Kaetar wasn't very happy. It was an important day, his first meeting with the other rulers of Tellius, so his father would be very picky about any sort of imperfection with his outfit. Any wrinkle or crooked circlet would be glaringly obvious to him. He could barely remember the last time he wore the same clothes, and he was honestly surprised that they still fit him – he must not have grown much over the years and that disappointed him. After all, his mother would not have gotten something that was too big. His outfit consisted of a black silk tunic that was decorated with gold embroidery and beading. He had white leggings, leather boots, a red cape and of course, he had the gold circlet around his head.

He felt like it was suffocating him. He hated wearing anything that was constrictive and that was why he much preferred the baggy plain clothing that his father hated. If it wasn't expected of him to look rich, then he wouldn't even have bothered with any of it. However, no one would take him seriously as a king if he didn't look the part, so he had to enjoy the baggy clothing while he still could.

When Kaetar was ready to leave, Loiya was still sleeping with his head under the pillow. Kaetar pulled the curtains closed, trying to make the room as dark as possible for Loiya. He wasn't going to wake the poor guy up, even if he was feeling better. It was his day off and he deserved the extra sleep. He slipped out of the room and went to the meeting room to see his father before the meeting started. It was his father's wish.

The room was large but it was somewhat bare when it came to furniture and decorations, though it was only bare compared to the rest of the keep. Large windows lined one wall to let light into the room and they were decorated with plain silk curtains that were pulled back. During the winter, a fireplace kept the room warm but the mantle was empty, save for a single and probably expensive vase. Above the fireplace, there was a painting of four people which Kaetar knew to be the most famous of the four riders though which rider was which was beyond him. He never thought to ask and when he realized that, it struck him as odd that he never went to look it up. The meeting happened around a large, round table and everyone sat in ornate chairs. When Kaetar walked into the meeting room, his father was looking out the window with his arms folded in front of his chest.

His father didn't age well and Kaetar chalked it up to the stress his father had when it came to ruling a country. He was in his mid-thirties with his blonde hair going grey at the roots and his face had some wrinkles that made him look almost endearing and nice, though Kaetar didn't think he was as nice as he looked. His father turned around when Kaetar walked in. "That outfit makes you look like your mother. She always likes it when you wear gold, doesn't she?"

"She says it matches my eyes... speaking of mother, where is she?"

"She's still in bed. She has some sort of illness and hasn't been able to keep food down but we need to talk about the meeting before it happens. This will be the first time you meet the other leaders in Tellius formally as the prince. I know you are probably nervous but this will just be a sit-in. I need you to stay quiet. I don't want you to say anything that could offend everyone else."

Kaetar frowned. He didn't know if he should be offended or not. Why did his father think he couldn't take care of himself in front of other important people? He was old enough and educated enough to make decisions on his own but he had to be quiet? What was the point of learning everything he did if he didn't need to use any of it?

"And where's Loiya? He should be at your side or just outside the door. I don't pay him to be anywhere else," his father muttered. Kaetar bit his lips in order to prevent himself from saying anything too bad to his father. It was things like this that prevented Kaetar from seeing his father as a father – he was a king. He didn't like the way he treated Loiya, especially considering the fact that in the end, he did hire Loiya. Kaetar's preference obviously had something to do with it but his father could not deny that the fact that Loiya was skilled even if he did seem a little childish. Perhaps that was why his father didn't really like him. He was also a person who had limits and he reached his limit with that headache of his.

"I gave him the day off. He wasn't feeling well," Kaetar answered plainly.

"Maybe I should hire some help if he can't handle it alone," his father mumbled, taking a seat. He motioned for Kaetar to sit next to him and he did just that instead of making a fuss with his father. After all, it could wait until the meeting was over. He knew what the leaders generally looked like thanks to his father describing them a bit earlier in Kaetar's life. He also saw some of them in the halls sometimes with their bodyguards. King Tibarn was the first to enter and he immediately set his eyes on Kaetar and it took all Kaetar had to stay still in his seat instead of shrinking back. He was intimidating – he was large and Kaetar could see more scars than actual skin and each of them must have had a story.

