“Wait? Unexpected? Didn’t you send this invitation?” Victor took out the letter he received earlier.

“I think you must have made a mistake. I did not send you any letter.” Smoke lingered around her lips as she rested her gaze on the Prince.

“Then who did? It couldn’t be Gabriella.”

“May I?”

Victor handed the letter to the woman, she took out the card and raised an eyebrow as she scanned the content. “It seems… it was from me.”

“I don’t understand.”

“No need to put much thought on it,” she stood up and tossed the letter onto the coffee table.

“Wait! Where are you going?”

“A tour of the city. Come. while we still have the time.” Sayo makes her way toward the door while Victor is dumbfounded by her answer and without a doubt, follows her out of the room.

The wheels turned, the carrier rumbled on top of frozen rubbles, the wooden walls shook, and the seat vibrated. Dark to bright, the carriage passed the tall gates steel gate of the castle wall. Victor leaned close to one of the windows and saw the city, he smiled. His gaze glued to the passing buildings, filled with childlike wonder, and there’s nothing wrong with that, Victor is and has always been a child. The smoke lingers above the carriage’s ceiling while her gaze seems to be interested in the Prince rather than the city.

“Now, do tell me. A city that is seen every day, should be common to someone who lives in it, is it not?”

“My father… I meant the King, rarely let me out of the...castle,” a certain realization of sorrowfulness hovered above Victor while his smile turned to flattened lips.

“May I ask why?”

“Probably to keep me safe.”

“Probably? You never question your father’s decision?”

“How could I? He’s the King.”

Victor turned his gaze at the woman, and she seems to be uninterested by the view, instead only glancing at them with a bored stare. “Isn’t this place new to you?” Victor asked.

She took a sip of her pipe and let out a soft smoke. “New? Once you have seen many cities, the sight becomes almost mundane. The concept of the city is all the same, masses houses, shops, plaza, garden, and many more, all of it served a purpose. One thing that is different is the common rabble, their culture, religion, customs and many more, but look past the common and reveal nothing more than buildings made out of stones and woods. In the end, they still continued their daily life routine without the heaviest burden ever bestowed upon them.”

“Heaviest burden?”

“Running a country...ah, it seems that I may have mumbled on, unintentionally. As for the answer earlier, I have been here before so I have gotten used to the view.”

“Been here?” Victor felt confused, never once in his life had he ever seen this woman.

“It was before your time,” Sayo spoke of the past as if it was something of a bittersweet memory to her.

Victor grips tightened over the armrest as he glared at the woman, “Who are you to my father?”

“Aren’t your questions a little too blatant?” For the first time from the moment she spent with the young man, her expression changed from boredom to an inquisitive smirk and curious eyes.

“I need to know.”

Before The Empress could answer his question, the carriage shook loudly and suddenly halted in place. Victor looked outside and it seems that they have stopped right in the middle of the plaza. One of the guards made his way to the window, Victor opened it, and the guard bowed his head.

“What is going on?” Victor asked.

“The wheel bearing had broken, your highness. We will quickly fetch the blacksmith and get it done. For your safety, I may implore your highness to stay where you are.” The guard raised his head and moved the front.

“Surely is an inopportune time to be.” Sayo sighed as she closed her eyes and meditated to pass the time.

“Then how about sightseeing to pass the time? Also, we could continue where we left off,” Victor suggested as he looked excitedly at the city outside.

Sayo looked at the excited boy and couldn’t help but be infected by his glee, “An offer I couldn’t resist.”

Victor opened the door and dropped out of the carriage, Sayo gracefully followed the delighted boy. The guard noticed and quickly stopped both of them by stepping in front of them and bowing while pleading, “Please your highness, It is dangerous for you both to be out here.”

“It’s just a little tour, nothing dangerous about it,” Victor tried to calm the guard.

“I can’t. By the order of the King. You can’t...”

“My father?” Victor stared at the guard, dumbfound.

“Is he not the next in line for the throne?” Sayo stepped in and the guard was tongue twisted, he murmured something gibberish before the Empress laid out another question, “Does he have power over his subjects? Furthermore, is the crown he earned, just a facade?”

“My apologies, your highness. I was wrong. It was foolish of me to be in your way, please forgive me.”

Victor was astounded by the authority the woman right next to him had shown, he could never say such things in a commanding tone and defied people like that. The guard moved away and dropped to his knee, pleading for forgiveness. The young prince looked at the guard and felt bad when he tried to beg forgiveness. Victor was about to help the man stand up again when the Empress placed her hand on his shoulder; stopping him. He looked over his shoulder.

