Brinn was surprised when Alaron offered his arm for her to take. Clearly he was trying to make a point.

Walking past Cafer, Brinn looked over her shoulder to see his resentment and anger at his defeat. She worked to quickly hide her satisfaction and turned back to the prince.

The fake Mairwen took her brother's arm and felt his weight lean into her. She pretended to need more assistance and brought her other hand to his elbow to support him further. Brinn could feel that Alaron's strength was fading. They walked quickly into the palace.

"That ball of light…" Brinn whispered.

The boy gave a smile, but it was weak and strained. "The ball is one of my newest tricks. An extension of the sound barrier I have done before. With all the magical creatures around, I knew I needed to try to be stronger."

"But its size!" The green-eyed elf still could not fathom it.

Then she felt Alaron stumble and quickly steadied him, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Renat?" Brinn called gently to Alvar. He did not answer immediately and tried again with a sharper tone. "Renat!"

Alvar glanced at her, realizing he had been lost in thought. "Yes, Your Highness?" he could not hide his grin. He had wanted to call her that for a long time since it was her proper title in the elven kingdom. Normally she would refuse.

"We need a little wind to help us get the prince to his chambers," Brinn said vaguely.

"What? Oh!" Alvar began to understand. He used his magic covertly to give the prince an extra push to get to his suite.

When the three finally got to the bedchamber, Alaron could walk no more. He collapsed onto Brinn, and the two elves lifted him onto his bed.

"Is there anyone around to spy on us?" Alaron asked weakly, his eyes fluttering open and shut.

Closing her eyes, the spymaster listened to the walls and area to see if anyone else was near. She shook her head no to reassure him that they were alone. With her eyes still shut, she focused on the area around Alaron. The air surrounding him was so thick with magic, she was shocked he was not choking on it.

"How are you still conscious?" Brinn asked the prince. One glance at Alvar showed he was equally concerned.

"You seemed so strong just a moment ago!" The he-elf could barely believe the transformation.

Alaron chuckled quietly, but it ended in a cough. "I could not let them think I am weak. Those vultures Xander and Baak are circling as it is."

Brinn hooked a half-grin. "Calling your allies vultures? That's new."

The boy shivered and rubbed his arms. "Just because they are my allies does not mean I don't know what they are."

Brinn was startled. This was a large change from the confident, infuriating prince she was used to seeing. "What happened?" she asked.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

He misunderstood her question, believing she was asking about his magic. "I do not know what happened," he said with a thin voice. "I got so angry about the escaped assassins and afraid for Mairwen's safety that something inside me opened up. I felt a well of power. It seemed almost endless."

The spymaster nodded slowly. "Big emotions mean big power. One of the growing list of reasons humans should not use magic," Brinn responded dryly.

Alaron groaned, and Alvar helped the prince prop up his head with a pillow. "Thank you," he nodded weakly. The prince looked back at the spymaster, and his blue eyes were nearly drained of their color. Their gazes locked for a long time.

The prince broke the silence. "When we received news of the prisoners' escape, I knew that you were somehow involved, Brinn. I wanted to accuse you of betraying me, but then I realized that you were never really on my side. You have always been on her side. Aurora's side..." Alaron went into a fit of coughs.

"Get him some water," Brinn ordered Alvar. She rushed to turn the prince on his side so he would not choke as he gasped. Alvar scurried from the room to complete his task.

When he finally finished the bout, Brinn lowered him back on the pillows. Alvar came with the cup and helped the boy drink.

"I will fetch the doctor," Brinn offered. She tensed in order to move when the boy objected.

"Don't leave," Alaron pleaded.

"I will go," Alvar asserted as he lay his hand on his chest. "I can find the way."

"Do it quietly." The spymaster watched as Alvar left again. She hoped he would be quick.

Realizing that she was still propping up the prince even though he was finished drinking, Brinn lowered him gently to the cushions. As she moved away Alaron grabbed Brinn's hand and gazed at her intently.

