Moonstone Castle was an old castle with walls that looked like they would crumble down with the next gust of wind. Faded, worn-out carpets covered the cold stone floors yet failed to fully conceal the cracks so deep one could lose a foot stumbling over it. Dust gathered in every corner, round or square. Fox had walked its corridors so often on his way from and to Mage Tower he had gotten used to it. Even branches through the mossy windows had become quite an ordinary sight.

More peculiar was what he found when Felix stormed into the chamber where King Ariel and Queen Cobra were waiting for them. The royal couple was sitting on opposite ends of a large wooden bench, the King holding a large brown book against his chest, and the Queen playing with the silver ring on her finger. The smell of fire dominated the room. It wasn't the pleasant smokey scent of a crackling fireplace, but something far more ominous that had led to the still faintly smouldering scorch mark on the grey carpet. The culprit laid on the table: a candle broken into so many pieces not even magic could mend it and a half-burnt letter that Fox couldn't read.

Felix seemed oblivious to the scenery. He plopped down on his mother's lap. "Storm said you were looking for us. He said you had a surprise."

"We couldn't find you," the King said, stern but concern marking his voice too. "Where were you?"

Felix rubbed his eyes. Yawning, he said, "Mage Tower."

"You know you can't go there."

"I can with Fox." Felix looked at his father without blinking.

Silently, Fox cowered in his place. He didn't want to get into trouble. He had only just become a Knight of Silvermark.

But the King didn't spare him any glance. "Well, I don't want you to go there again. Prince Sto—"

The Queen's venomous look ended the conversation.

"Not in front of the boy," she hissed.

Not in front of the boy. Oh, how often Mother had uttered those words to Father (the blacksmith, not Lord Brandon) when he had come home to them arguing about matters he didn't understand. Father's white cheeks had usually turned red, and his red knuckles white. You're not a good wife, he would tell her, and you mollycoddle the boy too much.

Finally, the fights were starting to make sense.

"Mage Tower is for magicians," the King lectured his son. "You're not a magician so you don't go there—end of discussion."

"Yes, Father," Felix said with a meekness that didn't last long. He tilted his head towards the Queen. "So what is the surprise? I wanna know what it is."

"God of Patience, sweet Fe." She showered him with kisses.

Felix pushed her away. "Not in front of Fox," he said under his breath.

"My big boy is too big for kisses now, is he?" she teased him, "but not for my lap?"

"That's different. The bench is too hard. You're soft."

Fox stood motionlessly in the middle of the room, defying the God of Greed. Despite the redness around the Queen's eyes, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. If only he could get a kiss from her too, relive that taste of a snug fire, and warm milk with a teaspoon of honey. Or a hug warm and soothing that would make him forget that he missed Katla.

"Lord Fox," King Ariel acknowledged his presence. "Join us."

Fox gave a quick and awkward bow. "Thank you for your hospi-, hos-, for letting me stay here in Moonstone Castle."

"Your master raised you well." The King smiled. "May his journey be swift and his mission successful."

"May the Gods be on his side," the Queen said.

"May the Gods be on his side," Fox repeated. As he shuffled towards the spot in between the royals, he added—in his thoughts—and on mine too. That I can be the Knight the Queen wants me to be.

When Fox was seated, the King opened the book, leafed through the first couple of pages, then showed him a picture of a funny green hat, with a wide and long crumpled brown brim and two thick blue threads meeting just above the brim, then spreading to the other edge. Grey and blue spots disturbed the green, unevenly.

"Do you know what this is?" the King asked.

Fox shook his head. He doubted the King of Silvermark had any reason to show him a hat.

"It's Silvermark," Felix said. He groaned, "This can't be the surprise. This is boring."

"But learning about your own country is fun, Fe," the Queen tried to reason with him.

"No, it's not. Can't you tell me more about the tournament Half-Ear is going to host in summer? Are we going to go there?"

"No, Fe. We won't be welcome there."

Felix let out a dramatic sigh. 

