Karis pinched the bridge of his nose. “He has disappeared? Already? This is the first morning with the warmasters.”

“I know, Your Imperial Majesty.” The servant looked apologetic. “But I was told to give you that message.” Karis dismissed the man.

“Imre, have the guards go looking for Rhys. It seems my wayward son needs to be taught a lesson in obedience.” Karis ground his teeth in frustration.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre left the room. A short time later, he returned. “The guards are looking for him now.”

“Thank you, Imre.”

Half an hour later, Imre glanced at his pad. “Your Imperial Majesty, Lord Arken wishes to speak with you.”

“Send him in.” Karis looked up from his work. “It must be important if he is leaving the courtesan wing this early in the day.”

Arken walked in a short while later. “Your Imperial Majesty, we know how Angharad and Rhys are speaking to each other.”

Karis sat up a little straighter. “How? And does it explain why my son vanished from his training session this morning?”

“It does, Your Imperial Majesty.” Arken nodded. “Sayana overheard them talking. Rhys goes to a corner of the wall surrounding the garden, and Angharad makes her way to a secluded area of the garden near that spot. They talk through the wall. Apparently Angharad told Rhys just this morning that he may need to eliminate Fallon and Ethian because they could be potential threats to his position as heir to the throne.”

“He is not my heir.” Karis was puzzled. “How many times and ways have we told her that?”

“It is because he was firstborn, Your Imperial Majesty.” Arken sighed. “She is absolutely convinced because of that, he is your heir.”

“Rhys is not, nor has he ever been, my heir.” Karis grimaced. “He will never be my heir. I have already chosen my heir. I chose him a long time ago and nothing has made me change my mind on that.”

“It is still Ethian, Your Imperial Majesty?” Arken knew who he’d chosen before the boys were ever born.

“Unless I see a serious character defect in him over the next two years, yes.” Karis sighed. “I will send word to the warmaster he is to punish Rhys for leaving the princes’ enclave, and for speaking with his mother. Rhys is to be confined to the enclave and not allowed to leave it for any reason unless I give permission. If he does, his punishment will be even more severe than what he is getting now.”

“I will let Angharad know she has been caught and that she will no longer be permitted to speak to Rhys. I will let her know he is being watched.” Arken paused. “Might I suggest posting guards around the wall of the garden just in case he does try to escape the enclave again?”

“A good idea, Arken.” Karis nodded. “I will post some of the Imperial guard around there for a few months until we are certain Rhys understands the rules.”

Arken bowed and left. “Is Rhys safe to leave around the other princes, Your Imperial Majesty?” Imre seemed concerned about the threat Rhys posed to his brothers.

“I do not know, Imre,” Karis admitted. “I will have him watched and we will see what happens. If he attacks Ethian or Fallon, he will lose. Both are trained fighters, and he is not.”

“He could still be dangerous, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre didn’t seem convinced just watching him would be enough.

“Which is why I am having him watched.” Karis rubbed his forehead. “I do not trust him. He is too unpredictable.”

Imre nodded. “Don’t forget you have that meeting with Lady Lidia to go over the Founding Day celebrations for this year.”

“Right.” Karis glanced at the chronometer. “We are starting on those early this year, so I am not scrambling at the last minute.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre waited for instructions.

“Set up the wine and the glasses.” Karis smiled ruefully. “This may only be a preliminary meeting, but my Minister of Public Affairs and I are likely to be at it for a while.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” A pitcher of wine and two glasses was set up just in time for the vivacious Lidia to arrive and the two settled in to discuss the festivities.

That conversation went on through lunchtime. Karis had a meal brought for both of them when Lidia would have absented herself. “Nonsense, Lidia.” Karis forestalled her when she protested. “We are in the middle of our conversation. I do not want to interrupt it.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia sat back down. As they ate, they continued their discussion.

After lunch, they talked for another hour. Imre cleared his throat. “Yes Imre, I know, the audiences. Lidia, do you have enough to start with?” Karis turned his attention back to the woman sitting near him.

“I do, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia smiled. “I can get a preliminary schedule worked out. I have your preferences for entertainments and can easily compile a list of who is available and what we can do for them. I should have a more comprehensive list of what we can do for you in a few weeks.”

“We will arrange a meeting to go over the finer details then.” Karis was pleased by the progress they’d made.

“I will send word to your valet, Your Imperial Majesty.” Lidia paused. “Though you really ought to make it a point to elevate him to your personal secretary and bring in someone else to do the valet work.”

“I wouldn’t hear of someone taking my post, my lady.” Imre seemed almost insulted that she’d even suggested such a thing. “I have served His Imperial Majesty faithfully for the past twenty one years. I have no plans on stopping now.”

