I really have no excuse for myself. I told you guys I'd take a week, and then I took two months. And the worst part is that it was written - I just felt like something was missing, something was less than perfect. Well, it's not going to be perfect, so please just take it and forgive me.

I need to say one more time how much it means to me that you guys read this AU and follow it and comment on it. I'm in awe of how positive a response this series gets and of how profound your insight gets, and I want to thank you from the deepest part of my heart for sharing that with me.

Lastly, fun fact: halfway through this chapter I started writing "Leon" instead of "Kaoru", and didn't catch it until like my tenth read-through. Whoops.

Despite his betrayal—or perhaps to atone for it—Lars is one of the first people to contact Ivan in his gilded prison. Ivan has been allotted a guest quarters in the royal palace, half a day's journey beyond his home city. Although his furniture and his food remain fine, both are sparse, and he hasn't been allowed to leave since his imprisonment several days ago.

Lars's contact comes in the form of Matthew, one of the few remaining lords, slipping a letter to Ivan. "Just like old times, eh?" says Matthew with a sigh.

Ivan looks up at his brother-in-law. Although his quarters befit a former noble, he hasn't been allowed to bathe or change clothes since his arrest. He feels dirty and weary, despite having nothing to do but rest. "Between you and Lars, I would have expected you to renounce first," says Ivan.

"Don't give me that. Katyusha told me the same." Matthew tosses himself into the chair across from Ivan's. "Lars begged me. He said I owed him because he took back the records his father put up for sale. Back when Toris and Natalia were faking a pregnancy, you know."

"I thought you had a deal?"

"I made a deal that we could visit again. We hadn't since before I married. He came back a few weeks ago and said that he wanted more."

"That is hardly a wise business practice."

"But that's what he wanted," says Matthew. He closes his eyes and rubs them. "He and Al have been in correspondence. He really likes Al's idea, the one Katyusha accidentally gave him. About revolution. And we both know he's never enjoyed his station."

"And you have?"

"Less and less with every day. But Katyusha's right—we're the only ones now who can help now." Matthew's eyes glance around the room. They're in foreign territory—who knows who could be listening in from a door or a hallway or a secret passage? He stops his train of thought. "You're lucky, you know," says Matthew. "If I didn't keep the title, you wouldn't have anyone who could visit you. I'm here to talk you into changing your mind."

"About letting a man be with his soulmate?"

"About betraying a kingdom. We have a system." Matthew spits out the last word with bitterness. "The people have to be provided for somehow."

"I do not recall providing much for the people. If not for Alfred, many of my family's charities would have gone halfheartedly fulfilled."

"But fulfilled all the same." Matthew slumps in his chair, and Ivan suddenly gains an inkling of why he seems so exhausted. "The workload of collecting taxes has gone to the few families remaining. I've hired on most of your former staff, and from the Bondeviks and the Vargases besides. The Carriedos have kept their title but call themselves overworked to begin with." Matthew snorts. "Ivan, I'm not asking you to stop loving your soulmate. I'm begging you to come up with a solution to this problem you've created."

Ivan fingers the letter Lars has sent him. He expects it to be full of apologies and reasons, but no solutions. He has never enjoyed getting a taste of his own medicine. "I do not see why it must be me."

"It has to be someone."

"Then let us ask around."

"Another thing for me to do, eh?" Matthew sits up straighter. "You can't ask that of me. Already the king is giving me too much to do, trying to keep the cities running. Food distributed, roads fixed, wells and irrigation ditches kept full of water. Doctors nearby. Career training for those who need it."

"Registration services. Soldiers. Taxes to fund the extravagant balls that fed our families' egos."

"You've been spending too much time with my brother."

"And you with my sister. You both prefer things to keep matters safe."

"And you both act rashly and leave me to clean up the mess." Matthew leans forward. "Your trial is in three days. You'll have to stand before the king and explain what you did, and he won't be satisfied with why you did it. Things are falling apart, Ivan, and if you can't fix it, you'll be imprisoned forever at best." Matthew crosses his arms over his knees. "Don't make me be the one to comfort Al when that happens. Don't make me move Natalia and Nikolai from their home just to keep them safe. I'll do it. You know I will. But don't make me."

Matthew stands to leave. Ivan stands as well, wordlessly. He doesn't know what to propose. Ingenuity was always Alfred's forte.