"I'll host a dozen tournaments when I sit on the obsidian throne," Fox assured him.

"Yeah!" Felix's eyes turned big. "We'll have the contestants chase down Wolf or fire arrows at him."

"Fe," the King said sternly. "He's your brother. Be nice."

"He doesn't deserve nice," Felix mumbled.

Awkwardly, Fox bit his lip and stared at the book on King Ariel's lap. Cocking his head, it took him another look to recognise the Horseshoe Mountains, the Twins, the countless lakes in between the silver mines.

"First I need to learn more about Silvermark," he said. "All I know is that the winters are so dark and cold that Katla's magic becomes unstable."

"But I already know so much." Felix stretched his arms so wide the God of Pride easily fitted in between. "I don't need to know more."

"Then teach me,' Fox suggested.

The King hesitated "I don't—"

"It's a good idea," Queen Cobra said quickly.

There was a short staring contest between the royal couple that Felix was oblivious to, yet intrigued Fox. What could they be fighting about? Katla? him? Prince Storm?

"Listen to me, Fox." Felix nudged him, catching his attention. "The first king of Silvermark was King Leo the First. He settled in Moondale, a week's ride from his twin brother Theo in Sundale. The Greenlanders say King Leo lost to his brother and therefore had to settle in Silvermark, but that's not true. King Leo knew Silvermark was the better country, so he lost on purpose so he could have all the silver."

"And also because Silvermark has magicians?" Fox asked.

"The source of headaches for many a Silvermark King, so not quite," King Ariel answered, to which Queen Cobra sighed.

"Father, I'm teaching Fox," Felix said in all seriousness. "It wasn't easy being the first King of Silvermark. Within the first couple of moons of King Leo's reign, a war broke out between him and the Grand Lords of the north, all of them claiming to have more right to rule the unified region than some southern overlord. There was a lot of fighting." While pretending to swing two swords, Felix mimicked the sound of cannonballs shattering everything to pieces. "The Great Northern War lasted two centuries, during which over fifty Kings ruled over Silvermark. Then King Rufus the fourth, great-great-great-grandson of King Leo, rose from the depths of Starford Forest and brought all Grand Lords to their knees. All laid their swords at his feet here in Moondale." Prince Felix raised his finger. "All except one. King Marshall wanted the northern territories for himself. King Rufus and King Marshall signed the Northern Pact in Bigtown, and thus Ice was born."

"Why did King Rufus give up on Ice?" Fox asked.

"Because..." Felix stretched the word long, exchanging looks between the King and Queen. "Because Ice has no silver."

"Wrong," King Ariel said. "They have far less than us, but they had and still have silver."

"So they are more Silvermark now than we are Silvermark"? Felix asked.

"We still have more," the King grumbled. "It's hidden deep under the ground and hard to reach, but there's still more silver than Alder can ever dream of owning."

"Can't Earth Magicians reach the ore?" Fox asked.

"It doesn't work like that, young Lord." With a flick of his finger, King Ariel turned the page in the book, showing five rows of colourful flags, seven on each row. "Before criticising the kingdom, you must know how it works. Here are the thirty-five major houses of this kingdom. Learn them by heart and we'll talk again."

Felix moaned. "But thirty-five's too many."

"If Panthera knew them all, so can you," Queen Cobra encouraged him.

Felix didn't seem to listen. "Lord Weasel will soon be dead, so I don't have to know his house," he grumbled.

"Someone else will take his place," the King said. "Someone better."

"Someone else from the..." Fox's fingers glided over the paper, in search for a reference to Lord Weasel or Sleetwall. He found the name of the town written beneath a flag with a white weasel-like creature surrounded by rocks. House of Stoat it read above the flag. "... Stoat family?"

"Yes, his eldest son Mink will succeed him. He'll be less of a troublemaker."

Fox carefully studied the other flags. The green snakes curling in a nest of glittering blue stones belonged to the House of Snakes on Sapphire Island, and the roaring royal lion reigned over Moondale. Next to it was a rearing horse with mountains in the back. Horsecliff. Current rules: House of Falcon.

