The throne chamber was empty now, save for a few guards. The nobles that had previously occupied the chamber had since filed out. Duchess Florjes still sat in her throne with her consort next to her and their children standing beside them.

"What is it you wish to discuss with us, Your Grace?" Sir Gerard asked formally.

Salvador tried and failed to hide his snort.

Ever the knight.

Gerard discreetly glared at him, but Duchess Florjes only chuckled.

Salvador saw no such laughter on the faces of her children save for Angelica and Inejgo.

"As you can see," the duchess began, "my eldest daughter does not have her husband with her." Myreia was married to some lord that Salvador did not know the name of. Nor did he care. Carlos, however, was married to the daughter of Duke Jerón Chaver. He was Duke of Prétreaux, Island of the Mines. His daughter, Lady Andela Chaver was a twenty-year-old young woman whom Salvador had personally met.

She was born and made for the court.

Why the devilish woman had a silver tongue and cunning attitude that only one bred for the court could have. He had actually taken the liberty to eavesdrop on one of her conversations with a highborn friend of hers. She had been venting her anger out on her because she was frustrated that she was marrying the son of the Duchess of Veroña instead of the prince.

The woman was ambitious.

"It is because Lord Estevan of Carcino has been called away to cool down rising tensions between him some other minor lord." The duchess seemed exasperated, slightly rolling her eyes when she spoke. It was a petty thing, the way these lords and ladies fought over the smallest of things. But not once in his lifetime did Salvador remember the King of Sersalvon actually using his royal power to do something useful. Like stopping the incessant internal fighting.

But at the same time. . . it was that very internal fighting which had allowed Salvador to become well-known and rich.

"What is it you wish us to do, Your Grace?" Salvador asked, growing a tad bit impatient.

"I want you to check in on the situation. Find out a way to ease the tensions. If a conflict does break out. . . then you must stop it. I'm afraid I have to provide our allies at least some support in their squabbles." She sighed. "Do this job and I won't take the tithe you owe me for this month."

Salvador's eyebrows shot up. "Truly?"

The duchess grinned. "Truly."

Salvador looked at Gerard and then back at Duchess Florjes. "This is a job for both of us?"

"Yes," she answered, nodding.

Salvador looked at Gerard again, who shrugged. He turned back to Duchess Florjes. "Why not?"

The duchess looked pleased. "I'll have a ship ready to go in a week's time."

A question struck Salvador's head. "Wait, which island does this. . . lord live on?"

Gerard gave a sharp cough that sounded a lot like laughter. Inejgo snickered and Angelica's faced turned strawberry-red as she tried to hide her laughter. Both Carlos and Myreia just glared daggers at Salvador.

"Luxauno," Myreia snapped.

"Ah." Luxauno was the Crown Island of Sersalvon. It housed the capital of Sersalvon, Navitium, City of Ships and the ancient seat of House Navíste, the Royal House of Sersalvon.

A bunch of lazy, drunkards who were too nearsighted to see past their own fingers. Myreia's husband was most likely sworn to one of the king's brothers.

"And one last thing," Lord Martyn said, speaking up for the first time in this meeting. "My brother has decided to send his son over to Fiorá for training. The boy is fourteen and I wish for him to take a few lessons from you two. He arrives in two days."

"Done," Gerard answered before Salvador could open his mouth.

"Good. Thank you for your time, Sir Gerard and Salvador. You are now dismissed," the duchess said, ending the meeting.

Gerard and Salvador walked out of the throne chamber after bowing to the duchess. Once they were outside, Gerard said, "Well. . . I hope this task is fun."

"If it's not, we can make it fun," Salvador suggested.

"How so?"

"Preying on the local bandits, maybe? Taking the time to hire a ship and catch some more pirates? Some actually dangerous pirates too. Captain Socarras was too easy. The fool didn't even have artillery!"

Gerard genuinely considered his suggestions. "Doesn't seem too bad. After that little skirmish out at sea, I do feel like having a few more naval adventures."

Salvador grinned. "You and I are one and the same on that."

The sounds of running footsteps echoed down the hall. Salvador immediately knew whose footsteps they were and whirled around to see exactly who he thought running down the hall. Angelica.

She was holding her skirt up so that she wouldn't trip over it. Her discontent was clearly visible on her face.

Salvador stood there, looking slightly amused. When Angelica reached them, she glared at Salvador and snapped, "Wipe that stupid smile off your face."

Salvador's expression remained the same. "That's all you have to say."

"I'm trying to retain my ladylike appearance. I would hate to ruin it by shouting obscenities at you," she quipped.

"I wouldn't hate it," Gerard said.

Salvador couldn't stop himself from laughing, Angelica along with him. When they calmed down, Salvador said to Angelica, "How are you doing?"

