“Commander Iona,

No skirmishes to report. The pace of rebuilds remains steady in your absence. - Espo”

Iona sat in bed with her legs hanging off the side as she read the message, delivered to her a few minutes earlier, over and over again. This was good, things were moving along well while she was at the capitol. Prince Desmond hadn’t contacted her at all, which was a bit of a surprise, but Iona assumed he might still be unhappy with her abrupt exit. Dez was always touchy, a dramatic kid wrapped up in a brawny, handsome body. It was annoying.

The first meeting with Theron’s advisors was approaching, and Iona was looking forward to seeing Adina, advisor of the southernmost domain of Chrysos, and one of the few people she considered a friend. She got along fine with the other advisors, mostly, though Lord Grayser never seemed to like her much. Iona got out of bed and dressed for another day of planning. As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, she wondered if she and Leo should be thinking ahead towards the potential wedding of Heston and his unknown bride. Better to be prepared early. Iona walked out of her bedroom and poked her head into Leo’s room, two doors down. The door had been left open, but Leo wasn’t in sight. A grumble came from deep in her stomach, and Iona figured she should grab some food- maybe Leo had beaten her to breakfast. However, like Leo’s bedroom, the dining hall was empty save for a couple bakers putting out platters of food.

“Morning, Poppy,” she greeted the baker closest to her, as she grabbed a couple of pieces of dark bread and a soft boiled egg. “Have you seen Leo?”

Poppy shook her head, “I have not, Commander. Would you like me to send a guard to find him?”

“That won’t be necessary,” she responded, taking a bite of her breakfast, “Thank you, though. Bread’s delicious as always this morning.”

The compliment added a little sparkle to Poppy’s smile. “We’re all happy to have you back, Commander,” she said before heading to the kitchens.

Iona smiled, appreciative of the kind words. She figured that she would find Leo eventually, so she savored her meal, sipped on a piping hot mug of tea, and took in the calmness of the deserted dining room. The guilt of being away from reconstruction was waning, and Iona enjoyed these moments as best she could. With her breakfast consumed, and her mind ready for the day, Iona headed towards the east wing to find Leo. Within a few minutes, she saw him stomping out of a meeting room and down the hallway towards her, scowling.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, playing back their last interaction in her head. Was it something she said? She couldn’t think of anything that would have put Leo in such a mood. Iona looked down the hall at the room from which Leo had exited and saw Heston leave the opposite direction.

“Nothing. I’m going for a ride,” he snapped, hustling past her. Iona’s curiosity was piqued. She was a professional, of course, and she knew it was best to stay out of family tiffs. But, her nosiness often got the best of her anyways.

“I’ll come with,” she offered, expecting Leo to shoot her down.

“Fine,” he chirped over his shoulder. Iona had to jog to keep up with his pace, but soon they were both at the stables, saddling up Tower and Corso in complete silence, which remained a fixture of the ride for almost an hour. Iona decided it was best not to pry, and rather wait for Leo to finally open up. When it came to emotions, he was a talker, just like Elia had been. Her patience was rewarded as Leo pulled back the reins on Corso, and both horses slowed to a walk.

“Heston’s an ass,” he bellowed. “He acts like he’s the victim of some major injustice all because he has to get married. He’s the fucking prince, the heir to the throne.” Iona didn’t respond, though she agreed. There was a fine line to walk as Heston’s future High Commander, even if it was just the two of them. She looked to her right, and caught Leo peering up at the sky. His amber eyes were lit by the sun, taking on a fiery edge in the moment. He ran his hands through his hair, clearly exasperated. “We’re doing all of this for him, bringing a fucking buffet of women to his doorstep. And he just complains like it was all thrust upon him suddenly. Like he hasn’t been preparing for this his entire life!”

Iona was taken aback at the sound of Leo’s voice breaking. He even had a few tears in his eyes as he mumbled, “Our dad is dying. And all he cares about is himself.”

