8 months before the founding of Sindria

Work. There was so much to do, and so little time. Sinbad would much have preferred to spend this time with Thalia, his… what was she? His fiance? His girlfriend? His friend? They had never really discussed it, not after that night. It was as though the idea of even putting a label on whatever they had together had been tainted.

"Knock knock." Thalia leaned against the door, her face flushed a little brighter than usual. She wore one of her new dresses with fashionable, blue and gold fabric wrapped tightly around her. It wasn't extravagant, but it was nice, and the way it hugged her form offered him a nice view of how her hips swayed as she walked.

"Thalia." He cleared his throat, trying to sound professional. "What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just… I've been thinking about you this morning. A lot." She tucked her hair behind her ear shyly as she spoke.

Flashing a mischievous grin, he leaned forward to tease her. "Have you now? All good thoughts, I assume?"

She nodded, her cheeks reddening. "Very good thoughts."

Oh? Why was she so nervous today? Could it be those "good" thoughts were dirty? He raised his eyebrows. "In that case, I'd like to hear them in vivid detail."

The deepening color on her mortified face told him he'd caught her red-handed.

She gave him a small, tight-lipped smile. "Not yet."

The implication that there might be a future where she would be willing to talk about those things seemed like a big step coming from her. Sometimes it felt like the physical aspect of their relationship moved at a glacial pace. He wanted more, though he rarely admitted it for fear of pressuring her. "Not yet" he could deal with.

Taking her hand in his, he admired the callouses she had slowly started to build up from her swordsmanship training. He caught glimpses of her practicing in the courtyard some days while he scrambled from one end of the building of the other on business.

"I'm glad you took up classes with Sharrkan again," he remarked. "I can tell you're really improving."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, shooting him a mischievous grin. "I know. At this rate, I'll be able to defeat you in no time."

"Oh?" He chuckled, letting go of her hand and leaning back in his chair. He wasn't sure that she was improving quite that fast, but he did enjoy her confidence. "I look forward to that day."

"Me too," she replied with a wink. "You're much too cocky. Someone needs to cut you down to size."

"And you think that person will be you?"

She hummed in response.

He pulled his lips together, fighting back a smile. He could let this go. He could let her go on believing she had any chance against him, but no. He knew her weakness, and he wasn't above using it.

Tugging her into his lap, he buried his face in her neck and let out a warm breath on her ear.

"S- Sin!" she squeaked. Her hips bucked toward him, a pleasant side effect of her straightening her back.

"You've got a long way to go. All I have to do is pull you into my lap and you're as good as defeated."

"I am not," she protested weakly. "I can still fight."

"You don't sound very convincing." She was putty in his arms, pliant and defenseless. In a battle, there would be no contest, not when he could tease her into submission. He ran his hands up her arms, drawing a small, sweet moan from her lips. "Look at you, so quick to surrender."

It was then that she found the strength to twist around in his lap. If Sinbad had to guess, it was pure spite had given her the sudden burst of energy, but he wasn't complaining. Her arms wrapped around his neck, one hand grabbing his ponytail and tugging. The sight of her so eager and demanding spiked his blood.

"You," she panted, "are going to drive me crazy."

"Good. You've been driving me crazy for years."

His eyes locked on her lips, and he remembered their last kiss. That one, perfect kiss before everything had fallen apart. They could start over now if he wanted. She was willing. She'd thrown away her soul to be with him, cut herself off from the great flow. The least he could do was take responsibility for what he'd said that night, right? He had offered to marry her. He couldn't keep avoiding the topic forever just because it'd been tainted with blood-stained memories.

"Sinbad?"

Thalia's hand adjusting his collar pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Is something wrong?"

He brought his hand up to push a lock of hair out of her face. "I've been putting off talking to you about this for a while. I know I should have a ring prepared and some kind of grand speech, maybe even a parade—"

Thalia went pale. She dropped her eyes to her lap, sliding her hands down the lapels of his coat. "Oh."

This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. She'd been so set on marrying him before. Had she changed her mind? Didn't she want to be the queen of Attica?

"Come on, Thalia." He gave a nervous laugh. "Are you that upset about the lack of parade? I actually thought you'd prefer it this way, and you can pick out the ring—"

"I don't want to get married." She took a deep breath, looking past him out the window. "I mean, I thought I did, but now that I'm not worried about being a suitable princess all the time, I'm starting to realize how much of what I wanted wasn't really what I wanted. And now, I'm in this place without any goals or plans of my own." She turned her gaze back toward him. "I want to support you, but I need dreams and passions that are just mine. I think I need to figure out what I want first. When I'm a little older and more mature, maybe I'll be ready but…"

"I understand." He let out a deep breath. In truth, he hadn't exactly been thrilled about committing to someone so quickly either. But, he would rather spend a reluctant lifetime as Thalia's husband than resign himself to treating her like a stranger, and once Barbarossa had offered him Attica, it had seemed the perfect way for them to both get what they wanted most.

