All remaining chapters are entirely new material from this year. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Where Flowers and Old Plans Wither

Ivan was tired of recording details of dying flowers.

He was not even sure why he continued. He knew they would not grow and he had already had success in the Barrens. Why did he persist with trying to nurture the sunflowers in rotten Ruthenia soil? Perhaps he was sentimental. A part of him had hoped he would be able to cultivate something new without the force of magic and energy, but what did it matter in the wake of his success in the Barrens? An exercise in futility, Master Yao would call it.

He felt anger again, anger that for so long he had kept at bay because he had less control when angered. And yet in thinking of old Master Yao's tedious lessons, of his greater successes, or how close he was to achieving his Vision, all he could feel was anger for the sunflowers that would not grow by his own skill alone. He stood up abruptly from his worktable and unleashed fire down on the dying flowers until they were nothing but an ash stain upon the wood. His mind cleared and he frowned as the red haze lifted. He stared and wondered why he had wasted Talent of any kind on something so meaningless.

Well, he did not wonder long. He knew what troubled him and brought him to anger so fiercely these days.

For one, the betrayal of his followers still stung. Eduard's complete defection and Toris' futile mutiny both inspired at the honeyed, poisoned words from Matthew Jones. He had not expected such actions from Eduard, and it surprised him how much it shook him. That, however, he could remedy.

But the other reason, the worse offender, was the fact that his brother, Alfred Jones, was not behaving the way he had envisioned when word of his brother's capture had reached him.

Ivan had not meant for his capture of Matthew Jones to be a secret. If he had, he would have scorched the neighboring houses until none were left to tell what happened. However, he had intended to be the deliver of the news through his agents, in a coordinated attack to weaken Alfred and his group, to refocus him away from Arthur Kirkland. He had not intended for Water to travel so far from home and deliver the news personally. He did not intend for this to be done before he could send Natalia to meet them at where they next made port. He did not intend to not know where that would be, as they began to cloak their location so not even Eduard could see, forcing him to rely solely on his spies.

He had not intended for the capture of Matthew Jones to push Alfred even closer to Arthur Kirkland.

And yet, that was had transpired. What little he did know of the Evangeline crew through the haze, what little he could see, was Alfred closer than before with Kirkland and the crew nattered on about 'love' between the pair.

Ivan was not without logic. He knew the only reason the Evangeline would be shielding themselves now would be because they believed they were making their way to him and Ruthenia. Natalia had mentioned Kirkland held a portal open she used to return home following her injury in Spandow, so he knew it was possible they had been able to spy enough to identify his location. He supposed he should not have made his home in such a recognizable mountain, but it was done now. And while Alfred was making his way to Ivan, it was not in the state he desired, and Ivan was not able to track precisely where they were.

Things were starting to spin outside of what Ivan could anticipate and control and he needed—needed—

Or.

Perhaps he needed to simply pivot instead. He sat back down at his worktable and steepled his fingers together, elbows resting in the ashy remains of the sunflowers, chin resting contemplatively against his fingertips. For his original plan to make his Vision a reality, he would need Alfred Jones, and perhaps that was still true. But perhaps there was another path forward.

Ivan was powerful, more powerful than any other Talentborn in the last several centuries, but even he had his limits. In order to channel the magic and energy he had accumulated over the years to change the very fabric of the Barrens, and with it, Ruthenia, he would need to expend an inordinate amount of power to do so. He was only one man and if he tried to tackle the whole of Ruthenia alone, he would die.

He was not unwilling to make this sacrifice, but if he died so early in his Vision, he could not guarantee anyone else in his flock would have the strength to see it through, to see Ruthenia restored and the Balance torn asunder.

This was why he needed Alfred Jones.

