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

Sinbad didn't trust Falan, but he allowed her to approach him and take his hand. She could be useful, if nothing else. After all, Barbarossa and Kayra kept her close by, and he didn't trust either of them. Having a relationship with Falan might allow him to keep tabs on their movements.

"If you help us, we won't hesitate to lend you our assistance."

"Alright." He gave her a lopsided grin. Rurumu had taught him years ago that a well-timed smile was crucial to negotiations.

Falan nodded, pleased. "Just as I expected. I knew you of all people would understand."

"But not yet. When the time is right, I'll lend you my strength." This would allow him more opportunity to think about whether he intended to keep his promise. He had Thalia by his side, and she was happy. As far as he was concerned, that was enough. The rest of the ugliness in the world, he could fix by following the current. After all, the waves had carried him this far. Why should he turn back? He was beloved by destiny— a singularity. "Don't worry. I'll keep this discussion between the two of us."

It was better that way. Then, if he decided to go back on this promise, it was her word against his.

"Then, I'll take my leave." The smile fell from Falan's face. "But please remember one thing. One day, destiny will cause you to suffer. The one thing that can eliminate that possibility is your strength as a singularity. I believe you already have the knife that was given to Thalia." Her eyes darted down to where he had it tucked into his belt. "If destiny ever leads you to despair, and you wish to break free of its rules, use it. It is a metal vessel we created. It can't compare to a true djinn, but in your hands, I believe it will be able to cut through destiny. Please accept it as a symbol of our sincerity."

Then, with a final bow, Falan left the room. Sinbad sat on the couch, inspecting the dagger. As far as he could tell, Thalia had no special abilities or affinities, but with this, even she had been able to—

He shook his head. There was no use thinking about that. There was no point in thinking about any of it. He had spent his life believing destiny was driving him forward. His father's death, the horrors he had witnessed as a child when a spy from Reim had taken him hostage, even being tortured as a slave— if it hadn't been for a greater good, what was the point?

No. He slammed the knife into the table, splitting the wood. He had already come this far. There was no turning back now. He had to keep moving forward.


To everyone in my beloved Sindria Trading Company,

By the time you read this letter, my maids and I will no longer be there. I am truly grateful to you all. You sheltered us when we were being hunted and had no place to go. You admonished me when I continued to act rudely even though I knew I owed you a great debt, taught me to work hard, and welcomed me as a fellow employee. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

In parting ways, I must break the hearts of all those who looked after me, but please forgive me. Just as you have things you wish to do, I have goals of my own to accomplish. That is why I must go. I pray fate will bring us together again.

Goodbye,

Serendine.


6 months before the founding of Sindria

A few days after Falan's visit, Serendine had disappeared without a word. Thalia wished she could say she hadn't noticed. After all, they rarely ran into each other, and even then, their exchanges had been limited to avoiding eye contact in the hallways. So why was it that when Thalia thought about Serendine out on her own, her stomach churned? It irritated her, the fact that she was worried. Serendine was in her past. It didn't seem right that she would still have this kind of power over Thalia.

Get it together, Thalia. She shook her head, trying to focus on today's task. Amaltheia had given her permission to take on a greater workload, and Thalia was determined to contribute to the development of this country. She had arranged for a meeting with Sinbad and the others to discuss her proposal that investing in the education of citizens would ultimately benefit Sindria as a state. It had been a pet project of hers for a while now, and today Sinbad was supposed to hear out her case.

Carrying an armload of documents, Thalia trailed behind several of her coworkers as they headed to the boardroom. She juggled the necessary statistics in her mind one last time: the estimated cost for an education per household, the projected marginal benefit, the results from countries that had adopted similar policies—

From behind a pillar, a familiar hand reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her against a broad, familiar chest.

"Sin?"

He shushed her.

"What's going on?" she hissed, glancing around anxiously. "Is something wrong?"

He brought a hand to the back of her head and pulled her into a long, toe-curling kiss. Thalia melted into it, the numbers and facts she was supposed to recall rapidly dissolving into warm, fuzzy bliss. When Sinbad pulled back, it was with great reluctance that Thalia let him.

"No," he whispered. "I just missed you."

