“My Emperor.” The lord dropped to a knee.

 “Sevin,” Aldrik spoke, dismounting. “No need for that. It is good to see you well.”

 “I cannot say enough of the same.” The two men clasped forearms as well, an easy reunion between family members. “We heard you were dead.”

 “My lady has a habit of cheating death.” Aldrik motioned to Vhalla. “She shared a bit of her luck this time.”

 “Your . . . lady?” The man followed Aldrik’s hand to Vhalla.

 “Vhalla Yarl,” she announced and dismounted.

 “There is much to tell.” Sevin’s eyes looked across their group before turning to his men. “Take their horses, see them rubbed down and the dust off their coats. Bring dried dates, cohi, bread, and whatever perishables are freshest.”

 They were ushered into the lord’s tent. It was large enough for a table, cot, and a number of personal affects. However, it was unlike Aldrik’s tent on the march. This had been set up with the intention of not being moved for some time.

 “Are you in contact with your father?” Aldrik asked, sitting on one of the large pillows atop the hide that surrounded the low table.

 “Regularly.” Sevin sat next to his daughter. “I will send word to him immediately.”

 “I would like to include a personal letter.” Aldrik motioned for Vhalla to sit at his right hand, and she did so without hesitation. Fritz and Jax filled in the rest of their small circle. “He may think you’ve gone mad if it’s not in my hand.”

 “Of course.” The lord paused as soldiers brought the requested foods. “Going mad is something that he may have suspected already, given the East’s nature.”

 Vhalla cleared her throat, unappreciative of the tone of the last statement. “Why are you here?”

 Sevin looked to Aldrik, confirming that she did, indeed, have the authority to ask outright. Aldrik stared expectantly.

 “When the first messengers were received in Norin, they spoke of the fall of Solaris and demanded Father bend his knee and the West recognize King Victor’s rule.” He snorted, amused at the notion even recounting it. “Naturally, we killed the abominations and have begun to aggressively oppose the madman.

 “But the East was unresponsive to our letters. We feared that they had already fallen or aligned with King Victor.”

 “So he prepared to subdue the Eastern front as well,” Aldrik concluded.

 Sevin nodded. “But we came to discover that the delay was only a result of one senator waiting to see if the other three had made it from the South alive.” He mumbled under his breath, “The fool.”

 “What is the hesitation now, then?” Aldrik asked.

 “You know the East; they don’t want to fight even if war is at their doorstep. They’re stalling to see if they can side with the winner and then belly up like they did with the Empire.”

 “Doing so saved countless lives.” Vhalla frowned slightly. “The East knew they were beat, rather than fighting a ten-year war.”

 The lord didn’t seem to appreciate her mention of Mhashan’s longer, but inevitable, fall to the Empire.

 Vhalla sighed softly; divisions would get them nowhere. “But this is different,” she conceded. “This is not a force that can be reasoned with. This is a man beyond sense and logic. He will kill us all just because it would suit him to do so.”

 “You have seen him.” The lord heard something in her tone that made his words a statement, rather than a question.

 “I was the one to give him this corrupt strength.” Vhalla met his eyes, and the lord leaned backward involuntarily. “And I will be the one to take it away. I will be the one to kill him and end the blight of crystals once and for all.”

 “What have you seen?”

 Vhalla was the one to summarize their tale. She had earned the floor, and she kept it. Even Elecia kept her interjections minimal to only when Vhalla omitted an important detail.

 “Terrible,” the lord breathed in horror when they had finished listing the events that led them to his tent. “We knew it was something wretched, but—this?”

 “It will only worsen.” Vhalla balled her hands into fists. The phantom sensation of magic washed over her, her body creating the illusion of a Channel to meet her need for strength. “We must unite, and we must fight. Shaldan will fight on our side.”

 “Shaldan?” He turned to Aldrik with his confusion. “How? I assumed that if—” Sevin’s eyes darted to Vhalla, struggling to make sense of what was before him, “—if your lady sat before me, then the Northern Princess had perished.”

 “She did not.” Aldrik’s jaw was tight. “We made a deal for the sake of the continent.”

 “I see.” He clearly did not, and he was deeply curious about the details, that much was apparent. But the lord’s upbringing won out, and he did not press. “Well, I am certain the West will praise your union with our Duchess with much fervor. And, for the time being, having an Eastern Empress will help us all.”

 Vhalla swallowed hard and tried to make sense of the emotions that rushed through her at the thought. She’d barely become accustomed to Aldrik outright calling her his lady, and now she was to be called Empress. She was not groomed for the title, but Vhalla would do whatever she must to fit it.

 “Not quite Empress, cousin,” Aldrik corrected, sensing Vhalla’s struggle.

 “Oh?”

 “We have yet to speak our devotion before the Mother Sun.”

 “You wait for your throne to be restored?”

 Vhalla stared on in confusion as Aldrik shook his head. His words echoed in her ears. “We will wed in Norin.”

 In Norin? He planned for them to wed not in months or years, or when his rule was restored, but mere weeks away? She’d been his lady openly for days, and now she was to be Empress by Gods and law in mere weeks?

 “There will be a later time to speak nuptial details.” Aldrik stood, keenly aware of her turmoil and acting before it could burst from her. “For now, we will go speak with this Eastern senator.”

 Fritz, Elecia, and Jax all opted to relax in the lord’s tent during Aldrik’s and Vhalla’s mission. Elecia reluctantly picked up on the notion that it was a matter better served by allowing the rulers to rule, but Fritz and Jax seemed all too eager to finally be out of the saddle and stuffing their faces with as much food as they could.

 It suited Vhalla because it meant that the Lord Ci’Dan walked a few paces behind with his men, leaving Vhalla and Aldrik alone. She had to physically bite her tongue to keep the questions from spilling out. They didn’t get more than a few paces into camp toward Hastan when they came rushing forth.

 “Norin? We will wed in Norin?”

 “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to run it by you.” He at least sounded honestly apologetic.

 “You didn’t think running it by your bride would be important?” Vhalla gave her Emperor a small glare.