A/N: I got overly excited and decided to write out another chapter! Look at me. Doing things.

Amon held the morning's menu in her hand, scouring the kitchen and pantry to be sure everything was in order. Once she was certain she'd set up the staff for a successful, timely feast, she moved on to her next agenda item. She'd taken a circuitous route to the kitchen so she could pass her approval over the state of the castle, only having to stop twice to fix minor details. The maids had all been divided up between floors so they were dedicated to one or two guests at a time. Everyone had their specific responsibilities, their designated areas and it seemed to be going well. The work would be less overwhelming this way.

Each member of the staff had been given a copy of her detailed, thorough notes on their guests. Known likes, dislikes, behaviors to watch for, ways to circumvent tempers. Everything Amon in her arsenal had been passed on.

This was important to her. It needed to go to plan.

But that did not mean she was about to let any visiting caravan of royal fools bring harm to the workers who made the castle run like clockwork. They could take their rage out on her if need be but they would not hassle her staff.

Curtly, in her mind, she reminded herself that it wasn't her staff but the king's. It didn't quell her sense of pride for them or dwindle her feelings of responsibility. The king may own the building, may have the power, but without her none of this would be possible. He'd said so himself before, hadn't he? That when she wasn't there it all went to hell.

The kettle whistled on the stove and she immediately removed it, pouring the steaming contents into the pot she'd prepared on a serving tray.

There was the matter of the king to be dealt with.

Why had he asked her to sleep in his room?

She was fine. There was nothing he could do to help her. She didn't even understand why her fit had bothered him so much. He had made such a point of drilling into her that he had better things to do than concern himself with her, that she had been demanding too much of his energy, that she was causing too much trouble. Why then, was he so horrified? Why was he so determined to watch over her when it strained him so?

Pressure behind her eyes caused her to pause in her evening preparations to contend with yet another exhaustion routed headache. Marielle was right, she did need to take care of herself at some point. It just didn't feel like priority.

She'd taken a few minutes to slip into one of her suits, also gathering some clothing appropriate for sleeping. She'd change in the king's room, if he allowed it. While she wasn't particularly keen on the idea of being forced to sleep where he could watch over her, she wasn't in a position to deny him. It was frustrating. She'd been counting on using the quiet hours of the night to get work done that would be near impossible during the day. It wouldn't do to have their guests aware of the cleaning, the laundry, the day to day minutia.

Amon knew she'd find a way, she just wished she didn't have to constantly circumvent the easiest paths.

Grabbing the tray and the simple bag containing her clothes, she made her way to the king's chambers.

"Sire." Amon knocked on the door before coming in. It was out of the norm, she didn't know why she'd done it. She'd never really bothered announcing herself before.

Everything about this day was off-center.

The king sat at the table in his room, leaning back in his chair as he studied the map sprawled before him. Colorful pins decorated the surface, papers were strewn about the surface in loose, haphazard stacks. One hand held his chin, elbow resting on the arm of the chair. His left hand rested near a pile of pins, one caught between his fingers as he mindlessly toyed with it.

Crimson eyes did not stray from their work when she entered, no greeting rising to meet her.

Amon wondered if he'd changed his mind. He looked incredibly thoughtful, maybe she should leave him be. She set the tray of tea and light snacks on the far end of the table to prevent interrupting, pouring a cup quietly.

"You were right." He didn't look at her when he spoke, eyes instead narrowing on the heads of the pins piercing the parchment of the map.

"Given my lapses of judgment as of late I'm inclined to doubt that." She offered in response, moving to his side to offer him the warm cup.

"Where's yours?" His eyes swept over her hands then to the tray.

"I didn't bring one for myself." She hesitated after telling him, brow furrowing.

With a barely noticeable head shake he rolled his eyes away from her before focusing once again in the map. "You changed your clothes back. I assumed your outfit earlier was the start of a new effort in your appearance."

Amon straightened some as she held back on the sudden rush of annoyance at him that flooded through her. She made no attempt to take a seat as she might've normally done. Carefully she arranged her sentence to be as respectful as possible.

"You didn't seem impressed with the change." She informed him, her lips pressing together when he raised one eyebrow without looking at her. Then he hummed.

"I didn't like the collar. Perhaps that's what you sensed." He sipped on his tea with the casual statement. "I figured you'd spent enough time wearing them in your life, it was surprising to see another on you, especially by your own designation."

Amon squinted. The king was being unusually pensive and reserved. She wasn't sure she enjoyed it, in fact she knew she didn't. It made him hard to read.

"What are you working on?" She asked him to steer the conversation away from herself.

"Why did you wear the collar?" His question held no edge, but also no curiosity. There was a demand in the words that hadn't been in his tone.

She exhaled softly, looking over the map and then around the room. "Your room is in a state. I thought I asked someone to clean it."

"I don't let anyone else in here." He told her easily. "Don't ignore me. I asked you a question."

"It was simple a decoration."

"I told you not to lie to me." His eyes finally slid to her, the sheer amount of ferocity in his gaze enough to make her hold her breathe. Nothing about his posture changed. But his eyes told her enough. There was something under the surface he was controlling and she needed to make sure it stayed that way. "I barely tolerate it from everyone else. You do not have their privilege in this."

"It's a statement." She changed her answer.

"About your servitude." He stated it as fact. "You want these strangers to believe you are nothing more than a, what? A slave?"

"Not a slave." She denied the accusation. "I want them to know that I have autonomy to an extent."

"If not a slave then what?" His tone changed slightly, turned pointed. "You want them to think I make you walk around like a dog? Wearing a collar?"

"No, not that." She pressed her lips together. "Sire, it's not that."

"You didn't put anyone else in a collar."

"You're correct. And I won't."

"Amon." Her name dropped his lips like a warning. She thought she should heed it for once.

"I wore it because I wanted them to know that my station, my service is different from everyone else's. The rest of the staff belong to the castle. I belong to you." She stared at him. "I serve only you."

His fingers curled against the tabletop as his eyes searched her face. He didn't let his thoughts show. She wished he did.

Hiei could see the plea in her eyes for him to say something, to show her something she could decipher but he would not. Not in this matter. Her words coiled through him not like a snake but like the tension in a spring before it snapped.

Him.

Only him.

His.

He regarded her for a moment before looking away, glaring at the table for something to do. "Fine."

"Fine?" She asked quietly.

"You can keep the damn collar." He cut a look her way before once again looking over the map.

"You don't need to concern yourself with it. If you don't like it then I will throw it away. Besides, it doesn't match my suits. None of them do." She made a small motion with her shoulders as though she was fighting the urge to shrug.

Hiei whipped around to stare at her again, eyebrow raised. "Any of them? There are more?"

"Your attire is not the only thing I've been cultivating for weeks." She swallowed then shook her head. It didn't matter.

Her suits were well enough.

"If you made yourself clothes then wear them." His tone said he didn't understand why this was an issue. "Even if they include collars."

She didn't have the energy to explain that if he didn't approve then it didn't matter. It was more important that she dress to his expectation this week. When she showed no sign of accepting his offer he pursed his lips.

Hiei studied her. Amon looked disappointed. This wasn't what he wanted from this night.

He didn't know what he wanted, actually, but this was definitely not it.

"I thought you looked powerful." He told her, hoping to lure her out of her mood. "It was a pleasant change. Were the situation different I might have been intimidated to speak to you."

"I cannot imagine anyone intimidating you." She told him without a smile. "You do not need to console me, sire. Your energy is better dedicated to your work."

"How is it that you demand me show kindness every other breath but when I attempt to show it to you all I receive is you continuously denying me and undermining the attempts?" His dull demand came with an equally dull expression.

"I want you to show kindness to your people and your staff. They deserve it." She informed him, the curtness of her tone slipping in without her meaning to allow it.

"Oh, but you don't?" He tipped his head to the side. Excitement lit up in him at the look of annoyance that had passed over her face. That was better. That was Amon. "You who works tirelessly to try to meet my every need?"

"Did you call me in here just to berate me for trying to do my job?" She demanded hotly. "Because if so I could just as well give you a list to run down to get it out of the way."

Hiei straightened in his chair, eyebrows raising. Her eyes widened and she parted her lips before her lids shuttered over her eyes.

