Alexei said very little as he followed Maria through the streets of Dimesa, making sure to keep his head down whenever they passed by a group of Guards or anyone from the palace who might recognize him. He couldn't believe Maria had agreed to take him outside the palace grounds. Her and Nikolai's resemblance stood out to him now more than it ever had before.

Not only had they left without an escort, but without permission too. That could get both of them into trouble, which she likely knew, but perhaps she was angry enough with his mother, or desperate enough for Nikolai's sake, that she didn't care. Either way, as long as she took him to Volya, Alexei would be happy.

They rounded another corner and arrived in a quiet neighborhood, not as rundown as others, but not eye-catching by any means. Alexei remained quiet and followed Maria up to one of the small houses. The door was already unlocked when she went to open it. Alexei bit his inner cheek nervously and entered behind her.

"Volya," Maria called. "Are you still here?" To herself, she muttered, "He'd better be. If he forgot to lock the door again, I'll take his key and he can sleep outside when he gets home late." Alexei barely swallowed his snicker.

Footsteps sounded in another room and Volya appeared in the doorway. His gaze fell straight to Alexei and a frown darkened his features. "What is he doing here, Mother?"

"She doesn't know so you're going to have to break protocol for once and speak to me yourself," Alexei replied. Volya glanced at Maria, who said nothing. "It's important, Volya. As Captain of the Guard, you need to hear about it, and Nikolai and I are the only ones who know."

Volya folded his arms across his chest and his frown deepened, but he inclined his head. "What is it?"

"Kazimir is plotting to assassinate my father and anyone who might stand in his way, including you. I..." Alexei faltered, realizing now just how little he actually knew about this plot. That would make it even harder to convince Volya to believe him.

"And you know this how?"

Alexei drew a steadying breath and squared his shoulders, forcing himself to meet Volya's copper gaze. "It was Nikolai who discovered the plot. I managed to sneak down to the dungeon to see him after Nastasia woke up and he told me then. There wasn't time for him to give me any specifics other than what I told you."

"So you have no proof and can tell me nothing aside from that?" Alexei offered a sheepish grin. Volya's frown was more of a scowl now. "You expect me to just take my traitor brother's word about something like this?"

"Nikolai is no traitor," Alexei snapped before he could stop himself. "All he's ever done is look out for my family, my sister especially. Maybe he didn't want to become a Guard or join the Order of Knights. Maybe he was wrong in impersonating a Knight and entering the tournament, but his being there saved Nastasia's life several times."

"I heard all about the alliance between Sir Arlov and the Silent Knight. Maybe they didn't know each other's true identity, but they helped each other all the same. Even now, he's imprisoned and he's trying to help my family."

"What do you expect me to do?" Volya huffed. "I can't run around accusing an Emperor of an assassination plot without proof, and without proof, I won't be able to take direct action."

"Help me prevent it. We need to figure out who else might be involved and when it will take place. If we do that, we can stop Kazimir." Alexei hesitated, then added, "And help me figure out a way to free Nikolai. He knows more about the plot. We can't stop it without him."

"I can't just let him go. Your father said he must be held until he questions him, and besides, impersonating a Knight is still a crime."

"You don't have to be involved with that bit. Help me find Nikolai's friends and we'll figure out a way to get him out. You'll know nothing. We need his help, Volya."

Volya sighed and glanced at his mother. Maria was still silent, her arms crossed and features thoughtful. "When does the wedding take place?" He asked.

"The day after tomorrow," Maria answered.

"That's likely when the assassination attempt will occur. Either during or after the ceremony, when everyone is distracted and all of the targets are gathered in one area."

"Are you sure he'd attack with so many guards around?" Alexei pointed out.

"Yes. Haven't you noticed the number of Andrians that arrived with us? I think we picked some up along the way. They look like servants, squires, cooks, and stablehands, but I'm willing to bet they're all trained fighters. Soldiers, if not guards or Knights. If Kazimir attacks, it will be on the day of the wedding."

Volya raised a hand to his forehead and massaged it wearily. "I'll take whatever precautions I can and keep my eyes open, but if this comes to nothing, I'm denying having any knowledge of any of this, especially about whatever you plan to do with Nikolai."

"That's good enough for me," Alexei agreed. "Now where can I find his friends?"

•༻᯽༺•

Alexei peered across The Dancing Bear, searching for any sign of Nikolai's friends. Briefly, he glanced back over his shoulder with a frown. An extra pair of eyes would've been handy in his search, but Volya had chosen to remain outside the tavern.

He wouldn't leave Alexei unescorted on the streets, but apparently he didn't care enough to accompany him inside. Or perhaps he knew Nikolai's friends would be unwilling to talk with him around.

Alexei twisted around a barmaid carrying a tray laden with mugs, taking care to lower his head in case she looked his way. He wasn't too worried about his age being questioned. He was tall enough to pass as someone older, but his features would give him away, both as a young boy and as the Crown Prince. Once the woman was out of sight, Alexei risked a glance about himself.

