The following morning when he woke, Regis felt no better for his visit to Aulea's grave. Indeed, he may well have felt worse. His eyes were dry and aching. His head felt as if he was struggling to overcome a head cold and a hangover, both.
With a groan, he lifted his hands to press his palms against his eyes and rolled out of bed. At least he had slept, some. Come to think of it, he had slept an unusual amount. No dreams had haunted his nighttime rest and, as far as he could recall, he hadn't woken once from the time his head hit the pillow until dawn.
The state of his eating habits was rather less favorable. Had he eaten anything, the night before? He recalled Clarus coming and guiding him gently from Aulea's grave after an indeterminate amount of time. He recalled looking at the dinner that Weskham had brought up for him, but in spite of their best efforts he couldn't face it.
Regis crossed the cold tile floor on bare feet and entered the bathroom to splash water on his face. When he straightened and stared at himself in the mirror, it was to find—with very little surprise—that he looked awful.
Between the two of them, Clarus and Weskham had spent months trying to coax him to face Aulea in some shape or form. Now they had finally succeeded and, after last night, he wouldn't have been surprised if they sorely regretted it. Had it really done him any good?
It did little good to dwell on it, now. He had been to visit Aulea and he would do so again. The next time he would collect the flowers himself, before the last of the Chionodoxa had faded. Whether or not that really improved anything was irrelevant. And he had more important things to worry about than his own obsession with death.
Weskham arrived when Regis was half dressed and still looking more than a little ill. He brought a bright red smoothie in a tall glass, and Regis drank it without question. Somehow, while Regis was distracted with that, Weskham managed to transform him back into a king. When he looked in the mirror next, it was to find himself staring back out at him as if nothing had happened.
"Has Clarus arrived, yet?" Regis asked as they stepped into the hall together.
"No, Sire," Weskham said. "Though he's not yet late, either. There are still two hours before court."
Regis nodded, continuing down the hall without pause. He didn't realize he was following the sound of a baby crying until he was stopped outside of the nursery.
"Your Majesty—"
He stopped, turning just outside the cracked open nursery door, to find that Clarus had, in fact, arrived. Only just, to all appearances.
"Kain Scisco has requested a meeting at the earliest possible convenience." Clarus stopped just in front of him.
Regis frowned. Behind him, from the nursery, he could hear the continued cries of one of his children. Though he wanted little more than to enter and find out why, he knew Kain was in charge of the investigation into Phoenix Incorporated. Could it be they had found something at last?
He glanced at Weskham. "Two hours before court, you say?"
"Yes, Sire."
Regis turned back to Clarus. If they could have this sorted out immediately then he might just have a moment to see his children, first. One minute standing and listening to a crying child and already it was fraying at his nerves. He needed to fix it. "Then there is time now, if everyone can be assembled."
The sound of crying was growing louder.
"Send word—" Regis turned to look over his shoulder and found Crea coming from the nursery, holding Reina. She pushed the child unceremoniously into his arms and the bawling ceased.
Regis blinked. He looked from Crea to his daughter. Little Reina sniffled and whined, her eyes red-rimmed and her cheeks streaked with tears, but she didn't scream.
Crea shot him a mischievous smile, then curtsied. "Sorry for the interruption, Your Majesty." She ducked back into the nursery as if nothing unusual had happened.
He brushed tears from Reina's cheeks and pressed his lips to her forehead. Had that really just happened? His little girl, crying as if her life was at stake, and all problems ceased to be as soon as she was in his arms? For months he had been trying to learn to soothe them with mixed results. It seemed he would never be as successful as Crea or the other nursemaids, and yet—
"Your Majesty?" Clarus prompted, breaking through Regis' thoughts.
"Yes?" Regis didn't look up. Reina stared at him with great blue eyes and reached up to grab his beard with both hands. He let her. She could tear the whole thing out, if that was what her little heart desired.
"You were saying…?" Clarus tried again.
Regis pulled his eyes away from his little princess and looked up at last. The smile he wore for Reina lingered on his features. "I apologize, Clarus. I have completely forgotten what we were talking about."
"Meeting with Kain Scisco," Clarus said.
