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Fortunately, Hector had already been thinking about the answer to that for a while now, himself. "Well, it would depend on the circumstances of the attack, but... probably, yeah. Especially now that I have the Forge to worry about."

The Queen kept her gaze fixed on him. "And if I were to order you to not get involved, would you listen to me?"

He took a deliberate breath. He'd been thinking about that question, too. And frankly, he didn't have a good answer yet. "Why would you order me not to get involved?"

"Perhaps to prevent Atreya from getting swept up in this war. Perhaps to prevent you from becoming a political pawn of a foreign nation. Perhaps simply because I feel you are needed more at home. Would my reasoning matter? Hypothetically speaking, this would be a lawful order from your queen, Hector."

Agh. Shit. He needed to choose his words carefully here. "Well... we both want to protect Atreya. But I don't think letting Lorent get invaded, especially by Abolish, would help keep Atreya safe, no matter what kind of promises they might make to you."

The Queen fell quiet. Maybe that hadn't been what she wanted to hear. Or maybe she was just thinking. Her expression was stone.

Hector found a difficult question of his own to ask. "If Morgunov found out the Sandlords were here... and if he made you the same offer that he made to Callum, that he wouldn't invade so long as you handed them over to him, would you take it?"

The Queen took her time responding to that one. "...No, I would not."

Hector had kind of expected that response, yet he still found it a little surprising, somehow. "You'd really risk antagonizing the Mad Demon?"

"It would antagonize the Sandlords first and foremost," she said. "And frankly speaking, I do not think we would be able to capture Abbas Saqqaf and 'hand him over' to anyone."