Ban couldn't remember the last time he'd been within the Romov wing of the Salt Stone Palace. Two years, at the least. It might have been closer to four. He felt a vague familiarity at best with the halls he was currently lost in.

He'd made the mistake of letting his mind wander. Ban kept going over his conversation with Zoputan. When he finally looked up and paid attention to where he was, he didn't have the slightest idea of where he had ended up.

The bay window at the end of this hall definitely felt familiar. Ban had a faint memory of Sasha, as a child, sitting at that window. He had been playing with pewter soldiers and informing Ban which figurines were from what fanciful houses.

"Istra never let him wander far when he was little," Ban murmured to himself. "So their chambers must be..." He pointed down an adjoining hallway. Then, grimacing, he pointed down another. "Over there?"

He took another look at the bay window and hoped that it might jog his memory. For a moment, he felt the pull of nostalgia. Ban thought he could actually see a young, five year old Sasha setting his little soldiers up into lines.

"There's a big battle coming," Sasha said. "The evil kingdom is winning."

"How do we stop them?" Ban had asked, humoring his future king.

"By being brave," Sasha replied matter-of-factually. "Good kingdoms always beat the evil ones, because good is brave."

Ban remembered Sasha looking up at him then and grinning. It had been a grin Ban returned.

"Stop whom?"

Ban near jumped out of his skin. When he landed, he whirled about to find Jin standing behind him. He took a moment to calm his rapid heartbeat. "Waves. Sorry, Your Highness. I was turned around and lost in thought. I didn't realize I was speaking out loud."

Jin looked out the bay window and gave a slow nod. "Is it Adeyemi that worries you?"

He stamped down his lingering embarrassment. There were developments Jin needed to be told. "Among other things. He knows, Jin. They put together who Enfri is, and Pacifica and I had little choice but to confirm it for them."

Her jaw clenched, and Ban saw a twitch in her right hand.

"If I thought we could hide her..."

"No," Jin interrupted. "No, that is no longer an option. It is only, I fear for her. Her new title protects her from most, but it is not as effective a shield against royal houses. Adeyemi and my father are close. At best, I can expect him to give a sending to the City of Althandor. At the worst, the Melcians may decide to act in his place if they feel my judgement has been compromised."

Ban narrowed his eyes at her.

"I have been compromised," she said, all but under her breath.

"Jin, what are you saying?" Ban took a short step towards her. Looking closely, he feared that he could perceive cracks forming in Jin's stoic facade, just beneath the surface. More felt than seen.

She met his eyes for only a moment, but it was long enough that Ban saw not an assassin or a princess, but a young woman who was hurting. Immediately, her beast-like eyes became like stone once more. Jin's pain went back to wherever it was she hid such soft things, and she didn't answer.

"What do you need?" Ban asked. "Say the word, and we can take Enfri away from Ecclesia inside of half an hour."

"It is not so simple." Jin cocked her head in indication for Ban to follow her. She led him back the way she had come. "As much as she would have us believe otherwise, Enfri is not yet recovered. The oren she took nearly killed her, and Deebee can only give so much of herself. Both of them are exhausted."

"How long, do you think?"

Jin took a deep breath. "Tomorrow. Even if she is not at her best, I will not keep her so close to Adeyemi longer than that."

"I can have half the Lost Company guarding her if needed. The Melcians are formidable and our position is tenuous, but I don't think they'd risk a confrontation. Guest-rights were offered and accepted, and House Akazewi isn't likely to break them. Strange as it may seem, I think Enfri's safer here than she is on the road and in the open."

"Do not forget," Jin added, "Nkeoma and Omalade are in Ecclesia. If pressed, they could summon an army of fey inside the palace."

Ban shook his head. "Over this? I seriously doubt they'd think it worth the cost even if Cathis commanded it. Elder magic has a steep price, and none is more costly than spirit calling."

"Perhaps you are right, but Adeyemi himself is under no such restrictions. They do not call him the Warrior King out of affection."

"He's ruthless, true enough. How he dealt with the banditry in Iylis speaks for itself. Once Sasha's done playing host, I'll have Hugin and Rav stick close to your chambers."

"Thank you, Ban. I would appreciate it."

"Speaking of oren," Ban said carefully, "you must be running low, and you don't have a dragon in case you run out."

Jin kept her face expressionless. "I will manage."

Ban opened his mouth to press the issue, but Jin headed him off.

