Karis rubbed his forehead. “You are certain it was Rhys and Ethian fighting this time?”

Imre nodded. “That’s the report I got from Reynard and Nuri, Your Imperial Majesty. They’re still trying to figure out who started it, but Rhys was thoroughly beaten into the ground by his younger brother and is claiming Ethian cheated.”

Karis snorted. “Ethian would not have to cheat. He has been training all his life, and I am lucky if I can get Rhys to follow through on any of his required lessons even with the threat of punishment. It is no contest between the two of them. Not to mention Ethian has almost a good thirty centimeters on his brother in height.”

“They were going to check with the other princes and with Timur and Josia to see if they witnessed anything before coming to speak with you,” Imre informed him.

“Who are Timur and Josia?” Karis asked.

“Timur is Ethian’s servant. Josia is Rhys’ servant. Both were present at the time of the altercation, according to Reynard.” Imre shrugged. “Someone will know something.”

“Will Josia not take Rhys’ side in this?” Karis asked.

Imre snorted. “Only if they make the mistake of asking him in front of Rhys. If they speak to him privately, he’ll turn Rhys over to them in a heartbeat. Rhys is horrifically abusive towards Josia, and he doesn’t like him at all. He’ll protect him in public to avoid risking Rhys beating him when they’re alone together, but in private? He’ll badmouth Rhys from here to the Zodiac Nebulae if he’s at fault.”

“I do not like the fact that Rhys abuses his servant. I believe you have told me this before.” Karis frowned.

“It is why we had to replace his servant last year,” Imre reminded him. “It got to the point where Marsean refused to leave the servants’ hall, he was that fed up with the abuse. Nothing the seneschal or I said to him made a difference. He was through serving Rhys and he didn’t care if it cost him his job. I found him somewhere else to serve in the Imperial household and assigned Josia. He’s already reached his breaking point with Rhys’ abuse, though he says he’ll stay for now.”

“What did you do with Marsean?” Karis asked curiously.

“I assigned him to serve Lord Tremere. Marsean is much happier there, and Lord Tremere was in desperate need of another servant anyway and the seneschal couldn’t find one to suit him, so it worked out in the end.” Imre shrugged. “I figured since Lord Tremere is nominally attached to the Imperial household, I could get away with it.”

Karis smiled. “If it means we do not lose a dedicated worker who should not have been put into that position in the first place, then I agree. It works.” He glanced at the chronometer. “Blasted audiences. I do not want to hold them, but I have no excuse not to.”

“You could claim emotional distress.” Imre’s lips twitched.

“I would have to do it every time Rhys caused me problems, and that would mean nearly every day, Imre.” Karis was amused at the thought. “No, call Adem and Lucan and get me changed. I will go listen to the whining and the marriage proposals.”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre called for the other servants and as soon as they arrived, they got him changed for the audiences.

Karis made his way to the throne room. Once he was as comfortable as he could be, he motioned for the guards to let people in. The room was flooded with courtiers and other petitioners. The seneschal called the first person forward.

A lord came forward with a very pretty woman in tow. Karis stifled a groan. This is what he spent his money on? Bribing the clerks to let him proposition Karis for marriage? Karis sighed. “Your Imperial Majesty, may I present my sister, the Lady Nitsa, as a potential bride?” He bowed and the woman bowed with him.

“Lord Ries, may I remind you that the entire court is aware I will be marrying one of my courtesans in a year? May I ask why you are wasting my time by presenting a woman I have no interest in to me?” Karis asked coldly.

“Your Imperial Majesty cannot be seriously entertaining the idea of marrying one of those things again,” Ries protested.

Karis gestured abruptly and Ries and his sister scampered away, aware they’d angered him by the expression on his face. The second lord also brought up a daughter for him to marry. The girl was barely sixteen and Karis dismissed her as being too young as well as reminding the lord he was marrying one of his courtesans. The third who’d bribed his way to the front had actual business to discuss and Karis dealt with his request.

The rest of the audiences went as expected, as most of these people had waited six months or more to see him. One petition concerned him, and he referred the petitioner to Geraint and Metis, his Ministers of Engineering and Social Services, because if the situation was that difficult six months earlier, it was going to be dire now. He made a mental note to send them a message to find out more about what was going on and to prioritize what they needed to in order to aid the world in question.

He ended the audiences and returned to his suite. They got him changed and he pushed through more paperwork after sending the messages to Geraint and Metis. It grew late and he still hadn’t heard anything from the two warmasters. He got changed again and made his way to the antechamber. His six sons were already there.

“Father, Ethian beat me up earlier today.” Rhys pounced on him as soon as he appeared.

“I heard there was an altercation. I am waiting for the final report from Nuri and Reynard before I make my decision on the matter,” Karis told him.

“But Ethian beat me without provocation,” Rhys protested.

“You tried to hit me first,” Ethian snapped back. “I wasn’t – was not going to sit there and let you beat on me.”

