Chapter 108

Arya

"He . . . was out this early morning?" I stammer, feeling myself getting weak in the knees. I have to hold onto the banister to stop myself from collapsing. My breathing is coming up short and I don't know if I'm able to stand on my own. "Was he alone? What did he do there?"

"He was alone, princess," the maid replies. "We didn't find anything strange. It's just that he stripped off and he was in a panic. He was calling at someone too, but there was no one there. The Duke says that that forest can't be accessed by a lot of people, so he might have just been hallucinating."

I force myself to nod. But my head is spewing bad thought after bad thought and I can't stop them from coming.

I look to the left of the hall where Arthur's room is, and I can't help but get a wash of fear and apprehension. Is it really a smart move to come all the way in here? What if I see something I'm not supposed to?

And what if I become a victim?

I know I shouldn't be thinking all of these things about my