The sleigh bumped and bobbed through furrowed rivets in the street where other sleigh runners and hooves from horses had already carved a path. A low whistle sounded from the driver, and the draft elk that pulled the sleigh dipped to the left, pulling off the bumps and onto smoother snow.

Ann sat beside her, and both women sagged with exhaustion. They spent the trip in tired silence.

Elodie's thoughts were elsewhere as they meandered through well-trodden roads to reach the Auclair house.

* * *

Four wardens dismounted their horses at the inner castle gate, handing their reins to stable hands for safekeeping. Their faces were tinged red and pink, their expressions exhilarated and alert even after their patrol had ended. When one of them noticed Elodie, Alden, and Luta lingering in the doorway, she curtly saluted, and the other wardens followed suit, one by one. Luta and Alden simultaneously gave them a nod, and the wardens were at ease. The outdoor air chilled Elodie's skin even beneath her coat, and puffs of her breath clouded the air in front of her along with the others.

A small table had been set out with hot coffee for the returning wardens, which they all gravitated towards after catching their breath. Elodie noticed they seemed uneasy, and several watched her warily, never turning their backs on her.

"Anything to report?" Luta called.

One of the wardens readjusted his cloak to shake some of the snow off and said, "Nothing unusual. Some branches got knocked onto the pond bridge from the wind last night- a few stayed behind to clear them out, but they shouldn't be far behind us."

Luta nodded and left them to their business. Elodie watched as cloaks were doffed, clasps unhooked, and faces poked out of thick wool scarves like rabbits after the first sunny day in spring. Their militant armor and weapons seemed very impressive; she had some sword training and a few fencing forms, but entirely for sport and ceremonial purposes. It had never interested her, especially when her sister Nadya excelled so greatly in it. Standing here amongst the clatter and bustle, she felt slightly out of her depth. She looked to Luta and Alden for guidance, both of whom stood dignified but at ease in the space. Confident.

The wardens passed by the trio, each giving a nod as they gave grunts and noises of appreciation to enter back in from the cold. Elodie noticed Alden trying to walk away with them, but Luta grabbed his collar again and righted him towards the stable. As he had no escape, Alden stepped further into the stable and began talking with the stable hands. Elodie couldn't make out all of the conversation, but it seemed to be about whether or not the stable had adequate supplies and what the workers thought was still needed to last the winter.

"He's good about that," Luta said, following Elodie's line of vision. "Acts like he doesn't care but usually gets you something before you know you need it," Elodie said nothing but nodded with a little smile.

Finally, a faint shadow broached the horizon. It took shape into a large man on a tremendous dapple-grey horse, flanked by two wardens on horses of their own. He wore the same protective leathers and furs that the wardens wore, with a steel helmet shaped like a bear's head and a thick blue scarf trailed behind him atop his cloak. As they got closer, Elodie recognized the figure as Prince Braum, who looked very regal as he barked something at the two wardens. The horses sped up, and panic arose in her until she saw Braum's face more closely. His brows were furrowed, and his grip on the reins was tight. The wardens beside him wore similar expressions, and their horses pulled ahead. They were racing.

Then Braum's gaze met hers, and his expression changed. Braum's reins slacked, and he fell behind. His shoulders drooped, and he pulled down his scarf to say something to the warden on his right, his lips pulled back in a smile. Elodie admired the way he seemed so careful amongst the guardians of the castle. He fit in amongst the common people as well as he did nobility, like a key that fit every lock.

The three slowed into the stable, and Braum pulled his helmet off, black tufts of hair matted down from the leather lining it had underneath. She thought he looked very boyish, but still dashing. He had the air of someone who had just been out saving princesses and defeating dragons as though it was as easy as picking flowers from a garden.

"What trouble am I in," he said playfully- though slightly out of breath- as he slid off his horse's back, "that I should have three of my advisors awaiting my arrival? And to watch me lose a race no less?"

He handed the reins of his horse to a hand, and with one swift movement, he was upon them. Elodie could see his cheeks were red and hair stuck to his face a little from sweat, like the other two wardens with him.

"Lady Elodie," he said, with the familiarity of greeting an old friend come to visit for the solstice. His hand raised, and for a moment, she thought he was moving to touch her, but it ascended further and clasped the shoulder of Luta. "It is good to see our orator up and about and I'm sure I have you to thank, Lady Luta," He turned back to Elodie. "And you are feeling well?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Elodie said, quickly remembering to put her fist over her chest and dip into a half-bow.