"I am aware that I can no longer get more. I have what Dashar carried with him, but it wasn't much. Duke Falthis' supply was more extensive. All together, I have enough for the next three months if I am careful."

"Let's hope we can have everything resolved by then."

Jin pursed her lips. "I am no longer as confident that's a possibility."

The cracks were beginning to show again. There was a tension in the way Jin walked. She was hovering between wanting to lash out or fall into depression. Learning that your father might have ordered your death had that effect, Ban knew from experience. He thought that the only thing keeping her sane was the hope that it was her uncle, Prince Vintus, behind Garret and Elise's arrival in Ecclesia. A strange thing to pray for, perhaps, but better than the alternative.

I have no idea how she keeps it together, Ban thought. She's handling family betrayal better than I did.

Jin brought him to corridors he at last recognized. Queen Istra's old apartments were down the hall, where Pacifica now kept her rooms. Jin paused at the door to a guest suite and gestured for him to enter.

"You're not coming in?" he asked her.

Jin's pale cheeks took on a bit of color. "No. Enfri wished to be left alone."

Ban pulled his hand back from the door handle. "I should come by later, then."

"No. Go on. She'll be happy to see you."

Ban furrowed his brow. "Have you been arguing?"

"No," Jin said quickly. Too quickly. Her blush deepened. "Yes. She said I was..." Her lip twisted in chagrin. "...hovering. She asked that I find a meal and 'take care of myself for once'."

It was a testament to Ban's self-control that he refrained from laughing outright. "Waves," he said flatly. "Would that all lovers quarreled so."

The look Jin gave him suggested he was close to earning a punch on the nose.

"If she asks, I last saw you in the great hall."

"That would be appreciated, Ban. I will return soon."

Ban waited until she was several steps down the hall before rapping his knuckles against the doorframe. He heard a muffled voice giving permission for entry, and he pushed the door open.

The suite Jin and Enfri shared in the Romov wing was spacious, if simple. It had a single room with the bed separated from the sitting area by silk partitions. The air smelled of burning incense and saffron, and the fire in the hearth kept the suite almost oppressively warm.

A bundle of silver scales was curled over the stones of the hearth like a lazy kitten. Deebee was snoring softly as she basked in the heat of the fire. The little buzzing noises coming out of her were far too adorable for so powerful a creature. Ban stepped lightly, not wanting to disturb her. The old adage of letting sleeping dragons lie ran through his head.

Tapestries on the walls depicted Romov Karst's voyage to the frozen lands and his battle with the Kraken Queen. A four hundred year old story, and it was no longer known for certain if the founder of House Romov had battled a giant mother squid or a Southron war leader. The tapestries muddled things further by showing both.

Walking past the silk partitions, Ban knuckled his forehead as he came upon Enfri in her bed. She was wearing a simple, formless shift and had a bright smile when she saw him. Rippling Moon was sitting cross-legged beside her on the down mattress. Ban's blue had wrapped herself in blankets and was hugging an overlarge pillow to her chest. If he didn't know better, Ban would have thought he'd come across two village girls having a sleepover.

Enfri had a smile that could make flowers open their petals to receive her light, but Ban couldn't take his eyes from Moon. It might have been her large, violet eyes, or the hint of sharp canine teeth in her grin, or the definition in her lean muscles that he found most attractive about her. Waves, but it might have even been the antlers. Just the sound of her voice, like velvet sliding over stone, could make him lightheaded. Rippling Moon was every bit as beautiful as her namesake.

"Ban scents of me," she said brightly.

"Winds, the way he looks at you, I almost think I can smell it, too."

Ban tried and failed to make his voice stern. "Don't talk like I'm not here."

Enfri gestured towards the chair at her bedside. "It's precisely because you're here that we do it. Your bruises seem to have faded. How are you feeling?"

He took the offered seat, groaning slightly as he lowered himself down. "Much the same, really."

Enfri winced in sympathy. "I've been thinking of how to help you heal faster. Do you remember that investiture I used when we were out in the forest?"

"The one you nearly had to have Light Hoof hold my head over the pot to get me to use?"

Moon started giggling at the memory.

"Yes, that one." Enfri pulled a notebook from under her blankets and opened it to a page. "This was my grandmother's. Here, she writes about an Altieri flower called amaranth. Its pollen is supposed to reduce bruising. I was hoping I could get one and do some experiments on its imprint. If I could get it invested right, I think I can use amaranth instead of spark blossoms to make a healing potion. Have you heard of it?"