Ivan had not understood at first, what Alfred Jones' Talent was when he faced him down in his homeland of Columbiana. He had mistakenly thought it was strength, like he presumed Alfred himself did. It was not though, his failure to take his Talent confirmed that. Alfred Jones' Talent was like his. He channeled and stored energy, life itself, like a magnet. Constantly replenishing itself like a battery core from the most sophisticated factory in Herzliya. He had thought the Vargas twins to be unique and they were, but their energy was finite, inherited. Alfred Jones was the closest thing to a brother in magic Ivan would ever have. His Talent simply manifested itself as strength because that was what Alfred Jones, a young, headstrong boy who wanted to be a hero, wanted it to be.

The connection that lingered between them after his failed attempt, in addition to the strength Alfred still called upon, had informed Ivan completely. And that was also when he knew that Alfred was what he needed to ensure not only his Vision would come to pass, but that he could survive to see it through. He had hoped Alfred would come willingly, but he could admit after mistakenly taking his brother's Talent, that was unlikely. So, he had settled for Alfred coming after him, staying focused on Ivan, strengthening the connection that now existed between them due to Alfred's Talent so that when the time came to fully change the landscape for the future, he could tap into that connection and use Alfred to augment his own strength.

Ivan did not know if Alfred would survive the process, but he was confident that at least he himself would. He would also need Alfred physically present to increase the likelihood of success. That was why he had hoped to use Kirkland's Talent to compel Alfred when it was time. But he had not been able to take Kirkland's Talent either and now—

No, it would do him no good to focus on what was. Instead, he needed to think about how he could possibly use the current situation differently, so his Vision was still met.

Ivan took a breath and ran through what he knew. He knew Alfred was heading towards him, just not where he was. He could live with a certain element of surprise on his part. He knew that Alfred knew Ivan had his brother and would work to free him. He knew Alfred was strengthening his connection with Kirkland now, not Ivan, as already he could feel the bond, the stretch between them weakening. And he knew Kirkland still had his Voice.

"Brother Ivan!" Natalia cried, reverently almost, from outside his study door. "Brother, I have rooted through Eduard's belongings and have found nothing there for which could harm you or your Vision. His treachery was in its infancy and you squashed it before it could do harm!"

"Thank you, Sister Natalia. It has been difficult to bear his betrayal, but your support and help has been most useful these past weeks." Ivan spared her a smile.

"Brother, I would do anything for you."

Ivan paused at that.

Anything.

Anything.

Interesting.

"I have no doubt of that," Ivan responded. He felt even greater gratitude towards Natalia and the help she had just unwittingly provided for his problem. "Please return to your duties, I have plans to amend. Send Dmitri to me as soon as possible."

"Of course, Brother Ivan." And with that, she was gone, and Ivan could feel a new plan, his new path forward forming.

Love made hopeless fools of even the best warriors and strongest souls. His dear Natalia was proof of that at times. But, if leveraged correctly, love could be useful. It could inspire the correct action needed. It could inspire someone to do anything for whom they loved. Alfred would come for his brother and once he was here, he would join Ivan willingly, with the right leverage. The right push.

And then, perhaps Kirkland could be useful after all. Even more so if he could bring his Talent it to bear. Ivan smiled and felt relaxed for the first time in weeks.

He was still smiling when he heard a knock at his door again and looked up to see Dmitri waiting for him. "Brother Ivan, you asked for me?"

"Yes, Brother Dmitri, I did." Ivan beckoned Dmitri closer and shut the door to his study behind him. "I am in need of your services."

"Say it, and it will be done."

"I need you to go on a hunt. I believe the Evangeline crew are inland and somewhere on their way here, in the Byzantium. I do not wish to stop them. But I do wish to know where they are, who is with them, and most importantly, if the Siren is using his Talent in any capacity." Ivan watched Dmitri absorb these tasks with resolution in his eyes. "It is imperative that you are not detected, as I wish for them to believe me ignorant of their approach."

"I understand, Brother Ivan. I can stay in my wolfskin for days at a time and track them easily enough through the countryside and cities."

