Pollis was excellent in battle.

He brought home victory after victory.

Pollis was excellent in politics.

He was able to negotiate tricky deals with both the noble court and house of commons; he fit in at any table he chose to sit at. Even Irdat, who seemed to reserve her praise for Diurn exclusively, had once told him he was competent.

So it wasn't surprising that a sizeable faction favored him to unseat Ifrit as Lyena- indeed, he seemed the only one capable of it.

After filming with an imperial news program, he walked off stage, took a bottle of water and drank. He had not been on planet for long enough that its slight mineral taste felt foreign. He had a busy schedule, after all. Large battles, pageantry, paraded around as a sign of victory, then pulled and pinched on live broadcast. In the quiet moments inbetween, he felt some vague, unnameable fear, some fear that everything was not enough and he was not enough.

But he liked working. He liked soaking in the adoration of the people. Was it not his place as a prince to better the empire for its citizens?

" Lyewa, are you returning to the palace?" someone asked him.

" Yes, of course," he said. He still had matters to attend to before returning to the front. Bellam would be joining him in an effort to seize Esha.

" Be careful, Lyena is coming back soon," the news anchor told him, coming down to get something to drink himself. " He's routed Sector 34's fleet. We're running a piece on it this evening."

Pollis had never cared for Lyena. The man seemed cruel, and cold.

" He must have quite a force to overwhelm their Sector 34," he remarked.

" Haven't you heard? He takes death row inmates and commutes their terms to life, sometimes time served," the anchor said, fluffing out his hair in a mirror. " They're all terribly devoted to him. I wanted to run an investigative piece on it last year, but I was told I'd be blacklisted from working in this industry if I so much as tried."

Pollis looked as though he'd received an electric shock.

" Lyena is? And Lorn's just letting him? This is the first I've ever heard of this," he said, aghast.

" You're Lyewa, so you would know- has Lorn stepped in to stop Lyena from doing anything, even once?" the news anchor asked him in turn.

Had he?

Pollis had not stopped to question Lorn's opinion of Lyena before. Everyone disliked the Lyena, so surely that must've included Lorn, who had been a political moderate when he himself was Lyena...

Thinking of it, Irdat always made it known that Diurn and that one annoying little brother were her favorites, but Pollis had never heard Lorn say anything about any of the princes, negative or positive.

With this in mind, he went up to the palace, and he found himself an audience with his imperial uncle.

" I saw your appearance on the news," Lorn said to him. " What brings you here to me? Shouldn't you go greet your mother?"

Making an effort to conceal his irritation, Pollis spoke.

" Lorn, is it really true that Lyena's fleet is made up of criminals?" he asked. " Why are you allowing this?"

Lorn sighed, and Pollis got the feeling he was being looked down upon.

" If you have a problem with Lyena's policies, speak with him," Lorn said.

" So you don't have a problem with it?" Pollis demanded.

" Enough," Lorn said, ears drawn back. He looked angry. " Leave."

So Pollis did.

A few days later, Lyena arrived back at the capital, and he challenged him to a duel.

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