Elianna stood there, her brows raising, and her lips went partially agape. She stared at Nicholas, seeing his dejected expression as his eyes fell to the floor. Feelings of sorrow and confusion washed over her at Nicholas' words, and she saw how broken he looked.

  Celine stood behind Nicholas, her hand firmly on his shoulder, trying to comfort him.

  Nicholas' eyes watered, and when he closed them, a single tear rolled down his left cheek.

  Elianna shook her head, her stunned silence broken by her whisper, "I-I don't understand."

  Another tear streamed down Nicholas' face, and he swallowed hard, "My mother died giving birth to me."

  Elianna's eyes widened, and her hands flew to her mouth. Suddenly, everything made sense to Elianna: why Nicholas didn't like to talk about his mother, why he was always so sad when she was mentioned, and why he would always change the subject, barely talking about her. Her heart cracked, seeing Nicholas stand there, tears rolling down her face. But then, anger flared up inside her at the memory of what Tristan had called him, and it filled her mind with disgust.

  Taking her hands from her mouth, Elianna eyed Nicholas sympathetically and stepped up to him. She gently cupped his face with both of her hands, looking up at him, as she wiped away his tears with her thumbs.

  Celine took her hand away from Nicholas and stepped back. She turned around to give Nicholas and Elianna some privacy, giving the guards a glare that conveyed the same message. The guards didn't hesitate to turn around, suddenly finding the artwork around them interesting.

  Nicholas' eyes remained closed, with each tear that fell being wiped away by Elianna's gentle, warm touch.

  "Please," Elianna whispered. "Look at me, Nick."

  Nicholas took a shuddering breath before he opened his deep sea-green eyes, which were full of sorrow. His watery gaze met Elianna's, seeing nothing but warmth in her beautiful, celestial blue eyes.

  Elianna wiped away another tear, "I'm so sorry. So, so sorry. I can't even imagine how you feel." Her gaze hardened slightly, "But please, don't let Tristan's words get to you. What he said was disgusting, and it just shows how much of an absolute asshole he is."

  With her back to Nicholas and Elianna, Celine covered her mouth, trying to hide her smile. She gave a pointed look at a guard who looked over their shoulder with a raised brow, and they quickly looked away at Celine's glare.

  Nicholas' brows raised, and he blinked a couple of times before a tearful chuckle escaped from him. His lips curled ever so slightly, "That's the first prince you're talking about, you know."

  Elianna shrugged, "Like I care. I much prefer the second prince anyway."

  Celine's brows raised, and she bit her lips between her teeth.

  Nicholas' smile grew a little, "Oh? You have preferences, do you?"

  Elianna took her hands away from Nicholas' face, as the tears had stopped falling. She smiled jestfully, "I do say that the second prince's mannerisms could use some work, though. They seem a bit lacking."

  Nicholas let out a genuine laugh, and Elianna smiled.

  Celine lowered her hands, feeling a sense of warmth at hearing Nicholas' laugh. She looked up as the guards parted, seeing Freya approach with a curious expression.

  "I'll make sure to work on being more 'princely' as you say it," Nicholas chuckled.

  Elianna laughed a little, then her eyes flicked behind Nicholas, seeing Freya approaching. Nicholas curiously followed her gaze, then smiled at his aunt.

  Freya tilted her head slightly, "Everything okay?"

  "Yeah," Celine said, turning to face Nicholas and Elianna. "Everything is good." She gave Elianna a nod, and Elianna nodded back.

  Freya nodded, "Good." She looked at Nicholas and sighed, "I'm sorry, Nicholas. It seems my brother won't budge, and I won't be able to join you today."

  Nicholas let out a breath and shrugged, "I figured, it's fine." He crossed his arms, "I'll just get through it."

  Celine smiled, "Look at the bright side, at least your dad said we can go into the city tomorrow."

  Nicholas nodded, "That's true." He looked at Elianna and smiled, "So, while I'm busy helping my father today, why don't you think about if there is anything you want to go see tomorrow?"

  Elianna raised a brow, "But, I don't exactly know what there is to do in the city."

  Celine smiled, "I can help you out with that."

  Elianna looked at Celine and returned her smile, "Sounds good."

  "Nicholas," Freya began. "You best be going. You don't want to keep your father waiting."

  Nicholas sighed and nodded, "Alright."

  Nicholas turned and was about to walk off, but froze. A moment later, he turned and took Elianna into a tight hug. Elianna tensed slightly in surprise before smiling and returning the hug.

  Celine and Freya smiled.

  "Thank you," Nicholas whispered into Elianna's ear. His hug around her tightened, "For... you know."

  "Always," Elianna whispered back. "I'll always be here for you."

  "I know," Nicholas whispered, and they broke the hug. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment before Nicholas smiled, "See you later."

  Elianna waved as Nicholas turned and walked off, "Later."

  Elianna watched as Nicholas made his way down the hall, with his guards following, until he was out of sight.

  "Is he okay?" Freya asked, once Nicholas was gone.

