As they walked towards the grand doors of the palace, Kenneth reached into his vest pocket and checked his watch. They were early; good. He liked to be earlier, at least during this cycle.  He remembered being â€˜bornâ€™ as it were some odd time back, and sitting on his throne for his usual portrait. Heâ€™d had a painter take note of every version of him that had occupied the throne, partially out of vanity, and partially because he wanted to understand his own abilities even more clearly.<br/><br/>It was true that Kenneth and Mathis perhaps had a firmer grasp of their capabilities than most persons infested with these magical spirits. What was also true, however, was that Kenneth, despite a usually confident demeanor, did not quite understand some of the nuances of his abilities. There were times when heâ€™d come back with his head aflame instead of having hair, or with talons instead of fingers. The phoenix manifested itself in strange ways, and he wanted them documented.<br/><br/>As they approached, two guards barred access to the palace with their spears. â€œOut of the way, gentlemen, weâ€™ve business with the king. I donâ€™t think my argument will leave him in a pleasant mood, so thereâ€™s no point in agitating him with tardiness as well.â€<br/><br/>The guard on the left of the door spoke up â€œState your business, then. The king is a busy man.â€<br/><br/>â€œMy business involves taxation, guard. I trust you donâ€™t always trouble diplomats in this way.â€ Kenneth responded coolly. â€œBut perhaps your king hears so much about his own corrupt need to steal from lands that he does not even protect that he had to put you two on duty to spare him the ranting of some very, very annoyed nobility that have traveled a very long way.â€<br/><br/>The guard on the right of the door looked markedly younger, and certainly nervous. He didnâ€™t want to offend a noble, obviously. But the one of the left squinted angrily at Kenneth. â€œIâ€™ve not seen you here before, so you must not have much power to your supposed nobility, sir.â€<br/><br/>"I think you'll find," smirked Mathis, "that we have more than enough power to make your sad little lives<span style="font-style: italic">much</span>more miserable than they really need to be. But there's no need for that, of course, if the king's guards are as willing to take our money as he is himself."<br/><br/>Kenneth coughed lightly and checked himself; he could already tell he was starting to radiate heat from the sweat forming on the more stubborn guardâ€™s brow. â€œNow Mathis, we need not cause a scene. Tell you what, guardsman, how about you just let us by, and if we arenâ€™t supposed to be here, Iâ€™ll happily kneel down and let you slice my throat in front of your king. Does that sound fair to you, Mathis?â€<br/><br/>"Certainly, if the guardsman believes he can protect his liege from two unarmed civilians. Best to let the young one stay, though, lest this post be abandoned."<br/><br/>â€œOh yes, the stampede of people charging these doors behind us must definitely warrant such a post.â€ Kenneth laughed.<br/><br/>The guard grunted and pulled his polearm back â€œFine. Do not insult our king by wasting his time, Iâ€™ll have your head.â€<br/><br/>â€œIâ€™ll make sure of that, guard. With any luckâ€¦â€ Kenneth explained as they walked past â€œYour protÃ©gÃ© wonâ€™t have any of your shortcomings.â€