Caleth was feeling rather out of sorts as he and his guard rode through the sleepy village. At least, he figured it would be sleepy on an ordinary day, but today various people lined the streets and peered from the doorways at the royal procession with what seemed to Caleth expressions of reverence mixed with suspicion and perhaps even a little hostility.

It occurred to him that he felt very far from the royal court and its thrum of familiar activity and people, and at once he felt a flash of irritation for being sent on such a mission. Now that he was here, it seemed awfully ridiculous that the ducal family was really in danger in their remote corner of the land, and he wanted nothing more than to pass on the message and go back home to more pressing matters.

And, perhaps, to see the girl, his inner voice reminded him. He had little time to reflect on this reminder, however, as right then he and his riders came upon the grand stone archway marking the entrance to Illyria Manor. With a sigh, he urged his horse and his men forward.

*****

Leia did not know quite what to make of the idea that she was going to see Caleth again. It had been so many years, after all since she saw virtually anyone outside of the village, besides family here and there, and she wasn’t very sure how she should act around members of the royal family, especially ones whose toys she combusted as a child. She wasn’t sure if he would even remember her, or what he would look like anymore.

And what could he possibly want with her family now, of all times? She set her jaw. She may not know the truth behind why her family retreated from the world, but she knew that she needed to protect them from any potential threats, even royal ones. She also knew that she possessed considerable charm, which she had often used to slide her way out of punishments. She smiled to herself – she was going to get her answers as soon as that prince arrived.

 She was suddenly jostled out of her reverie by what appeared to be a walking pile of blankets. News of the imminent royal arrival had sent the household into a flurry of activity. Gwyneth moved quickly from room to room, setting servants to various tasks to make their home presentable. Custom dictated that the homes of the nobility should always be prepared for a royal visit, since they were duty bound to offer hospitality to the monarchs, but since the Illyria family had all but vanished off the court radar, they had become somewhat lax in their regard for that particular rule.

Now, however, it could mean trouble, for when a royal convoy showed up after years of disconnect, it was not the time to be unprepared for them. Leia and Rosai hurried after their mother, helping gather things carelessly strewn about and gathering linens for the maids to make up the guest rooms, while Elias and their father, Darius, ventured outside to ready the stables and greet the convoy when they arrived. Leia was just helping her maid, Brisia, tuck a luxurious quilt over an enormous, four poster guest bed, when her mother appeared at the doorway looking thoughtful.

“Leia, darling, leave the quilt please. Brisia can handle it. There’s something rather important I need you to look after now.” When Leia raised a questioning eyebrow, Gwyneth continued. “In the kitchen, there’s a large basket, filled with food and salves. Rohad and Lianor mentioned that old Elsabeth is looking rather ill and that although she refuses to ask for it, she needs help. We’re the closest people to her, and you know how she’s all alone out in the forest, so I thought you could take the basket to her and see how she’s doing. She is awfully fond of you, after all. Could you please look after her right away? I know you can handle yourself, but take Nyx and Eos along as well for my peace of mind. They’d love a good run anyway.” After finishing her speech rather fast, Gwyneth gave a quick nod, and turned on her heel, as if the conversation was finished right there. Which, of course, it was certainly not.

 “You can’t be serious, Mama! Why on earth would you want me to leave, just as the royal convoy is supposed to arrive? I have to...” at this, Leia trailed away, not wanting to reveal that she planned on grilling Caleth. “But besides, I saw Elsabeth yesterday and I happen to know that she was the picture of health, so unless her illness is of the swift and unannounced variety, then I’d say it’s more likely that it’s of the false variety.” She stared accusingly at her mother, and when Gwyneth’s eyes shifted slightly, Leia gasped. “You did make it up!”

A sudden thought occurred to her, and she became suspicious once again. “Are you trying to get me away from the manor when the convoy arrives?” Looking at her mother’s face, she sensed that this was true. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Her mother was not a rash or frivolous person, and she rarely did anything without a purpose. Gwyneth hadn’t answered her question, but since she knew the answer, Leia continued, “Why, Mama? Why don’t you want me to meet Prince Caleth?” For some reason, she felt that this was what her mother was worried about. Gwyneth sighed.

“Let’s talk, sweetie. Not here, everyone is busy here,” she grabbed Leia’s hand and pulled her along into her personal study. Leia looked around her in surprise; she and her siblings were not allowed into their mother’s study when they were young, and so they had more or less kept the habit of staying out.

Gwyneth turned to face her, and Leia waited for her explanation. “You know that we left the court for a reason. I always told you that it was because you were too special to be shared with anyone else, and you know now that we did not want anyone to catch on to just how special you are. Well, I just don’t know if this would be a good time for the prince, who knew you as a child, to see you again. I don’t know if you’re ready, and I think it would still be best if the court was kept as much in the dark about you as possible. Caleth never knew Rosai or Elias well, and they were so young that he or his escorts wouldn’t have much memory of them, so there is less to worry about with them. I just wouldn’t want him to report back to the council and have them become more...curious... about our life here. Do you understand why I feel this way?”

