Soon, I was saying goodbye yet again, this time to the fey folk that had come with us to the feylands.

Pippa promised to come visit me soon, since she’d be staying within the capital city for a while.

“Now we can talk business.” Arden said to Asher. Or rather, the king and Arden walked, the cute half-elvish man pushing me along in my wheelchair. “What mission was Lear called in for that was so important?”

“Should I be hearing this?” I interjected, frowning. “I’m not one of your squad members…”

“No, but I trust you not to blab.” Asher smiled at me.

Warmth that the king trusted me filled me. “I won’t.” I told him earnestly. I’d rather die than do anything to compromise Arden’s position within the feylands.

“So, what was Lear working on?” Arden prompted again.

“Let’s get to your squad’s office and talk. No one is likely to interrupt, if we’re in my office, chances are they wil.” Asher said.

“Alright.”

We took a few more turns, and then entered a comfortably furnished office. There were several desks, and lots of books lining the bookshelves, as well as a comfortable seating area.

Arden parked me beside one of the couches, facing in towards the coffee table, and sat. The fey king sat on the couch opposite from my white-haired significant other.

“So, what’s going on?”

“I got word from Meadowbell that she’d heard rumors of rebellion.”

“Were they credible?”

“Yes, she and I both thought so.” Asher nodded. “She’s still investigating, and I called in Lear to help her, but they’ve both since struggled to find anything concrete. Whoever is organizing it has made sure everyone is staying tight-lipped, or doesn't know more than they need to.”

“That’s usually the case.” Arden frowned, “We were only really able to deal with it last time because Kirven thought I was a useless idiot, and never dreamed that his sex slaves would ever dare act against him, the fool.” Kirven must be his birth father’s name.

“Unfortunately. Yesterday, we finally got some concrete evidence though in the form of a letter. Meadowbell did some very clever work in nabbing it, too. It mentioned a raid, but whoever wrote it was smart enough not to put the date or location of that raid, but I did gather it was to be soon.”

“Did they say where it would be, or what they were trying to get their hands on?”

Asher shook his head, “No, it didn’t say where, or what they were after, just that it wouldn't be easy to get at.” He paused, then added, “But they did mention that the Black Cat was gone, and so they could breathe a little easier. So word must have gotten out that Lear went back home. That’s why I’m glad he sent you along, maybe it’ll help keep the pressure on them in his absence.”

“Think someone passed on the info to them?”

“No. His comings and goings are pretty-well marked by the entire palace, given how much everyone likes him. I’m lucky he’s not interested in being king, he could overthrow me whenever he wanted!” Asher gave a dry snort.

“Nah, he just wants to flirt with his wife.” Arden grinned, “Oh! On a lighter note, Lear and Winna have a daughter now, named Sage.”

“That’s excellent! And very welcome news! I’ll have to make the trip to see her once this rebellion nonsense has died down.”

“Yes of course.” Arden nodded. “So, where do you want me to start?”

“His notes are here.” Asher got up and retrieved a notebook from one of the paper-laden desks. While all the others were messy and there seemed to be no method to their madness, Lear’s desk was neat and orderly, which honestly made sense, despite the captain’s typically silly outward demeanor.

Arden took the notebook. “I’ll give this a quick read, if you don’t mind waiting.”

“I actually have a meeting to get on to.” Asher sighed, standing. “Start wherever Lear left off, if you can.”

“Alright.” Arden nodded.

“It was nice to meet you, Marri.” Asher smiled at me.

“You too, Asher.” I nodded, bowing a little from my wheelchair.

“If I’m not too busy, we’ll have dinner together soon, alright?”

“Sure.” Arden nodded.

The king bade us farewell, then left the study.

“Is it alright if I read this really quickly?” Arden asked me.

“Oh yes, of course! I can keep myself occupied.” I smiled at him.

“Alright.” he nodded, flipping open Lear’s notebook.

I pushed myself over to the bookshelves and studied the titles there.

There were quite a few in the fey speech, which I didn’t speak or read, but there were plenty in the common tongue as well. One about poisons stuck out to me, and I pulled it from the shelf, and started reading.

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

It was remarkable how many poisonous plants there were.

“I hope you’re not getting any ideas.” Arden’s voice made me jump.

I glanced over at him, and saw he was smiling. “No, of course not.” I rolled my eyes.

Putting down the book, he stood and stretched. “Good.”

“I can’t cook, so I wouldn't have much chance to slip you any poison anyways, even if I wanted to.” I shut the book and put it back on the shelf.

“I can cook, Winna and Lear taught me, but I’d no more slip you poison than chop off my own foot.” Arden came to stand beside me. He lapsed into silence, staring at the shelf, but seeming a thousand miles away.

“What’s wrong, Arden? What did his notes say?” I asked softly.

The half-fey soldier shook himself. “Nothing that surprised me, I’m afraid. He suspected this rebellion had its roots in the last one we quelled. I always had a bad feeling that we’d missed something.”

“That’s no good.” I murmured.

“Exactly.” He sighed. “We were forced to act faster than we wanted to, since we got word that the last bunch of rebels was going to try to interfere at an important ceremony. So I think some of the participants managed to lay low, and those are likely the ones who are at the root of this, now. Only they’ve been wiser about how they operated this time, and knew to keep a close eye on Lear’s squad, including me.”

