"Not enough meat in the stores," I repeated as I bustled through the hall of the busy palace, the head cook following in my wake as I handed a broach to a nearby servant for cleaning and she took it and ran off. "So send another hunting party to fetch some more."

We entered the foyer and I saw a group of guards milling about, laughing with one another at some shared joke.

"Surely there are some strong men about willing to hunt some game for their King," I called out, loud enough for the guards to hear, and watched as one of them nudged the other. I turned to the cook and winked, lowering my voice so that only she could hear. "That should do it."

She grinned madly back at me and that was when I heard his booming voice call out from behind us.

"You heard the princess! Gather your things and off to hunt!"

I turned and beamed. "Ridley!"

"Princess," he greeted, smiling, and then to the cook. "Lenora."

The cook beamed and ran off to hide her flushed cheeks. I turned and headed off down the hall toward the next task of the morning that needed my attention as Ridley fell into step beside me. 

With my husband and the King both off in battle, the responsibilities of running the household and ruling the kingdom both fell to me. And I'd had scarcely the time to breathe since they had left. I would have asked Lady Kyla to help but she had taken great pains to avoid me since our last interaction and I had to admit that I had not quite forgiven her for the remarks she's made concerning my marriage. Though true they were, she had been out of line in speaking them.

"What do you think of him?" I said so suddenly that I surprised myself. Ridley glanced sidelong at me, caught off guard by my question.

"Who?"

"The warrior from Vyndoli. Tyne."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," he recited the old adage and I nodded, considering it's value. "But I did not care for the way in which he looked at you."

I stopped and turned to face him. "Pardon?"

"Perhaps you did not notice. Men look at you that way all the time. But none so low as Tyne of Vyndoli."

"You think him low."

"In comparison to the nobles who ogle you, yes. He is more dangerous. He does not follow the rules we live by. And he is arrogant. I can see it in him. Like most young warriors with reputation."

"I have handled my fair share of arrogant soldiers before, Ridley. I can do so again."

"I know that you are capable of protecting yourself and I have never seen you practice anything but good judgment. Still, I would rather see this man prove his devotion before you enter into any sort of negotiations with him."

I opened my mouth to agree but saw a familiar face approaching from over Ridley's soldier. I broke out into a smile but it was short-lived for I saw the look on his face a moment later. My brother was making his way up the hall, undoubtedly toward his study, unfastening his cloak and handing it to a servant as he went, scowling all the way. Something flipped in my stomach at that expression and, though I knew I would not like to hear what he had to say, I knew I must hear it all the same. So, as he passed, I reached out and touched his arm. Before I could voice my question, he answered it in a low growl. "We've lost."

I blinked in surprise as he walked past. I turned back to Ridley who shook his head and then I was off, picking up my cursed skirts and trailing after my morose King.

"What do you mean we've lost?" I asked as we entered his study, doors slamming shut behind us. "You were defeated? How? The border has been encroached?"

"The border is fine. We were defending it well enough and decided to press our advantage. We devised a plan to capture back the small village of Chantwell. We failed. Miserably." He snapped and threw his helm to the ground. A servant boy ran forward to collect the armor as another stepped toward to help my brother out of his plate. He held his arms up, jaw clenched in barely restrained anger. I thought it best to choose my words carefully.

"Where is my husband?" I asked after a moment.

"Holding the border," he answered and then, with a sigh. "I'm afraid I haven't come to report his death as I'm sure you wish."

"I do not wish for his death," I snapped. He met my eyes then, could tell that I was waiting to tell him something, so before he could ask, I blurted. "Princess Madelyn Denholm is here."

He froze. The boy pulled his armor away and he waved a hand at him without removing his eyes from my own. "Leave us."

The servants obeyed, shutting the door behind them with an echo that told me we were entirely alone.

"Why didn't you tell me she was alive?" I asked and he stared back at me in shock.

"How did she get here?" He responded.

"Some rogue warriors from her home country. They rescued her from some fortress and she begged them to bring her here. To us. To you."

He ran a hand through his hair. I had never seen him so caught off guard.

"You truly didn't know, did you?" I asked, stunned. He shook his head.

"No," he answered. "I thought she was dead, same as you. And now... she can't be here."

"What?"

"She cannot be here, Adelaide. My position is vulnerable as is and there are some in the nobility who would wish me to adhere to that old, unfinished agreement. There are many among our ranks with ties to Vyndoli. They would want me to honor the arrangement. They would request that we become betrothed and I cannot do that."

"Why, Acton?" I asked, hearing the steel in my voice as I spoke. "Because you do not wish to be married to a woman you do not love?"

