The Inn, Salmo, Satis Orbis

    It took Evert a few minutes to get to the creek and when he did Daphne and Adrastea were sitting casually by the age, trying not to shiver to death.

    "It certainly took you long enough," Adrastea muttered.

    "Berglund talked to his highness longer than I anticipated," Evert explained.

    "His highness?...Do you mean Teo? Is he here?"

    Daphne watched the exchange carefully and her brain set off alarms bells at the familiar use of the name and also the alarmed tone Adrastea used rather than one of surprise.

    "His highness?" Daphne asked. "Teo? Do you know the prince well enough to be calling him by first name?"

    Evert looked over at Daphne and his expression was blank, but inside his own head alarm bells were also going off.

    "She does not know?" Evert asked quietly.

    Adrastea paused and sat there vacantly for several long moments, her mouth constantly opening and shutting before any words came out.

    "Well...Uh...Um...Well you see-"

    "Never mind, we do not have time for this," Evert cut her off, getting back on his horse.

    Adrastea and Daphne mounted their horses as well and followed the scout captain back to the Inn where they returned the horses and went inside.

    "Come," Evert said, speaking to Adrastea. "Someone wishes to see you."

    Adrastea stopped in her tracks and looked up the stairs in surprise. Someone wanted to see her? Was that even possible? No one knew who she was except Evert. Even Daphne was in the dark as to her true identity. Who could possible want to see her?

    "Well stop staring and go on," Daphne prompted her, giving a none-too-gentle nudge with her elbow.

    Adrastea obeyed and followed Evert up the rickety staircase and then down the dim hallway to the room at the end of the hall. Evert wrapped on the door four times with a sharp pause in between each one and a familiar voice saying 'come in' put Adrastea in a near trance as the door opened.

    Across the dim room, sitting by the window enveloped in a warm gold light, sat Wren, his familiar dark beard graying slightly but his gray eyes still as sharp and alert as ever.

    "Hello Adrastea," he greeted in his deep voice. "Have you been well?"

    Adrastea's mouth hung open and her eyes were larger than walnuts as she stumbled into the room, staring at the ghost before her.

    "Do not look so surprised," Wren said with a small laugh. "Be back I said I would."

    Adrastea gained control of herself once more and closed her mouth, narrowing her eyes and folding both arms.

    "Surprised I am not by your return. Surprised I am by the nerve you have for turning up three years too late," she replied hotly, but she could not help a smile from creeping across her solemn features.

    "For that I am deeply sorry," Wren bowed slightly. "Time never was in my favor."

    "Well, I forgive you," Adrastea said in the most dignified manner she could muster. "Good to see you it is Wren, but why are you here?"

    Wren breathed deep and stood up, slowly pacing the floor.

    "Well, in one respect came to find you I did, but in another, I came to put a stop to Haldit's plans of infiltration," he explained.

    "What do you mean?" Adrastea asked, confused.

    "To form an alliance with Berglund from the Grapevine he does wish. It would mean the end of Arietes as we know it."

    "Afraid you are too late, I am," Teo's voice came from the doorway.

    Evert and Wren looked up at the voice and Adrastea spun around in surprise,not having heard anyone approaching.

    Once Teo registered her presence he bowed politely.

    "I am sorry for interrupting," he said. "But who might you be?"

    Adrastea stared at him blankly for a moment. Did he really not recognize her?When he simply stared back she realized that he did not and it made her want to both laugh and cry at the same time. She found it funny that her own brother did not recognize her after three years, but then again, she did not find it very funny that three years could make such a difference in ones appearance.

    "Your own sister I am," she said calmly, looking at him with pursed lips and one eyebrow raised. "Changed much you have not."

    Teo continued to stare blankly for a moment and then he narrowed his eyes, tilting his dark head to one side as though he were examining a horse. Then recognition lit up in his face and his eyes widened.

    "Adrastea!" he gasped. "How could it be?"

    "Difficult to believe is it really?" she asked, giving Evert a side glance.

    He had recognized her instantly, black hair and all. It was strange to think her own brother could not believe it, but then she remembered that Teo never was very good at remembering faces. It gave her some consolation, but still the thought nagged at her.

    "Suppose to be dead you were," Teo said, still in shock.

    "Uncle Haldit wished no one to know about my existence it would seem, except bounty hunters and murderers."

    "What do you mean?"

    "Over twenty attempts were made to find me in the past year," Adrastea explained, the thought rather dull as though it had been overthought for far too many years and had gone blunt. "Does everyone believe me dead?"

    "Afraid I am that they do," Teo said in an apologetic tone.

    The conversation stopped there. Adrastea never really thought about the kingdom anyway. Her mind had been occupied by more important thoughts for the past three years and to know that everyone had forgotten her was no great shock.

    "Your highness," Wren prompted Teo. "What was it you said earlier?"

    "We are too late. Tried to stop the alliance I did but there was no use. My uncle and Berglund had already signed the contract."

    Evert groaned and ran one hand through his hair, slumping down on a nearby chair.

    "What now?" he asked.