"I'm sorry. That was out of line." She touched her face. "I…I don't know what came over me. There's no excuse."

He was so close to having her back, he though. She was on the cusp of being herself again. He wanted to push her over the edge. He missed her frank words and her self-assured attitude. He missed her approaching him as though she could not be rejected.

"Do you remember the conversations we had a while ago? When I told you that I wouldn't be attending the fitting you'd arranged? Just before you decided to run off?" He asked her quietly, once again playing with a pin. He tested the sharp point against the calloused pad of his finger. The skin was too thick to worry about piercing from such little pressure.

Amon was a little bit like that, wasn't she?

He just needed to press harder to jab through her thick walls if he wanted to strike into the true her.

"Of course." She nodded.

He nodded and said nothing else on the matter. That was the Amon he wanted to speak to her but he didn't know how to tell her that. When his silence permeated their conversation she shifted. He didn't know why she hadn't sat down by now but he didn't want to demand it of her. He shouldn't blame her for having her walls up after what he'd to her. It was perfectly acceptable for her to hold him accountable for driving her into that terrible dream where the only wakeup call she could fathom was the violence that had been tattooed into her skin.

"It's a map of Alaric's resources." Hiei told her, gesturing before him. "Each color represents a different material. You were right, we're not allocating what we have in any way that makes sense. I'm parsing through reports to try to come up with a long-term plan. I want to create a store here in the capitol for emergencies, but other than that we should have more than enough to see every region capable of prosperity."

She walked closer to him, surveying his work. Her hand rested on the table near his as she leaned forward. "You were able to do this in such little time?"

"Imagine what could have been accomplished if someone had come to me and made me aware instead of taking it upon themselves to do my job." He looked up at her face. "I'm not as useless as you may think I am."

"I have never thought you were useless." She assured him, still focused on the map. "Just the opposite. I think you're criminally under-utilizing yourself."

"You still fancy me a good king?" He asked her, watching her expression from the safety of his position outside her current field of attention. Crimson eyes went back to studying the map along with her, trying to parse out a plan.

"Without reservation." She promised, her eyes dipping down to her hand.

The king's pinkie overlapped her first finger. It was a subtle thing and when she stole a glance at him, his chin once again held in his palm as his fingers fanned over the bottom half of his face while he lost himself in his thought, she got the distinct impression that it was an action he wasn't even aware of committing. Taking a breath she readied herself for and admission she hoped might balance things out for a while.

"I'm sorry for not coming to you." She told him gently. "I should have. I suppose I just…I suppose I thought I was being helpful. Taking something from you that you might not want to deal with. There's no real logic behind it I'm realizing. There's nothing there to suggest that's the truth. I just-I wanted to help."

"Well, you managed that much. Because of you a lot of citizens are going to get some much needed support." He retracted his hand so he could push it through his hair. "I have a list of discussions we need to have, Amon. I just don't know if you're ready to address them. Every time I talk to you I get filled with this dread that I'm going to put you back in that place."

"I know I say this frequently but you really shouldn't cause yourself such anguish over me. You don't need to." She finally lowered herself into a chair. "It doesn't make sense for you to do this to yourself."

"Tell me what happened." His command came out quiet, followed by a swallow she could trace with her eyes.

She closed her eyes and looked away, the small amount of balance she'd tried to offer then dissolving under his question. "It's not important. Really, sire. Can we just move on from this?"

"No. I can't. I can't because I had to watch you bash your face off the floor of my office. I can't because you begged me to hurt you and it made my skin crawl. So no, Amon, we cannot move on." He stared at her, pushing himself back in his seat. "You have a scar because of this."

"I have scars for many reasons. Most of then Greyfield." She reminded him. "This one is just the most recent. It's a nonevent to me."

"It's an event to me." He told her firmly, unblinking. "I tried to reach you, you know. With my Jagan. I tried to get through your dream and pull you back but I couldn't. When you were in that state you were so far away," he closed his eyes and inhaled through his nose letting it out from his parted lips, "it was like being trapped in static. There was nothing to you."

She didn't know what to say to him. She hadn't realized he had tried so hard to pull her out of it.