Leia stood thoughtfully for a moment. She hadn’t considered the risk to her family’s peace that a royal visit might entail, or what repercussions there might be to seeing Prince Caleth again. She had been so determined to get answers that she had let her family’s welfare come second. Just why she might be so interesting to the council was still somewhat of a mystery, and she wasn’t  sure that Caleth was really such a risk, but if her mother was so concerned, then Leia knew she should probably agree. She looked up at Gwyneth, who smiled, reading what Leia had decided.

“I’m sure Elsabeth would appreciate the food and salves anyhow. Cook has it all set up for you, and I’m sure Nyx and Eos are lurking around somewhere.”

“Wait,” interjected Leia, “I also want to know why you want me to take them with me so badly.” Gwyneth smiled at that.

“For the same reason as I don’t want them to see you. Phantasii haven’t been seen in centuries, and I think a pair of them quite so striking as your kitties would cause quite a stir, don’t you?” Leia chuckled as she heard a proud purring from the doorway.

“As always, showing up exactly in time to hear your praise, Eos.” She went to him and buried her hand in his soft fur. “You’re going to get a big, fluffy head."

Well, bigger than it already is, anyway, added Nyx, who appeared like a shadow behind her brother. Eos growled, and nipped at her midnight ear, and Leia laughed.

“You’re right, Mama, plus they would probably just embarrass us anyway.”

The cats stopped their bickering and turned to Leia with indignant huffs before stalking away, surreptitiously in the direction of kitchen, where they would be waiting for her and taking advantage of the plentiful leftovers. Leia gave her mother a kiss on the cheek and smiled. “Good luck. Send Elias over as soon as you can because I don’t want to go a minute longer than I have to without knowing what is going on.”

“I will, darling. Be safe, and watch out for anything strange.” Leia nodded and hurried to join the cats in the kitchen, as bells rang through the house, indicating the arrival of the convoy. She had to leave, now.

Once in the kitchen, she gathered the basket and put on a shawl, wrapping it over her silvery hair, just in case anyone was lurking around who shouldn’t be. She turned to Nyx and Eos. “You two please wait until I’ve reached the edge of the forest before coming after me. I just want to make sure you won’t be seen by the convoy, so if I get stopped by anyone unfamiliar, don’t follow unless I call for you, okay?”

Very well, nodded Nyx, but if anyone tries to harm you we won’t stand by and watch. Eos growled his agreement.

“No one will try to harm me,” Leia reassured them. “This is our home, remember? We just don’t want any unnecessary attention. Make sure to look around before you come out too.”

With this, she turned around and peered out the door. Seeing the path ahead of her empty, she stepped out into the garden. She slipped into the hedge maze, which she knew by the back of her hand. It was unlikely that anyone would be wandering around in there, and the hedges would keep her hidden from view. She began to hurry through, enjoying the sound of the wind whistling through the garden, tousling the tops of the hedges. So immersed was she in her surroundings that her feet took over and instinctively guided her through. It was because of this that she was totally unprepared to meet an unfamiliar obstacle around the next corner, and snapped back to attention only as she crashed into its hard surface and tumbled to the ground, letting out a sharp cry as she fell.

Seeing stars, Leia picked herself up and tried to smooth out her dress as she assessed exactly what had just happened. Hearing a groan, she jumped and darted a look to the ground, where a decidedly male figure was also picking himself up.

“You have all the grace of a wild galloping horse, don’t you,” the figure grumbled, peering down and brushing himself off. Leia stared at him with affront, forgetting her earlier decision to be wary.

“Excuse me? I have no grace? I know exactly where I’m heading, thank you very much, and you happened to be in the way, something which I was not expecting. Now would you like to tell me just why you were standing like a lump in the middle of Illyria’s maze?” Now it was his turn to sound affronted.

“What the blazes do you think? I’m lost in this hellish labyrinth, and am going crazy trying to find my way out!” Leia began to chuckle at his childishness, since the maze was not altogether complicated, but it died in her throat as he looked up and locked eyes with her.

Jolts of electricity began to tingle and sizzle along her skin. A buzzing began in her fingertips and quickly spread throughout her limbs and into her very core, where her heart began to shiver. Looking down at her palms, it seemed to her that they gave off a glowing flash, and she swore that for a split second, the man’s figure glowed in echo. As quickly as it had happened, the feeling vanished, save for a residual tingle in her fingertips, and as it rescinded, she recognized the eyes staring back at her challengingly.

“Caleth?” She whispered.