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Alik was clasping his belt around his waist while Issat sat on the sill and watched as he struggled when his door was thrown open and Avelina marched in. Her eyes were sparkling and she looked like a victor just returned from war.
“We are having a picnic!” She announced.
“I don’t want to trouble you-” Alik began.
“There is no trouble. This is my favorite thing to do and you are the perfect excuse for me to run away from my duties for the day and spend it doing absolutely nothing at all,” Avelina said.
“I-”
Edmond entered the room just then and sighed. “Your Highness, there is no way out of this. It would be best for all involved to give into Avelina’s demands so that we might all head down to the picnic. Perhaps then I will be given some relief from her constant demands.”
Lissandra entered last, speaking to one of her ladies over her shoulder before she hurried off. “Are we ready?” She asked.
“Yes,” Issat said and stood up from the sill. “What should I wear?”
“I thought you would never ask,” Avelina asked.
Alik was shown how to wear the short britches and keep them properly tied. He insisted on a light tunic to hide the hideous bruising on his side, even though Edmond and the ladies helping him dress didn’t so much as give him a second glance.
Issat was taken off and when she returned, she was wearing something of such complicated design that Alik could not understand where it began and ended. There were bands of fabric that covered her chest and looped around her torso and he finally gave up trying to figure out what went where.
They were ushered out and before Alik could figure out a polite way to ask, they were escorted quickly past and down the stairs.
Downstairs, they were shown to an open air carriage. Alik was urged in and they were off, while Edmond trotted along next to them on a great gray mare.
“You have quite the idea of a picnic,” Alik remarked. He couldn’t find it in himself to be disappointed. As much as he wanted to learn about this court, it seemed like he needed time away.
“When was the last time you went on one?” Avelina asked.
“Probably when I was a child.”
Avelina smiled. “I don’t imagine your lands give you much of a chance to have a picnic. Here, once I was old enough, I tried to get my siblings to come out as often as possible.”
“She is positively impossible during the spring and summer months. I need to hire my own guard just to protect her from dragging me out here,” Lissandra said.
“We would all be useless,” Nicolin advised from his own horse next to the carriage.
“Fiercest warriors in all the five lands and none of you can stand up to my baby sister,” Edmond said, with feigned disgust.
“Get rid of them all. That’s what I do when Issat doesn’t do what I order,” Alik advise.
“I have been removed from my post more times than I care to count,” Issat said from her own horse.
“And yet here you are, still,” Avelina said.
“My Prince would be lost without me.”
The ride was peaceful and soothing as they traveled through a length of forest and as it thinned out, Alik spotted the ocean. They took a well worn path down and when they came to a stop, Edmond got off his horse and offered his sisters a hand down. When Alik stood, Edmond smirked and turned away.
“I would wager I am more delicate than your sisters!” Alik called to his retreating back.
“Of that, I have no doubt!” Edmond called back.
There were several canopies set up, with three cloth walls and a roof to shield them from the sun. Inside were low tables and cushions and servants were hurrying about, setting up food and rugs.
“Is this a picnic or a day long event?” Alik asked. He looked around but did not see Eamon in their group. Alik had not seen him when they left the castle and no one mentioned his name either. There were a few guards missing that Alik was familiar with and Kane was also notably absent.
“He had some duty at the docks. He will try to join us later,” Avelina murmured from Alik’s side.
“I don’t know who you are referring to,” Alik said.
She stared up at him, those big blue eyes of hers seeing past every lie he was trying to tell himself.
“We are here as long as the Princess bids us to be here,” Willhelm said and stretched out in the sand.
“I can see how much this wears on you,” Edmond said, above his soldier.
“I do what I must for my country, my Prince. The sacrifices are mighty, but they must be done,” Willhelm said and closed his eyes.
***
“YOUR HIGHNESS!” SEMALEON said and she jumped to her feet, her wild red hair flying around her head.
“Oracle,” he said and ducked into her small building.
“I did not see that you were coming,” she said.
“Nor did I, not till last night. Do you have time for me?” He asked.
Semaleon snorted and pushed her hair from her face. “Even if I did not, I would make the time. Children, please go away.”
The three orphans that were sitting at her table politely ignored her. She was barely more than a child herself and they stayed in her home more often than not. The three that were there scooted out of the way so that Eamon could sit down but did not leave the small room. They were trading a book among themselves and Eamon's chest ached with a sudden need to scoop them up and take them away, somewhere they would be safe.
She poured them all water and did not say another word to the children about leaving.
“What can I help you with?” She asked.
“Have you word?”
Semaleon’s expression immediately soured. Her fair skin and freckled face made her stand out among the more dark skinned people of the island but she was also very well known for her sunny disposition that it was rare to see her with a dark look on her face.
“I have heard some things, yes. They push inwards. They are seeking a place among your court as well, I believe as Thomas tried with the Cerith Kingdom. There is a chance that they might succeed with the foreign Prince and his family-”
“I do not believe he would allow it,” Eamon said hastily.
Semaleon raised her eyebrows. She was not a real oracle, she told him that much, but she was remarkably perceptive. