Into Valiant the trio rode. Devrim took the lead with Junayd second and Gandr third. They traveled by the main road out of town, which allowed them to ride their horses, albeit only single-file. They were dressed as soldiers because then they and the horses would be generally ignored. It worked. No one paid them attention. But even from his height, Devrim could hear the gossip in the street.
"Do you think the rumors are true? Is Prince Alaron really Empress Aurora's brother?"
"The Prince seems to think so. He left in a hurry after he realized he would not get her throne."
"But the Princess stayed. She must truly love the Emperor and Empress."
"And the Empress must love her too. Why else would she keep her siblings alive when they threatened her rule?"
"The Empress has been a good ruler, but can we trust someone who lied to their own family?"
"I think...." On and on the conversations went as the three passed through the streets. Devrim held t
"Mairwen!" Devrim shouted in spite of himself. The few night sounds around them suddenly ceased at the intrusion of noise. The girl looked sheepishly up at him with her big blue eyes. The Emperor's heart melted a little, but he tried to keep a stern face. "What are you doing here? You should be at home!"Junayd uncovered the buried embers from their evening fire and placed some dry brush on top. As it caught fire, the sudden light caused all of them to shield their faces.Mairwen tried to back up slowly, but the forbidding gaze of her father stopped her in her tracks. "I am waiting for an answer, young lady." Uh oh. The princess knew she was in trouble. Her father only called her 'young lady' when she was very good or very naughty. Mairwen doubted that her actions qualified her for the first.Her eyes grew watery. "I…I had hoped we would be further along when we finally met. Then you could not send me home."There was movement in the edge of the fi
After a peaceful night with no more visitors, the camp was up bright and early. To make up for her deficiencies the day before, Eira made breakfast as Brinn and Devrim had a quiet discussion away from the others."You were supposed to protect the Empress," Devrim struggled to understand.Brinn nodded, "Part of protecting her means protecting the ones she loves. It was my fault that the princess was able to follow you. I should never have agreed to give you that letter. She managed to sneak out of the palace and wait for you as you entered Valiant. I had no idea what she was planning." The elf was angry at herself. Something important slipped by her. It was unacceptable. She continued, "I did not realize what had happened until mid-afternoon because I was attending Her Majesty. When I knew what happened, I told Aurora."Devrim blew out his cheeks. "I am guessing she did not take the news well.""About as well as a cat being forced into water. It took a sed
When the potion from Cafer wore off, Alaron found himself in an inn far from home. He had travelled with his adoptive parents to many places, but never this far north. "Where are we?"Cafer gave him some food as the boy sat up. "The edge of human civilization." He told him calmly. "When you are ready, we will continue on to my home, the land of magic."The prince's opened his eyes wide. "What about my throne?""We will talk to the gnome king, Baak. He would not support me these past ten years, but now that I have you and a growing list of allies, he may rethink his position. Either way, I have a plan." The gnome gave a mysterious smile.Alaron nodded. Cafer usually knew exactly what to do. The prince was glad he could follow his mentor's lead. As the prince ate, every part of Alaron ached. "I should heal myself," he thought aloud. The boy began to chant a healing spell that he had memorized, but Cafer stopped him."That will do you no good, my boy.
The ladies riding on horseback caught the attention of passerbys, but thankfully no one tried to approach them. While Mairwen gave off a friendly air, the other two held a protective stance around her and stared daggers at any who looked their way. The princess was blissfully unaware, happy to be out in the sunshine.Brinn caught sight of the girl's contented look and could not resist the urge to tease her. "Thinking about finally meeting your boyfriend?"Mairwen's far off gaze snapped to the present. She crinkled her nose and pulled her mouth to one side. "For the thousandth time, Renat is not my boyfriend.""So you knew who I was talking about!" Brinn wiggled her eyebrows up and down."Only because you keep bringing him up." The Princess's voice was steady as she turned facing forward, but her ears were burning red. The girl realized too late that she had fallen into the elf's trap. "Anyway, that boy has not given me a second thought since sending me th
The meeting with General Beadu took precedence, and the ladies were escorted into a large building that was designed for such gatherings. It smelled of musk and dirt, and Mairwen was glad that the windows along the walls were open wide to let in the sun and fresh air. This meeting was not particularly secretive, which would have been held in a more private location. The General wanted to make a good impression.The room held a rectangular table, and the kitchen staff brought in some food and water from its stores to set on it. Brinn and Mairwen were directed to sit while Eira took a place along one wall. She was also offered food and water, but only took the second. Since the princess was merely tagging along on this part of the expedition, Brinn asked all the questions."You received our communication about what happened at the palace four days ago?" The elf raised her eyebrows and unconsciously scratched at her ears. It had been a long while since she had shape-shift
"Please can I go alone?" The princess begged as they walked toward Renat. "He does not know who I am yet, and I want to see what he is naturally like.""I cannot let you see your boyfriend alone. Your parents would kill me outright." Brinn flatly refused."He is not my boyfriend!" Mairwen struggled not to scream. "I just want to talk to him. How about this: you can stay within earshot, but stay out of sight. Between your tracking skills and your wind magic, that should be easy."The elf considered her words. "Fine, but no funny business." Brinn had an ulterior motive. She wanted to see how much this 'scientist' actually knew, and if he could be trusted. Aurora had sent her on a mission to check him out before the party, but she had not been able to complete the task at that time. Mairwen had no knowledge of the spymaster's thoughts. She was just happy to have a tad bit of freedom."Eira wait here!" Both the other ladies said."But!" Eira tried to f
"Please tell me that you didn't bring your musical instrument," Devrim begged as he heard Junayd humming softly. This was their third day on the road. The man's humming had brought unfortunate memories to the Emperor's mind."Which one?" Junayd asked innocently."You have more than one?" Gandr furrowed his brow."I have a pipe, a hand harp, a lute, and a beautiful stringed instrument," the soldier announced proudly."I see," Gandr looked at him sidelong."But do not worry. I did not bring any of them," Junayd told them. The other two breathed a sigh of relief. From the pack on his horse, the burly man pulled out two small cymbals with leather straps to slip on his fingers. "I brought these instead. That way I can sing, play, and have one hand still on the reigns. Isn't it brilliant?""It is something alright." Devrim tried to smile but it came off as a grimace.Without permission the broad-shouldered soldier broke out in song. The tun
"But I sound nothing like Duchess Ravenna!" Gandr argued as he realized the plan. Not only his ears, but his cheeks were burning, and no amount of shape-shifting would hide it. He thought about turning invisible and running off until they thought of a better plan, but did not want to appear afraid.Devrim pulled his chin. "Just tell them you have a cold and make your voice scratchy. I have heard you try to imitate voices before. You can sound like a sick old lady easy enough.""You were right. I hate this plan." Gandr responded dejectedly."It will be fine. Junayd and I will be right there with you." The Emperor patted him on the back to comfort him. It was a big ask, but if it worked, lives on both sides would be saved."Can't you just announce you are the Emperor and tell them to disband?" Gandr was grasping at any possibility that did not end with him as a woman.Devrim considered his suggestion momentarily but gave a negative gesture. "Even if