Linara wanted to ask what Atheyara had done to her room. The walls were covered in drawings. Not tapestries, not paintings, but pen on parchment drawings of a wide variety of human constructs. Detailed designs of everything from wagons and plows to chariots and crossbows.

She had barely taken it all in, the question still forming, when she looked at Atheyara directly. The Hatharen sat in a chair at a desk, similarly covered in papers. Her appearance changed the question as it left Linara’s mouth.

“What did you do!”

“Chara, give us some privacy. Wait outside.” The serving girl who had let Linara in nodded, placing a key on the table beside the door before sliding out. “Can you lock that? The king demands that my condition be kept a secret.” Silent, Linara did as requested, locking the door. “Sit.” The woman said, pointing at a chair. The whole time, she kept her other hand on her stomach.

Linara felt her blood rushing through her head. She sat down, grabbing her knees, her fingers straining against the fabric of her pants. She had so many questions. “Is that…his?”

“The king? Yes.” Atheyara nodded, her short white hair falling over her eyes. She used her free hand to push it back.

“Why did you-no, why were you allowed to leave if this was a possibility?”

That got a chuckle from her. “Allowed to leave? I was sent here. Against my will.”

Taking another look around the room, the first piece of the puzzle fell into place. All of the drawings on the walls and the desk. This woman had an obsession. Linara had never met her during her time growing up and living in the stronghold because Atheyara was shunned and hidden away to prevent her from disrupting the Hatharen way of life. Someone like her would be the best to replace Linara - an easy way to get rid of her and limit her influence in the society while still getting some use out of her.

“Why him? Why Senral?”

“He talked to me. He helped me get all of this.” Atheyara gestured around the room. “He was the first person who treated me as a friend. One day it just…happened. I took what I wanted.”

“And so you have his child.” Linara said, her eyes falling to Atheyara’s slightly rounded stomach.

“I don’t really want it. It’s annoying to move around. I’ve had to hide in this room for over a month, with only Chara to help me.”

Her head pounded. Her jaw hurt from clenching it. She was angry. Jealous. It had taken her a week to finally go and meet Atheyara, and in that time she had seen Senral’s children with the queen, and even that hadn’t affected her this much.

“You’re upset.” Atheyara said.

“Yes.”

“It is not his fault. I did this. I begged him for it.”

“But you don’t even want his child. Your child. The one inside you right now.”

She shrugged, causing Linara to clench her teeth again. Her entire body was rigid with anger. “I did what my body demanded I do. I didn’t want to do it. I was not strong enough to fight the urge, so I gave in to it. To make it go away so I could get back to what I really care about. I did not want…this.” Her eyes met Linara’s. “Would you like it?”

The question swept all of her anger away, replacing it with shock. The jealousy was still there. “I-you would do that?”

“I do not want to care for a child, and one cannot be raised in this castle. I understand you are staying here only temporarily. Stay for a year, take the child with you when you leave.”

It wasn’t what she wanted. It was as close as she’d ever get. Senral’s child, with Hatharen blood. A child that was just like her, but also his. “I…need to think about it.”

“Then do so. I’m busy.” Atheyara turned back to her desk, picking up a drawing and staring at it. Linara waited a moment, but no longer had her attention.

Outside, she gave the key to Chara, who stepped back in the room. Taking a deep breath, Linara went to find Senral.

“I didn’t know how it worked.” Senral said. She had dragged him out of a meeting, to the shock of the other participants. Linara didn’t care what they might think, she just demanded to talk to him, alone, without giving any respect to his position. He had called an end to the meeting and followed her to one of the castle’s many side rooms, with a few chairs and a table.

“You know how babies are made, Senral.”

“Not with your people. You never seemed concerned about the possibility of having one with me.”

Linara opened her mouth to respond, then closed it. His words weren’t said harshly, but they hurt. Something inside her snapped. She sat down, the anger gone, and started crying. She had never cried in front of him before. He was instantly beside her, his hand holding hers.

“Linara, what-“

“I can’t.”

“You can’t-“

“I can’t have children.” She interrupted him again. “Half-breeds can’t. If I could have, I would. I would have agreed to be your queen. I would be the one sitting next to you. I’d be the one giving you children. It would have been me. If I could have done it. I wanted it.”

