Author's Note: The Interview

Athena swept a brush through her quills one last time and adjusted her crown, then looked back at Mortesen sitting on a sofa in the Royal chamber.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Athena?" he asked, tugging at his collar as if it was too tight. "I've never done an 'interview' before. What exactly is the point?"

"It's just a way for the kingdom to get to know us better without having to interact with us directly, that's all," she replied, going over to sit beside him. "The letter said she would be here promptly at noon. I just wish she'd told us more than her name."

"Well, if I have to do this, I hope it's over quickly."

Before she could comment, there was a shuffling noise from the balcony and her husband shot to his feet. Someone threw a leg over the railing and then pulled herself up, breathing hard from the climb. She clambered over and hurriedly straightened, brushing the wrinkles from her blue-jean skirt and shoving a loose tangle of brown hair behind one ear.

"Your Majesties," she curtsied in a way that said she hadn't had very much practice at it. "Sorry about the entrance. The guards outside called me a furless giant and wouldn't let me in, so I had to get a bit creative."

Mortesen and Athena exchanged a look, wondering what sort of creature she was. Nearly two feet taller than themselves and without any hair aside from the tresses that fell loosely to her waist, neither of them had ever seen anything like her in Cosium.

"You're the…ah…"

"The reporter, yes. My name is Janika and I'll make this quick so that you can get back to your business and I can get back to mine, agreed?" She started to sit down but then snapped upright, cheeks turning a shade of pink. "Um… Do I wait for you to sit down first or does it matter?"

The king gestured to her chair and rejoined his wife on the sofa. "You had some questions for us?"

"Yes, just a handful." Janika crossed her legs and set a notebook on them, pulling out a pencil. "Now, then. First things first. There was a bit of kingdom-wide upheaval that started a few months after your wedding. Can you give some details?"

He looked guilty. "Yes, unfortunately. I sent a missive to every town and city, removing the barons from their prominence. They were to be treated the same as any other citizens of Cosium and were now answerable to whomever the town elected to be their representative, or Elder."

"Sadly several of the barons tried to pretend the new law didn't apply to them." Athena stroked his arm in a comforting way. "Things got out of hand very quickly in those cases and mobs stormed the manors, killing many families. Once news came out that this had happened, with even the barons' own soldiers turning against them, suddenly the nobles realized how vulnerable they were. The only ones who didn't flee to the cities were those who had treated the peasants fairly. They were few and far between, though."

Janika busily jotted down notes as they spoke. "But surely you couldn't let the peasants get away with murder."

"Of course not. But they felt justified in their revenge. In the end we punished them by restricting their resources and having three squads of soldiers occupy those towns for a year. It was enough of a deterrent that it kept things from getting out of control elsewhere."

Janika tapped the pencil against her lips momentarily. "I've heard about a pet project of Queen Athena's. Ah… 'Little Marcuria', I believe?"

"Marcuriana," the blue hedgehog corrected. "Traditionally a new queen is given a large tract of land to build a manor that will later go to any of her children that do not inherit the throne. I decided instead to offer the land as a safe haven to any Marcurian citizens who lost their homes during the war and have nowhere else to go. Mortesen promised that if more of my people come than that area can sustain, he'll set aside more territory for them."

She leaned against him slightly, fingers intertwining with his. Janika was too busy scribbling to notice the tenderness between them, asking her next question without looking up.

"And what about the continuation of your story?"

"Oh, that's already been completed," Athena answered. "There was the introduction of Benonic, our adopted son, in 'Immortal Insanity or Innocence'. After that comes 'Tale of Origin', the love story of our firstborn, Kaze, and Princess Sapphire."

"No, no no!" Janika cried, looking up at them as though they ought to know exactly what she meant. "I'm talking about what happened between those two stories. It's important for people to know how things got to that point, especially with Rakar and his decision to—well, you know."

Mortesen started to glower slightly. "Oh. That. I don't know who would want to read a war story. Everyone knows how it's going to end anyway—and LiyuConberma won't change it no matter how many times I argue with her."

"But it could provide a lot more closure for her readers," the reporter insisted.

Athena offered a small smile. "As far as I know, there have been some general inquiries, but so far there's nothing we can really confirm. The story is a possibility. That's all we can say right now."

"Good enough!" Janika nodded, snapping her notebook closed. "Rumors are reality in my business. This information is gold!"

Mortesen gave Athena a look that screamed 'What have you unleashed?!' as the reporter strode back to the balcony, stroking the notebook as if it was a favorite pet. With a formal farewell, she climbed back over and disappeared. The royal couple watched her go, then turned to each other.

"I got the strangest feeling she'll be back," he said. "And it doesn't exactly bode well for me."

A/N: I know I said this would be posted shortly after the story was finished, but I lost all my notes at my sister's house and didn't get them back until today. So anyway, as illustrated here, 'Immortal Insanity' is next, followed by 'Tale of Origin', but Liyu did express some interest in letting me do a story about the the Wrath of Magic War that is briefly featured at one point. I have the outline mainly finished, but the story itself is still in the first stages. Whether it will ever reach the point where it's postable is difficult to say. Keep your fingers crossed! And if y'all have any suggestions, I'm always open to new ideas.