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Every week, Will and Aruna visit the Citadel.

Vara has offered them horses and carriages, warriors to escort them and servants to carry their belongings. Will's refused them all. The trappings of nobility make him uncomfortable; he is a farmer, after all, and Kalem saved the realm, not him. He was only her instrument.

Vara long ago left orders that his actions within the Citadel were above question. He's grateful for it; it makes his self imposed task that much easier. It also makes him more determined not to fail at it.

When they reach the Citadel Aruna kisses him gently and goes to the throne room to see their friends. Will heads for the top floor of the Citadel, passing numerous guards on the way. This section is never left unattended.

Xax spends his days in a suite of rooms here, far from any possibility of escape. He isn't permitted to leave, but he's provided with anything he asks for, apart from weapons. Vara has left strict orders that the guards are to treat him with deference and respect, at Will's suggestion. Xax made mistakes, but he also saved Kale at least once, and he was in Kreel's power for his whole life. Kalem has confirmed traces of Kreel's control in Xax's mind, fading now that Kreel is gone but still present.

Will nods to the guard outside the door and lets himself in. Xax looks up from his chair, standing automatically. "William."

"Xax," Will returns amiably. Xax's animosity has shifted over the last few months; they still aren't friends, or anything like it, but he thinks there may be some respect there. "How are you?"

"Same as ever." Xax sits, gesturing to the second chair. "A drink?"

"Thank you." Will has never refused anything Xax offers him, despite warnings from his friends not to take things from him. So far, nothing has ever happened to him. "Is there anything you need?"

Xax is silent for several minutes, eyeing Will over the top of his cup. Will's well used to this and makes no attempt to hurry him along.

Xax puts down the cup, finally, standing and crossing to the window. "Why do you keep coming here, William?"

"You know why."

"Indulge me."

Will smiles faintly, settling more comfortably in his seat. "To see how you are."

"To see if I'm willing to swear allegiance to the child queen."

"Yes," Will admits, ignoring the mild insult to Vara. "You are one of the greatest warriors in the kingdom, Xax. There's a place for you in Vara's army."

Xax shakes his head, tone completely matter of fact. "There's no place for me anywhere. You know that."

"There could be."

"I am Kreel's creation. Without him, I am nothing."

"You're still the best warrior I've ever seen."

Xax glances back at him. "I haven't fought or practised since Kreel's death. Perhaps my skill was all his doing."

"No." Will is sure of that much. "Your skill was all your own, Xax." He considers for a moment before standing. "I'll prove it. Come with me."

"I'm on my oath not to leave." Glancing at the door, he adds, "Not to mention the guards."

The oath was the price of moving Xax from the dungeon to these rooms. Will would have given his own oath, if necessary, but Xax had given his with little hesitation. He's given up on so much since Kreel betrayed him. "You're not leaving, you're just coming with me." Xax doesn't move, and Will smiles. "Nothing I do in this Citadel is open to question. Now come along."

He pauses at the door to speak to the guard. "Have someone bring some swords to the practise grounds."

"Yes sir," the guard agrees; he doesn't move until Xax steps past him, and then falls into step behind them. The next guard they pass is sent for the weapons, and the two after that follow them.

"Nothing you do?" Xax says under his breath. Will just grins, leading the way to the practise grounds.

Someone must have told Vara, because she and the others are sitting on the dais. Will sweeps a bow without stopping, waving to Drogo and Leon. From the corner of his eye he catches the slight inclination of Xax's head, an instinctive reaction to Vara's presence.

"We're honored by your presence, my Queen!" Will calls towards the dais. Vara grins, waving him off and deliberately engaging Aruna in conversation. Drogo slides off the edge of the dais and comes to join Will as he inspects the weapons.

"What are you doing, Will?" he asks softly.

"Proving a point." Will ruffles his hair – Drogo's growing, taller every time Will sees him – and turns to Xax. "Choose your weapon, sir."

"What is the point of this, William?"

"The point is that your skills are your own. Kreel made you Lord Protector, but he didn't make you a warrior."

"Oh, he did." Xax steps forward, running a hand over the swords before choosing one and swinging it. Drogo backs away defensively, but Will doesn't move. "Everything I am is because of Kreel."

"He shaped you. But you can't give someone skill they don't have, not to your level." He glances at the dais, eyes dancing. "We tried enough times with Vara."

"Careful," Vara says without looking at him. "I might decide I need my Commander at Arms here in the Citadel for a while."

"You might just have a revolt on your hands if you try, your majesty," Will says with a grin. Aruna laughs, but she doesn't speak up for either side.

Will looks back in time to see the longing in Xax's eyes. The former Lord Protector looks away, choosing a sword apparently at random and stepping clear of the box for Will to choose his.

The fight starts slowly, Xax clearly unsure; the burn on his hand from the crystal arrow has never healed properly, and it hampers him until he figures out how to adjust his grip to compensate. Will doesn't push him; he hasn't fought in a while, and the warm up is welcome. Vara determinedly keeps talking to Aruna, but they're all sneaking looks.

Gradually Xax gains confidence, pressing harder, moving more quickly. Will keeps pace, but it's starting to be a strain; he never formally trained with the sword, only what he picked up on the run. His only advantage is that Xax was trained almost exclusively with the death wand, and the moves are different.

Eventually Vara stands. "Halt!"

Will automatically takes a step back, chest heaving as he tries to calm his breathing. Xax is outwardly less affected, but he also takes a step back, turning to look towards Vara.

Not quite at her, Will notices.

"I declare this finished," she says firmly. "At least for today. Clearly neither of you knows when to back down."

Will grins, pushing his hair back. "As my queen commands," he says cheerfully.

"Careful, you."

Drogo comes back with a water skin; Will waves him to Xax first and is mildly surprised when he doesn't growl, just hands the skin over and heads back to sit beside Vara.

"Now what?" Xax asks, offering the skin to Will. He's put his sword down and stepped away from it, Will notes, and he's still not looking at the dais.

"You can keep practising, if you want," he offers.

Xax glances around the arena, shaking his head. "Whatever point you're trying to make, Tell, consider it made and let me go."

"You can go if you want," Will agrees. "We don't have to do this again." He glances at one of the guards, who nods. "Go if you want to."

Xax eyes him for a moment before turning away. He shows no reaction to the guards who fall in in front and behind him, just stalks away as though he still owns the Citadel.

Will climbs the steps out of the arena, dropping to sit on the edge of the dais. Aruna abandons Vara to join him. "Make your point?"

"I think so." He catches the apple Leon pitches at him without looking.

"Do you really think you can turn him?"

"Kreel did."

"Kreel took twenty years to do it," she reminds him.

Will shrugs. "I don't know if I can do it. But I have to try."

"Why?"

He's aware that the others have stopped talking. They haven't really spoken about this, not beyond the initial 'are you mad?' conversation.