"I was literally on my way to see you." She giggled, making a feeble show of pulling away from him. When his arms wrapped more tightly around her in response, she let out an approving noise.

"There would have been people there. I can't kiss you in front of everyone." His lips pulled into a lopsided grin. "I mean, I could, but you wanted to keep things quiet."

"There are people waiting for us!" She held up her stack of papers to remind him she had been on her way to a business meeting— one that he was supposed to preside over.

"As your boss, I give you permission to show up late." He leaned in for another kiss, but Thalia hid her lips behind the papers.

"You're not a boss. You're a tyrant. Forcing your employees to wait while you make out with your subordinate is so unethical."

"Relax," he purred. "No one has to know."

"Everyone's going to know," she hissed, glancing around anxiously.

He laughed gently, trailing kisses down her neck. "You're the one that thinks it's fun to sneak around like this. I would gladly have you sit shamelessly in my lap while I work."

She did think it was fun. There was a sense of danger in keeping things secret like this— a nice, tolerable level. It was exciting, not terrifying. She wanted to forget her responsibilities and let him kiss her again.

"What about the meeting?" she asked as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"They can wait five minutes."

"I'm going to need a lot longer than five minutes," she whispered. Lifting herself onto the tips of her toes, she pressed her lips to his neck.

His eyebrows shot up. "Why don't we just cancel the meeting and you can give me a private presentation in my chambers."

As tempting as that sounded, the others were likely already waiting. It would be rude to not show up.

Pursing her lips, she made a counteroffer. "How about we go through with the meeting and you can have your private presentation afterward."

He let out an exaggerated sigh. "I thought I had you there for a second. Fine. Give your proposal. It's all a formality anyway. You know I can't say no to you."

His hand started to wander down her back, but Thalia caught him before he could grope her.

"I'd rather you treat me like any other employee when it comes to matters of business." She tried to muster a stern look, but it only elicited a laugh.

"You're not any other employee, though. No one else looks that cute when they're mad." His finger tapped her nose playfully.

She hummed dismissively. "I want to succeed on my own merit, not because the boss thinks I'm cute."

"Thalia," he whispered, letting her go. "I was teasing you. If anything, I'll be harder on you, so I hope you're prepared."

Swallowing, Thalia nodded. She wasn't prepared— not anymore. All the numbers had fallen out of her rattled brain once he'd kissed her. But, she no longer had time to re-memorize them. She would simply have to do her best.


"...For the aforementioned reasons, I believe providing free education to both boys and girls will be a boon to Sindria's economy and allow its citizens more opportunities to innovate and prosper in their own rights.

"I'm convinced," Hinahoho stated as Rurumu nodded in unison.

"It is a logical and well-thought-out argument," Ja'far conceded, a thoughtful hand resting on his chin.

Sinbad remained stony-faced at the head of the table. Thalia shot him an expectant grin, clasping her sweating palms in front of her. If the others unanimously agreed, her argument must have been airtight. There was no way he could turn her down.

"Won't it be a waste of money?" His fingers tapped on the table impatiently. "Wouldn't it be better for children to enter apprenticeships at a young age and master their art, rather than spend their days reciting tomes?"

Thalia tried to hide her anxiety with what she hoped was an eloquent reply.

"Education consists of far more than reciting tomes. In Attica, we taught mathematics, rhetoric, literacy, and arts. If not for a combination of these skills, I would not be here speaking before you today, nor would you be in the positions you are in. The wealthy have long claimed exclusive rights to these skills, forcing less privileged children to pursue whatever may be available to them. Sometimes, that only skill is pickpocketing. What education offers is the ability to explore one's own strengths and create avenues through which to channel those strengths productively, benefiting the country as a whole."

"So you would say it's an investment?" He leaned forward, his chin resting on his interlaced fingers. His gaze was so intense she had to will herself not to look away.

"Precisely."

His lips turned downward. Her answer hadn't pleased him.

"But that begs the question, what other investments should we subsidize, then? Should we also buy the wool for the weavers, since their output benefits the country as well?"

Thalia didn't see why not, but that wasn't the answer he was looking for. He was testing her. Lifting her chin, she tried to return his intimidating stare.

