"So that was your father?" Ace asked Ina as they made their way back to the Swans' camp.

Ina nodded, her expression unreadable.

"Nasty ratface, futterwacken, fungus head," Bill mumbled.

Ace cleared his throat. "Ah, I may be prying a bit here, but did you always think he was a ratface, futterwacken, fungus head?"

"Yes."

"Even when he was married to Alice's mother?"

Bill hesitated. "Well, to be honest, before Alice married him, no one had ever paid him any mind. I mean, I was suspicious of him when he showed an interest in the Queen right after Reggie died. But other than that, he was quiet and unassuming. Nothing about him stood out, so we didn't think much about him one way or the other."

"That was your first mistake," Ina said.

Turning on her, Bill narrowed her eyes. "What, you knew all along he was scum?"

Ina met her sharp gaze with her own withering stare. "Of course I did. He was my father. I knew all of the horrible things he had already done."

"Such as?"

"Kill my mother for one."

Both Ace and Bill stopped when she said this. Ina continued walking through the forest as they exchanged glances. Snapping out of their daze, they ran after her.

"Wait, he killed your mother?" Bill said.

"Yes."

"So he has a history of uxoricide," Ace mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell us this back when you were in the Swans?" Bill asked.

Ina glanced over her shoulder. "You mean back when you took us in as supposed survivors of a brutal massacre of an unknown tribe of thieves? When I was only three years old? Would you have believed a toddler if she had told you her father had murdered her mother right in front of her and sworn that if she ever spoke a word of it to anyone he would slit her throat as well?"

Her words stopped Bill in her tracks. Swallowing hard, she looked away. "I didn't know. I'm sorry," she said softly.

With her expression as unreadable as ever, Ina continued on her way, leaving Bill behind. Ace trotted after her. "He really threatened to slit your throat?" he asked.

"Yes."

"His own daughter?"

She gave a wry smile. "I was never meant to exist. Why should he have any sort of affection for me?"

They had arrived at the camp, and Ina moved towards her tent, but Ace grabbed her arm and tugged her into the shadows. Ina looked confused and nervous as he placed his hands on her shoulders and stooped down to meet her eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked.

Refusing to hold his gaze, Ina looked away. "My mother was one of the Swans. My father—a penniless thief with an agenda of his own—charmed her into bed in order to gain more information about the Queen. He chose the wrong girl, though, and didn't get much. So he left her, not realizing she was with child. When he ran into her again, she had left the Swans and I was already a toddler. She was so furious with him that she tried to kill him. But he was stronger, and he overpowered her."

She closed her eyes and took a trembling breath. The pained expression on her face made Ace's heart ache, but he listened to her patiently without interrupting.

Opening her eyes again, she continued. "He planned to kill me next, but then he came up with a better idea. Thinking that they would take pity on a widower and his small child, he decided to go to the Swans and beg them to take us in, coming up with some elaborate story about our tribe having been massacred or whatnot. It worked, and he told me that if I ever told anyone the truth about who we were, he would kill me. With the image of my mother being murdered fresh in my mind, I knew he would make good on his threat."

A twinge of emotion caused her voice to catch when she spoke the word "mother," and her face crumpled as she held back tears. Swallowing a knot in his throat, Ace pulled her into a tight embrace. Her muscles went stiff, but as he held her close, she slowly began to relax.

"Ina, I am so sorry you had to go through all that," he whispered.

"It's fine. I survived."

He pulled away, still holding her shoulders. "It's not fine. No parent should treat their child in such a way. It's despicable."

She shrugged. "While he was not an ideal father, I still had the memories of my mother to remind me of what a real family should be like. And then I had Queen Alice, short as her role was as my stepmother." A soft smile spread across her face. "She could be quite intimidating at times, especially when in possession of a weapon, but she was a very warm and loving mother. And her first husband was so good-natured. Alice is lucky to have had such a wonderful family."