He half turns, pulling his leg up under himself. "Xax and I – we're opposites. Mirror image; I'm Kalem's as much as he's Kreel's. But we're also the same. Chosen for something greater than us, used by forces we don't understand. I feel – Kreel took Xax as a child and turned him into what he was. Without Kreel, he might have been good, might have helped us."

"Xax is a snake. He'll never be anything else," Aruna says firmly.

"Maybe," Will agrees. "But I sense something in him. Kreel might have taken me, if he had found me. I need to try this."

"That's what I love about you," Vara says, deliberately cheerful. She's becoming a good diplomat, Will notes with amusement. "You never ever give up on people."

"I didn't give up on you," he reminds her. "As I recall, you spent a lot of time threatening me with hanging when we first met."

She tosses her head. "I was a child then."

"And now you're very grown up," he agrees solemnly, and feels a pang when he realises it's true. Vara and Drogo are growing up; she's a young lady now. Drogo seems to be growing taller and not in any other direction, but Vara is blossoming in her role. He remembers her fear of the throne, after the valley of dreams, but she is doing very well here, guided by Leon and the other councilors.

The next time he visits Xax is unsettled, pacing around the room. Will sits, plays with his goblet, and waits. Xax has never been good at hiding things.

"Why do you come here?" Xax demands abruptly, halting to glare at Will.

Will slowly puts his goblet down. "I want to help you."

"Why?"

"Because we're the same. Because we're exact opposites. Because I respect you as a warrior. Because I think you can be more than you are. Pick a reason, Xax."

"I want your reason."

Will stares at the goblet, idly flicking the edge of it with his thumb. "I was a farmer," he says quietly. "You were on my parents' farm, once. Maybe you even remember. I lived there, grew up there. It was all I ever wanted. I turned Kalem down twice before I accepted her quest, and then it was only to get revenge for them." He looks up at Xax, who is standing absolutely still, gripping the back of his chair. "You were raised from birth, forged into a weapon for Kreel to use. I was Kalem's from birth, just as you were Xax's. But I didn't know about it." He takes a breath. Xax still isn't moving. "Kreel controlled you. You know that, don't you? Some of it was you. But he took your genuine desire to help Kale, to protect her people, to protect Vara, and he twisted it for his own ends. He made you something you aren't."

"I am this," Xax says, so softly Will can barely hear him. "It's the only thing I know. Conquest."

"He made you a great warrior. Use it. Fight for Vara, join her army. Use the skills Kreel gave you and repair the damage he caused."

"I caused." Xax looks up, meeting his eyes. "I killed your father. I remember it. A farmhouse, and your dog, and that pattern." He gestures to Will's tartan. "One of my men killed your mother, but I killed your father myself."

Will breathes through the anger. Old anger, old patterns, he knows this; he learned from the rock fall. "I know," he says finally.

Xax blinks. "You know?"

"Yes. Alvar was there; Kalem was able to show me his memory of it. I knew you were there that day."

"You know what I did to you, and you're still trying to save me?" Will nods. "Why?"

"Because I think you're worth it."

"If I were you, I would kill me."

Will shrugs, slowly standing. "Kreel killed your parents. You never tried to kill him."

Xax blinks. "Yes. I suppose he did. I never knew them."

"We are a rare thing, you and I, vessels that the Powers can work through. Kalem holds the Crystal Arrow now, but there will always be more challenges. Allow Kalem to remove the traces of Kreel left in your mind. Leave the darkness and come back to us."

"Back to you," Xax repeats. "I was never on your side."

"You helped us save Kale from the itrium."

"It may have escaped your notice, Tell, but my skills do not include resistance to deadly disease. Even if they did, ruling a dead land holds no interest for me."

"Maybe." He studies Xax for a moment. "It's your choice, Xax. But I would not want any trace of him in my head."

"You liked Kalem."

"I love her." He can admit it now. Kalem wasn't above manipulating him, but she cared for him, gave her life for his and protected him as well as she could. "But she's light. It isn't the same."

"No," Xax agrees thoughtfully. "It isn't, is it."

Will is still officially the Lord Protector. Vara has insisted, refuses to choose anyone else. The role isn't onerous; he's expected to appear at official occasions, or when summoned by Vara. He'd come when she called anyway, he's told her, but she insists on the title, mostly so she can embarrass him in public and force him to accept the salary that accompanies the position.

The message from the palace reaches him late one evening in autumn. It chills him, and he calls Aruna and Alvar and hurries off without stopping to secure his animals. Aruna catches up after a few minutes, but she doesn't ask him to explain himself, just hands him his cloak and keeps pace.

It's early the next morning when they reach the palace. Leon greets them, one arm in a sling, face bruised.

"What happened?" Will demands.

"Sit down," Aruna adds.

"We were attacked in the market," Leon tells them. "Drogo is still unconscious; he went down protecting the queen."

"Where is she?" Will asks.

"They took her. They left a message."

He hands Will a piece of parchment; Will scans it and shakes his head. "I can't read this."

"I can." Leon takes it back, though he clearly isn't reading it. "Release our Lord Protector Xax, or lose the Little Queen forever."

Wil is shaking his head. "Xax didn't have anything to do with this."

"Will..."

"He can't have! He never sees anyone but me!"

"We don't think he had anything to do with it," Leon agrees patiently. "But the note demands he is released and allowed to present himself, alone, before noon today."

Aruna grimaced. "We can't let him go."

"Let me talk to him," Will says abruptly.

"Will."

"Leon," Will answers, and there's something there, a spark of something he's lost since the quest. Will's life is full and happy now and he wouldn't change it, but the quest defined him for a long time, gave him a purpose that he's been missing since.

"You can't save everyone," Leon says quietly.

"I haven't given up on him yet."

Leon nods. "The guards on his door are Vara's own, the most loyal. I'm not sure I trust anyone else."

Will glances at Aruna, who shakes her head. "I'll go see Drogo."

"Thank you." He kisses her, trying to tell her everything he can't say before he leaves at a run.

Xax is standing at his window, watching guards run through the square below. He glances up when Will comes in, eyes flicking up and down him briefly. "What's happened?"

Will thrusts the parchment at him. Xax reads it once, frowns, and reads it again.

"I don't believe you had anything to do with this," Will tells him. "Help me prove it to everyone else. Come with me and save Vara."

"What if I don't want to save her?"

Will glances at the door. "Then I can't guarantee what might happen to you here, Xax."

"Not much of a choice then, is it."

"It's your choice," Will says impatiently. "But we need to go."

"The note says noon," Xax points out. "We have some time. This is always your problem, William. You never plan anything. May I speak with whoever was with her at the time?"

"I plan things," Will protests.

"Really?"

"I'm a farmer, it's all about planning." He leads the way out of the room; Xax follows him, and two guards are on his heels.

By the time they reach the throne room Will is glad Leon changed the guards. The regular guards they pass, even some of the servants, are glaring at Xax in a way that makes him very uneasy.

