A young man in a neat suit stomped up and down the former king’s reception room. Displeasure painted all over his face, he gestured wildly as he complained to the dozen other Rulers scattered around him.

“Eight hours!” he grumbled. “It’s insane! It took them half a day to get rid of that thing! It took me hours to fall asleep, out of fear that it might not have been over after all!”

“You’re fortunate that you could sleep, my boy! I wasn’t able to relax all night!” A middle-aged woman joined in. Managing her voluminous dress with her hands, she stood up from a chair standing to the side. “One thing these kids had going for them! One thing! And they haven’t been able to keep it!”

“Exactly! This has been going on more than long enough.”

“Very good, I agree full-heartedly! There’s no need to tolerate their rule under these circumstances.”

Another young man emerged from the group of one dozen people gathered there and stepped in between the two, gesturing for them to calm down.

“Grom, Isona, please get a hold of yourself. It was one incident, and a rather peculiar one at that. Unforeseen events happen, and the typical beasts are still nowhere to be seen. That was Lilly’s promise, and she has not broken it in any way!”

“Surprise, surprise, ladies and gentleman, Gustal would like for us to roll over and let them carry on!” Grom mocked.

Gustal’s face reddened slightly in anger as people started snickering and whispering among themselves. Nobody had been happy when King Hertar and his closest family were arrested by their own guards, but some Rulers were going with the flow more readily than others.

“I repeat,” Grom continued, “eight hours! Name one instance during our life-time when a beast incident took that long to resolve. Or another one where forty-four guards lost their lives! I suppose you don’t care about them? This isn’t right, and we all know it, don’t we?”

Spurred on by Grom inciting them, more Rulers joined in.

“That’s right!”

“Nothing like this has ever happened under the king!”

Annoyed and frustrated, Gustal shot back, “What a pointless thing to say! What if that ‘dungeon’ had appeared at any other time, while the king was in charge? Do you reckon he would’ve taken up a sword and felled that monster from last night? No! It was still Lilly’s followers who did that!”

“Hah!” Another woman let out a shrill laugh. “I heard the guards had no issues dealing with it at all! Our good man Grym was on it, but then the boy swooped in and killed the beast. After the guards fought valiantly for hours, he went outside, played hero, and then he left for the safety of the walls again right away!”

“That’s what my attendant was told as well!”

“And they also brought that young child to the front-line once again! It’s despicable!”

“Now, now,” Grom said, lowering his voice. “Let’s not dismiss his arguments outright, or he will just continue to complain about it.” Once again, light laughter filled the room. “Brother, none of us will pretend that these people aren’t capable. But do they deserve to lead this town merely because they think they’re better than us?”

“No!”

“Of course not!”

Gustal looked around somewhat helplessly. He knew that very few of them were on his side, but he felt a strong need to advocate for peace. The plan Grom was not growing tired of pushing time and time again was madness. Were anything to go wrong, they would have to face the consequences personally. These complaints that were brought forward didn’t even matter, though Grom did not care in the least, believing himself a gift to the world.

“That’s right, they’re nothing!” he said. Spreading his arms wide, he twirled and gestured at all of them. “We are the Rulers of Alarna, and you don’t simply ignore us! Remember, Hertar even went as far as to invite Lilly to this very room, to discuss how they could bring the town forward together. An honor was bestowed upon her, but she rejected his summons—practically spitting in our faces. Instead, she invaded the town with a bunch of criminals and overthrew him!”

Gustal sighed. “We’ve been over this. Of course it wasn’t proper, but lofty speeches about how you disliked their ways don’t change anything about the situation at hand. Not to mention that all of us agreed to work with them. Every single one! What does suddenly changing our minds say about us?”

Having been called out, many of them glanced around awkwardly, and the room grew a tad quieter. Grom seemed unperturbed, however, continuing his vehement speech.

“You have it wrong. We will take back our integrity by reinstating the rightful rulers of Alarna. That is our duty! Once order is restored, and they have made amends for their crimes, we can work out a deal with them. As it should’ve been from the start!”

“Let me pose a different question then. What if they decide not to stay here after we gain back control? It does not seem like we can actually stop them from leaving, and without their power, the next incident might very well be the town’s last! Everyone, I wish for Hertar’s return as much as all of you, but we live in uncertain times. For our own well-being, we need to ensure that we will actually be stronger for it, no matter what we do. Unseating them for vanity’s sake alone is ludicrous, and you know that Hertar would agree with me!”

