Valda kept her head down, the same as Tevin, but nobody paid any attention to them. A few people called out to say hello to Etna, but it was like Valda and Tevin were invisible spectres at her side.

After all the snide comments she'd had to listen to, Valda found the invisibility refreshing. She only wished she could walk like this through the main hall's corridors.

"Through here." Etna darted down a narrow alleyway between two rickety wooden buildings.

Tevin and Valda followed, skating around empty barrels and crates packed higher than their heads in the confined space.

Etna rapped her knuckles against a door before standing back to wait. She anxiously looked up and down the alley, only relaxing when she saw it was empty.

The door swung open, revealing a plump woman with red hair curled in a plait around her head. Her expression was stern until she saw Etna standing there.

Before Valda and Tevin could move the woman's hands grabbed Etna and pulled her against her bosom, crushing the little girl in a hug.

"I've been so worried. I thought something had happened to you. Where have you been?" The woman's relief quickly turned to scrutiny, now she saw Etna was unharmed.

"Well, umm..." Etna fumbled unintelligently, glancing back at Valda and Tevin.

Her glance brought the woman's attention on them and they both took a step back at the fierce look on the her face.

"Who are you? What are you doing with my daughter?" She questioned angrily, though there was a flash of fear in her eyes.

"Please, we don't mean you or your daughter any harm." Tevin was quick to reassure her, but the woman only huffed.

"Then what are you doing here then?" She retorted hotly.

Before Tevin could reply, Etna spoke up, pulling at her mother's sleeve to get her attention. "Mam, leave them alone. They helped me get here. And look." Etna opened the bag on her shoulder, showing the food she'd smuggled out. "Lady Dylynn would have had me this time, but they hid me."

The woman's mouth hung open, staring between the three of them. She looked frozen, rooted to the spot at the thought of what could have happened to her daughter if Tevin and Valda hadn't stepped in.

"Go inside, Etna."

It looked like Etna wanted to argue, but the stern set of her mother's mouth had her scrambling through the doorway. She turned to look at Tevin and Valda pleadingly before her mother shut the door, blocking their view of her.

"Nobody does what you did. Nobody would even dare risk it. So what is it you want? Because we ain't got nothing here." The woman tried to make her voice strong, but it was obvious it was all a show. She was downright terrified of the two cloaked figures in front of her.

"We don't want anything. All we wanted was to get Etna here safely and see what's really happening."

The woman's shoulders relaxed somewhat after hearing another female voice. Up until that point, she had assumed they were both men.

"Well, I thank you for looking out for my daughter, but as for what is happening, I really don't see why that's any of your business." She peered hard at them, trying to see past the shadows that covered their face but it was in vain. She could make out nothing of their features.

Valda turned to look at Tevin. They'd accomplished one part of their plan, but they still hadn't found out what the food was for. Deciding to risk it, Valda went to lower her hood.

Tevin gasped her wrist before she could pull it all the way down. "I'm not sure about this." He looked between Valda and the woman.

"We can't ask them to trust us if we don't offer the same back," Valda reasoned, not feeling half as confident as she sounded.

Tevin looked at her, his teeth clenched, unhappy with her plan. Eventually, he released her wrist, only bobbing his head once.

Swallowing loudly, Valda pushed the hood away from her face as Tevin did the same.

All the colour drained from the woman's face and she swayed where she stood, as if about to faint. Tevin rushed forward should she need his help, but his movement seemed to snap her out of it.

She slapped his hands, backing away until her shoulders pressed against the door. Her eyes darted around the alley, looking for someone to call to, but there was no one.

"Get away from me, traitor." She managed weakly, feeling relieved when Tevin stepped back.

"He is no traitor." Valda replied swiftly, pinning the woman with a frosty look.

"Leave it Valda, we shouldn't have come here." Tevin kept his head lowered, looking at the muck on his shoes, trying not to let the woman's words hurt him.

"No. I'm tired of people treating you like that. Judging you for what?" Valda may have been replying to Tevin, but her eyes were locked on the woman, her words dripping with so much contempt that the woman visibly shrunk away.

"What do we have here?" Arlie stepped out from behind a crate, her face once again obscured by material.

The woman breathed a quick sigh of relief. "Arlie, thank heavens. Please arrest the traitor and his companion. No doubt they are working with Lorcan's forces." Her voice much stronger now that she wasn't alone.

Arlie leaned against the crates with a casual arm. "Unfortunately Kelli, I can't. They are guests of the General. Though what they are doing here is a mystery to me." She peered at Tevin and Valda with an unreadable expression.

The woman - Kelli - spluttered out her objections. "But he's a traitor?" She held her hand up to point at Tevin, though Valda could see her objection wasn't as forceful as before.

"It would seem not." Arlie flicked a piece of fluff off her coat as if bored with the conversation. "But now that's cleared up I say you offer them some of your amazing food in reward for seeing your daughter safely home."

"I don't think..." Kelli trailed off as Arlie shrugged away from the crate.

"I can vouch for them and monitor them if it would make you feel better."

Finally, the woman conceded. "Fine, but they'd better put those hoods back on. Don't want them scaring away all of my patrons."