Leon looks up as they come in, tense and wary. "Will."

Will scowls at him. "Xax wants to ask you about what happened."

Leon studies him for a moment before turning to Xax. "What is it you wish to know?"

Will half listens as Xax has Leon recount the event, probing at every description, extracting details Leon probably didn't know he remembered. It's the kind of thing Kreel would have used his crystals for, but Xax is good at it on his own, emerging with a very clear picture of the abductors.

"Do they sound familiar?" Will asks when Xax is finished.

"I commanded hundreds of men, William," Xax reminds him.

"And my wife commands hundreds now, so tell me before she throws you to them."

Xax smiles faintly. "In my home canton, there was a man who matches Leon's description. One of Kreel's early followers, the man watched me grow up. He was always very – devoted. I left him with a company of warriors there when Kreel and I came here."

"Why?" Leon asks. "If he was so devoted, why leave him behind?"

Will sees the look on Xax's face and intervenes. "Safer to leave a devoted man than one who might start to think for himself. Xax, where would he take her?"

"He's never been here, to my knowledge. He won't know anywhere off the main tracks. My advice is to stop beating the bushes and searching caves, and look along the main roads instead."

"Good." Will glances at Leon. "Tell Aruna when she comes back."

"Why, where are you going?"

"Xax and I are going to keep his appointment." He studies Xax for a moment. His clothes are neat and clean, but not nearly as flamboyant as those he'd worn before. "It'll have to do. Hey!" he calls to the nearest guard. "Get him a sword, and find an extra crossbow for me."

"Will, I don't like this," Leon says flatly. "Take some guards with you."

"He's supposed to go alone," Will reminds him. "I can fight from a distance, but the guards aren't trained for that, and they're too obvious. Alone we have a better chance."

"Alone he can slit your throat and disappear!"

Will glances at Xax, shaking his head. "I'll take the chance."

"Will..."

"Leon, I am her protector! Appointed by Kalem. I have to go. We are running out of time, I can feel it. Xax is coming with me with or without your blessing, but I would rather do this with your good wishes."

"You have them always," Leon said quietly. "Be careful, Will. These men are not playing, they will kill you if they can."

"Thank you." Will takes the second bow from the guard, tossing the sword to Xax without really looking at him. "Come on, Xax."

"Is that how you come up with all your plans?" Xax asks, following him. Two horses are ready and Will swings up onto one. "I'm ashamed we didn't defeat you."

Will grins at him. "Don't take it too hard. You only saw me arguing with Leon. You should have seen me when Aruna, Drogo and Vara were all weighing in."

"You took battle advice from the children? I'm doubly ashamed."

"Come on." Will kicks his horse to a gallop.

He deliberately hasn't done anything to ensure Xax will follow him. There's no guard, no lead rope, nothing to stop the other man from simply turning tail and running. This is about trust as much as it is about Vara.

When he pauses some distance from the meeting place, Xax is still behind him.

"Do you have a plan?" Xax asks, tethering his horse.

Will glances automatically downhill. They're above the meeting place, which looks deserted right now. "Go down there and be you."

"Excuse me?"

"The old you. Yell and demand they present themselves. Be loud. Make sure they know you're there."

"That's not a plan!"

"I need to see how many of them there are and where Vara is before I can come up with a plan." He glances sideways at Xax. "I won't let you be hurt."

"You will if it's between me and her," Xax says matter of factly.

Will can't argue that one. His oath demands he protect Vara over anyone else. "If I can do anything about it, I won't let you be hurt," he corrects himself.

"Better. At least you're honest, William Tell." He gathers his cloak, stalking down the hill without looking back. Will swarms up the nearest tree; the height will help, and he'll be that much harder to see.

Below, Xax has reached the centre of the clearing. Will glances up automatically; it's only a little before noon. Xax echoes his movement, gauging the time, before looking around impatiently. "Well?" he demands of empty air. "I'm waiting!"

Men appear from the trees around the clearing. Will's quick count gives him nine; one is holding tightly to Vara's arm. Her hands are tied and she's dirt streaked, but she doesn't appear injured.

Xax is making the same assessment. "I do hope you haven't injured her too much," he says, sounding bored. His voice carries well enough up to Will. "Her pit bull of a protector will never stop chasing us if you have."

Vara's scanning the trees above the clearing, habits learned on the run reasserting themselves. Will risks leaning out to catch her eye; she immediately snaps her gaze back to Xax, letting hatred fill her face.

"She isn't hurt," the man drawls. He sounds like Seth, the first to fall on Will's mission. "How did you get away, my Lord?"

"Tell released me."

"Were you followed?"

Xax rolls his eyes. "Do I look like a fool, man? No one followed me." He reaches for Vara's arm; her guard jerks her away, and Xax sighs loudly. "Tell will hunt us down if she's not released."

"Not yet, my Lord."

"Sarca, what are you doing?" Xax demands.

"You can't reclaim your throne while she lives," Sarca points out.

"Reclaim..." Xax shakes his head. "You are insane. Kreel is gone, Sarca. We can't stand against Tell and his mentor without him."

Sarca shrugs, patting Vara's head. "With no queen, and no heir, the country will be in turmoil. You can control it. Tell's a farmer, not a leader."

"I will grant you land," Vara says abruptly. "In your home canton, Xax. You'll be allowed to live there peacefully with no interference from the crown so long as you wage no war and do no harm to my people."

"Aw, ain't she kind?" Sarca grins, patting her again and laughing when she jerks her head away. "Pleasant little lass when her neck's on the line."

"This ruling has been planned for some time." Vara's eyes are steady on Xax's. "It's been waiting for you."

Sarca laughs again, but Xax is staring at Vara. Will smiles grimly. Vara had listened carefully to his arguments when he'd proposed this, and then put quill to parchment and written the proclamation while he watched. It's been waiting since, sealed away in her desk, ready for use. No one, not even Leon, knows about it.

Xax jerks into motion suddenly, turning on his heel. "Sarca. Tell me your plans." They pace away a few steps, just out of Will's hearing range, and begin to talk earnestly.

Vara's listening intently; Will keeps an eye on her, looking for a cue, but she's wearing her court face and he can't read her expressions. Once he could have read her no matter what, but she's learned since then, and they don't live together any more.

Xax turns back to look at them. "A compromise, my queen," and the way he says queen makes it sound like the worst insult. "You will accompany us to the borders of our new land. Should Tell or any of his – people – follow, you will order them away. Once we are safely within our borders, you will be free to return to the Citadel."

Vara studies him, chin up. "I suppose that's the only choice left to me." The emphasis on choice goes unnoticed by Sarca, but Will sees Xax react to it.

"Sarca, a map," he orders. "Now, your majesty, show me my new lands."

Will slides out of the tree, taking a roundabout route to the bottom of the slope. By the time he reaches the bottom, Xax is standing on the edge of the clearing, studying the map and the land Vara has marked out.