“I did not. He is lying.” Rhys glared at Ethian.

“As I said, I am withholding judgment until I get the full story from the warmasters, Rhys. This is what an emperor does. He waits until he has all the information before he makes a decision,” Karis informed his oldest son coldly. “If you cannot control yourself, take yourself back to the enclave and have your servant bring you something from the kitchen.” Rhys fell silent. The food was always better at court than it was in the enclave, and he knew Rhys preferred to preen in front of the courtiers.

“Father, have all emperors done what you do?” Fallon asked quietly.

“No, Fallon. Some have acted impulsively, to the detriment of those involved in the situation. My own father was prone to acting without getting the full picture and it caused a lot of damage to his victims. I prefer to wait until I have all the information before I act. I am slower to respond at times, but in the end, the decisions I make are often the fairest in regard to the situations,” Karis told his second son.

Fallon nodded and turned to Ethian. “You are still not paying attention.”

“Fallon, you have been at court for how long? I’ve – I have been here for a few weeks. Do you know how hard it is to shift my entire way of speaking after a lifetime of talking a certain way?” Ethian gave his brother an exasperated look.

Karis thought it was interesting that Fallon, of all his sons, was taking Ethian under his wing. Then again, Fallon had always felt the most out of place at court himself because of how long he’d been gone so it made a certain amount of sense for the two to bond. Not to mention Ethian’s personality would appeal to his second-born son more than the others. He wondered how close the two of them would end up being.

The Imperial guards opened the doors, and the Imperial family took their seats. All assumed the neutral expressions that were required, though Rhys’ kept slipping periodically into a faint scowl as he glared at his youngest brother. Karis realized something he hadn’t noticed before. The princes had shifted their seating pattern. Meinard now sat next to Rhys, Jair and Hanzo now sat beside each other, and Fallon was now sitting next to Ethian. Fallon sitting next to Ethian made sense if he was helping, but why was Meinard sitting next to Rhys? The two could barely stand each other.

He leaned back. “Meinard, may I ask you something?”

Meinard leaned back as well. “Of course, Father.”

“Why are you sitting next to Rhys?” Karis asked.

“I lost,” Meinard told him ruefully.

“You lost?” Karis was amused.

“Ethian told us a simple way to decide because Jair, Hanzo, and I were arguing over who was going to have to sit next to him. He called it drawing straws. It was something people on Covus did. He took a thin paper rod, cut it into two long pieces and one short piece. He told us the person who drew the short rod – the short straw – would have to sit next to Rhys. I drew the short straw,” Meinard explained.

Karis was hard pressed not to start laughing. “Well, that was a fair way to decide.”

“It was, and I did not argue with it because it could have been any of the three of us. Rhys has been fuming over it for the past few days.” Meinard glanced at Rhys and then over at Ethian.

Karis got the impression that Meinard was suggesting that might have been part of why Rhys targeted Ethian, because he came up with the solution of who would sit next to him. “I see. Thank you for explaining, Meinard.” Meinard nodded and the two sat back up.

Dinner was unremarkable, other than a few people commenting on Rhys’ lack of control. After dinner was over, the princes left and Karis fielded questions and a few more marriage propositions before he too left. When he got back and got changed, Imre got his attention. “Nuri and Reynard wish a word with you, Your Imperial Majesty.”

“Let them know I can see them now,” Karis told him.

The two warmasters arrived a short while later. “It was Rhys who was the aggressor, Your Imperial Majesty,” Nuri told him without preamble. “From what we gathered from the other princes and the servants, he’s been fuming since Ethian was moved ahead of him in training.”

“Ethian is ahead of all the princes, except for Fallon,” Reynard explained. “Which is only to be expected with how I’ve been training him.” Karis nodded.

“Then came the situation of the seating arrangement. Fallon asked the others to shift so he could sit next to Ethian and help him out, and there was an argument over who was sitting next to Rhys because none of your other sons wanted to take Fallon’s place there. Ethian was the one who suggested drawing straws, which angered Rhys even more,” Nuri continued.

“I heard about that this evening,” Karis told them.

“Then today, Meinard was cracking jokes as usual and made one comparing Ethian to Rhys. Rhys lost his temper and attacked Ethian. Ethian dodged the first few blows, but when Rhys decided to keep going after him and insulted Sayana in the process, Ethian lost his temper and beat him into the ground,” Reynard concluded the story.

“Rhys insulted Sayana?” Karis raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. He insinuated there was more to our relationship than we admitted to. Ethian took offense to that and damn near beat him into unconsciousness.” Reynard shook his head. “I told him he needs to control his temper. He told me very bluntly as long as Rhys keeps his mouth shut about his mother, he’ll leave him alone. If he insults her again, all bets are off.”