  Celine sighed and crossed her arms, "You know how he can get when Tristan is involved." She smiled at Elianna, "Elle helped him through it, though."

  Elianna smiled and shrugged, "I was just there for him."

  Freya smiled softly, "Sometimes that's all he needs."

  Elianna nodded, but then her brows furrowed. "But..." She shook her head and sighed, "I just don't understand. Why is Tristan so... different from Nicholas?"

  "I told you they're like night and day," Celine sighed.

  Freya's eyes fell before she looked at Celine and Elianna, and she smiled. "So, what will you two do today?"

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  Celine shrugged, "I don't know, I haven't really thought about it." She looked at her mom curiously, "Why? What are you doing?"

  "There is some admin paperwork I brought with me from Tri-Union City that I've been putting off. I'm going to get started on it."

  "Gross," Celine said, her nose scrunching. "Have fun."

  "Indeed," Freya sighed, then smiled at the two of them. "I'll be off then, have fun, you two."

  Celine and Elianna said their goodbyes to Freya, watching as she walked off.

  Celine looked at Elianna, "So, nothing you want to do?"

  Elianna shrugged, "I don't know."

  Celine nodded, then smiled, "Well, then let's just walk around. I'm sure there is something we can find to do."

  Elianna smiled, nodded, and followed Celine as she walked off.

  ***

  The meeting room was silent as the members sat at the table.

  Tysandra sat back into her chair, one leg crossed over the other, as she swirled the water around in her goblet.

  Gaelin and Helena sat across from each other, looking anywhere other than at each other.

  Francis was busying himself scribbling on the paper in front of him while whispering to himself.

  Eadon sat straight in his chair, periodically taking a sip of water from his goblet. He would occasionally glance to his left, eyeing Tristan, who sat to the right of the king.

  Tristan was leaning forward in his chair, resting his chin on the palm of his hand, with his elbow on the table. He had a bored expression as he drew imaginary lines on the table with his finger. He let out a dramatic sigh, "For fucks sake." He looked at his father, who was reading a few papers. "Can't we get started already?"

  "No," William said simply, turning a page over and reading another. "We are waiting for your brother."

  Tristan rolled his eyes and leaned back into his chair, "Don't know why. He hasn't even been here for the last few years. Not like we needed him before."

  William looked at Tristan, "Well, he is here now. So, we shall wait."

  Tristan grumbled, leaning his head against the back of the chair.

  William narrowed his eyes, "This is part of the duties of the king. So try and at least act like you're interested in being here."

  Tristan gave his father a side eye, "Yeah, whatever."

  Eadon glanced at Tristan for a moment before looking forward with a subtle shake of his head. The table fell into a tense silence as William stared at Tristan for a moment, until he looked at the doors as they opened.

  All heads turned toward the doors, watching as Nicholas walked in, dressed in royal apparel with a coronet on his head.

  Nicholas bowed slightly, "Forgive my lateness, Father."

  Tysandra's lips curled into a smirk, and she whispered into her goblet, "Better manners."

  Gaelin elbowed Tysandra subtly, giving her a warning look. Tysandra just shrugged.

  William placed his papers down on the table. "It's fine." He gestured to the chair to his left, "Sit, we've been holding off the meeting until your arrival."

  Nicholas nodded before he stood straight, walked around the table, and sat down, ignoring his brother's glare.

  "Kept us waiting long enough," Tristan spat.

  Without looking at Tristan, Nicholas said, "I had to get ready."

  Tristan was about to respond, but William stated loudly and firmly, "With everyone here, let's begin this meeting." William looked down at the papers and began to shuffle through them. "Francis, let's begin with you." He picked up one paper, looked it over, and eyed Francis. "So, it seems we are within budget for Tristan's engagement party."

  Francis nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. Everything is well within order."

  Tristan perked up, looking at Francis, "Hey, were you able to get the courtesans?"

  Francis looked at Tristan, then cleared his throat and looked at William.

  William simply said, eyeing Tristan, "I denied that request."

  Tristan looked at his father, irritated, "What? Why?"

  William narrowed his eyes, "It's your engagement party, Tristan. I don't need courtesans walking around, trying to seduce people. If nobles want to bring one as an escort, that's on them."

  "It could add good entertainment," Tristan argued.

  "My word is final," William said sternly, eyeing his son. "While I know this is an arranged marriage, at least try to have some respect for your engagement party."

  Nicholas blinked in surprise, as he didn't know the marriage was arranged.

  Tristan rolled his eyes and sat back with a frustrated huff, "Fine, whatever."

  William eyed Tristan for a moment before placing the paper down and looking at Tysandra. "How did the meetings regarding the Calignar border go?"

  Tysandra placed her goblet down and sighed, "As you can expect, Your Majesty. Thearyah is on board with bolstering their defenses and has agreed to send more ships." She scratched her cheek, "Duridie, however, said, and I quote, 'Our defenses are not lacking. The orcs are most likely escaping from Gavaria's and Thearyah's areas, and you need to get your shit together.'"