"Ah, yes." Regis winced as Reina pulled on a handful of his beard. "Send for the council. If they can be assembled in short notice, we can commence in half an hour."
"Of course, Your Majesty." Clarus bowed.
"The council chambers will suffice. I will meet you there."
Clarus bowed once more before turning and retreating down the hallway. Regis resettled Reina in his arms. He could just take her with him, surely. She was happier that way, after all, and if she was quiet then there was no reason she shouldn't attend the council meeting.
Except neither of the twins were ever quiet for long. Resigned, though disappointed, Regis turned back toward the nursery, planting another kiss on Reina's head as they entered.
He found Crea in the kitchen, along with another nursemaid, who was trying to convince Noctis to eat breakfast. Noctis deftly avoided the spoonful of green mush, keeping his mouth shut tight, but when he caught sight of Regis he was momentarily distracted. He kicked his little feet, bounced up and down in his highchair, and banged on the tray table with open hands and a wide smile on his face. His nursemaid took advantage of the distraction and stuck the spoon in his mouth.
The transformation was immediate. From happy, smiling baby to disturbed and betrayed. His little brow furrowed, his mouth stretched in a grimace, and green mush spilled down his chin.
Regis laughed.
"Good morning, Little Prince." He stooped to give Noctis a kiss and the motion managed to dislodge Reina's hands from his beard.
"Good morning, Your Majesty." Crea still looked smug.
"Good morning, Your Majesty—!" The other nursemaid hastened to her feet and gave a fumbling curtsy.
Regis lifted a hand. "Please, do not trouble yourself. My son's breakfast is much more important."
She lowered back into her seat, though she continued to shoot him covert glances, as if prepared to leap to her feet and try again at the least notice from him.
Regis stepped away, hoping that if he did so she would calm down. Instead he addressed Crea, who was, by now, so comfortable in his presence that it might have been called complacence. "Crea. Will you explain what just occurred?"
"With Reina?" Crea asked, sounding surprised though he knew she couldn't be. She had been laughing silently to herself since it had happened.
"Indeed."
"We're having a grumpy morning," Crea said, as if this answered anything.
Regis tilted his head and looked down his nose at her. It was a look that would have made anyone else squirm with discomfort. Crea just laughed. He should never have let her see how uncomfortable the subject of breast milk made him.
"Babies have bad days like everyone else, but we heard your voice outside and she quieted for just a moment… and then started screaming all the louder when you didn't come inside. So we decided to go find you." Crea wiggled her fingers at Reina, who was contentedly laying her head against Regis' shoulder. "Sometimes you just need your dad."
It wasn't a possibility that he had really considered, before. For all eight months of their, admittedly short, lives, Regis had been preparing himself to accept that he would always be second-best in the eyes of his children. They would always want their nanny first, or the nursemaids that they were familiar with. Regis would always just be That Man with a Beard Who Comes by, Sometimes.
Or so he had thought.
"Reina," Crea said in a sing-song voice.
Reina lifted her head from Regis' shoulder and looked up at Crea. "Where's Daddy?" Crea asked.
Reina turned her head immediately, settling her gaze, instead, on Regis as she tilted back to look at him. Regis gaped at her, lips parted and eyes wide. When had she learned that?
"That's right, Reina!" Crea applauded, then straightened. She looked up at Regis, even more smug, if possible, than before. "Told you."
"How—?"
"Kids learn fast, Your Majesty," Crea said.
"You are growing up too fast, my dear." He pulled Reina into a hug, kissing the top of her head. "You will simply have to stop. Right at this moment. Before you grow any bigger."
"You can't fool her, Your Majesty." Crea turned away, moving to the fridge to retrieve another container of baby food—something not green—and passing it off to the other nursemaid. "If they stopped now, you'd miss everything yet to come. They haven't even started walking."
Regis held Reina out in front of him and considered her seriously. This age was perfect: sweet, tiny, just learning to move about and finally gaining a grasp of language. But what was to say that the next stages wouldn't be just as perfect? They were bound to be on their feet in a few more months. Soon they would be making their own words, pointing and asking for things, communicating in their own disjointed way. And after that… a myriad of new experiences.
