They topped a small rise and stopped. Sitting atop their horses and staring below them. Spread out along the river was the town of Kingsley.

"How in the hell did Velash manage to raid that?" Arthur asked gesturing toward the wall that surrounded the small city.

"During the daylight hours, the gates are left open so merchants and towns people can easily enter and leave. The soldiers chose to attack during the day. It took everyone by surprise."

"You remember this?"

Yeah, he did. He remembered the screaming. The panic. He remembered his mother scooping him up, running to the kitchens, and pushing him into the cupboard with the command that he stay there and remain quiet. It was a memory he couldn't forget, even if he wanted to do so. "Yes, vividly." He knew his voice came out sounding flat and emotionless, but he couldn't help it. He'd spent so much time pulling away from memories of that day so it would no long hurt, there was nothing left inside of him to feel for that day.

He nudged his horse forward, expecting Arthur to follow. They rode slowly toward the large gate and it became immediately apparent that the gates were closed. He frowned as they approached and he spotted four soldiers standing outside the large gates, two on either side.

One stepped forward and greeted them. "What business do you have in Kingsley?"

"My cousin, Prince Arthur of Arieland, wishes to visit Kingsley and pay a call on the baron." He gestured in Arthur's direction and noticed his friend had assumed an air of superiority, staring down his nose at the guards.

"Is that so?"

"Indeed that is so. Let us enter." He waved a hand at the closed gates.

The four men snickered. "You want us to believe he's a prince?"

Arthur held out his right hand, his brows drawing together in a fierce frown. "My signet ring, I may not be heir but I am still my father's son."

The guard studied the ring for a moment before he turned and directed the others to open the gate. "My apologies, Your Highness, we can't be too safe these days."

Arthur merely nodded and urged his horse forward, with Codey following behind. Once they had cleared the gate and ridden a good distance, Arthur turned to him. "I thought the gates were kept open?"

Codey shrugged. "Apparently the new baron feels differently about that policy than the previous one."

"You think the raid had something to do with that change?"

"Let's find rooms and pay a call on the baron, shall we? Maybe then we can get some answers."

They found an inn that fit their needs situated close to the baron's home and took two rooms. After settling in, they decided to eat before paying a visit to the baron.

"Thank you," Arthur smiled at the serving girl as she set a platter on the table that held thick slices of beef along with another containing vegetables.

"You're welcome; I'll be back with the bread and your drinks." She dropped a curtsey before disappearing. She stopped and turned back as if she suddenly remembered something, and opening her mouth to speak, but Arthur held a hand up to stop her.

"It's all right, formal address isn't necessary. We're going to be here a few days and it would get tedious, trust me. You may address me by my given name, Arthur."

She blushed furiously. "I don't think I could do that, Your Highness."

"Of course you can. Pretend I never told you who I really am." He watched as she fidgeted for a bit, before finally nodding and then hurrying off to the kitchen.

Codey chuckled. "You hate all this, 'your highness' nonsense, don't you?"

Arthur slouched in his seat. "Can we eat or are you going to continue to analyze my personality?"

"Why not, you continue to attempt to analyze my relationship with the princess."

"Ahha! You admit you have a relationship!"

"Shut up and eat your food," Codey told him with a roll of his eyes.

The serving girl returned with a fresh baked, crusty loaf of bread and two tankards of ale. "If there's anything else you need please ask. I'm Piper." She dropped another curtsey before hurrying away to help another patron.

Arthur inhaled deeply, sighing at the smell of the bread. "Nothing better than fresh baked bread." He grabbed the loaf and ripped off a chunk.

"Your table manners are deplorable, Your Highness."

Arthur grunted at him through a mouth full of bread and beef.

They both laughed. Conversation was forgotten while as they wolfed down the delicious meal.

"Impressive place for a baron's residence," Arthur commented as they rode up to the gates in the stone wall that surrounded the large home of the baron. "Place is very nearly a small castle."

"That's exactly what it is. Kingsley was the capitol of a small kingdom before Eliria conquered it and absorbed it. This tiny little town was where its king resided."

Arthur grunted as he continued to study the castle. "Damn nice place for a baron."

Codey chuckled and shook his head. "He was one of the king's foremost knights before he retired and the king conferred upon him the title of baron."

Arthur nodded, looking around as they were admitted through the gates into the castle yard. "So this baron, the former one, was a knight not a noble?"