Angelica smiled. "It's been awfully dreadful without you around. Why Carlos and Myreia's lack of humor never seems so bad until you aren't around."

"Yeah," Gerard muttered. "Those two seem to not know what humor is."

"No, they do not," Salvador agreed. "Why I know of a rock that has a better sense of humor than those do."

"Pray tell," Angelica exclaimed, "where can you find this humorous rock?"

"I misspoke," Salvador admitted. "Just about every rock has a better sense of humor than those two."

Angelica and Gerard laughed.

"I admit, considering my close relationship with the family of Duchess Florjes, I should probably know whom Myreia is married to. . . but I don't think it's such a big problem if I don't!" Salvador complained. "And the look she gave me. . ." He shuddered. "I swear by the Angel King that if looks could kill that woman would have me liquefied."

"You're not wrong," said Angelica.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Gerard decided to say, "So what is it you wish to do now, Angelica?"

Angelica shrugged. "I don't wish to disturb you any further, for one. You've just come back from a task at sea and you most likely want to rest. So I'll go change out of this horrid skirt now."

"Farewell, my lady," Salvador said and gave an exaggerated bow.

Angelica gave him a playful push before saying, "Farewell, my subject." In a mock royal voice. She waved farewell to Gerard and set off walking down the hall the other way.

***

Salvador slept for the rest of the day, and once he woke up, he felt revigorated. The sea salt scent of the ocean drifted through their windows and tickled his nose. Although he was awake, he kept his eyes closed for a few more minutes hoping that he would fall asleep.

He didn't.

With a groan, he fluffed up his pillow, set it upright, and then grabbed a book from his nightstand. "What is it that we shall be reading today," he muttered to himself. The book he had grabbed was a history of Evrúopa.

Was shooting for fantasy, he thought. But, oh well.

As he read, he slowly became more and more interested in the book. Especially once it began talking about the sheer amount of conflicts that occurred on Evrúopa. The book claimed that the countries of Evrúopa were constantly at war. They were constantly making allies and then backstabbing them. They were constantly making enemies over petty things, much like the lords and ladies of Sersalvon. However, these kingdoms did not satisfy their need for war by only fighting other Evrúopian kingdoms. No, these kingdoms set their sights elsewhere; creating empires that would last sometimes a few to one hundred years before collapsing in blood and terror. Ofttimes they would conquer others by the sea, navally invading foreign lands in search of gold and glory.

Seems as if the entire world was just like Sersalvon.

"Fools," he murmured.

Somebody knocked on the door and Sersalvon flinched. Thanking the Angel King that no one was watching, he went through the painstaking process of getting out of bed, going to the main chamber door, and unlocking it.

"What is it," he said before he had even completely opened the door. Then he saw it was Angelica, dressed in her training leathers.

She raised a dark eyebrow. "Good morning, Salvador."

Salvador yawned. "You couldn't come when I wasn't in my nightclothes," he complained.

"You're late for morning training."

"Oh. Yeah. Be back soon."

He closed the door and ran for his wardrobe. Never in his life had he ever changed so fast. Why to him, it felt as if he were throwing clothes off and literally throwing them on.

Once he was done putting his training leathers on, he rushed back to the door and opened it to an awaiting Angelica. "Your shirt is on backward," she noted. Salvador groaned and twisted his shirt around.

"There?" he asked with his hands spread out.

Angelica shrugged. "You're fine."

"Good," he said, giving her a thumbs up before jogging to the training room.

As they were joking, Angelica asked in a teasing tone, "So how was your beauty sleep?"

"Could've kept on going for a thousand years if you hadn't woken me up," he retorted playfully.

Angelica rolled her eyes. "You weren't even sleeping when I got there."

"Why do you say so?"

"Because one knock wouldn't be able to wake you up if you sleeping. Hell, even a thousand bears knocking on that door wouldn't be able to wake you!"

Salvador chuckled. "Fine. You're right, I was reading."

"What book?"

"Something on the history of Evrúopa," he said.

"Oh, Evrúopa. Did you know that the Merchant Tongue came from Evrúopa?"

"Yes, actually," he answered. "The book spoke of it."

"Evrúopa," she breathed. "A faraway land. The only way to reach it is by ship. A land in which it is hard for a woman to live her own life."

"Yes," Salvador agreed, darkly. "Fools they are, to not know the true value of a woman. It is one without a price, their value I mean. Not all of it is like that, though. The book mentioned a few places in Evrúopa where woman have the same rights and values as men."

"Which are?"

Salvador named all of the places the book had mentioned where men and women had equal rights. When he finished, they had reached the training hall.

"Well," Angelica said, just about to enter. "Let's focus on training now, for the training hall is no place for books."

Salvador smiled. "No place indeed." And they walked in.