Princess Estina lay silent and still in the early morning silence of her room. The blankets covering her were thick and many, a mixture of wool and fur, but it was the soft dowry mattress she was lying on that was taking time to get accustomed to. Sleeping on a makeshift sleeping mat as was the norm in the Talbecan Empire, was what her body was used to at present. She couldn’t complain however, at the sound of the fire that had been lit the night before and was still crackling steadily. The household staff must have attended to it during the night while she slept.

She took peace in this moment. Finally, after several weeks at Tehlea Estate, she was starting to feel more settled and organised. The house and the neighbouring villages were reaping the benefits of the changed taxes, and Princess Estina’s willingness to share their resources had been well received from the locals. If she looked out of the new sturdy gates, the village below would already be bustling with adults going about their morning chores and children trying to escape theirs to play.

Several loud thumps on her door jolted her into a sitting position. Her peaceful solitude was no more, and her heart leapt to her throat. No one had banged on her door in such a manner since arriving at the estate. Without hesitation, she pushed the blankets off her body and jumped to the ground.

Princess Estina reached the door with her sword at her side. She still slept in her clothes. A habit she had developed over the past two years. It was smart. It meant she was always ready to fight.

“What is it?” she asked, pulling the door open.

A messenger stood on the other side. He bowed, and she noted his face was white.

“Forgive me, Princess Estina,” he said with a bow. “This scroll came this morning. It is addressed to you and your brother. It is urgent.”

“Go get my brother and Menelt immediately,” she ordered.

The messenger bowed and spun on his heel. Princess Estina stepped back into her room and placed her sword back into its hilt. She didn’t wait for her brother and ran her finger along the seal. It was marked with the stamp of the kingdom indicating urgency. The messenger had been right to interrupt her.

Trying to steady her hands, she peeled the scroll open. Were they in imminent danger? Had Prince Yernal sent an army to take Old Lake Tehlea as his own?

A gasp escaped her upon reading the first line. Shock caused dizziness to overwhelm her, and she staggered back and sat on her bed as her brother and Menelt walked into her room, the pair still dishevelled from their sleep as well.

“What is it?” Prince Alain asked. She could hear the concern in his voice, but it barely registered.

Princess Estina slowly rose to her feet and squared her shoulders to face the men. She didn’t have to act brave and confident in front of these men.

“Prince Weston, heir apparent,” she said, her voice shaking, “was murdered the day before yesterday. The Lombock did it.”

“What?!” Prince Alain gasped. He reached for the scroll and started to skim its contents. Slowly, as he read, he sank onto the mattress just where Princess Estina had been sitting.

Princess Estina turned to Menelt. “We need to prepare ourselves and let everyone know. Prince Yernal was most certainly behind this. He was the one who kidnapped the Lombock. According to those in Prince Weston’s palace, the Lombock returned to Prince Yernal with Prince Weston’s head. We could be next.”

Menelt simply nodded before he stormed out of the room. Princess Estina knew he would begin the protocols they had put into place in the possibility of an attack.

“It also states that our other brother, in the outer regions, is on his death bed,” Prince Alain stated grimly, shaking his head. “When he dies, Prince Yernal will be the heir apparent.”

Princess Estina turned away from her brother, her grip on her sword causing the knuckles on her hand to turn white. She needed a moment to pause, to breathe. Her thoughts were racing. This was all happening too fast. Only moments before she had experienced her first sensation of peace since arriving and now, with just one scroll, their fragile beginning could be destroyed in any second.

>>

Princess Estina slowly drummed her fingers over the wooden table inside the packed welcome hall.

“We now have to barricade and plan for a possible Lombock attack?” Lord Owen roared. “How are we supposed to do that?”

“Absurd!” Ladet argued back. “There is no way Teal would have done this!”

Lord Owen stood sharply and slammed his hands down on the table. “It was written from Prince Weston’s castle. The Lombock took his head, ate his eyes and left holes in his body!”

Ladet rose so quickly his chair fell to the floor. “He must have been coerced!”