    "Know I do not," Wren replied, continuing to pace.

    "They sail at dawn. The fleet will be following us," Teo said.

    It seemed their plan had failed before it even began.

    "You cannot go back," Adrastea said, looking at Evert. "You promised to help me."

    "It would seem I did," Evert replied, dropping his hand from his head. "Therefore I believe it courteous to inform you that the man you asked about will be sailing to Arietes tomorrow morning. It seems he recently became the second in command of the Grapevine after the first one tried smuggling goods over the back wall through way of a crooked guard."

    Evert chuckled a little at the thought but his pleasure only lasted momentarily. 

    "How do you know that?" Teo asked.

    "Amazed you would be at how loose a drunk man's tongue can be."

    Adrastea remembered the band of men at Crow Haven and realized quickly that she was not at all surprised. They may be able to take over a whole kingdom but they did not do it with their words and looks. 

    "If he sails tomorrow than I must go find him," she said after only a moment of thought.

    She abruptly turned for the door but Evert leaped in front and blocked the way, looking down at the princess with a curious expression. 

    "Why is it so urgent that you find him?" he asked in a lowered voice.

    "That is none of your concern."

    The two of them stood there for a minute, neither of them wanting to give up first, when a finger tapped lightly on Evert's shoulder and Daphne's comedic face appeared over it as she stood on tiptoe.

    "Excuse me," she said in Satarian. "But I couldn't help but overhear as you have a tendency to yell." She shot a look at Adrastea. "Why don't we simply sail back with these pleasant folks and catch up with Hammond in Arietes?"

    "We?" Adrastea raised an eyebrow skeptically.

    "I need to find him as well, remember?"

    Evert moved out of the way and let Daphne enter the room, but he did not move far enough to give Adrastea  a chance to dash out.

    "Adrastea-" Wren started but Daphne cut him off.

    "Adrastea? Why does that name sound familiar?"

    Evert and Adrastea exchanged nervous glances and Wren stood watching carefully. It had been so long since anyone had seen the princess and the need to be secretive had lost its urgency.

    "I feel as though I heard it recently...Maybe back in Arietes?...That's right!" Daphne snapped her fingers. "Adrastea was that missing princess, right?" She looked at Adrastea for confirmation but her cheery disposition faded when she saw the looks on everyone's faces.

    After a quick look around the room Daphne's hazel eyes landed back on Adrastea and she dropped her poised hand, a light of realization washing over her face.

    "You're the missing princess, aren't you?" she said in a toneless voice.

    Adrastea nodded slowly, not sure why she was confirming it. After all, no one thought of her as the royal princess anymore and she herself preferred it that way. It would have been so much easier to stay Aule, but then Evert showed up bringing the past along with him on a loaded packing mule. 

    Daphne handled the situation rather well, taking a moment to remember all the embarrassing things she had said and done to the princess of Arietes and then taking another moment to realize that she did not regret a single one of them.

    "Well, that actually makes a lot of sense," she muttered.

    Adrastea rolled her eyes but said nothing, knowing that  a comment at such a time would only push Daphne's opinion onto the wrong side of the fence.

    "Take me with you."

    Once again Daphne and Adrastea both almost toppled over backwards from a heart attack as the small voice cut through their moment of silence and they each looked exasperated at Caelum who stood in the doorway, his small stature looking positively petite next to Evert.

    Adrastea and Daphne exchanged a quick glance and they both realized that each of them had forgotten completely about the boy for the second time that day, only this time Adrastea actually felt slightly bad about it. Not once in her life had she ever met someone who was so easy to forget, and it unsettled her in a strange way.

    "Why do you keep doing that?" Daphne asked breathlessly.

    Caelum did not answer but looked up at Adrastea with those same dark eyes and pleaded without words. Though she never had been one to give in easily to something she did not want to do, Adrastea felt herself wanting to say yes to him. And of course such a feeling made her uneasy once again.

    "That is ridiculous. You cannot go with us," she said harshly.

    The room became awkwardly silent and the rain that had subsided somewhat began to pour in bucketfuls once more, banging against the window violently. 

    "Adrastea, I must speak with you privately," Wren said, taking Adrastea by the elbow and leading her out the door.

    Once they were down the hall a ways he let go and whispered, "Did you tell that boy who you really are?"

    "No! Of course not," Adrastea replied, shocked that Wren could think so little of her. 

    "Then I do not think it wise to leave him behind."

    Adrastea paused and looked up at Wren with wide eyes.

    "Why?"

    "He informed Evert and me earlier that you were heading for Crow Haven," Wren said quietly.

    "Oh but that is nothing. He overheard Daphne and me, that is all."

    Wren shook his head.

    "No. First of all, he knew which room Evert and I were in and he knew that we wanted to find you. Second of all, he never mentioned your name. He just said that the princess was headed for Crow Haven." 

