They’d lifted off not long after Sayana, Ethian, and Reynard had boarded. Karis gave his son time to get settled and then went to visit him. Ethian answered the door. “Do I call you Father or Your Imperial Majesty?” Ethian asked with genuine confusion.

“Father.” Karis smiled. “That is what I am, after all.”

“Would you like to come in, Father?” Ethian seemed unsure of what to do.

“I came to speak to you.” Karis was patient with him. Ethian let him in. “I am certain you are feeling more than a bit unhappy about this situation.”

“No, I’m not happy about it.” Ethian grimaced. “But mother made a point that I’m trying to keep in the front of my mind and it’s helping. At least it’s helping a little.”

“Oh? What did she say?” Karis wondered what Sayana had told him. She usually gave good advice, if people would listen to her.

“She said that if you look at an unfair situation and try to find something positive in it, you’ll be better off.” Ethian sighed. “I don’t think it’s fair that I have to be separated from her and that we have to go to the Throne World. But mother said I might be able to do some good with my position of Imperial prince. If I can learn how, that’s something worth working towards.”

“I know this is going to be hard for you, Ethian.” Karis understood what the young man was feeling. “It was hard for me when they came and took me away from my mother.”

“You know what this is like?” Ethian looked at him with some surprise.

“I do.” Karis nodded. “My father came and took me away from my mother when I was twelve because of the rules governing Imperial courtesans. He was not kind about it, and I resented him for it for the rest of his life.”

“I don’t resent you.” Ethian had a serious look on his face. “I know, from what mother has taught me, that you’re governed by a set of rules as much as she is.”

Karis was surprised by this. Imre had suggested Sayana wouldn’t leave him ignorant, but Karis wondered exactly what Ethian knew. “What did she teach you?”

“All sorts of stuff.” Ethian smiled. “But if you mean what did she teach me about you, she taught me a little bit about the politics behind court. It was in a book on her pad. I didn’t understand why I’d need to know that because what use was it to me on Covus? But I paid attention and learned what she had to teach me because if I hadn’t, she’d have been very upset with me.”

“Tell me about your life on Covus, Ethian.” Karis leaned against the wall.

“It was different from other children’s lives.” Ethian looked at him pensively. “I didn’t get to play or make friends like they did. I don’t know what it was like when I was really little, but Reynard started training me from the time I turned four. Mother taught me how to read, write, and do basic math. As I got older, the lessons got more advanced. My whole life has been lessons with occasional fun days for festivals and my birthday.”

“I see.” Karis looked at his son. “Life is going to be different for you on the Throne World, Ethian. It is going to take some getting used to.”

“That’s what mother said.” Ethian shrugged. “It’s going to be hard, but I think I can do it.”

Karis smiled. “That is what I was hoping you would say. You should have an easier time adjusting because you will still be under Reynard.”

“That will make it easier.” Ethian looked at him. They were almost eye to eye. He’d inherited Karis’ height as well as his looks, the only prince to do so. “Will I be required to go to court?”

“Some court events you will be required to attend, along with your brothers.” Karis shook his head. “But I do not ask that you attend everything.”

“Like the high feasts?” Karis noted the lack of enthusiasm.

Karis laughed. “Your mother is not fond of the high feasts either. But yes, you will have to attend the high feasts. I will also have you attend the evening court from time to time. It is a way for you to be seen without having to endure all the gossip because I will let you go after the meal is over.”

“Mother told me it’s wise not to say too much at court because it can get me into trouble.” Ethian looked at his father as if to see what Karis would say to that.

“That is very true.” Karis nodded approvingly. “It is always best to keep your answers vague and as simple as possible.”

“How do you learn everything you need to know?” Ethian wanted to know.

“I will be having an Imperial scholar in to teach you when you turn eighteen.” Karis grimaced. “My father started me earlier, but I want you boys to have a full education, and you will not have that if I let them teach you what they want. I have been arguing with them for some time with your brothers. As for court mannerisms, pay attention to your brothers when you get there. Watching them should give you an idea on how to act if you are not certain.”

“What are my brothers like?” Ethian looked at him curiously. “Mother didn’t know anything about them.”

“She has not seen them since they were infants.” Karis tapped his fingers against his thigh. “I am not surprised she does not know. Rhys is very spoiled. He is something of a bully, so you are going to have trouble with him. All of your brothers do, so be prepared for that.”

