In the morning, Jocelyn was a mess, rioting around the bedchamber as she tore herself between two outfits she'd wanted to wear. "I could never!" she cried, clutching one and then the other. "Are you sure?"

"Wear whatever makes you feel best," I told her. "You are doing me such a favor."

"By spending the day with you and the world's most handsome knight?" she whined. "I only wish you'd asked sooner."

"Josie," I said pointedly. "Go with the lavender. It brings out your eyes."

"Do you think?"

"I know," I said, surely. "And I really like the orange for myself."

She started to strip, replacing her clothes with mine. When it came to the back, she made a noise.

"I'll tie it," I told her.

Josie chirped, nervously. "This feels wrong," she said. "I should be dressing you."

"I'm already dressed," I reminded her.

"Still, I-"

"Hush. Why should this feel wrong?"

"For one, you're the Princess," she hummed.

"Aye, but are dresses really made for one person in particular?"

"In this case, yes."

"I'm realizing  ...this is the first instance we've spent time together." I drew the binding tighter around her chest, bringing her hand to her ribs. "Aside from town."

"I admit I... I wasn't sure you were serious, inviting me. You're far more approachable away from Ísfjall." She had braced herself, as if saying that might harm me. When I only quirked a brow, she sighed modestly, admiring the mirror. "Back home, I never imagined sharing clothes with Princess Svana. Thank you for enlisting me."

"...Thank you for agreeing to be enlisted. I know Eli can come off... Well you did call him a gargoyle. But, I assure you. It's all a show. The man would never actually hurt anyone. Well. Perhaps that's not a good reassurance. He was in the war. And he is sworn to protect my father and I... at all costs.... But I wouldn't worry about him. Outside of his oath; he'd never harm a fly. Least of all you. When he figures out I've recruited you, he will be angry at me. Not you."

"You mean if?"

"No," I laughed. "I mean when. But you'll be fine."

She frowned. "Well. I am happy to be here. Not just for Willoughby."

"You mean 'Daniel'- and, I'll believe that when I wake up a moose. On to business! I don't want to come off monstrous, but at some point you and Ser Willoughby must talk. Not the whole trip, of course, but some time. And alone. Perhaps a walk? He expressed wanting to be outdoors as much as possible." I slid the braid she wore over her shoulder, smoothing the end of it neatly. "Then I may have time alone with Cyrus."

"You two are becoming close," she teased. "I saw the way he looked at you."

"Josie," I straightened. "Your discretion is the utmost vital part of this operation, I-"

"I won't spill a word," she sang. "A lady's trust is part of my job. Besides. This is going to be fun!"

I nodded, then, catching the glimmer of her innocence, I felt bad and added quietly; "I kissed him."

She exploded into a show of excitement, collecting my hands in hers and springing off her feet, once, twice, thrice, proudly giggling. "What was it like? Was it passionate? Warm? Did he kiss you back? Was it the kind where his hands clung to you for dear life; an undeniable urge to make-"

"I-" My face burned; furiously hot to the touch. "I don't know!"

"What do you mean you don't know? You said you kissed him?"

"I did but-" I instantly crossed my arms.

"Have you... not kissed a man before?" She waited for me to answer, and as I danced around whatever portion of the truth I could have given her, she decided it didn't matter. "Did you like it?"

"I've... never. Yes," I landed on. "Very much."

Josie smiled, dropping my hands. "Then we shall do our very best to ensure it happens again. Now. What will Daniel and I talk about for an entire walk?"

"I'm convinced I'm not the one for that question," I shrugged. "Whatever you have in common."

"I'm not sure we have anything in common," she worried.

"A perfect opportunity to determine!"

She touched the front of the dress again, shaking the skirt from one side to the other. "Does it look right on me?"

"It looks so right on you, I've decided it is yours forever."

"Mine?" she froze.

"I insist. Let it be a keepsake for when you're tired of me. Or better, 'Josie Willoughby' and this is just a memory."

"You are terrible!" She playfully slapped my arm as I went to put on my shoes.

"If we are so lucky to-" A rapping at the door interrupted my thought. Behind it, Ser Elías stood, and he was agitated.

"Miss Josie." He looked between us. "Give us the room."

Josie moved past us with a low wave, but was too-soon gone.

He shut the door, trekking further and saying absolutely nothing.

"Good morning?" I tried.

