Dinner. Not only dinner, but dinner with Princess Cassandra. Logan sat back in his chair, this wasn't anything he ever expected to happen in his life. He swallowed hard. His eyes slid shut and he took a couple of steadying breaths.

Holly nudged him with an elbow. "Hey, you okay?"

His eyes popped open and he smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm good. Though, I'm not sure I'm ready for dinner with the Princess."

Holly laughed. "You'll be fine. Aunt Cassandra is a normal person who just happens to be a princess as well."

"She's not a normal person. She's the Crown Princess of Araluen."

She gave his arm a pat. "I'm serious, don't worry about it."

He nodded and took another steadying breath. "All right, I'll try not to worry. Much."

"Good. Let's go then because I'm starving."

With a little chuckle, he stood and crossed Holly's room and pulled open the door. They'd been talking and relaxing a bit before dinner. He paused before following her from the room. "Is Mitchell going to be there?"

She nodded. "Yes, his mother wants to spend some time with him before she must head back. It's too hard for them to spend any time together with him confined to the barracks with Griffin. The jerk is watching every move Mitchell makes very closely."

After Logan had been invited to dine with them this evening Holly explained things to him so he understood how important it was to keep Mitchell's identity a secret. He, in turn, informed her he had already suspected who Mitchell was and it was nice to finally have it confirmed.

He shook his head and walked beside her down the corridor. "I wish Sir Rodney would listen to us about Griffin."

"I agree. All we can do is try and keep an eye on him and his friends and keep them away from Mitchell as much as we can." She shrugged.

Together they stepped into the private dining room set aside for the baron, his family and guests. As soon as the others arrived the doors were closed and the servants began serving the meal.

Cassandra was seated at the head of the table, Mitchell was seated to his mother's right and they were talking quietly. Both were smiling quite a bit. Mitchell looked as if he might still be in a little pain from the blows Griffin and his friends managed to land. Though Logan was certain Mitchell had come off much better than Griffin had.

To Cassandra's left, Holly and Deva sat side by side and as he watched, Deva's eyes darted around the room, watching the servants as they filled everyone's plates. Her eyes seemed to be fixed on one particular young man who was holding a tray of meat. Logan's watched the man. Early twenties, dark hair, and he was actively avoiding Deva's gaze. Well now, wasn't that interesting? Did the two have some sort of history? He allowed himself a little smile.

The man stayed put until Halt indicated he wanted another serving. Deva's eyes narrowed as she watched the man serve the Ranger, carefully picking which piece of meat to place on the Ranger's plate. The elder Ranger wasn't paying attention to the servant or Deva, he was carrying on a conversation with Will who was seated beside him.

Moving in a lightning quick blur, Deva leaned across the table and snatched the piece of meat from Halt's plate before he could turn back and begin eating it. With a quick shift, her arm came up and she whipped the piece of meat over her shoulder, where it flew through the air to land with a slap on the floor behind her some meters.

"Be gone Loki there is no space for your mischief here!" she shouted.

Logan blinked in disbelief. What the heck just happened?

Halt turned to her with a glare, his fork now poised over his plate where the piece of meat had been moments before. "What have I told you about that, Deva?"

She grinned at him from across the table. "It's Skandian custom!"

"It most certainly is not. We've already covered it. Several times."

"Do me a favor, hold that thought!" She jumped to her feet and sprinted across the room, leapt through the air and landed on the servant's back, tackling him to the floor. The tray of meat hit the floor and scattered the contents of the tray across the floor.

"Hold still you!" she yelled when he tried to squirm out of her grasp and she hit him over the head with the serving tray.

"Deva Jubilee Treaty, what are you doing to that poor man?" Will shouted as he stood and started across the room toward her.

"He was trying to kill Halt!" she shot back, still struggling with the servant, while attempting to beat him into submission with the serving tray.

"I swear I wasn't! I didn't do anything!" the young man protested while trying to avoid getting coshed upside the head with the tray.

"You be quiet! You should be ashamed of yourself!" She smacked him with the tray again and he yelped, covering his head with his arms.

Cassandra stood and moved to where Deva sat atop the young man, she held her hands up for quiet. "Hold on a moment everyone. Deva, what makes you believe this young man was attempting to harm Halt?"

"He was acting shifty and he pulled several pieces of meat to the side of the tray as if they were special or different and he served them only to Halt! I watched him do it!"

Halt went slightly white at the news.

Cassandra frowned at Deva who sat atop her prisoner. "I must admit, that does sound a tad suspicious, young man. Care to explain?"

"I ... I ... he's Ranger Halt!" the man stuttered, looking between Cassandra and Deva. "He's Ranger Halt!" he stressed, blinking rapidly to dispel the tears in his eyes.

Cassandra smiled gently at him before shifting her gaze to Deva. "It would appear as if we have a case of hero worship, nothing more. I think you can allow the poor boy to rise."

Deva released the boy looking shamefaced. "Sorry," she mumbled.

He shuffled quickly out of her reach once he was standing again and dipped his head in a quick acknowledgement. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Ranger Deva."