"Al's still in the next city over," says Matthew quietly. "Apparently your arrest has shaken up Lord Karpusi. He's had such an easy time being so far from the king that he didn't realize there's retaliation for disobeying the law."

"When I obeyed my family's will," says Ivan, equally quietly, "I had to apologize to Alfred. Now that I no longer need to apologize to him, I must apologize to everyone else. How is this just?"

"It isn't. The world we live in isn't just." For the first time that Ivan has witnessed in years, Matthew's fingers trace lightly the sleeve that hides his words. After lingering there for a moment, the same hand finds its way to Ivan's shoulder. "Be smart, Ivan." Matthew looks him in the eyes. "I'll do what I can, but you have to meet me halfway."

Ivan nods. The action feels more irrevocable than his wedding vows.

"Ivan Braginski."

"King Roderich." Ivan bows.

King Roderich's face remains impassive. "I doubt that you deserve to be addressed with the family name you have forsaken. Allow me to be optimistic that you will take it back."

Ivan sees that the king, perched straight-backed on his throne with Queen Lili at his right, is attempting to offer an olive branch. It's more than generous. Ivan hates to throw it back in his face.

"Your generosity is well-received," says Ivan, "but your optimism is misplaced."

One side of King Roderich's mouth turns downward. "Then let us begin your trial with no further frivolities."

He bangs a gavel on the arm of his throne and calls the trial to order. Looking around as King Roderich reads the charges and the documented background of Ivan's misdemeanors, Ivan finds the portion of the room behind him to be filled. This throne room was not meant for so many people, leading to standing room only for all but the nobles. Directly behind him are Yekaterina and Matthew, their status officially recognized with two velvet chairs and the best view. Unconventionally, Lars stands at Matthew's other side. Lovino and Antonio Carriedo, representing another of the families to have kept their title, sit in chairs on the other side of the makeshift aisle. Even Feliciano Vargas, informally imprisoned by the king, has been allowed to stand beside his brother, with Ludwig inching as close as he can without looking suspicious.

Ivan can recognize very few of the other faces present (albeit, he can barely see the back of the room), but a good portion of them wear the plain linens and weary but determined faces of commoners. Long sleeves abound despite the heat—more than a few people here have words to cover.

King Roderich's final words draw Ivan's attention back to the front. On one side of the chair-marked division of the throne room lie the witnesses; on the other side, Ivan alone faces the king, queen, and royal advisor.

"How do you plead?" says King Roderich. His eyes leave the paper and bore into Ivan's.

"Not guilty," says Ivan.

"Then prepare your opening statement."

Ivan has spent the past three days doing just that. He takes a step forward—he has been given no chair—and speaks loudly enough that those behind him will hear.

"Your highness, I approach you with a plea from the hearts of every person I have yet met. The system of bloodline inheritance that this kingdom has founded itself upon has become outdated, and has caused more harm than good to the people of your kingdom. No kingdom can reasonably continue a system that forbids the most qualified from power because of only a family name."

Ivan turns his body so that at least his profile can be seen by the audience. "While I am likely the first to call attention to this matter, I know that I am not the only one to suffer from a system that rewards blood and name ahead of love and talent. Throughout my defense, I ask those who know these struggles to come forward."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Matthew's shoulders slump. A murmur breaches the crowd, but no one moves any closer to Ivan's side.

King Roderich is unamused. "I understand that you have been moved by your soulmate."

Ivan's stomach turns. If King Roderich has seen the marriage certificate and Alfred's name on it, he knows exactly whom to arrest next. "I have, my king."

"And where is he?"

"He is unable to come today."

"Most unfortunate. And not a true soulmate, I should say." A hint of humor leaks into King Roderich's tone. "What soulmate abandons his own?"

"I have."

Ivan swivels around. Lars steps forward from Matthew's side, to Matthew's great chagrin. Matthew reaches out a hand as if to stop him, and then retracts it as the king's gaze follows where Lars came from.

Lars stands beside Ivan. "I am Lars, formerly Lord Van der Lee. I hated my title long before Ivan even thought of renouncing. I kept it even though our laws wronged me."

King Roderich raises an eyebrow. "How so?"

