#nonbinary!roman

From a relatively young age, Logan had always found an immense interest in becoming a teacher. His love for teaching started fairly simply; back when he was eight years old.

“Hey, Logie, can you help me with my homework?”

Logan looked up from his book and over at his younger sister, “Yeah sure. Bring it here.”

She walked over to him, paper in hand and, put it down on Logan’s desk.

“I don’t understand questions seven and nine,” She said, pointing at the two questions.

“Alright,” He read over the problems, quickly solving them in his head, “Okay, so let’s start with number seven.”

About five minutes later he finished explaining the problem.

“Understand?” Logan asked his sister.

She nodded and showed him her work. “Is that the right answer?”

“Yeah! Good job.” He gave her a proud smile. “Now for number nine.”

He once again explains the problem, watching her solve it as he talks. Once she was done, he double checked it.

“Congrats you got it right again!”

His sister giggled, “Yay! Thanks for the help Logie!” 

He nodded, “Of course. Anything else?”

“Nope! See you later, bro!” She collected her homework and skipped off to her room.

Logan smiled to himself, happy that he could help. He enjoyed the feeling of being able to share his knowledge with his sister and watching her understand something new. It was nice. He let out a soft sigh before going back to his book.

Soon after, Logan found out what it meant to be a teacher and he immediately knew that that was what he wanted to be in the future. 

Of course, when he told people he wanted to be a teacher, he didn’t recieve the best responses. Logan had always been a smart kid. He was put into tons of programs for academically advanced kids, he always got the best scores in tests, and had the highest grades in his school. Because of this, everyone always told him that if he became a teacher he would be wasting his natural gift. 

Well, all but one person did. 

“Hey!” 

Logan was in his fifth grade class, sitting by the window, when an older-looking kid sat next to him.

“Salutations,” Logan said, looking the kid up and down, “Is there something you need?”

The kid giggled, “Nope! Also, you talk funny!” 

There was a moment of silence, Logan unsure of how he should respond. It didn’t matter though, since the other kid quickly continued the conversation.

“My name is Roman! Roman Auden. I go by they/them pronouns!” 

The name caught Logan’s attention.

“Auden? Like the famous poet W.H auden?” 

Roman seemed surprised for a second before nodding. “Yeah! You know about him!? That’s awesome, I love his poetry!”

Logan found himself smiling. “I enjoy his poetry as well. My name is Logan Metis. I go by he/him pronouns.”

They gasped, “Like the greek goddess Metis!?”

“Yes, I’m surprised you know about her.”

“How can I not? She is amazing!”

The two shared a small laugh and they continued talking until the bell rang. After class the two talked some more and, well, they became friends relatively quickly. Shortly after becoming friends, Logan learned that this was actually Roman’s second time taking fifth grade since they failed it their first time. He also learned that that was one of the many things Roman was ashamed of.

Since they were friends, Logan promised that he would tutor Roman and helped them with anything they didn’t understand. And as the years passed, Logan kept that promise. 

Little did Logan know though, but Roman admired him deeply. So, when they talked about what they want to be in the future and Logan mentioned he wanted to be a teacher, Roman decided they wanted to try and be a teacher as well.

In middle school, the two of them made more friends. The first person to join was Roman’s younger twin, Remus. Who despite how chaotic ze acted, was actually relatively smart. Then, through Remus they met Janus, who Roman almost immediately crushed on. A year later, they met Remy since he got along with Remus. The last one to join was Emile, who Logan met in his fresheman year of highschool in his psychology class.

~~~~~~~~~~

Now Roman was in their first year of high school, about half way through the school year. The whole school knew that today was Roman’s birthday and well, they had received quite a large amount of gifts. All of their friends had gotten them something. All but one, Janus. Roman has had a crush on Janus ever since the second month they met so it hurt to not get a gift from him. Of course, they didn’t show it because they didn't want to pressure Janus into giving them a gift but it still sucked

"What's wrong?" Remus asked in the middle of their last class. Ze had noticed that zyr twin seemed off the whole day but ze hadn't found a time to ask until now. 

Roman sighs and puts their head down, speaking quietly “It’s nothing… Don’t worry about it…”

Remus frowns softly, “It doesn’t seem like nothing. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

The older twin lets out a small sigh and quietly mumbles, “I’m just being dramatic Rem… It’s really nothing important…”

That line makes Remus snap, “Roman. Tell me what is wrong. I don’t care how dramatic you think you are being.”

They flinch a bit at zyr sudden snap but quickly calms down after taking a deep breath. 

“Fine…” They finally give in, “I’m just a bit upset that Janus forgot my birthday... It’s no big deal though…”

Remus stays quiet for a while, trying zyr best to not smile. Zyr knew that Janus was planning on confessing to Roman today, after all zyr was the one who gave him the idea. So, ze is fighting the urge to tell zyr twin.

“Aww Roro, it’s okay. Maybe he’s waiting till the end of school or something. Try to stay optimistic.” Remus finally says.

Roman takes a deep breath and nods, “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks Rem.”

Ze nods before turning Zyr attention back to the teacher’s lesson. 

The bell rings, signifying that school is over. The twins quickly pack up and leave. They wait at the front of thr school for their other friends, talking about a bunch of random thoughts. Eventually everyone but Janus shows up.

“Hey Ro,” Emile says and Roman turns to him.

“Yes?”

Emile smiles, “Janus said if you could go to the fountain real quick, he says he has something to tell you.”

Roman raises a brow in amusement and nods, “Um okay?”

They walk over to the fountain, blushing when they see Janus.

“Hey Ro,” Janus says softly, smiling lovingly at them, sending butterflies all throughout Roman’s body.

They stop walking once they're in front of Janus, “Hey, you wanted to tell me something?”

He nods and takes a deep breath, “Imma just get straight to the point, I’ve liked you for a few years now and I was wondering if you wanted to try out a relationship together.”

Both of them were red by now. Roman hearts skips a beat, they couldn’t believe that Janus actually like them back 

“YES!” They quickly answer, not wanting to lose this moment. 

Janus smiles brightly and hugs them, “Happy birthday Ro.”

Roman hugs him back and smiles brightly, “Thanks Jan.”

The two of them eventually go back to the others, announcing their new relationship. The rest of the group congratulates them. It didn’t take long before the two of them became one of the most iconic couples in the school. 

~~~~~~~~~~

Remus takes a deep breath. Ze was now in junior year and well ze thought it was time he confessed to Logan. Ze has had a crush on Logan for about two years now and well Roman finally convinced zem to act on zyr feelings

Ze was snow standing in the park, it was a Saturday and zyr had asked Logan if he could meet zem in the park. 

“Hey,” Logan says, cutting through Remus’ thoughts as he walks over to zem.

Remus hides the flowers ze is holding behind zyr back. “Hey Lo!”

“How are you?” Logan smiles softly.

“I’m good, you?” Remus returns the smile, blushing slightly

Logan notices the blush and also bushes slightly, “I’m doing well. May I ask why you asked to meet up?”

Remus takes a deep breath, “W-well…” Ze stops hiding the flowers and holds them out for Logan, “Would you be my boyfriend? I’ve liked you for like two years now and well I thought it’s about time I told you. You don’t have to say yes, it’s okay if you say no-”

Logan smiles fondly and gently cuts Remus off with a soft kiss to zyr cheek, “I would be honored to be your boyfriend.”

He then takes the flowers from zem, “And thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.”

It takes Remus a moment to comprehend what just happened but when ze does, ze can’t but be full of glee. 

“Of course, I’m happy you like them,” Ze says a bit shyly.

“Mhm, now, want to go to my house and watch a movie?” Logan offers. 

Remus nods immediately and they start walking to Logan’s house. The rest of the evening was amazing and well when Remus got home, ze immediately told Roman all about it. Roman was extremely happy for zem and well glad their plan worked.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Logan and Remus had been dating for about a year. They were currently in a coffee shop hanging out with Remy on a Friday since they had no school that day. The day was going well, but Logan noticed that Remy seemed a bit off

“You okay, Remy?” He asked gently, snapping Remy out of his thoughts.

For a few seconds Remy said nothing before sighing, “If I’m being honest, no.”

This caught both Remus and Logan off guard and they both frowned.

“What’s wrong?” Remus asked worryingly.

Remy went quiet again for a while.

“Look…” He started, looking down. “I-I…I like both of you…a lot…and I can’t keep pushing these feelings down. I know you two are dating, and I’ve tried getting these feelings to go away, but I can’t…I’m sorry…”

They both looked at each other, shocked. The silence makes Remy's nerves go over the edge. He stands up.

"I'll be right back,"

He quickly walks off to the restroom, leaving Remus and Logan to figure out what they want to do next

“What should we say?” Remus whispered to Logan.

Logan considered the question for a while before quietly asking, “Well, do you like him?”

Ze blushed a bit and nodded slowly, whispering back, “Y-yeah…I still like you though!”