He fell silent, holding her hand tightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Why does she get to do it? She doesn’t even want the child! She offered it to me. She didn’t even pity me, she just…she just doesn’t care! It’s the easiest thing for her to do. I hate her. I hate myself. I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t want you to know that I’m…broken.”

“Linara…” He trailed off, then wrapped his arms around her. “I still love you, Linara. You aren’t broken.”

Taking a deep breath, Linara stood up, grabbing Senral’s head and pulling him towards her to kiss him. When she pulled away, she smiled at him.

“I know that smile, Linara. You-“

“It’s all I have.” She cut him off. “I…I came back here, knowing you had children with the queen. I still wanted you anyway. This…this doesn’t change that. You’re just a horny idiot. You make me one, too, even though I pretend you don’t.”

Senral nodded, grinning at her, before a knock on the door interrupted them both.

“Enter.” Senral said, stepping away from Linara and turning to face the door.

Rilren stepped inside. “The queen’s sister has arrived, unannounced. I thought you should know. Also,” His gaze moved to Linara. “She has requested your presence.”

“Let us go greet the princess, then.” Senral said, following Rilren. Frowning, Linara trailed after the two of them. She vaguely remembered meeting Yenra’s sister at one point, along with a long list of other nobles from Wellent in the months leading up to the royal wedding, but didn’t even remember the girl’s name.

The two were led to a much more proper sitting room, containing a plush couch with two elegant chairs opposite it. On the couch sat the queen and another woman with a similar build, but darker hair, falling loosely to her shoulders rather than tied into complicated loops. The younger sister wore an outfit starkly contrasting her sister’s - a simple button down shirt and a long dress, leaving her chest covered.

After her glance over the princess, Linara’s gaze shifted to the figure standing awkwardly behind the couch, and her eyes grew wide. The orange hair stood out starkly against her brown uniform. Unlike the last time the two had met, Ferene’s armor was clean and polished, her outfit properly fitting her frame.

“What are you wearing?” Was her only response.

“I…” Ferene began, looking at Linara, then down at the princess. “She gave me clothes.”

The young woman stood up, leaving her older sister sitting on the couch. She bowed to Senral, then looked at Linara. “Ferene is, temporarily, my personal knight and bodyguard. We met on the road and she told me she was traveling here in order to find you. I supplied her with a proper uniform for her position.”

The princess seemed very proud of this, but Linara didn’t know why. Yenra was smiling at her younger sister, an expression on her face Linara rarely saw. Shifting her focus back to Ferene, she opened her mouth to say something, but stopped as the other Hatharen stepped forward, her hand extending, holding a-

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

A Hatharen dagger.

Linara reached out, taking the knife from her. “You met them.”

“I did.”

Unsheathing the blade, Linara found a dark steel blade, just as she expected. The blade was engraved with an inscription, detailing the family and stronghold that had taken Ferene in. “You did better than I thought.”

“It didn’t last very long.”

Linara turned to the two other women in the room. “I need to talk to Ferene alone.”

“Of course.” The princess said. Linara still couldn’t remember her name, but she lead Ferene back out into the hall, passing by Senral who smiled at her.

“So you know the secrets of our people.” Linara said after moving away from the guards at the door.

“I learned a lot.”

“They didn’t let you stay.”

“I’m not like them.”

Linara sighed. She knew this would be the outcome, which was why she had warned Ferene not to go, but she had hoped, just a little, that it could have been different. Her parentage aside, Ferene was almost entirely human. She didn’t know the Hatharen language or anything about the way of life or traditions, and would not fit in. As with Atheyara, Hatheren society had little flexibility for those that did not fit in.

“It wasn’t bad.” The girl gave a small grin, surprising Linara. They hadn’t spent much time together, but Ferene had never smiled or taken joy in anything during those few days. “I had a family.”

“You did.” Linara handed the knife back. Ferene took it, gently, and slid it back under her armor. She treated it as far more than a weapon. “Who is Rilya?”

Ferene’s eyes went wide, and, again to Linara’s shock, she blushed. “A friend. More than a friend. I love her. I miss her. How do you know about her?”

“Her name was next to yours, when it listed your family.”

“Taradira didn’t say anything about that.”