Will takes a deep breath and howls, something his body learned when Drogo was briefly in it. The men don't react; Xax lowers the map fractionally, studying the treeline before turning to Sarca. "We will move out in a moment."

Sarca bows and turns away as Xax strides deliberately into the trees, fiddling with his belt. Will paces him for a moment before joining him.

"I hope you have a plan," he says quietly.

Xax eyes him. "Or?"

"If I thought you were actually making a run for it, I'd kill you here." Will means it with every part of him. He still believes Xax can change, but if it comes down to Xax or Vara he knows what he'll choose.

Xax nods thoughtfully. "There are too many men here for even you, Tell, even with my help. And Sarca will keep Vara by him and he will slit her throat at the first sign of attack. You need your people. This is the only way to buy that time."

"And when we attack?" Will catches his look and scowls. "Answer me."

"You'll have to find out when the time comes, Tell." Adjusting his clothes again, he starts back towards the clearing.

"Xax," Will hisses, and the other man pauses. "You tell her I'm coming."

"Have you learned nothing, Tell?" He turns away, starting back to the clearing. "She doesn't need to be told. She knows you're coming."

Aruna catches up with Will towards evening. "Leon and Drogo are coming," she tells him, glancing briefly down towards Xax's group. They're mounted, but between them Xax and Vara have delayed and slowed them enough that Will can keep up without too much difficulty.

"Is he all right?"

"He's going to have a headache for a while, but he'll live." She looks at the convey again. "He's very angry at himself, for allowing this to happen."

"He couldn't have stopped it."

"Still. You know Drogo. What's the plan?"

Will points out Sarca, riding with Vara perched in front of him. "We need to get him away from Vara. Xax is waiting for a sign from me that we're all here, and then he'll distract them to make things easier for us."

"Are you sure he's on our side?"

Will shrugs. "Either way, we need the others."

"You're willing to leave Vara down there?"

"She knows I'm here. And I'm not willing to put her in more danger. I can't hit that man from here, and if we try anything else he'll kill her. That's his plan; he wants to kill her and install Xax in the chaos that will follow."

"Can't hit him from here?" Aruna repeats. Will shakes his head, and she smiles. "Good thing I brought this, then."

The crystal arrow shines in her hand. Will stares at it for a moment before tugging her into a kiss. Every so often he's reminded how much he truly loves this woman, his warrior queen.

She grins against him, slotting the arrow into his quiver. He can feel the hum of it, burning against his skin. "What happens if Xax betrays us?" she whispers.

"Then the second arrow is for him," Will answers unhesitatingly.

Xax demands to stop a little later. There's still a good hour of light, but Sarca's men stop and begin setting up camp. Sarca keeps Vara with him; on the few occasions he steps away, another man steps up, knife in hand. Vara pays them no outward attention, focus locked on Xax.

Leon and Drogo catch up as the last of the light fades from the sky. Drogo looks terrible, but he brushes off Will's concern and stands staring towards the lights of Sarca's camp.

"What's the plan, Will?" Leon asks, watching Drogo's back.

Will holds up the crystal arrow. "Xax will distract them when we signal him. I'll take out Sarca. Aruna, go straight for Vara, don't let anything distract you. Leon, you, Drogo and I will stop the rest of the men."

"And Xax?" Leon asks.

Will swallows. "If he's on our side, fine. If he works against us, if he hinders us in any way, do what you have to."

"I want to go for Vara," Drogo says without turning.

"I know you do," Will agrees. "We all do. But Aruna's the fastest and the most agile. She has the best chance of any of us."

Drogo turns to look at them, and Will blinks. In the handful of days since he saw Drogo last, he's become a man. It's clear in everything he does.

He turns to look at Aruna. "Save her." And his voice has all the weight of Vara's throne behind it. It's the first time Will truly realises how much influence Drogo has on the Little Queen; Leon is a trusted advisor, and Will her protector, but Drogo is her friend and first confidante and his voice is the clearest one she hears.

Aruna nods once. "Always."

Will sends Drogo to howl for Xax. A few minutes later Xax emerges from his tent, demanding to speak with Vara about the lands, claiming dissatisfaction with the boundaries she's provided. He takes Sarca by surprise, jerking the queen away and putting himself between them.

Will rises on one knee, brings his bow to bear and fires in one movement. The crystal arrow almost doesn't need to be aimed; it flies true, always. He watches, curiously detached, as Sarca jerks and falls forward, the crystal arrow protruding from his back.

Xax catches Vara's arm and drags her down under the table. Will nods to Leon and Drogo – Aruna is already gone, vanished in the moment the arrow left the bow – and they race down the slope to engage Sarca's men. Xax passes Vara to Aruna without hesitation and jumps to his feet, adding to the confusion by shoving Sarca's men towards Will or Leon and yelling conflicting orders as loudly as he can.

The fight is brutal and Sarca's men won't back down. Will keeps one eye on Drogo – the sheer anger in his friend worries him – and they fight on grimly. Xax abandons his diversionary tactics, draws his sword, and fights his way to Leon's side. Aruna and Vara have vanished completely; Will has no idea where they are, but he isn't worried. Vara lives, he can feel it with every beat of his heart.

Drogo vaults onto the last man's back, clawing at his head, snarling furiously. Will backs up, panting, watching him. The man collapses and Drogo pants, head hanging.

Will touches his shoulder lightly, turning to look at the others. Leon looks mostly unhurt, surveying the clearing, making sure no one is moving. Xax has one hand clasped to his other arm, blood seeping through.

Will glances at Drogo. "Call Aruna," he says quietly, crossing to Xax and kneeling beside him, peeling his hand away. The wound is ugly, jagged and raw and ragged edges; it must be painful, but it's not particularly deep. It will heal.

Leon comes to take over, tearing a strip of cloth to wipe away the blood. Xax endures, eyes half closed.

"Will!"

Will turns to see Aruna and Vara picking their way into the clearing. Aruna is unhurt, but her face is very solemn.

Vara's hair is mussed, her dress is ripped, and her wrists are raw where they were tied. And she's never looked more like a queen. Will instinctively dips his head, keeping it there until she murmurs "Rise, William."

Xax is on one knee when Will looks up. "Your majesty," he says, voice thick. "I have committed treason against the throne. I deposed and murdered your parents and plotted to keep you from your rightful place. I submit myself to your justice."

Will takes a slow step, not quite aligning himself with Xax but definitely on his side. Vara glances at him at the movement, face blank, before looking back at Xax.

"Your actions here have not gone unnoticed," she said clearly. "You have protected myself and made efforts to prevent my injury." Will looks at her in alarm at that, but she's watching Xax. "This does not wipe out your debt, but it does count."

She takes a step forward; Xax looks up automatically, caught by her eyes. "You will return to your home canton and begin at once to repair the damage you have caused there. You will report directly to my Commander at Arms. Men and supplies will be provided and it will be your duty to deploy them to the greatest effect."

