"If... if only I had been quicker. I..."

I take the bottle away from Melody. She tries to weakly claw after it, but falls over whilst hiccupping.

"Your majesty, you cannot keep beating yourself up over this. Everyone did all they could. And it was, in the end, just not enough."

Harsh, but it has to be said now.

Melody starts blubbing tears again, so I rub her back for a while.

Her vague attempt at drunkenness is ultimately futile in any case. Her water spirit is strong, and will purify her in barely a few minutes.

"For now, you should just rest. It helps nobody for you to be in this state."

She sighs and rolls over.

"Can you stay and watch over me, Kako?"

"Always and forever. Didn't I promise that many moons ago?"

Her eyes shut gently.

I guess her fatigue was high, as sleep takes her very soon after.

I smirk and grasp her outlying hand, sitting with my back against her bedframe.

I suppose it has been intense the last few days. Relief efforts haven't exactly given her time to grieve the loss of her younger brother, and the fact that her father has been crippled. But now that the funeral has occurred, and she is offered a moments rest, it is only sadness that waits for her.

What’s worse, is that a permanent portal has appeared in the centre of what used to be the market square.

Though nothing further has yet ventured out, everyone is overtaken with fear and unease. Suddenly, the capital is thrust onto the frontline all at once.

And Melody is cast onto a stage she never wished for. As the only ambulatory royal left here, and with over half of the council slaughtered by the demons that assaulted the palace, she has been thrust into a position of authority to fill the void.

Jeraldine is facing a very hard time indeed. This is likely its greatest trial yet.

And all I can do to help is to guard, care and comfort her. I'm not a clever woman, nor an insightful one, and this assault has even made me question my strength.

Father defeated the strong demon after all. He told me: 'I was surprised I had to use my full strength after all this time!'.

Personally, that only made me anxious. That day he tested me to see my readiness for the tournament... where I felt like I was truly fighting for my life every second... that was still only two-thirds of his monstrous power that I barely managed to clear.

And yet, at the time, I had the hubris to believe I had finally bested him after he said 'well done!'.

I sigh deeply, and loosen my tunic. The refreshing breeze from the bedroom window is nice. I understand why Melody claims this sea-facing room as hers.

I wonder how Kiku is faring right now? I wonder how her crush is faring as well?

I stare at my own rough, calloused hand that is baring even more cuts since the latest incident, and smile wryly.

I have never had time for a crush. I was so focused on my training, my duty, that I doubtless come across a cold and heartless blade of a woman.

I snort. What madness takes the mind when it has time to become unfocused...

Still, perhaps it is just the thing my little sister needs. Father said she has immense potential, but was always holding herself back.

It’s probably true. I've learnt to recognise soldiers with similar issues. People who simply cannot bring themselves to fight, to kill, for their own sake, or purely for advancement.

These people don't tend to make for good soldiers. You have to discipline and re-build from the ground up; or you have to give them something else to fight for. Honour, or duty, most of the time.

The former takes a long time. The latter is nigh impossible to force on them: they need to have that tendency to begin with, at least in part.

In my case, I wouldn't have made a good mercenary either. I needed the same thing. A focus for my skills. Knights have a lot of pomp and circumstance, but ultimately, they are supposed to be about protecting the people. And, in my view, protecting a good royal is equivalent to protecting the people. So here, I have a home.

Melody is like having another little sister to protect. I was distraught when she chose to try summoning, and she failed. But I respected her decision. It was driven partly by hubris and madness, but ultimately, she was also trying to protect the people in her own way. All three of the princesses and the prince did. It is truly a great loss to be without two of them once more, where it was briefly back to three.

Come to think of it, the youngest princess knows nothing of the goings on here. I do hope she doesn't lose hope when she finds out.

Hah... my head isn't supposed to work this much. I'm tired.

Listening to Melody's quiet breathing, I nod off...