"Those are two separate topics that deserve to be dealt with independently. Educating children is not the same as paying for a weaver's wool, and I know you're too intelligent to believe otherwise."

His lips twitched. She had passed.

"Fine. I have one more issue with your proposal you must address."

"And that is?"

"I was born relatively poor myself, but I managed to attain an education." He raised a hand in the air dismissively. "If these children really wanted an education, shouldn't they also be able to make that dream come true with their own efforts as well?"

"I think we can all agree that your case is an extraordinary one. The fact of the matter is, most children will never capture a dungeon and set sail on adventures with a wonderful tutor like Rurumu to help them study. Most children are completely reliant on their parents to make decisions about their future for them, and there are hundreds of reasons why a parent would not be willing or able to provide a child with an education ranging from poverty to orphanhood."

Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair with a satisfied grin.

"You win. I'm not heartless, after all. Congratulations, Thalia. Your proposal sounds good. We'll have you involved in drafting Sindria's educational system."

Thalia let out a deep breath. She had done it. She had verbally sparred with Sinbad of all people and come out on top. As the others crowded around her, her eyes remained on Sinbad. Silently, he beckoned to her as he slipped out of the room. It seemed he still wanted that "private presentation."

"I- um- thank you guys, but I have to be somewhere. Right now."

She raced out of the room, heart pounding in its cage. Sinbad's room had become the site of their secret rendezvous, and everything they did in there was still new to her. Still, one step at a time, she was learning to let go of her anxiety and enjoy herself.

"Go ahead and close the door, Thalia."

Sinbad was already reclining on the bed, a smug grin pulling at his lips. Thalia locked the door behind her, and when she turned back around, he motioned for her to join him. Thalia hesitated, tucking her chin down shyly. He had a couch that they usually made out on, but it seemed today, he wanted to try something a little different.

He chuckled. "Come on, Thalia. It's just a bed. I won't do anything you're not willing to."

Timidly approaching Sinbad's outstretched arms, she willed her thudding heart to still. In the silence, it would make audible the feelings she refused to put into words. She couldn't tell him how she felt. It was too soon for that. Instead, she wanted to keep exploring these other feelings he'd awakened in her.

"As soon as I tell you to stop, you stop," she reminded him.

He smiled warmly, melting the last of her reservations. "Of course. You're in control here."

His arms encircled her, pulling her into his lap. When she turned her face toward his, the warmth of his breath sent chills down her spine. She didn't know if she would ever get used to these feelings, but it seemed unlikely. After all, every kiss burned like fire, consuming her with more intensity every time.

He lowered his mouth to hers, gentle and undemanding. As her fingers tangled themselves in his hair, she let out a small cry.

More… I'm ready for more.

He seemed to understand. As he pulled her closer, his tongue slipped into her mouth, hot and delicious. It prodded hers, and she followed his lead, flicking and stroking until he let out an appreciative moan.

Yes, she agreed silently. It does feel good. Really good. She never wanted it to end.

When they broke apart, Thalia fell back onto the mattress panting. Sinbad lowered himself to her side, stroking her hair.

"Can I tell you what I'm thinking?"

Thalia nodded, heat rushing to her face. Sinbad was so experienced in these things, and she'd never let him do more than kiss her with tongue. He'd probably done things she, sheltered as she was, could never imagine. But the idea of him confiding his desires to her sent a fresh wave of euphoria flowing through her. She didn't want to stay sheltered forever. It was time she started venturing out of her comfort zone.

"Go ahead. Say anything."

He smirked. "Right now, I have this fantasy that I'm your king, and you have to obey my every command."

She let out a small moan as his lips pressed into her neck. "That's… not a fantasy."

"It is for six more months." He sat up and winked. "Until then, your indulging me is entirely voluntary."

Thalia let out a breathy laugh as his hand found hers and squeezed. "You're talking like a tyrant again."

He leaned over her and nipped at her neck. "The first law I'm going to enact as king is that you're not allowed to talk back to me. I'll have Ja'far draft it as soon as I'm done with you."

"Then," She guided his hand to the fabric over her breast. This was new territory, but today she was ready to go just a little bit further. "I better keep you busy, huh?"