"Come on up, Tsuki."

Yato stared up at the man on the throne, feeling very much like a fish out of water. He'd felt silly dressing up in the frilled, well-pressed clothes the maidservants had brought him, but now , confronted by gold sceptres, flowing embroidered robes, diamond crowns that winked in the light, he felt ridiculously underdressed.

"Tsuki." The King patted the seat of the silver-hued throne beside his own, atop the carpeted platform in the centre of the room. They were alone, technically, apart from the guards ogling them from every doorway, but even so, it was a stage, and Yato had never been on a stage-

Yato nodded, throwing a jerky glance at Hiyori by his side, who bowed her head teasingly at him to lighten the mood. He flashed her a grin, appreciating it, and squeezed her hand once before letting it go. It'll be fine.

There was no reason to worry. He'd already spoken with the King in private, this hearing was only for show.

The thought cheered him up. He climbed the steps of the platform with unearned confidence, only hesitating for a moment in front of the empty throne, with its velvet cushioning, its delicate metalwork. Yes, the King was giving him a funny look, yes, the Queen was conspicuously missing, but this hearing was only for show, Hiyori was safe, and he would keep her that way.

The monarch's smile was strained. "Where's your crown?"

"My crown?" He plopped down onto the throne, crossing his legs. "Oh, I, uh-" I packed it in a rucksack to pawn off in case Hiyori resented me and I needed to leave the country. "It's in my room."

"What is it doing there? Didn't Chief Advisor Tenjin inform you what to wear to court?"

The King, like Father, preferred to use a jaunty, smiling tone when he was annoyed. Yato squirmed, resisting the urge to say yes, Father.

The monarch gazed at him a moment longer, pensive, before he clucked his tongue. "Right. We're lucky today's not the day I introduce you to the public." Unexpectedly, a hand landed on top of his head, ruffling his hair. "On to the subject at hand: Iki Hiyori, convict, informant, surrogate sorceress. It's good to see you on your feet again."

Hiyori, in her long, ill-fitting blue-and-white dress, gave him a deep bow, her thick brown ponytails tumbling to her front. "Thank you for the hospitality, your majesty."

"And the lack of chains, I expect." He quipped. "Still, don't be fooled. This is very much your trial, so to speak, and here is where I shall decide on your fate. Will you live or die? What is to be done with the first sorceress in public knowledge to enter our borders since the exile of Fujisaki Kouto?"

Yato was unperturbed. After all, this was all for show. He'd already taken care of this when they'd spoken last, he'd wrangled a promise from the King himself-

But, how valuable was a promise from a man with Father's smile?

He shook his head imperceptibly as they carried on. No, he couldn't let Father get in his head now, not after everything.

"You have been gifted with inhuman powers, Miss Hiyori." The royal continued, unflappable. "Abnormal magic, with equally abnormal consequences. I hope Tsuki has informed you of what these consequences entail?"

Hiyori nodded soberly. "Fujisaki."

"Fujisaki." He agreed. "And that is where our interests diverge.

"You see, when I took the throne, my first act as King was to create the shinki-tracking map, to ensure no wizard or shinki can attack someone in Takamagahara without alerting the palace. And that map, naturally, was finished just in time to catch my Head Sorcerer Fujisaki red-handed with a human sacrifice in the basement of this very building.

"It was my second act as King to exile him from this kingdom. My third act to deport every other wizard, innocent or not, across the sea, for the continued safety of my people, to strengthen our borderline against every registered magical threat there could be.

"Under my reign, Takamagahara became known as the Bane of Sorcerers, and for good reason. I have worked day and night to create a kingdom that can survive without them, so that if a wielder of magic threatens our safety, we may vanquish them without hesitation. Which is why, Iki Hiyori, outlaw, thief, nameless peasant, I must ask you the question:

"Why should I allow you to live, if it means I cannot vanquish the Evil Sorcerer Fujisaki?"

Wait just one goddamn minute.