“I like him too,” Logan whispered reassuringly. “How about we ask him if he wants to try a polyamorous relationship?”

Remus smiled brightly and nodded.

They wait for Remy to come back. Once he does, he sits back down, still looking very anxious.

“Remy?” Logan gently spoke.

He looked up at them. “Y-yes?” He nervously muttered out.

Logan smiled softly. “Have you ever heard of a polyamorous relationship?” 

Remy blushed and nodded. “Yeah, why?”

Remus laughed softly. “Well, we both like you as well and we want to try one out with you. If you’re okay with it, of course. What do you say?”

“Yes!” Remy said immediately, blushing heavily and with a pleasantly-surprised smile.

Logan chuckled, “It’s decided then.” 

The three of them told the group the next day and everyone was surprised. They accepted the relationship and congratulated them though and, despite what many people told them, the relationship ended up working out very well. 

~~~~~~~~~~

After graduating high school, Roman and Janus moved in together. Logan and Remus also moved in together, sadly though Remy had to live in the dorms of his school.

Roman and Logan went to the same school. They both got their Bachelor's degree before getting their EdD. Logan then continued going to school for an extra five years to get his PhD in education. Emile and Remus both went to medical school. Emile got his PhD in psychology and Remus got zyr MD. Janus went to law school—graduating with a doctorate in criminal justice and Remy went to art school—graduating with a doctor of arts degree.

Once they finished college, Remy moved in with his two lovers. Eventually, Remy proposed to them and they got married when Remy and Logan were twenty-eight, and Remus was twenty-nine.

Janus and Remy finished school at the age of twenty-five. Roman finished his schooling at the age of twenty-six. Logan finished at twenty-seven. Remus finished later at the age of twenty-eight. Finally, Emile finished at the age of thirty.

Janus and Roman got married when they were both twenty-seven. Emile decided to stay single and lived with a couple of friends he made in college.

At the age of twenty-nine, Remy got pregnant and eventually gave birth to a baby boy, which they named Virgil. A couple months before Virgil was born, Janus and Roman adopted a baby that they named Patton.

Soon after college, at the age of thirty. Logan got a job as a kindergarten teacher, much to everyone’s surprise. 

Most people imagined him to become a professor at a college. The only few who knew about him wanting to become a kindergarten teacher were Roman, Remy, and Remus. 

The next huge surprise was when Roman ended up also becoming a kindergarten teacher, even getting a job at the same school as Logan. Not even their own twin or husband expected that, since they knew Roman had a huge love for theater and performing. Everyone thought they would become an actor or a singer, even though Roman argued that it was obvious they wanted to be a teacher or else they wouldn’t have gotten a degree in education.

The two of them quickly became known as some of the best teachers in their school.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Mr. Lolo! Can you put on another puppet show? Please? I don’t really get this topic,” Patton asks.

Logan chuckled softly. He had been teaching for seven years now and it had been amazing. He loved his students and loved seeing them grow smarter while having fun. 

“Alright. How about we also invite your nopa’s class as well?”

Patton nodded excitedly along with the rest of the class. 

This had become a very common thing for them. Logan and Roman often combined their classes and put on puppet shows for them. Of course, it wasn’t just mindless entertainment; they taught them all sorts of things through their shows. They introduced advanced vocabulary to them, life lessons, and important social lessons. They talked about sexualities, gender identities, social norms, and insecurities. Sometimes the puppet shows turned into plays in which Roman sang and danced around with their students.

“Okay, then.” He turned to Patton. “Patton, can you do me the courtesy of going next door and requesting their appearance at our theatrical show?”

Logan loved using his high vocabulary with his students. He loved watching the amazement in their faces when he introduced a new advanced word to them. However, what he loved even more was having them ask about words they didn't understand.

Patton smiled brightly and nodded “Yes sir!” He quickly walked out of the room and went next door. 

Roman was in their classroom, watching their husband teach their students about basic philosophy. They often invited their husband to their class to teach their students. Since Janus worked as a lawyer, he was often busy, but he still managed to find time to visit his lover at work and help them. 

There was a soft knock on the door and Roman stood up. They walked to the door and opened it to see their adopted son, Patton.

"Hello, sweetheart. How may I be of service to you on this fine day?" Roman asked, adding their usual dramatics to their speech.

Patton giggled and held out the paper invitation for Roman to take. “Here, baba!”

They took the paper and immediately knew what it was. They opened it and pretended to read it though, just to make Patton happy.

"Thank you for the delivery, baby. Tell Lolo that we shall be there in a few minutes

The young cheery boy nods, "No problem! And yes baba!" 

Patton gives Roman a hug before skipping off to his class again.

Roman walked to the front of the class and gently placed a hand on Janus' shoulder, silently telling him to put his lesson on pause. Janus got the hint and went quiet.

"My deepest apologies for interrupting, but we have just been invited to a performance next door."

The class went wild and the couple burst out laughing. Roman loved seeing their students happy and excited. They loved seeing the shine in their eyes when they heard or saw something they loved. They loved seeing their faces light up with excitement at the possibility of learning something new. They just loved them in general. 

"Okay, okay, settle down, guys. Let's get in a line and go next door. We don't want to keep Mr. Lolo's class waiting. 

They quickly lined up the class and walked them next door. They gently knocked on the door. Logan opened the door and they walked in.

“Virgie!” Patton ran over to Virgil and hugged him tightly.

The shyer kid hugged him back. “Hey Patt!”

Soon, Virgil pulled away from the hug and ran over to Logan, hugging him while Patton went to Janus.

“Hey dad,” Virgil said as his dad hugs him back.

“Hey buddy, how are you?” Logan asked gently, knowing that his son seemed to be struggling with signs of anxiety.

Virgil shrugged. “I’m okay. I haven’t freaked out today!” He said proudly.

The proud smile on his dad’s face made Virgil smile more.

“That’s great, buddy. Now go and sit down.”

He nodded and pulled away from the hug, skipping off to sit down with the other kids. Logan smiled and turned to Roman and Janus to see Janus having a petty fight with Patton.

“That’s not fair!” Janus whined out.

Patton giggled and nodded, “Yes it is! Daddy said a naughty word so you will not receive any physical affection from me.”

Roman laughed fondly, watching their husband bicker with their son. In the end, Janus didn’t get a kiss on the cheek while Roman got two from Patton. Janus then put Patton down, and the little boy ran off to cuddle with Virgil. The rest of Roman’s students settled into the fort that Logan’s class setup, snuggling with pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals.

Logan walks over to the couple and smiled. “Salutations, guys. Janus, will you be performing in our theatrical performance?”

Janus nodded. “Yeah, also, hey.”

Roman waved before getting an idea. “We should also invite Remy and Remus! Don’t both of them have a day off?”

“Yes, they do,” Logan stated. “I can call them and ask if they can come.”

The kids get even more excited when they hear Remy’s and Remus’ name. Remy came to the class quite often since he worked from home. Remus rarely came since ze worked as a cardiothoracic surgeon. Today though, ze managed to get a day off after a lot of begging.

Logan walked to the phone and called Remy.

“Hey, babe!” Remy quickly picked up. “What’s up?”

Logan chuckled fondly. “Hey, can you and Rem come to my classroom in like five minutes? Roman and I are putting on a puppet show for the kids. Janus is here too.”

Remy sat up making Remus, who was laying on his lap, look up at him questioningly. “Fuck yeah, we can! We’ll be there very soon, darling!”

“Okay, see you soon then. I love you.” 

Remy blows a kiss through the phone. "Love ya’ too, bitch. See ya!" He hung up and looked down at Remus.

"Hunny Bun, our beautiful nerd has invited us to his classroom for a lovely puppet show!" 

Ze sat up and nodded. "Alright. Let's go then."

The two of them had already changed since they were planning on going to the store. Ze stood up and stretched a bit.

"Do you want me to drive?" Remy asked as he stood up.

“Sure,” Remus said with a shrug.

Remus, who was significantly shorter than Remy, climbed onto zyr lover and latched on to him. Remy laughed and started making his way to the car. Once they got there, Remy gently lowered Remus down into the passenger seat before getting in on the driver’s side. 

They made it to the school within three minutes since they lived relatively close. They walked in, the ladies in the office recognizing them and letting them in after they signed in. They got to the classroom door and Remus knocked on it. The door was quickly opened by Virgil.

“Zaza! Pops!” Virgil quickly rushed over to them and hugged them tightly, a bright smile on his face.

They both kneeled down and hugged him back.

“Hey, my little prince,” Remus said as ze kissed Virgil’s cheek. “Is your Dad inside?”

Virgil nodded. “We were waiting for you guys! You guys took so long” He lectured at them.

Remy chuckled. “First of all, we didn't even take that long. Second of all, you’re just like your dad, sweetie. Now come on, let’s not keep the other kids waiting.”

They pulled away from the hug, the two adults standing up as Virgil ran back to Patton. The couple walked in and walked over to their friends. Logan was the first to see them and he smiled. Roman and Janus noticed them shortly after.

“Finally. You two took your time,” Janus said with a playful annoyed tone.

“Nice to see you too Jany,” Remy said with a smirk as he walked over to Logan and hugged him from behind, making the other blush.

Roman giggled. “Hey Rem.” 

“Hi RoRo!” 

The two twins shared a brief hug before Remus turned zyr attention to the kids. Ze greeted them and then went over to Logan.

“Let’s start this show!” Remy loudly exclaimed and the kids cheered with excitement.

The puppet show started, but it didn’t last long before it was turned into a full out play. Janus played the role of the evil sorcerer who kidnapped prince Remy with the help of his dragon witch sidekick, Remus. Logan, the good sorcerer along with Roman, the knight, had to save the prince. To make sure it stayed educational, they used questions and facts as their sort of magic. Janus and Remus asked philosophy questions as traps and, in order for Roman and Logan to pass these traps, they had to answer the questions. In turn, they asked the kids for help. When a kid got it right, not only did they help the play continue, they also received a snack as a prize

What made Logan and Roman ecstatic, though, was watching as the kids teamed up and worked together to find the answers. They watched as the kids wrote notes, used dictionaries and books, and asked questions. It made them so happy. 

By the end of the play, Remy was rescued and Janus and Remus were captured. They took a bow and the class cheered and clapped. 

Afterwards, the kids started to help with the clean up.

“Roman! You’re such a meanie!” Remus whined as ze cleaned “You hit me for real with your sword prop on purpose!”

The accused twin gasped in fake offense. 

“What? I would never, dear twin! Who do you think I am?”

Remus huffed and threw a paper at Roman. 

“Yeah, okay! You’re such a b-hole,” Ze said, censoring zemself since ze really didn’t want Logan to get mad at zem for cursing in front of the kids.

Roman caught the paper and laughed. 

“Whatever, shortie,” they teased their twin, despite the fact that they were only a few inches taller.

“Oh, I’ll show you short,” Remus threatened with a smirk, of course not seriously though.

“Okay, okay,” Janus broke them up. “Settle down you two. Just continue cleaning.”

The twins laughed before nodding and continuing to clean.

Shortly after they finished, the bell rang. 

"Alright kids, get your bags and get in a line by the door," Logan instructed the kids.

They all quickly started following directions. Roman went to their room quickly to get their stuff and clean up their classroom before going back to the other room. Once the kids were ready, Logan and Roman took them outside so that their parents could pick them up. The others, along with Patton and Virgil, stayed in the room to wait for them. After all the kids got picked up, which was relatively quickly, Roman and Logan went back to Logan’s classroom.

“There you guys are,” Remus said while being carried by Remy. “Ready to go home

“My apologies, but we are not,” Logan said as he walked over to his desk. “Our students won a movie night and, well, we have to set everything up. Not only that, but we also need to hang up the halloween decorations that they made.”

Roman nodded standing by the door to get ready to go to their classroom. “Yeah, it’ll take us a good two hours, so you guys can head home.”

“Wait, baba!” Patton walked over to Roman. “May we assist you guys? Daddy doesn’t have any work to do and I promise I won’t get in the way. Maybe Zizi Remus and Uncle Remy can assist as well!”

“Well, I’m okay with that pumpkin, but we have to ask them if they want to stay.” Roman said as they ruffled Patton’s hair, making the little boy giggle.

“I’m cool with it, babes,” Remy answered before they even had the chance to ask. “I love being able to help my lovely starlight.”

Logan blushed at the nickname. “What about you, lovely?” He asked, looking at Remus.

Remus thought for a bit before nodding. “I’d like to help as well.” 

And with that, they split into two groups; Janus, Roman, Patton, and eventually Emile, who joined them about half an hour later, worked on Roman’s room. Logan, Remus, Remy, and Virgil meanwhile, set up Logan’s room. 

By the time they were done, the two little kids had fallen asleep and it was around five o’clock. They were now standing in the parking lot, Roman carrying Patton in their arms while Remy carried Remus on his back and Virgil in his arms. 

“Well, thanks for the help guys. We’ll see y’all tomorrow,” Roman said, leaning on Janus a bit, who had an arm around them. 

Logan smiled. “It’s you all, but yeah. We appreciated the help.”

“It was no problem,” Janus answered. “Bye, guys.”

Roman sets Patton in the backseat before getting in on the passenger side. Janus waved one last time and got in on the drivers side. The others waved back and watched them leave. 

Once they were gone Emile turned to the remaining three, “Well, I'm going to get going as well. See you all tomorrow. Get home safe.”

“Thanks darling, bye,” Remy responded as Emile walked to his car. 

“Well,” Logan turned to his two lovers. “Let's go home. It looks like Remus and Virgil are both tired.”

Remy looked at Remus to see zem asleep and chuckled fondly. “Yeah.”

They got into the car and Remy drove them back home, smiling more when he saw that Logan also fell asleep mid-ride. 

“Sweet dreams, loves,” He whispered softly before turning his attention back to the road.

@anxiously-creating 