"Yes. He and the king were good friends. When he decided to retire the king made him baron of Kingsley, entrusting him with holding this border. Keeping it safe from invasion by Valash's army."

"And your father followed him here?"

Codey nodded as he reined Lightning in and dismounted, handing the reins to a stable boy. Not much had changed; the place still looked the same. Although, looking at it from the perspective of a grown man, it now looked smaller than it had when he'd been a child. He still remembered every hall, and room, and he could probably find his way around with his eyes closed. This had been his home for the first six years of his life. Why was he trembling so badly, why did he fear walking through those doors?

Arthur slapped him on the back. "Right, let's go."

Codey lagged behind his friend just a bit. His eyes roamed the hall as they entered, taking in the changes that had been made in the thirteen years since he'd last been here. The changers were mostly aesthetic, décor and the like. The halls and such were, of course, the same.

After introductions to an underling of the baron's, the man left them sanding in the hall as he slipped through a door.

"This had better not take hours," Arthur grumbled.

Codey grinned. Despite his protests to the otherwise, it was obvious his friend was indeed a prince and used to people deferring to him. He was about to make a snarky comeback when the door opened and the underling returned, with a wide smile on his face.

"The baron will see you." He led them into the large, open room.

Codey arched a brow as he surveyed the room. The new baron had turned the smaller of the two ballrooms into what amounted to a throne room. A thick, red runner ran down the center to a raised dais upon which the man sat. He reclined upon a golden throne, larger even than the throne Skylette's father had.

As the servant made introductions, Codey took the opportunity to study the baron. He was young, perhaps younger even than Codey himself was. Tall and lanky, with dark hair, he stared at them through eyes that seemed angry at the world, despite the smile plastered on his face.

"It's a pleasure to have you in our kingdom, Your Highness. What brings you to Kingsley?"

Arthur returned his smile. "Just doing some traveling, seeing your beautiful country. It's very different from Arieland."

"Ah, yes, your home is quite the desert isn't it?"

"I find the green here soothing," Arthur answered.

"Indeed, I would think so. Sand can get into some rather annoying places."

Codey found the sound of the baron's voice grating. Sort of like that of a petulant child. As if, he were constantly on the verge of complaining about something or asking for some sort of favor.

He leaned forward in his seat, false smile still in place. "I'll have rooms made up for you immediately."

Arthur waved a hand through the air. "Not necessary. We've taken rooms at an inn in town. I find it relaxing to get away from the trappings of my station."

The baron nodded, but didn't look as if he really understood why Arthur would want to stay in a shabby inn when he could remain in his home. "Yes, I see. Well you are of course welcome if you change your mind."

Codey smiled pleasantly. "How did you come to inherit the title, I thought the former baron and his family were killed?"

"Ah yes, tragedy. A shame really, I never knew him. Not personally, anyway. Only from my mother's descriptions of him."

"Your mother knew the baron?"

He nodded in response to Codey's question, sitting back on his throne. "Yes, she was young and impressionable, I suppose, when they met. Probably dazzled by his reputation. I doubt she'd agree, she claimed they were in love. He however, decided the relationship was a mistake and broke it off. He returned here, to Kingsley, to his wife and child."

Codey felt a bit sick at the young baron's words. "You're the baron's ..."

"Bastard. Yes, I'm a year or so younger than the boy who died here at Kingsley—his blood heir—was."

Arthur blinked rapidly several times and then gave his head a shake. "If you were a child when the baron died, how did you come to inherit the title?"

It was clear the baron was relishing the attention they were paying him as he spun out his tale. "My mother was devastated when news reached us of the baron's death; she still loves him to this day. When she heard that his entire family perished, she packed us up and moved us here. She held the title as my guardian until I was old enough to take charge. I did so when I turned sixteen, two years ago."

"The king didn't contest it?" Arthur asked in an incredulous tone of voice.

The young baron shrugged. "I've heard nothing from him. I suppose the fact that the affair between my mother and one of his most celebrated knights took place in his court would give him cause to look the other way where I'm concerned. Wouldn't want a scandal. I'm sure he had a bit to do with keeping it all quiet in the first place."

Arthur affected a small chuckle. "Of course, wouldn't want to embarrass anyone. I think we've taken up enough of your time, we'll let you get back to your work."

"Yes, you must come and join me for dinner tomorrow evening, I insist!"

They agreed to return for dinner the following evening and departed.

