The White Rose smiled and relaxed. It had taken a second to recognise this voice, but she knew it all the same. Nefaldi.

"I haven't seen you since I was seven!"

"Sorry for that little sister" He patted her head. At the use of the word little sister both of the guards looked confused. "I didn’t have a choice."

"We missed you--"

"Let's talk somewhere else." He silenced her. "Támheich is a treacherous city."

Sash stepped forwards. "Where are you taking her?"

Nefaldi looked searchingly at Sash and Cha-el. "Your friends?" He asked The White Rose without making eye contact.

"You know what they are, brother."

He hummed a response. "Don't worry. It's just a safe space to talk."

Both of her guards looked sceptically at him. The White Rose just said; "Lead the way!"

He lead them and the horses away from the market, in the direction of the setting sun and past many stony buildings and people dressed in thin rags. They were headed towards the edge of Támheich and it was obvious that these were the suburbs. There were small thin gardens, lining the walls of the suburbs houses, that were dry from fruit and that The White Rose hadn't seen growing in the centre. Sash and Cha-el were getting more and more tense by the second but she couldn't tell exactly why.

Nefaldi stopped in front of a house much like all of the rest but without any light lit from the inside nor any curious faces looking out at passer-byers from any of the windows. It looked empty in comparison to the other houses surrounding it. Sash and Cha-el had sometime during the walk here taken their scythes from the horse's packing and held them folded in their hands. The more time passed in the presence of Nefaldi the more nervous they became she noticed. While Nefaldi bound the horses reins to a rusting hook, The White Rose took advantage of the moment.

"You guys don't have to be scared." She whispered close and loud enough just so they could hear. "I know him."

"Yes, but we don't and in all due respect I don't think that you have the best survival instincts when it comes to other human beings." Sash quickly whispered back while not making eye contact. Cha-el stamped on her foot as soon as the words were out her mouth, but they had already done damage.

"Ignore her your majesty, she's after all a lowly soldier." Cha-el said trying to make amends.

After that Sash and Cha-el started to trade derogatory names with each other but The White Rose stopped listening. Nefaldi gestured them into the stone home and The White Rose followed him without a second thought. She understood why they were suspicious, but she knew Nefaldi on another level. He was her step-brother after all.

Inside the house there was nothing but two cut out stone benches on opposite sides of the room. The White Rose sat down and smoothed down her barely visible robes. Somehow she was eager to prove her manners. Her guards remained standing up by the entrance.

"Tell me little sister," Nefaldi's eyes were now gleaming, nervous and focused solely on her- "What are you doing outside the capital?" He took in a deep breath. "Have you by any chance run away?"

The White Rose realised that he wasn't nervous. He was actually hopeful. Hopeful and shining. He looked good. His brown skin was glowing and his head was neatly shaved in a hairstyle that she had realised through her small and fast trip was common for the working class.

Before The White Rose managed to say anything, Cha-el burst into the conversation. "Run away?" He said offended. "Is that what you think of her? Do you realise who you're speaking to? Take back your words before I decide to take your fate into my own hands." His voice had raised in pitch. The White Rose realised that he was upset and angry. Sash had a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"No, do you realise who you're talking to? I don't think so."

The thought made Cha-el stagger for a second. "Yes, who are you and why does the princess act like she knows you?"

"Jealous, huh?" Both Sash and Cha-e flinched at that and shot angry looks at him. "I'm her brother."

Sash’ and Cha-el’s bodies reacted to that in a way that seemed angry and confused at the same time. Nefaldi continued. "Or step-brother is more correct. My deceased mother, mothered one of The White Rose's younger brothers. Sohra was his name right?" The question was aimed at The White Rose and she nodded in response. She couldn't remember Sohra's actual birth but she remembered the many visits Nefaldi and his mother Anita had done when Sohra was still an infant and The White Rose was a mid-decade old child. She felt a cold sense of sorrow at that Anita was dead but it didn't last long. It had been ages since The White Rose had last seen her, for most mothers of her brothers stopped visiting around when their child reached the age of six. The White Rose’s had stopped at the age of four.