~~~~~~~~~~

Well, at least she’d gotten some sleep. Still half-awake, Virgil went back to sleep—in her bed, this time. Laurus had taken over the middle of her bed, so she pushed him to the side and settled in.

***

Jessie woke her up in the morning, throwing the room into light, and she got up in record time. For the first time since the dragon had showed up in Straith, she had a good night of sleep, and most of it was due to Roman. Somehow, around them, she had just…calmed down. She supposed that talking about her problems (for once in her life) helped, but maybe there was something else.

It was ridiculously early when she woke up, and Jessie appeared to have slept well. Their rainbow-haired chaperone rambled about how excited she was to go on this adventure, and how much she missed her family. Having nothing better to do than awkwardly interact with Roman, Virgil joined in, surprised to find herself with enough energy to match the bounce in Jessie’s step. Laurus was much more tired, opting for Roman’s shoulder over hers.

Their bags were already packed and taken away to the ship, which meant that they were going to get to do “all sorts of team-building activities!” in Jessie’s words when they all met the captain of the ship. As much as Virgil found Jessie to be endearing, the thought of talking to Roman in front of other people was enough to make her hurl herself off the side of the ship. She focused on carrying Gray’s case down the path to the docks first.

Fortunately, their captain, who introduced himself as Mac, was not interested in team-building activities.

“I have places to be, and I don’t have the time to play games when it is still nighttime and I have stuff to do,” he said when Jessie suggested it, hands on his hips and eyebrows fully raised. “You can go hang out in the cabin, unless you want to freeze out here.”

Before Roman or Jessie could suggest anything, Virgil was down the hatch and making a beeline for the cargo. Setting down her magical dragon carrier on the wooden floor, she cast all the spells she could think of to keep the dragon asleep and the case in place. Once it was all done, Virgil sat behind a box marked FRAGILE and stared at the countless packages in front of her like they were going to tell her the answers she hadn’t even asked herself.

Well, Virgil supposed a good start to getting answers from something other than clearly non-sentient boxes would be asking herself questions. She started with the obvious— why was she being so weird about last night? It wasn’t like she’d never shared a bed with anyone before, as Missy and Jest could attest, and though she wasn’t unfamiliar to paranoia over simple social situations, this was ridiculous.

Roman was her best friend, and Virgil couldn’t even look them in the eye. Had something crazy happened last night that her very subconscious was protecting her from? No, it couldn’t be. All she remembered was asking Roman if she could come in, then settling herself in next to them, how she’d felt like she was intruding, but they had assured her she wasn’t. It had been so nice, holding their hand, and not feeling alone in her struggles. She remembered smiling at their stories and laughing even when it wasn’t funny, just because she loved them.

Hold up. She loved Roman? Well, certainly as a friend. But just thinking about the many ways that the sticky word “love” was used made her contemplate if her feelings for Roman were anything other than platonic. The more she rolled the thought around her head, the more Virgil realized that she wasn’t opposed to the idea of kissing them, or holding their hand. In fact, she’d be okay with a date, maybe a nice restaurant. She wouldn’t mind a long walk with just the two of them either.

Virgil widened her eyes, staring down the boxes in front of her as if to silently impart the one thought running through her head. I have a crush on Roman. It was a relief to figure it out, but it also created a new batch of problems. Which she would rather talk to Roman again than think about, which was saying something. Before anxiety could take root in her head, she got up from the hard floor of the ship and moved back towards where she’d came in, seeking a distraction.

She made her way back easily enough—this wasn’t a very big ship—and saw Roman and Jessie sitting on chairs in the cabin of the boat, talking. They stopped when she walked in.

“Hey guys,” Virgil said, trying to remember how words worked. “Um, are we going to eat breakfast soon?”

