About a week had passed since Willem had gotten permission to establish a free-trade zone outside of the city limits. They were planning to build a production facility right alongside the river, harnessing the power of the water to power many of Karel’s innovations.

  But for one of the rare occasions in Willem’s new life, this day wouldn’t have much business going on at all.

  He stood in the garden of the count’s estate, staring out at the still pond. It was nice here. It was good to have a friend that had a nice house, because it enabled him to enjoy nice things without paying for it in the slightest. It was even better to have a family member with a nice house. And he was beginning to accept the fact that these people were his family.

  Viviene walked up to Willem. “Godfried is a mess,” she said in concern. “He’s like a hollow shell. He could barely look me in the eyes.”

  “Eye,” Willem pointed out.

  Viviene frowned. “Let an old girl dream, son.”

  After chuckling, Willem asked, “Why’s Godfried torn up?”

  Viviene looked at him. “He was still in love with Dorothea. And Arend was his best friend.”

  “Whatever happened to Arend?” he asked her.

  “Well, after I scored an overwhelming victory against one of the famous royal knights, whose aura was far more powerful than mine and whose fighting style countered my own…” Viviene gloated unsubtly. “He was taken to the capital and examined. Trace amounts of a drug that induce a mad fury were found in his body. Under questioning, the truth of that day was revealed. He’s been expelled from the royal knights, stripped of his peerage, and cast out.”

  Willem looked at her. “They didn’t kill him?”

  “It annoyed me as well,” Viviene said. “But it was the king’s decision. I can never tell what he’s thinking. No one can, it seems.”

  “I’m sure that he had his reasons,” Willem said simply.

  Viviene held her hand up, cracking her knuckles. “If I see him near you again, I’m going to kill him. No questions.”

  Willem was about to rebuke her, but from afar, he heard Catharina shout, “Everyone! Join us at the table.”

  Willem and Viviene both glanced at each other before turning and walking back through the gardens. There, Catharina beamed at the head of the table. Her husband, Count Ventura II, stood beside her with an oddly proud smile on his face. He was a plain, bookish man with brown hair and eyes, who Willem had never earnestly spoke with before.

  All of House Brugh was here—Tielman, Lennard, Godfried, Hans, Catharina, Suzanne, and… Willem. Dowager Countess Anne Claire was here, too, standing proudly beside her son and her daughter-in-law.

  “I know that my father called us all together to discuss something… but I think it’s an excellent opportunity to bring something up,” Catharina said, then looked to her husband with a smile. “I’m pregnant!”

  Murmurs spread throughout the family. Tielman looked a little bit stunned, while Lennard offered his congratulations. Godfried tried to congratulate her, but his melancholic voice was drowned out by a joke from Hans. Despite all of their frictions, at news like this, they could all speak pleasantly and amicably.

  “I’m very happy for you,” Willem said honestly, leaning against the back of one of the chairs. He gave as genuine a smile as he could muster.

  As he looked out across this family—his family, decreed by the real owner of this body—he couldn’t help but think of the things that had happened in his distant past. History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. And now… now, all four of Tielman’s sons were going to the capital.

  Willem couldn’t help but feel tremendous apprehension.

  As he did, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over, and Viviene stood at his side. She didn’t say anything—didn’t even look at him, but she put a supportive hand on his shoulder. He was a little embarrassed to be comforted by a woman half his age, but… he had to admit, it was more comfort than he thought such a simple thing could bring.

  “Didn’t realize that today would be a celebration,” Willem said. “Let’s eat, talk about your plans for the little niece or nephew. Then, maybe, we can get into what Tielman’s gathered us for.”

  ***

  The talk with the rest of the family had been long and exhausting, each of the three brothers trying to develop excuse after excuse about why they couldn’t go to their state’s sovereign summer school. At the end of the day, Tielman was uncompromising. They were going, and he was going to remain in the barony, alongside some new supervision from the king’s men.

  Willem sat in a bench at the gardens, melancholic. He knew that he’d made an agreement with the Willem Junior in his head, but… he was standing at the edge, looking in. There was only darkness ahead. The unknown. And with things as they were, the likelihood things went horribly were quite high. Avaria, the king, all of this nonsense. It was frightening.

  He heard footsteps, and Suzanne walked toward him. She stopped just beside him and held out a ring.

  “Here,” she said. “That artifact he said I’d make for you.”

  Willem reached his hand out and took it. “What is it?”