"You are on Aurora's side, and Mairwen's, and Devrim's…" Alaron expanded his thought. "Yet, I was so mad that you would release Nurlan without telling me. Then you said why you did it. You hid your actions from me to help your aunt." Looking at the elf's deep frown, he hesitated to ask. "Your aunt has been through a lot at Baak's hand, hasn't she?"

"More than either of us will ever know…" Brinn responded as her breath hitched at the thought.

"And you put yourself on the line to save her. Just like you did with Mairwen by pretending to be her, and with Renat by making him your servant. You placed yourself under Aurora's reign though you are a princess in your own right. You even stayed here knowing I could reveal you at any moment to your enemies. And all because you want to do what is right."

"You make me sound like a saint," Brinn's nose crinkled.

The prince raised his eyebrows and wheezed a laugh. "I would not go that far. You have plenty of faults."

"You will find no argument from me," Brinn chuckled, happy that he seemed to at least still have his sense of humor.

The boy's face went from amused to deadly serious. "You are not on my side," he repeated, "But I fear that you may be the only one left in the palace that I can trust."

"What about Cafer?" Brinn prodded. She would not let this kind of admission go to waste.

A small fire ignited in Alaron's eyes. "Cafer!" His breathing quickened. "Now, Cafer was supposed to be on my side. I knew he had goals, but I thought they aligned with mine. He betrayed me by letting those men go. It is not the first thing I have caught him doing behind my back, but I had been willing to ignore the other things for the good of the Empire." Alaron scoffed at his own naivety at those words. "I will have to talk to him tomorrow."

"Talking will not work," Brinn warned. "His silver tongue will make you think you are in the wrong."

"I have to try. I think deep down he cares for me." The prince thought about how much time and energy Cafer had spent trying to stay in his good graces.

"He cannot love you. Gnomes are not capable of that." The she-elf placed her hand on his forehead. He was very warm.

Brinn clicked her tongue like a dissatisfied nurse. "And anyway, you need to heal first. If anyone sees you in this condition, those 'vultures' you mentioned will finish you off as soon as you are crowned."

"I will delay the coronation..."

"Rest first." Brinn urged him.

Alvar returned with the doctor in tow. Although the doctor had not pledged his allegiance to the crown, he had promised to do no harm. Alaron was glad now that he was not in the prison.

The doctor seemed wary of both the elves. He became even more tense when Alvar barred the door.

"What is wrong, Doctor?" Brinn asked.

The physician hesitated. "Nothing, Your Highness..."

Brinn realized that this man knew Mairwen and Renat deeply. "You know I am not the princess." The spymaster let her disguise fall away. Alvar did likewise.

The Doctor relaxed slightly. "Spymaster Brinn, why..."

She cut him off, "I am here on Empress Aurora's behalf. Please try to help the boy. He's been using magic heavily again."

The doctor nodded. His job was to heal, not ask questions. He began to check Alaron and gave him something to lessen his cough.

"I know you have no more healing water..." Brinn said.

The doctor held up one finger in objection. "That is not exactly true. I had almost forgotten about it before, but I used some as an ingredient in a tonic. It will not be as potent as the pure water..."

"But it is better than nothing!" With her encouraging words, the doctor left quietly to retrieve the tonic. Brinn ran her fingers through the boy's hair. He looked frail and was sweating heavily. "We will get you up and give Cafer and his men the boot in no time," Brinn encouraged Alaron.

Motioning to the tall elf, the prince beckoned Alvar to come near. Alaron's voice was thin but his thoughts were clear as addressed Alvar. "I am letting you stay to let the others escape. But last time I was around you, you forced me to leap from a palace window. I thought I was going to die."

"I promise it will not happen again," Alvar bowed his head.

"I trust you." Alaron was surprised by his words, but he realized it was true. "I trust both of you."

'Finally the boy is talking some sense,' Brinn exclaimed inside her head. But she said nothing. Once the doctor returned and the tonic was given, the elf dutifully watched the prince drift off to a dreamless sleep.