"Now come the questions that really bother you, right?", Cale threw back, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He consciously didn't answer the question at first, staring at the two advisors before sighing and reaching for his warm cup. "A month, maybe two. A Thormod had approached the city and created massive problems for us, and after that one thing had led to another. Perhaps you heared of it, but a Thormod had blocked High-Magician Vonstetten's mana, nearly killing him. If you're familiar with soulless mages, High-Magician Vonstetten was on his way to becoming one."

"Sounds like you've had a rough few months. Not to mention the second wave of attacks."

"Quite, yes. And there seems to be no end to the drama", Cale admitted with a shoulder shrug.

"What about the creatures? You're the go-to guy for questions about the creatures, right? How long have you known about the danger posed by the plains?", the first advisor now rejoined the conversation.

"A long time. Quite a long time, even before my time at the Magistrat."

"Since Groka?"

"Pretty much, yes. Although, I didn't use to take it that seriously. It wasn't until I got involved in the battles with the creatures and became more closely involved with them that I really became aware of the danger."

"Interesting. We won't be making the mistake of not taking Magistrat recommendations seriously anytime soon", Loys commented with amusement. He leaned back with a grin on his face and closed his eyes for a brief moment, making Cale realize why he was actually involved in this conversation. "Kutam really taught us a lesson."

"I hope so. When it comes to the survival of humanity, we don't mess around."

"I'm aware of that", Loys confirmed. "I have always regretted not putting more trust in the Magistrat and you in particular. Because of our decision, people had to die back then, even if you could prevent the worst. I still have the destroyed village in front of my eyes... just like Groka."

"Were you in Groka back then?"

"Yes, maybe two days after the attack. Duchess of Caplens asked me to see the extent of the attack with my own eyes. I must admit, I'll never get the smell of blood out of my head."

"Duchess of Caplens has always strived to make the province safer", Julius continued. "She had a young son then and was pregnant with the second child, you must know. Whenever it came to reinforcing the borders, she was the loudest one, crying out for support from the palace."

"And did you support her?", Cale inquired.

"Not from the beginning, no. Duke of Caplens thought he had the situation under control, but after the great fire of their presence a few years later, we finally got involved. This was indirectly the trigger for us to introduce strict border controls and also to constantly ensure that we are kept up to date with events in the north. The communication crystals really help us a lot in that regard."

"I'm glad to hear that", Cale replied with satisfaction. He didn't know all the political details Sylve had to go through at the time, but the result was worth seeing and that was all that mattered. Finally, they would see arriving creatures coming now and the capital would also be informed in the first minutes to organize instant support.

"Whereas Duchess of Caplens could never be satisfied", Loys interfered again. "The woman makes us crazy."

"Somewhat understandable, considering what happened in Exarion."

"It was actually like that even before Exarion. I'm not saying she's wrong in what she says, but the way she presents it and the way she acts towards the royal family is..."

"Don't get upset with her again. You'd think you'd have gotten used to her ways at some point", Julius interrupted his colleague as Cale watched them in silence. Of course, Cale didn't know the whole story, but emotionally he was already sympathetic to the woman. She must have terrorized the royal family quite a bit if Loys of Freigoud spoke of the lady that way. Whereas, Cale was glad that at least one person was steadily trying to make the country safer.

"How about we let the questions go for today and get some rest? The coming weeks are going to be busy enough", Cale interjected after a few minutes, when Julius and Loys had already degenerated into a discussion about the Duchess.

"You're probably right", Julius confirmed, and then stretched. "The bed is calling me."

"I'll go along with that", Loys replied, straightening up as Cale drank the remains of his tea. "I'll show you where you can spend the night."

"Thanks for the offer, but I won't be sleeping tonight."

"Aren't you tired? The day must have been just as tiring for you", Julius interjected in wonder.

"I'm wide awake, but thanks for the concern", Cale replied with a smile, looking up at Loys. "Thank you for the tea and the conversation."

"I should thank you", Loys merely countered. "If there's anything I can do for you, let me know. No false shyness."

"I'll be fine", Cale assured him, also standing up as his gaze fell back to Julius. "Would you like to keep the tea."

"May I?"

"If you like. I have a whole supply at home."

"Then... I'd love to. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

With a grin, he stepped to Loys' side and wished Julius a good night before leaving the room with the duke. Loys stopped a door down and thanked Cale again before entering the next room to get some sleep.

Wordlessly, Cale strode back the way he had come before and stopped a moment later in front of the door behind which the king was. He could sense that the man had been walking rounds in his room for some time and by all appearances would not stop, so Cale could not help but sigh.

"When Sir Freigoud comes back, tell him to go to the royal majesty's room and check on him. Unfortunately for me, it doesn't look like the royal majesty will be able to sleep tonight", Cale gave in a whisper and continued walking. The three elite soldiers did not respond to his comment, but Cale knew they could hear him.

Cautiously, he re-entered the princes' room and, to his surprise, found it just as he had left it. William was in bed, asleep, and Edward was sitting by the window with Fengari on his lap.

, the dragon reported back, but didn't move.

Quietly, Cale approached the crown prince, but the young man did not notice him. From his breathing, Cale realized that he was already deep in the land of dreams and was physically almost falling off armchairs. Wordlessly, he crouched down in front of Edward and stared at him before carefully brushing his hair out of his face.

He looked like an older version of William. It was startling how similar the two brothers looked at 24 years old. The only notable difference being that William's head was a little narrower and his eyebrows weren't quite as full as his brother's either.

With that statement, he turned back to the large bed and reached for the blanket that William was not claiming. As carefully as he could, he then placed it over Edward's feet and opened the large window a crack to let some fresh air into the stuffy room.

"Now then", he murmured softly as he erected the sonic barrier and began to transform Fengari's exterior into human form. She remained seated on the windowsill in anticipation as Cale produced various candies and placed them beside her.

"Thank you!", Fengari whispered, reaching for the chocolate she already knew. For a few minutes, Cale watched her move in silence before his attention turned outside. It wasn't particularly late yet, an estimated 1am. Aaron and Luc should have reached the Magistrat by now and Palais should also be back in the mountains. All in all, the state of origin of yesterday had returned, even if Cale had not expected to spend the night in the royal palace of Sylve.

, Grischa answered him immediately, as if he had actually been waiting all these hours for a message from Cale. Somehow Cale could well imagine his friend now standing annoyed by the sea, staring in the direction of Holy Island, the communication crystal in one hand and something to eat in the other.

, Cale replied wryly.

There was no response from the 1st seat for the first moment, before he understood the context.

, Grischa replied with amusement, which made Cale grin as well.

, Grischa threw back with a mocking undertone.

, Grischa replied, almost shouting. Cale fell silent and started laughing a few moments later.

, he countered, laughing.

, Grischa returned and started laughing as well. The two mages amused themselves for a good minute, until silence returned and they stared thoughtfully into the distance.

, Cale finally spoke up.

, Grischa calmly replied.

Cale threw back. His eyes turned to Fengari, who gleefully polished off the last of her bar and then looked to Cale with a satisfied grin.

, Grischa proclaimed.

, Grischa countered.

At the comment, Cale couldn't suppress a grin and let his gaze fall to the sleeping crown prince. Seeing him sleeping so peacefully didn't hint at what he must be going through today.

, Grischa spoke up again shortly after.

, Grischa announced.