She sighed. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm the one who jumped on you and smacked you with a serving tray."

He nodded, smiling at her.

Halt looked relieved that he hadn't been poisoned. The servants scurried around quickly to clean up the mess Deva created and dinner continued with a much subdued Deva slumped in her seat.

Baron Arald's secretary, Martin hurried into the room and moved quickly over to where the Princess was seated. He bent and whispered to her. With a nod, she stood and he left the room quickly.

"I'm sorry, everyone, but I have a visitor that I must speak with. Halt, Will, you'll both want to come as well."

The two Rangers sent one another a brief look before rising to follow her from the room. She paused on the threshold to look at her son. "I'm sorry our dinner was cut short. I hope I'll have time to spend with you before I'm forced to return home."

He smiled and nodded. "Me too."

She turned and left the room with the two Rangers trailing after her.

"Who do you think is here?" Holly asked no one in particular.

Mitchell looked at Deva, grinning broadly. "Your middle name is Jubilee?"

"Seriously, there's a mysterious visitor here to see your mom and that's what you're focused on?" Deva asked as she threw a piece of bread at him.

Logan chuckled. "It's better than Poinsettia."

Holly leaned back so she could see beyond Deva and lobbed a piece of bread at Logan's head. "Shut up!"

"So, who do we think is here?" Logan asked.

"Can't be my father or she would have told me," Mitchell answered.

They all nodded in agreement. If it was Horace then Cassandra would have remained and he would have joined them.

Logan tapped his fork on the table. "Crowley?"

"Maybe," Holly replied. "But why ask for Cassandra and not our fathers?"

"It could be why Cassandra asked them to come," Deva put in.

Mitchell sat forward, folding his arms on the edge of the table. "Holly is right though, Crowley would have most likely asked for your fathers first. Why ask for my mom?"

Logan's fork ceased its tapping and he looked over at Mitchell. "Maybe whatever he has to report affects your mother directly. Like maybe a threat to the throne."

Mitchell sucked in a breath. "An assassination attempt?"

Logan shrugged. "It's only a possibility."

Holly frowned. "It's one hell of a possibility."

"Could be a very real one, despite the fact that your family is loved by the people. There are always dissenters." Deva pointed her fork at Mitchell.

Logan stabbed the table with a finger. "It's more important now than ever that we are the only ones who know who Mitchell really is. We need to keep him safe. No one can know he's the prince, especially if there's a threat to the crown. Redmont is less secure for him than if he was inside Castle Araluen."

"Uh, small problem ... wouldn't anyone threatening the crown know what he looks like?" Deva asked.

"Possibly," Logan told her. "I guess it depends on who it is."

Mitchell shook his head. "It's possible they may know what I look like, but not likely. My parents were a tad over protective. I wasn't exactly allowed to roam free. Most of my days were spent in the castle. I've gone with my parents on a few official visits places, but not a whole lot." He sighed. "My mother is a tad paranoid she'll somehow lose me. She had a difficult pregnancy and I guess it's made her worry about my safety a bit more than the average parent." He shrugged. "Coming here to visit with Will and Halt was the only time they let me out of their sight."

"So the chances of anyone actually recognizing you are small?" Logan asked.

Mitchell nodded in agreement. "Unless they see me standing beside my father it's a small possibility."

They sat in silence, each lost in thought, wondering what the adults were discussing with the mystery visitor. They turned things over in their heads, thinking about all the possibilities, dinner now forgotten and growing cold on the table before them.

Finally, Deva stood. "We can't sit here doing nothing. We need to be included in the conversation. I'm going to head back to the cabin and wait for my dad, then I'll grill him and see what I can find out. Mitchell, do you want me to walk with you back to the barracks?"

He heaved out a long sigh as he rose from his chair. "As much as I hate having the bunch of you hanging about as if I'm helpless, I suppose it would be for the best."

They left Holly and Logan sitting at the table and set out for the Battleschool barracks.

Deva sent Mitchell a sidelong glance as they walked. He appeared lost in thought or perhaps he simply chose to remain quiet. Who was she to judge, she attacked a servant because the man had a case of hero-worship for Halt.

"Are you going to be all right?"

He shrugged. "Until we know for certain what's going on, probably not. I'll keep wondering what's happening and worrying about all of it."

"If you want to talk about anything I'm here," she assured him.

"I want to thank all of you. I've never had any friends before. No one I could count on or fully trust." He stopped walking and turned to face her. "Can I tell you something?"

She nodded, standing there staring up at him. Beside him she felt truly tiny, delicate even. She'd never considered herself delicate by any stretch of the imagination. She was a Ranger at heart, and despite her small stature, Rangers kicked butt. Which made her not at all delicate.

She'd always been a bit jealous of him. He was male and he could do and be whatever he wished. While she was a female and there were limits put on her because females were considered smaller and weaker. She supposed that was why she and Holly had always wanted to be Rangers. The Rangers wouldn't limit them. It was also possible that was why they were so hard on him the few times he visited. Though, she didn't want to look into the reasons too deeply.

