When Maron walked through the door of the restaurant, the two dignitaries were already seated. Both rose, bowing to the crown. One piece of the pair was familiar, a woman they had met with several times before, a chief negotiator. Ms. Xi had been operating as an international relations manager throughout the war and Finneas couldn’t help but feel some relief whenever her name was the one on the scheduling papers. She was perhaps a bit tightly wound, but she had been of great help in the last five years.

“Your Royal Highness,” she said before returning to a straight posture. “It is an honor to meet with you again. Please meet Mr. Long, a new human rights specialist from the embassy. He specializes in refugee relations, but is very adept all around.”

“A pleasure,” Maron said, taking his seat so that the others could follow suit.

“Mr. Stone, it’s a delight to have you back with us as well. We had hoped you would join us for this particular meeting.”

She spoke as if he had ever been away from Maron’s side when out of the palace. Finneas just offered a smile. “I appreciate being included in the discussion, though I do believe His Highness’s views may be more pertinent.”

It wasn’t that he was uninterested in being involved in these conversations. Really, Maron was right. These things impacted him directly, and he had his own opinions. But this wasn’t his place. Perhaps status was not the most important thing in the world, but being a servant and a magician meant that Finneas was expected to know his role. Even if offered more than his position should normally allow, it was expected for him to decline.

Finneas sat politely in his chair, listening as stiff formalities and thanks were passed around, and kept himself quiet as appetizers were served, watching Maron take his first bite, and then their visitors. He ate, listening carefully as the talks began.

“I would like to be blunt. We have received higher volumes of immigration applications than usual. That is fine, but we have been listening to those leaving, and the restriction of magic is one of the main reasons cited for leaving.” Ms. Xi spoke quietly, but her voice was firm. “I would like to know if Your Highness has any plans regarding these rights upon taking the throne. As you’re turning twenty-four, we understand that you may soon ascend to the throne,”

Maron nodded. “I am not at liberty to say my own plans yet. I hold magicians in high regard, and I do feel we need to better embrace them as a nation. That must begin with the royal family and our policy.” He took a breath and a small bite of his soup before continuing. “However, I am unsure when I’m ascending. After my birthday, I’m eligible to take the throne so long as either my father passes it to me or I have the support of the council. However, my father does enjoy ruling and he has the support of much of the council. I do not want to make promises that I cannot keep, so I would like to wait until I know a concrete timeline for discussing my own plans.”

Mr. Long nodded at this. “I do believe you when you say that you hold magicians in high regard. After all, you seem to keep one at your side. I think that’s a great symbol of forgiveness to give to the people.”

Finneas did his best not to frown at the comment. That was far too often how people spoke of him. As if he’d been chosen for his role only because he was a convenient magic user who could act as a tool.

“Finneas is my attendant and guard because he was the most qualified candidate for the position. His powers did not factor into the choice,” Maron said calmly.

Qualified was perhaps a stretch. In the beginning, Finneas had been almost useless as a guard. Sure, he had the drive and the skill with a sword, but it wasn’t as if he had been given formal training until he had already accepted Maron’s offer. The prince hadn’t even been looking for a new attendant at the time, but when Finneas, in a fit of frustration, had gone to him after handling a particularly vitriolic guest, the man had asked to have him at his side. It wasn’t pity, but it wasn’t because Finneas was a perfect fit for the role, either. As Maron told him, he was offered the position because he wanted Finneas around. For both their sakes.

“Regardless, that also acts as a guidance for the people,” Ms. Xi said. “Magicians tend to struggle to find work due to their status. It means a lot to have the heir to the throne embracing one as his most prominent member of staff.” She folded her hands in her lap. “Mr. Stone, if you do not mind my asking, how long have you worked at the palace?”

Finneas knew where this was leading. Still, he couldn’t refuse to answer. “Fifteen years. I only became His Highness’s attendant six years ago, however.”

Maron glanced toward him. He also seemed to know exactly the trap they were walking into.

“You couldn’t have been older than ten at the time, then. Your family is nobility, are they not?”

