kind of living room where Uncle Tom met with important people. It was situated just east of the throne room, which had sadly been locked when his cousin had wanted to show him.

Nerves spread through his entire body, making his toes and fingers itch. Sebastian was so ready to storm into the parlour and never let go of his friends, but when the General pushed the door open, his heart plummeted to his feet and never quite settled back into his chest. 

Only Nick was sitting on the couch, next to an old man in an army uniform covered in medals. His uncle was seated on the opposite side of them.

The skin around Nick's eyes was red, his gaze fixated on the large pendulum clock standing on the opposite side of the room; its monotonous ticking momentarily the only sound in the room. He had been crying. Nick never cried.

Since it was very likely that he had heard about Abby, Sebastian refrained from hugging him. They would have to talk about that later. "Where are Alex and Fox?"

"Seb, sit here." Uncle Tom tapped his hand on the empty spot on his left; the side of his free ear. "George, don't go anywhere. The army promotions can wait. I want to hear your opinion."

"About what?" Slowly Sebastian sunk into the couch. He winced, not expecting the pillows to be that soft, although he should have known that everything in the castle was annoyingly comfortable.

"As you wish, Thomas." The General crossed his legs as he took his place next to him. The three most powerful men in the kingdom, all in one row.

None of the men said anything as a blonde serving girl entered the parlour with a tray filled with plates and cups, all in the same deep green as the army uniforms and Lana's dress. She placed the tray on the low wooden table in between the couches, the sweet smell of biscuits and fresh tea tickling Sebastian's nose. "Here you go, Your Majesty. Do you require any other services from me?"

"No, that will be all, Mathilda. Thank you." Uncle Tom dismissed her with a flick of his fingers. "Dig in, Gentlemen. Don't let it get cold."

"Can anyone tell me what's going on?" Sebastian's eyes ran over his company; each face more expressionless as they grabbed tea or biscuits, or both. "Where are Alex and Fox?"

"Pardon me, My Lord. We haven't been formally introduced." The medals on the grey man's uniform jingled as he stretched out his hand. Sebastian returned the favour, and got a firm handshake. "Captain Jonathan, at your service. Head of the Sundale army. Forty-six years of duty. It was I who found your friends alongside the river Faith, me and my men. Miss Alexandra is at my house with my servant."

Uncle Tom swallowed a quick sip of his tea, the cup resting on his knee. "Right before you came in, I told Jonathan that she's welcome to join us for dinner. I'll also ask Crystal to arrange bedrooms for her and Nicolas while we figure out what to do with them."

"And Fox?" Sebastian's voice had become but a whisper. Nick was munching on a biscuit as if his life depended on it, his fingers ready to pick a next one of the tray and stuff it into his mouth.

"Nicolas, would you like to tell Sebastian yourself?" Uncle Tom asked.

"What? What happened to him?" Sebastian's lip trembled, his breath hitched. Fox couldn't be dead too. The Gods had already claimed enough lives; they could not have taken his best friend too.

Nick placed a fresh biscuit on the edge of the tray, his tongue licking the crumbs from in between his teeth. Still keeping his head low, he peered at him. Twice he opened his mouth without saying anything, then the Captain yanked up his chin. "Sit up straight, young man. You're talking to royalty here."

"It's not needed," Sebastian sneered. "He's my friend! He can sit however he pleases. I just want to know where Fox is."

Nick shifted in his seat, his back straight but his eyes drooped to the floor. This time the Captain did not interfere. "Seb, we found out who was behind the attack. We encountered him after you left."

"Don't tell me that he... that Fox..." The green fire flashed before his eyes, the flames swallowing Fox until there was nothing left but a single red hair in the middle of a heap of ashes. Tears tugged at the back of his eyes; real men didn't cry. Not right here. Not right now.

"No, the magician seized him. He's taking him to Silvermark, I think."

"But he's not dead." If that monster had taken him, that must mean he wanted to use Fox, and there was still a chance that they could rescue him from his evil claws. Uncle Tom, or General George, simply had to send soldiers to Silvermark.

"Hang on." The General shook his hand, his index finger pointed at Nick. "Why did he take the boy, and not you or the girl?"

Sebastian clenched his teeth as a ghost punched him in the chest. It couldn't have anything to do with Fox's secret; neither of these men were allowed to know that he had magic.

"I don't know." Nick looked up, meeting the General's eyes. "I remained hidden behind the blacksmith's forge, but Alex went after him. She couldn't save him from the magician. He was so strong that I feared he would kill her, but instead, he gave her a message."

