They caught their first glimpse of the river the third day after they set out. It snuck up on them, the way the ground seemed to become slightly springier, slightly more alive, how the birds started to whistle at earlier hours of the morning, the shimmer of reflected light in the air-- and then all at once they were trundling along the banks of the Olorina, its rush of cool silvery water providing a constant backdrop to their conversations. 

"It's beautiful," Maya said with a sigh, leaning over Antonio to watch it go by. Being on the road with a couple of young men she'd never met before, it was understandable that she would be reserved, but the river seemed to bring out a different side of her, and asshe turned to smile at them her eyes danced in the light. 

"It is," Toph agreed, "but it also means that we're nearly at our first stop." He leaned over and pointed at what was now a gray speck in the distance, gradually growing larger. "Governor Hailey's... I suppose you would call it a fortress?" Maya, now completely diverted from the allures of the shimmering surface of the Olorina, looked concerned, a tooth appearing to worry at her lower lip. 

"You shouldn't be nervous," Toph said, after Antonio shot him a meaningful look. They rode forward, and now they could see the seashell-gray walls of the compound, the Province flag jutting high into the clouds and make out the guards stationed around it. "Governor Hailey is... an old friend of my father's, if there even is such a thing in politics."

"What that means," Antonio assured her, "is that this meeting is more of a courtesy. You don't even have to do anything. Just follow our lead, okay?" They slowed to a stop in front of the main gates, the palace horses pulling their carriage whinnying slightly at the approach of a couple of guards, who conversed with the driver in low, muttering tones. "I can't say more now. You'll do great, though, Maya." 

Governor Hailey received them in the main hall, which was a vast cavern of a room, if it could even be called that. Up ahead, with the regalia of the Federation and of the Province displayed in full glory above his seat, which was elevated slightly above the rest of the space, he stood up and rose to greet them. "Prince Christopher! Antonio!" he called, shrugging on a great bearskin coat and waving away an attendant weighed down with books and scrolls. "It's been forever, hasn't it?" 

"The last time you saw us, Governor, Toph and I were barely sixteen," Antonio agreed with a warm smile. Toph had always admired-- if that was the right word for it-- the way Antonio could effortlessly slide on a smile even when talking to somebody he despised, but in this case, he knew it was genuine. 

"Oh, please, enough with the 'Governor this, Governor that'... You two know me well enough to call me Howard, don't you? Or at least Antonio does." He winked at Antonio, and beside him, Maya raised an eyebrow at Toph. 

As Antonio walked ahead, conversing quietly and more familiarly with the Governor, Toph murmured to Maya, "he's a good man, really. Governors visit the palace all the time, but Hailey's the only one who doesn't dismiss Antonio for not being royalty." As they watched the couple laugh a few paces ahead, Toph, despite his flattering words, felt a hum of something like distaste rise up in his gut, and tried to quell it by shaking his head slightly and stepping forward. "Gov-- Howard, I've been rude," he said, louder, and they turned around to face them. "This is Maya. She was the girl from the Weighing...?" 

The Governor's eyes widened as he noticed Maya for, seemingly, the first time since they'd arrived. "Oh, I've heard all about you," he said, taking Maya's hand and kissing it with a flourish. "You know, I was getting awfully worried about the moral degradation in my Province. Now I have something to brag about when Congress meets," he said with a chuckle.

"Really, I'm nothing special," said Maya quietly. 

"Modest, I see! But of course you would be. Well, Maya, I'm sure you don't want to listen to us menfolk talk politics. Maybe my wife can show you around?" 

After a glance at Antonio, who'd fallen silent, Toph heaved a mental sigh and put on his best, most princely smile. "And how is Elizabeth?" 

"Oh, good, good," Howard said, waving a hand expansively as if to sum up his wife's entire life in one gesture. "Look-- there she is now, you should ask her yourself." They turned and saw a small figure appear underneath one of the many ornate arches lining the chamber, and rushed to exchange pleasantries. Elizabeth Hailey had only met them once before, when Toph and Antonio were about eight; and though they remembered her as being sick, she was now positively corpselike, with pale, sickly skin and a figure that looked emaciated even with a splendorous mauve gown and a chest weighed down with jewels. "She's been ill, you see." She had been ill, as they'd been told before, since they'd been married, some fifteen-odd years ago, the word having become a symbol of the woman herself, a constant that was always excused. Yet even with her status as an invalid, Elizabeth was the picture of hospitality, remarking appropriately at how tall the boys had gotten and pulling a very frazzled-looking Maya in for a hug; and after she'd whisked the latter away for 'some tea and some girl-talk', it was time to get down to business. 

