Simon’s expression softened further. Aidan’s fear was palpable – and not at all unfounded. Despite himself, he was not blind to how the kingdom had been twisted and deformed in the years since Ariana had taken the throne, how the villages were plagued with that very same sense of fear and unease. 

“I don’t blame you,” he told her. “Believe me, I wouldn’t drag you into this lightly. If I can, I want to limit your involvement to what’s necessary, though…I’m not sure what that means yet.” His grip on the book he was now carrying under one arm tightened slightly, and he could only hope against hope that he would find what he needed within its pages.

 “I know things will never be the same as they were before,” he admitted softly. “I’d be naive to think otherwise. But if there’s even the slightest chance that I can save her…” He swallowed hard. Aidan was perhaps the only person who could understand where he was coming from. How the last few years had torn at his heart, as he had no choice but to watch the woman he loved become a tyrant. Even to this day, he was tortured with questions. Why had she done it? Was there some sign that he might have missed? Was there anything he could have done to stop her?

He shook that thought aside. “It doesn’t matter. This isn’t just about Ariana,” he went on. “It’s about everyone. And more than that…it’s about Jenna.”

A knowing smile tugged at the corner of the Queen’s mouth. “I had a feeling that you would agree with me on that, Master Quinn,” she told her guest, ever the picture of regal poise -- but no less intimidating for it. “My informants tell me that you are one of the most skilled bounty hunters in the kingdom.”

Despite himself, Gordon couldn’t help but crack a small smile. She was a very charming woman, though he had a feeling that his appearance, giving away his monastic inclinations, had something to do with her feeling of security around him. He, unlike others, would not infringe upon that sense of trust.

“Thank you,” he accepted the offered cup with gratitude, before introducing himself. “I am Gordon. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And what may I call you, madam?”

At Augy’s signal, Jenna nodded in silence. Slowly and carefully, she reached down and soundlessly drew a second arrow from the quiver that hung at her hip. With both arrows notched, she lifted her bow and waited, watching for the shapes of the two guards to enter her line of sight. The moment she saw them, it took mere seconds for her to adjust her aim, and let the arrows fly. 

They struck home. Without as much as a sound, both figures crumpled to the ground. “Go,” Jenna whispered urgently, and she made a dash alongside Augy for the weapons tent.

Donnie’s face betrayed nothing – but there was a sense of steely determination behind his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Magic,” he breathed softly. “The Queen took the throne using magic. She’s kept everyone under her thumb for this long because of magic. So, it stands to reason…the only way to put her reign to an end, is using magic.”

As quickly as it had settled, his expression relaxed again. “Knowing that the true heir to the throne is still out there is just one more piece of the puzzle.”

As they approached his home, Lewis already began to let himself relax. It was out of the way, secluded, and he’d had a trustworthy wizard enchant it with wards to protect and hide it from the Queen’s forces. 

He breathed a quiet sigh of relief as they got close enough to the cottage. Reaching up over his shoulder, he removed his axe from where it hung on his back, bringing it down hard onto a nearby tree stump and leaving it there. A sign that this was a place where there was no need for weapons to protect oneself.

Once he reached the edge of the cabin’s front porch, he finally paused, and glanced back over at the stranger. “It’s safe here,” he told him, and there was a sincerity in his voice he hadn’t shown since they had initially met. “Do you, uh…want to come in?”

That smirk continued to dance on Donnie’s lips. He was beginning to like Mal more and more – he wasn’t just a pretty face, and he was becoming more sure by the moment that things were going to get very interesting. “I’ve seen her with my own eyes,” he told him conspiratorially. “The Princess is alive and well. No matter what the Queen might have us believe, if she didn’t have it in her to kill her cousin…then I doubt she killed the King, either. Are you following me so far?”

“Evil creatures?” Lewis echoed. His tone was even despite his confusion, and he tried not to scoff. “First I’ve heard of it.” He had a feeling he would have noticed by now if such beasts had come down on the kingdom. Thankfully, they were approaching the cabin he had made his lodgings; and he could put off having to burst the stranger’s bubble a little longer.

Donnie’s smug grin turned into a wide smile. He liked that Mal could keep up with him – it made everything so much more interesting. “Well spotted,” he noted, meeting Mal’s eyes once again. He leaned a little bit closer still, and lowered his voice. “What if I told you that the king is still alive?” he asked under his breath. “And not just him…but his daughter, too?”

“I would absolutely agree,” Simon told her, giving her a fond smile. But now, to the matter at hand. With one swift motion, he produced his wand from where he had kept it hidden in his sleeve, pointing it at his own throat and whispering a concealment charm. Extra insurance that they wouldn’t be overheard.

“There’s a movement afoot,” he began his explanation. “A plot to overthrow the Queen. I have a theory that she may be under a spell. If I can somehow break it…” He trailed off, but the end of that thought was written all over his face. The idea that the nation would once again know peace and prosperity. 

“…But I can’t do it alone.”

Donnie’s grin only widened – he had been expecting such a reaction, more or less. These days the only people who were fans of the Queen were the ones who served her directly, in one way or another. Even so, he hadn’t missed the flash of red in Mal’s eyes. 

“Thought so,” he replied, running a thumb along one of the lute strings without actually strumming it. “Next question…how much do you know about how she took the throne?” Mischief danced in his dark eyes – the exhilarating feeling of knowing something that someone else didn’t.

Drake sighed heavily at the question – one, he supposed, that had been inevitable. “I did something stupid,” he admitted, having the grace to look sheepish even as he spoke. With the benefit of hindsight, he had been immensely foolish to think he would have been able to slip in and out of the palace undetected.

The palace…the place that had once been his home.

“I was looking for something,” he went on. “Didn’t find it.” He paused, and his characteristic lighthearted smile once again spread across his face. “Safe to say they didn’t know it was me, though – probably for the best.” 

If he had been recognized, he wouldn’t have sustained such a wound…but he also wouldn’t have been able to escape the palace so easily.

Jenna followed where Augy led, keeping her bow at the ready and her senses alert. Even despite the overwhelming sense of uncertainty about this undertaking, she trusted Augy to lead her on it. Trusting someone had become a rare thing for her since she had left the palace behind her, but Augy was different. He was perhaps the only person she knew whose judgement was unclouded – who had no ulterior motives whatsoever.

She wondered if, soon enough, she might still be able to trust him that much once he knew who she really was.