Eon old trees stood tall around us as we rode through the forest that surrounded the castle, their foliage causing streams of sunlight to fight for dominance to shine through. There were whispers of rumours that these trees were truly alive with magic, having witnessed several wars and secrets. If you paid the right price, they would tell you what your heart desired to know. I didn't believe in such nonsense. They were only bark and leaves. How could they speak to you?

As we travelled onwards, we approached the small town of Torrine. The village was hidden away from the rest of Racaea as it was practically located in the middle of nowhere. You could only find it if you somehow happened to stumble upon it or if someone told you of its presence.

Auron had first shown us to Torrine as he had been found here by Trik, abandoned and alone.

A wooden sign creaked in the faint breeze on the sign of a building, the chipped paint reading out the familiar words of The Lost and Found. Patrons could already be seen leaving and entering the large doors despite it still being before noon.

We rode our horses around to the back of the building and tied their reins to the fence, promising we wouldn't leave them out for too long. I was surprised they hadn't been stolen yet even though we were regulars at this tavern. There were plenty of thieves and bandits around. Perhaps we had just been lucky.

Auron offered his hand to help me down off of Cirrus even though he knew I could handle myself. "My lady." He sketched a sarcastic bow, a soft smirk on his face.

I accepted it, my fingers lightly brushing his. "Why thank you, kind sir." With a chuckle, I turned and offered my own hand to Kayne. "My lady."

Beneath the shadow of his cloak hood, I noticed his left eye twitch in irritation. "You shouldn't have, my dear." While my touch had been gentle with Auron, Kayne nearly tugged me to the ground as he slid off his horse.

I could hear the savage grin in his voice as he spoke. "Come on you two, I want to tell you about what my mother has lined up for me now." The prince strode ahead of us, undoubtedly eager to get some alcohol in his system.

When we entered The Lost and Found, the stench of liquor and body odour stung the back of my throat, making my eyes water. We shuffled around tables and untucked chairs to make our way to our usual table at the back of the tavern. It was a small table to only seat four people and was shrouded in shadows, perfect for keeping eavesdroppers at bay and our identities hidden. Well, Kayne's identity anyway.

"Hey, you three," began the burly woman behind the bar, "do you want your usuals?"

"Yes please!" I called back with a smile. I was fond of Forsythia. She was a lively person who knew how to start and keep a conversation flowing, but also knew how not to pry too much into others' lives at the same time.

As we settled down, Kayne let his hood drop slightly, slouching and tilting his head towards the ceiling. "You wouldn't believe who my mother invited to the castle again this morning."

Auron hummed purposefully in thought while he unstrapped his weapons belt. "Let me guess, more suitors for you to consider marrying?"

We halted talking as Forsythia brought us our drinks and Kayne pressed two silver coins into her palm.

"That would be correct."

"She's not going to stop dragging people across Racaea until you decide on someone, you know," I pointed out.

He sighed, downing half of his drink in one gulp. "I know, but I don't like any of them. I don't trust them. Who knows which ones are secretly plotting behind our backs to take over the kingdom for themselves?"

"There's only one way to find out," Auron offered with a shrug. The topics of royal affairs had never interested him much, only the talks of new metals being imported into the kingdom to make weapons with had sparked his attention.

Kayne scoffed. "I wish I could just choose one and be over with it. Some of the suitors aren't too bad looking, especially some of the males the lords have been offering up. My mother is not too fond of those though."

"Why? Does she want you to produce an heir as well?" I laughed as I sipped at my drink. The thought of him being a father was an impossible and unsightly image to behold. "I thought you just needed to be married to receive your title as the High Fae King."

"She says an heir would help keep her happy in the long-term." He shuddered, raising his hand to signal Forsythia over to order another drink. "Another reason I don't want to make a decision."

"Slow down with the drinks, Kayne," Auron glanced at his empty glass and then at our still nearly full ones. "We've got to get you back to the castle in one piece."

He waved his hand nonchalantly. "I'll be fine."

I sighed. "You say that now, but you won't be when you're falling off your horse in a few hours." It had happened before. The mud-soaked prince had to share a steed with me as he clung to my waist like a child. Poor Auron had the task of attempting to lead two horses back to the castle.

While my back was turned to the exit, I didn't notice an old woman approach our table. "My, my," she croaked. "I haven't seen a soul like yours in a long time." Her boney fingers gripped onto my chin with fierce strength, turning my face towards hers.