Will blinks; that's a governorship position. He hadn't expected anything like that.

Vara's face hardens. "Show one hint of treachery, Xax, one word that suggests you are reconsidering, and this offer and your life are forfeit. Do you understand?"

"Your majesty, your mercy..." Xax sways, suddenly, almost falling before Will gets there.

"He's wounded, your majesty," he says quickly.

Vara nods. "We'll remain here tonight. Leon, please take Xax to his tent and see what you can do for him. Drogo, see what food supplies there are." She hesitates before looking back at Xax. "One more thing. And this is a hope, not an order. My hope is that you will allow Kalem to cleanse the control and darkness of Kreel from your mind. But that is and always will be your choice." She turns on her heel, stalking towards one of the smaller tents.

Will looks at Aruna, who nods, trailing Leon and Xax. Will turns, following the Little Queen towards a small tent on the edge of the clearing. She's standing inside, staring blankly at the back wall.

"Your majesty?" he asks softly.

Vara turns, throwing herself into his arms, weeping. Will catches her automatically, holding on tightly, whispering soothing words. For a few moments she is again the girl who looked to him for protection during the year they lived on the run.

After a few minutes she draws away, rubbing a hand over her face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He takes her wrists, examining them gently. "Are you hurt?"

"No. Xax protected me. He told Sarca that if I was hurt, you'd hunt them down no matter where they went."

"I would," Will agrees.

"I know." She tugs lightly but he doesn't let go, still studying the cuts. "One of the men tried to touch me. Xax threatened to take his head. No one touched me after that."

"I'm sorry I left you with them."

"You didn't have a choice."

He holds onto her wrists until she looks at him. "I'm sorry," he repeats, and she leans against him again.

"You were right," she says, some time later.

Drogo has been and gone with food; Will can dimly see his shadow outside, on guard. Leon has been and gone with the news that Xax will be fit to ride tomorrow, if someone guides the horse. Aruna hasn't come in, but Will's heard her outside several times.

"What was I right about, your majesty?"

"Xax. He was good, in the end." She's quiet for several minutes. "I'm glad it was him. Does that make me bad? I'm glad he grew up under Kreel and you under Kalem."

Will plays with the crystal arrow for a moment. Apart from Aruna and Kalem, no one but him ever touches it; Aruna's resurrection seems to have granted her immunity to its' powers.

"What are you thinking?" Vara murmurs.

"I'm trying to imagine growing up under Kreel. So much of who I am was formed on my parents' farm, and with you all. I can't imagine any other way."

She smiles suddenly. "If you'd been raised by Kreel, we might be married by now. That was his plan, you know, to marry me to Xax."

Will makes a very expressive face at that. "No offence, your majesty," he adds.

"None taken. You're a little too old for me, William Tell."

Will smiles, leaning back against the cot. "Drogo's about your age, isn't he?" he says innocently.

"Will!"

"My apologies," he says, but he's laughing, harder than he probably should.

"You're in an odd mood," she notes.

He nods slowly, almost hiccuping as he tries to stop laughing. "I am."

"Are you all right?"

"I need to speak with Kalem, I think.” He hadn’t realised it until he said it, but it’s suddenly very urgent. “Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Will."

"Drogo!" He pushes to his feet as Drogo comes in. "I have to go for a while. Stay with the queen."

"Of course."

Will considers him for a moment before looking at Vara. "We'll talk, your majesty. Later."

"I'm at your disposal," she says drily.

Will wanders into the trees, paying little attention to where he's going. It doesn't really matter; Kalem can find him wherever he is, something Aruna's slowly getting used to. Alvar snuffles along behind him.

Kalem's waiting when he rounds a tree; he pauses, leaning against the trunk. "Kalem."

"William."

"What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong, William."

He slides down the tree, sitting on the ground. "I feel strange."

Kalem is smiling when she joins him. "That will pass."

"Pass? What is it?"

"You are my champion, William, my own. Hero of Kale, protector to the throne."

"Yes." The crystal arrow, sitting in his quiver though he doesn't remember picking it up, hums in agreement.

"As Xax should have been, had Kreel not interfered. There are very few, William, who can be mine, so few who are in tune with me and with the land the way you are. In all the land, only two."

"Me and Xax." Will lets his head rest back against the tree. "He's yours now."

"Not now, but soon. Because you were my only, you had all my power. Now, it will be shared. That's why you feel strange. It will pass. You'll never notice a difference." She studies him for a minute. "Are you upset?"

"No. I'm not upset. Xax is a good man. You'll be able to help him?"

"That process has already begun."

"Good. I'm glad."

"Are you? Why?"

Will sat in silence for a moment. "Because Kreel stole Xax's chance to be good. He stole away his childhood, he stole away his innocence, he stole away the man he should have been. We can't do anything for his childhood, but the others, we can do something about that."

"Not all can be saved, William Tell."

That's a test. Will can usually tell the difference, now. He takes his time to think about it.

"Not everyone can be saved," he agrees finally. "Kreel couldn't; and there were warriors, Xax's warriors, Vara had to have some of them banished, they went rogue when he was overthrown." Kalem nods, and he continues, "But just because not everyone can be saved, that doesn't mean no one can be saved. It doesn't mean we should give up on everyone. And if someone can be saved, and we don't try..."

He trails off, gesturing helplessly, and she urges him gently, "Then what, William Tell?"

"Then it makes us guilty," he says finally. "Xax might still be sitting in that dungeon if I hadn't trusted him, and it would be my fault."

"William Tell," she says fondly. "This is why you are and always will be my first and best. You're wrong; there's no guilt on the side of those who help but don't succeed. But that you believe it – that means a lot.”

"My parents knew you," he says suddenly. It's something he's wondered about but never dared ask; but here, in this copse, while her power fluctuates around him, it's as though nothing else exists.

"Yes," Kalem says neutrally.

"How?"

She touches his braid gently. "Your ancestor, William Tell, was mine. I owe him much, William, more than I could ever repay to him. So his family have always been under my protection. Generations never saw me, never knew me, knew nothing of my power and protection. But Kreel has been stirring for a long time. I knew that you would be needed. Your father knew me from a young age, younger than you are now." She smiles suddenly. "He called me a mad woman, too."

"Family trait, then," Will says with a smile. It fades as he considers. "They didn't tell me."

"They hoped it would not come. They made a promise to me; if I would promise to only come when you were truly needed, they would not try to keep you from going."

"I miss them," Will murmurs. "They were good people."

"They were."

"Killed in your war with Kreel."

There's no real anger in his tone. He's long ago come to terms with his parents' death. Kalem seems to sense it, nodding softly.

"I must go. But you need a friend with you, William Tell."

He waves vaguely towards the trees. "Aruna's there."

"How can you tell?"

"She's always there."

