There was resistance to my idea from the nobility of Haelling Cove. They argued that moving the capital to Trackford showed a lack of confidence in the rebuilding efforts; that it was misunderstanding the strength and purpose the castle’s position over the river mouth gave Ebonreach. They also spoke more selfishly: many of them had family homes in Haelling Cove which had been their residences for generations, either permanently or else whenever they were required to travel to the capital from their country estates. Some even saw Trackford as a bit rustic, complaining that it lacked the majesty of Haelling Cove’s stone fortress and that the nearby Dreadwood Forest was a terrifying geographic feature to position so close to a capital. More recent issues were summoned to the defence of their preferences, with the instability in Trent and the likelihood of further raiders on the Haelling causing a preference for the more fortified city.

I stuck to the lines I’d discussed with Alum and, eventually, Timoth. I told them that there would be a new fortress constructed in Trackford, and that the wealth generated by moving the capital to a more central economic hub would enable its construction. As for showing a lack of confidence in the reconstruction of Haelling Cove, that in itself was one of the major reasons for moving. Haelling Cove was not what it once was. It had been pillaged and burned, and its population scattered and reduced. Many of the emigrants had arrived at Trackford already, and I hoped to provide a beacon of stability for the remainder, as well as those sure to flee from the violence in Trent. My advisers estimated that Trackford would be larger than Haelling Cove not only economically but also generally by the time of the next census.

There was also one further advantage I didn’t discuss with the nobles. I was afraid that Timoth and I would step on each others’ toes if we stayed in the same city for too long. He was the previous ruler and arguably better-suited to the throne, despite his own misgivings. His position as Marshal gave me the perfect excuse to keep him in Haelling Cove to oversee the defence of the Haelling’s mouth, and it would make it look as though I still considered the city of importance. Most of all, it’d keep us from frustrating ourselves with overlapping jurisdictions and responsibilities.

My gut also told me it was the right thing to do. Trackford was a place which I had rescued from raiders, which I had improved the governance of, and which generally regarded me positively. Haelling Cove had borne witness to all of my youthful mistakes and was packed full of soldiers with whom I had a poor relationship. I personally would be far more comfortable at Trackford. It was also a much more inviting place within which to produce an heir.

Now that was a terrifying thought. I’d only recently turned eighteen and yet I was already married and the ruler of a County, so there was no questioning my responsiblity. Besides, even if I didn’t want to lose the shapeliness of my body and suffer the indignities of pregnancy, Alum and I were making love most nights, and for all I knew a child might already have been conceived. I would have to factor in the increasing likelihood of impregnation into my plans.

After my edict was issued, it took several weeks to prepare for the transfer of capital city. I continued my regular duties judging civil and criminal trials and administering the County’s finances. Correspondence with Baron Urzo assured me that housing was being prepared for the nobles and clerics who would travel to Trackford. My nights at the Flea Monkey Inn were a thing of the past. We also organised the procurement of labourers for the construction of a castle on the hill to the east of the city, called Dusky Hill. Its design was to be confirmed, but it was agreed to be smaller than the fortress in Haelling Cove, though no less formidable.

Eventually, however, there was no further reason to delay, and Alum and I set out at dawn. Regeda travelled with me once more, handling my personal care. There were heartfelt farewells around, most notably between myself and Timoth.

‘Take care of Haelling Cove,’ I bade him.

‘I will. It’s where Father and Mother lived, where we grew up.’

I nodded demurely. Though it was my decision and I was content with it, I was nevertheless struck with melancholy at leaving my hometown behind.

‘You won’t be lonely without me around?’ I asked him. After all, he’d had a mental breakdown the last time I’d left him here alone.

‘Not now I’m one of the men again,’ Timoth reassured me. ‘Besides, we finally have the funds and material to construct a ballista. I’ll be keeping busy.’

We embraced. This time, when we separated, my feelings were less panicked than I expected. I was sad to be parting from my brother, but I had more self-confidence now. I could thrive on my own, and besides, I’d have Alum with me.

‘Trackford is less than two days away on horseback and I’ll be advising on the construction of the fortress,’ Timoth said, mistaking my silence for anxiety. ‘I’m sure we’ll see plenty of each other.’

‘As am I,’ I replied.

I mounted Lilac and rode to the head of a sizable column alongside my husband. Dozens of men-at-arms travelled with us, surrounding a weak core of civilians and royal carriages. Important artefacts of statecraft such as the throne and ledgers lay within. I was entitled to such a luxurious mode of transport, but I’d grown so accustomed to Lilac’s saddle that it would have felt like a betrayal to leave her. Besides, it set a good example for the rest of the convoy.

I was hoping to make the journey with only one night spent on the road but it was not to be. The caravan moved at a fraction of the speed I’d grown accustomed to on my two journeys to Hollowhold, and we caught sight of the new capital in the twilight hours of the third night. Urzo greeted us on horseback as we rode through the city’s outlying suburbs.

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‘Countess, Prince,’ he said. The titles were correct, as tradition decreed that our family titles be given preference to those of our marriage, though formally I was Countess Princess and Alum was Count Prince. ‘Your arrival brings me great joy, as it does the people of Trackford.’

‘I’m glad to hear it, Baron,’ I replied, weary from the long journey and nights spent in refined discourse with the other nobles. ‘I am equally joyous to finally arrive. I would be most grateful if you could show us to our lodgings. The formalities can begin tomorrow.’

