Page 76 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“You seem to be the only one who feels that way.”

I considered the truth of that statement. Even Helena and Orion felt that he should cater to the expectations of the Imítheos. They did not want him to rock the boat too much too soon, and while I understood their concerns, the Imítheos were not my priority: Riordan was.

“You want to do things differently than they have ever been done before. Change like that is difficult, and your friends love you, Riordan. I think they love you more than they value what you could do for their people,” I stressed. “So their goal will always be to protect you, regardless of the interests of the Ktínos.”

“I know,” he admitted quietly. “But it doesn’t change who or what I am. These changes are vital, and there is no one else who can make them. It has to be me. I just wish that they… I have never felt before like they did not trust me to make the right decision,” he explained finally.

I considered his admission for a moment, weighing it against what I had learned from Ares and Helena. My first concern was that choosing me might have destabilized his credibility with them, but it only took a moment of further reflection to know this was not the case. Not with how the Ktínos had received me. I didn’t believe they were merely catering to Riordan as Orionsuggested; the Ktínos were not so superficial. For the first time in my life, I felt truly comfortable among other people, and I knew that it was because they were honest and genuine.

“Helena said there will be a hundred skirmishes every month, and you cannot attend them all,” I advised him, curious how he would respond.

“She is right, but there will not be so many once I have reestablished my authority and secured the Vale again,” he insisted with a hint of frustration. “She seems to forget we were at war with the Fuath when I became general, and we had to make many changes in a short time to make us strong enough to eliminate the threat. I made enemies and rivals. My friends thought I was out of my mind to upset the system like that, but I swore to protect them all, and Idid. We weathered the storm, and when we were done turning everything on its head, our army had become stronger than ever,” Riordan stated unflinchingly. He was not boasting, he was merely stating the facts confidently. “Now everything we built has been dismantled, and we must start at the beginning,” he added as he tilted his head to look up into the dark branches above.

“You did not tell her any of that this morning.”

“I should not have to when she knows—” he began.

“Do not assume what she knows. You thought I knew a lot more than I did before coming here, and as a result, you weren’t upfront about important information. I know that was not your intentionat all,” I assured him when his eyes widened in concern. “But it left me feeling like I was making decisions without all the facts,” I tried to explain as gently but firmly as possible.

“Amira, I… I am sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s alright, we’ve already talked about all that, I just wanted to make a point about Helena,” I reassured him. “You’ll undoubtedly need to be forceful with the bigots, but the stakesare even higher now than they were when you were the general. So you are not only starting from scratch with liberating Ktínos, but also in building trust with your friends. And if you would rather they had faith in you this time instead of questioning your methods as they did before, then I think they’ll need more inclusive strategizing from you. I haven’t known them very long, but I’m confident that if you give them that, then they will help you upset this system and rule the way you want to.”

Riordan appeared conflicted between his concern for me and a hint of frustration which I perfectly understood. He was a prince and a beloved general who had proven himself competent. He was used to being obeyed, even by those who did not approve of him, and he felt that he had already earned the trust of everyone who mattered to him. But I was also confident he could develop more inclusive leadership styles. Especially when he was internalizing my criticism rather than getting immediately defensive.

And yet, I still held my breath while I waited anxiously for him to speak. I trusted Riordan not to react badly, but I was not used to being able to speak my mind so freely or give someone feedback. My mother hated it, and Ornella was often very defensive as well.

“You are right,” the king said finally, and I released a soft exhale of relief as he nodded. “I often take command and act according to my own instincts without regard for the opinions of others. I trust myself to make decisions, and I suppose I expect others to as well.”

“I think that theydotrust you, but I also think they will appreciate it more if you are more open with them.”

Riordan was thoughtful as he nodded before he raised his eyes to me. He looked hesitant but determined.

“Is that why you have not felt that you can make a decision about me? Because I was not forthcoming?”

“I… Perhaps in the beginning,” I admitted reluctantly, my heart aching from the vulnerability in his question. “But there were many other factors that had nothing to do with you. My own fears and cautions.”

He merely nodded although I could tell there was more he wanted to say. He wanted to respect my right to make this decision in my own time.

“Thank you for talking this through with me,” he said, shocking me.

“I hope I am not saying the wrong things! I am so far out of my element here—”

“I just needed another perceptive, Amira, and you gave that to me. Orion is usually the one who speaks sense to me when I am unmindful, but it seems all this time apart has brought us back to the days when he was… cruel.”

Now, I knewthatwas my fault. Or if not exactly my fault then my presence had certainly exacerbated it.

“Tell me what happened,” I invited him, and Riordan turned his face away, looking pensive as he appeared to consider what to tell me.

“It is his job to protect me, even from myself, but he has never attempted to manipulate me before,” he said, shaking his head in misunderstanding.

“Is it because of me?” I guessed quietly.

“You have done nothing wrong,” he assured me firmly, looking down at me. “I just… I don’t understand him.”

I was quiet, struggling with the impulse to tell Riordan the truth about his friend, but I could not bring myself to do it when it may only be more detrimental. And besides, such a massive secrethadto come from Orion himself.

“I told Sofia that I wanted to be trained and tutored,” I told him significantly. It felt impulsive to tell him about my decision in order to alleviate some of his sorrow, but I trusted myinstincts as much as Riordan trusted his own. “Learning Aeolian will be the priority I think, but I also want to learn your maps, your culture, and your history. I’ll need to know all those things if I am to support you the way I want to.”

---