"What did he say? Did he hurt her?" There had to be a reason that Alex wasn't here. She had seen the magician; she should be here.

"No, he told her to run and bring the news to His Majesty that King Ariel is coming to claim his throne. He wanted the massacre to seem like the result of a forest fire, but he was really after you and Lord Brandon."

Everybody had to die because of him. Sebastian's mouth fell open, the confirmation of his greatest fear sucking all air out of his body. Did the King of Silvermark enjoy being King so much that he wanted a second kingdom to rule over? The man was responsible for destroying Laneby, turning everyone he held dear into rotting corpses or smouldering bones; all for more land, more wealth, or simply a larger castle.

"Gentlemen, why didn't we see this coming?" Uncle Tom edged closer to him, but that was all the support Sebastian got. His uncle could have patted his thigh or squeezed his hand, but he was too focused on the General and the Captain to notice his distress. "It's low, even by Ariel's standards, but I'm not surprised to hear he's behind this."

"Agreed." The General nodded. "Silvermark has had a tough couple of years now that it's becoming harder to delve their infamous mines. Not to mention that they've had miserable summers and dreadfully long winters, along with an influx of magicians since we've lowered the patrols by the border. Ariel did say last spring that it was giving him grey hair. Did we fail to see that as a cry for help?"

"I said it back then, and I'll say it again. If the magicians are causing him this much trouble, he should have the guts to outlaw it in his kingdom too." Captain Jonathan sniffed, clutching his hand tight around his cup. "Rid the world of those sinful rats once and for all."

"I'm not concerned about how he rules his kingdom, I'll rule mine." Uncle Tom reached for the jewel behind his right ear and scratched it. "But what is the best next step? Should we send more men to guard the Horseshoe Mountains? The southern Lords are not going to be pleased that their taxes are used to protect barren hills instead of the Jade Sea. Water carries more than just magicians."

The men continued to talk politics, of which Sebastian understood very little. He didn't care about Silvermark's well-being or southern Lords and their tax money, not now that poor Fox was probably locked up in some cold cage, waiting to be presented to King Ariel as proof that Laneby had been destroyed. The shadows and imaginary monsters that he had always been afraid of would be nothing compared to the actual brutes he would be facing there.

"But, Your Majesty, are you implying that we should go to war?" Nick asked.

"Yes!" Sebastian exclaimed, pretending that he had not zoned out of the conversation. "A war to save Fox, to take revenge for Laneby and my father. That's what we are going to do, right? That's why the soldiers were out on the field, training?"

"No." A short but definite reply escaped Uncle Tom's lips. He grabbed two biscuits from the plate and handed Sebastian the one with the cherry on top.

"I don't want biscuits. I want Fox." Sebastian crossed his arms and brought them to his chest. "He can't stay in Silvermark. What if they torture him, or worse?"

"I'm sorry. Rescuing him is no option." Uncle Tom bit on the two biscuits simultaneously, both of them disappearing quickly into his mouth.

"Why not? He's not very brave, but he has a good heart." Sebastian closed his eyes to push the tears back, salt water trickling down his throat. "Please, you have to. For Fox's sake."

"Gentlemen, please excuse yourselves. My nephew and I need to discuss these matters in private," Uncle Tom announced. "Jonathan, bring me the girl. If she has spoken to that magician, I want to know everything about him. I want to find out who he is, and why he did this."

"Aye, Your Majesty. I will bring her right away."

The General rose from the couch. "Nicolas, finish your tea. You're coming with me."

Nick quickly gulped down the remainder of the tea in his cup. He hesitated as his fingers floated above the biscuits, finally settling on one filled with nuts. After all the tragedy, one thing was still certain: he was the son of Gluttony reborn.

After Nick and the men had closed the door behind them with a soft thump, Uncle Tom turned to Sebastian, placing his hand on his shoulder and rubbing it. "I need you to look out the window and tell me what you see."

"I don't wanna play a game, Uncle Tom."

"It's no game." He tilted his head, beckoning him to go.

Sebastian stood up and cruised past his uncle. From there, he had a view over Sundale's main square. "I see people scurrying like mice looking for a piece of cheese. They're going in and out of the taverns and shops, and children are running around the sundial. I think they're playing tag."

Uncle Tom had walked up to the window as well, keeping himself on Sebastian's right side. "How many people do you see?"

"Hundreds, maybe a thousand if you count the people inside the houses." He shrugged. This wasn't bringing him any closer to Fox. "This is not new, Uncle Tom. I saw it all when Lieutenant Stephen brought me here."

"Hush. Look again. Imagine there are three more squares." Uncle Tom paused. "Do you see it? That's how large Sundale's army is. In total, George and I have thirty-thousand men available all across The Greenlands, and the number grows every day. They train six days out of seven, summer and winter. Do you know why we have an army this large?"

"To fight bad people." Sebastian frowned. That was obvious, wasn't it?

"Not an incorrect answer." Uncle Tom ruffled his hair. "But think once more. There are other reasons too."

"To hunt? It's what the warriors do too. And as they find food, they also keep an eye out for strangers roaming the land."

"The warriors serve as backup forces in case of a foreign invasion, or military rebellion. I hope I'll never need them, but the system has served its purpose in history." Uncle Tom glanced at him and smiled. "I'm diverting. Do you have any other ideas?"

Sebastian shook his head. He hadn't given it another thought; it had nothing to do with Fox.

"Well... Thirty years ago your grandfather saw a rise to The Greenlands' population, but not necessarily the number of jobs. One man can bake bread for a hundred people, two for two hundred people. But what with the other ninety-nine? When people don't have anything to keep their mind or hands occupied, they start misbehaving."

"Oh." Sebastian gasped. The story that Lana had told about Father and Uncle Tom causing havoc across the palace as children. They too had been bored.

"Burglary, rape, murder,... I'm not saying it never happens, but crime rates have dropped tremendously since your grandfather decided to raise taxes to allow the army to grow."

But, Uncle Tom, then there's a big army to go to war with. Why don't we do it?"

"A war would mean risking their lives, all their lives. What do you think will happen to the families that stay behind if sons and fathers fall in battle?"

"They will cry?"

"That too, Seb." He stroked his back in circles. "But without the monthly wages they get from the army, the families are doomed to impoverishment. People will steal to get bread on the table, and the Gods know what other illegal practices will emerge. This very city will fall to ruin, and if Sundale goes down, it will be a matter of time before the other cities are impacted too. Everything is connected."

Sebastian brought his hands to his chest and pressed his lips firmly together. "That won't happen. We'll fight hard and win the war."

"But what if we lose?" Uncle Tom squinted. "Do you want to bear that responsibility? I'd rather not."

"Maybe not." No more dead men. Already enough people in Laneby had died because of who he was. "So we'll do nothing then?"

He crouched down, his light blue eyes meeting Sebastian's. "I understand you want revenge, but fighting Silvermark won't rebuild Laneby, nor will it bring back the dead. I have to focus on the living and protect them. I'm not saying I will stand by and throw this kingdom to Ariel's lap. If he tries, George and I will summon each and every patrol in the land and beyond, but I won't take the first step. Peace is better for a country than times of war."

Sebastian turned back to the window. The Sundalers were enjoying their carefree late-summer afternoon, ignorant that they lived happily while his best friend was suffering. "And what about Fox?"

"There's nothing I can do for him." With pursed lips he shook his head. "Sending men to Silvermark, asking them to search every village and township of that wretched kingdom for one boy is both expensive and extremely dangerous. It can and will be seen as an act of war. George would never agree, and without the General's signature, we cannot command the Captains of this land to bring us their men."

The pendulum clock ticked the time away as Sebastian processed the information. He would never see Fox again. He turned his hands to fists, his heart to stone. "I understand. We weren't that close."

The God of Wrath had no mercy for lies. Tears dripping onto the floor exposed his dishonesty immediately.

 "Liar, he was your best friend, wasn't he?" Uncle Tom wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer into the hug that he so needed. 

"Yeah, and I'm gonna miss him so much." He regretted teasing Fox. Everything had been so simple back then, on that very last true summer day in Laneby. His birthday had passed, and now that stupid joke had become reality: they would never play together again.

"I'm sorry, Seb. I truly am, but as King, I need to make this decision. One day you will understand."

"If this is what it's like to rule, then I don't want to do it." Sebastian buried his face deeper into his uncle's embrace. "Take it from me. I don't care who you give it to, but I don't want the power or the responsibility."

"It's our duty, given by the Gods personally." Uncle Tom cupped his hands around Sebastian's mouth. "You can't deny it. After you, there are no other Greenlander men to take the role. If you give up your birthright, the crown will pass on to Ariel and his son, Felix."

"But I don't want to, Uncle Tom. I don't want to make the decisions you have to make. I wouldn't know how."

"You will learn." Something broke in his voice, a tremor tugging at his suddenly not so stoic lips. "I wish I could give you another future, but I cannot. You must become King after me. There's simply no other way."