"Your aide?"

"She is sleeping, but she has been receiving excellent care thanks to your doctors." She dipped into a bow, not knowing how else to show her gratitude.

The two wardens accompanying Braum waved Luta over to give their report, and Alden went to listen as well, leaving Elodie alone with Braum. She was still unused to being in such competent company without feeling the desire to shrink back into the walls, away from their brilliance. Elodie's hands were wrung together, her tongue tied by the silence. She became aware of the distance everyone else was giving her by the lack of space Braum offered.

"I should let them have my armor so they can get out of the cold," he said offhandedly, thumbing the edges of his helmet, "But I'd like it if you stayed for a cup of coffee. I've had a thought with Emerys, and I'd like your opinion on something."

* * *

"Your what?"

"Court Orator, Magical Advisor- we'll come up with a fitting name for it, but I'd like you to have a position here in my circle."

Their cooled cups sat on a low wooden table, empty of anything but the dredges of remaining drink. A fire crackled in a large stone fireplace; cinders gated from escaping and burning the bookshelves clear on the other side of the room. Braum's outer jacket was draped over the grate to dry off, and the two sat in plush chairs opposite the flames.

"What?" Elodie repeated, "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I mean no disrespect, but I don't think that's wise." After riding around in the winter cold, the fire must have made him drunk on its lull. Perhaps it was an odd-tempo joke. Elodie's mind tried to assemble the pieces, but all that came was a familiar pop! and a fuzzy white space.

"Then-"

"I put you and Ann in great danger. I'm not in any position to advise anyone." Her hands balled in fists at her skirts.

Braum held up his hands in mock surrender. His voice was even-paced and diplomatic, "I'm not asking you to, Lady Elodie. I want to give you a position so you can have the court's resources at your disposal without blame from the courtiers."

Elodie tried to look at the books in the room, the fire, the balcony- anywhere but at the prince sitting beside her.

"I'm trying to prevent what happened then." The fire hissed as droplets of water evaporated within it, the flames pushing vapor into the chimney flue.

Elodie thought back to the muse, the helplessness she'd felt, and took a deep breath. Her stomach rattled with emotions, some of them nameable and others foreign. Her chin lifted, and she forced herself to look at Braum. She wished she hadn't. His dark features reflected the firelight as bright stars. His face was stoic determination, the kind that she supposed kings wore when stitched into heirloom tapestries. This was the heir that people swore their lifetime allegiances to, the type that bent knees.

"What would this ... position ... entail, your Highness?" she asked weakly.

"Like my other stewards, you'd live here in the inner court and attend advisory councils and other official business-like gatherings and ceremonies when called upon. Other than that, I'd protect your free time." Something very sharkish moved across the surface of their conversation as he coolly added, "You'd be able to disregard offers of courtship if that matters to you. You'd have my every resource until you can better stand on your own."

Stolen story; please report.

Elodie let the silence hang heavy between them. She wasn't sure if the prince was kind or conniving. Finally, she said, "I could visit my family?"

Braum chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand again. "Yes, of course," he said when it ended, "And they welcome to visit you here as well." He leaned over the side of his chair in a way that seemed to break his kingly demeanor. "It's not a prison, Lady Elodie."

"You're making this sound too easy."

"I hope so. I'm trying to convince you to stay." Elodie's lip twitched as though to say something, but she didn't know how to combat his bluntness. He continued, chin resting neatly in his palm, "I'd rather have you here, close at hand and in my debt, than afraid and on your own. We can only lose so many sheep." That stung Elodie a bit. She felt the acid rise in her core. He was right, and it frustrated her how right he was.

"Please don't mock me, your highness."

"I'm not. I'm taking this- you- very seriously."

Elodie scrutinized him and decided she believed him. "As an orator."

"As a person."

There was a knock on the door, and Braum sighed. He seemed keen to ignore it until the knock repeated. "Consider it at least."

"I ... will, but I would have to consult my family on the matter."

He stood and offered her a hand in a practiced, polite motion. She took his hand out of obligation but was surprised when he squeezed it just a little. "If nothing else, I'd like to finish our walk someday, Lady Elodie. Court steward or not."

