"If it isn't my prideful son, come crawling back to the capital to seek my displeasure."

My grandfather's mouth spewed poisonous words the moment father opened the door to his study.

He was perhaps a handsome man once, traces of his nose and eyes giving father his well cut features. But he was now fat and bald. The brown patches on his skin and his eyes and smirk just added to my repulsion.

My father, who was walking ahead of mother and I, bowed and replied stoically.

"Father, circumstances have changed. Despite the curse, as I'm sure you know, you now have a grandson."

"Bah! A grandson of mine? Back for your inheritance now that that wench has given you a son? Her brood is no grandson of mine. You disgrace this house with their presence."

Father didn't flinch but as I heard him speak about my mother like that, I felt immediate dislike of this man.

Why did we come here anyway? Let's wipe our hands of this man and be away.

I looked at mother but her eyes were fixed intently on the floor, not looking up, but not noticing me either.

"Well? What of you?" My grandfather challenged as father stood silent, probably holding himself back from certain words. "Speak or be on your way."

Was this what father's childhood was like? Scolded by this man and constantly forced to be obedient? No wonder he ran away with mother.

"My wife is not a disgrace and neither is my son," Father stated stubbornly. But my grandfather just looked at him with that smirk.

"The wench brought shame upon all of us as much as the Cofferer's foolish daughter," grandfather was adamant regarding my mother's sins. "You chose her and ignominy, so you may consider the inheritance the consequence."

I saw father tremble in rage or perhaps helplessness before he finally spoke again. But he just kept on banging against that unbudging wall trying to get to grandfather's non-existent mercy.

"I am not here for your money, father. I don't regret my decision. What I regret, is that I still have loose ends. Hunters of your legacy are sending assassins against my child."

Father took a deep breath while grandfather raised an eyebrow quizzically.

"Ironic, isn't it, that you would come back to try to cut ties. If you wanted to stay out of this, you shouldn't have left your little quirinie. What did you really come here for? Revenge?" He asked and I swear I heard a hint of a mocking laugh. "Let it be, Bairv's son has already paid with his blood."

"I am here for my son. To make sure he is safe. He almost died when Cond Bairv's son kidnapped him."

"And? What does Bairv's debacle have to do with me? Go cry to your father-in-law who brought the man to your home," grandfather sat forward and clasped his hands behind his desk.

Despite his continued cold words, there was a hint of something in his forward posture. He seemed very aware of what happened, and almost curiously awaited father's next response.

"Don't pretend it was the ipocond's plot. Nistan was after his heir as well as mine." Father spoke with determination. "And it wasn't Nistan who was behind the threat to my family. Just a month before him, there was another attempt on my family's lives. A curse of pneumonic plague with enough mana to last through two victims."

"Is that true?" My grandfather frowned, for the first time taking on a more serious expression.

My father just stared at him silently.

"Father, all that can wait. The reason I returned is not for revenge, though I want to know who is behind it too." Father swallowed before continuing. "I know I am not the son you wanted, that we have had our differences, but even if you don't acknowledge my wife, Tilvrade is still your grandson. Your grandson is in danger because of your inheritance issues. I don't need your inheritance, he doesn't need your inheritance. But protect him, please."

One corner of grandfather's mouth turned downwards as he sat pensively.

It seemed he really hadn't known about the shaman, and despite himself, was taking his son's plea seriously.

He didn't say anything though, just picked up a small bell, which he rang, the tones of metal striking metal filling the wood panelled study.

The door opened and in came the same moustached valet who had led us here.

"The Edbrian," my grandfather told him, "I will think about this further." Then waved us all away.

I wondered what that meant as the moustached man led us through the door, but as father didn't complain, I wasn't too surprised that we were shown to a room in the wing.

When the door was closed, mother sat down on one of the two richly upholstered chairs beside the fireplace.

She sighed out, exhausted as I was from the voyage and odious comments.

She was surely enduring even more than I was as grandfather spoke viciously, as if ignoring that we were even there.

Father was also quiet, simply walking to stare out the window.

It was the valet who broke the silence, knocking and then opening the door, showing through two other men, one of them just a boy really, who were carrying in the familiar chest from the carriage.

"Here are your belongings, young master, my lady."

"Thank you..." mother put a hand out in front of her, inviting the valet to something.

"Barker, my lady, Lyum Barker. And these are Huje and Jovey."

"My lady," both of them looked up to say as they put the chest down.

"Just ring the bell if you need anything and they will come to help."

"Thank you all. Are you by any chance-"

"Jom's younger brother, my lady. It is nice to see him again," the butler smiled.

"Of course. Then you should go spend some time with him. We need some rest anyway."

"My lady, young master," the butler said nodding, "at your service."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I saw little of the mansion over the next few weeks, mostly living in the Edbrian, the chambers along this part of the wing named after a princess who had married into the Feles line some generations ago who had it built.

The walls of my room were covered in a bright yellow wallpaper, blue patterns standing out in the same colour as the heavy curtains that blocked the light from the windows at night. There was a door near the windows that connected to my parents' chamber. On that wall between the rooms was the hearth, cold iron right now, but a large fire in the winter that would bring light to the room along with the chandelier hanging from the middle of the room.