It was Linara’s turn to be surprised. “You even met her? You’ve had quite a journey.”

“She helped me find my father.”

Linara could only nod at that.

“I wanted to find you. To thank you. You made this all possible. I…I learned a lot, all because of you.”

“I’m glad it worked out, after we parted I worried that I treated you too harshly. You…” She trailed off, her mind going back to the conversation with Senral just before. “You reminded me of too many things.” Linara smiled at Ferene, and the other woman nodded. The awkwardness was still there, the tension. She looked like she had so much to say, so much to express, all lurking just beneath the surface, but she couldn’t bring herself to say any of it. Linara wondered what in her past had caused her to withdraw in that way. “You can talk to me about anything, if you want. We should get back to the others. Royalty doesn’t like being left waiting.”

Ferene pressed her lips together before responding. “I…did a lot of things after I met you. I’ll tell you about them.”

The two returned to the queen’s sitting room, to find her and the princess still sharing the couch, with Senral lounging on the chair across from them, having some kind of conversation. The princess stood up when she saw Ferene enter, walking over and standing on the tips of her toes, the Hatharen bending down to listen closely. Ferene nodded at whatever was asked, and the princess took her seat again. Yenra watched the exchange, her expression relaxed, until she noticed Linara’s gaze. As their eyes met, the queen frowned, then looked away.

“Princess Cerise was just telling us about the situation on the southern border of Wellent. Apparently a group of former soldiers and mercenaries took over an old military fort and have been threatening local farmers who live outside the protection of the king.” Senral cut in. “What is your take on that, Linara?” He gestured her to the other chair, as Ferene returned to her position standing behind the princess - Cerise.

“What do you mean?” Linara asked as she sat down.

“Something must be done about it.” Cerise supplied. “Several of the criminals are already…taken care of, but surely there are more.”

Yenra frowned again. “I thought my plan was sound. Wellent assembles a force, removes these lowlifes, and makes their base impossible to be used again. Problem solved.”

Linara shrugged. “How old is the fort and what condition is it in? It could be useful.”

“How so?” Senral asked.

“Is Wellent not preparing to defend against potential aggression from Ettsgras or Celngi? Expanding their own border to include fortifications would be useful.”

Yenra leaned back, tilting her head slightly. “If I remember my history properly, the fort in question is ancient, but of quality construction. It dates back to the last years of the Knights of Resh.”

Linara’s gaze focused sharply on the queen, and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ferene looking at the short woman intently. Linara’s gaze wandered to the other Hatharen’s back, where she carried her sword, the crossguard a match for the one on the statue of Resh himself. Apparently Ferene was somewhat aware of the connection.

“I want to be there.”

“You don’t need to rush back into that, Ren.” Cerise said, looking over her shoulder up at her knight.

“Ren?” Linara echoed.

“Ferene. Ren.” Cerise grinned as she clarified. Ferene’s expression remained unchanged at the nickname.

“It’s…cute.” Linara did not think the name was very fitting, but it was becoming clear to her that the princess viewed Ferene in a very different way than she did.

“I think this is a good opportunity to strengthen the ties between our people.” Senral broke the silence. “A joint military exercise to capture the fort and convert it into our own holding.”

“I…think that would be a good idea.” Yenra looked at her husband, then at Linara, then back to Senral. Linara wondered what had just happened to get that specific reaction. “Borders have gone unchanged for a long time, and we have both the immediate threat of these outlaws and the looming danger of war in the future as a reason to change that. This small part of the Independent Lands can become territory of Wellent. Should we call a war council?”

Cerise’s eyes went wide, suddenly finding herself in the center of a heavy political discussion. “This is a rather serious discussion for just this room.” Linara said, watching as the younger woman threw her a look of gratitude. “A war council would be a much better place to discuss the details.”

“Yes. A military campaign, however short, needs proper planning. We will postpone this discussion for now. This was supposed to be a friendly visit.” Senral smiled at Cerise, who nodded.

“Well, I came here mostly as an excuse to help Ren meet Linara. My own visit was just an excuse, though I do miss you, sister.”

Yenra smiled at the princess. Once again Linara felt odd, as if she was looking at a different person. The hard, calculating face of the queen softened, giving way to genuine happiness. “You must like her a lot, if you came all this way to do a favor for her.”

