"Good morning!" Noko jumped up, seeing Mei entering the kitchen. "I got permission to come here because I was really hungry. Mr. Rikken let me get something."

"Master Rikken," she corrected him, "you address your teachers in the same way, it's easy to remember. Eat, don't mind me."

"We don't have it. We don't have kitchens at our quarters," he added, "everyone has to get their own food. Most often they bring it from home."

"I know," she replied, "In Yagn-Sho, during the training, every student has to work in the kitchen from time to time. I remember Zarkin used to hate it. When he learned to make the first poisons, he got an exemption from the kitchen shift."

The boy swallowed loudly a bite of the apple.

"I would prefer if the Righteous Conspiracy would work this way. You are alone, close to the outside world, you create a community of masters and students. It's better."

"Do you know if anything sweet has been delivered recently?" Mei sighed. "Our restocking system is failing. Everyone here is presumed dead or traitors in Kagolania. If it weren't for the garden, we wouldn't have half of the vegetables. We used to eat three meals a day, now everyone gets only two."

"There's a lot of food in the pantry, it had to be brought in recently."

"Zarkin loves sweets, but unfortunately we can't get any."

"May I ask... is he blind or am I imagining it?"

"You're not imagining," replied Mei, "he is blind. But I believe he will manage to regain his sight. When the war is over, I'm going to take him to At'insha. This country is even bigger than Madegald and is ruled by the Association. They will surely be able to help him."

"It's great. You are a really good wife to care for him so much."

Mei was stunned at this statement.

"I'm not his wife," she replied, "I'm his friend. And his eyes. Who told you we were married?"

"I thought you may be," Noko replied calmly. "It's obvious that you two are more than just friends. If he asked you to marry, would you agree?"

"What kind of question is that?!" Mei nearly shouted, indignant at his inquisitiveness. "Zarkin will never want to marry me. I'm not fit for this. Besides, there is a war out there, and a revolution is about to break. We can't waste time on such things."

"Since there's a war, the more you have to take care of such things," Noko smiled. "Love is a cure-all and it makes people do things that they wouldn't normally be able to do."

"I'm sorry," she interrupted, "but these are my business and I don't intend to share it with anyone. Especially with you, because I don't even know you! Have you finished? I want to close the kitchen."

"Master Rikken will be here soon. Don't worry." Noko got up and bowed. "Forgive my inquisitiveness. This is a flaw that I have been fighting for a long time and I cannot deal with it."

"I don't understand any of this," he muttered, "it's your fault, you ruined everything. I have to ask someone who can understand me better."

"But I can come to the kitchen?"

Zarkin snorted irritably.

"Twice a day. And you'd better not take too much food."

*

"Mizar!" Kalena waved to the two young men who had been watching her closely for several minutes. "Are you going to Yagn-Sho too?"

One of them moved forward a bit.

"I can't believe it. Kalena, is that you?"

"You can see it's her." Kete nodded in greeting. "I haven't seen you longer than he did, but I already knew from a distance that it was you. It's nice to see you again."

"You too."

"Everyone will think we left to greet you!" Mizar glanced over her shoulder. "To greet you both. Welcome home, Your Majesty."

"Is this really our king?" Kete whispered. "What have they done to him?"

"He's lost his memory," Kalena replied, feeling the words almost get stuck in her throat. She pursed her lips and looked at Mizar.

"Unbelievable! Madegald will pay for it. It's a scandal, I hope we'll break all contracts with them."

"It probably won't matter to them, they are an empire," replied Kete.

"The world needs to know about this. We must not allow such people to be the first to cooperate with At'insha. My father has high-ranking relatives there if they find out what a primitive man the emperor is..."

"But the Emperor didn't do it," Kalena interrupted. "It was Prince Washar, his younger brother. He arranged everything so that even his immediate family would not know that he was holding Galaspiael. He was responsible for everything."

"Aymon needs to know you're back. I was supposed to give him a message from his father, but he probably won't even glance at it."

Galaspiael looked at Kalena meaningfully. She nodded imperceptibly.

"I was gone for a long time," she continued. "Is Yagn-Sho still the conspirators' quarters?"

