Brinn brought Devrim back to her quarters. In the large sitting room offset from her bedroom, they each situated themselves on a fluffy sofa. "Bring us tea," she said to one servant. To the rest she said, "Leave us!" There was a mad scramble as the staff scurried to comply.

"I am not thirsty," Devrim said wearily. He was frustrated and angry, neither of which required a drink.

Brinn wrinkled her nose. "It is protocol that I offer you a drink. If I do not, one of the servants is likely to tell dear old mom, who will come and see what we are up to. Best to follow the rules to avoid suspicion." Normally she would throw all the rules out the window, but solving their problem unobserved was more important. The tea appeared, and Brinn graciously offered some to her guest as the servant retreated.

"Now that we are alone, we have to figure this out." Brinn was already deep in thought.

Devrim watched her carefully. "Why are you helping us?"

"Look, I know you do not trust me." Brinn said.

"I have good reason. You have been following us for weeks without our knowledge." Devrim accused her.

Brinn interrupted, "Yes, and I have been reporting your movements back to the elves. I opted not to help you across the lake, which I understand nearly left you drowned. I allowed you into elven territory knowing full well that you would probably be dragged back here, and when Alvar showed up, I did not warn you of the danger. Anything else?"

Devrim was stunned that she would so readily admit to his grievances. "No, that about sums it up…"

"You should not trust me then," Brinn stated dispassionately. "But I might be your only hope. I do not like how my parents use everyone and everything around them. It is selfish even if it is for the 'good of our people'." Brinn mimicked her father's voice. "I have watched you two for weeks, and you are kind to one another. Then when you actually met me, you were kind to me even though you did not trust me. I knew then that I should not lead you here even though those were my orders. But Alvar found us, and I was too weak to resist him. This is my fault. I am sorry."

"Apology accepted." Devrim said simply.

Brinn nodded her head, determined. "You both need to get out of here and back on your trip."

"Why can't Aurora and I just make a run for it?" Devrim voiced his first inclination.

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"If you leave without permission, the elves will track you down. Then you will have the elves and gnomes on your trail. They haven't been on the same side of anything for longer than anyone can remember." Brinn frowned.

"That is not ideal," the boy agreed. "What can we do to dissuade Their Majesties?"

"After hundreds of years together, mother and father practically share one mind. The elves have been after human creativity since the reign of my grandparents."

"Why choose the Empress?" Devrim could not grasp their reason.

"Aurora is royalty, and therefore she is the best. Who else but the best human and most noble elf could make the most impressive hybrid."

"Really?" Devrim asked.

Brinn chuckled, "I have no idea what goes on in my family's loony thoughts, but that is my closest guess. They think they are so much smarter than everyone… probably because they are."

"Do elves know everything?" The boy was beginning to get on the elf's nerves. He had more questions than her baby cousins

"Of course we do not know everything!" Brinn nearly yelled. Then she got an idea. "What if we show Ithel something he doesn't know…." She said to herself. Devrim remained quiet. The elf stared at him and waited. "Aren't you going to ask me 'what doesn't he know'?"

Devrim shrugged. "What doesn't he know?"

"I am not going to tell you just yet, but go get all handsome and meet me back here in two hours. We are going 'Empress hunting'." Brinn's green eyes shone with pleasure.

"I like that you have a plan, but must we call it that?" Devrim asked.

"Yes," Brinn answered confidently.

"Ok then…."

———————————————-

It felt nice to be riding again. Aurora liked the feel of the wind through her long dark hair. Strands began to stray from the design that the servant had constructed that morning, the hair flowing in cloud-like wisps behind her head. Like Brinn, the Empress felt the world was freer outside the palace. As the city faded from view, she almost forgot her troubles. The crimson gown forced her to ride side-saddle, but she did not care. The unicorn's gait was smooth and felt like a boat cutting through water. It was sublime.

"You seem content," Ithel said, breaking the happiness that the Empress had felt.

"It is a nice day," Aurora responded, deflecting. "Is it not supposed to be autumn?" The trees were beautiful colors of green, purple and pink, but no hints of fall surrounded them.

"The fall fairies should be here tonight to change the leaves. When you waken, the trees will have altered colors."

"The fall fairies?" Aurora was surprised. She had never heard of them.

"There are fairies that change each of the seasons. They start south and move north so we are their last stop. The fall fairies look like fire flies as they conduct their magic, but my favorite are the winter fairies. They look like snowflakes." He mimicked the snow falling with his fingers. Ithel was trying hard to amuse her. Were it not for the circumstances, he would have succeeded.

"That is quite remarkable," the Empress said absentmindedly. Her mind was drifting to Devrim.

The sun had sunk below the barrier when the pair entered a clearing in the trees. Ithel helped Aurora dismount. She felt his strong arms encircle her waist. "Do I not please you?" He asked.

"It's not that simple. This is just all so sudden and forced. I cannot get past that to appreciate your effort." Aurora was attempting to be diplomatic. She pushed back against his arms gently.

"I understand." The prince said, but he did not release her. "You know, I have read some of your human books. You have some epic stories. In them the couple often shares a kiss to begin their romance." Ithel thought he was being subtle. Aurora's eyes grew wide, and she was suddenly frightened. They were in the middle of nowhere, and Ithel was much stronger than she. If he tried anything, he was sure to succeed.

"The books are not a true reflection of our lives. We require time and getting to know one another before physical intimacy is an acceptable step." Aurora pushed away more forcefully but to no avail. What's worse, the prince did not seem to register her panic.

"Still…" he said philosophically. "It couldn't hurt to try." His face came close to hers.

"Please don't! Let me go," she begged. The Empress bent her knee in preparation to hit the elf. She only hoped that it would have the same effect as it did on human men. If so, the result could be crippling.

"Ithel!" A voice came from behind Ithel. Aurora peered past her captor to see the look of shock on Brinn's, Devrim's and Alvar's faces.