    Adrastea looked back at the open door of Wren's room and thought back to every minute with Caelum, however brief they were. When they had first met she assumed he was an orphan and that he snuck onto the ship to get to Satis, but what was he doing in Arietes in the first place? Why was he so intent on going with her even though she had been rude and uncaring? All these questions rolled through her thoughts as well as several others, each one posing more questions. Who was this boy? Where did he come from? He looked human but after all the things Wren had said, Adrastea was beginning to doubt herself and her ability to know the race of someone, or anything about them for that matter.

    "What do we do?" she muttered.

    It was too dangerous to leave him behind. There was no telling who he might go to if they did not comply to his wishes, but it was also very dangerous and inconvenient to bring a little boy along, and such a small skinny one at that.

    "We must take him," Wren replied.

    He was right of course. There was no way about it and Adrastea knew that.

    Sighing she went back to the room, followed closely by Wren, and they found Evert and Daphne both leaning casually against the wall deep in a conversation about palace life while Teo just paced back and forth. Caelum was still standing in the doorway, waiting for Adrastea.

    "Aren't there a lot of people there?" Daphne asked.

    "Yes, but you get used to it."

    "Oh I don't think I could," Daphne laughed. "People seem to repel me. I always get in trouble when I'm around large groups of them...Hello!" 

    Daphne raised her eyebrows in question when Adrastea walked through the door and the princess shrugged. Not a very helpful gesture, according to Daphne.

    "Will you take me?" Caelum asked expectantly.

    Adrastea sighed and nodded.

    "Yes. You may come."

    Caelum's face brightened noticeably and it seemed at that very moment the pouring rain came to a stop, leaving only a slight dripping sound coming from the window sill. 

    Daphne looked from the boy to Adrastea and wondered what made her change her mind so quickly. After spending over a week with the Cieven girl Daphne learned that if anything, Adrastea was stubborn. That was one thing they actually had in common.

    "I suggest everyone get a good night's sleep before we set out," Wren said, his deep voice encouraging no argument.

    "What time do we leave?" Daphne asked.

    "At dawn. Be up before then."

    Daphne slumped her shoulders and let out a small groan, heading for the door. If there was one thing she hated more than sailing, it was waking up early. This was not going to be a very pleasant trip and everyone knew it.

                The next morning Adrastea found herself prodding Daphne in the arm and pulling the thick blankets off of the girl's unconscious body. After the sudden shock of being vulnerable to the cold Daphne curled up a ball on the bed and muttered something under her breath, still not getting up.

    "Get up!" Adrastea prodded her again.

    Nothing.

    "I said, GET UP!" This time Adrastea kicked Daphne hard in the back and sent her rolling off the bed and onto the floor where she groaned far longer than was necessary. 

    "You are pathetic," Adrastea told her.

    Daphne did not answer but sat up with half-closed sleepy eyes, dark curls all flipped over to one side and falling in her face.

    "What time is it?" she asked, scratching her head.

    "Not sure. But we should have left for the docks five minutes ago."

    Daphne looked up at Adrastea with wide eyes and leaped to her feet, grabbing frantically for her boots.

    "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

    "I tried," Adrastea said. "Ten times."

    Daphne did not answer for she knew that Adrastea was not lying. No one was ever lying when they said it was almost impossible to wake Daphne up. Not anyone who had tried at least.

             Evert and Wren stood on the cold docks, arms at their sides and eyes scanning all about as they were accustomed to. Neither of them really felt the bite of the icy morning air and neither of them would have let it show if it did bother them. Teo on the other hand was jogging back and forth on the boardwalk, hitting his arms to get the blood circulation going. 

    "So cold it is," he muttered, blowing on his hands.

    Evert and Wren both looked at him with no expression then went back to their scanning, leaving Teo to envy their strength or internal body warmth, whichever one it was.

    "Where are those girls?" Evert mumbled impatiently.

    "They will be here in time," Wren replied calmly. "To invested Adrastea is to be late."

    Evert nodded in agreement but it did not keep him from constantly looking down the road that led to the Inn. 

    As he stood there his thoughts wandered back to what Adrastea had said the day before. It bothered him the whole night and was now nagging in the back of his head as though there was something they were not seeing. She had mentioned the attempts made to bring her back in the past year, but nothing about the two years before that. It seemed odd that everyone would start looking for her several years after she went missing.

    "Is something wrong?" Wren asked, noticing Evert's confused expression.

    "Huh? Oh, no...Well, yes actually," Evert replied. "Why all of a sudden did Haldit start searching for Adrastea?...Told us she did that in the past year over twenty attempts were made to bring her back. Two years after her disappearance that is."

    Wren breathed deep the morning air and looked out across the ocean. It seemed calm enough, considering the huge storm that had passed through Salmo, but the weather was not what worried Wren.

    "Yes," he said. "Worried about that I have been too...Although to say it I do not wish, Haldit would have killed Adrastea long ago. Limited his resources are not and I know of a certain stranger that has entered the palace. You know of her?"

    "Yes. I do not trust her."

    "Neither do I," Wren continued. "She is dangerous, but more importantly, something she has said changed Haldit's mind. For something else he does need Adrastea. He cannot kill her until it is achieved."