King Leon stood atop his balcony, watching his people go about their day. It was one of his favorite activities, and something he always did in his down time.

"My Lord." Caius fluffed the king's pillows behind him.

Caius was a good servant, he was diligent and energetic, but every once in awhile, he would glance toward the woods wistfully.

"Caius, what did you do for a living? Before you came here." King Leon stepped back into his room, closing the balcony doors.

"I was a huntsman for the poor people in the fields."

"So you've spent a fair bit of time in the woods?"

"All of it, my Lord." Caius tucked the bedsheets into the corners of the bed. "May I ask what brought on such curiosity?"

"Simply that. Just curious."

"Is this good, sire?" Caius gestured to the beautifully made bed.

"Perfect. Thank you, Caius."

"Rhys wanted me to go fetch some herbs for him, if that's alright..."

"Go ahead. Just be back by nightfall, please."

Caius nodded, "Thank you, my Lord."

"Oh, and Caius, if you want to hunt, go ahead, I'm sure Theresa and Henna with cook anything you bring in. You can ask one of the knights to let you in the armory and get you a crossbow."

At the mention of hunting, Caius's eyes lit up. "Are you certain, my Lord?"

"Of course. Any free time you have, you may hunt until you've had your fill. If you want, you could even sell to the people in the citadel."

"I can't thank you enough, my Lord." Caius's smile went from ear to ear. He bowed one last time to King Leon, then practically floated out of the room.

"What did you tell him?" Queen Ennis entered as soon as Caius left. "He's almost skipping like a child."

"Just that he could hunt if he wanted, he just had to either give to the cooks or sell in the citadel. It's what he did back in Yna, I thought it might ease him into Viâna life."

Queen Ennis sat down on the bed, smiling at her husband. "I'm sure he appreciated that."

"How are the other Geûlds adjusting?"

"Henna and Theresa have become fast friends, and she's an amazing cook." Queen Ennis chuckled slightly. "I don't know why we didn't hire her before."

"And Rhys? I know he was the most distraught."

"He's still grieving over his siblings. I think he's doing anything and everything to keep his mind away from it. I've never seen so many knights patched up so quickly. But, the good news is, Lian arrived yesterday."

"That's good. Have we any word from Vana yet?"

As if in cue, Caius rushed back into the room, out of breath, crossbow in hand. "My Lord and Lady, we have visitors."

"Who?"

"She wouldn't tell me." Caius shook his head. "She just asked for you."

King Leon and Queen Ennis descended the stairs as quickly as possible, opening the great oak doors of the castle.

There, flanked by six knights either side of her, a smug smile playing across her lips, stood Vana Eeiress.

"Hello, Leon. I hope I didn't take you too much by surprise."