"Hey kiddo," he mumbled as he slumped into a seat, his wings fluttering lightly behind him. "This is your kid?"

His father was about to answer when Skrimir entered the room, patting Tibarn's back as he sat down between Tibarn and Kaetar. Kaetar thought that Tibarn was intimidating but Skrimir was something else, especially up close. When he was far away, Kaetar didn't think much of him but as soon as he realized that Skrimir was probably more than twice his size, he did feel nervous around him, despite the goofy grin on Skrimir's face.

Serena walked in after him. She had long, dark hair that was pulled into a ponytail and she appeared to be in her mid twenties. She had a sleeveless dress that went a little past her knees and was light blue in colour. She had a darker blue shawl over her shoulders but he could see through it. It looked tasteful but also a little bit playful, especially the way she sat in the chair with a smirk on her face. Her eyes were grey, but they were also bright and they were kind of pretty.

Who he assumed to be Kurthnaga was next, sitting beside Serena who sat on the other side of his father. He looked out of place with his young appearance. He looked just as young as Kaetar did but his eyes showed wisdom beyond his apparent age. It was the reason why Kaetar could pick him out as the king of the dragon laguz because he doubted that any beorc that looked that young would have the experience that his eyes showed. He presented himself well too, sitting calmly and quietly with a straight back.

The last person who came in had to be Ramon. According to his father, Ramon was not much older than Kaetar was and Kaetar could see it. He looked very young, with pale skin and green hair that was pulled into a low ponytail that fell over one shoulder. His eyes were an icy blue, which looked quite odd with his green hair. His age and inexperience also showed through when an adviser came with him, sitting between him and Kurthnaga, who raised an eyebrow at the adviser. Perhaps Ramon was often on his own? Kaetar didn't think it was the young king's first meeting- he had to have some experience. Ramon cleared his throat.

"I was told by the two advisers I left at home that the rebellion requires my attention so I'm afraid this will be my last day in Daein," he mumbled.

"How bad is it?" Serena asked.

"They haven't done anything major yet aside from causing some unrest in Melior, but the advisers said that I should take care of it before they decide to do something bigger."

"Perhaps you should leave now if your advisers are worried," Kaetar's father said. Ramon looked unsure, but his adviser nodded in agreement.

"I'll do just that then. I'll see you guys later," Ramon said, bowing quickly before leaving the room with his adviser. Kaetar frowned but it was more than just his informality that worried Kaetar. Ramon didn't look very worried about a rebellion and well, that worried Kaetar. It could turn into more and the peace that everyone worked so hard for would be broken. But why was there a rebellion anyway? Did the Crimean people oppose to having Ramon as their king? He was pretty sure that was what happened the last time there was a rebellion in Crimea under Elincia's reign. It was something that he had read in passing since he was more interested in Daein's history more so than the history of the other countries. He knew the basics of their history, like how Micaiah and Empress Sanaki were sisters and the fact that the ruling families were distantly related was one of the reasons why Daein and Begnion were on good terms. He also knew the details where Daein's history became a part of Crimea's history and Begnion's history.

Either way, a rebellion just didn't look very good. He had to know what was going on.

When he left, Kaetar was the first to speak up. "What is the rebellion about?" He covered his mouth as soon as he realized that he didn't stay quiet like his father had asked him. He hoped his father wouldn't be very mad about it. He looked up at him, but his father didn't say anything, nor did he look angry.

"Crimea is suffering from... a religious divide," Skrimir muttered with a low growl, folding his massive arms over his chest. He didn't seem to be very happy about the turn of the conversation.

"What he means is that the citizenry and even members of the court are divided between following their hearts and following the law. As it stands right now, Ike is the recognized god in Crimea. They've dismissed Asheruna as the creator of beorc and laguz, so a small group of citizens are trying hard to revoke it. Crimea is alone in the belief but I have received letters from Ramon's advisers asking if I would consider Ike a god as well," Kurthnaga answered.