Kalem stands, and Aruna melts out of the trees on the other side of the clearing. "Kalem."

"Aruna," Kalem returns. "I'll see you soon, William."

"You know where to find me."

Aruna smiles, coming to sit beside him. "Are you drunk, Will?"

"No, I'm..." He considers for a moment before amending, "It's a Kalem thing. It'll pass, she says."

"Soon?"

"Hope so, I can't go back to the queen like this." He tilts his head towards her. "How is everyone?"

"Tired, and confused. Xax is asleep, Leon gave him something. Drogo – he'll run tonight, I think, and feel better for it." Will nods, well familiar with Drogo's habit of running with his wolf brothers when he needs to think. "Leon's alright, better now Vara is safe."

"And the Little Queen?"

Aruna smiles at the nickname; Will doesn't usually use it out loud, though Vara's quite fond of it. "Sleeping. So one of us should get back, Drogo won't leave her otherwise."

"Leon?"

"Staying with Xax, he wants to watch for fever or infection."

Will nods, considering. "You should go."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm not in any danger. I just need to wait for this to be over. Otherwise I might end up getting us banished before the night's over."

"Can't have that, I've finally got Xax under my control." Aruna kisses him, long and hard. "Make sure Alvar stays with you," she tells him, pushing to her feet and vanishing back into the trees.

Time passes, and Will drifts in and out. Kalem's power is still burning through him, making it hard to concentrate on anything. He manages to have something approaching a normal conversation with Drogo when he comes by, assuring the boy that he's all right and just resting. Drogo promises to be within hearing range if needed and heads off to run.

As the moon starts to sink Will finally stands, picking his way back to camp. He can't see much, but he feels better, more himself. Drogo appears, silently guiding him back to the clearing and then vanishing again.

Not sure where anyone is, Will returns to Vara's tent. The Little Queen is awake, sitting on the side of her cot; Aruna is asleep on another one, curled on her side.

Will crosses to kneel beside Vara. "Majesty?"

"Vara," she corrects him, voice only barely above a whisper. Will nods; that means she wants her friend, not her protector. Once the two roles were synonymous; another thing they lost with the end of the quest. "I can't sleep, Will."

"I can ask Leon for something."

"No. Not..." She reaches out, hand fisting in his vest. "This is real?" she asks urgently. "You're real? You really came?"

"Of course I'm real." He covers her hand with his, smiling gently. "I'm right here."

"I was sleeping," she whispers, hand twisting. She's shaking, he realises suddenly. "I dreamt you hadn't come. And I woke up and I didn't know where I was, and I was afraid to go and look."

"I'm real." Will rises, managing to sit without dislodging her hold only by scooping her into his lap. "You're safe, Vara, I promise. We're right here with you."

Aruna shifts, sitting up suddenly and looking over at them; Will catches her eye and mouths 'Drogo' and she nods, rolling silently off her cot and slipping out.

Vara doesn't seem to notice, still shaking against Will's chest. He wraps his arms around her, waiting her out, murmuring soothing words.

She's mostly back together when Drogo returns; she looks up, smiling shakily at him and holding out a hand to draw him in. Drogo doesn't seem surprised to see her curled in Will's lap, shivering and crying; he just settles against Will's side, warm and solid against Vara's arm and side.

"I'm sorry," Vara says eventually, shifting. Will lets her pull away, but only enough to slide her off his lap between him and Drogo.

"Don't be sorry," Will says.

Drogo agrees. "Queen's not supposed to apologise for anything. You'll make us nervous, your majesty."

She swats at him, sniffling, and he grins, leaning over to rescue a water skin from the floor. "Wash your face, Vara," he advises her. "You're leaking."

The water, or Drogo's teasing, seems to level her out, and Will gets her settled back in bed. "I'll stay," he tells her.

She shakes her head. "Drogo's here."

Will glances questioningly at Drogo, who nods. "I'm ready to sleep."

"Vara, do you..." Will swallows hard. "A chaperone?"

"You weren't so worried about that when we were running all over Kale," she says archly.

"We lived in a tent," he reminds her. "One or another of us was always a sheet away. And things were different then."

"They were different then," she agrees with a sigh.

"I don't want you to be shamed before your court," he says gently. "I don't know the rules."

Vara nods. "Drogo is my Companion. The chaperone rules don't apply."

"Very well."

"Will," she says as he stands. "Thank you. It means a lot, that you worry." She considers him for a moment. "Did you speak to Kalem?"

"I did."

"Is everything all right?"

"Everything's fine. I'll tell you tomorrow. Get some sleep now, both of you. Aruna or I will be near."

Drogo settles on the floor, leaning against Vara's bed; she curls on her side, fingers tangling with his. "Good night, Will," she murmurs, already almost asleep.

"Good night, Little Queen."

The journey back to the Citadel is slow and careful. Xax can ride, but he can't hold the reins, so Will or Leon lead him on foot. Vara rides for a while before rebelling and wandering along with Drogo; Aruna rides herd on them, making sure they stay on the path and more or less keep up.

By the time night is falling they're still some distance from the stone circle where all this started. They have no tents, and few supplies; by mutual agreement, they'd left almost all the supplies where they were. Leon produces blankets and wraps Vara in them, lying on one side of her with Drogo on the other. Will tends the fire until he's sure it won't go out in the night before going to join Aruna.

Xax is quiet and miserable on the other side of the fire; Will can sense the complaints he isn't voicing. "It's only one night," he offers. "We'll be back at the Citadel tomorrow."

"Oh, good," Xax agrees. "Has it occurred to you, Tell, that all the major figures of Kale's government are running around out here? Who knows what we're walking back into?"

"You'll get your land," Aruna says, disgust clear in her voice.

"It's not about the land," he snaps. "Sarca drew all of us out here. He knew Tell would follow the Little Queen like a blood hound, and the rest of you follow him like little lost ducklings. Who is running the court?"

"I have ministers," Vara says tonelessly.

"Yes. I had ministers. And before they were mine, they were your parents'."

"Xax," Will says warningly.

Xax takes a breath. "Forgive me," he says, voice a little unsteady, rough with pain. Leon rolls away from Vara and goes to check his bandage. "I have no reason to think anything is wrong, your majesty. I ask only that you consider the idea. I will of course agree with whatever plan you think wise."

"I have heard your counsel," Vara says, still toneless. Will glances across, but in the darkness he can't separate her shadow from Drogo's, isn't sure which is which.

Leon reties the bandage, murmurs something Will can't hear and goes back to Vara, loudly settling down and falling at once into snores just a little too regular and loud to be natural. Will takes the hint, wrapping an arm around Aruna and settling in.

The others are asleep, apart from Xax, when Kalem comes. Will unwraps himself from Aruna, sitting up. Across the fire Xax is tense and on edge.

"William," Kalem says. Will bows his head. "Xax," she adds, in the same tone.