“Of course not, Imre.” Lidia smiled. “I hope the audiences are not too tedious, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“They usually are, but they are my burden to bear.” Karis sighed. Lidia laughed as she walked out of the room.

“All right, Imre.” Karis turned to the other man. “I got away with casual for the meeting. I need something more formal for the audiences.”

“Yes, you do, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre called for Adem and Lucan and they helped Karis change clothes. Karis headed for the throne room while the servants tidied up after lunch.

After the audiences, Karis went back to his chambers and began working on all the paperwork that had stacked up because of his meetings that morning. He was still working on it when dinner arrived. He worked straight through dinner. Imre coughed to get his attention an hour after dinner was over.

“What is it, Imre?” Karis looked up.

“Your Imperial Majesty, the courtesan Marin will be here shortly.” Imre didn’t look as if he wanted to interrupt him.

“Will she? I almost forgot I called for her. Then again, that is why I am not at court tonight.” Karis set down his pad. “The rest of this will have to wait until I have finished with her this evening.”

“Might I suggest making an early evening of it with her instead of spending all night talking?” Imre looked hopeful.

“That will never happen, Imre.” Karis laughed. “We get going and I lose track of time.”

“Then I suppose I will have to accommodate to the fact that this is going to be another late night.” Imre sighed.

“Imre, if you are that tired, retire early for the evening.” Karis could sympathize with needing some time off. “I can dress myself tonight. Or get Adem to do it. You can take an evening off once in a while if you need to.”

“Normally I’d argue but I am completely worn out, Your Imperial Majesty. I’m a little worried I’m getting sick.” Imre was almost embarrassed by the fact.

“Imre, you are human. Humans get sick. Go see the Imperial doctors and have them check you out. If they argue tell them it is under my orders.” Karis knew they sometimes gave him trouble when it came to the servants in the Imperial household. “Send Adem to take care of me. He did it from the time I was twelve to the time I was nineteen. He can manage me for an evening, longer if he has to because you have come down with something.”

“Adem is the only one I’d trust to look after you in my absence.” Imre was very particular about who served Karis.

“Imre, go.” Karis laughed.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre bowed and left the room.

A short while later, Adem appeared. He looked worried. “Your Imperial Majesty, did Imre seem unwell to you?”

“He did, Adem.” Karis was concerned about Imre’s health. “That is why I sent him to the Imperial doctors and told him to send you in to replace him for tonight, longer if necessary.”

“I’ll do my best, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem held up a pad. “Imre gave me your schedule for the next week in case he was sick. He said he’d let me know later what the doctors say.”

“I hope it is something simple.” Karis hated the thought of any of his servants being hurt or ill. “Imre has become indispensable to me.”

“I’ll find out tonight and let you know.” Adem glanced at his notes. “Now, he said you were expecting one of your courtesans tonight.”

“I am, and she should be here any minute.” Karis glanced at the chronometer and sighed. “I expect to be up late after she leaves. I still have work to finish.”

“Imre warned me about that.” Adem read through his notes again. The Imperial guards showed Marin in at that point. “Use the blue button to call me if you need anything, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem grinned. “Otherwise, I’ll be back with Lucan later.”

“Thank you, Adem.” Karis was now very worried about Imre. He really had been working the man hard. He was only a few years older than Karis, but that didn’t mean that he had to work as hard as Karis pushed him.

“Your Imperial Majesty?” Marin’s voice caught his attention.

“Sorry, Marin.” Karis turned his attention to the stunning redhead in the room. “I am a little distracted this evening.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Marin seemed quite concerned about him.

“Tell me what you have been reading.” Karis gestured to a chair. “I need to get my mind off of what is plaguing me.”

“Of course, Your Imperial Majesty.” Marin removed her veil and sat down. She began talking and he tried to pay attention to what she was saying.

They talked for hours, until Adem returned and reminded Karis of the time. Karis took Marin into his bedroom and performed the usual final action with her. Adem and Lucan came in and helped her dress and she left. Karis got back up, dressed, and resumed work on the paperwork.

It was three in the morning when he put the pad down and sighed. Adem was watching him. “Adem, is there any word on Imre?”

“There is.” Adem looked grave. “I wanted to let you finish your work before I told you. Imre is sick, Your Imperial Majesty. It’s serious and he needs a lot of time to rest and recover. The doctors want him to take the next two weeks off. Imre is beside himself saying he can’t possibly take that much time off, but I’ve assured him I can manage.”