She shifted in his lap, placing a hand flat on his chest. "Until then, does this have to stop? Because it's one of the few things I'm sure about."

"This…" His hand slid up her back. "...can go on for as long as we want."

The door opened just as he leaned forward to kiss her. Thalia ducked under his desk the moment she heard the doorknob turn and motioned for him to keep quiet. Sighing, Sinbad gave her an understanding smile. Rurumu had mentioned the ethics of workplace dating once, and now Thalia was convinced their relationship was some sort of illicit affair. Still, he enjoyed humoring her, and he suspected the danger of being discovered excited her. So, he played along.

"Yo." He raised a casual hand as Ja'far slipped through the door. "What brings you here?"

Ja'far marched over and laid some scrolls on his desk. "These are the forms that have been submitted for review. Please look over them by the end of the day."

Sinbad unrolled one of them and glanced at it. "A petition to allow same-sex marriage?"

"It's not commonly practiced in most countries, but I don't see a reason to reject this."

"The petitioner's name is Sappho. She's Thalia's friend, right?"

Thalia tugged impatiently on his pant leg from beneath the desk as if to say "Just sign it already."

He nudged her with his knee in response. "Calm down."

Grabbing his quill from its holder, Sinbad signed the paper. "There. It's official. Make sure to give Sappho the news, and tell her I'll foot the bill for the wedding. Any friend of Thalia's is a friend of mine."

Thalia stuck her thumb up in approval.

"Now, as for the palace, the engineer was looking at—"

"Sorry to interrupt." An out of breath Vittel twiddled his thumbs anxiously at the door. "We have a visitor."

Shit. Sinbad was already behind on his work thanks to the lovely distraction under his desk, not to mention she couldn't hide there all day. She glanced up at him anxiously. Right. He needed to chase everyone out so she could slip out and he could get back to work.

"Another one? Can't you handle it?"

"It's not just an ordinary guest!" Vittel held his hands up apologetically. "It's that royal magician from Parthevia. It's Falan."

Thump. Thalia had knocked her head on the desk. Having blown her cover, she crawled out and rose to her feet. Her face, which had been so carefree lately, clouded over. The color had drained from her face as though she'd seen a ghost. Did she recognize that name too? When would they have run into each other?

Her voice trembled when she spoke. "You said it's a magician named Falan?"

Ja'far looked more exhausted than surprised to see her. "Normally, I would have questions, but now isn't the time for them. If it's Falan, we should be wary."

It was strange. Last time he had seen Falan, she had been serving under Barbarossa in the palace. Why would she come all this way now?

Thalia's palm landed on his shoulder, squeezing tightly. "Sin, I don't trust her. She's working with my sister."

"Don't worry. I don't either." Sinbad covered her hand with his own. This peace of mind she had found was still fragile. She had already been through so much. He would simply have to protect her the best he could. "I'll take care of this, okay?"

He grinned up at her reassuringly. Her lips didn't move to return his effort. Instead, her hand slid off his shoulder.

"I will."

Sinbad turned to Vittel, who was quietly observing the conversation. He had wrapped his arms around himself protectively. Last time they had run into that woman, she had poisoned Ja'far, Vittel, and Mahad with some kind of magic tool that had turned them into a monster.

Sinbad walked up to the boy, placing a reassuring hand on his back. "Vittel, you go back to work. We can't afford to fall any further behind. Have Thalia assist you for a couple of hours, okay?"

Slowly, Vittel nodded. "I understand."


Thalia hovered over Vittel's shoulder, looking for opportunities to make herself busy. There wasn't much for her to do here. Vittel's accounting abilities had long surpassed hers, so anything she could do to help, he was better off doing himself. Her eyes traveled the room, seeking signs of any undone chore, no matter how minor. His water pitcher was full, and he had paper to spare. There was plenty of ink in his pot, but as he dipped his quill, Thalia noticed something.

"Vittel, your hands are shaking." Frowning, she inched closer to his desk.

"Haha… yeah." He scratched his neck anxiously. "I'm a bit on edge."

Falan had certainly managed to frighten Thalia, but Vittel was an assassin before he'd met Thalia. What had that woman done to shake a trained killer this much? Was she that terrifying? Thalia squeezed her fists, willing her racing heart to slow. Sinbad was taking care of Falan and had tasked Thalia with the important job of keeping Vittel and herself safe and calm. There was one thing she could think to do.