Xax swallows twice. "Kalem." He studies her for a moment. "Kreel was very afraid of you."

She kneels to study him. "I can repair what he damaged, if you wish it."

Xax shakes his head. "No one else touches my mind, Kalem. Not even you."

"Xax," Will protests, but Kalem holds up a hand and he stills obediently.

"If that is your choice, Xax, I will abide by it. Remember that my offer is always open to you."

"I will, my lady."

The courtesy surprises Will. Kalem has never expected a title, and it's never occurred to him to use one, despite his habitual politeness.

Kalem turns, eyes falling on Vara, and she sighs. "Poor child."

"Is she all right, Kalem?" Will asks quickly.

"Time heals all things, William Tell, including this. Vara is strong and resilient; those are the lessons you taught her. Trust them, and her."

She rises to her feet, smiling at both of them again, and vanishes mid step.

Xax breathes out slowly. "Not just Kreel, then," he says, mostly to himself.

"I'm sorry?" Will says anyway.

"Kreel never could answer a question straight. I thought perhaps it was just him."

Will laughs softly, feeling Kalem's amusement overlay his own briefly. "No. Not just him. I think – we can't really follow the way their minds work. Not even us. They have to translate and slow down for us, and sometimes it doesn't work very well."

"Sometimes?" Xax mutters.

Will sits in silence for a moment. "I have a question."

"Yes?"

"Does everyone in your canton talk like you?" It was the only canton they'd never gone to while on the run; Xax's control was complete there long before he rode on the Citadel.

"Like me?"

Will rolls an rrrrr and Xax smiles faintly. "Ah. In the area I grew up, they did, yes. Not in the whole canton. Why do you ask?"

"There was a man. I met him in the mines just after you took the Citadel. He died helping us take Vara – he spoke like you."

Xax is silent for a long time. "What was his name?"

"Seth."

"Seth," Xax repeats, almost silent.

They're quiet for some time before he says abruptly, "If it means anything, he fought very hard not to betray you. He withstood Shaytana's Eye. Kreel threatened his wife and child to make him give in."

Will swallows against the surge of grief. He'll have to ask Leon if they can track her down, make sure that she doesn't need help. He'll employ her on the farm if that's what it takes. "It means everything. Thank you."

Aruna stirs, sitting up to look around. "Will?" she asks sleepily.

"Here. Go back to sleep. Everything's fine."

"Hmm. Come with me."

"Coming." He nods to Xax before rejoining Aruna, sliding straight into sleep.

They reach the Citadel early in the afternoon. Vara and Leon are dragged straight into meetings with her council, and Drogo goes with them. Two of the guards try to take Xax into custody, but Will glares them down until they back off.

Aruna kisses Will lightly and heads off to gather the guards and explain what's been happening, and sort out who's going with Xax. Will sends for a medic to come and look at Xax and steers him into a seat.

"So at home," Xax says, slightly breathless.

Will smiles faintly. "This is not my home, Xax."

"No. I've been there, haven't I?"

"Yes. Once."

Xax shudders. "Yes. Once."

The medic arrives, and finds an infection beginning in the wound. Will tells him to do whatever he needs to, picks two guards he knows by name to keep watch over Xax, and goes to report to Vara.

The council mutter amongst themselves when he strides in, but he's used to that. Many of the council would prefer he didn't exist, or at least that he'd have the decency to stay in the muck of his farm rather than wandering through court as though he belongs there. The freedoms Vara gives him only make them more determined to grind him down.

"Little Queen," and he doesn't kneel, either, because she's told him not to, but he does bow his head, "Xax has taken a fever. Your medic is treating him."

"Your majesty," a councilor says loudly, bowing properly. "This plot has Xax at its root. Why are we affording him care?"

"Xax had nothing to do with it," Vara says evenly. "The plot was orchestrated to remove me from the throne. He was a pawn. He risked his life to protect me and keep me safe, and he fought at the side of William Tell, receiving an injury. Should I not afford him care? Is that how we reward those who help us now?"

The councilor retreats in confusion and Vara rises. "I have afforded Xax a governorship position, which he will take up once he is healed."

"Your majesty..."

"The queen does, of course, have final say on all positions within her realms," Leon says mildly. The 'including this council' is only implied, but it's enough to make the protesters back down. "Xax will be under the direct command of her majesty's commander at arms." That silences most of the rest of the complaints. Everyone knows Aruna's feelings towards Xax.

"Where is Aruna?" Vara asks.

"She went to speak with the guards, your majesty." The guards are only nominally under Aruna's command, but she still talks to them when she's here, checks on their training, arranges war games that turn the whole Citadel upside down.

Vara glances at Drogo. "Fetch her, please." Drogo bows and slips out, and she turns back to Will. "Please wait until she gets here, Will."

He bows his head and steps aside, watching her manage her court. It's not something he's seen her do before, but she's clearly skilled at it, managing to shut down her detractors without insult and listening to all sides before making a decision.

Aruna's hand slides into his. "Impressive, isn't she?" Will nods quietly. "Come on." She tugs lightly until he follows her back to the front of the room.

"Aruna," Vara says lightly.

"Your majesty." Aruna bows. "I have personally chosen the soldiers who will accompany your new governor. They are most loyal and will ensure that he obeys and upholds your laws."

"Thank you, Aruna. He is currently being treated by the court medic. Please hold your soldiers in reserve." She glances past her for a moment, a mischievous smile flickering across her face. "Now, commander, please attend to your primary duty."

Aruna follows her gaze, smiling. "Yes, your majesty."

"Primary...?" Will's not sure why, but that makes him worry.

Aruna smiles, leaning against him to whisper, low and throaty, "My primary responsibility is taking care of you, Will."

Will grins brightly, bowing to Vara. "I'd hate to impede you in your duties, commander."

They spend a night together, curled around each other, uninterrupted by anyone. Will doesn't rush the next morning, either, waking Aruna slowly and leisurely. A servant brings breakfast and they wander back to the throne room mid morning.

Leon glances up as they came in, nodding absently. "Morning."

"Morning, Leon," Will says easily, glancing towards the throne. Vara's dealing with someone, but she nods in his direction. "What's going on?"

"She's defending Xax," Leon says with a sigh. "The councilors aren't happy about his governorship."

"Don't they understand..."

"No, they don't," Leon says over him. "They don't understand that he was controlled, that he was under Kreel's power. Too many of them were here, saw him argue and defy Kreel when he wanted to. They don't believe it."

Will glances at the throne, torn. "I should..."

"It won't help," Aruna says quietly. "They won't believe you either. You know that."

Leon nods agreement. "The great and noble court of Kale."

"Enough," Vara says suddenly from her throne, rising to her feet. "It is my right and duty to appoint those governors I see fit. Xax will be closely monitored, and should he show any sign of treachery he will be dealt with. Now, dismissed. I must hear petitions."

