I woke up the next morning to a face inches from mine. Almost as soon as I had opened my eyes, the boy skittered back. He wasn't Andrew who I'd met last night, even though he looked very much like him. This boy looked to be about nine, and studied me inquisitively from the other side of the living room once I'd sat up.

"Sorry." He whispered quietly. "Ma said I wasn't to wake you,"

Smiling instinctively at the child and his hesitant, but mischievous expression, I folded my hands over my chest, covered in the nightclothes Mrs Edgware had loaned me. "What's your name?" I asked, trying to mimic his expression - it had a tendency to calm people when I did that.

"Gav." The little boy grinned, showing a mouth full of half formed, or missing teeth. Maybe he was younger than nine then, God knows I was awful with age.

"Gav?" I replied, unable to keep the surprised laughter from my voice. The name didn't seem to suit his impish disposition.

The boy nodded proudly. "Gavrila Edgware. You're the Prince right? Ma says I'm named after you."

Slowly I nodded. Again that feeling of nausea, that I was an imposter, crept over me. "Yeah so I'm a Gavrila too. People call me Ganechka though, or Rili sometimes."

Little Gavrila scrunched his nose up. "Ganechka? Why? That's harder to say than Gavrila."

Chuckling, I nodded again, standing up and stretching. The couch I had passed the night on was old and hard. "That's an excellent point. I think it's from some fancy old derivation from one of the eastern countries." Little Gavrila shrugged, clearly disinterested.

Suddenly I became aware of shouting from the kitchen. Little Gavrila rolled his eyes but I determined to find the problem. When I stepped into the kitchen, I found Mrs Edgware over a stove, trying to ignore Andrew, who was shouting at her.

"We can't give him the food if we can't eat ourselves." Andrew yelled, it didn't seem to be the first time he'd said it. "Shit, your majesty." He exclaimed when he saw me, every inch of him still defensive. "I didn't see you there." He took a step away from his mother and towards me. "I'm sorry, sir, but we can't offer you breakfast."

"Andrew!" Cried Mrs Edgware.

"We can't." He said more pointedly, directing his gaze at his mother. "I need to get to work now. My brother can fetch your horse." With that, he shoved a hat onto his head and made his way out of the room, a patched bag bouncing at his hip.

Mrs Edgware flew over to me the second he was gone. "I am so so sorry, your Highness. He's just upset about the war, his Da's still out there. He was true when he said we don't really have any food for you though. I'm so sorry about that."

The smile then was easy to form, because I meant it. "It's really alright, Mrs Edgware. You sheltered me and most importantly you listened to me last night, for which I am eternally grateful. I really ought to get up to Oldcliff anyway. Thank you so much for everything. I'll get changed and then find my horse."

I did indeed change swifly, leaving the nightclothes in a neat pile on the bed in Mrs Edgware's room. I looped my beloved Schiavona back about my belt and went back down, feeling in my inside breast pocket for money.

"Please take this." I murmured, striding back into the kitchen. I held out a sheaf of the notes, which she stared at incredulously. "Your time and help is worth more than this and the debt will be repaid. Think of this sum merely as a promise." I spoke decisively, assuming that if I left room for disagreement, she would take it.

Mrs Edgware took the money carefully. "Gav," She spoke in exactly the same tone, but to the small boy in the corner, "take the Prince to the barn and help him get his horse, then go straight to your brother. I need you to run six kegs down to the pub before nine yes?"

"OK." The little boy piped. "Can I try some -"

"No." Mrs Edgware spoke with a practiced irritation which made me smile. "Go and get your boots on."

The boy trudged out of the room, muttering something under his breath.

I turned for one last time to the woman. "I'll thank you again for your trouble, keep an ear out for me."

Mrs Edgware nodded sheepishly. "He's... He's named after you, you know." She murmured, wringing her hands in the dish cloth "I admire your parents so much. I want my boys to grow up to be like you."

I laughed and shook my head. "No you want them growing up into my brother."

"No." Mrs Edgware held my gaze for what I think was the first time. "No I want them to grow up like you."

I thoroughly enjoyed the walk to the barn with Little Gavrila, who was very chatty.

"Is that a real sword?"

"Yeah."

"Can I have a hold of it?"

"Hmm, no." I muttered. I liked Gav, but I would never let a child handle my sword.

"Have you ever cut someone's head off with it?"

"Couple times." I lied. "In the war."

"M'Da's in the war. Andy's got to join up next year. He's really grumpy about it because then he won't be able to kiss Heather behind the brewhous."

"Who's Heather?"

"His girl. They're very in love. It's disgusting."

"Have you got a girl?" I smirked down at the little boy, who made a face.

"Nah. I asked Andrea with me to the dance once, she said no. She went with Hadrel, his family has six cows - we only have four chickens and a horse."

"She'll get over him and go back to you I'm sure." I bumped gently into his shoulder.

"Nah I'm too good for her. Keiley likes me, so I'll ask her to the next dance."

"Good for you Gav." I chuckled.

Saffron took me swiftly to my next destination, perhaps even quicker than I wished for.