Cerise blushed, ducking her head to hide it. Linara looked up at Ferene, the Hatharen still just standing stiffly behind the couch, unaffected by being the center of the discussion. It seemed the princess’s feelings were not mutual. “Ferene and I have a lot to catch up on.” Linara cut in. “I am eager to hear of what happened to her in the months since our last meeting - our brief discussion earlier did not give her the time to divulge all of the details.”

Senral picked up the queue. “Why don’t you two go and have your talk. Yenra and I will look after the princess, if she will allow her knight to leave her side for the rest of the day?”

Cerise looked up, still flustered from her sister’s teasing. “Y-yes, of course. I don’t mean to keep you from your friend.”

“Thank you.” Linara said, bowing. She nodded at Ferene, who copied the bow and then followed her out the door.

“Princess Cerise seems rather taken with you.”

“She wanted to kiss me.” Ferene replied as she followed Linara through the halls of the castle.

“It looks to me like she wants more than just that.”

“I know. I turned her down.”

“There was a time when I thought you wanted something like that from me.” Linara turned to grin at Ferene. The other woman kept her expression blank, but Linara noticed her look away for a brief moment.

“I didn’t know, back then.”

“But you do now.”

“Rilya taught me.” She said bluntly. Linara was not prepared for the admission to come so openly. She laughed.

“Well, I won’t press you about that, but you’ll have to tell me about the rest of your travels.” The two arrived at Linara’s new rooms. She sat down in a chair, and grinned as Ferene first tried to just stand before sitting down in another chair. “So, you know about your connection to the Knights of Resh.”

Ferene touched her sword, which she had rested against the side of the chair. “The Hatharen who trained me told me about them. They were…warriors of justice, or random killers. Or both.”

Linara frowned. She didn’t know about that. “I met one of the founders. A good friend of Resh himself. I figured he might be interested in meeting you, but I put him on the path to Taradira.”

Ferene stared at Linara, her face expressionless. “The knights existed a thousand years ago.”

“They were founded much longer ago than that. Resh’s friend was a Hatharen, who ended up sealed in a room, withering…not quite away, but withered down to nearly nothing. That’s my story, however. I’m more interested in yours. Tell me what happened to you, after Cefgras.”

Linara listened as Ferene slowly told her story. She watched the other Hatharen’s face closely, seeing the small bits of emotion Ferene showed. The tale of the mine was bland, but her face light up when she started talking about her journey north. Linara saw her smile again, as she talked about meeting the group that would become her family on the road, and spending time with them while she recovered from her fight with the Direag. Linara stayed silent, withholding her own comments about how impressive Ferene’s feats were, instead just enjoying the story. Instead of just her default blank expression and varying degrees of anger that Ferene had displayed before, Linara saw her show joy, sadness, bitterness, and regret as she talked about her time in Yonthal.

Holding back her comments became hard when Ferene talked about the battle beyond the wall. Linara knew the stress of that kind of situation, being surrounded by the monsters. Ferene had been lucky.

That part of the story came to an end, and she went on to describe her journey south. Linara noted she seemed to slow down and omit a few details around the time she met Taradira, but quickly picked up again as she talked about ending up joining slavers and turning against them. This showed yet another emotion. Ferene felt some form of embarrassment at the situation. Linara smiled at this.

Describing her father brought Ferene almost to a halt. She tried several times, had to stop and start over more than once before she managed to find a way to talk about him that satisfied her. The girl was not good with words, but understood when she wasn’t saying what she wanted to say. Linara felt bad - she had underestimated how intelligent Ferene was. The girl could not read or write and repeatedly made bad decisions, but she wanted to do better.

Then she mentioned a forest, and immediately stopped. Linara stared at her. “What happened in the forest?” She asked, speaking up for the first time since the start of the story.

Ferene looked away. “I found…a…a deer.”

“A deer? Just the one deer? Why…No, never mind. What happened after the forest?” She spared Ferene from having to lie more about whatever she was trying to cover up. If it was important for her to hide it, Linara could figure it out later. She’d have to look into the history of that area. As Ferene started talking about meeting Cerise, Linara realized the person most familiar with history was Queen Yenra. Perhaps seeking more information could be postponed.

“And then she took me here.” Ferene finished.