Kelton allowed himself to be led, half-knowing Juno's words before she spoke them. If it had been anyone else, the conversation would not have begun. Of course, those gathered in the command tent knew this. Anger would not be part of his response, not with Juno.

"They are using you," Kelton said. They were quiet words, without the added irritation he felt.

"Aye, my love," Juno said. "You have a wall around you, and they know only I can climb it." Juno turned and walked toward the meat of the King's camp, though that division was slowly dissolving as the two armies merged. "The time nears, and they fear you... we... will hinder victory."

"A war comes, and they worry on an ancient tale," Kelton said. He chuckled and let go of Juno's hand, then wrapped his arm around her, slowing their walk. "They attack us instead of the true enemy."

Juno smiled and leaned into him. "It is not an attack," she said. "Many who love you see it as wise. They desire victory as we do. Be it true or not, the story gives hope, and your army moves with it." Kelton slowed their steps more, leaning into Juno. So comfortable.

"Where are you taking me?" Kelton asked. He knew not the destination but had a good guess as to who awaited him.

"Your mother's tent," Juno replied. She squeezed him tight. "Serenity awaits you there. If it matters, she fought the plan until Hector swayed her. Duty is in her blood."

Kelton sighed. There was little fight left in him, not with the numbers that stood against them. If the appearance of Serenity's love gave men the vision of assured victory, then it was not unwise. Yet it felt so very wrong. "Does it not pain you?"

"Aye," Juno said. "Yet, to preserve all the morrows with you, I will surrender this day. You are a prince, and I cursed. The people wish someone... cleaner for you."

Kelton stopped. "I care not for their desires for my days." Had it not been Juno leading him, a fight would have occurred. "You are in my heart, and it has no room for anyone else. I will not follow in my father's path and hide my love for winters upon winters."

Juno smiled. "Nor will I, though your mother did not seem to mind. She believes it prudent."

"It is best we finish this war, then go to where our pasts do not dictate our future."

"House Tarvakian," Juno agreed. She wrapped her arms around Kelton's neck. "A dream I share. It would seem I have friends there."

"You wish me to spend a night with Serenity?" Kelton asked. It was better the task was not hidden or glossed over.

"Aye," Juno replied. She smiled and caressed an errant hair, seating it behind Kelton's ear. "I would prefer it not be necessary, yet many lives are at risk. If it gives us some advantage, it betters the chance for our true dreams."

"It is just a story," Kelton said.

"One that many believe," Juno agreed. "Would you deny them their hope?"

"I would deny them sacrifice, Serenity's or anyone else's."

Juno closed her eyes and kissed him, a tender kiss that sent a wave of want down his spine. She retreated her lips a hair's width. "That is Serenity's choice, as it is yours. Will you not be at the front when war begins? Is that not sacrifice?"

"It is different," Kelton said, though his mind could not justify why. Nor was he thinking straight with Juno so close.

"Ahh," Juno said, separating more. "Women bleed worse than men then." She smiled at him as he struggled to explain his reasoning. "Do you think I cherish thinking of you at the front?"

"Nay," Kelton admitted.

"So you think her too beautiful to risk," Juno said with raised eyebrows.

Kelton let go of Juno and looked at the ground with a sigh. "To be true, I see her beauty worsening the betrayal of you, that and the dreams of her that plague me. I will not let an ancient story wound us."

"Then it is me you find weak?" Juno said. Kelton looked up in a panic and found her smiling.

"I have lain with many; you know this of the cursed," Juno continued. "Some are in this army of yours, though I will not tell you who. When I pass them now, they bow and call me my-lady. They see value where once they did not, and I draw power from it. I know where your heart lies, and I do not fear Serenity's charms. You are mine as much as I am yours. It is strength to choose this path for the good of all, not weakness. In this, you are my sword."

"A ruse then," Kelton said, embarrassed that she thought he imagined her as weak. "I know not how unbreakable love will emerge, but it will not be within my arms."

Juno embraced Kelton again, her lips gracing his ear. "She is terrified of what is to come. If it is your arms that soothe her, then so be it. I will not see it a betrayal."