"Good. Do not tell the others where you are going or your task, it is possible they have infiltrated part of our network. Be ready to leave tonight under the cover of darkness. Use ravens to send me back information."

Dmitri nodded and with a fist to his chest in deference, he was gone. Ivan knew he could depend on Dmitri to give him the answers he needed. He was a dedicated boy when he joined his following and was now and even more dedicated man.

Feeling light and hopeful for the first time in days, Ivan got up and left his study, determined to show his followers his smile and kinder side after having precious little to be happy for the last few weeks. He knew they would appreciate it.

He also knew he would need to see Eduard as well. Perhaps things would never be mended between them, but he would have them make peace. Even betrayers had a part to play in his Vision.

Matthew was not sure how long he'd been left alone after Ivan's last visit, but it was long enough for bruises to heal and the swelling in his eye to go down. He was grateful for that at least.

After he'd last seen Ivan, he'd been left alone. No lackeys roughing him up, no Natalia and no Ivan.

Considering he really thought he was looking down getting killed in the wake of Ivan discovering their little 'rebellion', he should have been relieved. But mostly, he just felt a sense of foreboding—like something bigger and worse was looming on the horizon. Maybe it was the solitude and the confinement making him paranoid, he had been a prisoner for months now, but still. A quiet Ivan wasn't something that made him feel comfortable.

He was curled up on his cot when he heard sound outside his door for the first time in weeks. He sat up straighter and tensed in preparation for whatever was on the other side, but he uncoiled in confusion when he saw Oksana of all people coming into his cell. Coming in with blankets, what looked like a bag of different toiletries and a bowl of soup—while he was hungry, he felt like he honestly might cry at the site of a brush and some soap.

"Hello Matthew," she said in her quiet, motherly way. She set down the soup and handed him both the blankets and the bag of hygiene products. Her short, light blond hair fell around her round, friendly face before she pushed it behind her ears in an almost nervous move. Matthew stared at her for a second before snatching what she'd brought and starting on the soup.

"Oksana. Taking a big risk, aren't you, fraternizing with the enemy?"

"No, Brother Ivan knows I am here. He knows he let his anger at your and the others' actions get the better of him. I know you probably do not believe it, but he is sorry."

Matthew barked out a cold laugh. "I doubt Ivan has ever felt sorry about a damn thing he's done in his life, let alone tossing me around."

She blinked big, blue eyes at him, and he rolled his eyes as he worked on finishing his soup. Matthew didn't care about hurting her feelings—she wasn't a monster, but she still followed one. She sat down across from him, in a chair Ivan often took whenever he wanted to have an intimidating chat with him. She seemed to shrink into it, despite her height. "I know you have not been treated well while here. I have often warned Brother Ivan that you cannot force understanding or family, but he does not always understand that."

"Guess he just doesn't get that people are even less likely to be friends with someone who kidnaps, tortures, and regularly threatens their only remaining family? Poor, misunderstood despot, all he wants is a friend," Matthew responded coldly. "Listen, if you think I'm open to listening to your whole 'Ivan-is-really-a-great-guy-give-him-a-chance' spiel at this point, you really haven't gotten the measure of me. Thanks for the soup and soap, you can go now."

Oksana's eyes filled with tears and Matthew had to tamp down that nagging feeling of guilt at the sight. He refused to feel bad for any of these people. "That is not why I am here. I am only here to make sure you are all right—I asked that your care be turned over to me going forward."

Matthew was silent in response before he shrugged at her. "Do you want a thank you?"

"No! No, I just—you need your rest, I will be back later with dinner." She looked flustered, tears spilling over and tracking down her cheeks. She didn't look at him as she wiped at her face and gathered up his empty soup bowl before heading towards the cell door.

Matthew couldn't help himself. He didn't want to listen to anything about why Ivan was sorry, but he also didn't want to be in the dark and he couldn't deal with causing anyone any pain, even if he should. And for all her faults, Oksana did seem to have a kind heart.