"My soulmate was a noble." Ivan notes his careful use of "was" to suggest Matthew ran away too. "However, we disagreed fundamentally. He was afraid to defy his father, but I saw no problem with breaking away from my noble past to begin a merchant future. And since we were both male and had no female siblings, we couldn't have a blood heir even if we did manage to resolve our fights. This is common," Lars intones. "Although the laws let noble soulmates marry, they are biased towards male-female soulmates. You call yourself just, but you hide a clear preference."

"An adopted heir may be treacherous," says King Roderich.

"And a staged pair creates rebels."

This voice comes from the back. Ivan turns to see Natalia marching forward. Her fists are clenched, and although her finest dress has been worn down by time and the journey here, she looks every bit the noble she once was.

"Natalia, once a Braginski," she says before King Roderich can ask her to identify herself. Lars takes her arrival as a chance to slip back into the crowd, this time further from Matthew. "I was groomed as an heiress until I renounced twenty years ago. It is unfair that my brother should receive all the credit," she adds with a straight face. "I faked a pregnancy to prove to my father that I was tainted—that I had consummated a relationship with my soulmate and, because of my child, could not be brought back into the family. My brother kept my father from retaliation, and I lived a commoner's life with my soulmate."

"You have no child, then?" Queen Lili speaks, the first time she has done so. Ivan speculates on the queen's interest. It is well-known but unspoken that the king's and queen's marriage has produced no heirs.

"Oh, I do," says Natalia. "A son, at home with his own soulmate. I forbade him to come today to keep him from you." Her sharp eyes turn to King Roderich. "You assume the kingdom would have been better off with me married to someone of my old class. Let my life and the existence of my son prove you wrong. My family has produced two bakers and a florist, and all three of us have contributed more taxes, more skill, and more happiness to our kingdom than I ever would have as a lady." She juts a finger at King Roderich. "And if I could choose again, knowing exactly how my life has become, I would take a life with Toris every time."

King Roderich's eyes narrow. "Your commoner life has made you crude and ill-spoken." He turns to Ivan. "Your defense fails you."

"Better a son born of love than an heir born of the pressures of a rotten title," Natalia hisses. She realizes, however, that she has little credibility left. With a shared look at Ivan, she turns and sends herself to stand beside Yekaterina.

King Roderich addresses Ivan. "Your defense is clearly born of passion, with little logical forethought. Soulmates come second to duty, as have the laws of this kingdom stated for centuries. Those who defend you have inverted their priorities and therefore are as treasonous as you. What do you have to say for your failed duties to your people?"

Behind Ivan, the immense wooden doors on the other side swing open. Multiple footsteps echo across the marble floors. Ivan turns and finds his heart leaping into his throat.

Alfred is marching down the makeshift aisle of the throne room with the same fury as Natalia and the same determination Ivan has known him for since their first meeting.

"Allow my soulmate to answer," says Ivan, turning to the king and queen. He can't help but smile.

From a few feet away and to the right of the king, the royal advisor sets down his pen and stands from his table. "This trial has been closed to access!"

"What if it involves me?" says Alfred. He bows quickly to the royal couple, the first to do so today after Ivan. "I'm Ivan's soulmate, Alfred Jones. And I brought some defense with me."

In his thrill to see Alfred, Ivan hasn't realized that he and Alfred are being backed by a group of six men, only four of whom he recognizes: Lukas and Emil Bondevik, Kaoru Wang, and Lord Heracles Karpusi. The fifth man has blond hair that stands on edge and is standing beside Lukas, and the sixth appears to be of Asian descent and stands slightly behind Lord Karpusi.

At the far end of the entrance, Ivan sees three extra figures slipping in. Nikolai is obviously as stubborn as his mother, and Anna as strong-willed as her adoptive father. The third figure Ivan doesn't recognize, but she appears to be female and with the same light brown hair as the other two. They stand near the back, where Ivan can barely see them properly over the sea of people.

"More witnesses?" King Roderich asks wearily. "What lovelorn tales do you bring today?"

"We bring more than that," says Kaoru, stepping forward to stand beside Ivan. "We bring solutions."

"And support," adds Lord Karpusi. His voice is quieter than Ivan remembers, but it remains firm. "I will be the first of my city to renounce my title, if this trial ends unfavorably for Ivan Braginski." Behind him, the Asian-born man nods grimly. Ivan belatedly realizes that this must be Kiku.