There was even a mirror and two paintings, to either side of the crib on the wall opposite the windows. One of them was of a couple boys blowing bubbles and the other of a child posing in armour.

Even the crib was ornate. Instead of the simple wooden frame I was used to, it was white, with a canopy of its own and gilded frescos in the board just beyond my feet.

For all the pomp and ornamentation, however, it was a dreary place.

Over the fall and winter, it was my gilded cage.

Sure, Simila, the maid, brought me a whole bunch of toys: a wooden pony, a painted miniature tower with little knights on horseback, a spinning top with two sapphires in it, which must have cost as much as the rest combined, and even more. But I would get bored of them quickly, somehow their initial excitement quickly wearing away, as if I had already been there and done that.

Instead, I spent time at the windows.

Mr Barker was no longer outside with all his hobbies and tricks, but there were three gardeners, who took turns clipping the hedges and weeding the patterned floral gardens. There were also others, ladies in frilly dresses and grandfather once passed by, waving and shouting at another man in a long tailed coat and ruff fit around his neck.

It was intriguing and beautiful... the first month I looked at it, at least.

What made those gardeners so obsessed with the shaping of a tree? Why grow so many flowers instead of something useful, like apples or wheat?

"Tilvrade, why don't you come here and play with the pony." Simila asked me, in a variant of her usual urging. I knew what she really meant was 'get away from the window!'.

I didn't like Simila and she didn't seem to like me. Nevertheless, she was always there, fulfilling a duty for years of her life that she didn't enjoy.

She didn't like that I looked out the windows all day. She said it was creepy, and that I'd draw attention from anyone who saw me from outside.

That's why she always brought new toys, I think.

Why did Simila always feel she had to stick to my side?

The only thing fortunate thing about this place, was that mother spent much more time with me here, perhaps feeling herself that this mansion was cold or estranged.

Unlike Simila, mother had a lot to talk about and often played with me.

While I didn't have many chances to leave the room, growing increasingly moody and childish as time passed cooped up in there, mother took me out to the stables every so often.

"Fafi!" I tumbled backwards as the white haired dog tried to jump on my shoulders. For all of Grita's worries, I had never gotten worms until now. Fafi was a clean dog.

"She missed you," mother said, kneeling beside me to make sure I was alright.

Fortunately, I had fallen on a pile of hay and was perfectly alright.

"That old man left'er 'ere and went off last week. Been whinin' and moanin' till you came." One of the stablehands shouted out as he came to tidy up the hay that had scattered a bit.

Unlike the stables back home, these ones were huge. There were three carriages in this building - and it was a building, made with stone and mortar, unlike the barn in Olwick - and there was another set of stables on the other wing of the palace.

To go with all the size, there was also an army of stablehands.

"Careful, that old man is a knight," mother said, not receiving the stablehand's interjection warmly, "you shall call him Sir Barker."

"Yes, milady," he hastily replied and I could see he would probably not talk to us again. I wonder why mother did that sometimes...

Just after that happened though, the other occupant of the stables walked in. It was one of the coachmen of another noble.

"Our carriage, now." He shouted and the stablehand we were just talking to cried out 'yes, my lord' along with a couple others and put down his pitchfork to go and hitch horses to one of the carriages.

The lord, who looked to be a middle-aged man followed them to go see carriage.

"Why, if it isn't Cianna Phrans," the lady who came in with him saw mother and me and approached.

"Lady Argenta," mother said, but something about her quiet tone and downcast eyes told me she was hoping this lady would leave us alone.

"Sit," I whispered to Fafi who seemed to want to go up and sniff the lady.

"Is that the famous boy?" She looked down at me and Fafi.

"I'm Til-"

"Tell me, is it true?" I started to introduce myself, but she interrupted me. "Or did your husband get him with a maid?"

I looked at mother. I didn't really understand what this lady was saying.

"Lady Argenta vis Tram, you will take that back." Mother said with a withering glare.

Lady Argenta, however didn't seem to be phased, which ticked me off.

"Ohoho, my curiosity got the better of me. How careless of me." She just giggled and explained it was a misunderstanding. "But look, my husband and Lady Ephelia Feles vis Tulvert Bairv are waiting for me, please forgive me, but I must be on my way."

My head turned to look over at the mention of the names. First this strange lady who put mother on edge and now the name Bairv.

Fafi's ears flattened to the sides of her head as I looked over her at the two men talking in front of the carriage. It was hitched to the horses now, but it was another lady who was standing with a kerchief to her nose outside of the stable doors who I was looking for.

The woman looked to be younger even than mother and father. She looked as if she wanted to be anywhere other than the stables and was not paying much attention to anyone inside.

"Take care of yourself, Cianna. I'm sure you aren't making friends by coming to the Feles palace to show off the boy."

Her hips and dress swayed as she walked away daintily, adjusting her broad hat. It seemed they were all leaving in the carriage, so I hoped we didn't run into her again.

"Sorry Tilly, don't pay her any mind." Mother put her hand on my now growing black hair. "Let's take Fafi to the side of the palace and not stay in the courtyard, alright?"