I raised my brows. He noticed my tone and sighed. "Adelaide-"

"I would not wish the same fate for you, brother," I told him before he could explain. "I have forgiven you for your role in my unhappiness. And I do not wish vengeance upon you. I want you to be happy, to love, truly, as I have not. And I have not forgotten my promise to our grandmother to always remember that we only have each other."

"We do have each other," Acton said, placing a hand gently on my shoulder in one of the only affectionate touches he had ever given me. "But not only."

"Kyla," I huffed in understanding.

"She tells me there has been an altercation between you."

"I doubt she sees it that way," I sighed. "She made herself perfectly clear."

"She regrets what she said about Brigham."

"Then perhaps she should not have said it."

My brother sighed then and I heard the exhaustion in the action. I felt a pang of guilt for having added to his burdens.

"I will heal the rift," I promised him then. "But I need some time away first."

He nodded and smiled tiredly in appreciation. He crossed behind his desk and fell into his seat there, running a hand through his hair and staring down at the pile of correspondence awaiting his reply.

"There is another matter," I told him and he glanced back up to me. "The men who brought the princess here."

"The Vyndolian warriors," he clarified. I nodded.

"Their leader has made you an offer," I said and he sat up straighter in his chair, interested. "Ridley seems to believe you have heard of him. His name is Tyne."

The surprise was instantaneous and his exhaustion melted away as he leapt from his chair and approached me eagerly, new life ignited in his tired eyes.

"Tyne of Vyndoli?" He asked, excitedly. "He is here?"

"He is," I nodded. "In an inn outside of the palace walls. I told him to remain there until you returned and he could make his offer to you. Acton, he wishes to serve you under the condition that you help him get his revenge on his enemies. He named them by name."

"Serve me," Acton repeated, turning away from me and pacing, a finger on his lips in thought.

"He claims to know how they fight, to have studied them, to have studied with them. He claims to have valuable information about how they can be beaten."

He was nodding along to my words, clearly intrigued. I could see that the prospect of having a legendary warrior at his side was one of great interest to my brother, but I needed to make my doubts clear before he journeyed too far down the road of excitement.

"He offered information, Acton. But never his sword," I said and my brother turned to face me. "I think it wise for you to test his devotion."

"Test his devotion?"

"He is a Vyndolish sold into Rirdanta. He has no ties to Etzera. You must create them. If he is to stand at your side and simply whisper knowledge into your ear, then his skills are not being utilized to the best of their ability. If he is going to plot a military strategy, he should see it to fruition. Let him help you plan a battle and then send him to it. See how well he fights for Etzera and its King. And make sure people see it. Solidify his bond to your reign."

He nodded along as I spoke, stroking his chin in thought. "It's a good plan, Adelaide. I will consider it. In the meantime, call him to me. I would like to hear his offer from his own lips."

I nodded and, with my orders, left my brother to ruminate in peace. I found Ridley in the hall and sent him personally to retrieve Tyne and his men. Then I headed to the gardens in search of Lady Kyla in an effort to mend the rift between us and ease my brother's burdens. Unfortunately, I found her peacock of a brother instead and, as he droned on and on about his masterful work with financing the rents from his land, I wondered how I ever could have possibly considered him to sire my husband's heirs. Or why I was considering that plan at all. It was just a product of Acton's cold rationality and was absolutely ludicrous as an actual possibility. Regardless of his suggestion, one thing was certain. Brigham and I could not ignore this discomfort between us any longer and, should I ever get the chance to see my husband again, we were going to have to have a conversation about what lay between us.

"Princess Adelaide, Lord Redford," A servant spoke quietly as she approached us, bowing low in reverence as she did. "The King has called court."

I nodded in thanks and Keyon and I headed off to the throne room to attend the meeting that I felt quite certain I already knew what it was about. I was proven correct only a matter of moments later when Keyon and I entered the hall and I crossed the length of it to take the seat at my brother's side, feeling the weight of the warrior Tyne's eyes upon me the whole way.

"Tyne of Vyndoli," my brother called out and the hall fell silent to hear him, the gathered nobles falling into a hush from where they stood pressed against the wall. Tyne and his men took up the bulk of the center of the room, Tyne foremost among them and he nodded to the King. "My sister tells me you have come to make me an offer."

I saw Princess Madelyn enter from the back and squeeze into a corner where she could not be seen.

"I have, Sire," Tyne responded, his deep voice reverberating around the room.

"And what is this offer?"