"Whoa, Codey slow down, will you?"

He stopped and whirled to face Arthur. "That man is a liar!" he hissed angrily before turning away and stalking to where a stable boy waited with Lightning. He mounted quickly and rode from the castle yard.

Arthur scrambled to mount his horse and follow. It wasn't until they were back at the inn that he was able to catch Codey and confront him about his obvious anger. "What is wrong?"

"The baron loved his wife. Loved her to distraction, he never would have betrayed her! Whoever that ... that boy is, he isn't the baron's offspring."

"Codey, you were six when they died, you can't possibly remember anything significant about them!"

"I remember how they were together, how they acted, and they loved one another. I'm telling you he never would have betrayed his wife. She and his son were his world. I lived in that house, Arthur; I saw it day in and day out. All of the time! Do not tell me what I remember and what I don't!"

Arthur remained standing in the dining room of the inn when Codey stalked off up the stairs to his room.

"Is there a problem, Your High—"

He sent Piper a look and her cheeks turned pink.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem, Arthur?"

"How much do you know about the baron?"

"Only what I'm told. I've only been in Kingsley for about four years," she answered.

He turned to look down at her. It hadn't occurred to him that she hadn't been born and raised here. But it made sense, so much of the population had been slaughtered thirteen years ago, afterward there had been an influx of new settlers to the village. "Where did you move from?"

She fidgeted and dropped her eyes to the floor. Her reluctance to answer was obvious. "Up north. Very far north."

He thought to push her for details, but decided against it. The reasons she was here instead of wherever she had lived up north, were her business, not his. "Well, we are certainly glad you decided to join us here," he answered her with a wink.

"Thank you," she replied quietly. "You wanted to know about the baron?"

He nodded and gestured to a nearby table, indicating she should sit. Waiting until she sat down, he took the chair across from her, indicating she should speak.

"He rarely leaves his home, if he needs anything from the people or wishes any sort of announcement to be made, he sends some of his men."

"How many does he usually send?" Arthur asked her.

She gave a tiny shrug. "It depends on what he wishes to accomplish. If it's a minor announcement, two or three, but changes to laws or for tax collections, he sends a veritable army. Sometimes dozens of men."

"Have there been problems in the past, why would he send so many men?"

"So I've been told, but no one has protested his ways in a good long while. From what others have told me, the punishment for disobeying him is death. No investigation, nothing of that sort, the person is hauled away and never seen again."

Arthur drummed his fingers on the table. "Wonder why the executions aren't public seems his ego would love that type of thing."

"Fear of the unknown? No one knowing what has happened to the person. It might instill more fear than a public execution would."

More finger drumming. He nodded slowly. It made sense. The baron seemed the type to relish the fact that others feared him. He smiled at Piper. "Thank you very much for your information."

As went to rise, she clasped his wrist in her hand. "Beware of him; he is not a nice man. It's been said he keeps his mother locked away. He has claimed she is not right in the head. No one has seen her in years."

He reached over with his free hand and patted at her hand where it clutched at his wrist. "Do not worry, we will be very careful."

Leaving her, he headed upstairs to speak with Codey about what he'd learned. Piper seemed very well spoken for a serving girl. He wondered what she was running from up north. He shook his head, dismissing the serving girl from his thoughts. She wasn't his concern now.

Without knocking, he threw open the door to Codey's room. They had taken the two largest rooms at the inn. He flicked his gaze over the room, searching for his friend, and found him slumped in one of the large, high-backed chairs in front of the fireplace. As he entered the room, he flung the door shut behind him with a loud bang.

"Are you planning on pouting up here all evening?"

"Go away, Arthur. I don't want to speak with you at the moment," Codey growled.

"I don't know what's eating at you, but whatever it is you know that you can talk to me. That's what friends are for," he responded.

Codey leapt up from the chair and spun to face him. "No, I can't talk to you! You don't understand, you'll never understand! Can we get this bloody investigation over with so we can get back home?"

Arthur drew in a deep breath and released it. "Fine, if that's what you want, then that's what we'll do." He turned away and reached for the door, stopping he looked back at Codey. He stood before the fire, staring into the flames. "We'll finish it, but when we return I think it's time I requested leave to return to my home. I see no reason to remain any longer." He left before Codey could protest. It was too late for his protestations. He'd given him dozens of chances to trust and Codey never took that step forward. If he couldn't trust him as a friend and fellow knight, then why remain?