My own snoring wakes me from an unplanned nap. I grunt, sitting up at my desk. There's a pool of drool where my face was just sitting. I wipe my face with a kerchief, scanning the room with lidded eyes. Documents sit in small piles on the desk. The room is otherwise very tidy, thanks to the servants of the estate.

  Turning in my chair, I take a look at Daywark below. Its modest walls and disorganized streets are a sight I have grown used to since taking charge of the city. Half bitter and half sweet memories of Daywark's commoners approaching me to ask questions or complain about their misgivings come to my mind unbidden. Those visits slowed to a trickle after some time, and now the target of the people's ire is the newly founded Adventurer's Guild.

  My thoughts still as I see a carriage rolling down the road. It's flanked by guards in gleaming armor, the royal crest emblazoned on both the carriage and the soldiers' armor.

  Fuck, I need a drink.

  I turn away from the window and busy myself with grabbing a bottle of wine from beneath the desk. I pop the cork, pouring myself a glass as I hear the commotion outside. The poor fools downstairs aren't ready for a visit from another royal.

  It only takes a few minutes for footsteps to approach. The door is pushed open before the guard watching it can protest, and in stomps my dear sister Eliza. She's forgone the usual dress for a simpler set of clothes. Her riding pants and a neutral blouse. Father would probably scold her if he saw her dressed like this.

  "Theobald Greatmane! What in God's name have you been doing here?"

  "Ruling, Sister, as the late Lord Fredrick did."

  The quiet slurp of wine moving from the glass in my hand to my mouth seems to put Eliza in a sour mood. She takes a deep breath, calming herself in the face of my apparently rude behavior. I really need this booze for whatever this conversation is about.

  "You were not sent here to rule a backwater village, Theobald. Father sent you here to investigate and return with your findings."

  "And investigate I did, Sister. I sent my findings back to the capital."

  Eliza slams her clenched fist on the desk. My wine bottle rattles, nearly tipping over before I steady it with my free hand. I take another calm sip of wine-

  "Princess Eliza is trying to say she was worried about you, Your Highness."

  Captain Drake says this with a smug grin on his face, his heavy boots thumping softly against the floor. I spit my wine out, the purple fluid staining the documents I was poring over before I fell asleep many hours ago. I curse, reaching for the bell, stopping when I see a maid already rushing over to clean the mess up.

  "C-Captain Drake, what brings you here?"

  "Guarding Her Highness, of course. His Majesty sent me to ensure you both return home safely."

  "Both of us? Return?"

  Eliza rolls her eyes, hand on her hip. She looks at me as if I've just received a concussion.

  "Yes! You don't belong out here. Leave the peasants to rule their village, Brother."

  Something about her phrasing irks me, but I cannot say what. Of course this is a commoner filled city. Most who live within Daywark are very poor. Some merchants and shopkeepers are present, but no one with true wealth calls this place home. To call Daywark a village, though? That feels like a bit of a stretch.

  I down the rest of my glass of wine in a few quick gulps. Setting the glass on the desk, I push the cork back into my bottle of wine. Eliza and Captain Drake watch me rise from my seat.

  "I want to show you something. Come with me."

  They follow, their expressions a mix of doubt and hesitation. We walk down the corridors of the estate in silence. Eventually, we reach the ground floor. I push open the doors, letting the sun warm my skin as I step outside for the first time all day. Taking a deep breath, I motion for Eliza and Captain Drake to follow me further.

  "Brother, where are you taking us?"

  "I'm showing you why I stayed here despite Father's wishes."

  Eliza exchanges a confused look with Captain Drake. I lead them into the street, where merchants hawk their wares and common folk mill in and out of various businesses. The streets are nothing like those of the capital. The roads are a dirty mess, no designated worker to clean them. The place smells quite awful. Despite these details, people talk and carry on with a measure of energy.

  "What do you see, Eliza?"

  "I see a bunch of slobs living in a backwater hole. Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

  "Wrong answer. What you're seeing is a city full of people, living their lives."

  Captain Drake looks past me at Daywark's grimy streets with a measure of awe. He looks at me with a strange glint in his eyes. I've never seen him gaze at me that way, and after a moment I realize what I'm seeing is respect. Eliza wrinkles her nose, scoffing at my words.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "What does this have to do with anything?! I can't bear to stand out here!"

  "Eliza, this is why I stayed."

  "Because it stinks so bad?" She asks, looking at me like I'm stupid.

  I shake my head, chuckling at her childish words. She's too young to understand these things, I suppose. I turn away from her to gaze at the city with a begrudging fondness. It stinks, it's dirty, and I didn't want to come here. Despite all of that I care about it.

  "I think I understand what you're saying, Your Highness."

  Captain Drake stands closer now, a proud grin on his chiseled features. He nods to me like he's speaking with an equal. It's strange to feel anything but hostility from the big man.