“Yeah, in an hour. There’s a tiny kitchen around here somewhere, but we’re not supposed to use it. Jessie and I were just talking about it, actually,” Roman said, giving Virgil one of their easy smiles.

“Sounds good, I don’t know if I can wait much longer, it feels like I’ve got a miniature dragon clawing at my insides,” Virgil said, noting that her purple dragon was curled up in Roman’s lap. 

Roman laughed, and Virgil felt the flutter in her chest. Noticing it startled her—usually, she didn’t notice the quickening of her heart around Roman— but not anymore. “How’s the dragon, by the way? Is it safe? I don’t want it getting out on the boat.”

“I worked some sorcery so that it won’t roll around in the hold, and I gave it another sleep spell. It’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” Virgil said, trying to comfort them the best she could.

Something in her tone must have been off, though, because then Roman asked, “Are you okay?” Their eyes spoke volumes, referencing the night before.

Virgil looked at them, at her friend who had stuck with her through everything, who had been the first to hear the secrets she kept closest. She could see the concern for her woven into their face, feel how much they cared. There was no way that Virgil would let her crush create a divide between her and them.

Lunchtime every week was usually the only time they got to talk about anything other than business. Along with Rafaela, Virgil was running the shiny new Sorcery Department of Straith, and her path frequently crossed with Roman’s, although usually just for minutes at a time. She always needed signatures, a word of input, or persuasion, but their lunches together were the only time Virgil wanted Roman’s company.

For old time’s sake—it reminded them both of the stolen hours spent planning—they met in the library. They weren’t supposed to eat there, but being the king had its perks. Roman had a (trusted) cook bring them something small, and got to be away from responsibilities with Virgil. It was a calm oasis amidst the chaos of Roman’s life. Sixteen-year-olds were not well equipped to run a country, but Roman was doing their best.

Descending the stairs to the library doors, Roman unhooked the small gold crown from their hair and stuck it in their pocket. No one recognized them without a crown, the young ruler was finding, and they used that to their advantage when hiding from anyone that would want the king. Which turned out to be a great many people.

Roman flung open the doors to the library, making the pages of the librarian’s book flutter. He barely gave Roman a glance as they passed, probably not caring. Either he was too caught up in his book, or the librarian was accustomed enough to Roman practically living here to raise an eyebrow.

Virgil waited at their usual table, the one next to the window where sunlight always lit whatever you were reading. She had started on the sandwiches already, and a smile broke out on her face when Roman walked in. Her dragon, Laurus, snoozed on the nearby windowsill, sending up puffs of smoke with every exhale.

Sliding into the wooden seat next to her, Roman reached for the other sandwich. “Starting already?”

“You can’t expect everyone to wait for you, your majesty,” Virgil said, taking another bite out of her sandwich. Roman laughed.

“Didn’t expect you to, just thought it was unusual. You must be busy.” They unwrapped the sandwich, trying to distract themself with something other than Virgil’s face.

“I could say the same about you, but I’m more focused on this sandwich right now. What’s new in the life of a king?” She wanted to catch up with Roman; it had been too long since they’d last talked, and a hundred things must have happened since then.

“Just a lot of things, and they keep piling up. Kind of makes you miss running for your life, but at least it’s predictable. Like, if I tell someone this, my chief advisor will become furious, the cabinet will act scandalized, and everyone who doesn’t live inside this ancient pile of rocks will cheer. My dad massively sucked, but at least he prepared me, you know.” Roman started eating their sandwich, trying to repress the spark of bitterness about their dad. It was a sore subject, but being around Virgil always managed to loosen their tongue.

“Never thought I’d hear you say something positive about Epos,” Virgil said, quirking an eyebrow, “but I can’t imagine how hard being king would be without someone helping. I’ve got Rafaela, but you’ve got…” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it correctly.

“A lot of people who don’t trust me and treat me like I’m five? Yeah, but I’ve got you, Pat, and Logan. It balances out.” Roman tried to shrug it off, but the set of their features suggested that their predicament was troubling.

“Considering I’m actually losing sleep over the responsibility of like, restoring the entire reputation of sorcery, I have no idea how you’re alive,” Virgil said, reaching for one of the cups of water on the table. If there was one thing she could count on, it was self-doubt.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not sure how I’m surviving it all, quite frankly,” Roman said, shoulders slumping inwards. “I mean, I thought that after what, four months of this? I’d be used to the constant demands, the pressure, the crown. But every time I have to give a speech it feels like walking into the room with Epos to lie my way into the throne.”

Virgil sighed. “Remember when we thought I was going to break Rafaela out of prison with just my own powers? Those were simpler times.” She finished off her sandwich, picking a stray piece of lettuce off the paper to eat. “Still can’t believe you didn’t tell us until after we thought the whole world was going to end.”

“For the thousandth time, I’m sorry. But hey, the stress of being king is kind of karmic,” Roman reasoned, taking another bite of their sandwich. “This food is really good.”

“I know, it is. You should seriously give him a raise,” Virgil said, sadly looking at where her now-eaten sandwich once was.

“As a matter of fact, my financial advisor will give me a twenty-minute lecture on budgeting if I give anyone else a raise. I am limited to two raises a month, which I already spent on the calligrapher and the candle-lighter. So I’ll keep it in mind for next month,” Roman said, taking a long gulp of water. “Do you know how Logan and Patton’s plan is coming along?”

“They’re working on it, that’s for sure, but I really don’t know,” Virgil said, shrugging. “I haven’t seen them as much as I’d like to. Things with Rafaela have been…busy.”

“I feel you on that, honestly,” Roman said, “Obviously, I’m the king and getting the best of everything, which I’m reminded of every time I visit—” They were cut off by something loud. A rumble, warning.

Something shook the ground underneath them. Laurus jumped down from the sill. A rush of panic flooded over Roman, and they ran to the window.

 Next to them, Virgil whispered, “Is that an explosion?” Her dragon cowered behind her, tail brushing her ankles.

A gray cloud hovered over a patch of the forest, with everything beneath it a muddy gray, like someone had coated the trees with concrete. The gray was stark against the snow-covered trees surrounding the cloud.Roman squinted at it. “What in the name of-”

Another rumble, and more liquid spewed from the same spot. The window frame shook under Virgil’s white-knuckled hands. Laurus’s tail clenched around her leg. She looked at Roman. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

They could hear people yelling outside, mostly in astonishment at what just happened. Nothing more happened, the cloud rooted in place above the desaturated trees. “Do—what do we do about it?” Roman asked, heart pounding in their chest. This was not supposed to happen.

“Let me contact Rafaela,” Virgil said, rolling back her sleeve to shoot a jet of magic at her purple bracelet. It buzzed back at her, and her brow furrowed. “Not available, and—”She tapped the bracelet. “—won’t let me track her.”

“Great. This is great. Just perfect. Couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Roman said, knowing that their break from reality with Virgil would have to end. “I should probably go, and talk with people. Let me know if you find Rafaela.” They had a sinking feeling that the explosion and Rafaela’s disappearance wasn’t a coincidence.

“I will, don’t worry,” Virgil said. Roman left the room, looking back at the mess they’d made at lunch. While they hated leaving things with Virgil like this, Roman only had so long before everyone started looking for them. They’d much rather that the entire castle staff didn’t find the king’s hiding place.

“Okay,” Virgil said. She looked at the market once more. “Is it okay if we go slowly? I know we’re on a tight schedule, but I’ve never seen this much magic before.”

“Sure. We’ve got the time, just don’t take all day,” Roman answered. They remembered the first time they saw this market, how overwhelming everything had been. Now, knowing what it was like, the market was less overwhelming, but only a little.

Virgil talked to several of the vendors, curious about everything. Though the dragon she carried would have stood out anywhere else, nobody batted an eye. A dragon breeder even asked her if she was selling. Virgil asked them about containing dragons, and was told that her sleep spell and perfectly made trap would hold it, but to add another sleep spell for good measure. She asked the woman selling portable balls of light what the spell was, and quickly learned that those sorts of things were trade secrets.

Watching Virgil experience it all was almost better than seeing it for the first time to Roman. They admired her curiosity—not just at the more outlandish things, but at things as ordinary as soap and mood rings that worked with magic. She took all the free samples and trinkets that the stands had to offer, and demonstrated her sorcery abilities when asked “Are you a sorcerer?” No one pressed her about her age, and many commented on Laurus’s cuteness, as if Roman wasn’t holding onto him half the time. She laughed, and was more friendly and social than they’d ever seen her before.

Roman didn’t mind being ignored, but as noon approached, they knew that, in the interest of time, it would be best to get going. “We should head to the castle soon,” they said, trying to gently nudge Virgil away from the market.

“Okay, I’m going to buy a book or two first,” Virgil said, heading to a spellbook vendor. She gave the merchant a few coins for a handsome leather-bound volume, and they were off to the palace.