"Yes, Sohra, my real brother. Became a weatherist right?" That wasn't a question. An ache in her chest made itself known. She missed Sohra and his witty commentary on anything and everything going on in the palace. Her lovely brother who had always accepted her with open arms more than anyone else in the palace, or even the whole capital.

"Well, what are you doing here? I can't imagine that The Ruler would actually ever let his precious flower out of his reach for plucking." He said with some hidden amusement. The White Rose couldn't share it.

"Long story short, there was a fire at the palace and we had to escape." The White Rose wasn't too eager to let too much on. And maybe it was also a soft spot. Or a weak one. She hadn’t been able to look at fire the same since.

"Really?" He seemed amused once again and chuckled to himself. The White Rose saw her guards eye him suspiciously. "Think I heard about that."

"How? We've ridden hard for days on end."

"News travels faster than humans. Actually, many things do." He laughed thoughtfully. "Well, where are you heading?"

"River Banks."

"To the big uncle, huh? Heard he actually didn't make it to the pebbs' cause his robes didn't fit him anymore." He said humouredly. The White Rose recognised the same humour that her half brother and step brother shared. Sohra loved poking fun at their uncle for his increased obesity every time he visited. The White Rose found it quite sad for her eldest brothers had always said that he had been quite handsome in his late youth.

"Yes. Any help at all would be appreciated." The White Rose formulated carefully and politely as she fiddled with the edge of her robes. There was a small, embedded pearl diamond that she rubbed with her thumb.

"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, little sister, but I haven't exactly made it very far in life" He gestured at the room with open arms. "I cannot fund this project nor can I partake in it, as you might say with those fancy words." The White Rose flushed embarrassedly at that. "But my counsel, advice and knowledge are all yours, little sister for the price of nothing." He said slightly cocky.

"Brother, by any chance do you have any food? Anything will do better for us than starvation."

He thought about it for a few seconds before sinking to his knees on the stone floor and rummaging beneath the benches. He pulled out a brown bag, big enough to hold a cat inside and took out one of the foodstuffs to demonstrate. It was a small roundish brownish knob. The White Rose didn't know what it was but Cha-el took it eagerly, and his earlier dislike of Nefaldi was hidden.

Meanwhile Nefaldi leaned back onto the bench with a brown paper roll in his hand. He opened it and spread it out in front of him. The White Rose stood up and shuffled close along with Cha-el. Sash stood by the entrance which gapingly lacked a door.

It was a badly drawn map of the northern hemisphere from one coast to the other. The island wasn't visible along with the southern hemispheres nations. The paper was a golden brown and wrinkled which showed its age and amount of use. The ink was weak and watered down but still visible as it traced borders and nations. Capitals were marked with stars and major or remarkable towns were marked with small hollow circles.

Nefaldi pressed his index finger on the Capital of 'the pebbles' that was situated almost in the middle between the centre of the lands and the western sea. "That's where you were." Then he traced his finger across the tiny distance to the cliffs border where small triangles which marked the élees filled up the tiny oval that was their stony nation. A small star to the east inside their borders marked Támheich. "That's what you have ridden. And now you are here." His finger hovering above the weak star. "And you're heading here..." He lifted his finger again and pointed to a bigger star east of the centre of the lands. The distance blew the breath out of her lungs. They hadn't even come an eighth of the distance.

"We can either go through the trees or the desert." Cha-el quoted from earlier. He lifted his head to face Nefaldi. "You've lived here. Which is best?"