"Is Asmin ok?" he asked. She paused at the door and met his eyes, a silent acceptance stretching between them as she understood Matthew's olive branch for what it was. She sat back down and gave him a small smile in return before she nodded.

"Yes, she is fine. Ivan would not hurt her."

"You never know, he's hurt lots of little girls and boys. Friend of mine has a sister who looks about ninety thanks to your guy." Matthew volleyed back.

Oksana let out a heavy sigh. "He has a heavy burden—Asmin is all right. She is confined to her room and lessons right now, as punishment, but nothing else. Same for Raivis. Ivan knows children can make mistakes, just like adults."

"Speaking of, how are Toris and Eduard? They get the same treatment as me?"

"They are also fine," she answered. "Brother Eduard was released earlier today. Brother Ivan forgave his trespass and Eduard has committed himself to our cause again. Toris is—Brother Ivan perhaps realizes it was too much to ask that Toris join our cause and family so easily. He was brought to us as you were."

"By force. Not your 'Brother' anymore then?"

"Toris is healthy, but until Brother Ivan's Vision has begun, it has been decided it best he remain confined, like you, until he can appreciate all that we are trying to achieve."

Matthew scoffed. "Ah yes, saving the world. I heard that one earlier."

Oksana frowned at his flippancy. "It is not a lie. I understand that it can be hard to accept, but this world is broken. People all over Ruthenia and the world suffer from a force that does not value the good in the world. You were lucky to be born to a loving family and community in the bountiful lands of Columbiana. Not all people are so fortunate."

"People like you?" Matthew asked after a second of hesitancy.

Oksana smiled at him sadly. "People like me are everywhere, especially in Ruthenia, and only Brother Ivan saw our suffering. That is why we flock to him and believe in him. And that is why we accept that for great change, great sacrifice is required."

Matthew shook his head. "That's easy to say, when it's not you or him doing the sacrificing. Lily deserves to live a full, healthy life. Toris deserves to live with those he loves. I don't deserve to be stuck here and scared to death for my brother and why Ivan wants him so fucking bad. None of us deserve what his actions are doing to us. Haven't you just transferred your suffering to us now? What's great about that?"

Oksana opened her mouth to respond, but didn't find the words, and her bright, faithful expression retreated. She bit her lip and silence breached between them again. She sniffed and got up—well, looks like that was that, Matthew thought. "You are tired. Please, get some rest and let me know anything else you might want for grooming. I can help you cut your hair if you like."

She gave him one last, kind smile, waiting for a moment as if he was going to respond and thank her for the offer, before she sighed and headed out the door. Matthew watched her exit long after she was gone, trying to reconcile how someone who was so kind and caring could be so blind to Ivan and how fucking selfish and awful he was. He got most of the followers here, the ones like Natalia and Vladimir and Kartlos. He did not get Oksana.

He looked at the toiletries she brought and noticed she had also left a small basin of clean water. He was not ashamed that he honest to gods whimpers at the sight. After his face and hair were washed, he combed his hair back before he took one of the leather bands she included and wrapped it in a bun on top of his head—his hair reached past his shoulders and brushed along his back now, the longest it had ever been. It felt nice to get it clean and off his face. He used the rest of the water and soap to give himself a quick sponge bath before he bundled back up in his dirty clothes and grabbed one of the blankets Oksana left. He was cleanish, his hair no longer matted, belly full, and actually warm under the blanket.

It was without a doubt the best he could remember feeling in a long time.

He dozed off for a little that afternoon and when what he assumed was evening fell, he heard Oksana outside his cell again, with the promised dinner. He made to get up from the cot so he could grab his food as his cell door opened. When he looked up to see Oksana enter though, he felt his breath hitch in surprise.

Because it wasn't Oksana.

It was Eduard.

