King Tobias had failed to tell Erika the details of Rory’s “training”. She wore her fighting clothes when she went to look for him. It had, after all, been snowing and she couldn’t see soiling her gowns and making undue work for her servants, so she wore the trousers she used to wear when on campaigns with her brother, and her boots. The snow had turned to ice and crunched under her feet as she trudged through the courtyard. She asked a sentry by the gates if he knew Rory.

The man glanced at his fellow sentry and nodded. “Yes, Fairest. We are familiar with this man.”

“Can you tell me where he’s stationed?” She thought he looked after one of the many gates or the keep.

Instead, they pointed her to the stables.

“Thank you,” she said.

She found him there, digging manure from a stall. Before she got his attention, he set his shovel down and filled a bucket with oats from a grain bin. She hurried into the barn and followed him. Horses poked their heads out from their stalls, blowing and stomping restlessly. They hated winter, and penned up on cold dreary days. They got exercise in the afternoons, but the days were too short and their spirits too free, like hers. She reached over to rub a mare’s nose.

“I know what you’re feeling, lady,” she said. “All penned up but wanting to run. I feel the same way.”

“Fairest, Erika? That is you!” Rory set the bucket on a bench and hurried toward her. He didn’t wear a soldier’s uniform, but the clothes of a stable boy, tall boots up to his knees, a loose-fitting shirt tucked into his trousers, and only a sheepskin vest to keep him warm. He smiled warmly and his blue eyes sparkled.

“I sure did worry about you after they sent me off the island.” He stood in front of her, his face red with delight. She could do nothing else but hug him, though he shuffled a bit. He hesitantly put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

“Don’t know if this is proper, Fairest,” he whispered in her ear. “I smell terrible. It might rub off on you.”

“I don’t care whether it’s proper or not, Rory, nor do I care what you smell like. I missed you and I’m so happy to see you again!”

“Fine to see you as well, Fairest.”

She stepped back and held onto his shoulders, looking at him, tickled to see him, yet hurt inside for what he went through on account of her.

“I’m so sorry they put you in prison, Rory.”

He looked at his feet and shrugged. His smile vanished for a moment. “They called me a deserter. Never meant to desert. I thought being by your side and protecting you was the right thing at the time. You needed someone. Me and Kairos, I thought. I guess the prince saw things differently.”

“You did the right thing. I wish I had been here to defend you.”

“It’s over now, though. I served my time, I guess.”

“More than you should have. Are you still a soldier? Or just a stable boy?”

“They said I can serve again come spring. They thought I should do some hard work before that, so they have me here. Taking care of the horses is a joy, though. I don’t mind. Fairest, may I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I’ve been hearing gossip about Fairmistle. That frightening thing happened. I’ve got a brother there, his name’s Stormy, and my mother. Do you know anything?”

She sighed. She’d have to tell Rory all that’s been happening, including Barin’s disappearance.

“Let me help you with your chores and we can talk.” She grabbed another oat bucket and followed Rory. He shoveled each stall while Erika led the horses to another corner and fed them oats.

“What rumors did you hear, Rory?”

“Heard that the mountain giants stormed through Fairmistle. Tore down buildings and took some prisoners.” Rory kept shoveling straw out of the stall, into the aisle, and then lifted it into a cart.

“Where did you hear that?” Erika asked.

“At the pub.”

“The pub?”

He laughed. “They made me a stable boy, but that doesn’t take away my manhood. I enjoy a brew once in a while.”

“The rumor came from the pub, then?”

“It’s not just a rumor, though. The men who told the story rode this way from Fairmistle. I didn’t know them well, but I knew them all the same. It had me thinking. Prince Barin rode to Fairmistle, didn’t he? That’s what the soldiers said early part of this year.”

“Rory, I need to tell you something. Mountain giants kidnapped Barin.”

He looked up, and when their eyes locked, he leaned on his shovel, his smile gone. “Your brother Barin? Our Prince?”

“Yes, according to the men that traveled with him. They sent us a letter.” She took the note from her vest and unfolded it, handing it to him. He shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot read.”

Erika sighed and walked to a bench and sat down with him, reading the letter slowly, stopping at the important parts and letting him digest all that Talos had relayed.

“My father doesn’t believe this, and I think Neal didn’t either. But I do.”

Rory nodded. “It’s true sure as the cow gives milk. If the men travelin’ with him seen it, then best ought to believe it’s true. Same as the snatchin’s in Fairmistle. But what do you think that devil means to do with your brother and the other men he’s been stealin’?”

I don’t know. Perhaps…” She gasped, just now thinking about the possibilities. “I don’t want to think about it. Barin is in danger, and so might we all be!”

Rory patted her shoulder sympathetically. “Don’t fear, Fairest.” He squeezed her hand and stood. “We be rescuin’ him.”

