It was an early morning in the middle of summer, making it already hot, sweaty, and filled with bugs. It was just unbearable, really, especially camping out in the wild. Not that anyone in the army could compin, as nobody would listen to them anyway. Maybe only if someone was the son of the Emperor...

  "Young Master! Young Master!" came the familiar, panicked voice of Meishan, who was already halfway through her morning ritual of trying to wake exactly that particur person.

  “Five… more… centuries…” Dermitos groaned into his pillow, his voice muffled by a yer of bug-repellent covers.

  "Please! This time it is very, very, very important!"

  "You always say that..." He kept groaning, trying his hardest not to open his eyes.

  "News had come, Young Master, and it's from the Capital this time! With your father's seal!" Meishan's voice cracked with almost pure panic as she shook his shoulder, forcing him to finally sit up.

  "And...?" Dermitos cracked open one eye, refusing to show any concern, "Oh, come on... If it's about some stupid news again, please have them send a note to Sentios. He's the nerd of the two of us... Isn't he trying his best to fuck the Finance Minister's wife or something like that...?"

  "I don't know... but... Young Master, it's your father's handwriting, not a clerk's!" she insisted, shoving the letter into his face.

  That finally did it. If it was indeed written by his father and not dictated to someone else to write it down... Then it had to be indeed important. With a shudder, Dermitos's eyes snapped open, as he snatched the letter, staring at the seal of the Aerthus VIII, looking him in the eye, showing that this was not just a letter...

  "Fuck.... I'm either being promoted or executed..." He grunted as he tore it apart, pulling the thin paper out and scanning its contents. First, his brows began drawing together before both of them arched up to the top of his head. "The fuck?"

  "Young Master...?" Meishan asked, gulping, fearing the worst.

  "Father wants me to return to the Capital immediately. It says that this is a matter of utmost diplomacy and succession that awaits my presence."

  "Maybe... you finally won over your brother...?" Meishan asked, making Dermitos grimace.

  "I don't think so..." He muttered, "While I went the military route, he is doing the money-talks approach. He may have some wealthy backers, but I am slowly closing my fingers around the Empire's sword. Our competition is not yet decided, but... I think my weapon is greater than his."

  "Maybe it's a trap, Young Master..."

  "No..." Dermitos answered after a brief pause, biting his lips, scanning the handwriting, "No... This is my Father's calligraphy. Sentios wouldn't be able to copy it this well. This is genuine."

  "Hauh..." Meishan stood there, anxious as this rivalry for the throne was the greatest pressure on her back since it started, wringing her hands. "Will you go?"

  "Of course I'll go," he sighed, tossing the letter aside and rising with a tired moan. "Otherwise, Sentios will take my absence and start attacking right away."

  "Hoy!" A gruff voice echoed from outside the tent, "Do my ears deceive me, or are you awake, Your Highness? Or do I need to drag you out again? I heard Meishan too, I hope her mouth is not full this time while talking!"

  "Brute." Meishan scoffed, her voice sharp and cold, almost sneering at the fp of the tent.

  "Ah, my favorite barbarian!" Dermitos grinned, stepping out to meet Xendar, who was standing there in full armor, crossing his arms.

  "You look like shit," Xendar said ftly, "I told you not to drink it all in one go."

  "Sure, sure," Dermitos stretched, "Tell me, do I look more like the handsome kind of shit, or the tragic hero type dump?"

  "You look like a man who hasn't shat in three days, finally letting himself go."

  "Yeah, that tracks," Dermitos shrugged, "But I still look better than you."

  "You're disgusting," Xendar muttered, shaking his head with a half-smile.

  "And that's why you are coming with me."

  "Eh?" Xendar blinked his eyes, "What? To where?"

  "To the Capital! You're my right hand, aren't you? You may be a commander by now, but I am your Prince. I am YOUR commander."

  "I may be your sword arm, but I am not your handkerchief. If you want to go whorehunting, do it alone; one time was enough for me. Who has the energy to do it that much?! Damn you, and if I ever let you drag me around...! I will betray you to Sentios instead of the humiliation to get my drink spiked with... whatever that was. You dick."

