“Why don’t you take a seat,” Crystal offered, beckoning them further into the room, “We have a lot to discuss.”

  “First of all, I will begin by saying that you lack the trait necessary for you to become Queen,” the Queen began, “It might be possible for you to gain it, but it would be impossible for Velcorna to do the same. This would be effortless to prove if we involved Thador, but the moment we contact Thador my condition will come to light.”

  “Surely you cannot hide it forever,” Ruena pointed out.

  “We don’t need forever,” Crystal replied, “There is an heir no one else knows about save for everyone in this room and Densooth.”

  "And Densooth," Ruena repeated in a mutter. No wonder Densooth had been so desperate to have her stop Velcorna. She had no right to ask them if it was wise to work with him after everything she had done. Working with Densooth wasn't always a choice.

  "Oh, that's a tough situation," Soral commented, clearly having gleaned much more details from their thoughts, "It should be fine to explain everything to Ruena. I am down for anything if it gets in that old man's way."

  "What does that mean?" Ruena asked.

  "We cannot tell you much, but I will tell you enough for you to help us," the Queen explained, "There is one heir that we have hidden away. That heir is still just a child which is why we must keep her existence a secret for the time being."

  "If I don't have what it takes to become an heir myself, how do you expect me to help buy you time?" Ruena asked.

  "The only ones who know that for sure are myself and the King of Thador," Queen Shirisha assured, "However, if you frequent the palace and show a close relationship with me, many will assume that you are my unofficial heir. If that kind of attention is something you cannot handle, I understand."

  "If I refuse to play unofficial heir, what are the other options?" Ruena demanded, "Surely you know things won't last long if they stay as they are."

  "They won't," Crystal agreed, "but you are the only capable of playing heir. If you refuse we will have to go for a different plan entirely. Revealing Shirisha to the public is a last resort we would like to avoid at all costs."

  The way Ruena saw it, there weren't very many options. Still, she thought she would ask just in case. "Do you have any other backup plans in mind? I only returned to Altea recently, so I wouldn't have been an option just a month or so ago."

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  "We had thought of tracking you down," the Queen admitted, "However, what we had mainly been considering was letting rumors of a hidden heir spread, and giving Densooth official authority in my absence."

  Ruena winced. "That sounds dangerous," she muttered, "Soral, do you think your prophecy has anything to do with this?"

  "No," Soral denied, "Trust me, if it did the old man would have dragged me over ages ago. Last time we saw him he was openly plotting to use me as a convenient distraction, but most of his plans to maintain the throne involve blackmail and misdirection. His thoughts are always so cold and heartless, you know."

  No one in the room denied his words. Since that wasn’t the answer, there was another important detail Ruena needed to focus on. “You said you needed to buy some time. How much longer do you need?” she asked.

  “That is the main problem,” Crystal agreed, “We need nearly ten years.”

  Ten years? Ruena had expected a year or two, maybe even up to five, but ten? People were already uneasy, and even handing Densooth power wouldn’t guarantee that Altea would be safe that long. Ruena wished she understood enough about the relation between Altea and Thador to know why Queen Shirisha was more concerned about the dragons than the people of her own kingdom.

  “I can’t make any promises,” Ruena replied finally, “Now that I have returned to Alodan, I cannot abandon it. While I have no intention of ever betraying your trust, I also cannot afford to get wrapped up playing pretend unofficial heir while Velcorna still has the power to swoop in and take Alodan for herself. After what she said last time, she won’t hesitate to do so the moment it seems I am aiming for the throne of Altea.”

  “We do not need your answer or your cooperation right away,” Queen Shirisha assured, “All I wanted was to meet you. I wished to gain an ally, and offer you our help in return. Velcorna Alodan is an enemy to both of us, after all.”

  “Did King Xandus have the answers you needed?” Crystal asked, “You seemed closer to him than I imagined when you brought up your friendship before. Usually friend is a term for strict business allies in the world of politics.”

  “Xandus does not follow standard politics,” Ruena pointed out, “and yes, he did. I just need to act on them.”

  “In that case, you will focus on your trials, and we on ours,” the Queen decided, “Just having this meeting with us now should buy us plenty of time for you to make progress with Alodan. Even if you don’t play the role of an unofficial heir, you have already been a great help to us by showing that the future of Alodan stands by the Queen.”

  Just to make sure the message that they were close got across, Ruena stayed there for a few more hours. She could agree to do this much, at least. Soral immediately celebrated the new friendship by sharing cupcakes that he pulled out of nowhere. He also offered to prepare a meal, but the Queen refused for the sake of her chef.

  Upon her return to the Alodan estate, Ruena once again sought out Xandus. It was high time she accepted his offer. With everything that was brewing in Altea, she could no longer afford to hesitate. She only hoped that she would be able to succeed after taking this leap of faith.