Matthew stared with what he was sure was a stunned expression but did not make a sound as Eduard stepped into the room with his dinner (more soup but this time there was bread so win for variety) and shut the door behind him. He pressed a finger to his lips; Matthew had a ringing sense of déjà vu and almost wanted to punch Eduard in the face and shoo him out before they were caught, yet again, and accused of some new treasonous plot. Matthew was not looking for anymore attempts at playing hero after their last, disastrous round. He had learned the hard way it best to leave the hero playing to Alfred; it was what he was good at. Matthew, not so much—as recent events proved out, he was apparently better at the 'being used as bait for the dashing hero' bit.

They stared at one another for a beat before Matthew felt ready to explode and ignore Eduard's warning to be quiet, but then he pulled something out of his coat, something that was buzzing, and placed it by the cell door. It looked to be a simple strip of paper, but there was something written on it, some sort of ward, and it was glowing. A spell then—Matthew wasn't aware Eduard knew how to do spells like a sorcerer or witch. Eduard watched the warded paper for a moment and then nodded, looking back up at Matthew with s grim look of satisfaction.

"A gift from Asmin. She knows some basics of spellwork through her lessons and gave us something that should drown out our discussion for a few minutes. She developed it from her own Talent apparently, says it sounds like a buzzing and people who walk by it are consumed with their own thoughts as opposed to what they might otherwise hear."

Matthew's gaze flicked between the warded paper and Eduard and then glared up at Eduard, helplessly. "And you thought it was a good idea to drag her back into this mess?! She's a kid, Eduard, and we're lucky Ivan apparently has a soft spot for some of them because otherwise who knows what he would've done to her! I didn't exactly get the royal treatment and neither did you or Toris!"

Eduard held up his hands in a placating gesture and Matthew was about to tell him to shove it, but Eduard got talking first. "I know, I know things didn't go well before, but this couldn't wait. I didn't have a chance to tell you or Toris before, and Toris is being kept locked tight—I was only able to get to you by appealing to Oksana and arguing I should apologize to you for what happened. Asmin will be ok—she'll be ok as any of us will be until Ivan starts to execute his Vision, which I fear he's going to do soon. I need to tell someone else—I can't be the only one who knows."

Eduard whispered the last bit harshly, his eyes bright in the fading light of his cell. It was more emotion than Matthew could remember seeing from him—he was terrified, and it vibrated off him. Terrified of both what he knew and the possibility of no one else knowing it, should something happen to him. And Matthew was his only option.

"I don't have time to convince you, Matthew, you just need to listen." Eduard spoke swiftly, his accent sounding heavier in Common than usual. "Ivan took me with him on his last trip north, you know this. We went to the Barrens and he, he did something to the land there."

He paused, closing his eyes to recreate the memory, before continuing. "He took the stones containing energy, magic, and Talents and he took in all of that power and put it into the wasteland and the Barrens changed, Matthew, they literally morphed into a different landscape from the energy he forced into the earth. Grass grew and sunflowers popped up all around us, but none of it was natural, the grass was too sharp, to vivid, and the flowers were every shade of color. And it felt—it felt wrong."

Eduard's eyes snapped open and Matthew almost wanted to take a step back because he looked feverish, manic. Very un-Eduard like. "Aren't the Barrens a wasteland though? Shouldn't it be good if things can grow there?"

"No, because it isn't happening naturally, it's being forced. Those lands are ravaged with old magic from Ruthenian wars during the fall of the Empire and Ivan isn't do anything about it, he's just forcing it to coexist and butt up against the new energy and magic he's pushing there."

Matthew wasn't the most learned person when it came to magical theory and energy flows through the ley lines of the world. He'd been Talentborn, not gifted with channeling magic like a sorcerer or witch. It hadn't made a lot of sense to learn about how magical energies flowed through the Balance beyond the basics when he could instead focus on learning how to hone his Talent and the magic he'd been gifted with at birth.

