POV: KIERAN SOLIS
Timeline: Three weeks after the trial
Location: Nocterra - Council Chambers
"King Daemon has agreed to the treaty."
I look up from the documents I'm reviewing. Ravion is holding a letter. Official seal. Gold leaf.
"He agreed?" I'm shocked. "Just like that?"
"Not just like that. He negotiated. HARD. But yes." Ravion hands me the letter. "Trade agreement. Mutual defense pact. Open borders for merchants. Everything we proposed."
I read it. It's real. It's ACTUALLY real.
"How did you convince him?"
"I didn't." Ravion smiles. "YOU did. Your speech at the trial. Your demonstration of the twin bond. He was... impressed. Said you showed 'unexpected political acumen' and he'd be a fool to make an enemy of you."
"He literally threatened to go to war with us three weeks ago."
"That was BEFORE he saw you testify. Before he saw what you and Kaelis can do." Ravion pulls me close. "You're changing minds, Kieran. Making enemies into allies. That's rare. That's POWERFUL."
"I'm just trying to do the right thing."
"I know. And that's exactly why it's working."
We sign the treaty. Seal it. Send it back to Valdris.
One more kingdom secured. One more potential war avoided.
I'm getting good at this. The politics. diplomacy. The balancing of competing interests.
I'm getting good at being KING.
"What's next?" I ask.
"Next?" Ravion pulls out more documents. "Next we tackle the merchant guilds. They're demanding lower taxes. The nobles want higher tariffs. We need to find middle ground."
"Compromise. I can do compromise."
"I know you can." He kisses me quickly. "That's why you're perfect for this."
We spend the next three hours negotiating.
And it feels GOOD.
This is what I was meant to do. Not run from responsibility. Not hide in 2025.
But BUILD. Here. Now. In this impossible timeline where I somehow ended up.