“How quickly can you get that sorted?” Ares asked the tailor.

 

She looked down at the basin and then back up to Ares. “A few moments is all we need, for we have the powdered form ready.”

 

“Oh,” Ares said. He had no idea how long these things usually took, but considering the tailor seemed confident in her assertion, he nodded his head. “Then when Orndu returns, please have it ready. I will ask a rider to come and inform you when he arrives.”

 

The tailor bowed her head and then Ares left her. The sun was beating down harsh. It was a little beyond noon at the moment, and Ares was enjoying the searing sun. Finally the heat felt comfortable once more, and his body was blossoming like a flower. Perhaps his powers had something to do with the sun or light in general, for he always felt so alive under the searing sun, even if sometimes it caused him to sweat and drink copious amounts of water.

 

He walked along his city, seeing the thousands that currently lived within his Kingdom. He could see the various White Cloaks, two for each charge. He could see four with his twins, another four with his wife and child, and then of course another two with Rori. Ares thought for a moment and realised that this could potentially make it quite easy for assassins to figure out who to target. He’d just need to make sure that his guards were more powerful than the assassins, he supposed.

 

He had nothing much to do, for he’d need to speak with the people about what is expected of Riveans and answer questions, as he had done the past week during the evening meals. He decided that he’d pick a single thing to focus on every day, today was about the value of education, which he had a rough spiel for. He doubted that many would object, though mandatory education was something that some people were initially hesitant of.

 

He wondered, too, about the effects of having everything basically free and taxing people so heavily, or rather, paying them so little. Food, shelter, protection, education, health, these were all guaranteed by virtue of being Rivean. He knew a few countries in his time that had successfully pulled off such abilities, and he recalled that even around the middle ages that there was an empire that had successfully implemented something similar.

 

He’d need to make sure the Rivean identity was above any other identity, above that of race, gender, class. Though the rise of nationalism may result in some unsavoury events that he would prefer to keep minimal. There was the matter of the army and its behaviour during wars too, but so far it seemed to be doing quite well. He’d need to keep an eye out on them though.

 

“You’re thinking again,” a quiet voice came. Ares turned to see Emerli, who approached and walked beside him. They were off in a little corner by themselves, but Ares raised his brows in surprise at her.

 

“I am,” he said, “but is that really such a big issue?”

 

“It means you’ll get hurt.”

 

Ares furrowed his brows in confusion. “No,” he said. “I’m not thinking of anything like that.” He reached over and brushed her arm gently. “Is everything okay?”

 

“All is well with me.”

 

Ares looked about, noting the two White Cloaks had given them quite a large space. Ares continued to look around.

 

“Where are yours?” Ares asked.

 

“Mine?” Emerli replied, in that innocent soft voice of hers.

 

“Your White Cloaks.”

 

“I don’t have any.”

 

“You don’t?”

 

She shook her head.

 

“Why not?”

 

“No one will attack me here,” she said.

 

“That’s not why White Cloaks are assigned, well, it’s not the only reason.”

 

“I don’t want any.”

 

“Tough. You are getting a pair.”

 

“I don’t need any.”

 

“Me neither, but I still have a pair.”

 

“You need them.”

 

“So do you.”

 

“Look,” Ares said as he rubbed his face, “I’ll let you pick someone to look after you, someone that you’re close to.”

 

Emerli stared at Ares. Ares understood the point she was making, causing him to rub his face in frustration.

 

“I’ll figure it out,” Ares said. “I just don’t like the thought of my family walking around without any, that’s all. Each member of the royal family gets a pair of guards, those are the rules. I wasn’t the one to make them, well not entirely.”

 

Emerli’s face cringed, and Ares could understand why. He rubbed along his neck, trying to figure out something.

 

“Never mind that for now. Let’s take a walk, you and I, plus my pair of White Cloaks.”

 

With that the pair began to walk along the edge of the city, near the forest and the shrine, and then walking back along it.

 

“Thanks for your help in keeping the curse at bay,” he said.

 

“I wish I could do more.”

 

“You’ve been doing more than enough.”

 

“If I had the blood of a giant, I’d be able to come up with a potion to assist you.”

 

Ares threw her a queer look.

 

“A giant’s toe would be even better.”

 

“I’m not drinking any potion with a giant’s toe in it.”

 

“I wouldn’t tell you if it had one,” Emerli said as she looked up at him with her bright blue eyes.

 

Ares’ face grew into a grimace. “Please don’t,” he said. “I don’t like the thought of that.”

 

“…”

 

“What?”

 

“I won’t tell you what I’ve put into your other potions,” she said.

 

Ares reeled back, staring at her as though she were a demon. “Don’t.”

 

“I won’t,” she said.

 

The pair continued to walk for a long while, a gentle breeze now following them.

 

“I’m sorry I haven’t spent much time with you,” Ares said. She looked up at him, but did not reply. “I’ve been spending so much time being stupid that I haven’t really done much with maintaining my relationships.”

 

“You’re busy,” she said, simply.

 

“I am, too busy.” Ares rubbed his face. “I should give up more of the work to my people.”

 

“You have done so,” she said. “Isn’t that why Heria has left?”

 

“Right, but, I don’t know if she’s doing her job properly. There are certain rules I have in place for the military, and I’m not sure I’ve correctly informed her of them.”

 

“Just go with her next time to see, and then you can show her how you want it done too.”

 

“This is the most I’ve heard you talk,” Ares said, raising his brows. “Did you miss me that much?”

 

Emerli looked up to the mountain and then looked back at her. “I drank some tea today,” she said. Her eyes stared deep into his for a long moment. “I read the leaves after, and they told me that death was coming.”

 

“Death?” Ares said, raising his brow.

 

“Someone’s going to die soon.”

 

“It won’t be me,” Ares said.

 

“I don’t know… I think it means you.”

 

“I assure you, I have no plans to die. The world has tried twice already, well, three times if you include that human general with the lightning, more if you include every time we’ve gone to war.” Ares flexed his arms, trying his best to not flex his core. “See? I’m strong?”

 

Emerli looked at him for a long moment, as though she was watching a child trying to impress her.

 

“Anyway,” Ares said, “I don’t put much stake into prophecies. There were a number of prophecies that the other people had about Rivea, about how they were going to die to Rivea’s might.”

 

“They did,” she said.

 

“Right, but they only did after they attacked us first. If they had left us alone, they would have lived for much longer, and they probably would have been able to run and live their own lives on another continent, but they chose to come and stop it. This might be one of those situations. You might pull me into a cave to protect me from outside, but then the cave collapses. Maybe you put me in between a bunch of soldiers, but then the soldiers betray me because they were actually part of another faction.” Ares stared at her. “Maybe you give me a potion with a giant’s toe and I die because I’m allergic to it.”

 

“Allagic?”

 

“Allergic,” Ares said. “Meaning my body would wilt away at the thought of such an item.”

 

“I have heard such things,” she said. “Those that wilt at the touch of certain fruits or nuts.”

 

“That’s right,” Ares said. “We must not belittle them, however, for they are people too.”

 

Emerli nodded her head. “I’ll be sure to check if you are allergic to my ingredients first.”

 

Ares’s face was like a dog that had smelt something awful. “Thanks, I guess.”

 

“You sometimes tell your children stories,” Emerli said, trying to change the topic.

 

“I do.”

 

“Will you tell me some too?”

 

Ares smiled. “Alright, I’ll do that. Tonight I’ll gather everyone. Have you heard the tragedy of…” Ares stopped. “No, that’ll be a story for another day.”