Lord Owen’s eyes narrowed, and when he spoke, his voice was controlled and even. “Even if he was, how do we know he won’t be coerced into killing and eating us as well?”

Yells and bangs on the tables indicated the local’s support to Lord Owen’s words.

Princess Estina rose to her feet and the hall fell quiet.

“I have to agree with Ladet,” Princess Estina stated to the room. She held up her hands quickly when she heard people beginning to retaliate. “I met the Lombock just briefly but he could have killed me in an instant if he wanted to. He made the choice not to. I sincerely think that the Lombock does not have a choice.”

More shouts of disagreement filled the hall.

“But,” she yelled loudly over the din, and they quieted once more. “We can’t let one Lombock stop us from continuing with our plight. Right here, right now, we will decide on how best to defend ourselves from a possible attack from the Lombock. Ladet,” Princess Estina turned her head in his direction. “I would appreciate your honest opinions of how best to defend ourselves if the Lombock was to attack.”

Ladet ran a hand through his short hair and turned away from the table.

“Ladet,” Princess Estina called firmly.

Ladet turned back. “Yes, Princess Estina.” He reached down for his chair and picked it up before he slumped back into it again.

She could see the anguish in his face. It must be horrible to hear that one of your friends had committed such a horrible attack.

A mountain man entered the hall and walked directly towards her. In his hand, she spied another scroll. She glanced at her brother, and they shared a pained expression. What news would this one hold?

Princess Estina broke the seal and held it in a comfortable range so Prince Alain could read it at the same time. The hall was respectfully quiet. So quiet that when Princess Estina swore, it carried through the air to every corner of the hall.

When she was sure her brother had finished reading, she passed it on to Menelt. Princess Estina turned her gaze to the window and tried to process what she had just read. She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin, and then turned back to the full hall.

“It looks like we won’t have a lot of time to make any plans,” she informed the people in the hall. “My brother and I have just received an invitation to visit Prince Yernal at his estate,” Princess Estina replied flatly.

A roar of protest met her ears from the men and women gathered.

“No!”

“Don’t do it!”

“It’s suicide!”

Princess Estina also heard a score of different swear words, but they were only background noise. While her exterior was calm and collected, inside her stomach churned. A heavy pressure weighed down on her shoulders and chest. She couldn’t breathe due to the oppressive power of it. Was this the Gods of death laughing in her face? She bet they were perched on their mantles just waiting to lurch upon her and pull her into their depths.

>>

Exhausted.

Princess Estina closed the door to her room and leaned her head against its surface.

So, Prince Yernal was not going to attack them. He was instead going to invite them right into his domain, right into the monster’s mouth, right into his lair. He was going to invite them under the pretence of grief, of uniting under such terrible dark times. To bind together and save what was left of their family.

She did not believe it for a second.

Princess Estina pushed off from the door and started to pace.

From the moment she had read the invitation, dread filled her. Was it her gut telling her from the outset that this was not a good idea? Was it her soul telling her that this was it?

This was where her end was going to find her. Her plans and her dreams for her kingdom were going to be destroyed before they even had a chance to try to achieve them. But it would have always been this way, wouldn’t it? Prince Yernal was always going to have the upper hand.

A knock on her door distracted her thoughts. She frowned. Her door closed would surely mean she did not want to be disturbed.

“Who is it?” she called out impatiently.

“Me,” came her brother’s response. “Menelt and Weldlan are also with me.”

She should have suspected as much. On this evening, of all evenings, she would have to show her determination and bravery, when in reality, all she wanted to do was to run back to the forests and hide. How were they ready for this? They weren’t ready for this?

And Prince Yernal knew it.

Princess Estina strode straight to the door and opened it to find Prince Alain’s face was as grim as her own.

“You disappeared quickly after dinner,” he said.

“I needed to think,” Princess Estina responded, stepping back to allow the men to enter her room.

“This is not good,” Prince Alain said.

Princess Estina waited until her door was closed before she answered.