"Sure. Amaranth's one of the treasures of the south. Never fading, the eternal bloom. Ten to one, my father kept a supply around here somewhere. I could ask one of the stewards."

"I remembered you mentioning your father was an alchemist," Enfri said, careful not to prod the subject of the late Niklaus Karst too hard. "If there is any, I should have you fit to ride by tomorrow."

"Part of why I came over. I take it you talked with Jin about it?"

She nodded and kept her eyes lowered. "He knows, doesn't he?"

There was no need to ask who she referred to. "You don't need to worry about that," Ban assured her. "We've extended you guest-rights. If the Akazewis make so much as a snide comment, I'll personally commission a bard to write the most scathing ballad you've ever heard about Melcian rudeness."

Ban was gratified to see her smile, even if the joke was terrible. He could tell it had done little to comfort her worries. Other than putting paladins outside her door, there weren't many tangible ways he could think of to guarantee her safety.

Enfri patted his arm. "If you had met my mother, you'd soon learn how I became immune to snide comments."

"She wasn't the kindly sort?"

"Oh, winds, no. She was a spiteful harpy."

"You must take after your father, then," Ban replied. He took a breath and let it out. "Prince Zoputan recognized your name. He was at the Siege of Drok Moran and knew of Yora."

Enfri's grip on her blankets tightened. "Is that something we should be worried about?"

"I don't think so. I know Zoputan. He's his father's son, but he's a good sort. I think we need to treat House Akazewi as you would a fangblade you come across in the wilds. No sudden moves and stand tall. Hold eye contact while you back away slowly."

Moon cleared her throat. "Great hunter can also end kith that are careful. Keep knife close if she pounces."

"That too," Ban said. "To that end, if you're willing, maybe you could attend the feast tonight. Sasha's going all out to make up for Adeyemi coming all this way for a wedding that never took place."

Enfri's eyes widened with apprehension while beside her, Moon was mouthing the word as if that would unlock its meaning. "What is feast?"

"Dinner, but for a whole crowd of people. We bring out as much of the best meat and wine as we can find and try to forget how we might end up enemies later."

Moon made an appreciative sound. "Is good thing. Make kith of your slayers."

"That's the general idea. Actually, Sasha was hoping I could get you to convince Light Hoof to attend. We'd like to show as many as we can how thankful we are for your tribe's help."

"Go to feast with white-scented?" Moon murmured. Her eyes look troubled again. "This not for me to speak. I can ask of Light Hoof. He is new empty one for tribe. It is for him to speak this."

Ban hadn't known that Light Hoof was now the official tribal leader. During the battle, no goblin had questioned that he was the fey in charge, but he hadn't yet been recognized. That business must have finally been addressed while Ban was gone.

Moon slid out from the blanket she huddled under and draped it across Enfri's shoulders. After she got off of the bed, she pressed her forehead to Ban's. "I go to speak with Light Hoof of feast. Will my red be here when I return?"

"Your red will never be far, lisichka."

Moon pulled back and gave him a questioning look.

"It means 'little fox' in Old Altieri."

The way she beamed at him could have brought spring to the deepest winter. Moon hugged Ban tight and kissed him. She was still getting used to human displays of affection, so Ban could forgive that she planted it on his chin rather than his lips. He'd be sure to help her practice more thoroughly at a later time.

Once she released him and was gone, Ban could feel Enfri's eyes on him long before he turned to meet them.

"That's not fair," she said. "Do you have any idea how long I agonized over what to call Jin? Then you just pull one out of the air for Moon. If you ever want to trade elder magics, I'll accept in a fast minute."

Ban smirked. "Please, give me a little more credit. I had that picked out for her before I ever learned I was marked."

Enfri glowered and pulled the goblin-warmed blanket around her. "That just makes me more frustrated with you. Who gave you the right to be so thoughtful?"

"Now there's something I've never been accused of before. Truth is, I don't often need hydromancy with Moon. Any of the kith, really. Though, sometimes a new color comes up and I don't know what to make of it."

Enfri hummed in agreement. "Just before you showed up, Moon was talking about someone named Hot River. Apparently Hot River's a 'gray', and I haven't the faintest idea what that means."

"Haven't heard that one yet." Between Moon's kiss and the fire in the hearth, Ban was feeling somewhat overheated. Looking at Enfri cuddled within her mound of blankets only made it worse. "Not used to the weather yet?"

"I should say not," she said. "Look out that window. There's snow. It's the month of Elm, nearly blustering Rose, and there's snow!"