"Roderich," says Queen Lili. She places a hand on the arm of her husband's throne, but not on her husband's hand. "We must not dismiss what our people have to say."

"Sounds about right," Alfred mutters. His hand slips into Ivan's, and for the first time in weeks Ivan takes a full breath.

Alfred addresses the king. "My mother was a commoner and a casualty of the system. My father's family made a deal with her to stay away, but my father ended up finding her anyway. They were separated, and I was born. Now I'm a half-noble, and until my soulmate renounced his title I was his head of charity." He tilts his chin up. "I've been teaching commoners to read, on top of all the other things you guys tell the nobles to do, and I think that needs to continue."

"Lord Karpusi and I have done similarly," says Emil Bondevik from behind Ivan. "Many commoners only want more pay at work, and the ones who are looking for a soulmate aren't necessarily hoping it's a noble. They just want to know and be sure."

"I can speak to that," says the man with the hair that stands up. "I learned to read so I could give Lukas a signal that I was looking for him." He takes Lukas's hand; he must be the Mathias Alfred has written about in his letters. "He gave me words, and I gave him some back. And if that's illegal—well, it shouldn't be."

"Nor should we value a match between two nobles over any other match," says Lukas. "When I was the Bondevik heir, I was pressured to marry within my class. I couldn't. And I shouldn't have had to give the title to my brother, just to ensure I could marry the man the fates assigned me to."

"Enough," barks King Roderich. "I have heard your support. You have mentioned solutions—now give me those."

Ivan looks at the six men standing behind him. In the three days since Matthew's visit, Ivan had only been able to brainstorm emotional appeals. Alfred squeezes his hand.

Kaoru Wang and Kiku exchange looks. Then Kaoru steps forward. "With all due respect, your majesty," he says, "the solution is drastic."

"So is our current situation. Continue."

"It would involve the Eastern ways."

The crowd begins to mutter. One look from King Roderich hushes them. "Elaborate," he says.

"The literacy programs set up by these men here are all working, right? Continue them. Have classes for everyone, and not just on reading and writing—on math and history and law. From those classes, choose the most promising students. Test them on their knowledge, and depending on their score, let them take over the duties the nobles once had." The murmur increases. Kaoru presses on. "That lets the most capable people take over."

"But how can we attest to their strength of character?" protests King Roderich.

"How did the noble system attest any better?" juts in Lord Karpusi. "Regardless of his birth, Kiku has been one of my best workers." Behind him, Kiku blushes. "I know my weaknesses—I am a hedonist. I give my work to Kiku because it will be done. He carries out my vision for my people better than I ever could, and his scholarship only makes him that much more adept."

"Alfred has done likewise," says Ivan. "With only some accounting training, he has taken charge of projects that have vastly improved my family's parts of the city. And this despite that he is…ah, of half-noble—"

"I'm a bastard," says Alfred. "And I've been to enough balls and taught enough classes to know who's really getting things done."

"You speak for your soulmates," Queen Lili points out patiently. "Do others attest to the success of this program?"

"I do." A voice from the very back speaks, and nearly everyone turns around as the girl who came in with Nikolai and Anna steps forward. Nikolai watches after her with a mix of nervousness and resignation, whereas Anna just looks curiously.

The girl stops herself at the edge of the aisle, not fully intruding on Ivan and his defense. She appears to be a year or two older than Nikolai. "I'm Alexandra Beilschmidt, daughter of nobody you would know," she says proudly. "My mom was a cook for a noble household and my dad works at the docks. But I'm one of Alfred's students and one of his best, and I can tell you all about what he's doing."

"And you have no ties to any of these men?" King Roderich asks, pointing to Ivan and those surrounding him.

"No ties," says Alexandra. But Ivan knows better. Natalia, from the front row, is staring at Alexandra with recognition and a raised eyebrow. Ivan recalls holding this girl as a baby, back when Natalia pretended she was his niece.

The name "Beilschmidt" catches him, and he turns to look at Ludwig, in the second row straddling the line between noble and commoner. It's Feliciano, however, who catches Ivan's eye and waves at him.

Ivan turns back to find Alfred no longer holding his hand, instead bringing Alexandra to the king's full gaze to describe Alexandra's education. Ivan hears a throat clearing and turns around again to find both Feliciano and Ludwig gesturing to him. Feliciano isn't waving—he's summoning.

