. I suppose I heard him correctly the first time, and simply wanted for his words to mean something else. “Perhaps you mean to say, all of them had already evacuated?” I asked. “Ah… I’m sorry, My Lady, but that is not the case,” he stated, dropping his head in apology. “We…” He hesitated, then stated, “Frankly, we don’t know …

. We stepped off the train in Oseri into a military zone. Soldiers were tromping this way and that, lugging their gear as they moved from place to place, while troop wagons and cargo wagons waited for their loads. Cavalry horses were already being off-loaded from a coach four positions up from ours, explaining the smell we’d been suffering since …

. Miss Aralin nodded to my words of assurance, then stated, shakily, “Certainly, Your Ladyship. His Lordship should meet you here shortly. I’ll go prepare tea.” She all but ran from the room. Dilorè had an amused tone as she noted, “I assume she wouldn’t react that way to an ordinary baron’s daughter. It seems they know your alias, here.” …

. “Don’t worry,” Pasrue said with a grin as the wall drew closer. “It will just slow us down if you fail. I need you to tell the seal in your heart that we are the size of a goose.” “Tell it what?!” I asked, wondering if she had gone mad. “Tell it we’re a goose,” she repeated. “This boat …

. I wanted to track down Oberon the next morning and give him a piece of my mind, but I couldn’t find him. The staff of the Fairy King’s Castle wouldn’t reveal his location to anyone unless he had instructed them in advance to do so. But when it was time to leave, Mother came to the dock to see …

. The maid trio looked quite happy to see the visitors leave, although they had avoided telegraphing that until Ryuu and Chiara left. As expected, I found myself led to the bathroom as soon as the door shut. In response to my exasperation at the enthusiastic junior maids happily removing the kimono they had spent so much effort putting on …

. Chiara and Ryuu intercepted me at the door as I arrived at my suite. Their guest rooms were in the same building and floor, and I more-or-less expected they would come, so it wasn’t a surprise. As we entered, my footman Khaulmar bowed deeply and stated, “Welcome home, Your Highness, and welcome to your guests.” “It’s good to be …

. I admit, a small part of me wanted to retort, What ‘daughter’? Just a while ago, you called me your grandmother! That part, of course, was the portion of me that was frustrated that a new roadblock was appearing just as I was about to clear the last hurdle and be on my way. I bit my lower lip, …

. Ryuu was too surprised to respond for several heartbeats, as were Chiara and Dilorè. The rest had either held onto their fairy aplomb and hid their shock, or Oberon had already told them. “Your Majesty,” I warned quietly, “I did not bring him here for punishment, and my kingdom still needs him.” Ryuu had recovered by then. He insisted, …

. As promised, Miröen’s launch was floating in the moat of the Fairy King’s castle, that hill with the fighting arena at its peak where I had fought, not long ago. My elder sister Amana waited for us on deck when Dilorè and I arrived. She was in a somewhat conservative raiment. At her young age, of course she couldn’t …