The woman's back was hunched and the majority of her features were shrouded under the shadows of her cloak. She used a cane carved from the gnarled branch of a tree to keep herself balanced.

I twisted my head out of her vice-like grasp, keeping a smile placed on my lips. "Uh, thank you?"

"I would love to take a closer look at it. In return, I will grant you a wish. Anything you desire can be yours if you let me take a little peek at what hides inside of your body." She moved closer so I could feel her warm breath on my skin.

I couldn't help but smirk. "Perhaps I could wish for a worthy suitor for you." When my eyes met Kayne's, I found there was nothing but rage.

A sword was drawn from its sheath and pointed at the woman. "Leave. Now," Auron spat, moving to the edge of his seat to attack her if need be.

Raising one of her hands in defence, she slowly backed away into the centre of the tavern before turning to leave. She hadn't been of any harm, why was Auron threatening her? All she was was a curious old lady.

"What was that for?" I pushed the tip of his blade down as it was still pointed at her. It wasn't like she could grant me a wish or peer at my soul anyway. People that powerful didn't wander around in the middle of nowhere.

"She's a soul trader," Kayne hissed, looking at his new drink as if it had turned to ash. "If she managed to get a hold of your soul, she would have turned you into a husk."

Auron nodded in agreement. "She's probably in her mid-twenties, but soul trading is so taxing that it drains the life from you, hence her appearance. They're not the sorts of people you want to get involved with."

"What's the benefit of it?" I asked, watching my surroundings more cautiously than I had previously. The old woman had been able to walk right up to me and grab my face. That shouldn't have been able to happen. I needed to be more on guard.

He shrugged. "Nobody knows. I'm not even sure the soul traders know what the benefit of it is anymore either, but they're too addicted to stop."

"Let's change the topic." Kayne leaned back in his chair, placing an arm behind his head and an ankle onto his knee. "I have to pick a suitor by the end of the week. There will be a ball at the weekend which my mother is inviting all the potential suitors to, but I don't want to go. I need you two to help me decide."

"And you didn't mention this information sooner because?" I snatched the drink out of the prince's hand. If he had mentioned his time limit and the urgent sense of his impending doom — though perhaps that was exaggerating it slightly — we would have taken his pleas more seriously.

"You need someone who you can trust who can produce you an heir..." Auron thought aloud. "Why don't you marry Sabre?"

My drink got caught in my windpipe, causing me to cough and splutter to allow air back into my lungs. "Me? No." Heat crawled up my neck and found its way to my cheeks. "I don't know the first thing about ruling a kingdom, I'm from Icrodeia, and I'm a weaponsmith. I doubt I would even be allowed to be one of your options." Being a queen to a country I had been sold to in spite? I couldn't betray my homeland like that.

He raised his arms in surrender. "I was only joking." A hint of amusement flickered across his features.

Kayne snatched his drink back while my attention was diverted. "I personally don't think it's a bad idea."

I threw the prince a warning glare. "I already said no. Besides, I like my current job too much."

"I never said it had to be serious. You could just pretend to be my fiance until I find a suitor I can trust. You would just be acting."

"No." Pretend to court Kayne? I couldn't imagine anything more tortuous. That would still require us to act like we were a couple in love. Small lingering touches, eye contact that grazed each other's body with the utmost admiration. There wasn't a chance.

"Please?" He stuck out his lower lip and feigned sadness.

"Drop it."

"Would you three like some more drinks?" Forsythia leant on the back of the prince's chair, holding an empty tray.

"Thank you, but I'm good. I'll be leaving once I've finished this one." I smiled sweetly at her while returning bitter scowls to the two males sitting on either side of me.

"Oh, come on Sabre," Auron began as Kayne ordered more alcohol. "It was just supposed to be some teasing. We didn't mean to offend you in any way."

I shrugged. "I have things to be doing anyway. There are quite a few weapon requests piling up from the Racaea army, we should get to them before Trik finds all the work waiting for him." Swirling the remaining contents of my drink, I downed it and then checked my surroundings, making sure I hadn't dropped any of my belongings.

"I apologise, Sabre. Please, stay for at least one more round?" Kayne's normally bright green eyes were enveloped in shadow. I couldn't tell if it was from his cloak or regret.

"I'll see you both later."

Why do you think Sabre got so upset over the thought of pretending to be Kayne's fiance?