Karis rubbed his temples. “Ethian is very protective of Sayana, I see. All right. I can see where Rhys was the aggressor in this situation.” He looked at the two warmasters. “When they wake up tomorrow, please inform Rhys he is banned from the Founding Day celebrations. I know he enjoys the high feasts and that should make it clear to him that I will not tolerate him bullying his brothers.”

“That could cause him to lash out at Ethian again,” Reynard cautioned “And I can’t guarantee Ethian won’t pound him into the ground again.”

“As long as Ethian does not throw the first punch, I will continue to punish Rhys. If Ethian is the aggressor, he will also be banned from the Founding Day feasts. I realize that will hurt Sayana, as not seeing Rhys is sure to upset Angharad, but those are the rules.” Karis didn’t want to keep Ethian away from the Founding Day feasts. However, he had to hold to the rules he’d set at the beginning for all of his sons even if it meant upsetting Sayana.

“I’ll remind Ethian of the rules.” Reynard shook his head. “As frustrated as he is with Rhys, I can’t guarantee he’ll follow them. But I’ll remind him.”

“He is already that frustrated? He has only been here a few weeks.” Karis hadn’t realized things were that bad in the enclave.

“Rhys targeted him within hours of his arrival, and he hasn’t let up, though he does go after Meinard when his other brother decides to sharpen his tongue on him,” Reynard explained. “Ethian usually ignores him but he’s getting more and more frustrated and today he snapped. He could do it again. He is still a fifteen year old boy, Your Imperial Majesty. He’s going to react like one.”

“Fair point.” Karis steepled his fingers and pressed them against his lips. “I need to come up with a more permanent solution for Rhys. I will consider things carefully and figure something out.”

“If you need suggestions, let us know. We’ll be glad to discuss it and pass on some ideas we come up with,” Nuri offered.

“I may ask for help if more time with you does not correct his attitude,” Karis told him seriously. “We are early in the process yet and I do want to give it a chance.”

“We understand that, Your Imperial Majesty. Just expect there are going to be a lot of fights,” Reynard told him. “Not necessarily just between Rhys and Ethian. Rhys is going to pick fights with his brothers because he’s unhappy.”

“I will keep that in mind.” Karis nodded to the two men. They bowed and left.

“Your Imperial Majesty, this isn’t a good situation.” Imre was as concerned as Karis was.

“I know that, Imre. I am simply unsure as to how to handle it. I never expected one of my sons would be such an abysmal human being.” Karis pressed his fingertips to his temples. “Rhys is my punishment for not ridding myself of Vasco and the council as Sayana suggested in the beginning. I could have simply had Ethian and perhaps one or two other children with her. Now I have six volatile sons, all with differing personalities, with one who is determined to be a pain in the ass for me and his brothers.”

“What are you going to do about him?” Imre asked.

“I will give Nuri a few months to see if he can do something with him. If he cannot, I will do something else with him. What that is, I do not yet know. But I will not leave Rhys to cause issues for his brothers and for me.” Karis looked at Imre. “Would you see if Arken is awake?”

“Yes, Your Imperial Majesty.” Imre sent a message.

Arken arrived a short while later. “You wished to see me, Your Imperial Majesty?”

“The ladies’ servants are going to be filling their ears with the gossip that two of the princes fought today,” Karis told him.

“I had heard something of that,” Arken confirmed. “I did not learn which two princes it was however, though it is believed to be Rhys and Meinard as usual.”

“It was Rhys and Ethian,” Karis told him.

“Rhys and Ethian? Sayana is not going to be pleased to hear that.” Arken frowned. “What started it?”

“Ethian’s existence, apparently.” Karis explained the lead up to the fight, and what had finally caused Rhys to snap. “Ethian was trying to avoid fighting him, until he insulted Sayana. Then Ethian lost his temper and put Rhys down. Ethian made it very clear to Reynard that if Rhys continued to insult her, he would continue to be pummeled.”

“Oh dear.” Arken frowned. “He is very protective of his mother. Fallon is the only other one who has that kind of bond with his mother as the others distanced themselves after a certain point to make certain their sons could more easily be separated from them.”

Karis nodded. “Sayana and Marin developed a strong relationship with their sons, which has made it difficult for Ethian and Fallon to acclimate to the enclave. Fallon has learned to accommodate himself to life there now, though he was very resentful of having to leave Marin in the beginning. He is helping Ethian settle in now.”

“I am pleased to know that Ethian and Fallon are becoming close. Fallon needed someone to bond with, and Ethian needs the help,” Arken commented.

“If the ladies bring it up, fill them in tomorrow, will you? You do not necessarily have to tell them this, but I have banned Rhys from the Founding Day feasts.” Karis gave him a significant look.

“I may keep that to myself, to keep the peace in the wing.” Arken winced. “Angharad is already difficult enough to deal with as it stands.” Karis nodded sympathetically. Arken bowed and left. Karis finished the last of his paperwork and at midnight, Imre chased him to bed.