"You know, we just got in this new Heliohaptian herbal tea. It does wonders for anxiety." Thalia had drunk it like water while she'd waited for Sinbad and Sappho to return from Parthevia. "Why don't I go fix you us both cup?"

Vittel gave her a weak smile. "Thanks, Thalia. That would be great."

Slipping out of the room, Thalia headed down the hallway, passing a line of closed doors. They all looked the same, carved wood with symmetrical, geometric decorations. But, as she walked past one, as innocuous as the rest, she heard it: that lilting voice.

"Sinbad, what do you think destiny is?"

It was Falan.

Thalia pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding in her chest. Evesdropping on this woman had never done her any good before, but when she tried to lift her feet, it was as though they were glued to the floor. She couldn't leave; not like this. Before she could go, she had to hear for herself what business Falan had with Sinbad. Why would she ask him such a strange question? Could it be, he had a destiny similar to hers?

The realization that Sinbad's favorable relationship with destiny might not last forever brought a gasp from her lips. She covered her mouth with her sweaty palm to mask the noise.

"Hold on, you still haven't answered our question!" Ja'far was suspicious, as he should have been. Thalia silently praised him for his caution.

"Let it go Ja'far. She came all the way here and showed us her true face just to speak to us." Sinbad, ever the idealist, was about to give this woman a second chance. Thalia bit her tongue, resisting the impulse to shout a curse. She loved this side of him, but not right now. "I'll answer her question. I think of destiny as a guide to the future. Every person has a goal to accomplish in life, and we're all looking for the right path to lead us there. We're being guided by our destiny, which influences our actions and leads us all forward. It's a natural cycle that creates the future. That's how I see destiny: a guide to the future that we should believe in."

Thalia's hand dropped limply to her side, his words sinking in. Her goal that she'd been supposed to accomplish had been to become nothing more than an incubator for a child. Was that the future she was supposed to believe in? How could he say something so confidently when he knew— he'd seen how her destiny had tried to tear her apart. If destiny was something that everyone should be striving for, why was he with her? She wasn't his destiny. She was a black stain on his life. She had fallen into depravity. That's what Ja'far had called it. "Depravity"… her very existence was a moral corruption in this world of bright, white rukh.

"I see." Falan's voice was quiet. "Even someone as special as you still believes he has to follow destiny. Someone like you should know the truth… the true meaning of the destiny that controls this world and just what kind of existence you humans actually lead. Please ask the others to leave the room."

Thalia's breath caught. If the others left, they would find her here eavesdropping, but she couldn't leave now. There was an explanation for why Falan kept meddling in her destiny, and as much as she trusted Sinbad, this was exactly the kind of thing he would try to protect her from by keeping her in the dark. She dove into an adjacent room just as the door opened. As Ja'far and Hinahoho's voices drifted down the hall, she pressed her ear against the wall, waiting for Sinbad and Falan's discussion to resume.

"It seems like you have something important to discuss with me. Am I right, Falan?" In her mind's eye, Thalia could practically see Sinbad leaning back confidently, one leg crossed over the other. How could he keep his cool alone in a room with a dangerous magician?

Falan let out a small laugh. "Just as I expected from a man like you."

"What do you mean?"

Yes, what do you mean? Thalia frowned, pressing her ear more firmly against the wall. Even a magician that could see the future talked about Sinbad like he was some sort of special being. Was it pure flattery, or was Sinbad's ability to mold destiny to his will powerful enough that even Falan couldn't help but admire him?

"I've admired you since we met in Valefor's dungeon. I used that beast to test your abilities… but, reminding you of that now might just make you angry again." She let out a small laugh.

Falan had attacked Sinbad before? Was that how they knew each other?

"No, I'm not going to let that bother me after all this time."

Of course you wouldn't you wonderful, forgiving… Thalia clenched her fists, fighting back the urge to charge in and protect Sinbad from his own idealism. He'd said he didn't trust Falan either, so why was he hearing her out so calmly?

"So, what are you going to tell me you've chosen me for?"

"Yes. I've chosen you as the one who will receive the key to free us from our bonds of destiny."

Thalia caught her breath. A key… to free humanity from destiny?

"Falan, you're not making any sense. What are you trying to say destiny is?"

"Destiny is the flow of the great will that guides this world. In this world, there is an inevitable 'flow' that guides everything. Everything people think, feel, create… we see all of that as part of our individual wills, but we only exist within than 'flow' of destiny. That means that we can't go against the system established in this world. But what if that flow was created and dictated by someone?"

