The scene where Alyiakal became emperor was a ton of fun to read, especially since it subverted my expectations on how it would happen. I was picturing something more akin to Lorn, with a big battle preceding it. Can you talk through how you developed it? Did you have other iterations of that sequence in your mind when you started the series? Can you share the basics of what they looked like and why you discarded them? Thanks!

There was no way there could have been a big battle. By the time Alyiakal confronts the Emperor and Empress, he’s effectively subdued all the barbarians, and the Mirror Lancers are totally behind Alyiakal. The merchanters have the golds, but not enough armsmen to stop Alyiakal — and merchanters’ armsmen are essentially mercenaries who have little interest in being martyrs. As for alternatives, at that stage, there weren’t any realistic alternatives except if the Emperor and Empress are stronger than Alyiakal.