The crown always falls off Avyaan's head. It is too wide for him.

  Yet still, Sera tries to make it more presentable. With hooks, pins and cloths yet nothing works. Her hands are shaking and he can almost tell that her eyes are glistening.

  Sera had dressed Kamya before the silence. Mother before that. Her hands had always been steady then. Avyaan had never been the one in this chair.

  She is doing well, holding herself together with the same quiet efficiency she always has, until she isn't. Her hand stills over the dressing table. Avyaan follows her gaze to the ribbon caught between the folds of cloth — burning red, Kamya's color, pulled from the wrong drawer without realizing. Sera looks at it for one moment too long.

  Her expression breaks. She collects herself in the same breath, turning back to him, but Avyaan has already seen it. He gives her a smile and holds one of her hands gently, trying to still them.

  "It's alright.. Aunt Sera. I'll grow in no time."

  She lets out something that isn't quite a laugh before she pinches his cheek. Thank god there were no guards or she would've gotten an earful. Avyaan's smile widens but he doesn't move, or all the carefully placed garments and jewelry would fall.

  But then there were multiple clumsy bangings and whiny cries on the heavy door and the moment shattered like glass. Sera dashes towards the door, she doesn't even need Avyaan's permission as she knows he will say yes.

  And when the door opens, Siham is on the other side. And then she isn't. Immediately she runs in with her poor bunny plushie dragging on the floor. Avyaan's eyes widen and he lifts his hands to shield himself but then, thank Vayu, her nursemaid catches her just in time.

  "Oh- your high- I-I mean Dynast Avyaan, please forgive me. Her highness slipped past me before-"

  A loud screeching cry comes from Siham as she tries to wiggle away. Her bunny's ear clutched in her hand while her beautiful dress was covered in paint and dirt.

  Avyaan winces at the loud sound but then his brown eyes dart to the hourglass.

  Minutes. That's all he had.

  He rises from his seat, slow and steady but then Sera's hands reach for her and Siham goes still, the way she does with strangers.

  A blink

  Siham's teeth are on Sera's hand. Avyaan rushes there, a hand steadying his oversized crown and reaches out to grab Siham from the nanny, carefully keeping her at arm's distance.

  "Siham.. Please apologize to her."

  Siham pouts and reaches to grab her brother’s hair but Avyaan stops her

  "Please?”

  Siham looks towards Sera with a small frown and lazily pats her.

  Just like father did.

  Avyaan pauses but says nothing.

  Then as if nothing happened, she shows her brother her bunny.

  Avyaan lets out a slow exhale and smiles at the young princess. He sets her down and gently takes the bunny from her with one hand while the other tries to loosen his tight collar.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “A Lagōs?”

  Siham nods with a squeak, beaming.

  Avyaan smiles and looks out the window

  “Did you see one in the garden today?”

  Again, Siham vigorously nods

  “That’s lovely.. You know, after I’ve come back from the meeting— —we’ll go to the gardens together.

  Her smile drops and she whines

  “No!”

  “Come on.. Please?”

  “No!”

  She starts crying and Avyaan’s eyes widen

  “I-I’m sorry, don’t cry!”

  Well, she doesn’t stop and the maids, wisely, don't get involved.

  “O-okay.. How- how about..!” He looks around and sees a pearl bracelet. “Here!”

  Siham sniffs as she takes the bracelet but at least she isn’t screaming anymore.

  Avyaan lets out a sigh, once again fixing his crown. “That was easy..” He thinks to himself as he gives her the bunny back.

  Then his gaze turns to the nursemaid.

  “Can you please wash her up? And check on Kairav for me..”

  The nursemaid nods as she hesitantly takes the princess’s tiny hand. But Siham doesn’t want to leave. She sits down on the floor and plays with the new ‘toy’.

  With Siham distracted, Avyaan slips out of the room quietly and he is met with his personal guard, Nirav whose expression is as cold as ever.

  Avyaan frowns.

  “Only two years older than me.” Avyaan thinks “Yet acting like a sage.”

  Nirav bows to him. Avyaan might have been surprised if he wasn’t wearing the crown.

  “Dynast.. Shall we leave.”

  Avyaan considers huffing in his face but that would be too childish. Instead he nods wordlessly and starts to walk with Nirav behind him.

  The corridor outside the room was the same as always. The same inlaid floors, same huge chandeliers, the same wide windows. The pillars between those windows were thick and had carvings on them. Avyaan loved that specifically, he loved the cats, the peacocks, the lotuses that were carved so beautifully on the pillars.

  One time, he had tried to carve a dove for Kamya, his older sister but she didn’t even glance at it again as she gave it to a servant. Avyaan knew she was busy with training to be the heir but it still stung.

  He was still thinking about the dove when the enormous doors of the council came into view and the Herald beside it bowed and waited for his command.

  Avyaan had to crane his neck to have the complete view of the oak doors. They also had carvings on them but there were no animals or delicate flowers. Instead there were gruesome records of war, coronations of human rulers and tales of gods.

  That made Avyaan straighten his crown again and let out a shaky breath before he composed himself and he could feel Nirav’s sharp gaze on him.

  He nodded towards the Herald and he made the announcement while opening the door.

  “All rise for His Radiance, Dynast Avyaan, sovereign of the Samara Empire!”

  Avyaan presses his lips together as the guards open the large doors. They make a deafening sound and he couldn’t even cover his ears without appearing weak.

  The doors reveal a huge sitting room. The windows were closed, there was no greenery, only a few lanterns were illuminating the otherwise dark room.

  Avyaan doesn’t even have the time to take a deep breath. His feet carry him forward before he even decides to move. The people bowed down, most of his mother’s ministers’s children were there. Though they were all way older than him. Maybe 15 or 17..?

  It takes him longer to reach the end of the room than his mother, but he tries to hurry without rushing. He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone, trying to not blush.

  As he sits down, the chair swallows him and he feels Nirav’s presence behind him. And then everyone else follows suit.

  No one says anything for a few seconds. Avyaan’s eyes dart around the room. It is hard to see everyone’s face but he can tell they are in the same position.

  Then one of the officers comes forward.

  “Green..” Avyaan thinks as he looks at the coat that the man is wearing. “That’s maybe.. Foreign affairs..?”

  The officer places a letter on the table, in front of him. And he didn’t need to open the letters to know by whom they were written.

  A dark green seal. Half human, half something else reaching out to the sun

  Hybraids.

  And then another. This one was a beautiful silver eyes around the trees

  Elven.

  Both sworn enemies.

  What a start.