Night smothered the city of light that was Znseruff. Royce had noticed that his chosen friends had slipped out during all the commotion and had returned without much of a fuss as well. It ultimately did not matter. In Zernau, they were powerless.

  Idwyn had presented herself as almost omnipotent, able to blow any obstacle away with her wits and title as Truthsayer. However, that now proved to be far from the reality.

  It did not help matters that he was feeling this way.

  Somebody help me! Why do I feel this way? Why is her mere visage so enrapturing? Why must she already be wed to an old man when she is my age? Why? Why? Why?

  He was in the courtyard, hoping for a chance to speak with Brodwyn. Would it make a difference? No. Perhaps he could convince the Queen to support them and form an alliance. Was that a thinly veiled excuse? Yes.

  A woman stomped by.

  “Good evening, Emerii. How did your and Arty’s excursion go? I don’t know what you two were doing, but an invitation would have been nice.”

  Her head swung, teeth bared, huffing visible air in the cold night. “Damn that woman!”

  Royce reeled. “Geez, I only asked. What woman? And, are… are you okay?”

  “How she vexes me. But I’ll get my vengeance. By the latest during channao, then I’ll show her the true strength of a Drajin.” She laughed maniacally as she continued to tear down the walkway like a storm.

  Royce was confused, but that had been his natural state since his arrival here.

  Across the courtyard, he could hear heels on the polished white stone. It was quite a different gait than the one of the person who had just blown through. The moonlight caught the edges of her fashionable blue dress and her shimmering gold hair ornament. Her cavalcade of ladies was not behind her, nor the guards that prevented her from speaking overly long with anyone the King did not desire.

  Brodwyn, Queen of Zernau, was alone.

  She noticed Royce’s presence and glided over like a specter promising a future of turmoil. “Young man, could I perchance claim a moment of your time? I have something important to discuss.”

  His brief excitement was dashed away as his face contorted into a deep frown. “We are the same age, Your Grace.”

  Through the distant torchlight and bright moonlight, Royce could make out a slight blush coming to the Queen’s cheeks.

  “My apologies, I should have assumed since you are with the Promised One. As you are the only one I have been able to talk alone with, I have a request.”

  Royce raised an eyebrow, but said nothing in return.

  “I want to know how Eira is doing, and would like to speak to her. Ideally, it would be wonderful to talk to my teacher as well, but Lady Idwyn is under fierce watch.”

  “You are the Queen of Zernau. Could you not simply speak to those you wish?”

  Her features scrunched for the first time. “I do not have that liberty, but perhaps that is seeking too much. Might you send a message then instead? I am relieved to find that Eira is alive, but I want to know that she is in good health.”

  “She is not doing well,” Royce spoke candidly. “As is evident by her lack of a public appearance. It is my understanding that Lenda betrayed her, and then she was dragged to this Kingdom, placed in this hostile situation. The details of her suffering are not for me to speak on, but still, after all that she had endured to ultimately be forced here. It is little surprise that she has locked herself away.”

  The Queen paled. True, his mind did go blank when he saw her, but he felt what he said was necessary, and that the woman before him deserved the truth of her so-called friend.

  “Lord Father, and my Lord Brother would never…” A moment of silence, then she grimaced. “If only I could find a moment to be with her.”

  “Cast away your guards and hangers on by any means, then rail against her door, or ask Lady Idwyn. The Truthsayer would undoubtedly be able to break you into Eira’s room.”

  A downcast shake of her head. “Spies for His Grace, brain infesting worms that steer my thoughts and dull my perception of reality. They are my chains, but also my shield. With them lurking about, being surrounded, it makes fending off my husband easier. There will come a time when I cannot, when he will tire of his mistresses. When they break, he will take me. For now, though, those guards and nobles give His Grace peace of mind, and an obstacle that I can use.”

  “But what of now?” Royce felt the few drops of moisture in his throat dry.

  “A rare time, that must now come to an end. I cannot be seen speaking to a young man alone at night. My excitement got ahead of me.” She curtsied and ran before he could say another word.

  As she departed, he bowed deferentially, more confusion stirring within.

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  Royce had hoped that he would have a chance to speak with the Queen again, but after a few days, that opportunity never presented itself. She was always surrounded by an assembly of nobles, whether that be gossiping women or bickering men. On the rare occasions that those were not around, guards with iron gazes stood watch, their very lives dependent on the seclusion of their liege.

  Brodwyn had said she wanted to relay a message to Eira, and though Royce had refuted the idea, she had never fully stated what she wanted. A mere ‘Are you fine?’ did not seem appropriate. He thought back to her initial reaction. No, those two needed time alone together. If there was one thing in this world that he knew and had full faith in, it was the bonds of friendship.

  Arty and Brymoor’s rivalry had become more pronounced in the last few days. No doubt a result of the constraints they had been put under. That would come to a head soon, and if Idwyn was intent on not taking advantage, Royce would have to be the one to leverage it in some way.

  Mav had been as nearly elusive as Eira, but from what he could see, the man had been enjoying himself far more than the rest of the band.

  As his thoughts were wandering, Royce suddenly noticed the young Queen, alone. While it was cloudy, it was still midday. They were not in the courtyard, but in an open hallway near the chambers allotted to Royce and his friends.

  She walked regally, as if this was all normal; that she was not accompanied. As if it were natural that she would be strutting through the halls of supposed guests who were diametrically opposed to her husband and his supporters.