* * *

"We're here," the sleigh driver called, breaking her from her stupor. The Auclair estate was a house that people said "had character." It had the same A-frame rooves that other houses in the region had, but they tilted just askew enough to seem like a guard resting during his watch. Ruddy, red walls stood against the blues and gray of winter snow, dotted and trimmed with light green balconies and white balustrades. Some pieces were crenulated, while others were saw-toothed and jagged. All the oddities it contained were a testament to her father's passion for architecture.

She crossed the threshold into the foyer, and the sleigh driver helped Ann lift the attaché case through the door. Ann turned to Elodie and gave an impatient dip before saying somewhat icily, "I'll notify Lady Auclair of our return."

"Elodie!" A loud voice from an adjacent sitting room cut Ann's quest short. The voice belonged to Simona Auclair, Elodie's younger sister by four years. She burst into the foyer and said, "You're alive!" loud enough to shake the whole house by its foundation. Simona had hair similar to Elodie's but much straighter like their mother's and a smile wild enough to coax anyone to dance with her.

They had scarcely taken off their riding gloves and outer coats when her other family members and custodians joined them in the foyer one by one.

Her mother, with long, pale hair tied up in a looping bun, immediately came over to squeeze Elodie, proclaiming, "Welcome home! How are you? How was the castle? And how are you feeling- are you hungry- did they feed you breakfast before you left?"

Then followed her father, who was in the middle of an animated conversation about woodcarving techniques with her younger brother, by six years, Tildun, who they called Tilly. They were like peas in a pod, both with jagged brown hair and eclectic demeanors. They took to handling the attaché case and chatting with the sleigh driver, and paying him kindly.

With so many people gathered the noise in the room began to rise the way it always did when the Auclairs got something new to talk about. Elodie felt dizziness creeping up her spine, overwhelmed by so many people and so many conversations.

"All of you, really!" One voice cut above all of them from the staircase. Pulling a shawl closer over her shoulders was Nadya, Elodie's elder sister. She had a proud jaw and an austere demeanor, with her father's dark hair draped over her shoulder in a thick braid. Already, she had had two courtships, both of which she had turned down of her own accord. "Give them some space." Nadya descended the stairs and broke into a huge smile. "For I wish to inspect my sister and see that she is well."

Her skirts barely seemed to touch the ground as she floated across the room, cupping Elodie's cheeks in her hands. Her smile quickly flipped into a frown once more after only a moment of looking at the condition of Elodie's tired face.

She let go and addressed the rest of the family. "Let's give Ann and Elodie time to put their things away and rest, yes?" The rest of her family chirped various statements of agreement and approval.

* * *

It was no wonder that Nadya had shown such disapproval of her face. Elodie hardly recognized herself as she caught a glance in a large mirror propped up on a table in the library. There were bags under her eyes and a weariness to her skin. There was something else in the mirror, too- a certain kind of hunch in the back that only comes across the face of someone caught in the middle of strife.

It was so dark outside that the sconces had already been lit. Elodie looked at the book she'd been half-heartedly examining and pushed it back onto the shelf with a lackluster sigh. She looked up at the two floors of books her family owned with the same bored disgust that a cat showed a toy it was no longer infatuated with. Books seemed such a small thing, and words would only jumble with the ones in her head. Her mind still drifted elsewhere, and it soured her mood for reading.

Instead, she retired to a rolled-arm sofa in the back of the library and splayed herself upon it. Court Orator ... she thought. as if there was a choice.

It seemed already decided upon, as she couldn't devise a single reason not to. It filled her with a dread that oozed across her stomach and tightened into knots and thorns.

She had pictured her life here, amongst books and solitude. A nanny to her sisters' children, a kindly noble lost to obscurity- and happy to be lost. Elodie found joy in the small things- her sister's accomplishments, a kindly stranger, a beautiful roadside flower. She grieved for the loss of mundanity as intensely as she feared the change.

"I thought you might be here." Nadya's voice wafted over the sofa's upholstery and made itself at home in the space. "Still awake?"

Elodie made a noncommittal noise, and Nadya's imperious face appeared above her. Nadya was only two years older than Elodie but had all of the looks and demeanor of someone far more mature. Unfortunately, this was coupled with the arrogance of someone half her age. "How is my little orator sister, hm?"

Elodie groaned and put a pillow over her face as though that would hide her from Nadya's teasing. "Ohhh, come now, please spare me your rage, all-powerful orator. Show pity on your kind servant." Nadya attempted to wrestle the pillow off, but Elodie held fast.