“My thoughts exactly. But how?”

Rory picked up his shovel again and moved more hay, more manure. Erika filled more oat buckets and fed more horses. Neither spoke. Her thoughts rambled through all the possibilities. They’d come up with something.

Though the sun never peeked through the clouds, the day faded into an evening just as gray. Rory lit a torch and walked Erika as close to the castle as would be proper and turned to her.

“I’ve got my thinking cap on, Fairest. Give it a night for an idea to work its way into my head.”

She smiled, relieved that she had shared her news, and her day with someone she could trust. Someone who respected her. “Thank you, Rory. Between the two of us, I know we’ll find him.”

Come morning, Erika could not wait to step away from the dismal atmosphere of the castle and meet up with Rory. He was the only person with any hope in his heart, even after all he’s gone through on account of her. He might be able to rescue Barin.

Before looking for Rory, Erika first went to visit her ailing father. King Tobias had his eyes closed when she entered his room, so she settled by his bedside and watched over him. His skin had a yellow hue, and he took quick short breaths in his sleep. His eyes twitched as if dreaming, and he woke with a gasp.

“Barin!”

“Father,” Erika cooled his head with a damp rag that had been in a basin on a nightstand. “You were dreaming.”

He blinked and sat up. “Yes. A dream. That’s all. Is Barin here?”

“No. Not yet.”

A tea kettle steamed on the coals in the fireplace and so she poured a cup of soothwort infusion and mixed a dollop of honey into his cup. He looked around the room, blinking, and then he took a deep breath.

“I’m fine now, Erika.” He took the cup and nodded toward the night table where a journal and quill sat waiting. “We need to write a letter.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. The sooner the better. I meant to have you do it yesterday. I had Olinda bring me the tools, but I fell asleep.”

“Very well,” Erika picked up the writing quill and the parchment and waited for her father to form the letter in his mind.

“Say this,” he cleared his throat and looked up, not at her but at the ceiling, deep in thought. He seemed desperate, eager to have the letter written. “My dearest friend and ally.” He looked at her. “How does that sound?”

“Formal, if that’s what you want.”

“I’m not sure. I’m the king here, so maybe I shouldn’t be so formal.”

“Who are we writing to, Father?”

“Who? You know his name. You must. I don’t know his name. A king. He’s a king. A young king.”

Erika gave her father a puzzled look. “What young king, Father?”

“The one on the island.”

Heat rushed through her, though she didn’t know why. Surely she had burned away all those feelings she had harbored. “You’re talking about Arell? I mean King Arell of Cho Nisi?”

“Yes. That’s the one. Arell. Is that his name? How should I address him? You know about these matters.”

“I think I would just address him as King Arell of Cho Nisi?”

“Yes, good write that down. And then this,” he waited, sipping his tea and watching her. “I know that we have had conflicts. Misunderstandings.” He grimaced at her and she avoided his stare. “However, I am asking for your allegiance once again. The allegiance that your father so kindly offered.” He cleared his throat again and paused, thinking.

Erika read what she had written. This letter would go to Arell. The man whom she loved. Whose heart she had broken and who allowed his elders to banish her with a threat of death should she return. What is Father doing? He dared not ask him to come here!

“Your father fought bravely. Write that.” He looked Erika in the eyes. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

“He knows,” she answered.

“Well then, we should apologize. Did you apologize when you were there?”

“Father, they imprisoned, sentenced, and banished me.”

Her father nodded and grunted a bit, pushing himself up against a myriad of pillows. “That’s not what I asked. I asked if you apologized.”

“Well, yes, besides all that, of course, I did.”

“Good. Then we have to approach this a bit more diplomatically. Say this. My kingdom offers you our deepest sympathy in the death of your most noble father and our ally. If there is recompense we can offer you, please make us aware of what it is. I would like…no I very much desire that our nations set aside the past and reach across our borders, and the sea, to join hands in unity. We face one of the most dreadful opponents this world has ever known. It is imperative that we stay as allies in this broken world.”

A tear welled in his eye. “Erika, I want to tell him about Barin. I want him to come and help us. Somehow. I will not live much longer. I have no heir but Barin. If I die, who will reign? Who will fight against this foe?”

“What can Arell…” she caught herself. “What can King Arell do about Barin?”

“Cho Nisi has a most incredible magic, Erika. Those native people can control the elements. Just think. They could melt the snow and destroy the mountain giants. They can find my son. Or, if not, perhaps our nations can just become as one.”

“How?”

He shrugged and looked at her. “In the old days, for nations to unite, they joined in matrimony. I have three daughters. You say this young man is single?”

Blood rush to her head. “You wouldn’t suggest that? Not in a letter. You hardly know this man.”