“He will have trouble with me if he tries anything.” Ethian frowned.

“Your brother Hanzo is a serious young man with one vice I am trying to break him of.” Karis scowled. “He is addicted to games of chance. He has lost everything of value in his possession as well as articles of clothing. I have had to order the guards not to play with him, so he does not lose anything else.”

“I’ve never played those games before.” Ethian looked thoughtful. “I’ve heard of them. Reynard told me they were a favorite pastime of soldiers.”

“They are, and if you are smart you will not play a game with Hanzo because he will turn it into a gambling match.” Karis gave his youngest son the only warning he could about Hanzo.

“I’ll remember that.” Ethian nodded.

“Meinard has a very well-defined sense of humor.” Karis chuckled. “He gets that from his mother. He spends a lot of time honing it on his brothers, so expect to have jokes told at your expense. He does not mean it in a mean-spirited way. He is genuinely just having fun and if you can laugh it off it will go better for you.”

“I’m pretty easy going when it comes to stuff like that.” Ethian shrugged. “At least I think I am. Mother says I have a good sense of humor.”

“That is very good to hear.” Karis was very pleased with what he was learning about his absent son. “Your brother Jair is a womanizer, even at his young age. He will chase any female servant regardless of her age and try to coax her into his bed. If he is not chasing women, he is reading things he does not share with anyone else. I am often concerned by that.”

“I don’t really pay attention to girls.” Ethian blushed. “I mean, I think some of them are pretty to look at and are nice and all. I just don’t see the appeal of chasing after them.”

“Keep that attitude and you will be fine, Ethian.” Karis grinned. “Your last brother Fallon is very serious. He is always studying or working out with the guards, looking for ways to improve himself. I think he will be the brother you have the least amount of issues with.”

“It sounds like we might actually get along because I’m always studying or working out with Reynard, and those are the things I find appealing.” Ethian looked more interested in Fallon than in any of the others.

“Then you will most likely get along with Fallon more than the rest of your brothers, though Rhys is the only one you really have to actively watch out for.” Karis cautioned him again about the oldest of the six. “Rhys will start a fight with you just because he can. He is a bully and a whiner.”

“Some time with a warmaster should help.” Ethian was confident in that. Then again, he’d been with Reynard all his life. He knew what that was like.

“I hope so.” Karis reached out and patted his son’s shoulder. “On that note, I am going to go speak to Reynard and see if I can get that list from him. I will need to contact all of them and see who is free.”

“Thank you for speaking with me.” Ethian smiled shyly at his father.

“You will see more of me as we go, Ethian.” Karis gave him an answering smile of his own. “I spend as much time as I can with you boys. I am in the princes’ enclave at least once a day. I want you all to know that you are loved not just by your mothers but by me as well.”

“Even me?” Ethian was startled by this. “You don’t know me.”

“Yes Ethian, even you.” Karis ruffled his son’s hair. “There is a reason I never stopped searching for you and your mother these past fifteen years.”

“Oh.” Ethian went blank with shock. Karis left him to think about that and went in search of Reynard.

Reynard wasn’t hard to find. He was sitting in his quarters. It looked like he had been reading something because the pad was sitting on the table when he admitted Karis into the room. “Your Imperial Majesty.” Reynard bowed. “I have that list, if you want it.”

“That is one of the reasons I came to see you.” Karis regarded the man thoughtfully.

“Only one of the reasons, Your Imperial Majesty?” Reynard returned the look.

Karis laid out the personalities of each of his sons. “How well do you think Ethian is going to integrate with the group?”

Reynard was silent for a few minutes. “The only one I’m concerned about is the bully.”

“Oh?” If Reynard was concerned, so was Karis.

“Ethian has a temper, Your Imperial Majesty.” Reynard voiced the flaw in Ethian’s character that Karis hadn’t seen. “He’s learned to keep it mostly under control because I’ve worked with him on that. But he’s still only fifteen, going on sixteen. He’s a hormonal, moody adolescent. The bully may end up biting off more than he can chew if he picks a fight with him.”

“You think Ethian would win in a fight against his brother?” Karis was genuinely curious about that.

“Yes, I do. The way I’ve trained him, only someone else trained by a warmaster could take him,” Reynard told him bluntly.

Karis sighed. “As long as Ethian is not the aggressor, he will not be punished for fighting. Rhys usually starts the physical fights, so he is the one who gets into trouble. However, if Ethian does lose his temper, unfortunately he will be the one who deals with the aftermath.”