  "Ouch," the Prince moaned, looking hurt. "But you looked like you were enjoying yourself! Ehehe... Still, my brother, that's where you're wrong," He added with a zy grin, "We are going on official business." With that, he snapped his fingers, and Meishan brought out the letter, not looking at Xendar at all, ignoring his presence while handing it over. It wasn't a secret that Meishan had taken offense to Xendar multiple times already, especially with his continuous headbutting, saying no to his future Emperor so many times that it was worthy of getting his head chopped off. "Read it!"

  "I'm fttered," Xendar said dryly, taking it and beginning to read, and grimacing the longer he did so. "Sounds serious... Now I get it... So? When do we leave?"

  "In an hour," Dermitos said, pulling Meishan close to seal a quick kiss on her lips, grabbing her bottom in the process. "Prepare the horses, my dear."

  "I am not–"

  "I am talking to her, you idiot," Dermitos ughed, keep kneading Meishan out in the open, "And pack my formal robes... the least wrinkled ones."

  "Yes, Young Master!" She gasped, already forgetting the presence of Xendar.

  "You're taking her, too?" Xendar asked, watching her finally disappear, "She is loyal, I give you that, but she has something loose in her head."

  "Of course I'm taking her. If I'm going to hell, I'm bringing company! My brother from another mother and my little gardener! You see, even if I like rolling around among flowers, my MeiMei is my flower bed... She will bear my children, you just watch."

  "I am surprised she hasn't done so already..."

  ...............

  If one thing made Xendar happy was the fact that the road to the Capital was long but peaceful. The fronts were clear, the army only doing the usual bandit hunting and patrolling. It was thanks to them, he loved to believe. Ever since Dermitos rose to command the whole northern region... many things had changed. With Xendar being his vanguard, the monster threats were put to the sword, or in his case, to the spear, bringing unseen peace to the borders in the past two to three hundred years or so. It was how Xendar rose in name and rank beside Dermitos, being his heroic, vocal, yet trusted right-hand man.

  "Last time I saw those walls," Xendar muttered as they neared the Capital, "I thought they'd look taller."

  "That's because you've grown up, my friend," Dermitos said, riding next to him, Meishan sitting behind him, holding his waist. "Either that or the Empire's gotten smaller. I feel the tter..."

  "Maybe this is indeed about the fact that you are becoming Emperor," Xendar smiled, gncing at him, "Then don't forget, you owe me a General's position."

  "You are already my General, XenXen. Only the title is missing."

  "Don't call me that."

  "Huh? You don't want to be called a General?"

  "Fuck you," Xendar snorted, "You know what I meant!"

  It was with Dermitos's ughter that they reached the gate, watching as the guards saluted instantly and stepped aside, letting the two in without questioning who they were or what they were doing here. One thing Dermitos noticed, though, was that while riding towards the pace, there were alien faces present. Features amongst the civilians that... didn't belong to the people of the Empire.

  "Did you see?" He asked, making Xendar nod, his hand hanging down at his side, hovering above the spear that was holstered on the side of his horse.

  "I did. They were looking at you... Probably agents."

  "Out in the open?" Dermitos shook his head, "If they are agents, then they are not here to kill... Interesting."

  The number of scrutinizing gazes didn't really change, not even after arriving at the pace, and after Meishan took the horses away, knowing she couldn't go with her Young Master... Unlike Xendar, she had no formal position, aside from being his maid. In the pace, people were looking at them just the same. Well... mostly at Xendar. It was with half curiosity and half disdain. The man was a walking enigma, the only commoner who rose to such a rank yet... many only gave credit to Dermitos, saying he was dragging him along like a loyal little dog.

  "Ah, if looks could kill," Dermitos murmured, walking as if he owned the pce, which... was pretty much true. "We'd be corpses already."

  "They probably just hate me," Xendar replied, ignoring the stares, "Not that I care. Pencilpushers know nothing about what the Empire is truly about. They see numbers, not people."

  "Yeah, not wrong. That's why it's not my cup of tea and I let Sentios take that route... Plus... They hate me too, as I bet they are in Sentios's camp. You're just the easier target for their scorn."