"Mostly Scribes. We try not to let strangers in, and if we do, we keep them in the guest rooms. Mei is an exception, she is in the quarters at Zarkin's risk, but everyone trusts her as if she was a scribe. As far as I know, almost three hundred people are to go with us to the capital, and Aymon can freely dispose of soldiers from our father's city. We will have a good chance."

The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Samin is waiting so patiently for us to come to him?"

"He is not waiting idly, he is also preparing. But people haven't forgotten Galaspiael yet, it's only been six months. And where Aymon's arguments did not work, Zarkin persuaded the people of his steadfast faith that you would return. Kalena, there's some chance he'll get his memory back, right?" Mizar asked in a low voice.

"I have no idea. I hope that when he sees Yagn-Sho, some of his memories will come back. I tried to tell him a little on the way, but I don't know if it worked. He doesn't want to talk about what was happening in Sekania at all. I don't know what they did to him, they might even torture him... they certainly tortured him."

"I hope some of their princes will be our captive someday so that we can revenge."

"And the one who is responsible for it?" Kete asked.

"I beat him. Dead."

When they reached Yagn-Sho, Galaspiael dared to remove his hood for a moment. He pulled on his sleeves to hide the scars from the handcuffs. He stared at the buildings of the quarters for a moment, with as much admiration as at the open space in the Forest of Silence.

"I forgot what it looks like," he whispered to Kalena as Mizar and Kete left. "I didn't think I'd ever come back here."

"I've already forgotten a bit. I would like them to put us in our old room, how about that?" Kalena offered.

Rikken went out to meet them. Seeing Kalena, he blinked several times to make sure he was not dreaming. Mizar smiled, pleased that he had managed to surprise him.

"The ancestors are kind to us, and yours value you very much," he said in greeting.

"They are more of His Majesty's ancestors," she replied.

"Welcome home," he said to Galaspiael, "come in, come in."

"Who is this? he asked. Kalena couldn't tell if she was faking it or really not remembering. "Who is this?"

"Master Rikken," she answered calmly, "he taught me and you to fight."

The man looked at them again. Happiness disappeared from his eyes. She didn't have to explain, he understood.

- How will he lead a revolution if he doesn't remember anything?

The question was silent. The girl took a deep breath. She had repeatedly mentally repeated in her mind what was supposed to answer this kind of question before.

- It will not. When I was leaving to look for him, Aymon would come to power should I fail.

"Yes, but it was about a situation where Galaspaiel would have died before you found him." Since he is alive, Aymon cannot sit on the throne in his place. He would become as self-proclaimed as Samin.

"What if Galaspiael officially abdicates?"

"Let's wait a little longer before making a decision," said Mizar, "you are already in Kagolania, surrounded by people he knew and the places where he was every day. Maybe it will help regain its memory?"

"We don't have much time, I don't know if anyone will want to wait. He came home and that's what matters. You saved him from a cruel fate. As subjects, we owed him that, and only you did that. You're probably very tired, so take a break before Aymon comes back and inundates you with questions."

"Is my room free?" She asked immediately.

"I guess so. Only there will be trouble with the mats. Bimala recently discovered that we had a mouse nest here. Almost all mats and mattresses have holes in them. Had Zarkin not acted on the poison in time, they would have defeated us before Samin even had a chance to try."

"Quiet, Master, or someone will tell him about it and he might use the mice in the fight against us," Mizar smiled. "Kalena, I can give you my mattress if you want. There will surely be another one for His Majesty."

"I dream of a bath, but the stoves are probably not hot yet, aren't they?"

"They will be tonight. It's not time to splash yet, it's just noon." Rikken handed her the key. "It's really... good to have you two back."

Only inside did Galaspiael breathe out and hug Kalena.

"Thank you," he whispered, "I was afraid you'd tell them after all."

"Even if I told them the truth, I guess you'd be abdicating soon anyway," she replied, "if you want to, you'll tell them yourself, right?"

"Yes," he promised and looked at the open window. She knew what he was thinking.

"There is one more battle left, but you don't have to fight," she assured.

"Are you going to fight?"

"I think so."

"Then I won't leave you," he decided.