“I would rather have you for two weeks and have Imre come back in good health than to risk his getting worse by coming back too early.” Karis was deeply concerned that Imre might have been ignoring the situation long enough for it to get this serious.

“I’ll pass that along to Imre later today, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem gave him a significant look. “Now you really ought to get some sleep. Do you want me to cancel the council meeting?”

“Yes.” Karis yawned. “If I am lucky, I will still be asleep when we would normally be holding it. Do I have any other meetings tomorrow morning?”

Adem checked the schedule. “You have one with Lord Durden to go over troop movements, but that isn’t until an hour before lunch, Your Imperial Majesty. You also have one with Lord Cornel to discuss his proposition and one with Lord Melesio to discuss the trade tariffs recently leveled on his system.”

“Make sure I am awake for the meeting with Durden. That one is important. Anything else, just cancel and I will make it up to them tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem gave him an exasperated look. “Now, do I have to hit you upside the head with something? Or are you going to bed?”

“Would you get me a glass of water, Adem?” Karis laughed.

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem went to get the water.

Karis went into his bedroom. Adem came in with a glass of water and helped him get ready for bed. Karis took one of his sleeping pills and laid down. He closed his eyes and let the pill carry him off to sleep.

Adem woke him several hours later. He rose, showered, neatened up his beard, and ate a light snack. He’d have a full meal when it came to lunch. He drank a stimulant to help him wake up more fully for his meeting with Durden. It didn’t help the slightly foggy feeling in his head, but he hoped he’d be able to compensate for that.

Troop movements didn’t take nearly as long as Karis thought they would, and they were finished with their meeting by lunchtime. “Adem, send word to the seneschal. I am not feeling well myself, so I am canceling the audiences today.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem glanced over at him. “Do you want me to have an Imperial doctor come and check you out?”

“I think my problem is a lack of sleep.” Karis didn’t really want to see a doctor. Adem gave him the same look Imre would have given him. “But yes, Adem, you can have a doctor come and check me out.”

“I’ll send both messages, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem flashed them both off as quickly as he could type them in.

The doctor arrived a short while later. He scanned Karis. “You’re not sick, Your Imperial Majesty, but your body is woefully lacking in some key nutrients and is showing signs of exhaustion. Are the pills not working anymore?”

“They work.” Karis was quick to negate the suggestion of a stronger sleeping pill. “I just did not get to bed until three this morning.”

“Your Imperial Majesty, you can’t do that and expect to not have consequences the next day,” the doctor told him severely. “I’m going to send up some more pills for you. They will address the nutrient deficiency. If possible, Your Imperial Majesty, take a nap this afternoon and go to bed at a reasonable hour tonight. Certainly do not stay up past midnight again. If you’re having problems sleeping, take the pills. We have a huge stock of them. Your son, Prince Ethian, has been taking them because he too is having trouble sleeping.”

“Ethian is having issues with insomnia as well?” Karis was surprised.

“We understand this is something he never shared with his mother or the warmaster he lived with, but he has suffered from insomnia for a couple years now.” The doctor shook his head. “He didn’t want to be put on pills that would make him groggy in the morning. It seems the warmaster had words with him about that omission.”

“He would.” Karis was amused. “Poor Ethian. I can appreciate not wanting to be groggy in the morning. That is why I prefer the medication you gave me.”

“Use them, Your Imperial Majesty.” The man fixed Karis with a significant look.

“I had to finish some work.” Karis knew the man was right but there was just so much paperwork to do. “That is why I was up so late.”

“Nothing is so important that it can’t wait until the next morning, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor’s firm statement caused Karis to scowl.

“I promise, no more staying up past midnight.” Karis knew that might cause a backlog but what else could he do.

“Good.” The doctor gestured to Adem. “I’ve told your servant, and he assures me he will be telling your valet when he returns about the rules regarding your sleeping habits.”

“Imre will chase him to bed at midnight whether he wants to go or not.” Adem was right. Imre would enforce the curfew even if Karis tried to stay up later. “I will try to do the same.”

“Take one of the nutrient pills with water every morning with breakfast.” The doctor looked at Karis. “Take your first one with dinner tonight.”

“How long do you think I will need the nutrient pills?” Karis hated the idea of taking more pills.

“Given that these are key nutrients your body isn’t producing on its own? I’d imagine you’ll be on these for the rest of your life, Your Imperial Majesty.” The doctor saw Karis grimace. “Your father had a similar condition, though we never could get him to take his pills regularly. Please see we do not have to resort to the hypo spray every morning as we did with him.”

“You will not have a problem with me.” Karis liked that idea even less, so taking pills in the morning was going to be a better option.

