Both men bow simultaneously, bending at the waist with their hands before them, palms touching. Jamie and Alex try their best to return an equal bow, with limited success.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” Alex begins. “I’m lord Alexion Varga and this is my husband, Prince Jamethon of Taneria.”

“No, my lord, the fault is ours,” the older man begins. “We should not have arrived unannounced. I am Lee Shan, travelling ambassador for the Emperor of Mekalla, Jin Feng. If I may present his Imperial Highness Jin Chao, Prince of Mekalla.”

Shan’s accent is certainly foreign, but not to a degree that makes him in any way hard to understand. There’s mostly just a difference in the tone of his voice, a subtly odd pronunciation of some of the consonants that’s far from unpleasant. Alex gestures towards comfortable chairs with a hand as Jamie moves around to the furthest one. “Your Excellency, Your Highness, would you please be comfortable.”

As the four men sit, Alex notes that the two visitors remove their scabbarded swords and place them across their laps as they sit and that they look a little uncomfortable perched on the comfortable armchairs.

“So, it is true that a man can marry another man here?” the Prince asks once they are comfortable. His accent is somewhat stronger and he speaks with the hesitancy of one who is still learning the language of a foreign country. “We had been informed that this was so, but it would not be permitted in the empire or anywhere else that I am aware of.”

“I’m afraid that I know very little of the other continents of this world,” Alex tells him. “It’s probably no secret that same-sex marriage even here isn’t universal. King Talus, Jamie’s father, instigated the change with primarily the happiness of his son in mind, but it had, apparently, been something that he had been considering for many years. Several other states have followed his lead and they prosper because of it.”

“I wish it were so in Mekalla,” the prince continues. “Not that I wish to marry anyone at the moment, but when I do…”

“Being seen as different – or worse – can be a burden, even for the most privileged of people anywhere,” Jamie says soothingly. “Please, tell us what we can do for you?”

“First, if I may give a little background?” Lee Shan asks. Alex nods in agreement.

“Mekalla is one of the strongest states on the northern continent. It has been ruled by the same family for more than a thousand years. It is powerful militarily and has been at relative peace with its neighbours for many years. Our Emperor is seen as a fair and honest ruler and is respected by all.”

“We know little of your land. It is said that Mekalla is the greatest city in the world, but realistically we know little more than that,” Alex tells the ambassador.

“Well, from the maps I have seen of these southern lands, Mekalla’s territory is perhaps as large as half of this continent with the ocean to the south and vast mountain ranges to the north, east and west. It is bordered by numerous other states, both large and small.

“Just like here, there is a network of trade routes between states. Mekalla is a centre of grain production and our silk is the finest in the world. We have the usual bandits and highwaymen, but they are mostly kept in check by the various forces of each state.”

“Not so different from our own lands at all, then?” Jamie asks.

“No. We speak differently and wear different clothing, but life is much the same across the whole world,” Lee agrees. “I have travelled far for my work and seen all four of the main land masses. Each are very different but with many similarities.”

“In some ways, that is reassuring,” Alex suggests. “It leads me to hope that what works as a solution to a problem in one land may do so in another.”

“That brings me to the point,” Lee continues. “A couple of years ago, there began to be a slight drop in the yields of our crops. This wasn’t confined to just Mekalla, but across the whole of the northern continent. Our scientists and engineers were, at first, baffled. Then news came from the far north. Worrying news of the lateness of the spring thaw.”

“The spring thaw?” Jamie asks.

“Yes. In the far north, the ocean freezes in the winter. The few fishing ports and settlements shut themselves in by their fires and wait for the coming of spring. The sea-ice melts and fishing and trade can begin again. The long northern summer days aren’t particularly warm, but they bring a short growing season in which to harvest enough food to survive the next winter.

“The long summer days remain as always, but the temperatures are just a little bit cooler each year and the cooling trend seems to be continuing. Continuing to get colder each winter.”

“If it is affecting the whole of the northern continent, to some degree, then we should also be feeling the effects here,” Alex muses. “Such changes on such a vast scale should affect the whole world.”

“Just so,” Lee agrees. “As far as we can tell, this is not the case, but we might have an explanation for that.”

“This change, it is not natural,” Jamie says softly.

“No,” Lee says with a brief nod of his head. “There are still some people across this world who are strong in magic. Granted, none are anywhere near as strong as the two of you are now, but there are others. Some of these mages are employed by the empire and they all agree that there is a magical cause for the cooling in the north.”

“Do they know what is causing the changes?” Alex asks.

“Not exactly, but they suspect that something is causing the Star of the North to lose power.”

“The Star of the North?” Jamie asks. “This is one of the four jewels? The brother to the Flame of the West?”

Unconsciously he touches his tunic where the Flame lies between the muscles of his chest on a fine gold chain. He doesn’t wear it all the time – the power that it grants seems mostly independent of its actual presence. Carefully, he unbuttons the top two buttons of his tunic and shirt, drawing the Flame out for all to see. Held in his hand, it glows with a deep-seated fire, an ethereal orange-red ever-moving play of light from deep within.

The two visitors stare at the jewel for some time, mesmerised by that very odd play of light and the almost palpable feeling of power emanating from it.

“You are among the mages of whom the ambassador speaks?” Alex asks the prince. “I can sense the magic within you when the Flame is this active.”

“I am,” Jin Chao admits. “I thought, when I first saw the two of you enter the room, that I could sense something. I had no idea that it was the Flame itself. The power that I can feel emanating from it is almost overwhelming.”

“To answer your question, highness,” Lee adds. “Yes, the Star and the Flame are related – in the sense that they are two of the four jewels – but I’m not sure if they are in any way connected or not.”

“If the power of the Star is failing – for whatever reason – how bad will things get?” Alex asks.

“Bad.” Lee tells him bluntly. “Food prices are already rising. I would estimate that production is down by as much as a tenth. Our experts believe that this could double or worse in just a few years. A little cooler might not seem like much, but there comes a point when nothing has enough heat or time to grow to maturity.

“Once the northern lands cannot feed themselves, there is the ever-present danger of conflict. Hungry nations will seek food and it seems that wars will be inevitable.”

“Such wars will spread,” Alex muses despondently. “Once war and famine have ravaged your lands, the hungry will seek food from wherever they can get it. The whole world is at risk.”

“Your summation is brutal, but a fair one,” the Prince says solemnly. “We don’t know if anything can be done to stop this disaster, but we’re prepared to try everything that we can.”