“I’m dying, Erika. My pride is fading away with me. I only want what’s best for our kingdom. It will not survive without me or Barin. Your sisters have no idea how to rule a nation, and you are too…young. One of you girls must marry and carry on our legacy. The throne will go to your husband. I dread the thought of Kairos on the throne. But there is Felix. Unless this young man on the island should marry Rhea or Olinda—or you?”

Erika took a deep breath and dipped the quill in the ink. “How do you want me to finish this letter, Father?”

“Ask him for help. You’ll think of something.”

Their eyes met. His were shallow as if his life were fading as they spoke. Erika set the quill in the well, stood, and covered him. “Rest, Father. You don’t have to worry about this now. Get strong.” She kissed him on the forehead, and he took her hand with a firm grasp. He wouldn’t die. Not now.

“Finish the letter, Erika. Send it soon. Today if you can.”

Erika took the letter and the inkwell and slipped out of the room. The halls were cold this morning, empty and cold. Even the servants grieved for Barin. She could tell by the way they refused to meet her eyes and kept themselves scarce until they were called upon for service. Her father’s condition made it worse. He couldn’t die.

All her life Erika assumed her father would forever be on the throne, and everyone else in the kingdom did as well. The lands were named after him. Diplomats and merchants from other nations had come to the palace, giving the prince his due respect, but they came to see King Tobias, no matter if their affairs were official with Barin or not. Even Moshere, the late emperor of Casdamia, bowed before her father, though his ill-mannered son Barte refused to speak to any Potamians to their face. The two rulers were not at odds, but they were not on good terms either.

More urgently, she needed to address the Cho Nisi and plead for their magic to save her brother. Surely their chants could find him, but would they come? If the letter had Father’s signature and they didn’t suspect she had written the request.

She would finish this letter, minus the implications of marriage. Marriage! If only! She shook her head and walked the halls of the castle, recollecting the good times she had with Arell. But those memories ended abruptly, as did their relationship. She will never forget his face when he stormed into her quarters and announced that she had killed his father.

No. There would be no matrimony with Arell the High King of Cho Nisi, sadly.

Erika sat on the garden patio that morning, trying to finish the letter. Without her father’s exact words, how could she sound like him? So far, she scribbled nonsense that only a broken heart would utter. Oh, how she wished she could simply sail to the island and steal away into Arell’s closet with no one else knowing. There she would live in secret and visit him in his bedchamber like a ghost who haunts her lover in the deep of night. She tore up another parchment just as Rory tapped on the door.

When she answered, he bowed.

“Fairest!”

“Rory come in and sit with me.”

“Fairest, I think I’ve thought of something. A way to save your brother.”

“Tell me!” Erika set the quill down and offered him a seat. “Would you like a bite to eat? Some rose water?”

“No, Fairest. Thank you.” He seemed anxious and refused a chair. “If the giant imprisons your brother, that’s one thing. We have men that could find him and kill those monsters. You and I know the secret to destroying them.”

“Fire.”

“Exactly. However, if he’s in the clutches of that evil Vouchsaver Skotádi, there’s not much a common man can do but say a few prayers.”

Erika’s shoulders slumped. She had thought, by the excitement in his voice, that Rory had found a solution. “I will not give up. I can’t.”

“That’s what I’m saying. There’s not much a common man can do, but there’re men who aren’t common who are walkin’ the earth!”

She looked up. His eyes were as wide as his smile. “Rory, my dear fellow, please tell me what you’re thinking.”

“The Cho Nisi. They’re as common as a horse that flies, and no one’s seen a flyin’ horse. It’s the Cho Nisi we should be askin’ for help.”

“Yes, Rory. Funny that you should suggest Cho Nisi. My father is having me write a letter to them now.” She gazed at the crumbled leaflets on the table.

“Then why the long face, if I might be so bold?”

“It has to be from the king, Rory. If the elders suspected I wrote the missive, Arell would never see it. Father started dictating a letter but told me to finish it. I’m afraid I don’t sound like a king in my writing, much less a man. Could you help me?”

“Fairest, I don’t know how to read or write.”

“Well, perhaps when I get it finished, I could read it to you, and you could tell me if it sounds like a king’s letter.”

“I could. If you finish soon. I have permission to go home for a spell. Goin’ to visit my brother in Fairmistle to see what damage the giant did. Someone at home might know where they took the Prince.”

“I will have this finished by noon today.”

“I’ll be back this eve.”

He turned to leave, but she touched his arm. “Rory, please...” she hesitated. She’d been seeing too much sorrow lately, losing too many people who were dear to her.

“Please, Rory, when you return to the south, don’t put yourself in danger. I need you to come back.”

“Yes. Thank you, Fairest.” He bowed, his face blushing red.