  "This city isn't nice, by any means, but it did give me purpose. I finally feel like I'm alive. These people rely on me to organize and maintain structure, to lead them."

  Captain Drake chuckles, Eliza sighing exaggeratedly.

  "You still have to come home, Brother!"

  ~

  The smell of blood still lingers near the door. I listen to the forest, hearing the sway of the highbark in the breeze. The plants speak to me about the intruders who were slain here. Five men, all seeking fortune. One escaped with his life, but not his courage.

  I absentmindedly reach up to rub at my antlers. Their growth is something I've yet to get used to, as they're starting to fork into multiple prongs. Mother says my antlers are something to be proud of. I am still nervous about them.

  My hooves crush leaves and twigs as I walk away from the door. The forest has already claimed the bodies, and I seek something else. It takes some time to find it--The treant responsible for killing two of the invaders. The great beast is resting not far from where the fight took place. It was once a beautiful specimen, existing in symbiosis with a clan of swarmers. Now? Its symbiotic companions lay dead amongst the soil. I gently place a hand on the treant's trunk, comforting it with soft pulses of mana.

  "I am sorry, friend. They have paid their dues. None made it out unscathed."

  Deep creaking of wood is all the reply I get. I'm sure it understands my meaning, even if it can't speak as I can.

  The sound of earth being overturned piques my ears. I turn to face the direction where the motion is happening, and see stone rising up from the dirt. An entire highbark is turned to mana and sucked away by what I assume to be Mother. She creates stone ruins, structures made from rock and dead wood. I don't want to be angry with Mother, but how can she kill highbark so ruthlessly? They're living beings too.

  I walk toward the ruin with the intention of inspecting it. I need to familiarize myself with all of my territory, even if I don't particularly like these structures in particular.

  The interior of the crumbling stone building is lit only partly by the sunlight filtering in through the canopy above. Such darkness poses no issue for my eyes, and I'm able to make out my surroundings as I venture inside. I only get a few steps into the structure when I hear a voice call out to me from behind.

  "Be cautious, Silva. There are a few traps within the ruin."

  Emotion bubbles up as I turn to see Mother, clad in her usual hooded robe.

  Hearing her voice--voices?--brings me both joy and frustration.

  "Mother, thank you for the warning, but I must discuss something with you."

  "Of course. What is on your mind?"

  I walk toward her. A thousand ways to ask float through my head. I sigh, biting my lip for a moment before I finally come out with it.

  "Why do you murder the plants without remorse?"

  My wording comes out far harsher than I anticipated. My face burns hot as Mother stares at me, stock still, the forest practically quieting at the tension that suddenly fills the air. Mother raises her hand to her face. She's likely contemplating my question and how to answer it. I never really know what Mother is thinking.

  "I never considered it murder."

  "W-What? How can that be? You are killing them when you turn them into-"

  "That is not what I meant, Silva."

  My ears fold flat against my head as Mother interrupts me. I feel myself tremble before Mother's gaze like a newborn fawn under the gaze of a woodwalker. Has Mother always had this kind of frighteningly powerful aura?

  "I never thought of plants as something that can be murdered. I treated them like you do the rocks and stones."

  Numb pain fills my heart as Mother says something so terribly cruel. My eyes feel wet, but Mother is quick to speak again. I'm not sure if she saw my distress.

  "Things change. I will no longer kill plants like I have been thus far, Silva."

  "D-Do you mean it, Mother?"

  She nods her head. Relief floods through me as Mother agrees to stop hurting the forest. She looks relieved as well for some reason. Perhaps my grief affects her as well in some way. Are we linked somehow, as mother and son?

  "Forgive me if I sounded... insensitive, Silva."

  I shake my head quickly. Mother is never in the wrong, she simply operates on a level above mine. That is why she sees the world so differently from I. Mother mumbles something, more to herself than to me. My ears easily pick up her words.

  "With Gu, it was so easy, but I suppose that's because he couldn't talk..."

  "Who is Gu?" I blurt out before I can think better of it.

  Mother straightens up like a startled rabbit. The image of Mother with the ears of a rabbit comes to mind, and I have to suppress a small smile. My curiosity returns as Mother relaxes, explaining who she was referring to.

  "Gu is... well he is your brother, in a way."

  "I have a brother?"

  My eyes are wide as Mother nods. How long have I had a brother for? What is he like? Does he have antlers like mine, and does he speak to the forest much like I do? These questions burn at me as Mother comes to a silent decision about something.

  "I will introduce the two of you, but not right now."

  Disappointment wars with understanding on my face. I can't expect her to instantly have my brother ready to meet with me. He is probably a busy man, living his own life wherever he is. I'm surprised Mother never mentioned him to me before.

  Mother suddenly perks up, remembering why she came here.

  "Right, that ruin. There are traps inside. I designed them to only trigger for adventurers, but I don't want you to get hurt if something goes wrong with them."

  I smile, finding Mother's worries touching.

  "Do not worry, Mother, I am much tougher than a human."