“Be firm.”

Victor nodded, he straightened his back and deepened his voice slightly, “That’s right, don’t you dare treat me like a common ever again.”

“Yes, your highness.”

He walked away with his chin up and a frown and never had he felt so bad and proud before. The Empress walked beside him while the guard whistled to his comrade and marched behind them.

“Woah…” Victor whispered.

The Empress leaned in close, “Power; an exhilarating thing, isn’t it?”

“I never did such a thing before. I usually just timid down when people say no to me.”

“But be careful--” Sayo’s words were ignored when Victor suddenly rushed away to a tiny stall beside the streets, his eyes glazed in joy as he stared at the content. The Empress sighed in annoyance and walked to his side.

“What is it?” Sayo asked.

“Breadcrumbs dipped with sugar powders!”

“Breadcrumbs? I don’t understand..”

“It’s what the common people called delicacy down here, I heard about it once when the maids were gossiping. I always wondered what it felt like. I never had some when I was back in the castle.” Victor snatched one of the breadcrumbs and ate it. The overconsuming sweetness flowed around his tongues, it tasted like melting sugar.

The Empress took one and tasted it, “It’s nothing but sugar. Too sweet for my taste.”

“It is wondrous!” Victor kept eating. Until an old man, older than his father with a fat belly and thick beard came out of the doorway.

“What are you doing?! You can’t-” The owner looked in horror when he saw the guards, the way these people dress and when he looked closely at the thieving boy. As fast as lightning the horrid realization dawned on him, the tip of a blade had gently touched the man’s throat. “I-I- I didn’t know, your highness. Please spare me. I have a family to feed.”

“The punishment of speaking so coarsely to a member of The Royal Family is beheading,” The guard stated.

“Any last words?”

“Wait!” Victor spoke out.

“It wasn’t his fault, I’m the one in the wrong here. Stand down.”

“At your command, your highness.” The guard slowly pulled his sword away and sheathed it.

“T-Thank you,” the owner’s skin had turned pale, his hands the only thing keeping him standing as he mumbled his gratitudes.

“How much?” Victor asked.

“Excuse me, your highness?” The old man asked back the Prince in a timid voice.

“The delicacy.”

“It’s free, your highness.”

“Quit joking around.”

“It is free as a thank you for sparing my life.”

“I wasn’t going-” Sayo stopped Victor from continuing, “We humbly accept your gratitude. Your delicacy was certainly the best the Prince had ever tasted.”

“Oh? Thank you. My wife makes it. She would be delighted to hear such a compliment from The Royal Family. Please take more!” The old man had one of the happiest smiles anyone had after being complimented by the woman. He began packing more of the breadcrumbs and presented it toward the Prince and the Empress.

Victor took the delicacies and Sayo led the troublemaking boy away from the store. After a few feet from the stall, The Empress gave her delicacies to the guards and then leaned closer to the Prince, “Do not apologize. Do not refuse a gift, and do not block a compliment, instead, parry it back.”

“Huh?”

“Doesn’t Lillian ever taught you how to act like a Prince?” Her eyebrow raised toward him.

“Mother does, but I always tune out when she does her ramblings. Anyway, I don’t see the point, why I should act so arrogantly in front of others.” There was gloom in every happy memory containing his mother, every time it surfaces, his heart becomes heavy.

“A Prince is a symbol. A representative of power, or at least the heir to that power. Someone who should not show any weakness. People are relying on you to be the one that shows no emotion, no bias, a protector who knows no fear,” Sayo said with enough confidence that those words were to believe to be her own creed. “Or so how it goes, but I do believe that a prince like you, needs to show a certain image to the people because they talk...they talk.”

“Image and all, but have you taken a look at me? I’m not the one that inhabits that kind of image. I’m weak. I can’t even--”

“Enough!” Sayo raised her voice, and Victor was frozen in place with disbelief. Never had he thought that this woman would raise her voice against anyone, and here she is, raising her voice at him with a glare. She took a single breath in and began walking; leaving the young boy behind. Finally, The Prince regained his senses and strode quickly to the woman, she stopped and turned her attention left to the building.

Victor matched her gaze and was confused, “The Temple of Gidona, The True. Anything particular about it?”

“If I remember correctly, Gidona’s symbol is fire.”