The warrior's eyes slipped to my own and I held his gaze for the few seconds he watched me before he turned back to Acton and continued. "I have much knowledge of the Rirdans that I believe would help you in your fight against them. I have trained with them, eaten with them, worked with them. I could advise you in what moves they are likely to make, in where they will plan their attacks. In exchange for my service, I only ask that you help me take revenge upon the Rirdan leaders Etel Albo and Benko Matis when the time comes."

The hall erupted into murmurs as he finished. Acton gazed down at him, watching him curiously, none of this information new to him. He held up a hand then and the hall fell silent.

"You understand that I cannot trust the word of any rogue warrior who meanders into my court," my brother spoke slowly. "No matter their reputation."

"I understand your suspicions," Tyne responded with a nod. "They are founded when faced with a man who has a reputation for murder. Even if it is of barbarians."

"If you wish to serve me, if you want my assistance in accomplishing your goals in return, you must first prove to me your loyalty."

Tyne raised his chin. "Did you have something in mind, my Lord?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Acton answered, leaning back in his throne, crossing his legs and steeping his fingers in front of his face. "My man, Lord Brigham Chadwick is serving down south as my Commander of the Border. He holds it for now. But there will be another attack and, from the correspondence I have been receiving, it will be soon. You will be joining the reinforcements, as well as my sister and our dear Captain, on their journey to the border where you will advise Lord Chadwick as you have offered to advise me and help him defeat the Rirdans there. If you fare well, you can consider your offer accepted and will return to the palace for arrangements. If you do not fare well, the Vyndoli border will never be closer. You have my permission to cross it. Do we have an understanding?"

The nobles waited with bated breath as Tyne looked at the King, weighing his options, considering the proposal. Finally, he spoke.

"We do, Sire," he answered and then turned his eyes to mine. When they met, I felt a strange fluttering sensation in my chest. "I look forward to our mutually beneficial relationship with the kingdom of Etzera."

Something about the way he spoke the words, like a low rumble, and the intensity with which his eyes bore into mine, created a stirring that I had never felt before. It left me breathless and confused. My brother clapped his hands and ordered servants to find rooms for Tyne and all his men. Then they were all filing out of the hall, the nobles dispersing after them. I felt myself breathing harder, as if trying to catch the breath I hadn't known I had lost.

"Madelyn!" Acton was calling out and I snapped back to attention to realize that the princess was one of the last remaining in the hall. She looked up at the King at her name being called and hurried forward to answer his summons. She curtsied low as she came before him, too low. I looked to my brother. What was he doing?

"My Lord," she said, her voice small, quiet. "I thank you for your hospitality. I do not know-"

"It was my sister's hospitality," he corrected her and her mouth popped open slightly in surprise. "I know that you believe there to be some sort of arrangement between us, Madelyn. But there is not. The contract our fathers never got the chance to sign promised the heir of Etzera to the princess of Vyndoli. As your family no longer holds Vyndoli, you are no longer a princess. I am sure you understand, then, why our betrothal cannot be."

Her mouth dropped open even more and her lips worked as if she tried to speak but could not find the words. My heart went out to her. But I found myself unable to assist. Acton was resolved in this and he would not appreciate my questioning him in front of anyone.

"I cannot have you here in the palace, either. Your presence would... disrupt a great many number of plans I have laid carefully. It is for your protection as well as mine that none of the nobles are aware of your identity. Therefore, you shall tell no one but myself, Princess Adelaide, or Tyne and his men of your former title. As far as where you should go, I have arranged several options myself. You are welcome to select between them which is most suitable. There is a nunnery off of the coast. It is beautiful there, I am told. You can devote your life to God and find peace in Him. If you are not the pious sort, there are a number of wealthy old widows in need of companionship. They would be delighted to hear of Vyndolian custom and you could live in the way that you are accustomed to. It is your decision. Please advise me of it by week's end. You are dismissed."

The former princess blinked at my brother for a moment before turning on her heels and heading for the door. Her pace quickened as she reached it and I saw the tears streaming down her cheeks as she grasped the knob and flung herself into the hall beyond.

"Close your mouth, Adelaide," Acton warned gently and I regained my composure as he stood from his throne and I leapt to my feet, straightening out my bodice as I stood. "Do not pretend to be surprised at my rejection."

"Not at your rejection," I told him. "But of the way you did it. You are a rational man, Acton. But teenage girls are not known for their rationality and you came off a bit cold."

His eyes turned to the door through which she had fled and lingered for a moment, in thought, before he spoke. "Go to her. Smooth it over as only you can. She is nothing now but she may not always be. We should remain in her good graces."

I nodded in agreement and bowed in farewell as I picked up my skirts and left through the side door, following after the distressed girl.