Iona was never very good at being comforting. Elia was the one who people could turn to for support and compassion. Even Leo was better at the sympathy thing than she was. Iona cleared her throat, buying a little time to find the right words, “I’m sure he’s worried about your dad. Maybe that’s just his way of…of covering it up.” Leo gave a slight, reluctant nod in return. “It’s not easy,” she said, “Losing a parent. I’m sure that it’s hard for him, knowing that this day he’s been preparing his whole life for, to be king, that it’s predicated on your father’s death.”

Leo looked ahead, “Yeah, maybe that’s true…but he’s still an ass about it.”

“That’s also true,” she said with a chuckle, her capacity for comfort draining already. “How about a race to get it off your mind?” she said, snatching up Tower’s reins.

“Aw, come on, don’t make Corso show up Tower for the hundredth time,” he responded, grabbing Corso’s reins in anticipation. Iona and Leo stared at each other, both bracing their legs against their horses, ready for the ride ahead.

“GO!” Iona shouted, cracking Tower’s reins. Both steeds lurched forward, breaking into a sprint. Iona couldn’t stifle the smile that was painted on her face. She loved riding at full speed, and it had been a very long time since Leo and her had gone head to head.

Tower galloped powerfully, just at the heels of Corso. As always, whoever reached the edge of the North Forest first, would be declared winner. But Iona could tell that Tower wasn’t keeping up well enough and as they closed in on the edge of the Forest, her competitive nature took over. Instead of pulling up like Leo when they reached the boundary, Iona plunged ahead with Tower, straight into the woods. Moss covered trees and dense vines flew past her. For being so imposing, Tower weaved masterfully through the thicket, and Iona glanced to her right to see Leo frowning back at her from Corso a few paces behind. She laughed at the sight, but as she turned her attention to the Forest ahead of her, she realized that they had quickly ended up in unfamiliar territory.

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“Whoa,” she called out to Tower, pulling back on his bridle. He slowed down, coming to a stop, and Corso trotted over to their side. “Where are we?” Iona had walked through the woods many times, but the sights around her now were…strange. The air felt murky and thick, filled with a sense of magic that made Iona’s skin tingle.

“You just had to plow into the Forest, huh? Couldn’t accept that I beat you. Again,” Leo shouted, anger booming into his voice.

“Yeah, whatever, just help me figure out where we are,” Iona said, guilt setting in that she got them lost. They turned their horses back the direction they came from, and tried to retrace their path, but nothing looked familiar. It was as though the Forest was playing a prank on them. After an hour or so with no luck and growing shadows, Iona hopped off Tower to look around from the ground.

“The sun is setting, you know. We’re going to be stuck out here all night,” Leo groaned, laying back against Corso.

Iona pushed her sleeves up, shook out her arms, and rolled her head back and forth to loosen her neck. “Do you ever stop complaining? You’re starting to sound like Heston,” she sniped.

“Wow, bold of you to get us lost in the Forest, and then have the nerve to blame me for being rightfully annoyed.”

“You could have stayed at the boundary line!”

“We were racing! And you lost!” Iona started to grind her teeth, frustrated with herself. Leo kept on, “I know you think I’m a sore loser, but you’re even worse. Heavens forbid I beat you in anything, you can’t take it. You never could.”

“Yeah, well that’s not a very common occurrence is it?” she jabbed back, anger swelling.

“Fuck off, Iona.” Leo had dismounted Corso, and the former training partners glared at each other, surrounded by the Forest getting darker and darker.

“Well, you know what I really think?” Iona stepped closer to Leo. “You were going to get High Command handed to you on a silver platter, and you couldn’t stand someone stepping up and earning it rightfully. And you’ve never let it go.”

A smile broke out across Leo’s lips while he shook his head and started to laugh. He reached up a hand and wiped his mouth; the smile wiped off with it. He rested his hands on his hips. “You’ve got to be kidding me, Iona.”

“Admit it,” she demanded.

“Admit what? I always knew you’d be High Commander! I never even wanted it!”

“Bullshit,” she answered, narrowing her eyes at his ridiculous assertion.