Yato went cold. Goosebumps rose on his arms, he felt like he'd been punched in the gut. His heart ached as he stared at the King, that smile, Father's smile.

"What the hell are you saying?" He stood up before the bastard could utter another word, his fists white-knuckled at his sides. "You told me this was all for show!"

"Exactly what do you think my profession is, son?" There was a leer on his lips, snidely amused. "A showman? A playwright? I'm a King."

"I've already told you everything that happened!" He spat. "You swore not to hurt her-"

"I am not hurting her. I am having a trial. An opportunity for Miss Hiyori to-"

"She doesn't deserve a trial!" The black-haired boy insisted, feeling his hackles rise. "She sacrificed her life-"

"Hush, Tsuki." The monarch raised a palm dismissively. "I will not allow you to interrupt me in court, however monstrous your upbringing may have been." He sighed. "Try to learn something from this experience instead."

"Learn something?" He glanced at Hiyori, standing small and defenceless, wearing that innocent, perplexed look. "How could you-"

"Impartiality." Cerulean eyes gleamed like a snake's. "Justice, the precarious balance between right and wrong. These are good lessons for a prince to learn early." He smirked. "Tell me, how is the life of a petty thief worth enough to stand in the way of the execution of the vilest sorcerer in the land?"

"She's- she's-" Yato wrenched his thoughts together. There was so much to say, so much to put into words. Bravery, honour, kindness, righteousness. "She saved my life!"

There was a brief silence. "That is the opposite of impartial, my dear boy. Your tutors have their work cut out for them." He pursed his lips. "Though, yes, it is unfortunate, Iki Hiyori, that you will die if we cut out your heart. I hadn't expected your romp in the tower to turn fatal. Alas, you have my condolences in that regard, and in this one, unless you have reason enough for me to spare you."

He should've expected this.

Yato's heart was pounding a thousand times a minute. He should've known, he should've known not to trust this man, this king who called him his son, who claimed to be his father. He knew fathers, he should've known better.

But Hiyori had had no way of knowing. Kind, good-natured, well-meaning Hiyori with the earnest eyes and the lacy white dress, she'd trusted him, wisp-like, dead-eyed Hiyori who had placed her lips on his before she'd slashed his heart with a silver shard from a mirror cracked-

"I have a reason, your majesty."

Hiyori's voice rang out, cutting through the buzzing in his ears. The King leaned forward, pleased, fingers steepled under his chin.

"And that is?" He purred.

Her gaze was on Yato, giving him a once-over. Her cheeks were flushed red, hands clasped to her chest, right over her heart. Then, as if a switch had been flicked, she stood straighter, with a sense of purpose.

"Let me be your Head Sorcerer."

Yato froze, gawking at her. What kind of a cry for help was this? Father had been a Head Sorcerer, before his exile, and he'd been a thousand years old . Hiyori was an infant in that regard, and did she even know a single goddamn spell-

The King chuckled darkly. "Ah, yes, I expected this. Go on, Iki Hiyori, tell me why you would benefit us as a Head Sorcerer. The position's been empty for two decades, you see, and we've done fine without it."

Yato took a deep breath. This was a situation that needed saving the old-fashioned way.

"Your majesty. Er, Father. Did you know, in your kingdom, they cure blight by burying victims alive?" The black-haired boy announced abruptly, crossing over to stand in front of the monarch's throne. "Oh, I've toured this city, by the way. It's strange, most people don't share your bloodthirsty attitude towards sorcerers. In fact, I conned a dozen stallkeepers at the lantern festival by telling them I have magical stones that can cure blight!"

The King was unamused. His eyes had gone hard, just like Father's would've . "Sit down, Tsuki. This isn't your trial."

The boy grinned. What a coincidence, to have two fathers so alike. "So, as you can see, there's quite a demand for healing magic in the city. Both the poor and rich alike would appreciate having a medical sorcerer around to ease their worries. Lucky for us, we have..." He threw a hand behind him, gesturing at the red-faced brunette. "The perfect candidate! Iki Hiyori, product of a century-old family line of apothecaries, studying to be a healer herself, who's seen dozens of healing spells at work-!"