  “It’s a Ring of Martial Meditation,” she said. “Fairly common trinket among warriors. It allows them to retreat within their mind, harnessing the power of the brain and its memories to recreate a fight. My brother will be able to use it, I’m quite sure.”

  Willem fiddled with the ring, sliding it onto his middle finger. It fit snugly. “And what about the thing to draw him out?” he asked.

  “They’re the same,” she explained, sitting beside him. “You want him to come out, take control… you’ll use the artifact. It’s quite simple to use. Just try and reach out to it with your mind.”

  Willem slapped the ring against his forehead.

  “No, I meant…” Suzanne rubbed her eyes. “Your will. Your thoughts.”

  Willem held up his hand with the ring, contemplating it. He tried to reach out with thought, and… the world fell apart around him. The next thing he knew, he opened his eyes. All around was a familiar city—east Asian, and ruined. He heard the sound of distant mortars, and years of forgotten training bubbled up to the surface in a moment.

  The Battle of Hu?.

  The city fell apart as quickly as it had arisen, and he was brought back to that garden, Suzanne sitting by his side. She held the ring, twisting it through her fingers.

  “I took it off for you,” she said. “But… yeah, you did it fine. If you do that, my brother will be able to come out. He’ll take off the ring when he’s finished. Might seem dodgy, but he’s got no incentive to leave you—” she paused. “Are you alright?”

  Willem looked at her. “I’m fine.”

  “You just look very… angry,” she said, leaning away from him in alarm. “Did I do something?”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Willem put his hand to his mouth, wiping at his face and regaining control of his expression. He gave a smile. “I’m fine. No, this is a great solution. Thank you for taking your time.”

  Suzanne gave him a skeptical gaze, but nodded. “Yeah. Okay, great.”

  “Anything else?” Willem asked.

  “Nope,” she said simply, depositing the ring back in his hand. “I already told Catharina I have to get back. Galahad is on me like nothing else lately.”

  “Any message for Dirk?” he asked pointedly.

  Suzanne scoffed. “That’s between me and him.”

  “Don’t break his heart,” Willem told her. “Or… maybe do. Maybe he’s the type of guy that throws himself into work when he wants to forget something, like me.”

  And lord knows I have something to forget again. Willem’s whole body was tensed, like a spring drawn taut. He tried to look on the bright side. He now had an easy way of getting motivated. A little kick in the pants, whenever he needed it. But he looked at the ring in his hand with a knot in his stomach.

  ***

  Tielman gathered together his courage as he looked at the back of his wife, who lounged in the gardens of the estate with her feet in the water of the pond.

  “If you want to talk, Tielman, just come over here,” Viviene said.

  Tielman straightened his neck, caught off guard. He walked forth begrudgingly, stopping just beside her. He made sure he was on the side with her good eye.

  “Sit,” she said. “I’m in a great mood. I have a grandchild on the way.”

  Tielman looked around, and then sat just beside her cross-legged. She didn’t look at him, just watching the pond.

  “Catharina seems to be happy,” she said. “I’m glad that things worked out with them. Looking at him, I didn’t think he knew how to make a baby. Perhaps he read it in a book recently.” She paused. “That was quite rude of me to say. I’m trying to work on that, but… just don’t tell him I said that.”

  “I won’t,” Tielman promised easily.

  “It is funny, though, how the only time our kids are happy is when they leave home,” she reflected.

  Tielman rubbed his hands together, then looked at Viviene. “I don’t think you should go to the capital with Willem.”

  Viviene looked over briefly, and then back to the pond. “Why’s that?”

  “Do you remember when I told you that the king was the one that wanted me to prevent you from joining the Grand Crusade?”

  “Yes,” she said. “And to this day, I thought you were lying.”

  “I was,” Tielman said, and Viviene turned her head. “He wanted me to kill you.”

  “What?” Viviene laughed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  “That was the order that he gave me,” Tielman said. “And he never explained it. He never recanted, or rescinded it. To this day, I have no idea why.”

  Viviene laid out across the grass, holding her hand up to block out the sun. “Are you willing to be tested for lies?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Go get Suzanne, then,” she said.

  Tielman stood up. “Suzanne!” he called out, hoping she’d hear him. He walked away, looking for her.

  “Hold on,” Viviene called out. When he looked back, she’d sat up. “Get back here. Our daughter doesn’t need to hear all of this.”