Still, he knew enough, and could infer the rest from Eduard's frantic tone, that what Ivan was doing wasn't going to lead to anything good. Forcing the Barrens to change via new magic without doing anything for existing magic already there was just going to make things worse. It was one of the basic principles he did know: the space where magic resided or occupied was not infinite so if you wanted to add magic to something where magic already existed, you would need to do something to make space. It was like getting into a full bathtub; to make room for you, the water had to go somewhere. Oftentimes, to his mother's chagrin when he and Al had been little, it went over the side of the tub and onto the floor.

Piling new magic on top of angry, trapped magic, magic which was the whole reason the Barrens existed today as a noxious wasteland, and not giving the excess magic anywhere to go…

Well, Matthew could understand Eduard's concern, even if he didn't understand the specifics. "So, that's not good, right?"

"No, it's not. The magics and energy are warring with each other," Eduard glanced down at the spelled paper and Matthew noticed the buzzing noise had drastically decreased in volume. The spell was about used up. "Ivan grew the meadow and the sunflowers with a handful of stones—he has thousands stored up, full or magic and energy. If he keeps forcing new magic into the earth at the Barrens, the Balance isn't going to be able to handle it."

Eduard grabbed Matthew's hand with both of his and whispered harshly. "I don't know why Ivan has freed me and allowed me to move around the fortress again, but I don't believe it's because he has forgiven me. And if—if I'm not here when your brother and the others arrive, you need to tell them what's happening and what's at stake. Promise me, Matthew."

"Yeah, of course I will," Matthew reassured Eduard, who took a shuddering, but calming breath at his agreement. Eduard bent over and picked up the now defunct ward off the ground and stuffed it in his coat as he made his way out the cell. He paused before he exited and met Matthew's eyes again, a solemnness there that Matthew had never seen before.

"I'm sorry, Matthew, for everything that's happened. And everything I fear's going to." And with that last, cryptic apology, Eduard was gone, the cell door clanging shut with the snick of a lock.

Matthew sat down on his bed, mind miles away (with his brother trekking towards him and Ivan, in the Barrens where sunflowers bloomed, back home in an overflowing bathtub) as he watched the steam from the soup fade as it went cold.

-Bloom- A red poppy unfurled in his hand.

"Good, Arthur-san."

-Change your petals- The poppy faded from red to orange, flickered brown, and then settled on yellow.

"Be sure you don't confuse it; be clear with your intent."

Right. -Return to your True state-

The poppy changed from yellow back to red. Arthur smiled in triumph and met Kiku's eyes before he finished. -All the way, back to the Start-

The red poppy looked to collapse back into itself, growing in reverse until it was again a seed resting in his palm, just as it had been at the start.

"Excellent, Arthur-san," Kiku said as Arthur handed him back the poppy seed. "You have made exceptional progress in using your Voice over the past week. Do you feel any strain or fatigue?"

Arthur shook his head.

"All right. Let us try one more thing before we head out. I know the captain was looking for us to depart as close to midday as possible to take advantage of the afternoon traffic in Stamboul in our departure, but you are packed, yes?" Arthur nodded—he had packed the night before, knowing he and Kiku would have limited time to practice his Voice before they headed out.

Now that he had found his Voice and could actually use it, he was as eager to practice it as a little boy on his Name-day, looking to start unwrapping gifts. It was not just the feeling of usefulness he felt at being able to use his Voice, or the hope that they now had a powerful tool to meet Ivan with, though those certainly did play their part in his zeal. It was not even the way Alfred had been looking at him not-so-subtly ever since Arthur had shared that he'd used his Voice, with a proud kind of awe and admiration that made Arthur feel wanted (and powerful if he was being honest).

In truth, he wanted to practice his Voice as much as possible because reaching out to it, to the magic that manifested as his Voice, was like taking a deep breath after holding his breath for years. He had been so afraid of using it growing up, of someone seeing him or his family abandoning him more than they did already, he had barely used it and kept it tamped down deep inside himself. Using it now, he felt a bit like the poppy he had just convinced to grow and blossom, unfurled and unhindered by his self-imposed shackles. He understood better what the rest of the crew had been longing for, imagining life after Ivan and Talents restored.

