Old Lady Willow's Hut, Arietes Orbis
Year: 4995

   Aule sat at the table with Old Lady Willow, pulling the leaves off of parsley stems and putting them in a large wooden colander. The sun was laying low behind the mountain peaks and dark, elongated shadows were beginning to form at the tree line and behind ever bush, building, and standing figure in all of Arietes. Cephalus and Adrastea had failed to return before supper and though neither of them looked it, both were on the edge of their seats just waiting for the sound of hoof beats coming towards the hut.

   "Oh!" Aule slammed her palms down on the table. "Why are they not back yet?"

   Standing up she limped over to the window and pulled the burlap curtain aside, scanning the forest below for any sign of life. 

   "They will come. No need to worry yourself," Willow spoke softly, continuing to pick at the parsley.

   Aule took no heed of her words and grabbed one of the cloaks off of the rack by the door, throwing it over her shoulders and running out the door. The air was colder than usual and bit at Aule's exposed face more then she cared for, but it was not something that would hurry her back inside. She was determined to wait, for however long a time it took, for Adrastea and Cephalus to come riding up the slope. 

   Thankfully Aule did not have to wait long. A quarter of an hour later, sitting on the wood pile, she saw the faint shape of a horse and rider coming out of the woods, promptly followed by another. The second Aule recognized quickly as Adrastea, her face void of any expression, but the first rider was not Cephalus. It was a younger man with black hair and dark skin, draped in furs and leather.

   "Miguel?" Aule whispered, wondering if it was him.

   She had not seen Pavia's younger brother for quite some time and he looked more like Didac than what she remembered. But of course, the man riding the horse was still too young to be Didac Pavia. 

   The two of them rode silently up the slope and stopped in front of Aule. Even though it had only been a few minutes the sky was very nearly dark and the wind biting cold. Too cold for Adrastea's taste. Glumly she got off the horse and wordlessly handed the reins to the Miguel, not even saying a quick thank you before heading into the hut. Aule followed Adrastea with her cool blue eyes until the door shut and then shook her dark head, sighing a little.

   "Come inside won't you? It is quite cold," Aule offered with a friendly smile.

   Miguel's dark face very rarely had an expression on it and this moment was no exception. He simply bowed his head courteously and said, "I shall respectfully decline." heading back down the slope.

   With that Aule shook her head again and limped into the house, glaring at Adrastea but not saying anything. Old Lady Willow was already working her over.

   "To thank someone who helped you is polite. Be so rude again you never shall," Willow said, getting out of her chair.

   Adrastea said nothing but stared at the wall, her solemn face determined to never think of another person ever again. She had made up her mind. Wren had been kicked out of the palace and Evert had deserted her. There was nothing left for her but a terrible lonesome life in the mountains, alone and away from prying eyes. 

   "Where is Cephalus?" Aule asked quietly.

   She could see that Adrastea was not in the mood for talking, but they deserved to know what happened.

   "Pavia, or whatever his name is, stormed the palace and rescued the head scout Wren from execution. Cephalus stayed behind to help sort things out...They sent me back," Adrastea answered sharply, turning and walking back out the door.

   "Who does she think she is?" Aule asked. 

   She had finished up the parsley and was now dumping it all in a bowl of water, mixing it around with her hands.

   "Happened a lot has," Willow said, her scratchy voice low. "In shock she is."

   "Oh well. Sure I am that she will recover soon."

   Old Lady Willow hobbled over to the window and stared out at the darkening sky, her wrinkled hands clasping and unclasping the head of her cane. Her thoughts wandered over the dark trees, their bows swaying heavily in the harsh mountain wind, and she slowly, strangely, began to understand the young Princess. Not once had she cried over the loss of her parents, even though she was young, but it was quite evident that the grief was more than she could handle, causing the already difficult Cieven to sink into a dark pit of not living, but surviving.

   "She will? I am not so sure," said Willow quietly.

   Her old eyes averted themselves to the end of the wood pile where she could see Adrastea, sitting alone on the ground, legs crossed and back strait. Once again she was not crying but simply staring off blankly, trying to think but not wanting to.

   I will survive, she thought solemnly. And take back what is mine I shall.

           The next morning Aule woke at sunrise to the sound of hoof beats on the ground. Looking out the window she saw Cephalus riding up the slope and she leaped out of bed, throwing a warm cloak over her shoulders and limping out the door.

   "You are late," she said, a smile on her face.

   Cephalus did not answer and dismounted, throwing the reins over a post stuck in the ground by the wood pile.

