"The supplies should be there in a couple of hours."

"Oh, good," Rita said her face relieved. "I'll let everybody know."

I nodded, turning to the next person who'd come in for a meeting.

"Are the tents working out all right?" I asked Edmund.

"Yes, though we will have to find a more permanent solution soon."

I agreed, writing down notes as he spoke.

The last few days had been a hectic whirlwind of speaking to people, figuring out how to get supplies over to them, and devising ways to allocate things properly. It had also been a bit of an uphill battle trying to wrangle everyone I needed to accomplish what I wanted.

I'd had to resort to speaking about it with Sven a couple of times. He'd given the orders those times, but then people began cooperating more.

After everyone realized that all of the resources were actually being allocated fairly according to need, my job became a lot easier.

"Adara, we're going to head out with the water for your flock now," Stefan told me, ducking his head in.

I smiled at him.

"Perfect," I said, quickly checking the time. "You're right on schedule. When you get back, I have one more run for you today and then nothing until tomorrow."

"Got it," he said with a sloppy salute as he stepped back into the hallway. "I'll check in with you when we get back."

"Thank you."

When he was gone, I went back to my tablet and went through my list, checking off a couple more things. There were quite a few items checked off. I felt the satisfaction of getting through so much in so little time course through my body. There was nothing like it. This was what I'd always wanted and couldn't have. This was what my job should have been from the get go rather than just a way to appease the masses, have them think that their concerns were being heard when the position was just a way to mollify them without any real action. I almost couldn't believe it had changed so drastically, so fast.

But I didn't have time to dwell on that. Not when there was still so much to do. I glanced at the time again after going through some messages. I needed to leave for my daily meeting with Sven.

We'd settled on a daily schedule for now because there was just so much to get through and so many updates to give. It was just easier than constant messages back and forth when I was nearby much of the time anyway. I never expected to see the new king so often. Or any king for that matter.

King Sven.

I needed to remind myself of that as often as I could. Foster a mental distance between us. If I had to see him every day, I needed to.

I headed over to the chamber that had basically become his office. I understood why. It was large enough to house a sizable group, but small enough so even two didn't feel like they were rattling around in the space too much.

Igna nodded at me grudgingly and opened one of the doors. Progress of a different kind.

"Thank you," I acknowledged quietly.

He nodded. We'd come to an understanding. I didn't aggravate him and he kept his cool.

In this new version of reality, I was in and out of the king's audience chamber a lot. It just wasn't practical for us to be fully at odds. I didn't have time for it anyway.

When I walked in, Sven was actually in the room alone for once, his gaze focused on the computer in front of them as he tapped away. He brushed his blonde hair back off of his face, a slight frown marring the skin between his brows. He tended not to wear the crown very much now. I had the feeling he'd kept it on for the initial meetings to help lend him an air of authority. I looked over to the side and saw it sitting in its usual spot on the desk next to him.

He was also dressed in a simple tunic and flowing pants with no embroidery or extra detail. Nothing ornate, nothing flashy. I didn't even think this was a character he was playing. This was how he was before he was crowned. Simple, with no patience for frills of any kind, not just the ones on clothing. I thought he would change somewhat to accommodate his new status, but he hadn't. I could respect that, though I didn't know if that was a deliberate decision or he was just more comfortable this way.

A lock of hair fell over his brow again and I had the urge to reach over and push it off his forehead. I had to resist that urge. He was the king. I really needed to stop having those kinds of thoughts. He wasn't just a man that I could pursue on a whim.

As if on cue, he looked up and met my eyes as I stopped in front of his desk, his eyes warm as he smiled at me. The answering flutter in my stomach was a familiar annoyance at this point. I attempted to squash that as well, without a whole lot of success.

King. King. King.

Maybe if I repeated it to myself enough times, I'd stop having these stray thoughts and reactions.

"Adara," he greeted me, gesturing towards one of the chairs across from him. "How are the efforts progressing? Do you need anything else from me?"

I sat down in the cushioned chair, and shook my head.

"No. I have food and water out to everyone who needs it, along with medical supplies. The few medical professionals who survived are on a visiting schedule. Shelters are in process as they require setup, too. And then we're going to have to figure out more permanent solutions."

He nodded, setting his hands down on the arms of his chair as he looked at me. It wasn't a throne, but he somehow managed to command more authority in his simple clothes and plain chair than anyone else I'd ever met.