"I wasn't able to bring you back." His eyes moved from her face to look around the room. "I was able to, the first time. With Yashishi. I was the one who woke you up. I couldn't this time. I'm not used to failing at things."

Amon looked at her gloved hands, studying the seams. "Out of hand."

"What?" he looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"That's what you said to me that started it. It wasn't you yelling. Or you being angry. It was that you described me as getting out of hand." She continued to look at her hands, chewing on the words before she was able to speak them. "Greyfield told me that frequently. In fact I don't think I was ever in hand for him. No matter what I did, he was always going to find a reason to," she stopped talking for a second, "anyway. Whenever I was out of hand he found a way to correct me shortly. I didn't realize hearing the phrase would have so much power over me. I thought I'd be stronger by now."

"I'm not like him." Hiei's words nearly strangled him as it came out because he wasn't even sure they were true.

Yusuke had said she'd been terrified of him. He'd been right. What did that mean?

"No, you're not." She nodded. "Which is why I hate it so much that I did this to you. I disappointed you and all I wanted was to make you happy. I can't even do that right. I've always pushed boundaries, even as a slave. You know, more than once, I actually did deserve what he did to me." Her voice grew watery. "I don't deserve to be here with you. I keep trying to be better but all I do is take and and take and take and make everything worse for you."

"That's not true." Hiei shook his head.

"Anyone could do what I do for you." She bit her lip as she looked at her hands. "You telling me I was getting out of hand hit me so hard because it's true. I've been ungrateful for everything you've given me."

"I haven't given you anything." Hiei furrowed his brow, swallowing, severely uncomfortable with the fact she wouldn't look at him when it was obvious she was in so much pain.

"You've given me everything." She finally raised her face to meet his gaze, wet lines trailing down her cheeks from her teary eyes. Her lip trembled as she stared at him.

Hiei pushed out of his chair to cross the few steps between them, his hands coming to rest on either side of her face. He held her head so she was forced to keep looking at him. His breath was jagged, uncontrolled. He did not want to see her like this.

"I get frustrated with your games, Amon. With how you let others belittle you. You can be conniving, underhanded and yes, you do take advantage and cross boundaries. And that is why no one could replace what you do for me. These other cowards would be doormats and I cannot abide it. If I wanted someone to nod along with me, I'd ask my questions of a mirror. I need you to contradict me, to throw down gauntlets with generals, to make everyone in this kingdom shake at the sound of your footsteps. Your stubborn, self-assured nature is one of the things I like best about you. That fire in your eyes you get when you're biting your tongue." He told her firmly. "I like you best when the gloves come off, Amon."

"I'm confused." She swallowed, making no effort to free herself of his hold. "You were so angry with me for not coming to you. For making you look foolish. I cannot be both."

"You can be." He promised her. "We already talked about this. Out there, for them, be whatever the hell you think you need to be. I hate it but fine. But in here, with me, you are to be honest. When it's you and me, Amon, we are equals."

"I cannot do that." She trembled, a look of fear entering her eyes. "I can't pretend to be your equal."

"Then you'll learn how to." He assured her with all the seriousness in the world. "You were fine with it before."

"We were never equals, I just grew too comfortable."

"I will not tolerate you shrinking yourself in my presence anymore, Amon."

"Sir, I-"

"Call me by my name." He ordered her a new heat lighting him from the inside with every new demand he made. "I will not answer to anything else from you in private anymore."

"You can't be serious." She whispered. "These demands are above me."

"Then rise to meet them."

"You're asking too much." Her voice grew smaller. "You're asking too much of me on the heels of-"

He bent closer to her, head tipping to the side slightly as he refused to let her hide from his gaze. "You're the one who said you wanted to flaunt your station, Amon. You're the one who said that you serve only me. Belong to me. That comes at a price. And that price is that you have to deal with me and my demands."

His right hand trailed down from the side of her face, his fingers grazing her jaw, brushing over the front of her throat as he allowed his palm to rest on her collarbone. Her tears had dried in her eyes, her lips parting while she suffered his penetrating stare. She'd stopped shaking. He couldn't help the smirk that slipped over his mouth, satisfaction curling through him.

