"Of course." Brinn slipped the ring on her finger. It was thin and silver, barely catching small amount of light from the morning sun. It would alert her if anyone tried to enter the tunnels unannounced.

"Speaking of jewelry, I have been mulling over what to do with the ruby necklace that Cafer blessed us with." Rest had served the Empress well. She was no longer the emotional wreck from the night before. Instead, she was calm and collected.

"We could just destroy it," Devrim offered. He would like to be rid of it as fast as possible.

"That would be my inclination too," Aurora agreed, "And we should try that first. But I do not think it will be that simple."

"Magical things are tricky beasts. They follow their own set of rules." Brinn had been in some sticky situations with magical objects. She knew too well how fickle they could be.

"If we cannot get rid of it, we need to find a way to store it. We may have to make some space in the container where we put the…other artifacts." In the ten years that Brinn had been spymaster, she had on occasion brought back a magical object that had fallen into the wrong human hands. They had built a special spot in the castle treasury to store them.

"I will work on that next," the spymaster said.

"Don't you need sleep?" Aurora asked, concerned. "I am grateful for your help, but you must take care of yourself."

"Eh, elves do not need much sleep. Besides, I will sleep when I am dead." Brinn crossed her arms defiantly.

"Have you eaten?" Devrim was also worried. He enjoyed bickering with the elf, but he did not want her to hurt herself.

"I have parents, thank you very much, and you are not them." Brinn arched her brow, but added in a softer tone, "But I appreciate your concern. I will let you get ready for your day. Ladies?"

On cue, Bella and Candela entered the room from the far entrance. "Anna will be along momentarily, Your Majesty," Bella said with a curtsy. "Sire," she acknowledged the Emperor with a blush. They usually did not catch Devrim in the mornings. Even when they did, he would slip out quietly and then show up at breakfast.

"Thank you, spymaster," Aurora said, but when she turned to look, the elf was gone.

"She did not even say, 'glory to the Empress'," Devrim noted.

"Some things never change."

————————-

The morning went quickly as the Royal couple said goodbye to Nurlan. "You read the report?" Aurora asked the soldier.

"I did, Your Majesty. Something bothers me about Xander's methods."

Brinn, who was also listening, nodded. "Me too. I was unable to contact the mayor while the pirates were in port. He was heavily guarded and I could not get close without risking my cover. Perhaps you can speak to him now."

"I will." Nurlan had already planned to start with the mayor.

"The whole thing reeks of magic, but I have no actual proof," Brinn felt like she had failed. "I could go with Nurlan and take another crack at it."

"I need you here for now. I think fresh eyes may bring fresh results." The Empress would not yield.

"You do know how to swim, right?" Devrim had only visited the western ocean once, but the tall waves were etched in his memory.

"Yes, sire. I grew up by the sea as a lad." The soldier gave a small smile. He was looking forward to the fresh air.

"Safe journey, Nurlan," Aurora might have hugged the man if not for so many eyes watching. She felt a great fondness for him.

"Glory to the Empress!" Nurlan bowed respectfully.

Devrim and Aurora watched him leave on horseback. When he was finally out of sight, the Empress stood straight. "Time to deal with the bigger problem: telling our son the truth."

Walking through the hall, Aurora's feet became heavy. She had hidden the truth for so long. Most of the time, the dark-haired woman had forgotten the truth herself. She raised these children and they were hers. But as Zan had said, keeping the truth that you know you should share is lying, and she wanted to be honest.

After entering the Prince's room, Aurora and Devrim were confronted with Alaron's personal guard, Warin. "I am sorry, Your Majesties. The Prince is not seeing anyone today." Warin blocked the door to the bedroom, which was closed.

"I am the Empress. He will see me." Aurora said.

"Step aside," Devrim ordered.

Warin was usually very amiable toward the rulers, but just now his face was hard. "He said that he especially did not want to see the Empress. I cannot let you pass."

Those in the room held their breath. Aurora had it within her power to remove Warin's head for his refusal. Instead the Empreror spoke, "Then I will go in to him."

The soldier's lips drew tight. "I believe I said he did not want to see anyone, Sire. That would include you."

Devrim's face paled with anger, "Warin, I will not stand for this."

"I can only do what my master bids." There was only determination in the soldier's eyes. He obviously took the prince's side in their disagreement.

"I am glad you are so loyal to the prince after he made a fool of you last night. Or did you intentionally let him escape your care?" The ferocity of Devrim's question caused the soldier's eyes to grow wide.

"Prince Alaron did not tell me of his plans," Warin said quietly.

"Can you let the prince know that we came, please?" Aurora turned to go. If Alaron did not want to see them, then their news would not be welcome. "We will come again tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Warin bowed deeply. "Glory to the Empress."

When they were gone, Warin knocked and entered the Prince's bedchamber. Alaron was pouring over his magic book. His eyes were rimmed with lack of sleep and a long morning of study. The sight did not phase the soldier. "I have sent the Emperor and Empress away, Prince Alaron. They were not happy."

Alaron looked up from his book at the mention of his parents. He felt guilty. "Perhaps I should go to them. They will worry."

The soldier frowned. "Nonsense. You go to them now, and you give them all the power."

"Thank you," Alaron said. "I am glad you are here."

"Me too, my boy." Cafer removed his bracelet and let the image of Warin fade.

"I am glad the the real Warin was suddenly called away. It was perfect timing for you to step in." The boy was practicing an intricate motion with his hands.

"Yes, it is quite a…coincidence," Cafer agreed. Alaron missed the smirk on the gnome's face.

"How long do you think he will be gone?" The prince wondered aloud.

"As long as we need…"