"Aye," he stalked towards the window, pulling back the curtain to peer down into the yard. "I see you've added a party to your party."

"Is that not what you did? Convincing Willoughby I was scared? I should have you flogged for slander," I teased. "Next time come in his stead. I'd rather risk listening to you complain about chafing than spend the day with a stranger, but then, that would eliminate the real punishment, wouldn't it?"

He scoffed. "You're not being punished. I am unable to make the detail with my schedule here. And you should be concerned."

"And you should be happy I've invited Josie," I added. "All the merrier to watch me."

"That's not what I was doing," he said.

"Of course it is" I said. "You with Willoughby and Sam with Cyrus. God forbid I invite my only true friend to break up the monotony."

"I see you've purposely excluded me from your list."

"Who's to say where your true loyalties lie these days."

"What is that supposed to mean?" he turned.

"The letter," I said, plain and intent with every consonant. He didn't move at first. "Did you think I wouldn't realize? That you'd get away with it? Or did you just not care?"

Elías craned deeper into the window frame.

"He told me, you know? Course, the mystery was quite simple to solve as there is only one person brazen enough to feel the urge to step in."

"And what did you say? What came of his confession?"

"Nothing came of it. He told me he'd tried to send me a letter and as I did not receive it-!" I scoffed. "What should've come from it? Anger? Is that what you want from me? Because I want to consider this a minor blemish on our otherwise flawless relationship. We've been together for so long I can't remember a time without you. And I don't want to imagine one."

"There hasn't ever been," he reminded me. "And there won't ever be. Before you. I was your mother's confidant; one day your child's. I will not allow you to sever this connection."

"Then deliver my mail, Eli," I whined. "I'm only asking you trust me to read it, remain rational, and make my own decisions."

"You don't need to read letters from rakes."

"Cyrus isn't a rake."

"And you know that? Or you hope it?"

"I hope nothing, that is a luxury I have never had. You think because he sends me a letter something will blossom between us? We're friends!"

"A moment ago you said Josie was your only friend."

"You pick apart everything."

"That is because I know you. And I know that you are only upset about the boy because you have feelings for him."

"Feelings," I spat, humored.

"You are a young girl, in a foreign land, and he is handsome. And silver tongued."

"It sounds more like you have feelings for him."

"Mature. Perhaps you should reassess this 'blemish' and appreciate how vigilant I am in protecting your reputation. How loyal and understanding I have always been." He furrowed. 

"Again with my reputation? Why are you so obsessed with preserving something that's never been in jeopardy?"

"Oh it's in jeopardy!"

"Between my father and you, how could it be?!"

"Because! Because of you are, who your father is- It is always in jeopardy. With so many eyes on you, Princess- if you were even barely aware of that, you would see it!"

I gasped, softening his face.

"You are lucky it was I to have discovered you holding hands with a stranger, and not the Prince. Or God forbid the King."

"I wasn't holding his hand, he was leading me to the door! And what even would the King be doing out so late?" I huffed.

"Looking for the missing Princess?" His jaw tightened. "Your naïvety knows no bounds, does it?" he asked. "These people are waiting for an excuse to get rid of you."

"You think I haven't noticed?" I cried. "Every corner holds another snide remark about my hair or my mother's untimely death." The mention of her incited a flinch. "How dare you lecture me! You've no right!"

"Somebody must!"

I paused, admiring how rare it was to rustle this kind of lividness from him. "...Do you think that is your place?" I asked. "To rein in the wild Princess?"

"My place is by your side, as it has always been." Elías steeled his composure, lowering his voice. "I wish only to protect you, as is my vow to God and to Eliza. I have never, and will never falter from that oath."

"Protect me. Right. From an ostler?" I tsk'd.

Elías canted his head, allowing me time to catch the mistake. I shuffled awkwardly. "Swordsman. You know what I meant."

"...There is no happy ending for you and your swordsman," he said.

"This from an optimist," I cried, madly gesturing.

"I have seen the true face of what life offers us under the Crown. You want optimism? At best, Your Blade loves you back-"

"No one said anything about love!"

"-and you destroy him when you marry the Prince." His words struck me and something, something dark I'd never seen in him waited behind his eyes. "At worst, you destroy yourself as well."

My jaw locked with the embarrassment. "I am your Princess. My word is your law."

"King Nikolai's word is my law. God's word is my law." 

"Is that so? If I receive correspondence, you will deliver it to me. Is that clear?"