“Fire is everything to the people of Frozehaven. A power capable of giving and taking. It is also the giver of warmth and light. Believe in the fire, it will guide you home and keep you safe.”

Sayo looked past the gateway and into the building, a cauldron of fire stood in the middle of the room with people gathered around it. Her flattened lips turned into a frown and she started walking forward without saying a single word. Victor raised his eyebrow and jogged to match her pace.

“Power turns man into monsters. Always watch out for yourself.”

Victor turned and saw the woman’s cold gaze. Something happened in the past, something that shaped this woman, something that caused that bleak gaze to appear, and poking that something is a bad idea. Victor remained silent as they both continued their pace until they found themselves in a depressing alley. Looking through the doorway. Victor noticed a heartbroken sight. People, his people are starving. The food on the tables was minimal, some of them were skinny to the bone while some had fallen ill; lying in their beds, coughing and groaning.

“We should leave.”

“Why?”

“Because…”

“Are you afraid?”

“What?” Victor looked at the woman, he felt none of the friendly feeling she had earlier. Right now, she was staring at him with dark and judging eyes.

“Oh, I see now…”

“See what?”

“You know, but you pretend not to. I was expecting something else, but this is more interesting. You show kindness to animals, but not to your own people?”

“That’s not true!”

“Then look.” The Empress commands Victor to look closely. The boy glanced and his gaze crossed with another boy sitting on the porch with an exhausted look. They were the same age, but the difference between them is night and day. One is covered in dark smudges and his clothes are worn down till there are a few holes in them while the Prince donned a pristinely clean and comfortable material. It shows how wide the gap of wealth is between them. Victor guessed that the dark smudges must have been from coal, this boy must have worked in the mine.

“What were you doing when they were starving?”

“I-I...I.”

“As I thought, while you were protecting some animal and reading books in your comfortable castle, your people were starving. Take your servants, your clothes, your title, your home, your bloodline away, and what’s left? Nothing.” Sayo pushed him forward closer to the boy, and guards behind them reached for the sword.

“Look at him!”

“My father…”

“You’re blaming your father? Are you sure you wanted to take that route? Your father has done nothing but trying to make sure his people survive. He has made decisions that you can't. Despite the war that almost ruins this Kingdom, he managed to pull it together and make sure this country still exists. So I ask you again. What did you do?!”

“I...I did nothing!” Victor dropped to his knees, the other boy looked at him, confused. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Sayo wrapped her arm around him from behind and pulled him closer for an embrace, “I wanted you to see that the title was thrust upon you is more than a dress-up word. A Prince is an heir to the king, and once you are a King. Then you will be weighed by responsibilities that your mind could not understand yet. So pick wisely who will be your queen because your queen will be your side supporting you through the thick of it. You need a strong queen.”

“You’re right.”

Sayo leaned closer to his ear, “Don't leave my embrace.”

“What?”

“Finally, one of the bastard families made his grace here, hahaha!” Passerby disperses into their houses, clearing the street at once as six men with their faces covered with dark fabric and swords readied in their hand blocked the only two ways of in and out. The two guards following the Empress and the Prince stood around them with their weapons aimed at those men.

“How dare you bear your weapon against The Prince of Frozehaven. Have you lost your mind?!”

“Oh, we know exactly who he is. We have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

“Who are you? I never met you before!” Victor spoke out.

“It sickened me that you don’t know about us. I guess that bastard king forgot that we even exist.”

Sayo took a sip of her pipe and calmly breathed out a thin smoke, “Gentlemens, one last warning. Stand down or face the consequence.”

“Shut up cu-- Urgh...”

“W-What?”

One of the enemies turned to find his comrade face down on the dirt with a small blade attached to the back of his neck. Blood dripped out of the cut, wetting the frozen earth. He turned back to their victims and stumbled back when he found a thin blade plunged into his stomach. Each of his comrades had the same fate as him, he looked at the wielder and stunned by the way they dressed; dark red linen covering from head to toe with no sight of steel or leather armor.

“How-” He couldn't continue his question as he realized there was a large cut underneath his chin, his eyes turned dull as he dropped to the ground. No one but their prey saw they were coming and they couldn’t believe how quiet they moved except for the Empress. She raised her hand and the men disappeared into the roof and dark corners.

One of the guards looked at his partner and back to the Prince, “We should leave right now, follow me.”

The Empress and The Prince were escorted out of the alley and back into the carriage and into the safety of the castle’s wall.