Slowly, subtly, Ivan inches himself away from his spot before the king. Lukas and Mathias block him from the king's view as he meanders to find Feliciano. He thanks the fates that the royal advisor, who seems to be the one keeping order in this trial, is too busy recording Alexandra's statements to notice him slip away.

Ivan stands himself beside Feliciano, with Ludwig over one shoulder. Lovino Carriedo glares at Ivan, but makes no move to alert anyone. His husband Antonio simply smiles.

"Feliciano," Ivan breathes. "How have you been treated?"

"Not as poorly as all that," says Feliciano. "This is the first time I have been left unguarded. But that is not what we need to speak to you about."

"Oh?"

"I have been sworn to secrecy," comes Ludwig's voice from over Ivan's shoulder. "But my old accounting firm has very strong connections within not only the noble circle, but the royal one."

"Anything you can give—"

"King Roderich's soulmate is not Queen Lili," Ludwig breathes. "It is his advisor, Vash Zwingli. Lili's brother."

Ivan's eyes zoom to rest on the royal advisor, who continues to take studious notes. He sees nothing in his face that suggests love for anything other than his job.

"Roderich's father had a match, but Roderich staged," continues Ludwig. "Roderich initially petitioned for Lili to find her own soulmate and name her first child heir. The solution was thought to set a poor example."

"Have Lord Bondevik and I not done the same thing?" Ivan breathes.

"Hence the king's lower patience for your stories," says Feliciano, and he sounds almost gleeful. "He already knows. He will not allow another what he himself has lost."

"You!" Vash's voice rings out and interrupts Alfred's and Alexandra's joint explanation. Vash points his finger at Ivan. "You have not been dismissed." He looks between Ludwig and Ivan with increasing alertness.

"My apologies," says Ivan. "I meant only to visit a friend." He abruptly steps away from the spectators and plants himself at the furthest end of his defense, which happens to be beside Lukas Bondevik.

Lukas looks at him questioningly.

Ivan can't be caught whispering. He very intentionally eyes the king, and then casts his eyes to the royal advisor. He glances between them a few times, and then subtly taps his arm—the one holding his words from Alfred—and raises both his eyebrows.

Lukas raises both back. He taps his husband on the shoulder and whispers something in his ear, to which Matthias gives one sharp, silent laugh. He whispers to Emil, who whispers to Kaoru, and by the time Alfred and Alexandra have summarized their stance all seven men behind them are suppressing surprised smiles of varying degrees.

"Ivan, formerly Braginski, what say you?" says the king. "Your defense speaks of a quality education as the saving factor of this land. But this is not your domain. Is this what you mean to propose to save this kingdom from collapse?" His narrowed eyes suggest that he's not entirely impressed thus far.

Ivan takes a deep breath and trades places with Alfred and Alexandra, the latter of whom leaves the front of the crowd to return to Nikolai and Anna. "Your majesty," Ivan begins. "I believe the solution my defense proposes to be fair and just. There will be growing pains, yes, as we restructure our constitution to better match this system. But you will maintain your kingdom, and you may hand-pick your subordinates for loyalty and capability—something which you could not do with those of my class.

"Furthermore," he adds, "the proposed solution benefits those at every level. The most intelligent and patriotic of the commoners will be rewarded. All others will benefit from the intervention of one who comes from their stock and understands their needs. A standardization system can ensure no one is being chosen unjustly. Perhaps most importantly, soulmates of all classes will be free to choose one another. Even a king"—and here he takes the risk of raising an eyebrow—"need not set an example for an arrangement that no longer exists."

"Do you mean to say," says the royal advisor, "that the king himself may be chosen by this meritocracy?"

"I say nothing of the sort," says Ivan. "I say only that abandoning the blood standard may be a measure extended to royalty as well as nobility. If the king finds this agreeable."

Although the murmuring of the room has risen and fallen with various revelations, the room now seems to stand still. Vash turns in his seat, which juts slightly forward of the thrones, to examine the royal couple.

