As the servant topped off his cup of tea, Basch briefly glanced at their unusual guest. Arthur was brought back to the palace with them, where the servants had finished assembling the afternoon tea. The five of them were now sitting on the private veranda overlooking the gardens, engaging in mild chatter while the servants finished serving the tea and cakes.

After a few more minutes, Gilbert waved the servants away. They immediately followed the order, leaving the group of five alone at their table.

"Now that we won't be overheard, Arthur," Basch suggested, "perhaps you can start explaining some things. What exactly is a nation?"

"Technically speaking, a nation is a stable community of peoples that share history, economic ties, ethics, territories, government and such," Arthur explained, "A nation and its group of people will usually have a claim to a territory, which is their home. They will choose their government and leaders, who create and manage the laws of how their community is run."

"So it's like a kingdom?" Kiku guessed.

"A kingdom is a type of nation, where the chosen ruler is deemed the supreme leader," Arthur described, "They hold all the power until their death and pass it on to their next of kin. Some nations choose representatives from the common people to lead them and make these decisions, without need for a king. They will also choose new leaders on a regular basis for these decisions, rather than relying on a single person and their descendants making all the rules."

"The people are trusted to make all these decisions?" Gilbert verified.

"Yes, your Majesty, the people work together for their mutual benefit," Arthur clarified, "I suspect this might be an unusual concept in this realm, I do not know the extent to which your Majesty governs Ixaidel. There is a Queen as the head of state in my own homeland of England, but her role has become more symbolic in nature over the years. The people debate and agree on changes to laws and management of the country, and she gives the Royal Assent to put laws into place."

"That's a strange concept indeed," Basch pivoted, "You referred to yourself and to us as nations, how does that work?"

"As you see, I look and seem very much like a regular person, but I am not," Arthur illustrated, "The entire purpose of my existence is to represent the people of my country, from the creation of the nation and community to its demise. I represent their traits in physical appearance, temperament and in diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. I do not age as a human does, nor do I permanently die of sickness or injury as they do. As long as the community lives in the territory that is their traditional home and identifies themselves as being that community, I live on."

"You don't die as humans do?" Ludwig verified, "How old are you then?"

"I am just over a thousand years old," Arthur reported, "My roots trace back to the Anglo-Saxons, who inhabited my island over a thousand years ago and united under one kingdom named 'England'. We nations see many name changes over the years, and various immigrant populations will travel through our territories, but we adapt and thrive as they make themselves at home in our land."

"How often do nations die?" Kiku inquired.

"It's hard to say, we have never been able to properly document any definitive nation deaths," Arthur explained, "Through wars or unions, many nations gain or lose independence, or are assimilated into another country. We have the stories of great ancient empires who once ruled the world, only for the empires to fall to the power of their enemies, and after some time the nations simply no longer exist. We do actually have an example here in the room."

"What do you mean by that?" Gilbert pried.

"In my own world, your Majesty, you have lost your nationhood," Arthur revealed, "The old Kingdom of Prussia has become part of the modern nation of Germany, represented by His Highness Prince Ludwig. We're not sure why our version of Gilbert has not faded from existence yet, but he has become more human over the years."

"What does that make of your world's Ludwig and Gilbert then?," Ludwig grilled, "Do they simply co-exist?"

"Yes, Gilbert is essentially Ludwig's elder brother," Arthur elaborated, "They do not share a bloodline, we nations never know our own parents or any details about our physical births. When Germany came into existence as the union of many independent German states, Prussia became his guardian and raised him as his brother. This type of guardianship and familial relationship is very common for us nations, there are many younger nations who were once in my care."

As Arthur finished speaking, a servant had slipped into the room, approached Gilbert, and gave the King a quick bow before whispering in his ear. The rest of them waited patiently, before Gilbert nodded at the servant and sent them away.

"The minister is here, we cannot cancel this appointment," Gilbert divulged, "I must say, Arthur, you have quite the interesting backstory. You should stay here at the palace for a while, and share some more of your curious stories. Unless Basch sees reason to object, of course."

"I'd be honoured to accept your hospitality, your Majesty," Arthur accepted as Gilbert stood up, "If I may ask, why are you allowing Basch to dissent your decision?"

"You are very perceptive, I'll give you that," Basch disclosed as Ludwig and Kiku also rose from their seats, "I see that you have been carefully choosing your words this whole time, but it's out of concern that we might not understand your strange stories. You have not lied to us, and are genuine in your attempts to be a polite guest. I see no reason for Gilbert to kick you out of the palace."

"So be it, we'll have the servants prepare a room for Arthur," Gilbert declared, "Basch, could you keep him in your company while we are in our meeting?"

"Of course, Gilbert," Basch agreed.

"Excellent," Gilbert said, "Arthur, we'll hear more of your stories at dinner!"

With that comment, Gilbert took his leave and followed the path of the servant, accompanied by Ludwig and Kiku. Within moments, Basch and Arthur were alone on the veranda.

"Well, it's a relief that you're not going to kick me out," Arthur commented, "Still, how did you know I was being genuine, if I may ask?"

"I have a question about your world, Arthur," Basch redirected, "Clearly there are supernatural forces at play that allow nations like yourself to exist, to defy death and to represent the world as you do. Is there such a thing in your world as magic?"

Arthur leaned forward in his seat, clearly excited at the mention of magic.

"There is magic in this world?" Arthur asked, "We only have folktales and stories about magic that we tell each other in my world, no clear proof of the existence of magic though. I'd be delighted to see what forms of magic there are in this world, no matter what interpretation you might have of it."

"Everyone in this world is born with some form of magic, known as a birth spell," Basch described, "For some, it is a magical trait that we can use in our daily lives. For others, this birth spell foretells something that will happen to us at some point in our lives. We often refer to helpful spells as blessings, and difficult spells as curses."

"So everyone is born with a bit of magic?" Arthur repeated, "I believe I understand what you mean."

"My birth spell allows me to watch a person and see their true intentions," Basch disclosed, "I can see whether their actions and words are hiding malicious plans or if they are genuine in humility and kindness. While you've been speaking this whole time, I've been judging whether or not you can be trusted, and you passed the test."

"That is certainly a useful birth spell to have," Arthur agreed, "Based on how well I know my world's version of Basch, I am not surprised you have such a strategic ability."

"Perhaps, while the others are in their meeting, you can tell me more about your world," Basch suggested, "What is my counterpart like?"