“Lady Marshal,” she was greeted, the guards standing sharply to attention as she emerged. She nodded in acknowledgement and continued on, trying not to think about her sleepless night. She failed miserably in that regard, and it occupied her thoughts to such a degree that she almost didn’t recognise the king as he stood in the library, a pensive expression on his face, one foreleg crossed to support the other as he tapped his beak deep in thought, considering the vista outside the window. He looked troubled, understandable given the current absurd predicament Gethrenia found itself in regarding its neighbours, but this was different. He was muttering thoughtfully to himself, an odd look in his eyes as if he couldn’t quite make sense of something, not the same as his usual long-suffering grimace at a known problem.