The banquet is as boring as the last one I attended. Just, it lacks the ladies throwing themselves at my husband.

More than the fact that our son is born, I suspect it\'s due to the incoming war. No one is sure the King will survive, so no one will bet their chips on him.

They stare at me as if I had any role in this, and some of the nobles attending seem annoyed. As if I caused a war... But I was caught in the events just like they are!

Lars is in his room, protected and served by my maids and Flavius. I can focus on the event and do my best for what seems like the last joyous occasion of a while.

We won\'t be able to celebrate until the end of the war; until Ignis is back. Maybe, we will have reasons to. But we won\'t have funds, the mood, and any permission forecasted in the etiquette rules.

I\'ll be the regent while Ignis is away; that has been decided already. I won\'t be alone, just like he wasn\'t before. My uncle won\'t be far from me, and the Chancellor is always happy to help. I\'ll manage, somehow, at the risk of becoming a puppet Queen pretending to be making decisions for her court.

«Such a propitious day, yet our mood is so heavy,» I sigh.

«It\'s not a surprise, your Majesty,» the Chancellor says. He smiles at me, briefly and discreetly.

«Any news from the front?»

«None. The situation is as it was this morning. Ventis is waiting and will attack soon, but we can\'t predict when. Our army is already moving, and the King will guide them soon. We will win, your Majesty.»

«I see. Thank you,» I murmur. I\'m glad he\'s willing to hearten me. The Chancellor is a realist. If he says we can make it, then it\'s the truth.

«Now, focus on this event,» he says, winking. «We won\'t have any in the near future... Your Majesty should have fun.»

He walks away, leaving me alone at the King\'s table. Ignis walks back here after talking with a group of nobles, and he sits next to me with the calmer face ever. He\'s not even too concerned about the war, at this very moment. I just hope he\'ll be careful.

«Are you hungry, my King?» I ask him.

«Oh, yes!» he confirms, choosing his favourite food from the table. He fills his plate, waving off at the servants running to help. «And my Queen? What would you like to eat?»

«It\'s the same. I have no appetite today.»

«No?» he groans, stopping his search for food and looking at me. «Are you feeling ill, my Queen? I clearly remember that you like food. Is this not to your taste? Shall I look for something else?»

«What?» I moan. «I am not a hungry bear! And it would be weirder if I could eat in this situation. I\'m worried for you, and you make fun of me.»

«Don\'t lose your appetite for this,» he says, offering me the best bite of meat. «And save your energy for tonight.»

«Tonight?»

«I\'m leaving for the front tomorrow, my Queen. Are you going to make me sleep alone?»

«Of course not. But what kind of energy is required for sleeping?»

I even blink, innocent like a deer. Ignis doesn\'t fall into the trap, and he grins back.

«Wife, you better eat something,» he whispers, bowing over.

I roll my eyes and, in the movement, I spot a messenger running to us. I hold Ignis\'s hand and signal to him the movement. He understands and gets up.

He observes me for a moment before deciding to drag me along. After all, I\'ll be left to manage this place. It\'s better I know how bad things are.

«Your Majesties, Ventis has attacked!» the messenger says, his breath heavy.

«What happened?»

«The troops have invaded our land and taken the countryside. They haven\'t reached the closest city yet, but it\'s a matter of hours.»

«Our army is already waiting for them there, isn\'t it?»

«The generals are still assembling the troops, and they\'re fighting over some decisions. The Minister of Defence said Ventis won\'t attack a town directly before surrounding it. It means there\'s time for reinforcements to come... And for your Majesty\'s orders and strategy.»

I listen in silence, even though I don\'t like at all what I\'m hearing. Ventis wasn\'t supposed to strike so soon! We\'re not ready yet!

But Ignis is calm, so it must be under control.

«We\'ll push them back,» he says, maybe to calm the atmosphere. Or maybe to calm me.

«Are you leaving earlier?» I ask him.

«I don\'t have time to waste. But I can\'t depart before morning. It\'s not good for a King to travel by night. It would be worse if I died before reaching the actual battlefield. It would kill the mood of our soldiers. And their mood can influence wars so much.»

Well, I guess he\'ll be careful.

«Let\'s go,» I say. «Tomorrow is close, and you need to rest.»

I hold his hand, and he nods, turning to his men and giving orders with the same confidence of an old ruler. He organises everything before finally retreating.

«My bed or your bed?» I wonder.

«Yours. It\'s closer to Lars.»

«You\'re right. And he will cry during the night... He\'s always so hungry, you know? But he\'s also growing up so fast.»

«He is,» Ignis confirms. «When I come back, he\'ll be a big boy.»

«How long do you think it will take?»

«A few months if we\'re lucky. But it\'s not feasible to solve it quickly. They are already in, roaming in the countryside. We need to push them back, and that requires time, energy, and investments.»

«I\'ll do my best here in Mavale. I\'ll keep your seat warm, and your enemies in check,» I say, clenching my tight on his fingers.

He bows over to peck my forehead, returning to walk in the hallways.

«You will do a good job, I\'m sure of it,» he says.

«And you will do a wonderful job. Just like always.»

I smile, trying to encourage him. Even though I am the one who needs courage among the two of us. I\'m already so scared of staying in the capital alone, so much that I\'d prefer to follow Ignis on the battlefield. But I can\'t.

First of all, there\'s a baby I need to take care of. And, then, there wouldn\'t be anyone here to keep the court in check. And that\'s even worse than losing a battle out there. The nobles are waiting for a chance to get more power, and they will see one in me, alone and lonely.

«You can trust the Chancellor and your uncle. Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs will stay here, and he likes you! He\'ll help you out. I\'ll leave Flavius to protect you and Lars, as well as Tobin and the best guards. But don\'t lower your guard. Don\'t underestimate the Palace.»

«I won\'t,» I say. «I know well enough how deadly they can be.»

We open the door and walk in. My maids are waiting, ready to help me undress. They knew I would come earlier, didn\'t they?

Also, some of them assist Ignis.

«I can do alone,» he says, waving them off. He gets rid of the outer layer of his clothes, sitting on the sofa in trousers and a shirt. He passes a hand through his hair, messing his locks and making him look even more tired than he is. The relief of the first days of the emergency is over, and he\'s now rationally assessing the situation.

«I will leave my sigil to you,» he says. «You can use yours while you\'re the regent, but things might get complicated. With my sigil, no one will question you.»

«Your sigil,» I murmur, observing the lily flower. His personal banner is black but the one on the ring has no colour. Just like mine, other than I have a circle surrounding it, a discreet symbol of magic.

A circle has no start nor end, just like magic. Magic is not something we create out of nowhere, but we collect it from around us or inside our soul and body. It changes shape and is consumed, but it doesn\'t disappear. It just becomes something else. That\'s why a circle is an easy way to describe it, and some mages use it in their symbols. At the same time, it\'s difficult to find out by the Church. A circle is just a circle, after all. Too vague to be clearly associated with anything.

«I will keep it safe for when you come back,» I say.

«I will miss you so much, Ronnie... I\'ll write you letters.»

«And I will reply. It\'s just another trial in front of us, Ignis, but we\'ll survive it just fine. Like we\'ve done till now, right?»

«Together,» he says, smiling content.

«That\'s right.»