“We are not ready to go into such a situation,” she answered. “But what do we do? If we don’t go, we risk Prince Yernal believing that we are cowards and afraid of him. Also, it would send a message to those around us that we are afraid to stand up to him and not willing to protect them.”

“What is your gut feeling?” Menelt asked her.

“That people are going to die,” she said quietly, “and that could very well and truly be any of us.”

Prince Alain started to pace the room just like she had done only moments before. “I don’t know how we can go in and not have him try something. I doubt that he wants us to try to work with him. That’s not his style. He wants complete control.”

“He is obviously feeling invincible,” Princess Estina said. “He has committed murder and is getting away with it.”

“That is the only positive on our side,” Prince Alain responded. “So far, we have not renounced his actions or retaliated.”

Princess Estina stared at Menelt and Weldlan. Instead of commenting, they had taken to leaning against one wall and listen to their argument. Everything she had learnt over the past two years was because of these two men. They had protected her. They had trained her how to defend herself and how to kill. Was it all for nothing? Had she just been wasting their time?

“I want to go,” she said, surprising even herself.

“Really?” Prince Alain responded. “This would put you in the most dangerous position ever. If he hasn’t already planned to murder you, he could quickly and easily do it with the Lombock by his side.”

Princess Estina shook her head unconvinced. “I saw the Lombock. I stood opposite to him. He had control. He could have killed me in the middle of that field, but he didn’t.”

“He must have some kind of power over the Lombock,” Prince Alain surmised.

“You never know it could also lead us to an opportunity to get access to Teal,” Menelt said.

Princess Estina paused. “We did promise Ladet. Prince Yernal has ensured our safety. He said he wants to talk and make amends.”

“I don’t believe him for one moment!” Prince Alain argued. He stopped pacing and sat on the chair in the corner of her room. He leaned his head heavily on his hand and yawned. “I fear for your life,” he said quietly.

Princess Estina looked towards Menelt and Weldlan.

“It is obviously a trap. No doubt about that,” Menelt said. “However, if what Earl Jenric has said is true, it could also be a way to show off his power to try and get you to obey him.”

Weldlan rubbed his chin. “I also have a theory.” They all looked at him. “Word came through that the desert mobs caused trouble along the border again last week and have destroyed some of the estates under his control.”

“You think he might be changing his mind about the mountain folk?” Prince Alain asked.

Weldlan shrugged. “He has not been able to deter them. They attack and then leave, attacking elsewhere in another couple of weeks. They don’t seek to take land. They are nomads. They rob and steal and then move on.”

Princess Estina was quiet, thinking, contemplating what Weldlan had said.

“I want to go,” she repeated. “I want to speak to Earl Jenric and see whether he has spare armour we can borrow.”

“Sleep on it,” Prince Alain told her. “If you go, I want a good solid plan. I want to ensure your safety as much as possible. How do you know, Prince Yernal won’t kidnap you to bribe the mountain men to fight for him?”

Princess Estina sighed. She hated it when her brother was right. “How many men does he have at the estate?”

“It is unknown but it doesn’t matter,” Prince Alain said. “He has supporters everywhere. Do you try and overwhelm him with numbers?”

“It’s a possibility,” Menelt stated. “We go to him with a large group of men to ensure that he knows he’ll have a fight on his hands if he tries anything.”

“We should converse more with Lord Owen and Earl Jenric, if you feel like you can trust them,” Princess Estina stated. “I don’t want to leave our estate empty when we’ve only just claimed it.”

“Let’s sleep on what we’ve discussed so far,” Prince Alain stated. “I need to think on this more myself.” He stared at Princess Estina. “I don’t like it but at the same time, I know I can’t stop you.”

Princess Estina walked to her brother and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You’re tired brother,” she said. “We can talk about this on the morrow.” She knelt before him. “I have been training for this since that day we met Menelt and Weldlan in the forest. If I do die, at least I will know that I died fighting.”

Her brother went to rebuke her, but she laid her finger over her lips.

“Tomorrow, brother. Go sleep. Nothing has been decided.”