Finneas nodded. “They were, prior to the magic ban. In the same law, nobility who used magic were stripped of their titles.” It was not as though his family had suffered too much because of that. Nobility was nobility, after all. If they had the resources that came with that status–money, land, and connections–even without a legal title, it wasn’t as though they would struggle.

“Right. They were well-equipped to handle some loss, I would assume. So why did they feel they needed to send their youngest child to work as a palace servant?”

Finneas was quiet a moment too long. Maron spoke. “When the ban was passed, my father knew that there would be plenty of people without jobs, as much of their work relied on their powers. He introduced a program to offer well paying work directly for the royal family and the council to assist with those changes. There were concerns that a people who had just had a crucial piece of themselves stripped would not be trusting of the royal family enough to enroll, so the Stones were asked to enroll to show that the program was worthwhile.”

“Why the Stones specifically? They’re well known, particularly in Eteria, but they seem an odd choice. Especially given their support for us during the tense times leading to the war.”

Finneas hated the answer to this question. In truth, his family had been desperate to keep the contract with the kingdom to provide the Royal Guard with their weapons. If they were going to survive in a time when  there was such little trust in magicians from the general public while also being stripped of some of the powers their title had once granted them, the contract was necessary. When asking for a deal, His Majesty had offered them this. In exchange for one of their family members joining the program, they could continue their work. It was a better offer than most nobility was given, and Finneas would serve the family better as a sacrifice than anything else.

“That’s exactly the thing. They’re well known, and as you said, Finneas can sometimes act as a symbol. It was effective, and because of him, we were able to employ many more newly unemployed magicians.” Maron closed his eyes for a moment. “I was too young to fully understand at the time, and was spending more time in the infirmary than out. Now that I’m more aware, I do regret that there were so many children being employed. I cannot speak too much for my future plans, but I wouldn’t like children to be put in a position where they need to work.”

“That is a relief to hear,” Mr. Long said. “If we may ask, and I understand if you’re unable to answer, do you have any opinions regarding removing the restrictions?”

Maron was quiet, sighing. It took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. “In a perfect world, that would happen. However, I am uncertain for now.” As he spoke, his eyes landed on Finneas, only for a moment, but long enough for Finneas to understand. We’ll talk about this later. There was more the man had to say, but this wasn’t the right setting.

“It is helpful to know your leanings. As always, we will keep this conversation confidential,” Ms. Xi said. “If we may know your own thoughts, Mr. Stone, as a citizen of Leeden we are very interested in hearing from you.”

Finneas nodded. “My apologies. His Highness’s opinions are similar to my own. I’m afraid that I would only be repeating what he’s already said and wasting your time.” He paused, looking toward the clock on the far side of the wall. Ten minutes until they were scheduled to leave.

“Would you mind, then, answering for both His Highness’s sake and ours, do you believe you would be better off if you were allowed to use your magic?”

Finneas’s fingers tapped against the ornate cuff on his wrist, nails running against it. It was a complicated question. If he was going to answer it for Maron, his response would be different than that which he could offer to a dignitary. “That is hard for me to say.” Without looking, he could feel the weight of Maron’s gaze upon him. “While I would like to give you a better answer, I’m afraid I cannot. My wants for myself, my wants for His Highness, and my wants for the kingdom as a whole are very different things.”

“I understand,” Ms. Xi said. “That does help somewhat. I believe for now, as we are nearing the end of our time together, let’s leave it at this. We understand that Your Highness would like to make improvements, and we understand these are difficult subjects to approach. As our immigration patterns change, we would like to keep in contact. I believe that our information from your citizens would benefit Your Highness and may help inform decisions, and I like to think that frequent meetings help build trust between our nations.”

Maron nodded. “I would appreciate that. Knowing why people leave helps us to make Leeden a better place. I’d also like to offer my support for our emmigration infrastructure. If Etheria is embracing our citizens, we would like to ensure that the process is easy on your nation. I will offer monetary aid for anything that will make the bureaucratic practices run more smoothly.”

Mr. Long smiled. “Eteria thanks you, Your Highness.”