  Tielman trudged back. “So… you believe me?”

  “I suppose,” Viviene said, then laid back down. “Keep standing there. You’re blocking the light.”

  Tielman complied, looking down on her. “I don’t know if the king won’t try something like that again.”

  “Why would he want me dead?” Viviene asked. “I’m 26th in line for the Duchy of Dubois, last I checked. In the inheritance order, he’s actually ahead of me. It doesn’t make any sense. Did he think I was working for Avaria?”

  “I don’t know,” Tielman said. “But I don’t want you to risk going to the capital, where you’re in his reach.”

  “Why do you even care?” Viviene asked.

  “Because you’re the mother of my children.”

  Viviene laughed. “I see.”

  Tielman swallowed. “And because I love you.”

  Viviene didn’t respond. She reached up and pulled off the white mask covering her face. Tielman saw his horrific work, his own aura still glowing and pulsing. Still… he didn’t look away. He owed her at least that much. And in his eyes, she was still beyond beautiful.

  “It aches anew every time I see you,” Viviene said. “When you touch me… it’s like I’m being burnt, actively.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, even though the words felt totally inadequate.

  “I know,” Viviene said. “That doesn’t change what happened… or how I feel.”

  Tielman turned, preparing to leave her be. He didn’t want to hurt her any more.

  “Hey,” Viviene called out. “I told you to block the light.”

  Tielman clenched his hands into a fist and came back to stand over her.

  “I think I loved you,” Viviene said. “No… that’s not honest. I loved you, Tielman. I did.” She looked up at him. “Now, I honestly can’t say.”

  Tielman was surprised to hear that there was even the faintest chance she reciprocated.

  “But you’re not going to protect me anymore,” she said. “And if what you said is true… you’ll forget you ever asked me not to follow Willem to the capital.”

  Tielman hung his head. After an eternity, he gave the faintest of nods.

  “We’ve been awful parents, I think,” Viviene said. “Our daughters are doing well, but the rest? They’ve got serious problems. Still… things can change. That’s my focus, henceforth. Because I want my child to be excited for me to see their child.”

  “The fault is mine alone,” Tielman said. “You were a good mother.”

  “I had my own issues,” Viviene disagreed.

  “Your father was an awful man,” Tielman countered.

  “I can’t hide behind that for everything.” Viviene rose to her feet, then slipped her mask back on. “Anyway… enough of this. We’re celebrating our grandchild-to-be.”

  “It’s a joyous day,” Tielman agreed.

  “Let’s walk back together,” Viviene said. “But I won’t hold your damn hand or anything.”

  ***

  Willem sat with Dirk, alone, late at night. The two of them stared into the hearth in their lodgings, watching the fire crackle.

  “Going to be a busy three months,” Willem said, lounging his feet close to the flame.

  “Everything’s busy with you,” Dirk said. “Busy hour, busy day, busy week… that’s all you do, business.”

  “I don’t have the energy to banter,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “I feel like this matter of the invasion… it’s not been properly addressed.”

  Dirk looked over seriously. “You notified the king, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Willem said with a nod. “And he sent over Galahad. But Avaria… they’re approaching this with their all. Their very all. They’re not taking any chances. Arnoud is distracted with the matter of his succession. Not saying it’s not a worthwhile issue, but… if there were a time to strike, it’d be soon. Next year, at the very least.”

  Dirk leaned up in his chair. “I’ve never heard you talk like this.”

  “Nothing’s worse than war, Dirk.” Willem exhaled deeply. “There are enemies within, enemies without. I don’t have enough time to make the changes that I wanted to make. If I could’ve set my roots deeper, maybe I could… I don’t know. Just makes me sad, that’s all.”

  “If Avaria starts a war, then it’s Avaria’s problem,” Dirk insisted. “It gives us the right to do whatever we want to defend ourself.”

  “People are people,” Willem said. “Born here, born there… the misery feels the same. And the people that start the wars are rarely the ones that fight them. But…” he leaned in close, looking at the fire. “But I’m going to the capital in three months.”

  Dirk furrowed his brows. “What does that mean?”

  “Whatever I want it to mean,” Willem said seriously. "And I want it to mean quite a lot, Dirk."

  Dirk narrowed his eyes. "You're scaring me."

  "That's because you have good instincts," Willem responded.

  He leaned back, watching the fire crackle in the hearth. His mind, though, was elsewhere.

  END OF VOLUME 1