Unlike Straith, there weren’t any guards around the perimeter, so Roman circled the palace in search of a front entrance. After what seemed like forever— they were both getting hungry— Roman found a small corridor that led into some offices. Roman knocked on the door to one of them, which opened to reveal an unfriendly sorcerer, a cloud of brilliant yellow-white energy surrounding him.

“What do you want?” he said, looking from one of them to the other. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“I’m King—Prince Roman, I’m looking for King Mark. This is my good friend, she’s a sorcerer.” Virgil gave a small wave and smile, not sure what to do.

“Well, if you want the king, maybe you shouldn’t be in here,” the sorcerer said. He took a deep breath, steadying himself to give them a telling-off to go with his glare.

“It’s okay, Matt, they’re with me.” Roman and Virgil spun around to see a tall girl with multicolored hair, turning from orange to turquoise before their eyes. The sorcerer grumbled and closed the door, muttering something about kids these days.

Jessie watched the door close, then turned to the two teenagers. “Roman, what are you doing here? Not that it’s bad to see you, of course, but I didn’t think you would just show up. And who is this?” She pointed at Virgil, looking between the two of them as if trying to puzzle out something. Laurus curled around Roman’s feet, looking up at Jessie with wide-eyed curiosity.

“We’re here to get that dragon— “ Roman pointed to the purple bubble, where the gray dragon inside was, thankfully, slumbering. “To Lyrwrithe, the place you told me about. The thing is, my father wants to kind of…take back the kingdom. He said that I’m unfit to rule because I let that dragon terrorize Archdale, but I managed to negotiate. If I can get the dragon to Lyrwrithe and keep it from terrorizing anyone else within the week, I get to stay king. If I don’t, he —he makes sorcery illegal again. Virgil is um, she’s a sorcerer.”

“Okay,” Jessie said, and Roman could see her thinking it through. “You said you had a week, right?”

“Yeah, so we kind of do need to leave today,” Virgil said, biting her lip. “Any help would be good.”

“I remember Epos’s reign,” Jessie said. A cloud passed over her face, and her hair turned gray. “And I don’t really have anything pressing to do this week, and I know Tyler is really busy. You guys just have to get to Lyrwrithe and back, right?”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, and we need some supplies, but nothing fancy. We were thinking of just taking the Graelen River, all we’d need is a boat and someone to sail it.” They looked at Jessie expectantly, hoping that she could help, or Rafaela was as good as dead.

Jessie took a deep breath, gathering herself. “I don’t want to get your hopes up,” she started, uncertain. “But I might be able to guide you guys there. I do have family that work at Lyrwrithe, but I need to talk to the king first. I can’t just abandon the palace, but I definitely think the world is a better place when Straith allows magic. Plus, I haven’t seen my brother in a while… I’ll talk to Mark, okay? No promises.”

“Thank you so much,” Virgil said, without a touch of sarcasm. “Um, is there anything here to eat?”

“Employee breakroom. Go straight, take a left, second door on your right,” Jessie said, “I’ll go ask the king. See you in an hour or so.” She waved goodbye, and walked to the nearest stairwell, hair changing to electric blue.

Roman and Virgil didn’t have any difficulty finding the break room, and they dug into the soup someone had brought from home. “What’s the book about?” Roman asked Virgil, trying to make conversation to pass the time. They slipped Laurus a piece of meat, knowing the little dragon had to be hungry. He gulped it down.

“History of sorcery,” Virgil answered, turning the volume over in her hands. “It’s got some cool spells in it, too, that’s what the lady said. I… do you mind if I read it now? Just sitting around and waiting makes me anxious.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind,” Roman said, even though there was nothing for them to do. “You don’t have to ask me.”

Virgil opened up her book and started reading. “Cool.”

Since Roman hadn’t slept well in the boat, and they certainly couldn’t sleep well now, they had seconds of the soup, and tried to look inconspicuous as various people came in and out of the break room. Fortunately, Laurus and the grey dragon helped them fit in, this was the sorcery wing after all.

Going by the clock on the wall, it was about forty minutes before Jessie came for them. She almost ran over to them, a wide smile on her face as she crossed the room to the pair. Virgil looked up from her book when she saw Jessie, looking at her hopefully.

“So, I have good news and bad news,” Jessie said, sitting down next to Roman. “Which do you want first?”

Roman perked up, Laurus running up from their lap to the table. “Good news,” they said.

“No, bad news first,” Virgil said, picking up her dragon and taking him off the table. “Whatever. Just tell us.”

“I can take you guys to Lyrwrithe, but not until tomorrow,” Jessie said, patting Laurus on the head. “You can stay here tonight—there’s some guest rooms—and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Roman said, a flutter of hope leaping in their chest. “That’s almost perfect. Do we get to eat dinner with the king?”

“Wait, that’s an option?” Virgil asked, looking terrified at the prospect.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourselves, Mark will be busy with other engagements tonight. I think you’ll just get food delivered to your rooms,” Jessie said, her hair shifting from deep black to platinum blond as she twirled it around her finger. “In fact, I can take you to your guest rooms right now, unless you want to spend more time outside the palace.”

“Can we drop our things off at our rooms and then leave?” Virgil asked, running her fingers over the cover of her book. Roman wasn’t big on the idea of going back out into the cold, but with Virgil it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Sure, I can give you a tour, too, Virgil. If you want, that is,” Jessie said, carding her hand through her hair.

“Oh, I think I’d rather visit the market, sorry,” Virgil said, blushing a little with embarrassment. “Let’s go to our um, rooms.”

Roman respected Camden. The man did the difficult, thankless job that was advising them, and he did it well, even if he was a bit robotic at times. He was one of Roman’s biggest supporters, although if he didn’t always show it. Nonetheless, Roman’s brain wasn’t functioning. “Ok, well um, can you tell him to wait until the sun is up?”

“He is the past king and your father, Roman. And he is very, very angry. Get dressed and be in the council room in ten minutes.” He smiled, then closed the door in front of a still half-asleep Roman.

So, Roman got dressed. It was dark, but it didn’t take long to put on something that looked about halfway to kingly. Not even bothering to look in the mirror, Roman went downstairs to the council room, still rubbing their eyes and unaware of how shocking their presence was to literally everyone they passed.

They reached the council room, taking a brief moment to attempt composure before opening the door and stepping inside. Roman gave the room a visual sweep, wondering who they had to ask to take over in order to get back to bed. That train of thought ground to a halt when Roman realized that no, it hadn’t been a joke.

Epos Theularus stood in the center of the council room, looking at Roman with disappointment practically radiating from his body. “Hello, Roman.”

“Father.” It was a statement, since they were still trying to figure out what was happening.

“I trust that I don’t need to explain to you how the chaos you’ve unleashed on Straith is a terrible mistake, and you will hand the throne over to me immediately, since I’m not so foolish as to actually legalize sorcery. Just show me to the throne room.” Epos stopped talking, waiting for Roman’s response. Judging by his tone, he expected a quiet “Yes, father.”

Well, even half-asleep Roman wasn’t that much of a pushover. “Actually, no. I’m the king of Straith, remember? And my actions have done a lot more good for everyone than you could ever imagine. So if you would, please go back to your lovely vacation home and leave me to deal with my own problems,” Roman said, staring their father down. This had to work, there was no way Roman could put up with their shitbag father for more than a few minutes without losing all the sanity they had.

“Actually, I have just as much of a claim to the throne as you do, Roman. Considering that I am the older member of the royal family, and gave up the throne voluntarily. I can always take it back,” Epos said, frowning and crossing his arms.

Roman kept glaring at him, too tired to do much more.“You gave it up. The throne, the kingdom is mine now. Right, Camden?”

“Well…” Camden began, looking down at his hands. “Roman, you are still a child in the eyes of the law, and considering that you are currently co-ruling with a cabinet, he can take the throne back. You could be relegated back to the status of prince, assuming that you willingly give your father his crown during the coronation ceremony.” He looked up at Roman, apology clear as day in his eyes.

“Exactly. Roman, I see no reason for you to object to this simple request. After all, I am not the king who allows magic to terrorize his capital city. I have a solution to that problem, which is eliminating all magic in the country. In fact, we could go before a judge and get the official ruling that would make me king due to your disrespect of time-honored traditions.”

“But I can solve the problem without eliminating magic,” Roman said, tilting their head. Checkmate. “There’s a place in Canea called Lyrwrithe. It’s a reserve for magical creatures, like the one that is the root cause of the magical problems Straith is having.”

Epos’s reaction to Roman’s mention of Canea was priceless. His face twisted, he opened his mouth to speak, but held back. “We should make a deal, son of mine. If you succeed with eliminating this danger within a week, the kingdom is yours and I will go on my merry way. If you do not succeed, sorcery becomes a crime punishable by death. The deaths start with your, ah ‘Head Sorcerer.’ I believe that’s what you called the lunatic you freed from the dungeons, yes?”