Queen Lili looks quietly resigned. Ivan remembers her interest in Natalia's pregnancy and realizes that the queen's trouble in conceiving may not be due to her own womb. From the way that Roderich and Vash seem to communicate by gaze alone, the trouble must lie in will. Ivan cannot imagine falling asleep beside anyone other than Alfred, and Natalia has shared the same information about Toris. He imagines—hopes—prays that the pull of the king's soulmate transcends that of an entire kingdom's duties.

The silence stretches for several seconds. Ivan half expects that the king will call a moment to deliberate with his spouse and his advisor. So when Roderich turns to face the assembly, Ivan startles.

"The proposed solution is imperfect," says Roderich. "Ignoring the East, it has remained unprecedented and untested on this continent. But," he says, and the word alone makes Ivan's heart rise in his chest. "The will of the noble class has made itself heard. Our kingdom was founded on the ideal of service to the common people, and the grievous error of excluding the upper classes has been made apparent. A kingdom that does not benefit every soul benefits none.

"I disapprove of the means of my awareness, but I cannot deny the reasons." Ivan swears King Roderich's eyes flicker to Queen Lili's and then to Vash's. "And while I refuse to negotiate with radicals, I must support the work already done by my citizens. If nothing else, I cannot in good conscience ignore the fates, who clearly signal to me that this generation of nobles is unfit by assigning them commoner soulmates."

Ivan suspects he's supposed to be offended by this. He isn't. Alfred stands beside him and intertwines their fingers.

King Roderich stands from his throne. "With the collaboration of the remaining nobles and those before me today, I expect a thorough proposal to replace nobility with meritocracy. For the moment, royalty will remain untouched. The proposal, as approved by myself and my queen and advisor, will be enacted within thirty days, at which point all members of the noble class will be dismissed from their positions." He eyes Ivan. "You are very lucky to have the support that you do, Ivan Braginski."

"I am."

Ivan's response is eclipsed by the bang of King Roderich's gavel. Roderich sweeps out of the room by a side door, followed quickly by his queen and advisor.

Ivan finds himself enveloped in a hug and wraps his arms back around Alfred. The two clench each other, Alfred nearly screaming due to joy and Ivan standing shocked. Over Alfred's shoulder he sees Anna—she must have sprinted to the front, from how far behind Nikolai is trailing—nearly swallowed by the hug of her two fathers, both of whom are close to tears. Kaoru has swept a shocked Emil into a kiss, and as Nikolai approaches his soulmate, Natalia comes up from behind him and takes his hand.

Alfred pulls apart. "Is Mattie gonna be okay?" he asks, panic suddenly widening his eyes.

"We will ensure he is," says Ivan, "just as he did for us." He glances to the side to find Lars has intercepted Matthew's lips while Yekaterina is standing and making eye contact with Ivan. "I suspect he will be fine," Ivan murmurs.

"Ivan," says Yekaterina, coming closer. For all her defense of the king, Ivan expects scolding. Instead she hugs him tighter than she ever has before, and Ivan struggles to breathe.

"Are you angry?" he asks when she pulls away.

"Not angry. Only frightened. But perhaps it is time I become brave," she says with a glance at Alfred. Alfred offers a soft smile and a thumbs up.

"We've got your back, Katyusha," he says.

"We all do." Natalia's voice comes from behind him. She folds her arms and, since longer than Ivan can remember, she smiles at her siblings. A small one, but a smile. "We are family. We've always been."

"And it grows larger by the day," says Yekaterina. She nods to Nikolai and Anna, who are sharing a kiss slightly behind Natalia, oblivious to all the world.

Natalia rolls her eyes. "I thought the entire point of this trial was to let my son be with his soulmate."

"Well, sure, but not just him," says Alfred. "Everyone." He leans up and kisses Ivan on the cheek. "Good job, big guy."

Ivan leans down and kisses Alfred again on the lips. Dozens of thoughts crowd in his mind—that he couldn't have done it without Alfred, that Alfred was the catalyst, that he would do anything for his family and his love, that he did this all on accident to begin with—but ultimately he derives the greatest thrill from letting half the kingdom see him and his soulmate together at last.

Nikolai made the wedding cake. Feliks provided all of the supplies for free on the (joking) condition that Nikolai start work at the bakery the second day after his and Anna's wedding. Nikolai, as earnest as his father, promises that he will.