But that was getting ahead of himself. For now, all he could conclude was that he wanted to experience it all. There was no rush, however.
The conference room was silent, all sounds of shuffling papers and rustling clothes fading as eyes turned toward Regis. The twelve members of his ruling council were seated on either side of the long table with him at one end. At the opposite end, where no chair sat, stood Kain Scisco. He was a short, slight man with a receding hairline and eyes too small for his face, but if previous reports were to be believed, his ample head housed an equally ample brain.
Regis' eyes were fixed on Kain. "Mr Scisco, the state of your investigation.
"Your Majesty, there is less to report than I would like. Phoenix Incorporated persists in making our work time-consuming and tedious. Each week they dodge our searches and skirt around the larger issues. With the latest pass, they plead for more time to assemble the requested data and paperwork," Kain said. "I fear I must admit I am at my wits end about what to do. They simply have too much power."
"We need to press them harder, Your Majesty. Every day we allow them to dally only gives them more time to falsify and cover up," Kelmis insisted, not rising from his seat but leaning forward to look at Regis.
"I have said it before and I will say it again," Aldebrand pointed an emphatic finger in the air. "We should simply shut them down until this is through. If they are not permitted to do business until this investigation is concluded, then they will be more compliant."
"Shutting down the single largest manufacturer in Lucis is not a good idea," Clarus said with an air of forced clam. "The whole kingdom relies on them."
"They are playing us for fools!" Aldebrand insisted.
"You cannot just shut down a company due to feeling indignant, Aldebrand," Hamon drawled. "There is due process. And there is enough reasonable doubt that we can hardly justify jailing the lot of them."
"Pressure can be applied without completely halting their production," Regis sat forward in his chair and the others fell silent. "If restrictions are imposed then they will be hindered enough to take note."
"You mean to play at their game, Your Majesty?" Clarus asked.
"Indeed. Mr Scisco, we will give your team full jurisdiction. You have the freedom to expand your numbers as necessary. Clarus, assign to them a number of Crownsguards—in case anything should get out of hand—and let us treat Phoenix as we might any other criminal investigation. Give the Crownsguard the right to arrest any who impede the course of the investigation, and instruct that they exercise it liberally." Regis' gaze moved from Kain to Clarus as he spoke.
"It will be done, Your Majesty," Clarus said.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Kain bowed. "If I might make one further request?"
Regis gestured to indicate he should continue.
"If Master Amicitia would assign to us an officer who has investigative experience, it would be of great help."
Regis looked to Clarus, who passed his hand over his chin thoughtfully. "There are several who come to mind. Suffice it to say that this is a simple request to fulfill, Your Majesty."
"Very well. You shall have a team to join you, Mr Scisco. For the start, twenty should serve your purpose, but I will leave it up to you to decide if this number must be larger. Direct all requests of this nature to Master Amicitia or—barring his availability—Marshal Leonis," Regis said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," said Kain.
"In the meantime, we will draft the paperwork to give you the necessary power over Phoenix Incorporated. Do prepare yourself, Mr Scisco. I expect a great many complaints to be filed in response; as head of the investigation, these will be directed to you."
"Of course, Your Majesty. I will deal with them."
"Use this power wisely, Mr Scisco," Regis said. "The people clamor for action. They must have their justice."
The riots of the first few months were a thing of the past. All those who had been hospitalized were now released, though some, like Spero Perdita, were still not entirely recovered. Regardless, they deserved closure: for themselves and for those they had lost.
His mind lighted on Elaisse Perdita. That one could lose their love and life to such a stupid misdeed… it was nonsensical. All he could promise was justice, but it wouldn't bring back those who had lost their lives.
"I will, Your Majesty. Gods willing, we will have preliminary results soon," said Kain.
" 'Soon' is a satisfactory start, Mr Scisco." Clarus leaned forward in his chair. "But once this power shift is settled, we expect a more concrete estimate. We look forward to hearing from you within a month."
Kain bowed. "As you say, Master Amicitia."
And that was that, for the time being. Until then, all they could do was wait.