"It is that time in our history, once again, when the fate of our great kingdom lies in the hands of a nobleman," the king was saying. He had his goblet raised.

The royals that had been invited to the celebration stood by the side, their own wine goblets raised as well. Tum, Bonnie, and Buckle stood at the table with the king. It was the closest they had come to the royalty all their lives since they were born and raised in their orphanage. Among some members of the royal class, Tum could see distrust sitting squarely on their faces. They did not know who he was and as such, did not trust him. But they were not the only ones there.

There were some who would lap up everything that the king said because they were blindly loyal to the crown. Yet, there were some whose pretense he could read easily on their faces. They were there for what they could gain. If they could overthrow the king and take the throne for themselves, they would.

Tum's eyes settled on Sheer, and he realized he had already placed the advisor among the last set of people. There was forced reverence in his countenance whenever he addressed the king as if his body had long since grown tired of the pretense.

"Look," Bonnie said excitedly, tugging at Tum's hand. "All these people are here for us. Who would have thought we could make it up to this place?"

Buckle glared at both of them at the same time Tum looked into the crowd of the royal families. There were dazzling colors of expensive robes, ladies with the slender necks of the gazelle and their husbands looking like rotund drums.

Beyond them were the even younger ladies and the charming young men with whom Tum felt he had no chance. The pews had been decorated and the hall was filled to the brim. Most of the royals approved of what the king was trying to do. They could not imagine a war with the peasants. Anything that would avert the war and put the peasants in their place, they were all for it.

"To Sir Greg of the…" the king looked around for help. He seemed to have forgotten what Tum told him earlier.

"Where again, kind sir?" Sheer whispered in Tum's eyes.

"Of the Eastlands," Tum said quickly. Just like he had done with the impostor names that they gave themselves, he did not think before blurting the words out.

"Eastlands?" Sheer asked. "I believe I…"

"To Sir Greg of the Eastlands," the king said, his voice drowning out the advisor's voice, as it should. He raised his goblet higher. "You will see your enemies coming from hundreds of miles away. The beasts in the forest will miss your trail again and again, and your mission will draw you quickly to the end."

The crowd cheered and everyone took a shot of the drink in their goblet. Tum drank his quickly and turned to glare at Buckle who was still staring suspiciously at his drink. The king turned towards Tum and raised his glass before he sat back down.

The song started. It was slow, allowing room for idle talk as the royals moved among themselves engaging in royal gossip. Tum wished he could engage in the same, but he knew he could be easily sniffed out if he wandered into their midst. The king was still young. Perhaps that was why he had not seen through them. The advisor, on the other hand, appeared to be playing some kind of sick game.

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At the doorway, Tum caught a glimpse of the princess, dressed in a purple, flowing gown. She evaded one of the young men there and hurried outside. Tum quickly stood and excused himself, mumbling something about emptying his bowels. The king nodded.

Outside, Tum noticed that there were people who preferred staying out in the cold than in the warmth of the hall. They observed him curiously when he made his way outside. He bowed a little before he turned towards the garden. There was no sign of the princess outside anywhere, so Tum realized that she must be in the one place that they both knew.

Walking quickly, he made his way through the labyrinth. It was sinister this night. The flower hedges cast eerie shadows all over the place, scaring him. He imagined a wizard appearing in the middle of the maze, away from the crowd and the guards.

If the evil wizard killed him here, nobody would ever know. They would probably find his dead body after some time. Realizing the danger he might be in made him realize that the princess might be in even greater danger. He broke into a run till he got to the end of the maze.

The river sparkled under the reflection of the moon, like liquid silver. Before the river, someone squatted, staring into the forest. It was easy to recognize the figure of the princes, delicate and comely. Tum made his way towards her.

"Why have you come?" Princess Meredith asked. Her voice was filled with pain.

"I saw you leaving," Tum replied.

"Why have you come?"

"I wanted to see you."

"When were you going to tell me you were going away?" Meredith asked. She stood up and turned around to face Tum. Her eyes were brimming over.

"I did not know I was going anywhere," Tum replied. The king had told them about the mission just this afternoon.

"You have always known you would leave. Why warm your way into my heart?"

"You have always known too, princess. I could not stop myself."

"Don't go," Meredith pleaded. "Let my brother find the sword for himself if he wants it so much."

"You know that I cannot refuse your brother."

"But you can refuse me?"

"No. I just… I have to do this. I promised him that, and besides, he is the…"

"…king. I hear that a lot."

She turned away from him and walked towards the river. He followed her.

"Go then. Go away. Do all of my brother's bidding. I promise I would not miss you."

"Do not speak that way. You will always be on my mind. Because of you, I will return with the sword. Your brother would not be able anymore to keep us apart even if he does not approve of us."

"You will return?" Meredith asked, turning back to look into Tum's eyes.

"Aye. I will kill the beasts lurking in that forest because of you. Nothing, not even the gods would keep me from you."

It was a stupid thing to say, Tum knew. For one who lived on the street all his life. Anything could happen to ruin the day and every one of his pals. There was no one that knew that better than an orphan that had lived on the streets of the city all his life. But he was so overcome with passion that he had turned into a poet.

The princess ran into his arms and held him tight. He felt her bosom on his body, and the world made sense. He could always come back to this warmth, this promise of heaven. The thought of what she was and felt for him would always draw him back towards the palace. There was only one sad thought lurking at the back of his mind: what if she found out that he was not royalty? Would she still feel for him the way she felt now?

"Promise me that you will come back for me," she said.

"I do. I promise."

She reached up with her lips and sought his. Under the moon, their kiss was made in dreams, the stuff of fantasies. Her hands were around his neck and his were around her tiny waist. Being taller, he had to bend low so their lips could remain locked in their passionate communion. The sound of crickets, the lull of silence, and the quietness of nature embraced their entanglement. In the court, a little removed from where they were, the song had changed from solemn music to rock and jazz.