"There's no bird on the flag," Fox remarked.

Ariel glanced at the book. "Oh, Horsecliff. The Falcons would like to, and they're likely to try again when Peregrine passes, but they have to obey the third pact of Moondale. Town flags cannot be altered, even when a new Lord claims the land."

"Why?"

"Because the God of Greed lives in the heart of every man," Queen Cobra explained. "Take away the relic that proves he owns the land, and fewer will dare to strike."

Fox cocked his head. "I don't understand. I'm not very smart, Your Majesty."

Though he wished Queen Cobra's soft fingers would touch his cheek and tell him everything was alright, it was the King who talked. "The past saw too many wars for the sake of name and fame. Rich farmers gambling harvest and good workers in exchange for their family crest flapping in the wind."

"And because it's easier for the King to recognise his Lords on the battlefield," Felix added. "It's already hard enough to learn all the flags by heart. Imagine them changing all the time because the fourth son didn't get a house name, but became a Lord after all because everyone else is dead."

"The houses don't stick to their names?" Fox asked.

"Some do," King Ariel said, "but interregional marriages and migrations to the bigger cities have had a large impact on the tradition. The firstborn children usually receive a name in accordance with their house, but not the others."

Fox still didn't understand much. He returned to the book, sliding his finger over the page. "Is there a house of foxes?"

"No, but Snout Valley has seen their fair share of Lord and Lady Foxes." King Ariel flipped a few pages back again, to the map. He pointed to a small town by Snout Lake.

"Lady Foxes?" Fox stuck out his tongue. "But it's a boy's name."

"Not necessarily," Queen Cobra said. And because she said it, it was true.

The big arrow on Katla's pocket watch made one full turn while he and Felix learned the names of current Lords and Ladies, the towns they ruled over, and their flag. Fox only remembered those of Sleetwall, Sapphire Island, and Moondale well, but Felix didn't know much more than a handful either.

What began as frustration for the young prince, turned to a reluctance to answer more questions and him rubbing his eyes more frequently. Gradually, he sank lower on his mother's lap until his legs occupied most of the bench.

"Darkhill's Lord..." Fox squeezed his eyes shut, which helped his thinking. "... Lord Bumblebee, no Lady Bumblebee with Lord Spider of house Arach-something. Their flag is a black mountain with..."

"... a golden scorpion on top." King Ariel said.

Fox stomped the floor. "I almost knew it."

"We'll practice more." The King closed the book, glancing at Felix who was yawning widely. "He's tired," he told his wife.

"Do you want to take a nap, Fe?" The Queen stroked Felix's cheek.

"No," The young prince murmured, "Fox and I have to play now."

"You two can play after your nap when you feel better," the King said.

"But I'm well now too." Felix sat up, still slumped, and blinking his eyes. He looked paler again.

Fox stretched his arms and pretended to yawn. "I'm tired too, Felix. Let's play later and do something else now."

Felix puckered his lips in thought. Then, after a while, he asked. "Can you read?"

"Not well, but..." Fox nodded in hesitation.

"You can read me a story."

Queen Cobra proposed to help put Felix to bed, but the young prince refused. Fox had to come, and Fox alone.

So Fox did.

The chamber on the opposite side of the hallway was nice and warm, thanks to the large flames burning on three thick logs in the lion's mouth.

What was surprising was that the room had not one but two beds, similar to how he and Amy had shared a bedroom together in Laneby.

A transparent canopy draped the first bed by the window which Felix steered a wide berth around it. A small silver crown sat on a red pillow.

Panthera's bed.

Felix halted by the second window, on his side of the room, watching the rain trickle down on the panes. He was breathing audibly and heavily, his finger following a raindrop until it reached the bottom.

"I'm not going to put on my pyjamas," he said.

"Then you don't," Fox replied. "But you must take off your shoes."

"Why?" Felix asked.

"Because shoes are dirty, and you don't wanna sleep in a dirty bed."