"Best for the general public or best for you? 'Cuz those have different answers." Nefaldi tilted his head. "Desert has bandits. Especially after the storms at the peaks, them that roam at the top have run down here." He scratched his chin where some black stubble was visible. "And your horses are useless there. They'll die before you do and eat your food and drink your water. I'm guessing you don't have the money for cameli, unless your willing to strip and sell your clothing. The bandits would see you as a perfect target. Weak defence,-" He gestured at Sash and Cha-el and the guards both frowned "-horses, and foreigners." He gestured at Sash and then said: "You stand out too much, whitey." Sash's brows furrowed but she stayed silent. She did stand out, The White Rose had noticed on several occasions that Sash had gotten angry stares from locals both back in the élees and here. She was pale and an ugly white while most people here and, in the pebbles, had brown ranging to black skin.

"You should go through the treers land. No-one goes there. The forest was declared cleared a few months ago and all the wood bandits went either to the desert or further east. There's some undergrowth in the treers land, potentially food and your horses could make it. But it would lead to the north of the River Banks and you would have to ride to the bottom where the merchant capital is."

"How long time would it take? We need to get there as fast as possible." Sash joined the conversation slightly opposing sounding the current recommendations.

Nefaldi scratched his chin again thoughtfully. "It takes about a week to make it across the desert by cameli and the trees land should approximately be the same distance but it's a bit rougher route and leads further away from the River Banks. Maybe eight days if you ride hard. Then from the top of the River Banks to the south... That's about the length of half the continent so maybe two weeks if you go by carriage… In total a bit more than three weeks."

"That's too much time. What would happen if we went through the desert instead? How much time would we save?" Sash asked, a bit desperate to save as much time as possible it seemed like.

Nefaldi's face scrunched up in concentration. "I'm no expert but at most you'd save a day’s riding. But it not advisable. It's between saving a day’s riding or losing the life of The White Rose and yours. You have to think of the big picture."

The White Rose saw Sash's hands clench into fists around her scythe, but she laid off.

Cha-el took hold of the conversation. "Will the horses make it?"

"They should be able to. There should be enough undergrowth there for them to survive on and enough water. You'd have to ration the food that you have for yourselves, drink from streams even if they seem muddy and hunt rabbits and such if you can. There might be edible plants, but that depends on the season I think." He leaned back on the stone wall. "As I said, I'm not an expert. I've barely been there."

Outside night had fallen, for it had been midday when they first arrived to Támheich. She could just make out cloudy coloured laterns hanging from doorsteps and people walking with them hanging from tall sticks above their heads in the suburb outside their doorstep.

"Do we have to leave now?" The White Rose asked. Maybe she sounded pleading or tired for she got pitying looks from her guards.

"No, we don't have to. It's late anyway." Cha-el said. He looked expectantly at Nefaldi. Nefaldi looked uncomfortable and shifted where he sat. "You're welcome to sleep here but I can't guarantee your safety. Like if super ninjas break in I can't promise that I'll be able to protect you little sister." He did a hand chop in the air with his hands to emphasise the 'super ninjas.'

"You won't have to worry about that." Sash said with a sly smile. "Don't fret princess, you can sleep peacefully. We'll keep watch."

"Ouf, well you won't mind watching me sleep then, would you?" Nefaldi asked, but it came out as more of a request and both of the guards nodded absentmindedly. They had shunned Nefaldi all day and it felt nice for The White Rose to see them act cool headedly towards her brother.

"One question Nefaldi, may we take your map with us?" Cha-el asked. Sash nodded approvingly from behind him.

Nefaldi who had sunk to his knees to search for something beneath the benches again, looked up and answered "Ok, but only 'cuz you're with my little sister." He handed them the roll and then he pulled out a blanket from beneath the bench, that had the texture of a straw bag, and pulled it over himself as he laid down on the stone bench opposite The White Rose. "Good night" He said before turning onto his side, facing into the wall.

The White Rose took off her chemise that had been covering the white robes from her torso and up and used it as a makeshift blanket as she laid on her back, facing the wall. The cut stone was cold and it soaked through her skin and bones and made her shiver, but soon enough she adjusted. Her breathing slowed and her eyes closed, but through all of it the only thing on her mind was her brother, somewhere across borders and mountains. So very far away.

End of chapter six.