Fiona gasped as Matius materialized in front of her, hands behind his back. She was sitting against a tree, writing in her journal as Vai and Fenrin did more construction.

"Good afternoon, Fiona."

"G-good afternoon. You really do ride the wind!" she said with awe.

Matius tapped his nose. "Indeed, want to try it?"

Her eyes lit up but then she sat back. "No, thank you."

Matius walked over and Fiona shut the book she had on her lap, discreetly putting it under her leg.

"It's perfectly safe. You haven't seen most of our valley, how about I show you someplace new?" He brought out his other hand which was holding a cloth covered basket. "We could have a picnic."

Fiona eyed the basket warily but with interest. "I'd have to ask my uncle and Vai."

The mage turned and shouted, "Hey, hey, Fen! I'm taking Fiona on a picnic!"

Fenrin looked up and wiped his brow. "What?" he shouted from the distance and Matius gave him a thumbs up and reached for Fiona's hand.

She didn't take it and Matius pouted. "Oh come on, it'll be fun I promise."

Fiona still shook her head, her face got a bit pale and Matius backed off. Something was wrong. He sighed and realized he couldn't treat her like any kid. She wasn't just in a new place, she was in her mother's enemies' territory.

He crouched. "Alright, how about we walk over and ask them together. Fenrin knows me and I'm sure you trust he wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

Fiona stared for a second but then stood up, grabbing her book and brushing her skirt off. "Okay."

He smiled at her and they walked over towards the cabin. Fenrin stomped over, his eyebrow raised. "What is it, Matius?"

Matius put a hand gently on Fiona's shoulder. "I was hoping I could show your niece around the valley a bit. Take her on a picnic."

Fenrin glanced between the two, reading between the lines. He shrugged, "Fine. Be back before sunset."

At Fenrin's quick consent, Fiona looked a bit shocked and glanced over to where Vai was descending a ladder. He turned and, seeing the pair, began to move faster. Before he could get close enough, Matius put both hands on Fiona’s shoulders. "Alright then, let's be off!"

Fiona yelped as she began to fade away and rise off the ground, Vai's horrified face watching as his charge vanished. She closed her eyes, a breeze blowing her hair.

"It's alright, open your eyes. I think you'll like it." Matius' voice seemed to be right by her ears and she opened one eye.

The valley was laid out below her. Large patches of green broken up by houses and farms. Beyond them the valley was ringed with yet more forest. A lake glittered in the distance and the purple mountains rose around. It was beautiful and amazing....and a bit terrifying.

"We're going down now. Don't worry, we're riding the wind and it'll take us down as light as a feather being dropped."

Fiona didn't feel like she was falling as they descended, it felt more like being placed on the ground by a very large hand. Her toes hit the grass and she realized she had toes again. The rest of her followed, shoulders still bearing the weight of the mage's hands.

"There that wasn't so bad, right?"

Fiona pulled away, biting her lip. It had been interesting but she still couldn't stop her heart from pounding. This felt wrong. She was alone with her mother's enemy, an apprentice of the Arch Mage no less! She clutched her journal closer and paused. This could be perfect. Maybe she could learn something useful to put in her journal. Her mother had wanted to know everything.

Matius watched as Fiona seemed to reach a decision and he pointed behind her. "Take a look at that."

She turned. There was a clearing, the trees keeping to the edges of an invisible circle. Stone arches, many broken and ruined framed the enclosure. Inside bloomed a mix of purple and blue flowers.

"What is it?" she asked, the sight surreal.

"Not sure to be honest. I can feel some faint and very old magic, but don't worry I come here all the time. There's no guardian spirit or anything. Just a great place for a picnic."

He led the way, stepping into the circle with confidence and began to lay out the cloth and food. Any hesitations Fiona had faded as the meal emerged. An aromatic pie, some grapes, and two custard tarts. She sat down and Matius handed her a plate. She took it thanking him quietly as he served her a slice of the pie. It was stuffed with a medley of vegetables and the crust glistened with butter.

She waited until he took a bite and then began to dig in, unable to stifle a moan of delight. Matius laughed.

"It is good isn't it. I'll admit I didn't make it. I bought it from Korda, she's easily the best chef in the valley. Though I would have thought you'd be used to good food, being a princess and all."

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Fiona daintily used her napkin where the meat sauce had escaped her lips and gave Matius a sheepish look. "The palace has wonderful food, my uncle...has meat and eggs."

Matius laughed again and Fiona couldn't help smiling too. The mage poured himself and her a cup of cold minty tea and after sipping his, quickly he asked, "I suppose he's not much of a cook is he? But surely Vai can cook?"

Fiona shook her head. "Oh no, I don't think Vai had ever cooked until we got here. The only thing he usually makes is schoolwork."

Matius snorted into his tea and leaned back. "Poor thing. Well I'll be sure to send Fenrin some cookbooks or at least beg him to talk to Korda. She gets her best game from Fenrin, so I'm sure she'd be willing to give him some tips."

Fiona smiled into her tea. There was an awkward pause and Matius laid on his back in the grass, letting his eyes close and the sun warm his face. "I'm sure you've got a hundred questions, why don't you ask some?"

He waited, uncertain whether she would respond, but after a moment she hesitantly asked, "A-are you really one of the Arch Mage's apprentices?"

