Kethaias detested leaving things unfinished, and he felt the situation in Banque was definitely that.  With a rebellion uprising back home, he had little choice but to turn his back and let the dust settle where it would.<br/><br/>The upheaval itself didn’t take long to suppress.  He returned to his grand palace to rest and receive news from his vast empire.  His home and all the precious ones inside were safe, and that was what he’d been most concerned about.<br/><br/>It wasn’t until he’d mostly put behind memories of his visit to the quaint little teacup kingdom that he received a strange letter with a small accompanying package.  He opened the letter, expecting it to be from Gharreld.  Some sort of good will token.  The first line was all he needed to read to notice that was not the case.  His eyes scanned down and settled on that R.  There was a brief pause before he crumpled the thing and shoved it, package and all, off into the bin beside his desk.<br/><br/>What was Ryland thinking?  Sending him things.  It had been hard enough getting the image of him to stop haunting his nights, to stop remembering the feel and taste of his mouth.  It became hard to think.<br/><br/>He visited his harem.<br/><br/>It wasn’t until the next day when he returned to his cabinet to look for information concerning the migration patterns of one of his enemies.  His eyes caught the rumpled letter left in the bin.  It had already put him in a foul mood, so what more harm would it do to read it?  Ryland had gone through the effort, after all.  Keth plucked it out and slumped into a chair to see what the egotistical beauty had to say.  He read it, reread it, then read it again.<br/><br/>Teleyard was an ass.  Out of the whole world, that would’ve been the worst option for Ryland’s future, at least to Keth’s thinking.<br/><br/>He picked the box out of the bin and peeled off the wrap and opened to inspect.  The honey or the smoke, either or both could’ve been poisoned.  Kethaias kept testers on hand for such things, but he opted to taste the foreign honey with his finger.  It was sweet and, even though he’d never actually licked the like from Ryland’s body, it made him think of that smooth, golden skin and blond hair.  But that was the point, wasn’t it?  The little idiot was certainly a sadist of the worst kind.<br/><br/>Because he knew he’d not get any work done until he’d responded, Kethaias sat down and began his own letter.<br/><br/><i>Emperor Kings are busy individuals, little princeling.  You are fortunate in your peaceful kingdom to have so few responsibilities.  Though you should be careful.  Your brother assured me that you have one responsibility that there will be no escaping from.  <br/>
<br/>
Concerning that, and Teleyard, you should have flung yourself into my arms and agreed to come back with me to Velika Zviezda.  Jealousy has no place in it, but I pity you should your brother find reason to give you to that snake.  He might be convinced that Teleyard could make you modest and tame.  And wouldn’t that be a shame?<br/>
<br/>
Are you still wearing that silly gift?  I thought you would have seen it as a joke by now and disposed of it.  <br/>
<br/>
Though I won’t lie and say that I am not pleased.  Has your hair been cut to show it off?  A lock of that would have been a fine payment for that expensive gift.<br/>
<br/>
You might be happy to know that the uprising that caused my abrupt departure was quelled within a fortnight.  The count I trusted to oversee a mining area where a unique precious gem is gathered was being negligent in his duties and allowing invading tribes to invade.  He has been relieved of his duties in this life.  The tribesmen and women became less aggressive after their numbers were halved, and I doubt we will be seeing their like for a long time.<br/>
<br/>
The honey is delicious, though I have tasted more exquisite confections in Banque.<br/>
<br/>
But what to gift you back?<br/>
<br/>
 I am sending a sample of local sweets made here in my kitchens.  Honey is not popular here, but sugarcane is plentiful.  There is a red tuber grown in the nearby valley that mixes well into cakes and is sometimes diced and candied.  I will make sure to include those.<br/>
<br/>
Rush to write me back before I run off to war or something.</i><br/><br/><br/><script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json">
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</div><br/><br/><br/>He folded the letter and tied it up neat with a dark purple ribbon.  He debated not pressing a seal into at all, but then thought it would be better to keep it looking official.  It was a playful letter, but it needed to remain somewhat formal.<br/><br/>The seal itself was done in a pale blue wax.  A lone tree was the centerpiece, its roots stretching down, its bare branches reaching high toward three stars, one large at the top and two smaller ones to each side.  The tree itself bore a single K in its middle, obviously for his only known name.