“I see.” I nodded.

He was quiet again for a few moments, then sighed, shaking his head, “I was planning on staying at my aunts’ inn while we stayed here, but hadn’t planned on going down there until later. But given this…I think I should go down there sooner and see if there’s any chance they can think of something that might help. Even if they don’t know anything, they’re all very smart, and have a good deal of common sense, which is far less common than you’d expect.”

“It is.” I nodded. “So, that’s where we’re headed next?”

“Yep. It’s not far from here, so we can walk.”

“Or you’ll walk, I’ll just be along for the ride.” I smiled at him.

“Of course.” he smiled back.

Soon, Arden was pushing me from the front gates of the palace. They were made seemingly of gold, and glittered beautifully in the morning sun as we passed through them.

“Those are some pretty gates. Are they really gold?”

“Nah. Someone would have tried to steal them already if they were. Some special alloy that was easier to put protective spells and runes on. Probably not dissimilar to whatever the metal the restraints that Bellows used were made of.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“My aunts’ inn is just down that street.” he said, motioning down the cobblestone street ahead of us.

“Oh wow, not far from the palace at all!”

“Nope.” He shrugged. “They were given their choice in rewards after helping quell the rebellion, and they asked for money to buy land and build an inn. Asher was happy to give them the funds, but since he was impressed that they just wanted the means to support themselves, as anyone would, he instead gave them land, built the inn to their specifications, and gave them seed money to get off the ground.”

“That was nice of him.”

“Yeah, I thought so too. He’s a pretty good guy.”

“Anyone who’s Lear’s childhood friend would be, I think.”

“I suspect it’s the other way around. Asher’s father, the former king’s younger brother, was a very good man. Asher’s childhood friends were often in his presence, and all looked up to him a lot, from what I understand.”

“How did Asher become king, if his father wasn’t the king before him? Did his uncle not have kids?”

Arden smiled wryly, “No, he had a son. The son disappeared though.”

“Oh, that’s sad. Did he not have any other heirs?”

“No, Asher and Lear made sure that wouldn't happen. Lear killed the last king so Asher could take the throne.”

I blinked. “Oh gods!”

“Yeah, sounds bad, doesn't it?” he grimaced.

“Yeah, sounds really bad!” I exclaimed.

“Unlike Asher’s father, his uncle, the former king, Davrik, was not a good person. He ruled the fey and feylands with an iron fist…Half-fey folk were treated like filth. Humans were seen as less than as well. There was a lot of fighting and bloodshed, and the feylands were very dangerous. That was before my time, though. Asher’s father, Tarok, began to speak out publicly against the fey throne’s actions. He was put to death publicly. But instead of being seen as an example to anyone who spoke out against Davrik, Tarok’s death made him a martyr for the folks who wanted peace in the feylands. Asher took up the cause, and Lear went undercover in the palace. Eventually, he worked his way up and killed Davrik. Asher took the throne.”

“So…when did Asher’s cousin disappear?”

“Just before Davrik died, actually.”

“Was that Asher and Lear’s doing as well?”

“Not according to them.” Asher shook his head. “Apparently the crown prince went on some kind of journey to a human kingdom and never returned. We did hear word that his ship had wrecked, and he’s assumed dead.”

“Any chance this rebellion has something to do with him?”

“I highly doubt it.” Arden shook his head. “From what I’ve heard Asher and Lear say, the prince was an alright guy. Just not a strong enough personality to stand up to his father. They think that’s why Davrik was constantly sending him away on business, just to keep him out of his hair.”

“Ah, I see.” I nodded.

We approached a building that was several stories high, with lots of windows facing the street. A sign hung above the wooden door, it read Wildflower Inn and Tavern, and had a pretty picture of a bouquet of flowers beneath it.

“Here we are.” my significant other said as he pushed open the door, and wheeled me through.

The inn was full of warm light. The floor was made of clean cobblestones with a few area rugs here and there. Neatly arranged tables and chairs filled a large portion of the area, and some were filled with patrons enjoying themselves quietly. A bar stretched across the back of the room, next to a set of double-doors that I imagined led to the kitchen and storage areas. There was also a staircase that I assumed led to the guest rooms, and a hallway beside the staircase leading deeper into the inn.

At hearing us enter, the fey woman behind the bar looked up. She broke into a beaming smile upon catching sight of Arden, and gave a shriek of delight, “Arden is home!”

She had pink hair, light blue skin, and pink scales, much like Lear’s, along her neck, but didn’t have any fins, given she was walking around on two feet.

“Hi, Auntie Anemone!” Arden greeted her, smiling as she ran around the bar and threw her arms around him and squeezed him hard.

“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” she stepped away, frowning a little, “We weren’t expecting you, were we?”

“No, sorry. I’m sort of dropping by unexpectedly, I know.” he shook his head

“Oh that’s no problem! You know you’re always welcome here, honey.” Anemone smiled at him, then looked at me and asked, “And you have a lovely young lady with you, I see!”

“Um yes, this is Marrina. She’s my…uh…girlfriend?” He looked down at me for confirmation.

I giggled and nodded, “Yeah. That’s what you’d call me.”

He flushed a little, but grinned. “Right.”

“A girlfriend?!” his aunt gasped, but broke into another wide smile, and reached out to hold my hands. “Finally! We were starting to worry Arden would never bring anyone home!”