King Eugene got to his feet, then, his lips twisted into a bitter line. Yato faltered, but he had to keep talking, even if it meant a punishment on the horizon, a barrage of feverish words Father would agree to just to shut him up-

"W-we were planning to work together, you know! Me, Hiyori and my heart, to help the p-people of Takamagahara, she's that good-"

"Tsuki." The King's voice was final, more solid than Father's tended to be. "If you don't shut up, I'll have the guards escort you to your room."

His mouth was dry. No, he was supposed to continue despite everything, he still had to convince him to agree, but his hands were icy, his lips clamped together, his eyes prickling uncomfortably.

Father was supposed to be gone.

"This isn't your trial." The ruler repeated, peeved. "That's better. I'm sorry for the interruption, Miss Hiyori. You were saying…?"

Hiyori chewed on the inside of her cheek, silent.

"You wanted to be...Head Sorcerer?" He prompted impatiently.

Her gaze flitted up to him, narrow and cold. She lifted her chin. "No. Yato's right, I want to be a healer."

He blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"A healer. I want to serve the people." Her lips twitched up. "I want to set up an apothecary with a friend, I want to cure blight and serve the poorest on the street. I want my name to get out eventually, through word of mouth, until I'm the best apothecary in the kingdom." She gave Yato a smile. "Your majesty, I don't know any spells. I don't know the faintest thing about magic. I'm no candidate for Head Sorcerer, and I'm sure you know that." She sighed. "I don't know how to make myself valuable in your eyes. You're right, I'm a petty thief. All I can say is, I want to be someone who can give instead of take."

You already are! Yato shot forward again, incensed. "You're not just a petty thief-!"

"Yato, shut up for a second." There was a sad smile playing on Hiyori's mouth. "Seriously. I appreciate the gesture, but you're pissing the King off."

"But-"

The King snorted.

There was a momentary, shocked silence, as the ruler tipped his head back and guffawed. "Points for creativity!" He chortled, teeth white in a grin. "A sorceress wasting her magic on meagre blight, you'd have been more impressive if you'd said you'll be a professional outlaw again! So, you're telling me I should keep you alive so that you can heal the handful of people foolish enough to get themselves blighted despite the borderline protecting them? What a waste!"

A waste. Nora had said the same thing, he noted.

This was a lost cause, then. He wouldn't be able to save her like this, but he would save her. He still had his crown, packed away in that rucksack in his room. He would give up everything for her. He would break Father out of prison for her-

"But, I do suppose it will improve my image with the public."

Yato whipped his head up, that last shred of hope pooling in his gut. The King was rubbing his chin indulgently, eyes scanning the ceiling.

"A healing wizard for the poor, you say? Spend a few years studying magic and you can become a full-fledged charity wizard." He chuckled. "Yes, that would do me good, I think. A royalty-sponsored miracle worker set loose on the public, who will enhance the lives of my people and report directly to me everyday. How does that sound?"

The brunette stared at him with enormous eyes. "Y-yes! Of course, I-I'd love to, but-"

"Under ordinary circumstances, this wouldn't be enough. You are indebted to me, and you'd do well to remember it." The monarch replied bluntly. His eyes, blue as Yato's own, shuttered for a brief second. "And Tsuki. I'll be hiring tutors to teach you some manners before the public gets a look at you."

Yato hunched his shoulders, looking away. He couldn't dare believe his luck. He couldn't trust this man, his father who was, even now, glaring down at the brunette in his court, humourless for once, his eyes picking her apart bit by bit.

It took a few moments for the monarch to slump back into his throne, a couple more to flop a tired hand in their general direction.

"It's settled, then, Iki Hiyori. You know your role. Off to the dungeons with you, go give your lifeline some relief."