Ban tried not to laugh. "Quite a bit different than growing up in a desert."

"Near a desert," she corrected, "but yes. Very different. Winds' blessings on Moon for heating up a blanket for me."

"Goblins were born from hearth spirits. It's in her most basic nature to keep a cold girl warm." He pulled himself to his feet with a grunt and kicked off his boots. "Allow me, my lady, in my lisichka's absence."

"You can hush that 'my lady' nonsense," she muttered as she made room for him on the bed. Once Ban was settled next to her, she leaned into him. "You're boiling. Are you feverish?"

"I don't think so, but you're like ice. What say we trade temperatures?" Ban adjusted a pillow behind him, and Enfri lay her head on his chest. He put an arm around her as she snuggled in.

Enfri gave a contended sigh. "Much better. Thank you, Ban. You really are more thoughtful than they say."

He wasn't sure how to take that.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to have me there?" Enfri asked. "If I stay out of sight, maybe it won't be so hard for them to just pretend I don't exist."

"You do exist," Ban said. "And you're not as vulnerable as you think you are. House Yora is more than just that sheet of paper you signed. You have tangible power tied to royal houses."

"Doesn't mean much if the Highest King just sends an assassin."

Ban patted her shoulder. "Didn't he already try that once?"

Enfri looked up at him and made a wry face. "I can't make all of them fall in love with me." Her worried expression wasn't going away. "You say I have power now, but I'm not much used to having holdings. Reyn listed off properties that are apparently mine now, but where did they come from?"

"Sasha seized them from House Valdar as punishment for Kastus' part in Rodrik's scheme. He thought they'd be of use, and he didn't have many other ways to thank you. It's not much, just a few blocks down in the lower city and one or two in the Artisan Quarter near the palace."

"Not much, eh?" Enfri said incredulously. "What am I to do with all of it? I don't know the first thing about managing holdings."

"Actually, you don't have to do anything with them. The crown pays you at the end of each season to use your land. Which brings me to one of the reasons I dropped by." Ban shifted his weight to pull a paper envelope out of his sleeve. He handed it over. "This past winter's payment was placed in your name. Technically, this should go to House Valdar, but they're off in the east and we frankly don't care to send funds to houses that led coups against us."

Enfri leaned on an elbow as she looked suspiciously at Ban and the envelope in turn. She used her thumb to peel away the wax seal of House Romov then unfolded the contents. "The Salt Stone Bank?"

"Altier Nashal's financial branch. What with the kingdom falling apart, the bank is the last thing tying the port cities to each other."

Enfri nodded absently while perusing the paper. Her mouth got progressively wider the more she read. "This can't be right," she whispered.

Ban craned his neck to see over her shoulder. "Really? What's the problem?"

"Thirty-five thousand?" Enfri cried. "Gold marks?"

"Well, there was a deduction for transference of ownership, maintenance, and that sort of thing. It's your standard bureaucratic fee-shafting. You should get the full amount starting this quarter."

Enfri smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "That isn't remotely what I'm flabbergasted about, and you know it!"

"Who ever says 'flabbergasted'?" Ban chuckled. "Is this really the first you heard about it?"

Enfri flopped back onto his chest and let the paper fall to the floor. She covered her eyes with her hands. "I've been out the last few days, remember."

"Pacifica and Jin have been setting up your place as a young house, hiring retainers and armsmen. Your official estate down the lane is swarming with stewards and clerks in green and silver livery."

She peeked out from behind her hands. "I have an estate? Winds and storms, I have livery?" She pulled a blanket over her face and moaned. "Too much. Far too much to take in all at once, you wicked man."

Ban patted the top of Enfri's head. "I've never had much of a mind for this sort of thing either."

Enfri's voice was muffled by her blanket. "I wouldn't have thought that much gold even existed."

Ban didn't want to distress her further, though there was a simple pleasure to be found in flustering Enfri with news of her good fortune. He held back from telling her of the tiny army of Altieri sellswords Jin had recruited, or how banners with silver dragons on green fields were flapping in the breeze over her properties in the city. And he certainly didn't pass on that there had been no less than three offers of courtship from other young houses. That last part would tip Enfri over the cliffside if she knew.

Maybe this could have waited until she was on her feet, Ban thought. That must be why Jin hasn't yet talked it over with her.

