Ardasa made her way into the main hall of the palace, to find a familiar sight. Rughoi was pacing nervously around the room, especially around the throne. As usual, he never sat in it. She had never seen him sit on his throne since he had it raised up, and suspected that it only existed so he had a focus to refer to his control over Xigyll. 

"Is something the matter?" Ardasa said, almost sighing when Rughoi jolted and hastily turned. He was so consumed by his thoughts some days, he could be snuck up on without any difficulty at all.

"No," he said firmly, but Ardasa knew better. She tilted her head and mock-glared at him, letting him know in no uncertain terms that she saw through his lie. "Yes . . . " he said, caving. "Something is always the matter. That is how thrones work."

"I'm well aware," Ardasa said. "You have to remember, it's not your empire anymore. It's ours. These people followed the two of us to freedom, not just you or I. So, how about we not keep so many things close to vest, eh?" 

"I suppose . . . " Rughoi said. He was not as firm as he usually is, she noted. Either Kali is a diplomatic genius who's little tactics were nigh upon mind control, or something must really be eating at his mind. "It's Hekaga. They want to negotiate a more secure deal with us, one that involves the presence of what they deem 'of esteemed birth'." He waved the letter in his hand as he quoted it, which Rebat himself had written in quotation runes. "Apparently, Rebat is not close enough. They want to speak to me, it seems. I can't leave Xigyll! There's so much to handle! Especially not for . . . months? Years?"

"Or me," Ardasa blurted, before she could think. Rughoi's eyes lit up, and Ardasa began to have second thoughts. Had she just signed herself up to a diplomatic mission? For months, or even years? Rughoi's last sentence rang in her head, repeating itself like a horrific repressed memory resurfacing. 

"Yes . . . yes! You could go!" he said. "We're a team now, right? Like you said?" Urgh, Hetuis take her poor wording! She gave a crooked half-smile.

"Yeah . . . " she said, weakly. "A team . . . that's what I said . . . " Pressure was her enemy, now and forever more. It had seemed so easy going over it with Kali, too.