‘Of course, Countess,’ Urzo replied. ‘This way.’

Urzo led our caravan through the streets to the centre of town, where a four-storey wooden apartment building had been hastily constructed. It was still unfinished, with paintwork incomplete and half-built ornamentations, but it appeared functional enough. A sign across the front entranceway was engraved with the words ‘The Erick Tfaeller Chambers’.

‘You built this int he time since I told you I wanted to move the capital?’ I asked the Baron.

‘That is correct, Countess. My Guild and the other tradesmen of Trackford wanted to show our appreciation for you by giving you somewhere to stay other than travellers’ lodgings.’

‘I am most grateful, Baron. I bid you share my heartfelt thanks with those who assisted on this project. It must have been most challenging in such a short timeframe. What will become of the building once the castle is built on yonder hill?’

‘That is of small concern. Trackford receives a steady influx of immigrants every day, and that will only increase now that we are the capital of a County. The Erick Tfaeller Chambers will become the home for other visitors in your absence.’

‘And… the name?’ I asked, expressing my ignorance. I’d heard of Erick Tfaeller before and knew he was one of my ancestors, but the details were vague.

‘I hope you approve of it, Countess, but we felt very comfortable using the name of the last Count of Ebonreach to have presided over its historical lands to the east. He was a great man. It is said that even the faeries treated him with respect, and counted his enemies among their own.’

‘A strange notion in these times,’ I replied.

I thanked Urzo once more for his generosity and arranged with Regeda for dinner to be served in my chambers, and for Lilac to be taken to the stables and cared for. Alum and I found ourselves assigned a room which occupied the entire fourth floor. There were separate rooms for meetings, sleeping, bathing, dining, and dressing.

‘Urzo is an excellent gentleman’ Alum commented. ‘These are the first chambers I’ve seen since Hollowhold which are to the royal standard.’

I frowned at that, but knew better than to launch into a defence of Haelling Cove’s royal chambers. The castle was limited in space, after all, and could hardly compare to the kingly wealth with which Hollowhold’s luxurious living spaces had been carved out.

I slipped out of my riding gear and fell onto the bed. It was early for bed, but the soft fabric and feather mattress felt incredible after three days of sleeping on the side of the road. I felt Alum’s firm fingers pressing into my shoulders and realised that I’d closed my eyes. I pulled my top off and rolled onto my front as he massaged me.

‘I have had three days off from judging disputes and managing the treasury,’ I thought aloud. ‘Now I must find the time for both while also overseeing the construction of the fortress.’

‘Don’t forget you have the official capital declaration ceremony tomorrow as well,’ Alum replied, expertly working out a kink in the muscles in my shoulderblade.

‘Cha that feels amazing,’ I moaned. ‘Why must there be so many ceremonies? There’s real work to be done!’

‘Real work, eh? How different you sound to the Saemara I first met two years ago.’

‘For better or for worse?’ I teased him.

‘A little bit of both, I think,’ he teased.

I giigled. ‘You are kind to me, my prince, but I miss the carefree girl of sixteen. The weight of responsibility crushes the joys of innocence.’

‘It does,’ he agreed. ‘But you were a child then. You moved with deliberate flirtatiousness, aware of your body but not mature enough to let it speak for itself. Now you stand with quiet confidence. You have an aura of command about you now, one that few even in Hollowhold could hope to compare with.’

I paused at his words, not sure I was entirely comprehending his meaning. How could I have changed so much? Things had happened to me, but they’d happened too fast for me to slow down and consider their effects. Surely I was the same as I had always been, just with a few extra features? The idea of a wholesale change of identity was discomfiting.

Dinner arrived and we shared a meal in the dining room, which overlooked the inner city and the docks. I saw dozens of homeless refugees settling down to sleep on the side of the street. Some of them were asked to move on by lawmen but in their numbers they were an immovable bloc, and I had no doubt that the city jails were full. The new waves of immigrants did not all fit in as well as would be ideal.

‘Excuse me,’ I said to Alum and stood from the table.

Instead of heading to the bathroom, however, I walked out of our chambers and straight down four flights of stairs to meet the refugees. Right away I saw the man to whom I had gifted my earrings two years previously. They weren’t all refugees then, but I still had to assume most were on account of their sheer number. I’d never seen such a crowd on my previous visits.

I approached the man and asked him, ‘I know you sold the earrings. Why are you still here?’

He just shrugged his shoulders. I wasn’t even sure he recognised me.

‘Come on, up you get,’ I told him. ‘You’re not staying out here while I have rooms just for getting dressed in. You’re coming back with me to get a decent night’s sleep.’

Some of the other street people stirred. A couple of them clamoured for similar attention. I quickly ran through the list of rooms in my mind and selected another loner and two families with children to bring back to The Erick Tfaeller Chambers. Alum protested, but I repeated to him what I’d said to the first man. He frowned, still upset, but seemed to respect my decision.

‘At least let me summon a couple of men-at-arms to wait at the top of the stairs,’ he requested, and I acquiesced. In truth, I would have arranged the protection myself. I had no idea who these peasants were or where they had come from, and the nearest guards stood at the entrance to the building. There was kindness, and then there was stupidity.

I allocated the two men the meeting room, and a family each to the changing and dining rooms. While I was doing so, meals arrived for all of them which Alum had apparently arranged in support of my decision.

There was a lock on the bedroom door which I turned after checking that all of my guests were settled in. Alum and I were mindful of our volume that night.