Natalia hosts the wedding and the following party outside her cottage by the woods. Ivan worries that she'll be reminded of her and Toris's wedding, but she seems happy enough to direct Elizabeta and Marie around her kitchen and to let Alfred introduce her to everyone in attendance. When Alfred doesn't have her, Feliks does; his old friendship with Toris seems to translate to protectiveness over his family. Even when Natalia has to leave to oversee food or find her son, Feliks and Yekaterina fall into conversation so easily that Ivan does a double-take at how close they're sitting.

Matthew and Lars are present and have graduated to holding hands—the earliest of a long series of steps to becoming a couple, minus their euphoric kiss at Ivan's trial. Matthew is still married to and living with Yekaterina, but both live in Lars's home, and with every day Yekaterina finds more and more excuses to visit Natalia.

Gilbert, Elizabeta's soulmate and an acquaintance of Feliks's and Natalia's, has found good company with Mathias. Ivan has to pull Alfred away from the duo for fear of letting him get too loud or intoxicated, but Alfred finds ways to gravitate to them every so often throughout the wedding celebration. Lukas seats himself nearby with a family whom Alfred introduces to Ivan as Berwald, Tino, and Peter, who act like uncles and a cousin to Anna. Berwald's work as a carpenter affords him little free time, but for his niece's wedding he and his family took the day-long voyage to this city.

Kaoru and Emil arrive late, citing trouble docking. For the moment Emil has taken up residence on Kaoru's ship, and he seems content enough to accompany his soulmate on trade voyages just as Kaoru once accompanied him to noble events. Ivan can relate; spending a lifetime at a desk wearies even the most hardworking man.

Kaoru and Emil excuse their lateness with gifts from Kiku and Lord Karpusi—still a lord for a few days, as the thirty days King Roderich has specified have yet to run out. While Matthew and Yekaterina left the Williams manor immediately, Lord Karpusi hosts many meetings within his city and collaborates with Matthew on the distribution of the noble funds: how much to go to former nobles, how much to pay the new class of bureaucrats, and how much to invest in taxation until the first generation of bureaucrats can be found.

Kaoru and Emil bring a larger gift along with those sent by Lord Karpusi: Alexandra Beilschmidt. She wrangles Nikolai into a hug, nibbles on her meal, and chats with her parents before leaving half an hour later with her Uncles Ludwig and Feliciano to respectively attend and teach late-night lessons for commoners. Alexandra is one of the top contenders for a bureaucrat position for the precinct formerly run by the Braginskis, a fact which Gilbert won't stop reminding Ivan about when he spots him.

Nikolai and Anna spend most of their wedding celebration dancing. Mostly they dance with each other, but just after cake is served Nikolai pulls his mother onto the dance floor. Not to be outdone, Anna drags both of her fathers onto the stage and sways with them in an awkward three-person circle while smiling sheepishly at Nikolai. Nikolai only laughs in response.

Ivan's heart pangs when he sees Natalia's expression. In laughter, Nikolai looks unmistakably like Toris's son.

Ivan intercepts Natalia the minute the song is over and she's released from the dance floor. They sit together at a table beside the one holding the cake.

Nikolai ventures to that table and begins a toast, but Ivan only half-pays attention until he hears his name.

"I told Anna on one of our first meetings that I got lucky," Nikolai says as he holds Anna's hand. "She has two dads, and I thought maybe I could have one." Scattered laughter echoes across the tables. "But I still have a father, and I get to see him every day. I see him in Mama"—he raises his glass to Natalia, whose eyes are quickly growing rimmed with red—"every time I come home to her. I see him in Uncle Feliks every day I go to the bakery. I see him in Uncle Alfred and Aunt Katyusha every time I see them being kind to a stranger. And I see him in Uncle Ivan, who did the bravest thing I can think of for the people he loves. Just like Dad would have done."

The entire group salutes Ivan with their glasses. Ivan feels it's unearned, but smiles at his nephew anyway.

"But now I understand why Dad was scared when he first met his soulmate," says Nikolai as he turns to Anna, "because now I have you. I had to talk myself into coming up to you and your uncle, did you know?" Even Emil gives a short laugh. "And being surrounded by all these amazing people who love you, I'm worried I can't compete with them. But I choose you," he says as Anna slips her hand into his. "Just like your parents chose each other and mine chose each other. Not because we have words, but because I want to and I can. And I'm really glad you chose me too."