He seemed slightly uncomfortable, shifting his big feet a bit, gaze drifting from her face and then returning. He finally seemed to gather the nerve to speak. "I was always jealous of you and Holly."

She blinked. "Wait ... what?" And here she'd just been thinking about the fact that she'd been jealous of him.

The corners of his lips tilted upward. "I was always jealous of the two of you. The two of you were so free, running around the forest, doing whatever you wanted. Both of you knew exactly what you wanted to do. To be. You wanted to be Rangers and nothing was going to keep you from doing it. I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be able to tell my mom no when she told me I couldn't do things or go somewhere. I wasn't as brave as you, I couldn't do it."

"She's your mother. It's hard to tell your parents no when they want you to do something. I tried for an entire year to learn about being a Courier because my mom wanted me to be absolutely certain about joining the Ranger Corps. I was always certain. Always. I didn't want to crush her hope that I might change my mind, so I did it."

"You did?"

"Yes and it was torture. I hated every moment of it. Do you want to know something?"

"What?"

She smiled up at him. "I was always jealous of you."

"Why on earth would you be jealous of me?" His tone was shocked.

She laughed. "You're a boy. You can do and be whatever you want. No one questions a boy when they choose what they want to be. Only girls."

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'm not free to choose, Deva. I'm a prince, there's only one path for me."

"I was a child, Mitchell. That certainly didn't occur to me. I had no idea the boy I was chasing through the forest and tormenting was the future King of Araluen. You were just another annoying boy."

"Ah ha! You admit you tormented me!'

She laughed. "Yes, fine I admit it."

He grinned. "I suppose I should get inside before Sir Rodney sends someone to find me."

Side by side, they completed the walk to the barracks, stopping several yards from the building.

Mitchell turned to her with a smile. "Thanks for the escort, Ranger."

She laughed lightly. "As if a knight of the realm needs an escort."

He shrugged. "Dangerous times, m'lady."

She shook her head at him. "You are insane."

"Maybe a bit. Perhaps Griffin hit me a tad too hard. Good night, Deva." He reached out, took her hand and brushed a kiss over her knuckles before turning quickly away and disappearing inside the building.

She snorted lightly. He kissed her hand as if they were in the royal court at Castle Araluen.

Her eyes went to her hand with a small frown. Why had he done that? Briefly the thought to wipe her hand on her cloak passed through her head, but she stopped herself before she did it. A night breeze blew past her and the spot where he brushed the kiss felt cool. She curled her fingers into her palm, cradling her fist against her chest, grinning like an idiot as she turned away and headed for home.

She really, really liked the big goofball. A lot.

Her steps slowed to a stop and she turned and glanced behind her with a frown. She could have sworn she caught a glimpse of movement. The space between where she stood and the barracks building was empty. She shrugged, it had probably been an animal, and struck off in the direction of the cabin.

***

Cassandra settled herself behind Baron Arald's desk, folded her hands together on its surface and stared across the desk at Crowley. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence, Commandant Crowley?"

Crowley shifted a bit, looked at Will where he sat in the chair beside him and then to Halt where he stood slightly behind and to the right of the Princess. He resettled his gaze on Cassandra and spoke, "I've discovered some rather disturbing news and I felt I should report it to you immediately.

"And what is it that you've discovered?" she asked.

"After Morgarath was defeated I thought it would be wise to keep an eye on things in the Mountains of Rain and Night. I surmised that we wouldn't want anymore surprises. I've had Rangers on rotation every few months watching for any activity. Recently there have been men coming and going from the crevice."

Halt frowned. "Are you certain it's anything significant?"

"I'm afraid so. The reports I've received indicate the men appear to be part of an army of some sort."

Cassandra sucked in a breath "You're absolutely certain?"

He nodded gravely. "Yes, I am. The men who have been watching the area have reported that those coming and going come in packs and they appear to be wearing a uniform of some sort. They haven't yet discovered who is leading them."

"Has someone taken over Morgarath's lair?" Will inquired.

Crowley shook his head. "I can't say. I instructed the men to keep out of the mountains. It's simply too dangerous to attempt to infiltrate the place. Beyond the fact that they've noted the men coming and going, we have no idea what they're doing in the mountains, or if they're even in or anywhere near Morgarath's lair."

"There's nothing else in those mountains worth taking note of," Halt interjected.

Cassandra stared down at her hands where they rested atop the desk. "In the morning gather your apprentices, Mitchell included. I want to hold a brief meeting." She looked up at Halt and Will. "I would like the two of you to take a trip out there and see exactly what is happening with your own eyes and report back."

Halt scowled. "I'm not certain it's a good idea to have apprentices tagging along. Will and I can go on our own."

"Take them with. This is a surveillance mission only. They'll be fine and it will be a good learning mission for them. Sitting quietly, observing." She glanced at Crowley for confirmation.

He nodded and grinned at the other two Rangers. "I dare say it will be quite a challenge for Deva and Holly to remain still."

Cassandra chuckled and rose. "Well, until morning then."

Everyone agreed and they separated for the evening.