The initial hours spent in Lanark at his father's bedside in the infirmary were filled with regret and self-reflection for Arkin. But when Leopold regained consciousness, he welcomed his son back into his life with a generosity that Arkin felt he didn't deserve.
The subsequent hours were spent by the two of them at Sasha's bedside, with Leopold hovering anxiously around his wife. During this time, they exchanged brief questions and answers about their lives during the years they had been apart.
They had not yet discussed the reasons behind the significant changes in Lanark, but two things became apparent to Arkin from the murmurs of physicians and patients as he moved in and out of the infirmary's confines: Kaiser de Lanark was now the King of Emoria, and the Archduchess appeared to be the authoritative figure in Lanark.
None of this seemed to make much sense to him, and as he walked away from the infirmary, things continued to grow even stranger.