"Just kiss already!" Feliks yells from another table. Anna laughs and catches Nikolai's lips with her own. Everyone applauds, including Ivan.

"To our words," says Anna when they break apart, "and to everyone we love."

Everyone echoes her and drinks. From across a few tables, Alfred catches Ivan's eye and wipes away a tear. Beside Ivan, Natalia does the same.

With a few whispered words Anna pulls Nikolai onto the dance floor once more. Ivan rests his elbows on the table and looks at his sister, who seems lost in thought. Of all people, Lukas Bondevik sits on her other side.

"They're lucky," says Lukas. Ivan wonders if he's referring to the time he and Natalia almost staged.

Natalia responds as if reading his mind. "They never gave up what we gave up. They'll never know how it was to stage. Or to renounce, or be disinherited."

"They'll remember," says Lukas. "They'll have our stories."

"They will have us," says Ivan. "And what we leave behind for them."

All three of them stare out at the dancing couple. Ivan realizes he's in the company of—Alfred excepted—the two people who could understand him best: the two people who subverted an entire society for the one they loved. He's a little late joining the club. But watching his nephew and his new niece and publicly playing with his wedding ring on his finger, knowing that Alfred will approach him with a drink and a petition for a dance of their own—he knows that of all the forces that could have brought him to this moment, only love was strong enough.

"Professor Laurinatis?"

Natalia turns at the use of her married name. She chooses to use it partly to avoid nepotism; with Ivan in charge of this school and using the old family name, she wants to appear independent of Professor Braginski. But even more than that, she imagines that her married name makes her more approachable to commoners, the likes of whom are still cautiously but eagerly beginning to attend this school.

Examining the girl in front of her, looking at her with the respect of a teacher but not a social better, Natalia thinks she's made the right choice.

"Yes, Wendy."

"I got my words."

"Oh?" Natalia bites her tongue and refrains from asking whether Wendy has told her father. She knows Wendy, as a preteen, is trying to keep some privacy from her father—a jovial man who reminds her of Alfred—but she knows that he would be pleased for her discovery.

Wendy is rolling up her sleeve before Natalia can think of a follow-up question. Natalia takes it as an invitation and leans over to read.

Thank the fates you learned to read.

Natalia looks up to find the girl making eye contact with her, something she rarely does. She hunches over her notebook and doodles as much as writes, and Natalia spends many nights complaining to Yekaterina or Feliks or Nikolai that she doesn't know what to do with this girl.

"Thank you," says Wendy. That seems to be as much sincerity as she can muster, because she turns to leave immediately after saying it.

"Wendy," says Natalia. Wendy stops at the door and looks over her shoulder, holding her sketching pad and her one pencil in one hand. She hasn't let go since Natalia handed out the supplies she was meant to use for Natalia's class.

"You're welcome." Natalia leaves it at that and watches Wendy go.

Natalia settles herself at her desk to grade. An ache passes through her, one she's dulled with routine and time. Nikolai and Anna and their newborn daughter take up her home life, and Natalia's students give her plenty to do during the day, and her siblings and friends—and they are her friends now, not only Toris's or Alfred's—keep her guessing what will happen between classes.

But again she's seen her lessons take effect, again she's seen students give words to their soulmates and develop them in return, and again Natalia remembers. She remembers green eyes and a kind smile and the taste of chocolate chip cookies. She remembers walks before dusk and evenings spent nestled together and every time he asked her to read to him because she can do it just a little better than he could.

She makes do without him. She gives coins to the children on the streets who share Toris's urchin childhood. She reminds Nikolai of old recipes his father taught him, helps him remember the ingredients. She makes her baby granddaughter smile as much as possible so her green eyes—the eyes that seemingly skipped a generation—light up in the same way his did.

But her greatest service to Toris is this: that no one else will worry about registration, the way he did. That no one will have to hide more than she once made him hide. That no one else will all but collapse of fear that his or her family, soulmate, home, will be taken away. That everyone will have a chance at the life she shared with Toris and now shares with the rest of her family.

Natalia looks out the window. She's expecting Feliks to march up at any minute and whisk her away for dinner with him, Nikolai, Anna, and Yekaterina.

Feliks isn't here yet. Instead, Natalia sees a starling sitting on the branch beside her classroom's window. It trills three brisk notes and, with a rustle of feathers, flies away.