  "If Sentios's only army is clerks, I will put you on the throne without issues."

  "Hah!" Dermitos chuckled, patting his friend's shoulder, "Don't kill them all. I need capable officials to do the mundane things for me in the future."

  Just as they entered the grand hall, a herald's voice rang out, announcing their arrival.

  "His Imperial Highness, Prince Dermitos, and his retainer, Commander Xendar of the Imperial Vanguard's northern forces!"

  As the great doors opened, they stepped into the throne chamber, watching Emperor Aerthus VIII sit on his throne at the elevated far end, looking just as stoic and unmoving as ever, his gaze cold. Beside him, Dermitos's brother, Sentios, who looked eerily simir to him, as they were actual twins, was dressed in immacute white robes. His smile was calm, but his eyes were calcuting, clearly knowing more about why Dermitos was called back than he was letting on.

  "Welcome home, my son," the Emperor said, while Dermitos was already thinking that Meishan told him may have been actually right... This smelled like a trap.

  "Father," Dermitos bowed, "It's been a while."

  "I trust the frontier remains secure?"

  "More or less." He shrugged, "The demons are quiet since I have been allowed to do things my way. I am also gd to announce I have reached the eighth refinement. On all parts of my body..." he added, making sure Sentions and everyone in his camp heard it, "I am already working towards the ninth."

  "Good!" Carthus's eyes fshed, finally showing actual pride, while a bit of disappointment when it moved towards Sentios. Albeit... the tter learned to ignore him, "As I wrote in my letter... You were recalled for diplomatic matters. The Kingdom of Ten has extended a hand."

  "What?!" Dermitos flinched before catching himself. "In what way, Father?"

  "Let me expin," Sentios spoke up, taking a step closer to the stairs leading up to the throne, "It is a marriage alliance. Straight from the Naulin's main line... Their princess arrives tomorrow."

  "..."

  "..."

  "That expins the agents we saw..." Xendar muttered, breaking the silence between the brothers.

  "I see your hand in it..." Dermitos exhaled, keeping eye contact with his brother, "And here I thought I'd earned another medal. If you are banking on a political fallout that ends my career, I get it, but... this is a low move, Sentios. Even for you."

  "No, I am not trying anything," Sentios spoke again, his tone smooth, while Carthus remained silent, visibly interested in which of his sons was the more capable one, "Just... Try not to disappoint her, brother. She'll expect an imperial husband, not a half-feral soldier who goes from hole to hole to sniff around."

  "Don't worry," Dermitos smiled sweetly. "If she wants refinement, she can marry you. Some girls do love it when it's soft."

  A few nobles stifled a ugh, showing that not everyone was in his pocket... yet.

  "Enough," Carthus intervened, "You will attend the reception tomorrow, Dermitos. Present yourself properly. That is all."

  "Yes, Father," Dermitos decred, bowing again. "I'll be sure to wear my cleanest sins."

  Leaving, Dermitos's face immediately went dark, wanting to curse but holding himself back. Now he was extra gd he brought Xendar with him... If this marriage went through, he would need a drinking buddy!

  "Damn," As they exited the hall, Xendar finally clicked his tongue, "So… you're getting married?"

  "Apparently," Dermitos muttered, "But don't look so disappointed. You can still be my best man."

  "Do you even know what she looks like?"

  "How would I know?" He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "But I'm sure she'll either adore me or stab me. Maybe both... She had to be a fucking Naulin..."

  "The arch nemesis of the first Aerthus... Zelig Naulin... Poetic." Xendar muttered, "More than a millennium of bad blood finally coming to an end?"

  "Pft! Fat chance! I smell a ploy. We have been at each other's throats for almost two thousand years; they didn't give a damn about peace between our Empire and their Kingdom of Ten until now. So... Why now?" Dermitos whispered, stopping and looking up at the blue sky, "What changed? Because for sure I know of nothing! Something is fishy."

  "Sentios?" Xendar asked, standing with him.

  "I can't think of anything else..." He muttered, "The worst thing is that Father is going along with it... Haaah... Get ready, my brother. These upcoming days will not be easy."

  Corty