Taking in the nervous faces of their cabinet, Camden, nobles, and even the staff, Roman knew they had one choice. Neither of them were perfect kings, but Epos was a proven tyrant. “It’s a deal.” They stepped forward and shook hands with their father, knowing that this was a dangerous game.

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Roman. I can’t wait to take back my rightful throne in a week’s time.”

“Fine. So long as my choices for the crown can govern while we carry out our challenge.” Roman trusted Corbin and Sloane over their father in more or less every situation, and this was no exception. While they hated to put it on the couple, the two were the best people they could think of for the job.

They were wide awake now, and they had to talk to Virgil and Rafaela immediately. They left the council room without another word, cutting through the hallways of the castle to Rafaela’s quarters. The first goal here was to capture the dragon, put it in a cage that could at least be used to transport the creature. And the only way to do that was figure something out with Rafaela. Roman stopped in their quarters to grab a few things for the journey before heading to the Dragon Witch’s rooms. They made sure to grab their mother’s scarf—the last thing Roman wanted was for Epos to have it.

This plan was ambitious, but Roman knew it was the only way. They knocked on Rafaela’s door, slightly nervous. It was still very, very early.

Fortunately, she answered, with the dark eye circles of someone who was up late rather than awake early. “King Roman. What brings you here?” She didn’t open the door completely, wary of why Roman would be here at this early hour.

“Epos is back,” Roman said, giving her a second to process. “He caught wind of what I’m doing here and, well, it’s a long story. Can I come in?”

Rafaela let them in, sitting in one of the armchairs in her room, gesturing for Roman to take another. “Tell me everything, I assume we don’t have much time.”

Roman recounted everything that happened that morning, leaving out the night before but mentioning the preserve for magical creatures, Lyrwrithe. Rafaela took it in, growing more concerned as they continued.

“You need me to capture the dragon, yes?” She was matter of fact about it, and her gaze went to the books lying open on the floor of her room. “I can do that.”

“Great, that’s perfect. Can you do it now, or…?” Roman asked, bouncing a little with the first excitement they’d felt this morning.

“I can give you the trap. You need Virgil to set it, I can’t approach the creature. Get her, and by the time the two of you come back, it will be ready.” Rafaela stood up and began gathering books, flipping through them and placing magical bookmarks at important parts. “Go.”

Finding Virgil wasn’t too difficult, she was still asleep. Roman woke her up gently, and had to explain everything once again. Before long, she was awake enough to realize that they had to move now, or Virgil would be stuck cleaning up after the dragon for who knows how long. As a side effect, Laurus also woke up, which was adorable. Both Roman and Virgil could have watched the tiny dragon make adorable snuffly noises for hours, but they didn’t have the time. Virgil set Laurus on her shoulders and they left her quarters.

The pair raced back to Rafaela’s quarters, focused on getting that trap. Virgil burst into Rafaela’s room, much to Roman’s surprise. “Rafaela, you can stop the dragon? With us?” she asked, daring to hope.

“I can give you the trap and send you on your way,” Rafaela said, still fidgeting with some sort of magical device. Much like the still-sleeping Laurus, she was unaffected by Virgil’s entrance. “I myself cannot be near the dragon, and using my magic against it could prove fatal. But I can give you the means to trap it yourself.” She held up the fist-sized device in her hand.

Virgil’s face fell, and she focused on the thing in Rafaela’s hand. “How does it work?”

Rafaela handed her the small contraption of gray metal. “It’s very simple. Find the dragon, and keep it in one place with a freezing spell or something similar. Then, give the device a shot of your magic—not a spell, just a bit of sorcery— and throw it at the dragon.”

“Okay, got it,” Virgil said, turning the device over in her hands.

“Can I come along?” Roman asked.

The Dragon Witch’s harsh gaze scanned them. “I suppose, just stay out of the way. The dragon shouldn’t care about you, you’re irrelevant. It cares about Virgil, though, she looks so much like me.”

Unsure as to what she should say, Virgil nodded.

“We should get going,” Roman said, swallowing their questions and hoping this all worked out well.

Roman and Virgil walked outside, only to find that it was still dark. That was winter, especially here in Straith. The darkness had one advantage: when they looked at the city, it was immediately clear where the dragon was. On the outskirts of town, a small puff of blue flame would reappear, only to disappear again.

“It’s…sleeping?” Virgil half-asked, looking to Roman for reassurance.

“Yep.”

Without another word— it was way too early for words, after all— the two walked towards the dragon. Virgil did her best to keep her footsteps quiet, knowing that it would be easier to trap a sleeping dragon than an awake one. Her dragon rested around her shoulders, a comfortable weight. She hoped Laurus stayed that way, there was no telling how he would react to the much larger dragon currently terrorizing Archdale.

After an uncertain period of time, they reached the dragon. Roman almost gasped aloud at the sheer size of the beast, stopped only by Virgil’s hand on their mouth. They stood stock still as Virgil approached the sleeping creature carefully, making sure that it was still sleeping after each hesitant step.

Its head twitched up, a bloodred iris looking out on them. Virgil raised her hand, not sure what spell to use. The jolt of anxiety in her stomach propelled itself out through her outstretched fingers and hit the dragon in the eye. The eye snapped shut, and the dragon fell back asleep, even more deeply than before.

Roman startled as a puff of dragon breath interrupted the darkness of night. “Is it… asleep?”

Virgil nodded, shushing them, then dug Rafaela’s trap out of the pocket in her cloak. Holding her breath, she sent a jet of purple magic into the contraption. When the dragon kept sleeping, Virgil threw the device. For a second, it didn’t look like anything had happened. The bundle of metal and magic just sat on top of the dragon, doing nothing. Her sleeping spell had to be more powerful than usual.

Then, purple streaks of magic engulfed the dragon, moving across it to create a translucent purple bubble. The dragon still slept. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After a minute or two of looking at the dragon and feeling very happy that it was caught, a large error in their plan dawned on the pair. “How are we going to put that on a ship?” Roman asked, “Can you like, shrink it?”

Virgil considered it for a second —that was one big dragon —and decided that she could. “Yeah, I can make it smaller. It’s not an easy spell, but at least undoing it is simple.” She pointed her fingers at the purple bubble and focused, pouring the emotions that had resurfaced in Roman’s chambers last night into stretching the very boundaries of space and matter. It took a lot of concentration for approximately six in the morning, but Virgil pushed her magic to its limit, and the dragon shrunk before her eyes.

“Let’s go,” Virgil said, and Roman didn’t question it. She levitated the dragon and its carrier so that it followed just behind them, and the pair made their way to the docks. Every so often, she looked back to make sure it was still asleep.

“He said he wanted to show you some of your mother’s things,” Jessie said, leading a just-dressed Roman to where they were meeting the king. The clothes in Roman’s guest room fit them perfectly, and many of them were their mother’s. Apparently, Roman could take some home with them if they wanted, but for now, Roman was really digging this blouse. It was simplistic, a feminine style that fit them just the way they wanted it to.

“That should be fun,” Roman said, admiring the art in the corridors. How anyone could get used to this much beauty, they didn’t know. Their eyes lingered on the swan wallpaper that blinked and breathed. “Who did all the art here? It’s so pretty.”

“Lots of different artists, I believe. When the palace was built, they added lots of magic touches to provide jobs for struggling sorcerers. Specifically, the art sorcerers were becoming extremely undervalued, as increased paranoia over internal politics led to more people using magic to protect themselves instead of to add beauty to their lives,” Jessie answered, giving the wallpaper a passing glance. “That’s all the history of it, anyways. It’s not that interesting.”

“No, no. It’s really neat, I love history.” Roman wondered who had made the plant with a hundred different flower blossoms in front of them. “Do you know who made specific pieces?”

“There’s a record of them somewhere, I think,” Jessie said, stopping to knock on a door. “We’re at the king’s chambers, so have fun!”

The door opened before Roman, by none other than King Markus himself. He gave Roman a strong handshake, surprising his nephew.

“Roman, so good to see you! I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to talk to you earlier, but duty calls. How has your time in Canea been so far?” The king walked into what looked like a study room of some sort, and Roman automatically followed.

“It’s been wonderful so far, really,” Roman said, taking in the room. It wasn’t much to look at-a simple desk and a few bookshelves and cabinets, all in the same dark wood. Much different than Roman’s office back at home. They were almost scared to do work in there half the time, everything was so nice. “Jessie showed me around, and I got to meet Lilly. Dinner last night was great, too.”

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Mark replied, pacing around the room, clearly looking for something. “There’s some old things of your mother’s in here, it’s just been a while since I’ve been in this room. It’s a chest of some sorts.”

“Were you, um, close with my mother?” Roman asked, noting the change in the king’s tone when he mentioned Madeline. They looked around the room, wondering where a chest would be.

“Yes,” he responded, “She was my sister, and we fought sometimes, but at the end of the day we were in it together.”