Prince Alain sighed and rose to his feet. He gave her one last long stare and walked towards the door. Menelt and Weldlan also bade good night and left.

Prince Estina waited in the silence of the room. Her mind was nowhere near a restful state. The nervous energy pulsating under her skin was raging too much. After everything they had been through over the past two years, this really did feel like she was walking into a death trap.

Several moments passed as she continued to pace. She glanced at her bed and quickly decided that she did not want to lie under its covers alone. Life was too short, and hers could be soon arriving at a very quick end. With her mind made up, she walked towards the door and opened it, knowing exactly who she was looking for.

The estate had settled into a peaceful lull. The sky was dark although no stars could be seen. Ladet often spent time with the scouts who had joined him from the Talbecan Empire and he was often seen chatting and playing gambling games with the mountain men when he was not on duty. She headed towards the building where the soldiers were all staying.

Princess Estina stopped short when she came round the corner. There were several fires lit where different mountain men sat around talking and drinking. Off to the side, Princess Estina spied her friends sitting together. Clagen and Ardena sat next to each other, and opposite to the pair, Princess Estina spied Ladet and Lady Annalei. She watched the small group for a moment, judging the two couples as they interacted with each other.

Lady Annalei said something and Ladet, Clagen and Ardena laughed, delight and merriment on their features. She noted their body language, easy and unguarded, and she watched as Ladet leaned in and patted Lady Annalei on the shoulder. In the short time they had joined Princess Estina, the hostility between them had clearly evaporated, and now it appeared they were very agreeable to each other’s company.

“Well, the Goddess of Desire does not like me today,” Princess Estina muttered under her breath. She turned and left the courtyard. Maybe a swim in the lagoon would calm her frustrations instead.

>>

The fire was providing a welcoming reprieve from the cold evening. Content and warm, Ardena smiled at the people sitting with her. Two years ago, she would never have dreamed of the path her life would take, but she would never change a minute of it. She had a family of friends who she cared for dearly.

She continued to laugh as Lady Annalei told her story of trying to outwit her lady-in-waiting at the palace in Dalenia. Her laughter and smile were infectious. From the corner of her eye, she spied a figure standing at the corner of the stable. She turned her head, but the person had already turned away. Princess Estina was forever ingrained into her mind. It was her duty to always be there for her even with her changed designation and journey over the past two years.

“Was that Princess Estina?” Ardena asked, more to herself. The shadows had made it hard to determine and the flames so bright in front of her.

Ladet, Lady Annalei and Clagen turned to where she had just pointed to. By the time they looked however, the corner was empty.

“I don’t think so,” Clagen told her. “I saw her disappear into her quarters earlier.”

“Was she faring well?” Lady Annalei asked.

“I think so,” Clagen replied. “I think she just wanted some time to herself after meeting with our guests today, and she had a long training session this morning with Menelt and Weldlan.”

“She’s probably exhausted,” Ardena stated

“Are you sure you saw someone?” Ladet asked.

“I think so,” Ardena stated, rising to her feet. “I’ll go check. It was most likely one of the servants but you never know.”

Ladet rose to his feet as well. “Don’t worry, you stay here,” he said. “I’ll go check on her.”

Ardena smiled, a large smile, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she walked to the other side of the fire and sat beside Lady Annalei and took her hand in her own. Aah yes, if Princess Estina had never left with Menelt, she would never have met Lady Annalei.

They shared a knowing look.

It was missed by Ladet. He was already walking towards the corner of the building that Ardena had pointed to.

“Do you think he’s ever going to do anything about it?” Clagen asked once Ladet had left.

Ardena sighed. “I doubt it. Both are holding back too much, but I think it would be good for Princess Estina. She deserves to have some fun too.” She frowned and watched Ladet’s retreating back. He would never be betrothal material, especially after the arrangements that Princess Estina had made with Menelt, but Ladet was a good hardworking loyal man. There was no doubt in her mind that he would do anything to ensure Princess Estina was happy.