Prince Kelton did his best to keep the routine he’d established just prior to Ponderosa’s transformation. Due to the nature of Ponderosa’s condition, he didn’t want any additional visits to bring undue attention to them, despite it being troublesome for Nathaniel’s care. He had to trust in Mȧthair’s ability to help Ponderosa do what was best for all of them. As it was, he had no idea how soon Mȧthair would be able to leave Ponderosa’s side for the time that she promised to come to him. The stress of the situation didn’t bode well for the few short training sessions he’d had with his knights, nor did the subtle fluctuations of emotions that he recognized were not his own, and the sudden sharpness that came through Sir Hamnet’s wit.

The emotions he could accredit to Mȧthair and her visions. However, even now, as he sparred with Sir Droyn, those emotions seemed stronger than they had been the whole time they’d been in the castle. It made him want to go check on the three of them even though he hadn’t been gone a full day yet. He didn’t realize how distracted he had become until Sir Droyn nearly knocked the practice sword from his hand. Prince Kelton decided to call for a stop so he could check on them. The emotions he felt had only grown stronger over the last hour, and that troubled him.

As he started to leave the room, the servant who had been attending to Fran ran up to him. She crumpled up on the floor in front of him, trembling, as she said.

“Your Majesty, I… I’m so...sorry. Sir Fran… is dead. He….”

He sighed. “I anticipated as much. Get some of the manservants to carry his body out into the trees where they left Gruph.”

“Y… yes, Your Highness.”

He waited until she had sprinted off before he headed down the hall toward Ponderosa’s room. When he got there, he set his hand against the door and bowed his head. The emotions he had been feeling suddenly calmed down. The urge he felt to check on them waned. Still, he lifted his hand to knock on the door. A different emotion came from Mȧthair, stopping his motion. He needed to wait. Sighing, Prince Kelton stepped down the hall to his chambers. He entered the bedroom and flopped down on the bed. He wished he knew what to do to help keep Ponderosa safe so she could continue to care for their son while he spent some time with Mȧthair.

Gailan came in a short while later with dinner. Even with the rationing, it took effort on Prince Kelton’s part to finish what Gailan brought him.

“Has Ponderosa’s condition gotten worse?” Gailan asked when Prince Kelton finished.

“No, but I don’t know that it’s gotten much better either. We’ll just have to wait and hope the herbs she is using can kick this illness sooner rather than later,” he replied.

Gailan nodded. “Is there anything more I can do for you tonight?”

“No, Gailan. Take your rest.”

Gailan left the room and Prince Kelton readied for bed.

It had been tough already, keeping the other servants away after the stair incident.

They needed to keep the secret of their magic away from the others for as long as possible. With a slight shake of his head and a long exhale, he entered his bedroom and prepared to rest for the night. As he lay in bed Mȧthair’s emotions stirred strongly again. A sorrow strong enough to pull on his heart strings.

‘Mȧthair?’ he asked.

‘Rest for now, Kelton,’ she replied.

There was something about her tone that sounded off, but he knew where she wasn’t willing to elaborate right now that there wasn’t enough privacy to have this conversation, even though he seemed to be alone.

‘Our son?’ he asked as he rolled onto his other side.

‘Is fine, Beloved.’

He took and let out a breath, relieved that the sorrow he was feeling from her was not related to their son’s change in menu. Prince Kelton settled into the bed a little more then closed his eyes to try and get some sleep.

When he woke late the next morning, he knew that something wasn’t quite right.

‘Mȧthair?’ he thought asked.

She didn’t respond.

He got up and dressed. He was just pulling his boots back on to go check on them when he felt a light Northward pull on his soul. He didn’t question the feeling. He knew the feel of that pull well. Mȧthair was not in the castle anymore. He was just tightening his sword belt to go after her when Sir Hamnet came into the room.

“Captain Sendak’s platoon approaches,” he said as he gave Prince Kelton a slight bow, then he continued a little softer, “and the women and the baby are gone.”

Prince Kelton nodded his head as he sat hard on the bed. ‘This was the reason for your sorrow, wasn’t it Mȧthair?’ he asked.

He felt her soul shift a little in response, but nothing more.

He leaned forward and covered his face with his hands. There were magic sensitive people nearby.

“I am willing to follow after them, Prince Kelton,” Sir Hamnet said.

He turned his eyes toward Sir Hamnet as he nodded. “Please, keep the three of them safe,” he whispered.

“With my life, My Prince,” Sir Hamnet nodded.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

He turned to leave, but Prince Kelton stopped him. “Hamnet, your sword.”

Hamnet stopped then turned back. He removed the royal sword from his waist then knelt as he presented it to Prince Kelton.

Prince Kelton took it.

Hamnet stood and a half smile quirked his lips. “I’ll be back for that.”

“You’d better be,” Prince Kelton replied. “Be cautious gathering supplies, and make sure to take any ground meal they may have left behind.”

“You have my word, Prince Kelton.”

He nodded.

They clasped each other’s arms before Hamnet left.

He left the door open and Gailan cautiously poked his head into the room.

“Is everything ok…?” Gailan stopped when he noticed Prince Kelton holding Sir Hamnet’s sword. “Kelton?”

Prince Kelton gripped the sheathed sword a little tighter before tying it to his sword belt. “I need to go see what Captain Sendak needs,” he replied.

Gailan’s brow furrowed, but he nodded then left.

‘Mȧthair,’ he thought when he was alone again. ‘In case Kenaz has not shown you, I am sending Hamnet to you. Please guide him to where you are so he can help keep the three of you safe…. I love you.’