   "Decided to sleep outside has she?" he asked, gesturing towards Adrastea who was passed out on the ground.

   "Sleep inside she did not wish," Aule replied without much care.

   The two of them went into the hut to find Willow setting out the breakfast table. It was the regular morning meal of cooked oatmeal and, if lucky, some honey and milk to go with it. 

   "Good morning, Cephalus," Old Lady Willow greeted him. "Where have you been?"

   "I suppose Adrastea told you about the skirmish. I stayed behind to help get Wren's family to safety...Haldit was going to arrest them as well."

   "Wren has a family?" came Adrastea's voice. 

   She had just woken up and found herself stiff and cold from the heavy dew fall, her long hair tangled and dirty and her face covered in mud on one side.

   "Goodness," Aule smiled. "A mess you certainly are."

   "What about Wren?" Adrastea prompted. "What happened? Will he come for me?"

   Cephalus unclasped his cloak and hung it on one of the hooks beside the door, walking over to the water basin and washing his hands thoroughly as he talked.

   "It was decided that you would stay here."

   "Here?" Adrastea repeated in dismay, staggering slightly. "For how long?"

   Cephalus shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows?"

   Adrastea stared at him, forgetting her vow to never show emotion again, and sank to the ground in a tired heap. So Wren had forgotten her. He even had a family she had never known about.

   "Come now," Aule said, walking over to the forlorn girl. "Get on up. Before eating you must have those bandages changed."

   Aule reached out to help Adrastea get up but the girl shoved her hand aside, shooting up off the ground like a sapling in the spring. 

   "Let go of me!" she shouted. "Your help I do not wish to hire."

   Aule looked down at Adrastea's hurt arm and saw that it was still in place and she moved as though it did not hurt much.

   Working the medicine must be, thought Aule, turning away from Adrastea.

   "What is wrong with you anyway?" Adrastea glared at Aule. "A doctor you are not."

   Aule ignored the spiteful comment but Cephalus harshly grabbed Adrastea by the shoulder and shoved her into a chair at the table.

   "I think it best you abstain from such remarks in the future," he said with the note of a challenge in his voice. "You are lucky to be alive."

   Adrastea refused to make eye contact and stared fiercely at the bowl of oatmeal in front of her.

   "What is this?" she asked, ignoring Cephalus's warning.

   "Breakfast," Old Lady Willow chuckled.

   "Why are you laughing?" 

   "You Princess. Seen porridge before you have not. That is most likely anyway."

   Adrastea did not answer, dipping her wooden spoon into the hot substance. After a spoonful or two she decided that it was not the best meal she had ever eaten, but it would suffice for the time being.

   "If I am to stay here what am I to do?" she asked in a dry tone. "It would seem you have not many sources of entertainment...However, I do not seek entertainment. I wish to learn the skills of your trade, Cephalus."

   Cephalus looked up from his porridge with raised eyebrows.

   "The trapping and selling of furs?"

   "No," Adrastea shook her head. "The other trade...I must survive in order to win back my kingdom."

   Cephalus leaned back in his chair and surveyed the princess. She met his gaze with steady green eyes but although he saw determination and courage in them, he did not see sincerity. At least, not the sincerity he was looking for. It was quite obvious that Adrastea wanted more than anything to learn how to survive in the wild and to win back something, but Cephalus was not convinced that she spoke of the kingdom. After all, she had never held the kingdom in her palm as the late king and queen had and she was not the crown princess. So why would she make such a remark unless it was to cover up something else?

   "The kingdom is not yours to win back," Cephalus said mildly. 

   Adrastea snapped her eyes at him but remained calm, which to Cephalus was a dead giveaway that she most certainly was not telling the truth of what she planned on doing.

   "The crown prince I may not be, but that does not mean I wish evil upon the land I was born to."

   "Your patriotism astounds me," Cephalus answered. "But if you wish to lie you must learn to do it properly. I know that you have other plans for your time in this world rather than being reinstated as the princess, so don't try and fool us with all your aristocratic garbage about death and loyalty."

   Adrastea slammed her fists on the table and stood up, ignoring the searing pain that shot through her injured elbow.

   "How dare you!"

   "NO!" Cephalus shouted back, standing up as well.

   He took a menacing step forward until Adrastea had to step back,  Cephalus looking down on her from over a foot of height difference.

   "How dare you," he said quietly. "You're not a princess anymore. If it weren't for us you would have nowhere to go. In fact, you would have been eaten by wolves by now. So don't ever speak to any of us as though you are some sort of god again."