"As you command, si-" he raised his eyebrows so she amended herself quickly, "Hiei."

"Good." He released her, pulling away. "Get your sleep Amon, you've had a hard few days. You need the rest. I'm sure this festival is demanding much of your energy."

"It is." She nodded.

Hiei gestured to the bed pointedly. She hesitated then nodded, rising to her feet. She went and picked up her bag of clothes, directing herself to the bathroom. When she returned, she was wearing a loose long sleeve shirt and baggy training pants, her hair pulled from it's ties to cloud around her in the waves her braids had created. He immediately regretted asking her to sleep where he could watch over. This was an accidental torture of his own creation.

She looked strangely touchable.

"I can sleep on the floor." She told him, glancing to the bed. "I feel uncomfortable taking over your bed."

"No."

"Fine. But I'm not going to sleep well." She informed him with a sigh.

That proved to be a lie, Hiei determined quickly. She fell asleep within minutes of laying her head against the pillows. It made him wonder when she'd last given herself any decent rest. His shoulders felt lighter after their conversation, the weight of her submission taken off of him. It made sleeping easier for him as well when he let his head lean against the cool glass of the window.

Hiei looked through the closet, laying out selections from what Amon had had tailored for him. He didn't know what he should wear for the day. She was in the bathroom taking advantage of his herbal bath which is where she'd been since before he'd woken up. He wasn't sure if she even knew he was in the room getting ready or not. He'd certainly made no move to interrupt her.

Staring at the clothes he wondered why she had such an obsession with crimson and lilac. The white and black made sense to him, it's what she always wore and it's what he tended to wear. But what the hell was the lilac about? He traced the white buttons on a light purple dress shirt, lips pursed. Naturally he'd be wearing black pants again. There was no question about it. But what other pairing should he make? The tunic? A shirt and vest? The high collared jacket? Why had Amon chosen such ridiculously complicated outfits?

A sound of anger and alarm from the bathroom made him grin to himself. It seemed Amon had finally stumbled across his handiwork.

"There is a thief in the building. Some daring magpie." She came out of the bathroom with wild eyes and wet hair, her sleep clothes clinging to her damp skin. Her annoyance shone in that cobalt like the fire he did so adore.

"A magpie?" He wondered thoughtfully, his back to her after he glimpsed her expression. He went back to organizing his wardrobe.

"Someone stole the buttons off my suit jacket!" She informed his angrily. "Right beneath my nose! And my shirt! Those buttons are missing as well. I am furious."

"Oh. That." Hiei nodded. "That wasn't a magpie."

She marched over to him. "I would like an explanation."

"I took them." He smirked at her. "I'll give them back at the end of the week." He tossed his head back and forth as he considered his words. "Maybe. I do hate that suit, actually."

"Why would you do that?" She demanded, doing her best to work her words to be less than outright hostile.

"So you'll wear your new clothes." He told her as though it was obvious. "If I have to dress up so do you."

"Suits are technically dress attire."

"I just said I don't like the suits."

"You were fine with them before." She reminded tersely.

"That is true." He agreed, back to studying his choices for his own outfit. "But that was before yesterday. I realized after you went to sleep that perhaps you'd been seeking some stamp of approval from me and I didn't give you one. Consider this my approval."

"Traditionally, when one wants to communicate something they use this ingenious invention called language. They do not steal buttons off expensive suits." She tightened her jaw as she spoke.

"I saw how much you paid, Amon. They were not expensive." He tossed her a look. "Stop worrying about your suits and help me get dressed."

"Where are the buttons?"

"I told you, I'll give them back later."

"You said maybe."

"And I meant it." He flashed her a grin, then swept his eyes over her. "Don't you want to show off those new tattoos of yours? You were brandishing them about like a weapon yesterday."

"They are art, not a weapon." She argued quietly, but her attention had strayed to the articles of clothing on the bed. "None of this will do."

She went to his closet and began pulling more from it than he'd even realized was there. Holding each piece up she studied them silently, putting some away before even truly considering them. Looking up the ceiling she made some mental calculation while he watched. Then she nodded and handed him a pair of crimson pants and a tunic. The tunic had an open, raised collar of black with sleeves and side panels to match. Once again crimson dragons twined up the sleeves, embroidered with elaborate detail. The two white front pieces were joined together by crimson buttons running down both sides connected by ties of red the same color as the pants and dragons.