"Ecclesia is buzzing about the beautiful Enfri Yora," he said. "She's being called one of the saviors of the city. Every house that hasn't fled is desperate to meet her, and the feast is turning halfways towards becoming your coming out gala."

Enfri buried her face into his chest. "If that's supposed to make me want to go, it's not having the desired effect."

"I'm not cajoling. I'm warning. But, this could be an opportunity to get the other houses on your side."

Enfri bit her lip nervously. "I'm starting to think I should never have signed that paper. What good is it? Having a title didn't save House Krayson or House Teranor."

"Been studying history, have you?"

"Jin suggested I should read about the Nadian Rebellion, seeing as my father was involved. The Kraysons were wiped out for letting killers into the Palace of Towers. House Teranor was the elder bloodline of Nadia, and they were all killed, too. Both were great houses that I'll never match in my lifetime. Power didn't save them, so how can it save me? What's the end goal of all this?"

"I thought that much was obvious." Ban smoothed his tone and spoke softly.

"Cathis hates Aleesh," she whispered. "All the gold and influence in the world won't take away my skin and hair color. It won't erase my elder blood."

Ban saw the light in her eyes change. It was subtle, like a wisp of cloud passing in front of the sun. Enfri looked off to the side as if she was listening to someone else. She clamped her eyes closed and gave her head a shake. Her hands were wringing themselves into knots.

"You're right," Ban told her. "You're Aleesh. You're the head of the first Aleesh house in the history of the Five Kingdoms. Nothing you gain will get rid of that. Nothing Cathis might do will either. He didn't just wave his hand to destroy Krayson and Teranor. He had to convince the noble houses it was justified. The more allies you get, the less chance he can do it again. Besides, isn't there something you want that being a noble lady of means can get you? Someone?"

Enfri looked up.

"You do want to marry Jin, don't you?"

The question left her stunned. Enfri pressed her lips together, and she nodded.

"That's your goal," Ban said. "Accomplish that, and you can put all this behind you. Then we can start dealing with..."

Enfri narrowed her eyes when Ban hesitated. "Start dealing with what?"

Ban grimaced. Nothing much, he thought. Just circumvent a foretold doom filled with demons and who knows what else.

She was already grappling with enough problems. Assassins, kidnapped dragons, the advent of her house, her own murderous aunt, and who knew how much else that she hadn't brought up to him. Not to mention, he'd just asked her to come have dinner with northern royals who'd prefer it if she didn't exist in the first place.

"There's always something to deal with," Ban finally said. "One problem at a time. Tonight, dinner with the Melcians. Tomorrow, getting Kimpo back."

"Alright," Enfri said. She lay back down and wrapped her arms around him. "I'll go, but first I need a little more sleep. There's time, isn't there?"

"A few hours. Rest, my lady. I'll be here."

Enfri spoke through a powerful yawn. "I told you not to call me that."

"With respect, my lady, you can't stop me."

A discontented grunt was her reply. After a few moments, Ban could have sworn he heard her mutter "blustering man" under her breath. It wasn't much longer before she was asleep.

Unfortunately, Ban remained wide awake. As much as he wanted to join Enfri in sleeping it all off while curled together like a litter of puppies, that feeling of pent up energy wouldn't go away. His need to leave Ecclesia was only increasing.

"I'll stay beside you," Ban whispered. "Again and forever, my empress."

Ban could endure it. He'd given his oath, and he believed that it was more important to him than anything else in this world. For Kimpo and for Enfri, he would be their Ruby Knight. For now, he listened to Enfri's breathing, as well as to Deebee's snores.

At last able to relax, Ban had begun to doze off himself when the door opened. Ban raised his head as Moon returned. She came through the doorway on silent hooves, took one look at Ban and Enfri huddled in bed, and froze. Moon's eyes were unblinking as she stared at the two of them together.

Ban's heart began to beat frantically. It hadn't occurred to him until this moment how this might look. A stammered explanation that this compromising position was innocent began to fight its way past his tongue.

Moon pointed an accusing finger at him. "God-sighted must sight this," she said. "Ban beds with green one."

Jin entered the suite on Moon's heels, a curious expression on her face. The two stood next to each other, neither saying a thing.

Ban prepared to die.

A little smile played at the corner of Jin's mouth. "They've grown close."

Moon nodded in firm agreement. "Not kin, but still kin. Is good thing."

Jin and Moon left the suite and shut the door softly behind them.

Waves and tides, Ban thought while trying to get his heartbeat back under control. So much for a nap.

Enfri, oblivious, slept through it all.