He had never felt freer or more himself in all his life.

Arthur was keen to get as much practice as possible and test out the limits of what he could do. Thus far, there had not seemed to be any. If anything, it was more figuring out the right way to get what he wanted to happen across, but usually once he figured that bit out, what he wanted to happen, it did. On top of that, he did not seem to tire with what he had done with his Voice yet—even after that first time with the acorn, he had not felt so much as light-headed, which looking back, was a little odd given how exhausted he'd been with the mob or in the Nords. Granted, he guessed flowers and acorns were not on the same scale as creating a beam of light from nothing.

Though, Kiku did not think what he had done in the Nords was much different than what he was doing with flowers. According to his theories, using his Voice in both circumstances was essentially the same, as Talents were not like spellwork sorcerers practiced and different spells required different levels of skill. He thought that any fatigue Arthur had felt from the 'larger' acts he'd performed was more to do with drawing more from himself, his own will to quote Kiku, not because the acts themselves required more effort. Arthur was not sure there was much of a difference in his mind, but he did know he was not interested in debating the nuances of magic theory with someone who clearly outpaced Arthur's own knowledge on the subject.

Still, Arthur knew from talking with the crew that their respective Talents had not worked quite the same as what Kiku was describing, or what Arthur was experiencing. Gilbert had enhanced hearing, but he could not hear things that happened outside a certain radius. Francis' Sight came when he specifically called it, but even then, it was a snapshot and it could be blocked, like they were doing with Kiku's masking spell. Esther's speed was incredible, but she did have a limit to how long she could run at her top speeds. Alejandro had been able to spit flames with his Talent, but he could not create like an inferno or anything.

Arthur had guessed his Talent was different from not only the crew, but most Talentborn people, the fact that Ivan had taken it had given him that clue months ago. However, it was becoming clearer in the last few days he had practiced it with Kiku just how much different he was, how different his Voice was. He tried not to get too caught up in those thoughts though—he was determined to not be afraid of his Talent anymore.

Kiku went over to his desk and grabbed what looked like a small tree branch, no longer than his own forearm and only a few inches thick. The wood was light brown and there were long, green leaves all down the branch and white flowers that had a clean, sweet smell that Arthur found pleasant. It looked like it had been broken off a tree not that long ago. Kiku sat back down and handed over the blossoming branch over to Arthur, who took it without question. "This is a branch from an almond tree, a common tree to this area. Have you ever seen one before?"

Arthur shook his head no. Kiku smiled and continued. "I thought not, they are not native to Britannia, though I am sure you have had almonds, as they are commonly exported all over the world. I've always been quite fond of them—they remind me of the cherry blossom trees of my home, though I do admit I used to like the smell of almond blossoms more than the cherry blossoms."

Arthur nodded and waited for Kiku to arrive at whatever task he was looking for Arthur to do with the almond branch. Not that Arthur did not mind when Kiku shared details of his life pre-Evangeline, but they did have a limited window before Seychelles inevitably shouted at them to head out.

"I am guessing you are also not familiar with a cherry blossom tree, Arthur-san?" Kiku finally asked.

No, Arthur mouthed while shaking his head.

"I thought as much," Kiku nodded before meeting Arthur's eyes. "Try to change the almond branch into a cherry blossom branch."

Arthur stared at Kiku for a moment. I don't know what a cherry blossom tree looks like. How do I—

"I'd like to test a theory. I do not think it should matter you do not know what one looks like. They exist in this world, in the same Balance as the almond tree. Perhaps that is enough for your Voice to do the rest."

