“So, what do you think?”

  The question wasn’t entirely unexpected, but Fea gave Nevrim an amused look. “Isn’t it obvious what I think?” she asked. They were walking down one of the long hallways of the Citadel.

  Nevrim smiled. “With you, Your Highness? No.”

  “I’m not sure if I should be offended or not.”

  Her loyal and ever faithful friend shrugged. “I think in this context, it’s a compliment.”

  “I think? Now I’m truly hurt.” Fea scoffed dramatically.

  They both broke out into a light chuckle and it took several moments before either could calm down. And, when they did, Nevrim spoke again.

  “I am serious, though. Do you think this plan could work?”

  “Perhaps, but even if it doesn’t I think we can still make use of him,” she answered confidently. “I was serious when I told him that his abilities are unique.”

  “About that, I was wondering what you saw. You didn’t appear all that interested until he cured that prisoner.”

  “Ah, but that’s where you are wrong. Back in the throne room, when you confirmed his memories. That’s when I became interested. I couldn’t let it show, however. Not in front of such a large crowd, especially one filled with elves.”

  “Yet you allowed Aluin to accompany you. Don’t you think that could cause issues?” Nevrim pointed out.

  “You were there, you saw it for yourself. Aluin shook Felix’s hand. He will do what is necessary to maintain peace and order.”

  “And you think he will be enough? I’m not so sure.”

  “I am. And if he’s not, I’m not afraid to expel any bad actors…”

  They came to a stop next to a pair of doors that lead into Fea’s bedroom. She threw the doors open before giving Nevrim one final look.

  “Put together a proposal for your plan, make it a priority. I will review once it is ready.”

  Nevrim gave her a deep bow. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

  With that, she stepped into her room and closed the doors. Alone, she rubbed her temples with a hand and made her way over to a desk and sat down. There, a novel was opened to the last page she had read.

  Looking at it with delight, Fea plopped down unceremoniously into the accompanying chair. Finally! I can get back to my real interest!

  However, as she began to read, she couldn’t help but think about the human, about Felix. It nagged at her and pulled her away from her story.

  She leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. Is it really his fault? The question came out of nowhere but the more she thought about his predicament, the more she was starting to wonder.

  Besides, aren’t we also at fault for what happened?

  Felix stared up at the tall vaulted ceiling, contemplating everything that led him to this very spot. The bed he was laying on was magnificently soft and it beckoned for him to just close his eyes.

  But that was the problem. Months of marching and battles, plus his escape from the capital, and his long trek through the mountains made it hard for him to find comfort. In fact, the floor below looked down right appealing to him now…

  I hope Ovidius is okay. He had explained everything to the Sergeant and afterwards, the man had simply gone silent and still. After spending several minutes like that, eventually a squad of guards came and took him away.

  Perhaps that is what’s troubling me. He’s most likely gone back to a prison cell while I was given such a glamorous room.

  Felix let out a sigh and sat up. There wasn’t any way he was getting a nap in before dinner. The problem now, though, was what to do?

  His first thought was to give the bookshelf another try but by this point, he wasn’t in the mood for reading. Maybe I should try to meditate? It had been a long, long time since he had done something like that.

  Why did I even stop? he wondered. Even with his training under the High Prophet, he had done something similar. Of course, the moment he asked the question was the moment he remembered why.

  War became the priority. I spent nearly a year alone, just preparing my men– My men…

  The memory from the night he made his escape came back to him. It was blurry, it was confusing, and worse of all, it took him right into that moment. That moment where he realized he was the monster…

  There were screams and shouts, explosions and fire. He was both aware and not. His mana danced around him uncontrollably, wreaking havoc upon the elven capital and his men.

  He blinked and suddenly he was in a treeline waiting to ambush a unit of unsuspecting elves. And, as they appeared, there was a roar…

  In the blink of an eye, he was in a burning forest with his men dying all around him. A big red dragon landed in front of him. On top of the dragon was an elf, and together they tried to kill him.

  But as he braced for a fight to the death, the scene changed yet again.

  Suddenly, he was bathed in fire. He writhed in agony upon a stone wall, that very same dragon now looking down upon him. This time, however, the dragon bellowed another stream of hatred. The pain was unimaginable–

  Felix screamed as he rolled on the floor, doing what he could to put out the imaginary fire. Only when he opened his eyes did he realize it wasn’t real.

  Suddenly, his door burst open and several alarmed guards streamed in…

  ***

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  Not too long later, Felix found himself being escorted down the over-sized hallways until he reached a grand dining hall. There, a massive table stood with plenty of chairs to fill it. However, his attention was focused on the only other individual in the room.

  “Your Highness,” he said with a formal bow.

  “Hello again, Felix,” she said with a smile before addressing his guards. “Leave us.”

  They had a nervous look but each gave a salute before leaving. Meanwhile, Felix waited for them to disappear before approaching the table. He had no idea where he should sit. Where would it be proper?

  “You may sit where you like,” she said, noticing his hesitation.

  With that invitation, he decided to sit a little further away. He dared not sit too close to her for various reasons…

  If she was offended by his choice of seating she did not show it. Instead, she gave him a polite nod before speaking again. “My guards informed me that something happened. Did you…have another haunting?”

  The tone of her voice softened as she asked her question, making it sound almost sincere. Perhaps she is? Felix wasn’t sure how to read the Dragon Queen, not yet at least. He decided to respond diplomatically.

  “It is of no importance, save for my own embarrassment.”

  Fea frowned at that and looked disappointed. “Felix, you should really take it seriously. Hauntings like that are not to be brushed aside. I’ve seen plenty of warriors and soldiers lose their minds from it.”