"You'll wear the tall black boots with the straps and we will cinch your sword to your side using a crimson sash. You will look quite dashing." She nodded. "Handsome, but also formidable. Now, as for your schedule today. You have a few meetings with dignitaries more or less to acknowledge they exist. Alaric is growing prosperous and therefore more lands will want to establish favorable connections with you. You do not owe them anything but please attempt to remain open to the possibility of alliances."

"We don't need alliances. Alaric has always been able to stand on it's own. We're completely self-sufficient." Hiei told her as he stripped his shirt over his head, tossing it on the floor. "I don't want to pretend to care what these people think."

"That's all well and good, but you don't have a choice. It's either make friends or enemies and you don't have time for a war." She studied his chest for a moment before once again focusing on his face. "Neutrality is an option, but you can't be neutral if you are rude."

He rolled his eyes, undoing the tie to his pants. "Convoluted. Who cares if we wage war? We have the strongest army in the world."

"And what then? You conquer a new land and then must fold them into the one you already command. That's hundreds of thousands more demons to feed, protect. Larger borders to manage. It's a waste of resources." She argued, averting her face as he pushed his pants down his hips and legs to step into the ones she had set out. "I could have left you for a moment so you could change."

"You've had a few hundred conversations with me while I've been nude in bed, Amon. You know I don't sleep with clothes on. This is no different." He told her even though he knew that it definitely was different.

He just wanted to tease her. Maybe see her blush.

"You're covered in bed." She reminded him. "It's not like I peel back the blanket to gawk at you."

"You don't?" He feigned surprise.

"You woke up in good spirits." She glanced at him to be sure it was safe to turn toward him again. He chuckled as he tied his new pants closed.

"Our conversation lifted a weight off me." He informed her, sliding his arms through the sleeves of the tunic.

"Let me do that." She muttered, pushing his hands away as he messed up looping the ties around the buttons. "Well, I'm glad you're able to feel more like yourself. It wouldn't do to have you so distraught during a week of celebration."

"I notice you didn't detail your day." Hiei's verbal nudging was received with a blink.

"There's so much." She admitted. "I have to be sure that breakfast is underway and served. I want to be sure the laundry is on time. Then there is the lunch preparations. Benji will be assisting me in dispensing orders. I told the staff and your personal guests to come to me if anything arises so there's always the chance I'll be consumed by those requests. Now I also need to go and get dressed, do my hair in someway that's professional. There are some vendors I agreed to inspect. The dining hall needs to be decorated for dinner. I wasn't able to do the cleaning of the east wing last night like I'd intended so that likely needs to be done."

Hiei raised his eyebrows. "And when, during all of this, are you finding time to accompany me to these meetings?"

Her mouth fell open and then winced.

"Ah. So you weren't." He deduced. "That's unfortunate."

"It's temporary for this week." She assured him. "Everything gets back on track after this is all done."

"No, I mean it's unfortunate for your to-do list. You're coming with me. Look the part Amon, I want everyone who sees you to know that even Alaric's servants are capable of destroying them." He nodded and then brushed his hands down his shirtfront, turning to inspect himself in the mirror. He caught her agape stare in the reflection. "Better hurry and get ready, breakfast will be in less than an hour, right?"

"Yes." She agreed. Then closed her eyes. "Sire, every detail of this event is incredibly important it is necessary that I be available to organize-"

He continued to study himself before blinking and looking at her over his shoulder. "Were you speaking to me? I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you because you didn't address me."

Her expression flattened.

"Hiei." She spoke, sighing. "Be reasonable."

"I've never been reasonable and I don't intend to change that now." He smirked at her. "Get dressed Amon. I want to see which of your collars I'll hate today. It'll give me something to dwell on while I'm ignoring literally everyone who tries to speak to me today."

"I'll bring my notebook so I can fill you in after." She agreed, annoyed.

"Good. I'll see you at breakfast." He nodded and walked around her. "Don't be late. I don't want you making me look bad."

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"There's something I need to find."