She refused to open the door until they both pulled their hoods back in place. Then, and only then, did she begrudgingly consent to let them in.

Valda stepped through first and immediately the heat hit her as if she'd walked into a wall. A few other red-haired girls, a little older than her, blinked at them in confusion.

"Come on you two, through here." Arlie pushed passed her. "Nice clothes, by the way, Valda." A smirk lacing her words.

Valda stifled a smile as she followed dutifully behind her, ignoring the prying looks they were receiving. She had to keep reminding herself to keep her head lowered when all she wanted to do was look around.

They left the kitchen, where Kelli had already started barking orders at the girls who'd been rendered motionless by their appearance, into a dimly lit room. Valda peeked up every now and then, taking in the place.

It smelt stale though whether that was because of the room or the people she wasn't sure. After being surrounded by lords and ladies in all their finery, the people in the room looked dingy and underdressed in comparison.

The floor was not so much floor but dirt, crushed solid by multiple feet, with bits of sawdust collecting around the edges. The tables and stools were basic. Her Dad would have called them rustic, though she just thought they looked well used. It was a description that fitted the whole place, including the people.

Arlie slid into a chair tucked away in the corner whilst Valda and Tevin took the remaining two chairs. From this angle no one could see their faces even if they looked up, and Valda knew, without asking, that Arlie had planned it that way.

Arlie ordered mead for herself and two Barley teas for Tevin and Valda. Once they were all settled with their drinks in front of them she fixed her gaze on the other two.

"So what are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be gracing the General's tables with your presence?" Arlie sipped at her drink, stretching back in her seat.

"How did you find us?" Tevin countered before Valda could reply.

Valda blinked, looking between Arlie and Tevin as she realised something that should have been plainly obvious.

"You followed us?"

Arlie didn't flinch at Valda's assessment, she only chuckled. "Obviously."

"Unbelievable," Tevin muttered, only making Arlie chuckle harder.

"Why did you follow us?"

Arlie transferred her gaze to look at Valda, her chuckling finally coming to a stop. "Given what the General said to you, Princess, are you honestly surprised?" She shook her head in mock disapproval whilst Valda felt heat rise in her cheeks.

"So you followed us to make sure Valda was safe?" Tevin glanced around him, suddenly more aware of their surroundings.

Arlie snorted. "Partially, but I was also intrigued as to where you were both going." She shrugged, not the least bit sorry for her actions.

"So you do think I'm in danger?"

Arlie took a big swig of her mead before dropping the tankard back against the table. "Now that is the question." She pondered. "I don't know for sure. But what I do know is that the General mentioned nothing about Lorcan spies before you showed up."

The silence stretched out as Tevin and Valda absorbed this news.

"You think he's making it up?" Tevin didn't like the man, but nor did he think he would do something like that.

"Can't say for sure, but he's very effectively shut you two out in less than 24 hours."

"Shut us out?"

Arlie looked between them both, her eyebrows scrunched low over her eyes. "You must see that too." When they continued looking at her with dumb faces, she sighed pointing towards Valda. "You are Queen Orlaigh's heir, the rightful ruler of Lania and you," she pointed to Tevin, "have more training than most of those pompous lords ever could and yet you're both sat here and not in their meeting."

She sat back, satisfied that she'd made her point as their expressions darkened.

"If what you said is true, there's not much we can do about it." Tevin pursed his lips unhappily. He too had been wondering if that was the General's motives, but hearing someone else confirm them didn't sit well with him.

Arlie's gaze sharpened. "Perhaps. But that brings me back to why you're here?"

A passing boy saved them from answering as he pushed a tray onto the table.

"Mam said you requested these."

Arlie lifted the course bowls from the tray and plonked them in front of Tevin and Valda before retrieving her own.

"Thank you, Farrel." She nodded, watching the boy scurry away to serve the other customers.

Her gaze returned to her two companions, who were already tucking into the broth as if they hadn't eaten in hours.

Feeling Arlie's gaze, Valda swallowed her food and tried to explain. "We wanted to see Etna...home." She struggled to find a way of explaining what they were doing here without getting the girl in trouble. But there was no explanation that didn't lead back to Etna's stealing.

She waited for Arlie to say something, but she only looked down at her own broth thoughtfully.

"You wanted to see what Etna does with the food she takes?"

Valda and Tevin paused in their eating, as Arlie lifted the bottom half of the material covering her face to eat her broth.

Tevin forced the food down his throat, suddenly feeling less hungry. "You know about that? Are you going to tell anyone?"

Arlie slurped her broth down, prolonging their agony. "Now would I do something like that?" She smirked beneath her material as they continued to fidget uncomfortably, their broth forgotten in front of them. "Relax you two. The little girl's got nothing to worry about from me."

Valda relaxed but toyed with her spoon whilst Tevin had resumed eating. "So do you know why she takes the food?"

"I do."

They both waited, but Arlie said nothing more.

"So will you tell us?"

Arlie's gaze seemed to look through them as she contemplated something. "No." They went to argue, but she spoke before they could. "But I could show you?"