Sighing, Ace put his arm around Ina's shoulders and pulled her close. "Well, now you have us."

"'Us'?"

"Me and Alice. I'm not sure how wonderful we are, but we'll try our best. Like Alice said, we're family now. And I will make it my sworn duty to never, ever let anyone treat you like your father did. On my honor as a captain, I will refuse to let it happen again."

Though it was hard to see in the dark, Ace could have sworn Ina's cheeks blushed a very light pink. She looked down at the ground, a flustered smile on her lips.

"And I'm more convinced than ever that we're going to defeat that rat-faced father of yours," he said as he led her over to the fire.

"As little affection as I hold for my father, I really don't understand this rat comparison. Most people find him handsome and charming."

"Only a rat would threaten to kill his daughter and use her to advance his position." He glanced down at her. "We're going to overthrow him. I swear it."

She smiled up at him, and Ace was touched to have such a guarded person drop her mask around him, even for a moment. However, footsteps pounded against the ground, interrupting their conversation. They looked up to find a heavyset woman with long, black hair running towards them, panic written all over her face.

"We have a slight problem," the woman said.

Ace furrowed his brow.

"A problem?" Bill said, finally catching up to them.

The woman nodded as a young man with scarred hands joined her. "It's Alice," he said.

A pit dropped in Ace's stomach, and he felt Ina go stiff again.

"What about Alice?" Bill said, her words clipped and cold as she pushed past Ina and Ace and approached the two Swans.

The young man and the woman shared a nervous glance. "Well, we went to see if she'd like some supper," the woman started, "but she seemed to be asleep."

"Except it didn't look like she was breathing," the young man continued. "So we went to check on her and—"

"She was gone," the woman finished.

Ace inhaled sharply. Releasing Ina, he raced to the tent he shared with Alice only to find their makeshift bed a jumble of blankets and strategically-placed pillows. Clenching his teeth, he searched for any sign of where she may have gone, but there was nothing. He cursed her expertise at sneaking out.

As he returned outside to the others, he found Bill interrogating the rest of the tribe. A sense of dread and fear had taken over, and Ace wasn't sure if it was due to Alice's disappearance or Bill's fury.

Ina slipped away from the commotion and approached Ace.

"Nothing," he sighed. "She left nothing behind."

"Meaning?"

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, if I know Alice, it means she was not kidnapped but rather set out on her own."

"Why would she do that?"

He shook his head. "Honestly, I don't even know anymore. She's been so secretive. I mean, once everything was revealed about you and the Swans, I thought maybe she'd be more open with me. But who knows anymore."

Ina stroked her chin in thought. "Is it possible she went out to investigate the Black Swans on her own?"

His eyes went wide as he considered this. "Yes. Yes, it's very possible. Probable, even."

Ina's eyes flicked to the rest of the tribe. "We need to go back before she gets herself killed."

Nodding, Ace followed her as she slipped past Bill undetected and made her way back into the forest. "Shouldn't we tell the others?" he asked.

"No, the fewer people, the easier it will be. Besides, if Bill comes, she'll want to take charge. And she is not the person we need to take the lead in finding Alice."

"And who is?"

Ina looked at him like he had asked the most inane question ever to be asked. "You are."

"Me?"

"Yes. I've only just met you, but it's clear you know my sister very well. If anyone has a chance of finding her in a timely manner, it's you."

Though he wasn't so certain of how well he knew Alice anymore, Ace nodded and followed after Ina. As they slipped quickly past the trees and underbrush, he was haunted by Ina's story about her father's cruelty. If that man had been willing to kill his own daughter, he wouldn't hesitate to do away with his step-daughter, especially since she was the Heir to the throne he had usurped.

Pushing his panicked thoughts aside, he reminded himself that Alice was strong and capable. She had her smol, she had the Vorpal Sword, and she had her cleverness. She would be fine.

Still, he couldn't help but pick up his speed as they wove their way through the forest.