  When Royce thought back to their conversation days prior, his heart panged with worry. He strode over to her and bowed.

  “Your Grace, what brings you here?” He asked, though he suspected the answer.

  Brodwyn set her gaze upon him. Firm, resolute, without a trace of the young woman who had approached him previously. “I came to seek my old friend Eira, but no matter how I bashed against her door, she would not answer me. I would not have needed to take such measures if the messenger I ordered had assured me of her well-being.”

  Royce flinched. “I’m sure it was a blunder on their part, but to come here unaccompanied, Your Grace.”

  She scoffed. “This is my castle, I will go where I please, when I please.”

  “Could you not have opened the door then?”

  Her face reddened slightly. “No one agreed with my decision to come,” She spoke in a soft murmur, “I cannot even order a guard to open a door, or to follow me. So I slipped away from them.”

  He met her eyes. “They do not take you seriously here, and you are simply waiting for Cwach to use you when he can finally no longer hold himself back. Why not escape?”

  Brodwyn’s features hardened as she glowered at him. “Do not insult me. I do this for Lenda. To have peace for my Dradris Kingdom.”

  “A Kingdom that would sacrifice a young woman in this way does not deserve to exist.” Harsh words, counter to the reality of every ruling class, whether they be Drajin or otherwise. Still, this was not right.

  She inhaled air as it appeared she would go on a fierce tirade, when footsteps announced a new arrival.

  “Do you think one such as you has any right to address the Queen of Zernau?” Brymoor declared, hand on the hilt of his sword.

  Royce reined in his indignation. “I was only inquiring about her needs.”

  “Yet you did not think what it might do to her reputation that she be speaking with a man alone.”

  “I will keep that in mind, Lord Prince.”

  Neither of the twin siblings addressed one another, not even a glance stolen. In a way, it reminded him of how Idwyn had a tendency to treat people other than those she deemed worth her time. They are granting. This strange avoidance of each other’s presence.

  Brymoor scoffed. “I should have you executed for such an offense. Speaking to the Queen of Zernau, and then casually apologizing to the Crown Prince of Lenda.”

  That did it. “You cannot, Lord Prince. You speak rudely to me, forgetting that I am a member of the Band of the Promised One. A guest of the King of Zernau, like yourself. It was the same in Lenda. I have only done my duty, and I will not have you speak down to me.”

  The man’s eye twitched. “When I oust the false Promised One and my teacher recognizes me, you will be the first I throw from the group.”

  “Then I will look forward to a day that will never come.”

  “Strong words, but you lack the skill to support them.”

  “True, but Arty would never lose to someone like you.”

  “So you rely on your master?”

  “It’s a concept you might not understand. He covers my shortcomings, while I do the same for him.”

  “Weakness.”

  “You would know the meaning of that, Lord Prince,” Royce hissed, “As someone who would sell out his sister’s body to an old man!”

  The twins were more in sync than he had ever seen, as both their eyes grew wide, and they became mirror images of themselves. That did not last long as Brymoor’s shock turned to anger as he began to draw his sword.

  Royce wagged his finger. “Ah! Least ye forget what your beloved Cwach commanded. No blades are to be drawn within the palace.” He took a deep bow. “Good day, Your Grace.” Without bidding adieu to the Lord Prince, he quickly took his leave.

  Royce sat in one of the rooms allotted to them. He could not stay still, his leg bobbing up and down in a frantic pattern. I shouldn’t have risen to his insults. Arty has been reigning in his temper so we could make peace, but there I go blowing my top.

  From the entrance came Mav, who chuckled slightly. “What’s got you so worried?”

  “How can you be so laid back?” Royce asked harshly.

  The Citizen shrugged. “I’m not fighting, not in danger, with no tasks assigned to me. I’m free to relax. You seem bothered about something other than our current situation.”

  “The Queen.”

  “Ah, the witch that cast a spell on you the moment we arrived in Znseruff.”

  “You could get in trouble talking about her like that.”

  Mav laughed. “Why not take her for yourself?”

  Royce’s mouth hung agape. “She is married and royalty.”

  “I doubt she’s happy marrying someone who is the same age as her decrepit father. Why not go for it? That’s what I would do.”

  “Oh? And how is that working out?”

  “I talk to her when I can. Sometimes she responds. I make sure she eats. If she doesn’t say anything, I sneak onto the balcony and make sure she is okay.”

  “If someone spots you, they might assume you’re a spy.”

  “Yes, that’s why I always say I’ll get caught. Eira will tell me to go away. Everything will go horribly wrong.”

  Royce frowned at those strange thoughts. “You do realize Eira is as old as Idwyn.”

  “And if she wasn’t a Truthsayer, she’d have every Drajin as her suitor. Besides, they are still young.” Some silence before he continued, “All you can do is give her an option. If you did all you could, then that’s that, and it’s time to move on.”

  Royce got the impression that Brodwyn was a bird in a cage. The last thing he would want would be to put her into a new one. Ideally, she should be free, not constrained by Lenda or Zernau. That was him just putting his hopes on someone he barely knew, but that did not make it any less true. He thought back to their conversations and made his own inferences. If he was wrong, he could apologize afterwards.

  Thoughts circulated, a way to combine both want and need. A way out of this predicament was opening. He would need help, but still, Royce grinned.

  “Look at the little runt become a man,” Mav teased as he chortled.