"Svana-"

"You must allow me to make choices for myself!" I shrieked. "How can I be expected to rule a nation; two nations, if even my closest soldier treats me like a child!?"

His mouth shrank but after a second he nodded.  "Fine," and charged towards the door.

"Elías..." I whined. "Wait."

He stopped and turned around, slowly. "You may eighteen now, but a month ago you weren't. You were a child. And you may not be mine; my flesh and blood, but I have always loved you as if you were. When you wept, I held you. When you hid, I scoured the halls for monsters. And when this goes badly for you, and it will, I will be right here, by your side, where I have always stood, and the threat of your trauma will not be enough to save him."

The door slammed as he went. I shuttered, debating on if I should give chase or not, but light hearted laughter and neighs sang from outside and to me. The chance at an easy reconciliation evaporated by the time I'd found the courage to enter the hall. Ser Elías was gone- vanished into his duty within the corridors of the Palace.

"As I was saying," I came and stood beside Josie in the yard. The boys travelled ahead of us to retrieve our horses. "Please do your best to take every opportunity to speak to Ser Willoughby. I've just had the worst fight with Elías and I am desperate to be sure it was worth it. I need a real conversation with Mr. Evergreen."

"You've just fought with Ser Elías? Are you alright?"

I nodded. "I want to get on with the day."

Willoughby reappeared with his horse and Tails in tow, and Cyrus came with Edith and Isaac. She trotted proudly beside him, mane whipping as she went; a beauty among men, putting Edith to shame, and I could've wept at the sight of her even without my fried emotions.

I sighed; brooding as I went to Edith, yet another horse, as Tails arrived with Josie. But then Cyrus' hand came over mine, and gently, he turned me towards the mare. My mare.

"Are we-? Are you-? Do I-?"

"I owe you a ride, do I not?" he said.

I looked between the two of them and then bolted from where I stood before he could change his mind. Isaac eyed me suspiciously, marching in place for a moment. Cyrus groaned, cutting between us so he could comfort her.

"Brilliant start," he told me.

"I-" I cleared my throat. "I got excited."

Josie yelped as she had somehow made it up onto Tails, and below her, Willoughby wore the dumbest grin I'd ever seen on a person. He laughed, excitedly, praising Josie's execution of how she sat.

Cyrus ran his hand over Isaac's mane, scratching the base of her neck, and to my surprise I heard him tell her; "Go easy on her. She's alright."

With the other two fawning, he took the opportunity to pull me closer to him. "Now that you've had time to sleep on it." He rocked his head towards the seat. "Riding with me? Are you sure that's what you want?"

I wanted to smile, coyly, to use this moment as my upper hand, finally winning something with him for a change, but I only managed an awkward giggle. That didn't help anyone's confidence, as he immediately stood a little straighter and I muttered insanely. "I love riding. Of course. Unless you mean. In which- Well. I don't know if I love it. But I loved what we. You see-?"

"Wow," he bobbed. "Yesterday I wasn't sure if I should be worried with how easy it was for you to arrange this. But now I'm just impressed you were able to form complete sentences."

"Ah," I started. "Back to terrorizing me so soon?"

"I never planned to stop, Swan."

I immediately scowled. "Oh, God. You're going to keep calling me that, aren't you?"

"...What is it you actually want?" he stepped forward, pretending to fiddle with the saddle, but I suspected it was more about pressing his chest to my back, and reminding me of his scent. Of his body, and how he had felt against mine. Of his lips. If not for the intruding intervals of our company's conversation bleeding into my thoughts, I might have turned around and shown him my response.

He was waiting, carefully; his breathing; audible.

"What do you mean?" I whispered back.

Cyrus swallowed, "I'm trying to get an idea for where I should lead us today. If you're expecting privacy?"

"Well let's get on with it!" Willoughby cracked. At some point he had mounted his horse and both he and Josie were ready to go. Cyrus smirked reluctantly, collecting me at the hips and hoisting me onto Ice's back. She puffed, shaking her head a little and after a second of Cyrus holding his hands in front of her she calmed down.

"This should be... interesting," he said.

"Interesting. What does that mean?" I pried.

He glanced at me, uncommitted to giving me his full attention as he watched the mare a moment longer. "Just... Mind the reins." Cyrus climbed onto Edith, never taking his eyes off of my horse. Beside me, he nodded way too quickly. "Alright then." He looked at Willoughby. "Should we see the Willow trees?"