"Pleeease, oh mighty- really, let go of the pillow. There, that's better." Nadya came around the side of the sofa and set the pillow down elsewhere. She knelt at the edge of the sofa, leveling with Elodie's enfeebled eyes. "You did not behave this way in the inner castle, did you?"

"Of course not," Elodie scoffed.

"Good. I would hate for them to think you are a whiny baby on top of a danger to society." Nadya's prodding was commonplace, but Elodie didn't feel up to the joust tonight. Seeing that she didn't get the reaction she wanted, Nadya's tone grew more serious. "I came to check on you because Mother would not let me sleep until I did. After your story, we're all worried about you."

"You're right to be." Elodie pulled her arms in over her chest and looked at Nadya.

"We're not worried because of the magic-"

Elodie raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine. We are a little worried about the magic." Nadya stretched a hand out to sweep away some of Elodie's curls. "But I am more worried by your reaction."

"How am I supposed to react?" Elodie snapped. "I'm supposed to be happy that the other nobles are whispering that I tried to kill the prince? Happy that Ann's hurt?"

"No, no," Nadya cooed softly, shaking her head, "It is okay to be scared. Right, even."

"It is," Elodie declared.

"Indeed."

"......... and?" With Nadya, there was always an "and."

"And who says you can't be scared and be the court orator regardless? I'm worried that you will let this stand in the way of moving forward."

Elodie hadn't considered it like that. Nadya and Braum had a similar quality of brilliance that Elodie thought herself unequal to. Was that so wrong, though? Did she have to be fearless to be an orator? No. "You can carry your fears with you, but people are looking at how you react," Nadya said. "Are you going to roll over? I would not."

"I'm not like you."

"We are not talking about me."

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I don't see how I can refuse his offer."

"Neither do I," Nadya agreed.

"But what am I supposed to do if it goes wrong again? What if I do hurt the prince? Or anyone, for that matter?"

Nadya put her knuckles to her chin, the motion she always made when she was about to say something clever. "You've only had bad experiences with oration thus far, so you can only picture the bad things that might happen. Why don't you make your first goal to do some good with it?"

"Like what?"

"Anything, I suppose. Make a sweet for yourself, or grow some flowers."

Or fix Ann's arm, Elodie thought glumly.

Even then, Nadya was right. Elodie had been so fixated on the danger and trauma that she'd lost sight of everything else that magic entailed. Ann was someone she could help where no one else could. Surely, with Braum's aid, she could find another orator to show her how to undo the damage she'd done. Start small, like Nadya said, but with a goal on the horizon. Elodie felt a weight lift off her chest.

"That ... makes sense," she admitted.

"Of course, it makes sense. I only have good ideas." Nadya had a smile in her voice, even if her face didn't show it. "Now tell me about this prince and his court- was he kind to you, or was that to please mother and father?"

"He seems very different from when we were young," Elodie said airily. "Not in a bad way. Just ... kinglier? It's different when you're up close and not far away."

"Kingly or not, I do not trust his offer," Nadya said with a sudden scowl. "It is too good to be true. Good men have a catch."

"He said that he'd rather have the problem close at hand than running amok. Killing sheep in the field and whatnot."

"So he gives you honey and sweets, and then what?" Nadya's nostrils flared, and she pounded a fist into her open palm. "Then he has an orator under his thumb. Aha- see, that is the deal. If he gives you what you need now, he has a fully trained orator in his court. That's something no other kings have."

Thorns bloomed again in Elodie's stomach.

Seeing Elodie's face, Nadya realized her blunder. "Oh. You hadn't thought of it like that. Atch- I am sorry."

"No ... it's okay. It's ... good to be aware of. I can't be hurt when I'm using him just the same." It moreso stung that she hadn't thought of the consequences as quickly as Nadya had.

"Now that you are aware of it, you can look out for it. Orators have never been tamed, and Prince Braum isn't going to be the one to do it." Nadya made a face like the name tasted of acid. "Regardless-" Nadya reached a hand back, and Elodie took it. Nadya's hands were soft and delicate. "You know this is your home. We will always support what you choose to do. If you want to walk the fields and read your books here, do it. If you want to run away, let us help. Just whatever you do-"

Nadya picked up the discarded pillow and brought it down on Elodie's face. "-Please do not be a whiny baby in the inner castle!"