"You must know why we're here," Antonio began, as they sat down around a large mahogany table in one of the antechambers leading out of the main hall. 

"I have my suspicions," said the Governor, "but I'd like to hear it from you." They fell silent as a couple of servants walked in and set drinks down in front of the three of them: ornate goblets, made out of twisted gray metal, filled nearly to the brim with the dark, pungent whiskey that the Province was known for, and a full bottle of the stuff for a centerpiece.

Once they were alone again, Antonio took a sip of his drink, the corners of his mouth turning down slightly-- perhaps the only betrayal of his age-- and said, "you must've heard of the... unrest in some of the other Provinces." 

"You tend to pick up on things like this as part of the job description, yes," agreed Howard, raising his goblet to his lips to hide a slight smirk. "Of course, no Governor would openly admit to it, but you tend to hear things in dark rooms with men who have had far too much to drink." 

"Then you know why the king sent us. The rebel groups in the Southeast, the protests in Pacifica, and the Hinterlands... well, it's best not to mention that," said Antonio with a slight grimace. Toph drained his goblet and reached for the bottle. 

The Governor leaned forward, rested his chin in his palms, and looked up at them, and for the first time he looked his near-forty years. "You two aren't old enough to remember this--" Toph masked his snort with another long gulp, "--but you have to understand that there wasn't a before and an after with this. There was no warning, no distinct line in the sand. It snuck up on all of us-- although me less so than others, of course. First there were the private Weighings, then the studies in the prisons, and for awhile they tried to keep it quiet-- you can understand why, right? And then the religious folks found out, and then they made it public, massive spectacles, y'know? And when you live in a little town-- there are a lot of little towns in this Province, where you used to go over to your neighbors with apple pie and goodwill, and now you don't, because Martha told Marjorie who told Helen who told you that the people next door are bad, and you look at them funny on the street, and maybe you'd stop letting them into the bar you own, and now it's all--" he caught himself just in time, and forced a weak smile to his face. "Well, I understand why they're doing it, of course." 

Antonio's gaze was piercing. "If you understand, you can assure us that you'll throw in your lot with the palace, can't you? We're not asking for much. Maybe a few more palace guards patrolling the place, an official statement of support..." The room seemed to drop ten degrees almost instantaneously, which was jarring not because of the tension but because it still felt like it ought to be friendly: Antonio was looking expectantly up at the Governor, a mix of confidence and eagerness just barely hidden by his straight face; Howard was drumming his fingers on the table casually; and Toph was leaning back in his chair with his goblet held to his lips, looking barely cognizant of the conversation at hand. It was the current in the air that made it discordant, the vying of wills that was palpable to each of them. "What do you say, Howard?" 

And then the Governor sighed and leaned back. "I'm sorry." 

Antonio looked shocked. It was not something, Toph had learned early on that happened very often. "We were counting on you, Governor. We thought you believed in the mission--" 

"--And I do," Hailey said smoothly, "but there's a lot of pressure on me. The local leaders aren't going to take it lying down, and I need to be reelected. You understand that, Antonio, right?" 

Something Toph didn't completely comprehend passed between them. And then Antonio said, with the tone of a defeated champion trying hard to just not be embarrassed in his last match, "you know we can help with that. The king's word still means a great deal, and with his backing you don't need to appeal to the masses to win, Howard. I swear we will do everything in our power to make sure you stay in this fortress until the day you die or resign." 

Howard closed his eyes. "I'm sorry," is all he said. 

Antonio shook his head slightly, looking down at the table and avoiding Toph's eyes. And he hadn't planned on doing this, but-- "How about we make a deal?" Toph asked lightly.

The Governor slowly turned to look at him, as if realizing he'd been in the room this whole time. "I don't need any political favors, Christopher. I'm sorry." 

"Saving your wife's life isn't political." 

Antonio didn't lift his head, and despite his face being cast with shadows, Toph saw his eyes widen. "Don't talk about my wife, Christopher," said Howard after a beat, in a voice that was controlled to the decibel. 