Josie and I met, likely sharing the same idea. I could see her face was pink again, despite how well she played the role I'd given her. I had to admit... This had been one of my better ideas. Ser Willoughby was already sufficiently distracted, never too far away from my maid. The entire ride out to 'Willow's Grove,' which, if the name wasn't obvious enough, was a long patch of closely planted trees. Their arms swung softly in the wind, unbothered by our trespass. In fact, they might have been trying to welcome us, sweeping out of the way of the path as we came through.

"Aye," I muttered, more of a noise than a word. "I'm not sure we have anywhere like this back home."

Willoughby leaned one way, then the other, considering, "What about the harbor? Much livelier- humany, really. But it has its charm."

Cyrus ducked to avoid a branch. "The last time I was in Harbortown, it was overrun with criminals."

"Part of the experience," the knight said, tickled.

"Aye, the experience," he parroted.

"I've never been to Harbortown," Josie chimed. "I've never left Ísfjall, except for now."

I turned, "Never?" thinking about it. "What about North Áire?"

"I wasn't with you when you were there. I was still at my mistress' estate." she replied.

"Oh," I narrowed my eyes. "I see. Well, it has been a few years. Miss Hellveig was alive then."

"Miss Hellveig," the knight muttered, a rare; curiously angry sort of tone.

"Miss Hellveig is dead?" Cyrus asked. His eyes found mine and I waved both him and the dumb one off. "When did she die?"

"Well she was about a thousand," Willougby said. "Served her right, what happened."

For a moment, I couldn't speak. Willoughby added a few of her character flaws into the conversation, explaining to Josie how horrible she had been, though it did sort of irritate me, as he hadn't known her personally. His information, while accurate, was by word of mouth- likely some random staff's mouths, and I-

"Svana?" Josie whispered.

I relaxed my hands, "Yes. She fell down the foyer a few years ago."

Cyrus was analyzing my face too seriously for my comfort, but it was the knight that added, "A rightfully vuglar death for such a woman."

The canopy above us evaporated as we reached the end of the grove, and with its disappearance, the sun beat down on us again. I closed my eyes to take the moment for myself, free of Miss Hellveig, but Isaac had other plans. Her head whipped suddenly. Before she could actually make a scene, Cyrus' hand clamped down over mine and he pulled the rein back fiercely. Ice stopped almost immediately.

"Off," he told me.

"Are you mad?" I grinned. "She makes a little fuss, and you-" Ice moved again. I reached forward, brushing her hair, but that only made it worse.

Edith whinnied, and then Ice, and then Cyrus frowned. "This is a good a spot as any," he told Willoughby, who not only agreed, but instantly began to slow Josie and Tails down. Cyrus' eyes were stern, boring into me.

"If you expect me just to stop every time she gets a little uncomfortable, how will we break her? You told me the process, and while I remember maybe half of it, I'm certain discomfort was a part of it."

He waited, eyes traveling to Willoughby who'd appeared at my side to help me down. Reluctantly, and yes, fairly brattily, I made a big deal about relinquishing the reins to the swordsman as I left Ice's back But not with the help of Ser Willoughby! I basically tripped when I landed, twisting my ankle.

I limped towards Josie, who had already laid out our blanket, and sat in a major huff. She leaned in, quietly. "Mr. Evergreen is being protective. That's good."

"Annoying actually," I spat.

Josie laughed weakly at that, maintaining her smile as the boys settled the horses and came to sit with us.

"Does Svana not look beautiful today?" she asked.

"Joclyn!" I snapped at her, but both men made the effort to agree that I did.

Cyrus went further to change the subject. "On insistence of Daniel here, I've brought white wine for us to enjoy." He looked pointedly at me, and I was upset with how easily his joke disarmed my fury.

Willoughby nudged his arm, scoffing at him. "You can tease me all you want, but at least I know what I like. And when you've lived as long as I have, that becomes quite the quality in a man," He watched Josie.

"As long as you have?" I poked. "You're twenty."

"Nineteen, in truth," he replied. "But I've seen death, and war, and the effects of not treating oneself to enough wine. So I'll thank you to pass the bottle this way."

"Nineteen and so harsh, already?" Cyrus teased.

"Ser Willoughby isn't harsh," Josie defended him. "He's just..." she lost herself in what must have been a daydream.

"Do we get cheese today?" I asked.

• • •

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