“And we thank you as well.” His Eterian was clunky, but still both across the table smiled. Even if he wasn’t perfect, it was an attempt. Finneas rose, pulling Maron’s chair back and offering an arm to help him stand. The man didn’t take it, instead focusing on the pair in front of them. He shook their hands, and Finneas followed suit.

“His Highness doesn’t know Eterian well?” Mr. Long asked.

Finneas let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “No. But he does make an impressive effort.” Finneas knew his own accent was strong–he spoke with a distinct border dialect, but it was, at least, clear.

“Then, if you do not mind me asking, are you truly comfortable? As a fellow magician, it pains me to see you in this position.” The man’s face was difficult to describe, but his eyes seemed sad, even as he did his best to keep the rest of his expression neutral.

“As I said before, my wants for myself and my understanding of the reasoning behind our policy are not the same. Things here are complex. But I would stand powerlessly beside His Highness rather than leave his side to gain access to my magic.” Finneas offered a smile, giving the man’s hand a shake. “Thank you very much for meeting with us.”

As the man dropped his hand, Finneas eyed the bare flesh of his wrists. Visiting officials were always allowed access to their powers, but cautioned not to use them in public. It had been a visiting princess who became the deciding factor in that policy–no one could envision cuffing such an important person. Finneas pulled his eyes away, and turned to Maron.

“Are you ready, Your Highness?”

At Maron’s nod, Finneas pulled open the door and guided the man to the car. It was a short and quiet walk, and the silence was only broken when Finneas turned the key over in the ignition.

“They would have helped you leave Leeden if you’d have asked,” Maron said, staring straight ahead.

Finneas nodded. It was far from the first time he had been offered escape, with the promise of the removal of the golden bracers on his wrists if he only went with them and spoke on behalf of magicians in Leeden, if he offered support for those leaving the kingdom behind. It wasn’t a bad deal–he wouldn’t be asked to do more than he could handle, and he’d be able to access his powers. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Would you not prefer to have your powers?”

Finneas was quiet for a moment. “Maron. Your feelings on this will always come before mine. Regardless of position or status. I value your comfort too much to ask you for more than you’ve already given me.”

It was, after all, Maron who had guided him through the palace when they first met. Maron who offered him his first taste of friendship when he moved there for work. Maron who had seen him in distress and only brought him closer to his side, ensuring his safety from those who would disrespect a magician but not the heir’s closest advisor. He couldn’t ask the man to give up comfort for his sake.

“Your comfort is equally important to me. If I have ever done anything to indicate otherwise–”

“No. You never have.” It was the opposite. “You’ve done too much for me. Yes, I would love to feel my powers again.” Finneas swallowed. “I miss it, desperately.” He had never said that aloud before. He said it quietly even now. “But my magic is based entirely in fire. I wouldn’t ask you to deal with that for me.”

For a moment, Maron didn’t speak. His hand moved to rest over Finneas’s on the center console. His fingers traced the intricate lines of the engraving in the gold that sat there. As he gathered his thoughts, he held onto him, offering comfort in an uncomfortable quiet. “I don’t want magic banned from the kingdom. It’s unfair to strip an entire culture of a vital aspect of their identity because one man hurt me fifteen years ago. I have never agreed with the policy.” He closed his eyes. “It’s not magic I’m afraid of. It’s fire.” He was quiet for a moment more. “Finneas, do you want them removed?”

There were layers to that question. If he were the only one, how would that be viewed by the kingdom? To have a prominent component of the royal family’s daily life show that there was trust between magicians and the family after so long would be an important symbol. To be the only one in the nation to have such a privilege would be divisive. For those who stood staunchly against magic, for someone like Damon Altrusia, it might be taken as a threat.

“Finneas. I am not asking this as your prince. I am not asking Finneas Stone, the anchor of trust. I am asking your thoughts, as someone who loves you. Would you personally be happier with your magic?”

Before he could allow himself to think of it further, Finneas forced himself to answer. “Yes.”

Author's Note

Thank you so much for reading! It's been so much fun writing these two! Once again, thank you for all your support so far!!