On the far side of the tavern, he caught sight of a large hole cut into the wall, with wooden doors mounted on rollers on either side of it. Outside the wall stood a rectangular fence with an awning shielding it from the soft drizzle that had begun to fall. The ring was occupied by two men facing each other, their fists curled.

Alexei recognized one as Nikolai's friend Mischa. Beyond the fence, he noticed Yuri and the unfamiliar man who had been accompanying them. There were also the two women who claimed to be friends with Nastasia, Josephine and Elise.

Alexei picked his way towards the ring as the next round of the fight began. He winced when Mischa's fist crunched against his opponent's face and the man went staggering back into the fence. Yuri let out a whoop while Josephine clapped her hands with a beaming grin.

The energy of the crowd swelled the closer Alexei drew to the ring. He stuck to the outskirts of it and made his way outside. Soft raindrops wet his hair until he managed to worm his way beneath the awning and inch closer to Yuri, Josephine, and Elise.

Yuri's companion noticed him before anyone else did. The man's hickory eyes narrowed and he nudged Yuri with an elbow, then jerked his chin towards Alexei. Yuri followed his gaze and his shoulders went rigid. "What are you doing here?" He hissed as soon as Alexei was in hearing.

"I need to speak with you," Alexei replied. "All of you."

Yuri gave an exasperated sigh and leaned towards Josephine and Elise, clearing his throat. "You three go with him and make sure he's not seen. I'll bring Mischa once this round is over."

Josephine and Elise joined Alexei at once with the second man not far behind. Together they made their way outside of the crowd and ducked down the alleyway beside the tavern. As soon as they were safely out of sight, Alexei turned to the man. "I never caught your name."

"Daryn," he answered.

"Your accent tells me you're from Eldon?" Daryn nodded, folding his arms over his chest as a guarded look crept into his gaze. "What are you doing here? You're obviously not a Knight."

"I served as Sir Gareth's aide. After his death, Sir Arlov..." Daryn broke off and cleared his throat. "Or, Nikolai, I suppose, let me travel with his group."

"You didn't know who he was?"

"None of us did," Josephine replied. "No one except Mischa, Yuri, and Danitza."

Alexei knit his brows. "Danitza? Who is she?"

"A Mage who helped us," Yuri answered behind him. Alexei turned and found him approaching with Mischa in tow. "She's keeping out of sight for now. What's going on, your Highness?"

"Is Nikolai all right?" Mischa added, coming to stand beside Josephine. She offered him a gentle smile, and Alexei paid no mind when Mischa slipped his hand into hers.

"He's fine for now, but he'll be better off once we get him out of that cell."

Yuri tilted his head, a wary but curious gleam in his eyes. "What are you talking about?"

They all listened intently while Alexei explained his short meeting with Nikolai and everything he'd discussed with Volya. No one spoke until he had finished. Then Josephine said, "My father arrived with the rest of the Lords yesterday and I overheard them speaking with Queen Serafima."

"She was explaining the seating arrangements she's making for the ceremony. My father and three other Lords will be in a front row with Queen Nesrine and the Dwarf King and Queen, while the remaining three will sit with the King and Queen of Eldon. They're all being separated."

"Or sorted," Daryn remarked. "King Wymond and Queen Lilibet might say they oppose Kazimir's conquest, but if he raises his hand in war, they'll side with him."

"Whereas Queen Nesrine has made it clear that she doesn't support Kazimir's ambitions and Seena won't stand with him," Yuri said, catching onto Daryn's thought. "You're right. They're being sorted into supporters and adversaries."

Elise nodded. "Lord Anton openly disagrees with Kazimir and so do the Lords the Queen said he'd be grouped with. The other three have said they're willing to do whatever it takes to obtain peace."

"I'll pass this on to Volya," Alexei promised. "I'm sure he can arrange additional security for those being threatened. It should be a little easier now that we have a clear idea of who they'll be. As for freeing Nikolai, I think I have an idea. Do you know where to find that Mage you were traveling with?"

Yuri and Mischa both nodded. "But I think it will be difficult to get her involved," Yuri warned. "She's risked a lot for us already."

Alexei grinned. "No one will know it's her. I just need her glamouring abilities." He turned to Josephine and Elise. "And I'll need you two as well." They nodded hesitantly, worry shining in their gazes.

"Give us tomorrow to track down Danitza and persuade her to help us," Yuri said.

"The wedding is the day after. We might not have that much time."

"We'll have to make do. If we can't make it tomorrow, we can at least use the distraction of the wedding to our advantage. We'll just have to be quick."

Alexei pursed his lips but nodded. "I need to get back before Mother and Father notice I'm gone. I trust Josephine or Elise will be able to find me whenever you have an update."

"Maybe not," Elise sighed. "We've barely been able to get out of our rooms at the palace."

"You managed to tonight. You can do it again." Alexei backed towards the alley's exit. "Let me know as soon as you find the Mage." He didn't bother to wait for an acknowledgement.

He returned to the front of the tavern and found Volya right where he'd left him. Alexei passed on the parts of the conversation concerning Volya, but left out everything regarding Nikolai. As promised, he'd give the Captain full deniability. If his plan failed, he would be the only one to blame. He wouldn't let anyone else take the fall for it.