He felt her soul shift inside him in love and gratitude so he knew she heard him despite not being able to speak back.

A single tear slipped from his right eye. Clenching his jaw and drawing in a slow, deep, breath, Prince Kelton grabbed a cloak then left his chambers to confront Captain Sendak.

The halls were empty as he made his way out of the castle.

Sir Hett and Sir Juleack were keeping an eye on the servants as they loaded the horses with supplies. His brow twitched before he nodded to the two of them. Then he turned to where Sir Droyn stood beside Captain Sendak. Sir Droyn looked confused while Captain Sendak looked around a little.

“Has something happened at Greywolf Castle, Captain Sendak?” Prince Kelton asked.

“Not that I am aware of, My Lord,” he lied. “Queen Leona requested that we escort you and the… Princess back immediately.”

Prince Kelton raised an eyebrow at Captain Sendak. “My mother would have no reason to interrupt my month of bliss without a reason, Captain Sendak. So, why are you really here?”

Captain Sendak sighed. “Your wife is under arrest for possession of magic.”

Sir Droyn’s eyes widened.

Prince Kelton laughed so hard he cried.

Sir Droyn helped him remain upright until he could compose himself again.

“I’m afraid she has sent you on a pointless trip, Captain Sendak,” he replied with a morose seriousness. “Princess Iredys died giving birth on our wedding night. All of my knights can attest that we burned her body on a pyre mere hours later.”

“We have reason to believe her lady-in-waiting possesses magic also,” Captain Sendak replied.

“Now that’s even more ridiculous! A spell cannot be cast without words, and the woman is mute.”

“I’m sorry, My Prince. We must follow orders.”

Gritting his teeth and fisting his hands, he turned to go back inside.

Sir Droyn followed after him as did Captain Sendak and a few of his elite soldiers. He made his way to Ponderosa’s room and stopped outside the door. One of Captain Sendak’s soldiers stepped forward.

Prince Kelton glowered at him. “Do you mind?”

“M...my apologies, My Lord,” he stammered.

Prince Kelton knocked on the door then cracked it open a little. “Ponderosa?” he called out.

There was no response.

He stepped inside, leaving the door open for the others to see inside. The room was empty and the fire had been cold for some time. Prince Kelton pulled back the curtains on the bed to find it empty. He checked behind the changing screen and saw nothing. He paced the room a little then leaned against the table as if trying to think of where else they would go. His right hand rested on the couple pieces of paper that remained. Sir Hamnet had not taken Ponderosa’s writing kit with him. Crinkling the top page, his mind was filled with what had happened after he left Mȧthair’ side the previous afternoon. He crinkled the page even more as the vision came to an end. His breath shook.

Had he known yesterday, he would have gone after them. But… doing so would have only put them in more danger. They were safe. …At least for now.

Pushing himself off the table, Prince Kelton left the room. He made a show of checking the royal chambers in the hopes that he could give Hamnet enough time to grab what he could and leave without being noticed. Combing his fingers through his hair, Prince Kelton wasn’t sure how much longer he could delay without making Captain Sendak suspicious, but he needed to do what he could to delay their search outside the castle for as long as possible.

Unfortunately, the only other place he knew Ponderosa had gone was the study, since there had been a couple books around her the day she fell down the stairs. Turning about once more, he led Captain Sendak and his subordinates to the study, but when they arrived, he found the room empty. Prince Kelton sat hard on one of the chairs beside the table and covered his eyes with his hand. He could think of nowhere else to lead them. Letting out a shaky exhale, he slowly drew his hand down and let it rest before his mouth.

“Spread out,” Captain Sendak commanded, when he remained still. “She can’t have gone far.”

Sir Droyn stood beside him and gave his shoulder a firm squeeze. A measure of peace touched his heart and he didn’t know if it was from Mȧthair or from Sir Droyn’s attempt to comfort him in light of Captain Sendak’s accusation.

Captain Sendak kept an eye on Prince Kelton until his platoon leaders reported that the castle was empty.

“Is everyone accounted for?” Captain Sendak asked.

“Everyone save Sir Hamnet, Sir Fran, Sir Gruph, Iredys’ lady-in-waiting, the baby, and the creature called Mȧthair.”

The drop of Iredys’ title rankled Prince Kelton. “You would do well to show respect for Greywolf’s Princess, even if she is dead,” he growled.

“My apologies, My Lord,” the commander replied.

“Any sign of which direction they might have fled?” Captain Sendak asked.

“There are several sets of footprints that lead into the trees. I have several soldiers following them now.”

“Very good.”

Not even a handful of seconds later, the cacophonous rumble of armor hurried into the room. “The bodies of two of Prince Kelton’s knights are out there.”

“Which knights?”

“We could not tell. Their bodies were mangled beyond recognition.”

“Care to clarify, Prince Kelton?” Captain Sendak asked, turning toward him.

He lowered his hand to the table, his eyes calm. “There is no place for criminals among my knights,” he replied, matter-of-factually. “Gruph and Fran have paid the price for their transgressions. Houton will be paying for his own soon enough.”

“And Sir Hamnet?”

Prince Kelton stood slowly and pulled the sword from its sheath. “Defected.”

Sir Droyn’s brow furrowed.

Prince Kelton spun the sword a couple times then returned it to its sheath. “So, what now, Captain Sendak?”

“We escort you back to the castle as ordered.”

He nodded then left the study to join everyone outside.