Falan was saying… everything that had happened to Thalia before she fell, all the horrible things that had happened to her, to Dinarzade, to those people who had been experimented on… someone had not only allowed it to happen but had the authority to stop it?

"It's never crossed your mind, has it?" Falan raised her voice. "Why were we born? Why must our loved ones die? Why are we forced to grieve? What if it was all because we were living false lives bound by the rules created by the system? Despite all that, are you still going to insist that we should all believe in destiny? It was created by someone. It is controlled by someone. Destiny is nothing more than a prison."

A prison… Yes, Thalia believed that. She had been a slave to a cruel system, one that had allowed her to be raped and tortured. If it hadn't been Marcus, it would have been those three men, and if it hadn't been those three men… had Kayra been right to fear for her safety? Would her father eventually have—? Or would it have been someone else? Could she trust anyone? Anyone at all? Because the system had wanted her to be abused and broken before it disposed of her once and for all in childbirth.

But if she had never had a choice, that meant none of those men had, either. They were forced into those actions by destiny. No… Thalia had made a choice. She had been able to eject herself from that system, to free herself from its tyrannical grasp. There were no excuses for what had been done to her.

Falan continued. "I can't accept a life that was decided for me. Our joy, our suffering, even our deaths are decided by 'destiny.' A world like that is something I simply will now allow. But Sinbad, you're different! You were born with a vast amount of magoi at your disposal. You can even feel 'destiny.' You're someone special! Even though you're bound by destiny, you also have the power to deviate from it. You've done it before. With Thalia."

Thalia gripped the skirts of her dress. It was true. Without Sinbad, she would still be stuck in that hellish life she'd been living before. If it hadn't been for his help, she would never have obediently followed her destiny straight into her own grave.

"What does Thalia have to do with—"

"Her sister Kayra recognized it early on, that Thalia was despised by destiny. She sought the power of the court magicians of Parthevia for help. That is how I became involved in trying to protect her, but the flow of destiny is strong, and even I could only do so much to create a counter-current. When you decided to draw her into your destiny against the will of the flow, she never had a choice, did she? But she still fought to hang on because the system made her. By offering you the opportunity to be together and convincing her that she'd been betrayed yet again, we were able to push her to the edge and convince her to reject her destiny before it was too late. We offered the ammunition, but it was you who enabled her to pull the trigger, Sinbad, because you are a singularity. The possibility of freeing this world from the bonds of destiny lies with you."

So Thalia hadn't really been betrayed? It was all part of a plan to save her life?

"I'm a singularity?" Sinbad's voice came out thin.

Yes… that's what Muu said the magi of Reim had called him too.

"You have the ability to free the world from the bonds of destiny. You've seen how things have turned around for Thalia since her fall, haven't you? I'm told she's been thriving under your care."

Sinbad's voice was barely audible when he spoke. "Thalia is… an exception. Maybe if I'm a singularity, she's the opposite of one. No matter how hard she struggled, destiny was going to drown her. I see that, but I'm not convinced that there are others like her. Now that she's free, there's nothing left for me to do." There was the sound of a chair scooting. "To be honest, the things you've been saying almost sound like the rantings of a madwoman. But, for you to know these things, I suspect you're no ordinary magician. Who are you really, Falan?"

"I am merely someone who detests destiny. I'm nothing more than a lowly member of an organization who strives to destroy destiny and return the world to its proper state."

There was an organization? Yes, Muu had mentioned that. If their goal was to overthrow destiny… Thalia could get behind that. No matter what Sinbad said, her case wasn't unique. There were children living in poverty, slaves, people with incurable illnesses. Hadn't destiny betrayed them too? There was no way she could do nothing, not when people were caught in this horrible, abusive system. It would be immoral for her to do nothing. Now that she was outside of its grasp, that had to mean something. She had a purpose and ability to do something only Sinbad was supposed to be able to do. If being able to act outside of the current made Sinbad a singularity, and Thalia was no longer restrained by it, didn't that make Thalia a singularity too?

"Sinbad, please help us free the world from destiny."

Sinbad… please.

He let out a low chuckle. "Alright, but not yet. As you can see, I'm busy making preparations to build my own country, but when the time is right I'll lend you my strength. Don't worry, I'll keep this discussion between the two of us."

Thalia backed away from the wall as the conversation wrapped up. Grinning from ear to ear, she imagined the two of them fighting side by side, two singularities out to free the world from its chains. It was enough to make her want to kiss him. In fact, the next time she got the chance, she absolutely would.

But first, she had promised Vittel tea.