"I have learned to hate the tale," Kelton whispered back, wrapping his arms tightly around the one he loved. He did not want to let go.

"Aye," Juno agreed. She kissed his neck just below the ear, then forced him to separate. "One last time, the land will be put before us." She took his hand and continued their trek toward his mother's tent.

Kelton was outmatched by all around him. His father, mother, and the friends he trusted had steered them to the last-of-the-line - an envisioned necessity. The sum of Brethren battled with the arguments once thought his armor. Perhaps the tale had a life of its own, dictating the correct path from which he should not deviate. He was sure his stomach would feel more solid and less knotted if it was truly the right road.

Luran's tent was easily identifiable, though Kelton had never been there. Outside, a rock-ringed fire burned with two sitting upon a log. Audria was helping Daphne sear some meat on the end of a stick. The two were rarely far from Serenity, and this evening was no different. Audria looked up with a blank expression. Perhaps she found the coming night as odd as Kelton did. Daphne bit her lower lip ignoring the new arrivals, and concentrated on moving the meat in the dancing flames.

"She waits inside," Audria said, indicating the tent. Her eyes dropped back to Daphne's task. Kelton sensed some apprehension in her movements, or maybe it was stifled anger. He was not sure he liked the idea of them waiting outside, nor anyone else for that matter. It was confusing enough without an audience.

Kelton turned to Juno, his eyes catching her hand leaving her face and snapping to her side. She smiled, but something was missing. There was no truth in it, and a sadness she could not hide invaded her eyes.

"We need not do this," Kelton said. The count of the enemy fought with his words. Surely a night with Serenity would not lower the deaths, yet it might. Perhaps reducing the fear in the army is all he needed. If he were to look at it from afar, it seemed a silly thing to do and even more foolish not to do. If it gave purpose to a single mind, it was a worthy task.

"We must," Juno said and kissed him.

Before Kelton could respond, Juno turned and retraced her steps away. Kelton watched her for a moment and considered chasing her down. There was weakness in either staying or going. Daphne ran past him with a stick of meat and caught up to Juno, their hands joining. Juno's steps lost some of their heaviness, though she neither turned back. It was as if Daphne could sense the wrongness and did what she could.

Kelton sighed. Daphne, and all the Daphne's who would follow, were the reason he must enter the tent. Juno was right, as were all who convinced her. The tale demanded it, as did his dreams.

"Stay, or go," Audria said softly.

Kelton turned to her. "I must stay." He walked into his mother's tent.

Serenity rose from the chair faster than she intended. She was not prepared for Kelton's arrival, nor would she ever be. It was disturbing that he looked angry, though it was unclear whether or not it was directed at her.

"Answer," Serenity said, bowing her head. This was duty and nothing more. The fear of it had her trembling, and the formality at least gave her direction.

"Last-of-the-line," Kelton said with an equivalent nod, then his face changed, and a smile appeared. It was a weak one given a friend in need. "Must we be slaves to an ancient story? I would prefer we spoke as friends, Serenity."

"Aye," Serenity said. Then the ramifications of what was happening burst something inside her. A tear ran down her cheek. "Does Juno hate me?" The words emerged broken.

"Nay," Kelton replied with a panicked quickness. He did not approach nearer, staying at the door like his exit was imminent. "The land demands much from all of us. There is no right and wrong here, only any easier path." His hand indicated the world outside of the tent. "We do what many expect, nothing more."

"Yet you stand far away, as if you mean to leave," Serenity said. "I am your curse, of that I know."

Kelton looked down at the ground for a moment, then apparently surrendered and stepped fully inside. "It is true; the dreams of you are a curse of sorts. But it is my mind that renders them, and that is not your doing. Mayhap they are only the fond memories of a boy learning of the charms of women." He smiled, this time with some honesty. It forced an equivalent smile to appear on Serenity.

"You were a sneaky boy," Serenity said.

Kelton chuckled and shook his head. "It was your song that called me. I meant no intrusion, yet my eyes refused not to intrude. Mayhap that is the true curse that sits upon all young men." He shrugged. "I blame you."

"My fault?"

"Aye," Kelton said, moving closer yet staying beyond arm's reach. "A boy should not be exposed to such beauty so early in life. It warps the mind - I am proof of it."