There was an awkward pause of silence as Mark continued rooting through the room, and Roman watched. They weren’t sure what to say to that—it wasn’t like Roman had any siblings.

“Must be in the other room,” the king said, sighing and walking through another archway to a bedroom. “Sorry, I really do want to spend time with you and go through her things, but I only have a few minutes. I hope you understand, Roman.”

“It’s—it’s no problem. I have similar problems in Straith. The stress of being king can be difficult to bear,” Roman said, waving the apology away with their hand.

“Yes, I’m surprised you’ve managed to spend this much time away from your kingdom,” the king said, rooting around under the bed in a very undignified manner. “Ah! Found it.”

“I have, um, very capable advisors,” Roman said, remembering that they had essentially abdicated the throne with little to no warning. That thought quickly disappeared from their mind when Mark pulled the trunk out from under the bed. “What’s in it?”

“Lots of your mother’s old papers, diaries and letters. She kept a very thorough diary, and wrote to many of her college friends. So many pen pals— and many of them didn’t even know that she was the princess.” He struggled a little with picking up the trunk, heaving it in the direction of the office.

“Don’t you have servants who can assist with this?” Roman asked, surprised at how much Mark was struggling. “Here, I can give you a hand.” They held onto one side of the trunk.

“Thank you, Roman. I do have servants, but I wanted to speak with you in private. Besides, it’s good for me, with all the sitting I do all day,” Mark said, guiding Roman into the office. Together, the two kings set the chest down on the desk.

“Anything I should definitely look at?” Roman asked, already fiddling with the clasp of the chest.

“Oh, all of it’s interesting. Tell me what you find at dinner, it’s been a while since I looked through it all,” Mark said, helping Roman with the clasp. The lid of the chest flipped backwards, and Roman dove in immediately, grabbing a sheet of paper to read. “I wish I had more time to talk with you... We should have a real talk sometime. How long will you be staying?”

“Um, a week, I think,” Roman said, already skimming the letter. “Maybe we could tour the city together, or something.”

“I would love that. Now, I’ll send someone to get you for lunch,” Mark said, walking towards the door. “I hope the papers help you learn more about Madeline.” The door shut behind him before Roman could reply, leaving them all alone with a lot of reading to do.

The king seemed nice enough, but Roman really didn’t care about him when there was a whole treasure chest filled with their mother’s handwriting in front of them. Starting with the letter in their hand, Roman sat down in the chair and read. The chair appeared to be wooden, but Roman could swear it felt cushioned.

Just another touch of magic in Canea, they supposed. But Roman soon forgot about their chair as they read further in the papers. Madeline Elthren’s life unfolded before them, the world of an intelligent socialite living as part of the ruling class of Canea. She loved magic, and mourned the fact that she wasn’t a sorceress. In one letter to Lilly, she recalled playing “sorcerer” as a child. Roman found the paper hard to read as tears welled in their eyes at the thought of Madeline loving Virgil for her powers.

Past college, the letters changed their tone. They weren’t to friends anymore, but to important members of the court. Roman was confused when they saw the first letter addressed to someone within the Canean court, but the person wasn’t on vacation. The story unfolded from there, and Roman couldn’t believe how…callously she talked about Epos.

It wasn’t like Roman hadn’t said similar to their friends, but this was the man she eventually married. Yet there was another twist — letters about Epos’s corruption—and how marrying him could be the only way for Canea to infiltrate and neutralize the threat Epos presented.

Counselor Alexa

I understand that we should not interfere in affairs that are not our own, but the more news we receive about Epos’s reign and how it is harming the people of Straith, the more scared I become. He could cut off trade with Canea, and then where would we be? Their imports of coal are vital for our economy—he could cause a complete collapse—and as much as I absolutely hate him, marriage might be our best bet. It’ll forge an alliance, if nothing else.

But I cannot allow assassination to take place with my knowledge. As queen, I will have enough power to hold sway over their government to hopefully keep anything too terrible from happening. Once I produce an heir, I’ll be vital enough that no one will be able to dismiss me in court. I hate that it’s the only way I’ll gain respect in Straith, but we can’t change everything overnight.

I have sent a letter to Epos with an affirmative to his proposal. I hope we can work together on this, though we have different views.

Love and victory,

Madeline Elthren, Crown Princess of Canea

There were more letters than just the one, but this was the one that Roman gripped hard enough to wrinkle the paper. A loveless marriage. A refusal to assassinate. Respect, gained through an heir.

It wasn’t surprising. Roman had always wondered how someone would fall in love with their father, especially when their stepmother had only married Epos for his money. She’d disappeared after Roman took the crown, there for their coronation and gone the next. Roman supposed she was with her family, happily working on the family business of mining. They’d never thought to check, but her apathy towards Epos made the letters between Roman’s mother and the former king more shocking.

Dearest Madeline

It brings me so much joy to know that you will take my hand in the sacred bond of marriage. I don’t say these words to merely be courteous, but because I am happy to be marrying for love, not politics. You have listened to me when no one else would, and taken sympathy in the plights of a jaded king when many would scorn me for my status. Truly, there is no one like you. Your wit lights up a room, and I cannot wait to see it grace the halls of Straith’s castle.

Thank you for your kind words since the death of my father, and may they continue every day. I await your visit with much anticipation, and if there is anything you desire for the wedding, say the word and it is yours. I am so glad to have found an ally in my vision for Straith, and to have that ally at my side in court.

With all my love,

Epos Theularus

Roman didn’t realize how much their father had loved Madeline. And how little their mother loved Epos. Her words felt fake in the responding letter, the tone completely different from her other correspondence. The manipulation was obvious, every syllable a betrayal to the idea of a loving person that everyone at last night’s dinner had built.

Beloved Epos,

I am counting down the days, this is truly a dream come true! I believe we will be excellent rulers together, and companions in the most intimate of ways. To join you, not your country, but you, in marriage is the highest honor I could imagine. There is no visionary I would rather follow into a new world. Your intelligence and foresight is one that I admire, and it is a privilege to listen to your innermost thoughts.

I wish I could write more, but it is late and I fear someone will notice me grinning over a letter in the dead of night, loopy with love and giggling to herself. For the wedding, I wish nothing but to have you by my side.

All the love in the world,

Madeline Elthren Theularus

They read on, despite the sting of their mother’s lies. There were so many letters to and from the nobility of Canea, some describing how Madeline should seduce Epos in so much detail that Roman couldn’t read them all the way through. Even Markus was in on the secret, telling his sister to make her “intentions more obvious to the moronic monarch you married. Alliteration!” As much as Roman wanted to be mad at her on their father’s behalf, they couldn’t blame her. Even in youth, Epos was a downright terrible person, and he’d grown into an awful king who cared more about his fragile ego than the people he was supposed to be serving.

After years of being forced to conform to Epos’s idea of what a “son” should be, Roman knew that it must have taken guts for their mom to subject herself to his rule every second of her life, willingly. If you had asked Roman, at fourteen, if they wanted to live with Epos or literally anywhere else, they would have chosen anywhere else in a heartbeat.

During her pregnancy, she wrote about Roman. It was strange, the things she wanted for them. The way she talked about them as a hopeful future, someone she would bring up to be more like herself than Epos. It was sad, but Roman couldn’t stop reading. These were the only words she would ever write about them.

Lilly,

Epos keeps asking me if there’s any Canean sorcery that lets us know the gender before the baby is born, and I keep telling him there isn’t. Fortunately, he’s too stupid to know that there absolutely is (Straith’s library is a joke, honestly), and I don’t really care if it’s a boy or girl. Either way, I just want to raise a child that will rule Straith better than their father. Someone with a good heart, and enough patience to put up with their father because I could certainly use some.

Cravings are, well, interesting. I’m hoping I don’t get the urge for something magical, because every time I bring up sorcery, I get this look like I murdered everyone’s cat. I really don’t understand what about sorcery is as awful as cat genocide, but I’m almost afraid to ask. Perhaps my baby will somehow get this country to not have such a prejudice against magic. I’m pretty sure Epos would flip if he visited Canea, but he’s too self-obsessed to even think about it.

I hope all is well in Chanidy, and Mark isn’t too stressed over the training for monarchy. I remember being sixteen and terrified that I could literally kill people with a few words. He’s more anxious than I am, so make sure he’s ok.

Love and victory,

Madeline Elthren (technically Theularus, but not happy about it)

A tap on her arm made Virgil flinch, but it was just Patton. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. Logan and I thought we’d ask the staff some questions, see where Roman was before they left. You saw them last, do you have any ideas who we could ask first?”

Virgil let her anger die within her, sighing as she faced Patton. They’d gotten to know each other a little in the months since the quest, although neither was really sure how to approach a conversation together. Regardless, Virgil trusted Patton, and his calm in the face of stress was a welcome relief from her own anxious mind. 