Including Emberich. He'd used all the trappings, including the elevated stage. It felt a little vain and silly to think of around Sven.

"That's a good start," he said approvingly. "You managed to get quite a lot done in a very short amount of time. I'm impressed."

"Only because you allocated enough people and resources to it," I pointed out. "And things are calming down now, but only for the short term," I warned. "We haven't even begun rebuilding yet. That's a much longer project."

He nodded, his face solemn.

"Yes," he agreed. "You are right, of course." He sighed, rubbing at his face. And I saw for the first time that the position was wearing on him. He looked tired, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Which wasn't that far off from the truth. He did have the weight of our world on his shoulders.

"The war...it was not at all my intention to have such a violent changing of power when we first started planning to take Emberich off the throne," he confessed quietly. "It was supposed to be a smooth transition. One that involved minimal bloodshed." He shook his head. "I know it will be one of the biggest regrets of my life. Even if it was necessary in the end."

I took a careful breath, surprised at that candid response. My instinct was to be candid in return. Perhaps not a strategic move, but sometimes strategy got in the way, didn't it?

"In the end, the war did more damage than Emberich did during the rest of his rule," I acknowledged quietly. "And it was triggered by that conspiracy."

That was a fact.

When I met his eyes again, they were unreadable. Like he'd closed off part of himself.

The loss ached in my chest.

"It had to be done," he said firmly. "We all wish it hadn't come down to a war, but that was also an indication of exactly how unbalanced Emberich was. He couldn't be allowed to continue ruling." He shook his head. "In any case, I agree that we have to focus on rebuilding now."

I looked away, making a sound of agreement. I shouldn't have said that. It wasn't smart politically. I ignored the voice that said it wasn't smart personally either. That I'd pushed him away. That didn't matter. It couldn't. But I did need to keep in mind that I wasn't living in a vacuum. Anything I said or did could affect my flock. In aid received, in favors given in the future. And, for the first time I could remember...I felt tentatively hopeful for that future. As did a lot of the people I'd spoken to recently, after we'd started helping with the aftermath of the war. But, even so, tentative was underlined and bolded. The future was a nebulous thing after all.

Sven had only been the king for a flash in the pan thus far. Nobody knew what kind of ruler he would shake out to be in the long run. Only time would tell.

"Now, if you give me some details about how much food and water has been given out, how many more supplies you'll need, and what the expenses are going to be," Sven continued in a brisk tone, tapping at his keyboard, obviously ready to move on from the topic of Emberich and the war. I couldn't say I wanted to dwell on it either. So I opened up the spreadsheets I was keeping diligently for just these meetings.

"Just sent the spreadsheets over," I informed him. "We're going to have to replenish water reserves soon," I noted, scrolling down the tablet's screen, reviewing how much we'd transported and how much we had left. "Our food stores still look pretty good, but we're going to have to ramp up the medical support for the less-severe injuries and for follow-up care," I added.

He nodded as I was speaking, making his own notes.

"I can ask Mia if she can spare some medical personnel," he murmured.

Mia?

Mia Hill?

He was going to ask her for aid of this nature? Not that I would look a gift horse in the mouth, but we'd only just broken through with the dragons. Generations of animosity didn't just go away. And Mia was the rightful heir to the throne. Didn't that at least give Sven pause? This was getting me nowhere. I shoved that train of thought aside. It didn't really matter what I thought. That decision was up to him. I just hoped he thought things through.

So I just focused on running through everything I needed to tell him. And yes, my eyes strayed at odd moments.

To that strong callused hand that tapped at the edge of the desk while he thought.

To his full lips that he pursed sometimes when he frowned.

To his hair that never quite fell completely smoothly, perfect in its imperfection. The strong line of his jaw with the beginning of darker brown stubble. The breadth of his shoulders.

I felt the urge to bang my head against the wall. I sounded like a lovesick schoolgirl, something I never was even in school. What was wrong with me?

I hoped this was just a symptom of spending too much time with him lately, and the fact that we were alone together, which we rarely were.

Once everything settled down and I no longer needed to have such frequent meetings with Sven, perhaps this unusual fascination with the man would fade. I hoped.

I needed to focus on my job, not ruin my professional and personal life in one fell swoop. This wouldn't lead anywhere good. It couldn't.