Serenity laughed. "It seems your mind has settled on another. A fickle thing you men are, spying on a woman bathing, then choosing another."

"I was not spying," Kelton argued without anger. The banter relaxed the worry that had seated itself deeply in Serenity's core. If only the fear would dissipate with it.

"I will accept your feeble excuse since it now seems you are my Prince," Serenity said. She gestured to one of the two chairs and sat in the other.

"Ahh," Kelton said, almost a moan. He took the proffered seat. "Much as your life, mine is not wholly my own. Something steers us and ignores our desires."

"You do not want to be a prince?"

"It is a necessity for now," Kelton replied, "though I tire of the demands of this land. I do not see the pleasure in a lifetime of it. Does not duty exhaust you?"

"In truth, I am terrified of it," Serenity replied. The strain in her shoulders loosened with the shared admissions. No longer did she feel so alone. Audria tried to tell her, yet she did not share Serenity's fate as Kelton did. Audria was strong, far stronger than Serenity felt. Not even the Brethren could cut the power out of Audria.

"This sacrifice, it is only a tale," Kelton said. He was speaking softly, though Serenity heard the hardness in his voice. "This war, victory or not, is not on your shoulders."

"So, it is on yours alone?" Serenity asked rhetorically. "I think I bleed as you do, as anyone does. Frightened or not, I will do my duty as you will. My loss would be seen as useful, a cost to drive men forward."

An awful sadness invaded Kelton's expression. He held out his hand to her. She placed hers in his and closed it. "Though I may cease to breathe, it is my intent to live through this. You should strive for the same and not let it begin with your end." His hand was warm, though no different than Hector's. It was a friend's hand, welcome, but it did nothing to stir the heart. Serenity wondered where the unbreakable love was.

"I thought this duty gone," Serenity said. She shifted her hand, trying to find the comfort that lovers spoke of. Nothing. "Now it returns with a vengeance. I hope I possess the will to see it through."

Kelton released her hand. "This tale is not a plan. We need but convince others that there is love between us - nothing more. A day, two at the most, and then we are free of it. It is only minds we need move."

"You are new to this tale," Serenity said, her eyes traveling to the trampled grass floor. "My mother and all the mothers before her have claimed it as duty. Am I, the one they prepared for, going to run and hide. I might as well spit in their faces." A tear ran down her cheek. She did nothing to stop it. "It is for the best, for I have found no purpose beyond this."

"What purpose does anyone possess?" Kelton said. "We breathe, and then we do not. It is happiness and bringing it to others that is the only purpose of value. No sum of coin or lofty position has more value than a moment of laughter." Serenity looked up and saw a smile grow on Kelton's face. "My life has been a hard road, yet I would do it all again to see Juno smile. That is my purpose."

"I have no one," Serenity admitted. Kelton looked to speak again but paused when she lifted her hand to stall him. "I have looked, for it was my duty to be the last-of-the-line or birth the next. None have stirred me. Many have claimed that I am their desire, yet I wince thinking of a life tied to them. There is no happiness for me - I am broken. Mayhap it is the story telling me I am truly the last-of-the-line."

"What of Daphne?" Kelton asked. "Can she not be your purpose? I was told she was broken, and yet she smiles around you." His eyes brightened. "I see the joy in you as Daphne moves farther from the horror of her breaking. If we are victorious, there will be others. Who better than you to set the pattern for their return." He chuckled. "Your charms move men to do things they are not apt to do. Mayhap that is part of your purpose - to force others to make this land whole again."

"It is a nice dream," Serenity said. "I have not thought much beyond this war." Somehow Kelton coaxed another smile onto her face. "In truth, it is Audria who has the most to do with Daphne's revival. That woman has power well beyond mine. I could rule the world if her blood ran through my veins." She sighed. "Alas, I have duty swimming in mine." The situation became odder to her as she further considered Kelton's words. He showed no inclination to adhere to the tale. Perhaps a weak ruse, but nothing more. "Why did you come?"

Kelton's eyebrows rose, and his mouth made a few attempts, but nothing emerged at first. Then a sadness appeared, and truth spilled out. "We are outnumbered." He shrugged. "And Juno thought it best."