  William shook his head, grumbling, "The dwarves are quite stubborn."

  Francis sighed, "Still, are they not concerned at all about the orcs being sighted around the continent?"

  "They are," Gaelin nodded. "I've spoken with their commander, and they're increasing their patrols in their kingdom."

  "So, they're just saying the orcs aren't getting out from their side of the wall," Eadon asked, and Gaelin nodded.

  "How can they be so sure?" Francis asked, shaking his head. "I doubt they're monitoring every inch of the wall every second."

  "They're not," Helena said. "Especially with how big the wall is."

  William tapped his fingers together, "Nicholas, Tristan." He looked between his sons. "How would you handle this situation?"

  Tristan scoffed, "Well, King Kurahn is obviously useless. Just send our troops to their side of the wall, and we'll bolster it ourselves."

  Nicholas' brows furrowed, "Do we even have the manpower for that?" His eyes flicked to Gaelin, who shook his head.

  "We might be able to manage that," Gaelin began. "And I emphasize might. But we're currently increasing our patrols while bolstering our own defenses. The wall itself is massive and takes a lot to guard."

  "Also, Duridie troops may not take kindly to Gavaria stepping into their area," Helena added.

  "Who cares what they think?" Tristan scoffed. "If it gets it done, then let's do it."

  Nicholas shook his head, "I don't think it'd be a good idea to create tension with Duridie. Especially right now with everything that's going on."

  Tristan shot his brother a look, "I really don't fucking care what you think. At the end of the day, I'll be king, and you'll just be off playing with your magic, thinking you're some great mage. News flash, you're not."

  The table fell silent as the council members shared gazes. William's eyes narrowed on Tristan, looking less than pleased.

  Nicholas just averted his gaze, leaned back into his chair, shaking his head. He was already regretting being here.

  "May I remind you," Eadon began, as he picked up his goblet. "That you're not the crown prince yet, Prince Tristan."

  Francis, Helena, and Gaelin went as stiff as a board, staring at Eadon with wide eyes. William shot Eadon a warning glare, while Tysandra looked away, trying to hide her smirk. Nicholas' eyes went as wide as moons, looking at Eadon, before eyeing Tristan, seeing the fury crossing his face.

  Tristan, very slowly, turned his head and looked at Eadon with a darkened gaze, watching as he casually took a sip of his drink. His jaw was incredibly tight, "Key word there, Eadon. Yet. And mind your fucking tongue."

  A tense, awkward silence fell over the room, with Eadon sitting there casually, ignoring Tristan's glare.

  Nicholas shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "W-What about mediation, Father?"

  William's eyes shifted to Nicholas, and he raised a brow, "With Kurahn?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yes."

  Tristan's head snapped to Nicholas, "Were you not fucking listening, you idiot? Kurahn is stubborn. What makes you think he will listen?"

  Nicholas sighed, before meeting Tristan's intense gaze, "Because it wouldn't just be Father speaking with him."

  William tilted his head slightly, and the other council members eyed Nicholas curiously.

  Nicholas continued, and looked at his father, "Contact Raina, and have her put together a meeting of the kings. Then, together, you can speak with Kurahn and convince him."

  Tristan shook his head, "And if that doesn't work?"

  Nicholas shrugged, his head snapping to Tristan in frustration, "I don't know, ask Raina or Lucian for help."

  William's eyes flicked to Tysandra, who smirked.

  Tristan scoffed, "Tri-Union City forces are made to keep the peace between the kingdoms. They're not border guards."

  "They can still help," Nicholas argued.

  Tristan was about to respond, but William said, looking at Nicholas, "Your aunt said the same thing." Nicholas raised his brows, while Tristan's eyes narrowed. William continued, "She recommended asking Tri-Union City for help. So, I sent Tysandra to speak with Lucian and Raina." He looked at her.

  Tysandra nodded, "They both agreed to assist and will make a plan to send forces to the Calignar border. Regent Raina advised that she would call a meeting of the kings to establish where to send the forces."

  Nicholas looked at his father, "Maybe you can all speak with Kurahn then."

  Tristan scoffed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "I doubt he will listen."

  Nicholas looked at Tristan, "It's worth a try at the very least."

  "Yes," William nodded. "It is." He looked at Nicholas, "Good idea."

  Nicholas' brows raised, looking genuinely surprised, before he nodded to his father. Tristan's jaw clenched, and he glared at his brother.

  William looked at Tysandra, "Contact Raina, and inform her about Kurahn."

  Tysandra nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty." She looked at Nicholas and shot him a wink.

  Nicholas' cheeks reddened, and he looked away.

  "Now," William said, picking up another paper. "Let's continue." He looked at Gaelin, "Any new reports from the rangers?"

  Nicholas looked at Gaelin, listening as he gave the rangers' report. He was still surprised by his father's compliment, which gave him a warm feeling.

  All the while as Nicholas listened intently to the meeting, Tristan sat across from him, giving his brother a deathly glare.