"It's a promise I will keep," said Toph, and he fixed the Governor with the sort of look that said that he had lived a thousand lives and had long outgrown the urge to lie. "We're visiting each Province, you know. It just so happens that I know a man. A... healer, of sorts." 

Howard's fingers, weaved together on the table and weighed down by a number of ornate rings, tightened. "You think I haven't tried? I know I haven't-- but what kind of husband do you think I am? You think I haven't called in the best of healers, the best of alchemists, men and women not just from the Federation but from the Old World?" he paused, as if only now realizing that his fists were pressing so hard into the table that Antonio's goblet was quivering slightly. "I don't mean to offend, my prince. But my answer is no." 

Toph leaned forward so that the Governor had no choice but to meet his eyes. "I am a prince. And you know what that means? I have contacts Governors know nothing about, and I have enough money to put them to work." He paused, refilled his glass, and took yet another pull of the whiskey. He'd long been used to the burn, but the heat it provided in his belly spurred him on. "None of the changes we want need to happen right now. It's like you said... it's a gradual thing. But if you'll make a start on them, by the time we return in the spring, it will be with a cure for your wife." 

The Governor's shoulders tightened. "And how do I know you're not bluffing?" 

Toph smiled serenely. "I don't think you're in a position to take that chance, Governor. I'd give her... what, a year at most?"

The Governor abruptly got to his feet. For a second, Toph thought he was about to get punched. Then the man reached over him to pick up the bottle, found that it was nearly empty, and with a mutter of something imperceptible downed the dregs straight from the bottle. "You've got what you wanted, Antonio," he said, and the boy practically flinched. "You should go celebrate. I can recommend a bar." His voice was cold enough to douse a fire. Toph waited a moment, certain that Antonio was going to apologize, and then, without a word or a glance back, Antonio strode out of the antechamber. Toph shrugged and followed him. 

"So, that was nice," Maya said, beaming. In a moment of homeliness, she'd went out and bought some ingredients and convinced the boys to start a fire, which she now was roasting a whole chicken over. They'd done as she'd asked, not talking to each other except for terse directions to add more kindling. She looked from Antonio to Toph, too distracted by the excitement of the day and the meat she was tending to to notice the undercurrent of-- what even was this? Shock, disbelief, anger?-- that ran between them. "I was so nervous, but Elizabeth and I talked for what felt like hours. I can see why you're so close with the Haileys." Maya hummed as she turned the chicken over, examining the browning of its skin with a pleased gleam to her eye. "It's a pity how sick she is, though. I felt so awful. She's so young, too. Younger than-- well. The poor thing." 

Antonio's jaw clenched as he added a couple of dry twigs to the flames.

"I know it won't be as easy going forward, but I'm glad this is how we started. And I really do hope Elizabeth gets better. She said she's starting a new round of potions, so..." 

"Oh, Toph will make sure of that, won't he?" Antonio finally hissed, and then stopped, looking surprised at himself for his outburst. 

Toph just fanned the flames slightly with his palm and smiled a slightly bitter smile. "You seem to forget that Toph is also making sure that we do exactly what the king ordered us to do." 

Maya looked up sharply. "What--?" 

"And Toph," Antonio interrupted, standing up and glowering down at him, "should have found another way. Or let someone else find one, since he only seems to want to step in at the worst possible moments." 

Toph sighed. He figured he had to rise to meet him now, and did so with a reluctance that was half condescension and half genuine exhaustion now that his afternoon of drinking had caught up to him. "And Antonio would realize that if this were anybody else, anyone who isn't Howard, he would've been the one making the suggestion in the first place." 

Antonio lunged forward and grabbed him by his shoulders, nails digging into his back, eyes flashing: and maybe, Toph reflected distantly, he'd gone too far, crossed a line he should've known better than to toe in the first place, and he braced himself for impact. Maya was crying something in the background, but it was drowned out by the rage in Antonio's eyes-- 

And then he was released. "You did the right thing," Antonio said quietly. Toph staggered back, catching his breath, and Antonio crouched next to the fire again and added some more kindling, calm and measured like their confrontation had never happened in the first place. 

"What did you do, exactly?" Maya asked, after a pause, looking searchingly at the two of them. 

Toph looked away. "Just politics. You don't want to know."