"Which first?" Serenity asked.

"Juno."

Serenity laughed. There was the first sign of unbreakable love she had seen, and it did not include her. She was sure she was incapable of it. "You say my charms move men, yet you are immune."

Kelton shook his head at the ground. "I should not have come. The weight of this war grows each moment, and I am looking in shadows for answers." When his eyes rose, they were glossy and ready to break. "I fear I will be the cause of a thousand deaths and a worthless leader of a failed rebellion."

"Duty is a cruel master," Serenity whispered. She had never seen Kelton so weak. The Kelton she knew was never lacking confidence, at least not pertaining to things like a battle. Perhaps that was her actual duty. "Outnumbered, you say. But have you not beaten three Brethren at once?"

"It is not for my life I hold onto fear." His mouth tightened. "There are four thousand Brethren by best count."

"Four..." Serenity began, then decided it was not her duty to repeat or add more fear to his. She stood instead. "You are the Answer. I am the last-of-the-line. What is coming has been foretold, and we will be there to see it through. It is our sacred duty." She only half-believed it, yet the words flowed, and the idea stuck like sap. The Answer needed commitment, not a frightened child.

Kelton smiled. "Liar." She suddenly felt silly, and then they laughed together, which did more than words could ever do.

"I have learned to hate Kushiel's Answer," Kelton said. "It is a cruel thing that has been thrust upon us. As the risks grow, I find myself grasping at it in hopes a solution appears." He shook his head. "There is only you and me and a battle that may be lost before it begins."

"Then we must try," Serenity said, gesturing for Kelton to rise. "As foolish as it seems, I must know if my duty lies with you."

Kelton rose. "It is foolish."

"Do you wish me to thrust a blade into my mothers?" Serenity said. "It is they who set me on this path, and I will know if it is a true one." She took Kelton's hands in hers. "A kiss is all I ask."

"It will not alter my mind," Kelton argued.

"It is not your mind I worry on," Serenity countered. She leaned forward, though not all the way. If it were to happen, then Kelton would have to agree or surrender to it.

Kelton sighed, closed his eyes, and leaned in as well. His hands grasped Serenity's shoulders with tenderness. Their lips met, his soft and unmoving. She closed her eyes and let her hands encircle his waist near the small of his back. There was a brief moment when she imagined it a pleasant experience. Then something akin to betrayal invaded. She felt nothing stirring inside, only a vision of Juno in tears.

Kelton pushed her back, taking a deep breath as if a fist had collapsed his stomach. He was wide-eyed and with a strange mix of confusion and certainty.

"My sorrows," Kelton said as he stood. "I cannot do this; even my sister is screaming the wrong of it."

"Sister?"

Kelton took another step back as if Serenity was pockmarked with disease. "I should have never come."

The swiftness of his rejection hurt Serenity more than she thought possible. To be sure, there were no feelings for him, yet the fact he saw her as repulsive was more than she could handle. "I have failed," she stammered as her eyes began bleeding tears. Her hereditary purpose had returned to her and was rejected forcibly by the only one who could validate it. Strength fled, and a feeling of worthlessness invaded. Everything she was had turned to naught.

"My sorrows," Kelton repeated, his face flush with shame. "I cannot be here. I have to..." His hands moved oddly, almost committing to consoling then retreating as if he thought better of touching her. "Juno..." he began again, then shook his head and hesitantly left, once again expressing his sorrow.

Serenity stared at the tent flap for a moment, then dropped to her knees. She covered her face and wept. The failure had come too quickly and with too much certainty. She had failed her mother and everyone else in the land.

Audria was waiting for Kelton to leave the tent. "That took longer than expected," she said with certainty. The words seemed to surprise Kelton, though that was to be expected. He knew not where he trampled.

"I did not mean to hurt her," Kelton stammered. "I should not have come, but I cannot stay." He pointed off into the distance as if Audria knew where he was going and the importance of the destination.

"I will see to her," Audria said, rising from the comfort of the fire. That brought some relief to Kelton's face. She produced a thin smile. "Go on," she said, indicating the direction Kelton desired to go. He did not need to be told twice.