Arthur swallowed down the automatic denial he felt crawling up his throat, shutting his mouth with an audible click of his teeth. He looked back down at the branch before he straightened his shoulders back and closed his eyes, focusing on the well of warmth inside him where his Voice bubbled up from. He thought about how he wanted to phrase his order, what might work best if he did not know what it was supposed to turn into and could not visualize it. It would need to be longer than what he had done with the poppy. He felt the now familiar buzz settle in his chest before he spoke with his Voice and hoped for the best.

-Change your nature, become part of a cherry blossom tree instead-

He felt the branch under his fingers warm for a moment before he felt it vibrate with whatever changes it made to comply with Arthur's request. He opened his eyes and found the branch was now dark brown, almost black to the eye, and the green leaves were gone. Instead, the dark wood was covered in delicate, pink star-shaped blossoms and small pink buds all jutting out from the branch on dark pink stems. Well, it certainly had changed—the scent had even changed, the pink blossoms giving off a light floral scent that was completely different than the almond blossoms. Arthur had never seen anything like it and reached out to touch one of the pink blossoms before looking up to meet Kiku's eyes—he was looking at the branch with a mix of nostalgia and satisfaction.

"Yes, well done, Arthur-san." Kiku held out his hand and Arthur handed over the branch, almost sad to see the charming blossoms get placed within one of Kiku's bags, out of sight. "As I thought, if it exists under the Balance, your firsthand knowledge is not necessary on something to still make it so with your Voice—"

Banging on Kiku's door halted anything else he might have said, as they both looked up to see Alfred in the open doorway, frowning at them both. "You guys are still at this? Chelles wanted to head out like fifteen minutes ago! Come on, you can practice your awesome powers later, Artie, you wait any longer, Seychelles is gonna start hitting! Kiku, come on, let's go, let's go!"

Arthur rolled his eyes as Alfred helped him to his feet, but he could not stop the brief smile from the way Alfred's hand lingered on him for a moment, gently brushing down his arm before Alfred handed him his bags. Arthur followed out after him, giving Kiku a look before the kitsune waved him off to grab his packed bags and follow. He sidled up next to Alfred for the brief time they could before separating on their way out of the city. Alfred gave him a soft smile.

"Practice go good?"

Yes, Arthur responded with a small grin. I think I'm ready to run my own flower shop at this point.

Alfred laughed; it was a clear bright thing that made Arthur's heart stop for a moment. "Flowers over a bookshop? What will all those old, moldy books say?"

Arthur smacked him as they made their way down the stairs, not quite able to look as annoyed as he wanted to. Oh shut it, you wanker. No reason why I couldn't do both, run a shop that's half bookstore and half florist. I'm sure it'd be all the rage.

Alfred leaned over and gave the side of his head a quick kiss and responded quietly, "Of course you could. You can do anything you want to, Artie."

Arthur didn't have a chance to respond before a red-faced Alfred hurried off to join Gilbert and Basch but he did duck his head down and hoped how warm his ears felt wasn't indicative how flushed his own face was. He refocused his attention away from Alfred's soppiness and to their merry band all gathered up in the inn. Feliks was with them now, looking completely unimpressed as he surveyed the group, blond hair pulled back from his face, hip cocked to the side and arms crossed over his chest as the crew, admittedly, did not adhere to their disguises well. He caught Arthur's gaze on him, stared back in steady challenge before he turned back to the group, clearly at the end of his patience.

"Ok, we're all, like, down here and ready to go. Anytime you all want to get on with our whole mission would be totally awesome." Arthur did not think he'd ever quite get used to Feliks' brand of speech, but he did admire the sheer sarcasm laced through his every word.

Seychelles looked to Sadiq and gave a brief nod when he gave a grunt of some kind. "All right, let's head out! Remember, game faces, not everyone is as easily distracted by coin as our dear innkeeper. No unnecessary attention as we make our way out of the city."

And with that, they were off, off and out of Stamboul, Anatolia, and on to Bulgar.

And Ivan.

Without entirely meaning to, Ivan became Regina George. "Alfred, why aren't you so obsessed with me?" The poor, misunderstood despot.

Next update on 6/10.