Mido hurried up the stone staircase in the castle. King Sloan awaited him in the eastern tower after sending his messenger to find him. Mido bowed when he approached. King Sloan held a sword in his hands, admiring the engraving.

“You sent for me, my lord?”

The king's expression was hard. “How's Calliope?” he asked, not looking up from the sword.

“She's fine,” Mido said, watching the king.

King Sloan nodded and put the sword down, letting it lean against the wall. “Good.” He finally looked up at his guest. He pulled some papers from his pocket and handed them to Mido. Mido took them, his eyes still on his king, and flipped through the pages.

“What is this?” he asked. He searched the pages. He saw the signature of Asmar's king. He flipped through some more, scanning the pages. His eyes stopped on the word witch. He continued to scan. Betrayal. War.

Mido's heart stopped for a moment. He met his king's stare. King Sloan cleared his throat.

“Asmar's king, Rowan, heard about Calliope. He sent his spies to us. Who knows if there are any in Librona right now.”

“Why does he care about Calliope?” Mido asked, fearing the answer.

“Asmar had aided us over the years in our fight against Scarletta and her witches. It cost them many lives, including the life of their beloved king. They withdrew from the war to rebuild their kingdom. Word traveled quickly to them about Calliope. His spies confirmed that Calliope has made a home in our kingdom.”

Mido felt his fingers tremble around the papers in his hand. His heart fluttered sickeningly in his stomach.

“King Rowan feels we betrayed him. He said if we didn't kill her, they would themselves. He's declared war on Librona.”

Mido stared blankly at his king. He handed the papers back to King Sloan, his eyes fixed on the king.

“I fear they will be here any day.” King Sloan said, pocketing the declaration of war.

“What do you want me to do?” Mido asked, his voice quiet.

King Sloan stood tall, his gaze fixed hard on his soldier. “I want you to lead my army in protecting Calliope.”

Mido bit his lower lip, not taking his eyes off of King Sloan.

“I don't think I can, my lord,” he said, hesitant. He let his brain process what he had just heard.

“I wouldn't want anyone else to do this.”

“No. I can't. I won't leave Calliope alone. She won't be safe.”

“She will be safe. I will ensure her safety. I need you to distract them while we hide her. You must defend our kingdom.”

“No. I'm going with Calliope.”

“You don't have an option, soldier. Do you dare disobey my orders?”

Mido's face was pale. He shook his head, feeling lost.

“I will give my own life to ensure Calliope's safety,” King Sloan assured his soldier. “We all owe her our lives.”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Mido could feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. His mind rushed, dizzying him. He swallowed hard.

“I trust you will lead this kingdom to victory?”

“Of course.”

“Perhaps we can change their minds about Calliope.”

Mido nodded, silent.

“Of course, my head soldier can't lead an army without being officially knighted.”

Mido forced himself to hold his gaze on his king.

“Calliope will be safe,” King Sloan repeated to Mido. He rested his hand on his chest. “I give you my sword, as long as you do your duties.”

King Sloan dismissed Mido. Mido bowed once more and without another word, turned, and left his king alone in the tower. He let his feet drag him out of the castle's walls as his mind darted back and forth in his head. He was no knight; he was a blacksmith. How could this have happened? He wanted to take Lily and Calliope and leave the kingdom forever. His stomach churned. His head felt light and dizzy. He didn't even notice Calliope at his side, her hand on his back.

“Mido? What's wrong?” The smile on her face faded.

Mido forced himself to meet her gaze. He took her hand in his for a moment and forced a smile.

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking him over. She put her hand on his forehead. “Are you sick?” She leaned away from him. “Is it the plague?” she whispered. “Do witches get plagues?”

Mido shook his head. “I'm fine,” he mumbled.

“You don't look fine.”

Mido let go of her hand and clenched them at his side. “I'm fine,” he repeated.

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“Mido.”

“I guess I'm sick.” He walked away without looking back at her. Calliope followed.

“You should go lie down,” she said.

Mido shook his head.

“Mido!” Calliope barked at him. He stopped and turned to her. She tilted her head in concern.

“What's going on?” she whispered.

Mido sighed and forced a smile, ignoring the churning in his gut. “I'm a knight.”

“A knight?” Calliope's heart jumped. “Well, that's great, isn't it?” She returned his smile.

Mido shrugged and continued to walk.

“You don't seem very happy about that.”

Mido pinched the bridge of his nose. “Can we talk about it later?” he asked her, suddenly exhausted.

“Okay,” she said softly.

Mido looked up to see King Sloan on the balcony. Their gazes met. Mido turned away and pushed Calliope ahead of him. “C'mon,” he said. “Let's get out of here.”

*****

The cold water from the river outside of the city felt refreshing on Mido's face. He sat on the hard ground, watching Calliope feed handfuls of grass to Lily. Lily turned away after accepting her mouthful and continued to graze on her own. The lily Calliope gave Mido was tied at the top of her tail. Calliope sat on the ground beside him, twirling a blade of grass between her fingers.

“What a girly name for a horse,” she said, admiring the flower in the mare's tail.

“She is a girl,” Mido pointed out.

“Yes, but she's your horse. Why would you come up with a name like Lily?”

Mido watched the blades of grass bend and sway in the breeze. “My sister named her.”

Calliope turned to him. “You have a sister?”

“I did.”

“Oh.” Calliope shifted uncomfortably. “What happened?”

“She and my mother got sick and died when I was young.”

“Oh.”

They sat in silence for a moment.

“Your father?” Calliope asked.

“He died before that.”

“How?”

Mido turned to meet her gaze. “One of Scarletta's witches.”

Calliope shifted again. “Oh.”

Mido smiled to her.

“I'm sorry.”

He turned back to watch Lily and shrugged.

“I'd never want to be friends with a witch if I were you.”

“You're not like them.”

“I was.”

Mido let himself fall back and watched the clouds drift across the pale sky above them. He closed his eyes and let the warmth of the evening sun shine on his face. He felt Calliope lay down beside him. She watched the clouds float by. Her fingers picked at the grass until they found Mido's. He let his fingers interlace with hers. They were silent as they watched the clouds together.