“At least you’re fair about it, Your Imperial Majesty.” Reynard saw the practicality in the way Karis handled it. “That’s more than some parents are.”

“I try to be firm but fair with the boys.” Karis grimaced. “Rhys tries my patience more than any of the others and makes it hard for me to keep to that rule.”

“Get him in the hands of a warmaster, Your Imperial Majesty.” Reynard smiled. “They’ll beat some sense into him. Unless you’re going to tell us not to resort to physical punishment?”

“No, I am going to allow it.” Karis nodded. “If that is what it takes.”

“It worked with Ethian, even if Sayana didn’t approve. She was wise enough to leave me to my teaching methods though and between the two of us we’ve turned out a reasonably decent young man.” Reynard gestured towards the door.

“Then I will endeavor to emulate her.” Karis couldn’t do any less.

Reynard reached over and scooped up a data cube. “Here are the names of the twenty who retired when I did. You should be able to get contact information from the Warmaster Registry Office with these and can reach out to them at your leisure.”

“Thank you, Reynard.” Karis took the data cube. “Both for the list and for taking such good care of Sayana and Ethian.”

“It was my pleasure for both, Your Imperial Majesty.” Reynard smiled again. Karis left and returned to his office.

Karis sent the list to the Warmaster Registry Office and requested contact details for all twenty names on the list. It took a little over an hour for the reply to reach him, but once he had it, he set about contacting all twenty of the men and women on the list.

He reached out to the six academies he’d mentioned to Imre the previous night and requested they send one of their best scholars to serve as a tutor for his sons. By late afternoon he’d heard back from all the warmasters. Eight were available, and of those eight he took the five he thought would work the best with his sons and requested they report to the Throne World as soon as possible. They all agreed to be there within the next four weeks.

Karis finished his paperwork and stretched. It was an hour until dinner was served, and he was restless. He started pacing his office. Imre watched him for a moment. “You’ve missed her these past fifteen years, Your Imperial Majesty. She’s on this ship. You don’t have to wait to see her until you reach the Throne World. Go and speak to her now.”

Karis paused. “Am I that transparent, Imre?”

“No, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre smiled. “Not to the casual observer, or to your court. But I am neither a casual observer nor your court. I am also not an idiot. Go and speak to her.”

“You are right, Imre. I think I will do that.” He turned and left his office.

Karis reached the room assigned to Sayana and pressed the door buzzer. He knew he could just walk in, but he wanted to treat her with a modicum of respect. She deserved that at least. She opened the door.

“Karis.” She seemed surprised to see him.

“I know, I will see you again when we reach the Throne World. I did not want to wait that long.” He stared at her hungrily, taking in the tiny details he’d missed in their brief meeting on Covus.

“I am glad you didn’t wait.” Her voice was soft and there was a light in her beautiful green eyes that had been missing on Covus.

He entered her quarters and pulled her into his arms. “My Sayana. I have missed you.”

“I missed you too.” She leaned against him. “Every day I hoped you’d forgive me for leaving you like I did.”

“Of course I forgive you, my heart.” Karis held her tightly. “Lynet took advantage of you ladies in a moment of your weakness. None of you were in your right minds when you fled.”

“We should still have gone to Lord Arken with Lynet’s story and not just run off like scared children.” Sayana sighed. “He could have alerted you and you could have done something about it.”

“I would have executed the council right then and there.” Karis knew he would have done it in a heartbeat if he thought they were a threat to his sons. “But that would have left Lynet, and she was in the process of acquiring the poison, so she would have killed the boys if you had gone to him.”

“I’m glad they’re all gone.” Sayana looked up at him. “Do you have a new council?”

“I do, and they are much more amenable to letting me rule the empire. There are no demands, no hedging their answers with what will serve them best, just honest help.” Karis ran one hand down her back. “It is refreshing. I know they are still serving their own interests. That is only natural. However, it is far easier to get things done with them than it was with the old council.”

“I’m glad.” Sayana hesitated. “Have you found anyone that would fit for a new empress?”

“No.” Karis looked her in the eye. “I remember my promise to you, Sayana. My mind has not changed. I still plan on keeping my word.”

“After the disaster that Lynet was, do you really think your court will accept another courtesan as empress?” Sayana was almost afraid of his answer.