Turning his head, Matius winked. "Indeed, I'm proud to bear the title of Third Apprentice to the Arch Mage as well as husband to the Mayor of the Hidden Valley."

Fiona frowned. "Why aren't you in Aziron then?"

"Well for one thing my family is here. For another, well, I never fit in terribly well there, being yuji."

"Yuji. That means non-Azir right?"

Matius eyebrows raised. "Correct. I'm surprised you know. The Arch Mage and my fellow apprentices are very kind and most people don't care what I look like since I'm one of the apprentices, but it can be tiring to be different."

"Did you leave because you were yuji?"

Matius mulled over how much to say. "In a way. I was on a mission for the Arch Mage when I happened to run into Jayln and your uncle and, well, the rest is history. Now I live here with my lovely wife, two beautiful boys, a darling baby girl, and a really cranky ex-bandit best friend." He raised a finger. "Oh, and the princess of a massive empire. Life is full of surprises."

"Do you really hate my mother?" Fiona knew she shouldn't push her luck but once she started, the questions began pouring out.

Matius sat back up, looking her in the eyes. "I try not to hate anyone out of principle, but your mother has hurt a lot of people I love. She has many enemies and I happen to be on the opposite side of her war."

Fiona bit the inside of her cheek and Matius added, "So, imagine my surprise when you showed up. Regardless of how I feel about the Tiger Queen, no one in this valley will harm you—and not because of your mother's threats. I'd protect you the same as I would Libby or any other child in the valley."

Despite who he was, Fiona believed him. Matius seemed like such a gentle soul, someone who tried to help people. Again he made her think of her father, albeit more happy go lucky. The king only ever smiled when he was alone with Fiona...well Fiona and Vai.

A feeling rose in her chest and she couldn't name it. It pushed against the back of her throat and flipped her stomach. The thought of the king, his kind smile and arms always ready to bury her in, keeping all the scary things outside at bay. His face so tired but lifted whenever she made him laugh, the smell of him all ink and warmth. The feeling pressed against her heart and then she knew it. Homesick.

"You alright, Fiona?" Matius asked as the girl grew even more quiet, looking down at her plate and gripping the grass.

Fiona nodded, but her eyes pricked. It wasn't fair. Why did she have to be here alone? Everything was confusing! Fenrin was sometimes scary, sometimes nice. Vai was acting weird and she had to pretend to be someone else. She didn't know how long she'd be here. What if...what if she never got back home? She sniffed as hot tears escaped.

"Oh hey, hey. Shhh. It's alright." Matius walked on his knees over to her, rubbing her back. "What's wrong?"

She buried her head in her draw up knees. "I want to go home."

"I'm sorry, I thought you'd want a break from the house, I—"

She looked up, her face red and blotchy. "No! I want to go home."

Matius opened his mouth and then closed it dumbly. More tears welled up in those blue eyes and she tried to cover them with her arms. Matius hugged her and she stayed there stiff and shaking.

"I miss the palace. I miss my horse and my room. I miss—I miss my father."

The words were muffled and they broke Matius's heart. That pity was mixed with guilt, he'd been banking on this but he hadn't wanted her to be this upset. Still, what he needed and what she wanted were aligned so he pulled himself away, reaching back for a napkin and handing it to her in lieu of a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and nose.

"Hey, I can't promise it'll work but I can try to contact your father. Would you like that?"

She froze and looked at him, hope and fear mixed. "Y-you can do that?"

He held up two hands. "Maybe. And it's a big maybe. Scrying is tough magic, and I've never been especially good at it. But..."

The Third Apprentice grabbed the plate the pie had been on and dumped the crumbs into the grass before carefully pouring the tea onto the plate until it formed a shallow pool. As he did, he asked, "For this to work I need to be able to picture your father. Could you describe him for me and do you have any guess as to where he is or what he might be doing right now?"

Fascinated and pushing down the voice in her head that said this was a terrible idea, Fiona stared into the light amber pool. "He's tall with brown hair. He wears his crown, gold with sapphires in it. Usually he wears blue and most of the time he works in his office at his desk."

Matius closed his eyes, hand hovering over the liquid. "What does his office look like?"

Fiona imagined it, one of the only places she'd been allowed into after the assassination attempts started.

"Big wooden desk with a falcon carved on it. His chair is red and behind it is a tapestry with the tiger crest. There are two bookshelves too." She trailed off as the liquid began to swirl on its own, Matius's robes fluttering and his hand glowed a dim white.

Matius turned his head to Fiona, although his eyes stayed closed, flicking rapidly under his eyelids. "I think I'm close but I need to concentrate. Wait outside the circle and I'll call you if I'm able to make a connection."

Fiona stood, eyes glued to the swirling plate. After a brief hesitation, she grabbed her journal and ran out of the circle. Once out, she bit her knuckle.

What had she been thinking? What if he was casting some sort of bad spell? Her mother definitely would not have approved.

She glanced at her journal. Fiona'd been embarrassed of the pointless writing. What would her mother care about construction or stolen sweets? She looked back at Matius, maybe she should tell him to stop.

But what if it worked? What if she could talk to her father? Maybe she could convince him to let her come home. Or maybe he could come here.

She shook her head, that was stupid.

Unable to decide, she turned away, leaning against one of the stone arches. She prayed to every god she knew of that this would be a good thing, not a bad one.