“We had lunch in the library, right before the explosion. Maybe have Logan ask the librarian, he’s been dying to know more about the castle library for ages anyways,” Virgil said, pulling her hood over her hair. “I think I’m going to ask Rafaela about it, because she’s been keeping awfully quiet.” Laurus perked up at Rafaela’s name, and immediately started running in tiny circles around her feet, claws clacking on the tile floor.

“Logan already went to the library. I’m not sure if he’s after the librarian or the books.” Patton sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know who some of Roman’s friends in the castle are, so I’ll ask around. Sorry the guards didn’t have any information.”

“It’s ok, we’ll find something soon enough,” Virgil said, trying to keep up hope. The explosions of the last few days were nerve-wracking, and she’d reverted back into some of her old habits of worrying. A little positivity was the most she could hope for when her stomach felt like a wrung washcloth.

“You’re going to talk to Rafaela, right? I know she’s been off lately, but maybe see if she has a spell that could find Roman?” Patton looked around at the now-empty corridor, as if uncertain that his suggestion would be taken seriously.

Laurus stopped running, deciding to sit on Virgil’s feet. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Virgil said, knowing that she’d rather talk to her trusted mentor than a near-stranger. Unlike Patton, she had difficulty befriending the palace staff, as she could never find the right place to slide into their conversations. “Let’s meet at the gates before sundown, ok? So we can tell each other what we found.”

Patton smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Good luck.” He waved back at Virgil.

“Same to you.” Virgil let her feet carry her to Rafaela’s rooms, Laurus on her heels, knowing that when the Head Sorcerer was in such a state, she could usually be found in her private quarters. They were the same as the ones she’d inhabited over a century ago, when there were more members of the royal family who needed rooms. 

Virgil knocked on the door, and took Rafaela’s distant “come in” as her opportunity to enter. She opened the door to find Rafaela sitting at her desk, creating a sphere of water over her fingers only to let it evaporate, then forming it again.

Lost in thought, Rafaela didn’t look up as Virgil entered. Something about the way she sat almost perfectly gave Virgil a bad gut feeling. Laurus slunk behind her, as if afraid.

“Roman’s missing,” Virgil said, trying to say something that would clear the air, or at least get the Dragon Witch’s attention.

“That’s unfortunate.” The water in her hand turned to a snowflake, then an ice cube. Virgil watched, puzzled.

“Do you know a tracking spell? Something that could help us find him?” She didn’t understand why her mentor was acting like this. It was common for Rafaela to be stoic, or reserved, but not frozen like a statue.

“Only if they were a sorcerer. What a pity.” Her head tilted a fraction of an inch, and the snowflake reformed. “Snow is so pretty in the winter, isn’t it? I hadn’t seen it for decades.”

“Rafaela. What’s wrong? Why—why are you acting like this?” Virgil tried to keep her tone polite, formal, but her nerves were fraying after the day she’d had. Last night, she’d barely been able to sleep.

“I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, Virgil. Spur-of-the-moment things. I had too much power, and nothing good to do with it. I’m very sorry.” Nothing moved except for her mouth. The water turned to blue flames, casting a ghastly glow on the Dragon Witch’s face.

Virgil let herself marinate in the silence, hoping that Rafaela would continue, explain. But it was the door opening that punctuated their conversation.

“You guys need to come quick. There’s been another accident. This time, it’s worse.” Logan was out of breath and panting, and he leaned against the doorframe as he took in Virgil’s shocked expression and Rafaela’s passive one. “What’s with her?”

“I don’t know. What happened?” Virgil looked from her mentor to Logan, not sure what to do.

“I’m sick. Continue without me.” She allowed the flames to melt, dripping down her hand.

“Come on,” Logan said, waving Virgil through the door. She followed him, tightening her cloak around her shoulders, but not before shooting one last glance over her shoulder at Rafaela. Laurus jumped up onto her shoulders, making Virgil stumble for a second.

“So, Rafaela aside, what’s going on?” Virgil asked, hurrying after Logan. He must have really been in a state, because usually he never moved fast unless books were involved.

“There’s been a fire on the outskirts of town, near the forest. Right around where the source of our problem is.” He took a sharp left. “People are really freaking out, because nobody has any idea how to put it out.”

Virgil drummed her fingers along the wall to release her nerves as they walked. “Is the fire department there?”

“Yeah, and that’s part of the problem. They think it’s magical, and nothing scares the daylights out of a rule-abiding citizen of Straith like sorcery,” Logan said, sighing as he pushed open a door to the outside. A large crowd was gathered at the castle gates.

“Anything unusual about it beyond not being able to put it out? Does it spread abnormally fast, or is it a weird color, or does it burn things weird? Does it smell weird, or something?” Virgil made a quick mental list of all the spells she knew that could extinguish fire.

“No, it’s an ordinary fire in every aspect except that water is not putting it out,” Logan said, pacing impatiently towards the small gate in the wall that would let them through.

“That’s not good. I think I’ve read a spell like that somewhere.” She wracked her brain for the information on how to put it out, following Logan through the gate.

They were invisible in the thick crowd, the panicked voices unmistakable. Everyone wanted something done about the problem in the woods, whatever the hell it was, and the fear was palpable. Virgil sensed the undercurrents to the panic: after so quick of a power transfer, was their country ready to face this threat? Would the young king be able to handle it?

While Roman was nowhere in sight, Virgil supposed she could make do in his place. As Logan led her to the fire, she tried to take note of easy-to-fix problems on the streets of Archdale. When they got back, Roman would have a lot to deal with. She could only hope that they were doing something that could help the country, even if it wasn’t in the castle where the king belonged.

She smelled the fire before she saw it, and the familiarity of it almost knocked her over. It was one of Rafaela’s favorite spells, the one that was burning the torches of her bedroom right now. Next to her, Logan’s face was a mirror of her own confusion.

“I didn’t think Rafaela would be involved in this,” Logan said as the building came into sight. A simple farmhouse was on fire, the blue flames consuming everything. The handiwork was so familiar, Virgil knew exactly when it would flicker.

“At least I know how to stop it,” Virgil said, pointing her hand at the house. It was an odd gesture, but the people milling around the fire didn’t even notice her. The black and purple of her cloak allowed Virgil to fade to the background, and Laurus was invisible on her shoulders, scales transparent.

She ignored the twang in her heart as the fire splintered like glass, the light blue shards catching the winter sun until Virgil floated them out of the house and stacked them next to her in a neat pile. What had Rafaela done?

Heads turned, following the glossy blue shapes, a wall of astonishment facing Virgil. After an awkward pause of silence, Logan said, “She’s the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Kind of cool, right?”

Before any of the gawkers had a chance to respond, a woman broke away from the crowd to stand before Virgil. “Thank you so much,” she said. Logan and Virgil took in her haggard expression. Her eyes were red, but from smoke or crying it was impossible to tell.

“It’s—it’s what I do,” Virgil replied, dropping her gaze to the snowy ground.

“It’s miraculous. You just saved—that house has been in my family for generations. I’m not sure what happened to it, but there was a boom—like the explosions recently, then before I knew it, the house was in flames and we had to escape. I thought I’d watch the place where I grew up burn to the ground.” She sobbed, a fresh tear running down her right cheek. “I know it might be too much to ask, but do you know what happened to set it on fire? I can’t thank you enough.”

Virgil’s eyes went wide, tears of her own on the edge of spilling over. “I don’t know what happened, sorry. I’m happy I could help, I know how it feels to think you’ll lose the only place you’ve ever lived.” Uncertain of what to do next, she swallowed her sobs and embraced the woman, closing her eyes so that the tears wouldn’t help.

She felt Logan’s hand on her shoulder, a comfort. When she broke away from her hug with this total stranger—what was she doing?—the crowd was applauding her. A standing ovation. Virgil froze where she stood, panic rushing through her as she realized what had just happened.

“Thank you, I have to go tell my wife,” the woman said, leaving Virgil to disappear into the crowd, just as quickly as she’d come.

Logan led her away from the crowd, before the situation could freak her out any more. She wanted to thank him, but Virgil couldn’t seem to find the words for the life of her. They walked down the familiar streets of Virgil’s home until they were at the doorway of Food for the Mind. Virgil felt some of her anxiety fade away as she stepped into the bookstore.

“Are you alright?” Logan asked, inviting her to sit next to him on a beanbag in the kids section. “I thought you might just want to get away from the situation, if that’s fine.”

She sank into the small yellow beanbag. “I’m better, thanks. Thank you for taking me here, too. I’d rather be here than the palace, or that house, or anywhere, really,” Virgil said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Crowds. Crowds watching me do magic are…fun. So much fun. Full sarcasm. And strangers who approach me to thank me for solving a problem my mentor may have created in the first place.”

“Sorry about that, do you want anything?” Logan was still worried about her, but Virgil couldn’t focus on that for long.