“Good.” The doctor tucked his scanner back in his kit. “I’ll bring the pills up once we synthesize them. Expect me back in about an hour.” With that, he turned and left.

“Poor Ethian.” Karis sighed. “He did not need to inherit my insomnia on top of everything else. I should have the doctors watch all the boys for the nutrient deficiency. If I inherited it from my father, there is a chance they have it as well.”

“You have nothing on your schedule for the next few hours, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem gave him a look similar to one Imre might have given him. “Might I suggest taking that nap the doctor told you would be a good idea?”

“I have work to do, Adem.” Karis saw the look change to disapproval. He sighed. “Wake me in two hours, will you?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Adem was happier now that he’d agreed. Karis went in and laid down. He thought he’d need one of his sleeping pills to get to sleep but surprisingly he found himself dozing off very quickly.

Adem woke him two hours later. He got up and splashed some water on his face. His mind felt a little less foggy. He set to work on the paperwork. There was surprisingly little of it today. He’d done most of it the night before. He still had a couple hours before he had to get ready for court, so he made his way to the enclave to see how the princes were doing.

He made his way through the palace to the wing that had been set aside as a dedicated space for the six Imperial princes. He heard raised voices and walked into the common room where the boys usually gathered, the wing having been made in the pattern of the courtesan wing, in time to see Rhys take a swing at Meinard.

Rhys’ warmaster teacher walked over and slammed his fist into the side of Rhys’ head. Rhys dropped to his knees. “You were told what would happen if you picked a fight with your brothers,” the warmaster growled.

“He started it.” Rhys shook his head to clear it.

“He was just joking around, like he usually does,” the warmaster told him. “You need to learn to control your temper.”

“Meinard, are you poking fun at Rhys again?” Karis looked at one of his other sons.

“I was poking fun at Ethian, but Ethian was just laughing it off like Fallon does.” Meinard protested his innocence. “He has a better sense of humor than Rhys does. Rhys was getting mad because I was not paying attention to him.”

“You were not actually picking at Rhys like usual, you were teasing Ethian and Rhys took offense because you were not paying attention to him?” Karis raised an eyebrow at his sons.

“We have all been ignoring Rhys tonight, Father.” Hanzo joined the conversation. “He has been trying to get us to leave the enclave with him and revolt against the warmasters. Ethian was the first to refuse him, and the rest of us backed Ethian up and told him we were not stupid enough to do anything to get into trouble.”

“Then Meinard started cracking jokes, and the rest of us just sort of stopped paying attention to Rhys.” Jair seemed almost annoyed with Rhys. “That made Rhys angry, and he took a swing at Meinard.”

“Rhys, you are confined to the enclave because of your actions. Are you telling me you are openly defying my orders?” Karis looked at his oldest son with disapproval.

“It is not fair,” Rhys whined. “I should be allowed to go wherever I want and speak to whoever I please.”

The warmaster smacked him again. “If you whine like a child, I’ll treat you like one. Now, it’s almost dinner time, and then it’ll be time for your scholar lessons. I’d better not hear of you shirking them again or you’ll have a hell of a time tomorrow.”

“I do not see why I have to take these stupid lessons.” Rhys glowered at Karis.

“Because I do not want an ignorant child for a son, Rhys.” Karis regarded him calmly. “And that is all you are to me right now. I expect my sons to be well-educated individuals. That is why I brought in the scholars. An Imperial prince who is not well-educated is worthless.”

Rhys glared at his father and slunk over to a chair and sat down. He rubbed the side of his head and turned his glare on the warmaster. “Do we really have to learn from the scholars, Father?” Hanzo seemed as reluctant as Rhys.

“Yes, Hanzo, you do.” Karis turned his attention to his other sons. “I expect you all to make progress on your scholarship as well as your physical exercises. Your mothers are all educated women for all they have never had scholars for tutors. I did have a scholar for a tutor, and I read widely. I still do when time permits. I expect the same out of all of you.”

“Yes Father.” Hanzo seemed less than thrilled, but then again, Karis had known it would be hard for his sons to accommodate themselves to the new schedule he’d set them. Well, all except Ethian, who seemed to be starting to acclimatize to the new environment.

Karis chatted with his sons for a few more minutes and then headed back to his rooms. Rhys was a real problem, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with him. The harsh tactics of the warmaster weren’t making a difference yet, but it had only been a day. Perhaps it just needed more time. Then again, Angharad had spoiled him from an early age. What if there was no turning Rhys back from this path?

Adem helped him dress and he joined the court. Dinner was nothing spectacular and he fielded several attempts at men trying to get him to marry their daughters during the evening. He withdrew early and went to bed at a reasonable hour because he was still tired.