“My council has asked me the same question.” Karis was growling now at the thought of losing her again. “My court will accept what I tell them to.”

“They didn’t accept Lynet.” Her voice was quiet.

“That was because of how I treated her. When they see I adore you and do not respond to you in the same manner as I did her, they will grow to love you as well.” Karis could see the fear in her eyes.

“We need to be careful about this.” Sayana put a finger up to his lips. “You can’t marry me right after we return. You need to take some time, or people will hate me as much as they did her.”

“I do not want to wait, but you have a point.” Karis frowned. “If I married you right after we got back, there would be too many rumors going around for us to deal with.”

“Give it a year.” Sayana looked at him thoughtfully. “We’ve waited this long, surely we can wait that much longer.”

“You are wiser than I am, my Sayana.” Karis kissed her forehead. “This is why I want you as my empress. I will be guided by you in this.”

“I’m not that wise.” Sayana leaned her head against his shoulder. “I just want as little trouble as possible. I don’t want to end up like Lynet, the laughingstock of the court.”

“That will not happen.” Karis tightened his hold on her. “Because I will not be ignoring you like I did her.”

“That’s true.” Sayana sighed. “I’m not just worried about us. I’m worried about Ethian around his brothers. I’ve been informed what they’re like.”

Karis sighed as well. “They are a handful. I am hoping some time with the warmasters will straighten the worst ones out, though I have no hope for Rhys. Angharad did him no favors and for some reason she is still an influence on him even though he is out of the wing.”

“Have you had any luck contacting the warmasters Reynard recommended? Or has he not given you his list yet?” Sayana asked.

“He gave it to me.” Karis thought about the men he’d chosen, all the women on the list having family obligations that made them reluctant to accept the post. “I have spent the morning talking to them. I have five of them on their way to the Throne World. They should be there about the same time we are. I will introduce them to their victims after we get back.”

Sayana giggled. “They’ll feel like victims. Fallon might not have an issue with their training, if he’s what I expect. The rest? They are going to find their vices are going to be driven out of them. Except maybe Rhys, if Angharad is still an influence on his life.”

“I am hoping, by bringing in a warmaster and a scholar for each of them – I have also been on the comm with various scholar academies – I can take away enough of their free time that they will not have the ability to get up to their vices. The Imperial scholars do not seem to be able to keep them engaged.” Karis frowned. “I hope that by bringing in someone with a different curriculum than just Imperial history, politics, and mathematics they will pay more attention.”

“Ethian certainly did, though I did educate him on those things.” Sayana laughed. “I kept changing the subject on him so he couldn’t become bored.”

“I am glad he had you to help him start his schooling.” Karis shook his head. “Rhys could barely read and write when he got out of the courtesan wing. Angharad had to be forced to teach him that and would not let the other women help her. She failed Rhys on so many levels. Fallon was already on his way to being a scholar when I found him and Marin because she discovered her pad was still connected to the Imperial archives and had encouraged him to read regularly.”

“I used my pad to help me educate Ethian.” Sayana’s tone implied she was grateful for the fact it had been left connected to the Imperial archives as well. “I wouldn’t have had nearly as easy a time as I did without it.”

“I left you ladies connected for that reason.” Karis smiled. “Not to mention I thought you might still be trying to read something in your free time.”

“I did when he was a baby.” Sayana seemed almost ashamed she hadn’t been reading as much. “I had less of that as he got older, and I had to teach him. I still stole some time when I could for myself. I managed to finish a few books over the last fifteen years. It will be nice to be able to read more freely again.”

“Sayana, are you ready to return to the courtesan wing? I could have left you on Covus.” Karis didn’t want to think about that, but was it truly fair to her to bring her back if she was happier in her new life?

“With no protector? No one to help me when I needed it?” Sayana asked. “Without my son? No thank you. Even if I am separated from him and will only see him on high feast days, at least I’ll still have that chance by returning to the wing. It will be hard to accommodate myself to the rules again after fifteen years of freedom, but I will manage. I always do.”

“Once we are married you will not have that rule about not seeing him,” Karis pointed out. “You will be free to interact with him as often as both of your duties permit.”

“That will be nice.” Sayana still didn’t sound like she believed he could keep his promise. “But I will not count on it until it happens.” Karis kissed her once more before leaving her behind.

Karis returned to his office. Imre brought him his own dinner, and he relaxed, at peace for the first time that day.