"What if I want to?"

Fox thought for a while. He had never considered that. "But are shoes are uncomfortable when you're trying to sleep."

"I don't want to sleep."

"But you might," Fox suggested.

"I won't."

Fox thought again. "Your mother will be angry when you crawl into bed with your shoes on. And you don't want to upset your mother. I think she and your father had a fight. She looked like she had been crying."

"How do you know?" Felix turned around to him.

"I just do." Fox shrugged. "I'm a magician."

Felix coughed twice, then he shivered. After he had taken his shoes off and placed them in front of the large casket at the foot of his bed, he crawled under the covers and picked a small book from underneath his blue pillow. He pushed it towards Fox. "I found this in Panthera's closet. Mother doesn't want me to read it, but Atilax retrieved it from the library. Can you read me the story of the Cow Lady? It's my favourite."

"Was she also a Lady of Silvermark?"

Felix shook his head. "She was a magician."

"She could still have been a Lady."

"But she wasn't. You'll see."

While Fox leafed through the book in search of the story, Felix tore off both sheet and blanket and draped them around him until all that was left of him where his eyes and nose.

"Are you cold?" Fox asked, ready to increase the fire in the fireplace if the answer was 'yes'.

"Not anymore," Felix said.

Fox sat next to Felix on the bed and flicked through a few more pages until he saw the drawing of a naked woman staring into a flower-covered lake. She had long hair and a cow's tail.

"She's partly a cow," he remarked.

"I told you she was no Lady."

Curious to who she was, Fox began reading, "Deep in the forests where birds dare not sing, sounded an ent... enti... enticing voice, a tune so pretty the wind strayed from its path to find its source and carry the message to lands far and wide, to the lands of Stenby. It was there that Stallion was working, on his uncle's farm, when the ench... enchanting tune came to him and whispered his name. It was the first week of the harvest, the fields thick with b... boun... bountiful crops that would keep the people of Stenby well-fed and content until the next summer."

Fox stopped. "Is he going to leave the village and follow the wind?"

"I'm not telling you. You have to keep reading," Felix said, sounding drowsy.

"Stallion added more wheat to the carriage, ignoring the voice that kept calling for him. It wasn't until the sun was setting and he had placed the last of the wheat on his carriage in the storage house that he got curious. But when he went into the dark forest, the song stopped. The next day, Stallion woke up at the break of day and went back to the fields. The wind had picked up, and with it, the voice had grown louder."

"Now, he will go," Fox said.

"Hmm," Felix murmured. "Keep reading."

Fox continued reading out loud. The next paragraphs described Stallion ignoring the mysterious voice and continuing to reap wheat until late in the evening when he entered the forest a second time. Again, the song stopped.

"Then on the third morning," Fox said. He glanced at Felix, whose eyes were now closed, his breathing steady and calm, then continued reading. "Stallion didn't go to the fields. He had to know where the voice came from. This time, when he set foot in the forest, the tune carried on, leading him along a path of ivy and wet leaves that soaked his shoes. He couldn't stop. When he dared to, the wind pushed him forward."

"She really is a magician," Fox whispered to himself. "An Air Magician."

"The most beautiful girl Stallion had ever seen was dancing in the river, her long hair flicking in the wind, her—" Fox gasped and looked twice at the page, his cheeks growing hot. The next paragraph described her naked body, breasts and nipples and all.

Instead of reading it out loud—Felix was asleep—Fox pictured the Cow Lady to be Queen Cobra who looked deep into Stallion's eyes and asked the man to fall into her arms and be one forever.

When he turned the page a voice, high pitched and childlike came out of nowhere. "Why have you stopped reading?"

Fox, startled, dropped the book. He turned around to where the noise had come from. Nobody there.

"I'm here," said the squeaky voice.

From under the bed, popped a mop of curly brown hair. A pair of blue eyes followed. They stared at him intensely.

"Hi?" Fox said, confused.

"Hi," chirped the boy. "I'm Wolf. Who are you?"