  He looked away, embarrassed. “It is just one of my burdens to carry–”

  “You don’t honestly believe that, do you?!”

  Her outburst startled him and he struggled to answer. “I… I do,” he muttered before slowly regaining his confidence. “It’s all my fault. Everything. I led the campaign against the elves. I am responsible for their queen’s death. I put countless soldiers to the sword. Hells, I ordered my men to die for me.”

  “Yet you were under the control of someone else,” she argued before suddenly standing.

  Before he could react, she approached and stared down at him. “Felix, you said you were looking for atonement. Tell me, what does that mean to you?”

  Slowly, he looked up to her. “To repair, to mend, to right all my wrongs. To die for crimes if necessary.”

  He watched as her expression turned to one of pity. “You brought up the elven queen. What do you know of her?”

  Felix considered her question with a frown of his own. In truth there was very little he did know about her. “She was called the Given Queen. Apparently, the elves believed she would be a sacrifice… I guess they were right,” he whispered the last part to himself.

  Fea came and sat on the table next to him and stared up at the high ceiling. “You weren’t wrong about that. She had many titles, Fall Queen, Autumn Queen… Most were related to the season of which she was crowned.

  “But, to me, she was Hasalen. She wasn’t the most suited for the role, but she was earnest and tried her best. She made for good company too. We quickly became friends despite being separate rulers.”

  Felix shrank into his seat, the memory of him killing the elven Queen played in his mind. “Gods, what have I done?” The words slipped from his mouth unintentionally.

  Fea continued, however, either unaware or not caring. “Her death didn’t just hurt her people, it hurt me as well. But, I find it hard to blame you.”

  That shocked him and his brow furrowed into confusion. “Why… Why not? I killed her. It was my sword–”

  “I am aware. But what you don’t know is that she sent me a letter not long before you besieged the elven capital…” Her face twisted into a bitter smile, tears beginning to well up.

  “She told me not to blame them– Not to blame the humans. She said she would pay the price for our sins and show them, show you, a better future. No doubt the vision you saw was atonement, but it wasn’t yours. It was hers.”

  Felix’s mouth hung open, he was completely dumbstruck. It took several seconds for him to start working his jaw again. “What… But– I mean… Her sins?”

  She gave him a nod. “After the collapse of the First Empire, we did nothing to help your people. Not us dragons, the elves, gnomes, or dwarves. None of us. We simply watched from our ivory towers as your people suffered and died. We even laughed at it. And…”

  There was a pause as Fea considered her next words. “In many ways, we caused your suffering.”

  Silence fell upon the room, not even the air dared to stir. Meanwhile, Felix reeled from her admission, even if he didn’t fully understand it.

  He was at a loss and all he could do was sit there as his head swarmed with thousands of questions. There’s…too many. Where to even begin?

  He didn’t know, and he was starting to wonder if he even wanted to. However, his curiosity eventually won out and he asked the most basic question.

  “What happened– I mean, how did you cause our suffering?”

  She stood from the table and looked about the room as if aimless. “We, everyone within the Wildlands, had a tenuous and strained relationship with the First Empire. And then, as it started its collapse, a few of us smelled blood in the water.

  “We hastened its downfall through various means. A few small raids, but mainly through diplomatic pressure and lopsided treaties. We ground it down until it shattered. Then, we freely took what we wanted and left.”

  A side door opened and several servants entered with food and wine. Fea quickly gestured to the table before speaking to Felix one final time on the subject.

  “We are no better than you.”

  Dinner had come and gone with hardly another word spoken between the two. For Fea, that was perfectly fine, if a little rude to not entertain a guest. But Felix isn’t a guest…

  She let the thought hang in her mind as she changed into a nightgown. She was back in her bedchambers getting ready for bed. Of course, she kept a spare change of clothes nearby just in case. In her line of work, one never knew when they would be awoken or for what.

  And if Felix keeps having those hauntings, I might never get any sleep either. Her guards were instructed to inform her if there was any change with him, and for good reason. Mana high.

  That’s what concerned her more than anything. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. But having someone that skilled in magic suddenly going into a mad craze never ended well.

  Finished changing, Fea made her way over to her bed and stared down at it. The day had been long and her discussion with him had opened wounds she desperately tried to hide. Yet she did not have the intention of bringing up the elven queen, it just happened.

  So strange. I feel like I can open up to him. Why? Is it because he is an outsider, a prisoner? Or, is it because of something else? Is he secretly manipulating us with his magic? She shook her head at that last question.

  No, there is no way he could. He might be unique and powerful, but he doesn’t know how to hide his emotions from his mana. In fairness, most didn’t but that was because it wasn’t something most magically attuned could pick up on.

  And Nevrim probed his mind too. If he was trying to hide something, we would have known right then. She quickly tossed that theory out but it did nothing for the others. Why is it easy to talk with him?

  She let out a groan of frustration as she fell onto her bed. She was putting way too much thought into this, she needed to let go of it.

  Hopefully, Nevrim will have his proposal ready soon. Once I have the details, I can approve it and get Felix out of here… I mean, it won’t be that simple. There will still need to be preparations and–

  There was a sudden pounding at her door, it sounded panicked. Gods, is he having another haunting? “Come in!” she shouted in annoyance.

  It flew open and Nevrim stormed in, a serious look upon his face. “Your Highness,” he said, kneeling before her bed. “Forgive me for the intrusion, but something has happened.”

  Fea let out a sigh and pulled herself out of bed. “What is it? Has Felix had another episode?”

  “No, Your Highness.” He stood up and looked her in the eyes. A foreboding feeling crept up her spine.

  “The dwarves are under siege.”