A few of them nodded at his words. New beasts were starting to make appearances, and all adulation aside, most Rulers understood that they weren’t as easily beaten as the ones they were familiar with. More powerful, larger groups, unknown environments... It was tough on the town’s guards, who had been stretched very thin for weeks. And even if that were not a concern, they still had to worry that they might end up imprisoned as well, right alongside the Varant family—or worse. This angle convinced them to stay the course in the past, but Grom still had an announcement to make.

“I have good news, we don’t have to guess what Hertar would say,” he proclaimed. “This is the reason I asked you here without your guards or attendees, as it’s a confidential matter. I received word from our friend, we’re finally in contact with the king! He does in fact agree with you, Brother. It is a delicate situation. However, it’s also clear to him that these kids don’t know what they’re doing. A sentiment many of the citizens are starting to share after the announcement of category tens and the dungeon appearing last night. The group also isn’t going to leave the town anytime soon. After all, they came running right back after experiencing the horrors of the outside world. Now is the time to strike! Lilly is still nowhere to be seen, we have many people on our side, and we’re ready to free the royal family! It is time for the Varants to ascend once more!”

From one moment to the next, the Rulers’ worries were blown away. If King Hertar was of the opinion that this was the right move, everything would surely work out in their favor. Lilly might have defeated him once, but not only was she absent, he would definitely not lose a second time.

Beaten, Gustal’s head drooped. His arguments were barely enough to convince his own faction, but if the king himself was on Grom’s side, he had no choice but to go along with this plan.

Oh gods, let them know what they’re doing... he prayed.

Suddenly, a heavy pounding on the door disrupted the festive atmosphere. Irritated that someone would disturb their meeting, Grom yelled, “What is it?”

A young man entered the room in a hurry. After closing the door, he bowed slightly, panting heavily. “My apologies... Sir... I have urgent news... May I?”

Grom waved his hand, calling him over. “Quickly, Lait.”

Ignoring the other Rulers entirely, Lait made his way over to Grom, in the center of the room. Leaning in close, he whispered the news to him. Annoyed at first, the Ruler’s expression changed to one of shock in a matter of seconds. Once everything was conveyed, Lait stepped back and patiently waited for Grom to process the information.

“Has this been confirmed?” he asked slowly.

“Yes, Sir.”

“A holy marriage?”

“That is my understanding.”

Stunned into silence, Grom stared blankly into the air, as the other Rulers slowly became anxious. For him to be this surprised, something extraordinary must’ve happened.

Isona stepped closer to her son, peering into his eyes. “Grom? What is it?” she asked, full of concern.

“Hayla... She is engaged to Tomar Remor,” he responded in a daze.

“Hayla?” Isona asked, perplexed. “Our Hayla? You!” She spun around to question Lait. “Who told you this?”

He glanced at Grom, asking for permission to share the information. After receiving a nod, he responded obediently. “A guard close to Captain Grym sent the message. He informed me that Miss Hayla told the captain personally last night. Many also confirmed having seen her walk around freely with Tomar Remor and his group.”

Everyone present was bewildered. Not only was Hayla out of the prison, she was also to wed one of the usurpers. The first thought on their mind was the question of how that boy had tricked her into this arrangement. If he married her, he would logically have to be considered Alarna’s king, partner to the future queen chosen by King Hertar. However, knowing Hayla, they realized it was unlikely that she got tricked or blackmailed in such a way. No, the more reasonable explanation was her agreeing to it willingly, or even suggesting it herself. Neither version answered their most important question, however.

“Is this a good thing or not?” Grom wondered aloud.

Nobody responded, unsure how this might affect their plan, or whether it would be right to proceed at all until they knew more about what was going on.

“Did the king make any mention of this, Grom?” someone asked.

“No... This might be all her,” he said, followed by a murmur. “What is she thinking?”

Hayla... Are you searching for a better way out of this as well? Gustal wondered to himself.

After a moment of deliberation, Grom’s uncertain expression changed drastically. “Well, if she’s free, there’s no reason for guessing games. I will get to the bottom of this.” Determination in his voice and steps, he made for the door.