"And you're not the only one who got those damn letters," Tibarn said with a growl. He seemed annoyed, though Kaetar couldn't really blame him. Those letters would seem annoying and awkward, especially if they actually got more than one letter.

"So that's why he wanted to get out so fast," Kaetar muttered, earning a look from his father. However, his father didn't say anything to him, nothing to reprimand him. However, he suddenly felt a little dizzy. Tibarn said something but Kaetar couldn't catch it. He couldn't focus on his words, only that he was speaking.

"Father, I'm going to grab a drink," Kaetar mumbled. His father looked confused and concerned but he nodded and Kaetar slid out of his chair. The world spun again and Kaetar was vaguely aware of the feeling that he was falling but before he could feel the impact of landing on the floor, the world melted away.

It was dark out. He - or rather someone else – entered a large tent, carrying a bundle of rolled up paper in their arms. The tent seemed bigger on the inside than it did on the outside as a large table could fit inside of it. This table was surrounded by laguz and beorc. He could recognize a much younger Skrimir than the one he met and beside him was the blue cat laguz that he once saw in a dream. The other laguz he saw was Tibarn, though he didn't have as many scars. He supposed that he had had a lot more battles to come for him to get more scars.

"I'm late. My apologies."

"Ah! Here comes the great strategist! Don't be shy! Come sit next to me!" Skrimir exclaimed, patting the spot next to him. Eyes moved from the empty spot beside Skrimir over to an empty spot between a young man and an older woman. Kaetar recognized the man, an older version of the man in the last vision. It was jarring to see someone change so much. Was the last vision in the past and this one in the future of the last vision? The woman he didn't recognize but she looked nice. She had kind eyes, he noted, along with a long, red braid.

"Not even if you begged me," the stranger mumbled, moving in to sit between the man and the woman, putting the bundles of paper on the table as he did so.

"Soren!" the woman said. She was calm yet her voice was stern. It felt like she was a parent warning a child that he was about to get into trouble. She then looked towards Skrimir, sighing and shaking her head. "I'm so sorry. He's rude to everyone, especially strangers."

Skrimir pondered for a brief moment then frowned. "You still don't trust me?" he asked with a sigh. "Then I'll take the first steps. I admit that we won the last battle thanks to your cleverness. I underestimated the wisdom of the beorc. As a general of Gallia, you have my thanks." He certainly looked proud of himself, but 'Soren' didn't seem to want any of it. He looked at him for a moment before glancing back down on the bundle of papers on the table.

"...You're welcome."

When Kaetar came around, he was sitting up on the floor. His father was on one knee beside him, supporting his back with a firm hand. Kaetar was a little surprised by his kindness. When Kaetar didn't respond to his father's foggy voice immediately, his father shook him lightly, drawing Kaetar's attention. "Kaetar, can you hear me?" Kaetar could hear him a lot better this time but he still felt disorientated. He managed to turn his head and he could see the concerned look on his father's face. "Ah! You're back. How are you feeling?" His father sounded relieved.

"I'm still a little dizzy," Kaetar mumbled.

"You should go lie down for a bit. I'll talk to you when the meeting is dismissed for today," the king said. Kaetar nodded. He didn't need anyone to tell him twice. He didn't intend to faint in front of his father but the fact that he did made an convenient excuse to leave and get out of his stuffy outfit. As soon as the doors were closed, he took his circlet off and went straight to his room. He tossed the outfit onto the bed and changed into his common clothing, something that wouldn't look any different from something that a commoner wore. He also tended to walk around barefoot, but there wasn't anyone in the palace that really cared about that. Even his father occasionally walked around a little with his bare feet before deciding it was time for footwear. However, there were mostly only servants around and it wasn't their job to judge.