   Adrastea did not answer but looked down at her feet, realizing in shame that he was right. She never acted that way at the palace so what made her act so now? 

   "You don't deserve anything I can give you," Cephalus continued. "However, no one deserves to die, especially when the only crime they've committed is a few careless words...I will teach you what I know, but you must promise to obey me and to never talk back to anyone. Ever."

   Adrastea looked up at him with hopeful eyes and nodded vigorously.

   "I promise!" she said, the aristocratic tone leaving her voice. "When do I start?"

   Cephalus looked around at the breakfast table where Aule and Old Lady Willow were still seated, enjoying their meal as though nothing had happened.

   "Start after breakfast you will, by clearing the table and washing the dishes."

         Ellestar, Arietes Orbis

   Everyone in the palace was silent, listening intently to the shouts and screams coming from Haldit's chamber. There was a large number of skilled physicians tending to the arrow that was deeply embedded in his shoulder but much to their dismay the medicine they had given him to fall asleep refused to work. No one knew why it did not work. That is to say, the physicians did not know. The servants were a different matter.

   Before they had begun the operation of removing the arrow one of the assistants, a small boy by the name of Corydon, had been sent to the kitchens to mix up a sleeping drug. He was supplied with all the proper herbs and told exactly what to do, one of the older educated servants writing everything down. After listening carefully the boy Corydon and the servant went into the kitchens where several maids were waiting breathlessly. They dared not make a sound for fear that Haldit might hear, watching carefully as Corydon went about his duties. Constantly looking over his shoulder at the closed kitchen door he filled up a basin of hot water and broke up the herbs as the servant whispered the instructions. They were not really necessary, for Corydon knew every pain reliever and sleeping drug there was by heart, but still there could be no mistake. At least, no mistake that anyone would get caught committing. 

   As the servant read out the last and most important combination of herbs Corydon and him looked at each other in a knowing manner, the elder nodding silently. Corydon took one last look over his shoulder and then glanced over at the maids who smiled and nodded. Smiling back with a slightly mischievous glint in his eyes, the young boy slipped the last few herbs into the dust bin, covering them with the leftover food that was going to be fed to the pigs. Then, with a satisfactory feeling, he carefully poured the mixture into a smaller bowl and brought it into Haldit's chamber, bowing deep as he handed the prince the useless drug.

   Haldit, whose breathing was heavy and shaken and whose forehead was perspiring from the pain, ripped the bowl out of Corydon's outstretched hands and gulped it down, tossing the empty bowl on the ground and leaning back on his feather pillows.

   "Begin," he said fiercely.

   And so they did, not knowing that the medicine was useless.

   Now Haldit whipped his head back and forth and shouted and screamed as the physicians tried to pin him down as they removed the arrow. Corydon and the servant stood in the corner of the room, looking at the floor and listening to shrieks in absolute silence.

   "Why is it not working?" one of the physicians asked. "What did you do wrong boy?"

   Corydon looked up with a wide eyes and a blank expression, pointing at himself in question.

   "Me?"

   "Yes you!"

   "Exactly as instructed the boy did," the elder servant said, bowing deep.

   "Then what could possibly be wrong?"

   The last question was not directed at anyone in particular and no one answered, for no one had the answer.

             Meanwhile, upstairs in the empty halls of the king and queen's old chambers, a masked figure crept down the dark corridor, stopping at the bedroom door and slipping a key into the lock. The door creaked open on its neglected hinges and the figure slid into the room unobserved, looking about the room. Deciding there was no danger in it, the intruder lit one of the lamps, the dim light casting shadows about the disheveled room. No one had touched it since the bodies had been removed by order of Haldit so everything was more or less in their rightful place, making it easier for the masked stranger to find what they were looking for. 

   They started at the desk, quickly taking out all the drawers and emptying them on the floor. Then they ran their hands along the insides of the empty desk sockets for any hidden nooks that might contain a small slip of paper. One the stranger was satisfied that there was nothing to find there the search moved over the bed, all the blankets and pillows and even the mattress being ripped to shreds. Then came the portraits and then the carpets and the bed frame. By now the intruder was getting desperate, gliding across the room and ripping at anything that might contain the lost item. 

   Nothing.

   Then, in the sudden silence of defeat, the stranger gave up, looking about the ransacked room once more before blowing out the lamp and stepping back out into the hall, locking the chamber door. It would be quite some time before anyone ever entered that room again.