This was a lot of fun to read! It had everything that makes a short story engaging: concise but rife with information. I really enjoyed the difference I noticed between the writing of this novella and the others. This actually changed my opinion on Aspen a little and made my favour sway in his direction slightly, which I think is a sign of effective writing! As a poet, I loved the imagery and beautiful evocative language as well. It was much more poetic than The Prince, which I highly rate.