“But you show up out of nowhere one day, and take to training like you were born for it when I was the one who was supposed to be born for it. It was hard enough to be compared to my brother, but at least he was older than me and bigger than me. Imagine what it was like to be barely scraping by at something you were expected to be great at, and then some nobody shows up and knocks you down every single chance they get just to prove they're better than you. I have always been your stepping stone. Little Iona’s very own punching bag, and you enjoyed it.”

Iona wasn’t immediately sure what to take from his rebuke. It’s true that Leo was subject to high expectations from his father, but that wasn’t her fault. Instead, with a harsh look, Iona responded, “I am not a nobody.”

“That’s not what I meant…” Leo said, looking off, and waving his hands as if he could push the insult away. “I’m just saying. Heston is heir. Elia was the golden child. I was supposed to be good at something, and my father decided it would be combat. But, then you came along. I didn’t stand a chance.”

Iona chewed her lip while she mulled a response. Arguing meant staying in the depths of the North Forest for even longer, which was not ideal. “Am I supposed to feel bad for you then?” Iona teased, trying to lighten the mood instead, “Poor Prince Leonon, in his giant castle with everything he could ever ask for got his butt kicked by a country peasant.”

Leo laughed a little, to Iona’s relief. “No, of course not, since that would require you to have feelings.” He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes, as she lifted herself back onto Tower’s saddle. Leo did the same and hopped back on Corso.

Iona thought back to the way she felt basking in the glow of Theron’s approval when she bested Leo in training- the other side of the coin being the anger and resentment she stewed in on the nights that he beat her. She was always so embarrassed when she lost in front of the King. Iona never much bothered to consider how it felt to be Theron’s own son in those times. She could feel something gathering in her throat, words that she felt compelled to say aloud. They pushed against her teeth until she relented. “You would have been a great High Commander,” Iona spilled, meeting Leo’s gaze. “But only if this nobody hadn’t come along.”

Leo was clearly caught off guard, and Iona thought she saw a bit of redness rise into his cheeks. “Thanks…” he said incredulously, “But I suppose my father made the right decision. The way you lead, the way the men and the citizens react to you…he knew you were the best person for the job.” Iona responded with the softest smile she could muster, slightly uncomfortable with the praise, especially from him.

The air had grown cold, and it was past time to get going again, so the two nudged their horses to get moving. But something caught Iona’s attention at the base of a nearby tree. “Hold on!” she called to Leo, already a few paces ahead of her. She hopped off Tower and scurried over to a patch of delicate white flowers.

“What are you doing?” Leo yelled from ten yards away, “It’s almost pitch black!”

Iona ignored his question as she went about collecting the flowers. They were moon drops, with thin green stalks and beaming silvery petals that barely hung on at the base. They smelled like rain and only grew deep in the North Forest. Iona had loved them since she was small, when her father trekked all the way to the Forest from their town the first time Iona came down with a nasty cold. Some people believed they had healing properties, and while Shome didn’t buy it, he wanted his daughter better as soon as possible. Iona drank in the sweet scent before she jogged back to where Tower waited for her. They trotted over to Leo, who had slowed to a snail’s pace but hadn’t stopped moving.

Leo glanced over to the bouquet in her hands. “You stopped for flowers? Really?” he asked mockingly, “Never pegged you for the type.”

“Moon drops aren’t just any old flower. They’re special. You can’t grow them outside of the Forest, and even here, they’re pretty hard to find. They’re my favorite,” Iona added sheepishly, earning a small snort from Leo. She looked up from the moon drops in her hand and, as if everything had shifted around in a second, they were back in a spot she recognized. “Hey, I think I know where we’re at.”

“Whoa…yeah, it’s just out that way,” Leo said, pointing in what was apparently the direction of the palace. The pair noticed a small trail that seemed to materialize out of thin air. They followed it back to the edge of the Forest and made it to the stables in a couple hours. Without so much as a word of goodnight, Leo and Iona retired to their rooms. Neither quite understood what happened, but the North Forest sometimes had its own way of operating.