Several councilors try to protest, but she simply repeats, "Dismissed," and glares until they leave. When they're gone she glances over at Will and Aruna. "Will, Xax is in his rooms. Can you please fetch him here?"

Will bows his head, turning away. Most of the councilors are still out in the halls; he ignores them, passing by with ease. One or two try to follow him, but he doesn't look back and they're stopped by the guards at a certain point.

He stifles a grin. Several councilors had tried to court his favour early on, aware of his influence on Vara. Will was unfailingly polite to each one, and absolutely unbending in his loyalty, openly reporting those councilors who tried to bribe or blackmail him. Leon had been approached too, he knew, and Drogo might have if he weren't so young. By the time anyone realised how close he was to Vara, it was too late.

Xax is resting on a low couch, eyeing a partially eaten breakfast tray. "Tell," he says absently. "Something to eat?"

"No, thank you. You're summoned. Can you walk?" He looks better than yesterday, at least, less pale and drawn.

"Yes, thank you. I'm quite well. It just needs to heal." He's wearing a sling to keep his arm still, but he rises on his own and seems perfectly steady.

"Your fever?"

"Gone. Or close to gone. The infection was caught early, and the care Leon gave me on the road kept any serious damage away."

"I should warn you," Will starts.

"My former ministers are up in arms about my appointment? I guessed they would be." He swallows. "Is she calling me to change her mind?"

"I don't think so. She was defending you to them before she sent me up here."

"Tell me something. Does it ever bother you? Running here and there for her, on her missions, no idea what you're doing most of the time?"

Will starts to answer, and then realises what he means. "Kalem doesn't send me on missions any more." Xax gestures impatiently and he shrugs. "It did, sometimes. I didn't like not knowing what I was leading the others into. But when I didn't listen to her, things were always worse. I died, ignoring her. My friends had to save my life."

"You died?" Xax repeats in surprise.

"In the Hidden Valley. I was angry, at you, and I used that anger to draw you in." Xax nods, clearly remembering, and Will returns to the original topic. "Kalem tried to warn me, but I ignored her, and died for it. She got better about explaining, as we went on."

"Kreel kept things from me. For the joy of it, sometimes, I think."

"Vara won't do that. If she keeps something from you, there's a reason, and she'll tell you if you ask. Or I will."

Xax nods, swallowing again, and then waves to the door. "After you, Tell."

"Sure you don't want me watching your back?" Will teases lightly.

"The day I need you to watch my back..." He trails off, but he's still muttering as they cross into the throne room.

Will bows his head when Vara acknowledges him. Beside him, Xax takes a knee again. Vara nods briskly to Will, but she addresses Xax. "Governor Xax, these petitions have come from your canton. I wish you to hear them with me, so that you will be aware of some of the difficulties there, and of how I expect them to be handled." To a nearby servant, she adds, "Fetch a chair for the governor, he is injured."

Will has to give Xax a shove to get him started, but he takes the seat at the base of the dais. At first he doesn't seem to be taking much notice; but halfway through the first case he sits up to ask a question, and from then on he's completely absorbed in it.

Will watches for a while, but the minutiae of the petitions escape him; he doesn't know enough about the canton to follow the arguments, and Xax clearly has it in hand. When Aruna tugs at his arm he follows her.

Aruna calls the royal guard together and organises a war game. She declares the throne room off limits, divides them into teams, and gives everyone chalk. Will and a man on the other team get crossbows, with modified bolts; they won't penetrate, and the tips are marked with chalk as well.

Just to annoy Will, she appoints herself to the other team and makes Will's team the invaders. To make a point, Will makes sure she's the first one he shoots.

The game is tiring, and rooting out the last three members of the opposing team takes two handsbreadths, but finally Will's team is declared the winner. He grins at Aruna's mock pout, promising to make it up to her.

Xax is gone when they return to the throne room. Vara takes in the chalk marks and air of tiredness and sighs. "My housekeepers won't be happy if you've got chalk all over the carpets."

"They might be happier if it saves their lives sometime," Aruna retorts, stretching across the dais steps. Will sits beside her, absently combing some chalk out of her hair. "How did it go?"

Vara shares a glance with Leon. "He needs practise," she says finally. "His instincts are still tilting towards mine work and slavery. He'll learn."

Will leans back enough to catch her eye, lowering his voice only because of the guards around the walls. "Vara, if you think he can't do it..." She raises an eyebrow, and he shrugs. "Don't do this because I've asked you to."

"Xax is a skilled warrior and an able administrator. He ruled his canton for some time before he marched on the Citadel." She leans forward, lowering her voice to mimic his. "People listen to him, Will. They believe what he says, they always have. Even without Kreel. I'd rather have him on our side, if it's possible."

"Besides," Drogo adds, and he hasn't lowered his voice at all; the loudness of it jars Will. "She can't back down now, she's endorsed him in front of the Council."

Will looks at Aruna, who shrugs. "This was your idea, Will."

"He can be good," Will insists.

"He would not do this for you, if things had gone the other way," Leon tells him.

"You think not? I think Kreel would have spared me if he could. Corrupting Kalem's warrior would hurt her, tip the balance. He managed it before, and if you were gone..." Will lets the thought trail off, shrugging.

Vara is studying him oddly. Will ignores it, checking his arrows and stowing them away in his quiver. “How long do you want us to stay, Vara?”

“Tired of my company already?”

He pulls a face at her. “Worried about the farm. My workers are good, but I’d still rather be there.”

“And they’ll be worried about you,” Aruna adds lightly. He glances over, and she reminds him “You ran off in the middle of the night without even putting on your cloak. And who knows what stories are circulating out there now.”

“Hardly the middle of the night,” he mutters. She’s right about the rest of it, of course.

“Then you should leave as soon as you’re ready, of course,” Vara - no, the Little Queen - says. “It’s not fair to your workers to leave them worry, and someone should start reassuring people that I am here and unharmed.”

“As though Will would have it any other way,” Drogo says with a grin. “As soon as he gets back they’ll assume you’re fine.”

“Leon, walk out with me,” Will says, rising to his feet. “I need you to look into something for me.”

“At your service,” Leon says genially, standing.

Vara farewells them vaguely formally, but as Will is bowing she takes a sudden step forward, and they’re nose to nose when he straightens. “If Xax fails me,” she says very softly, “it does not mean that you will, or could. You may be the same, but you are nothing alike.”

Caught, Will stares at her. For a moment, nothing exists beyond them.

“You will not betray me.” There’s a hint of a smile in her eyes. “It is my royal command.”

“In that case, your majesty…” He smiles, dropping his eyes again in a mock bow. “I don’t dare disagree.”

Drogo is laughing from the doorway, obviously overhearing. Aruna’s probably heard as well. Will doesn’t care. He pulls Vara into a hug, ignoring the gasps from her maids - honestly, aren’t they used to him yet? - and then goes to take Aruna’s hand, to go back home.