He went to his bookshelf and found a book with a blank cover. It was meant to be a journal but he never had a purpose for it until now. He didn't know why he was getting visions but he didn't want to forget any of the details because it could lead him somewhere. He took the ink to the paper and began writing. He started with the first vision, moved to the strange dream and was nearly done recording the one he had earlier that day when he heard shuffling behind him. Loiya groaned and then sat up, his chest bare. Kaetar swore he had a shirt last night– what happened to it?

"Did I sleep in?" he asked with a yawn.

"Yeah, I thought it was best for you to get as much sleep as you could," Kaetar muttered, continuing his writing. He could feel Loiya hovering behind him.

"And didn't you have a meeting to go to?"

"Father let me go early because he wanted me to get some sleep," Kaetar answered dryly. He was much too occupied with his journal to actually make it sound sincere. Suddenly, the journal disappeared and he looked behind him to see that Loiya was holding it high above his head. It wasn't fair because Kaetar was... kind of short and Loiya was kind of not.

"Then maybe you should take a nap," he said, placing the journal on top of the bookshelf. With the journal out of reach, Loiya went into the corner to go change into his armour. Kaetar always admired it and though he didn't always wear it, Loiya seemed excited to put it on. It was his uniform whenever anyone important was around and since he was a royal's bodyguard, his armour was custom made. It as the general shape of that of a regular Daein halberdier and it was black like most Daein armour was. However, it had red trimming, his jumpsuit underneath was red and so was a sash that had the Daein emblem on it. He had jewels on each of his gauntlets and decorative horns on his helmet.

It was the little things that made his armour unique, the little things that demanded respect and the little things that turned heads when he walked by in it. It was also meant to make him a target – the horns made him look different and important, but he wouldn't be found on the battlefield unless Kaetar was there.

"You need a nap too," Kaetar huffed.

"I already had one," Loiya said, sticking his tongue out. "I spent the whole day napping! I feel a lot better though, so I'm going back to work." He looked a lot better too. His colour returned – with the dark colour under his eyes gone – and he was full of energy. He reached for the journal, grabbed his lance, and with a wave he was out the door. Kaetar sighed. Loiya was going to guard his door and keep him in his room.

Most of all, he was keeping the journal away from him.

He supposed it was time for that nap, considering that he had no other option. He put everything away, then threw his quilt over himself. He never realized how exhausted he was, between the meeting and the vision he saw. He fell asleep quickly, and he didn't even dream. At least, he wasn't aware of it. He was suddenly shaken awake and he turned to find his father with his hand on his shoulder. He wasn't fully awake but he did remember that his father wanted a word with him. However, considering that he felt groggy and felt like he could sleep for a lot longer, he probably wasn't very capable of having that conversation.

"Kaetar?"

"Yes, father?" he asked.

"What happened? You've never fainted before! The last time you were sick at all was four years ago! How could that have happened?" He sounded worried but at the same time, there was an accusatory undertone to his words. Maybe the whole thing was embarrassing to him and he was mad about that. He didn't even want to meet his father's eyes because the whole thing was awkward for him too. He didn't know how to explain it and he didn't even want to talk about it.

"Kaetar, look at me," his father demanded.

"I don't know," he answered finally, his voice cracking a bit. He could see his father relax, and that usually meant that he was ready to drop the subject. Kaetar glanced at him and his father frowned a bit.

"The next meeting is in two days to give everyone a break. I know Skrimir and Tibarn wanted to explore Daein a bit. Rest up because I want you to feel better for the next meeting. It's important that you be able to get a sense of the problems that everyone brings up and that's why I need you to stay and listen. We'll try this again," Adrien mumbled.

Kaetar nodded and Loiya stepped aside, letting his father out of the room.

I didn't want to use in-game dialogue, but I realized that I didn't remember what was being said so well, and I was rather off, so I had to use them. I was also unsure about having Tibarn and Skrimir as the kings because I truly didn't know how long a laguz would rule for, but I decided to keep them so that there was still familiar characters.

Kaetar won't have visions every chapter, I think that would be annoying, personally.

AUGUST 22, 2015: This chapter has been rewriting with improved wording and grammar. Enjoy!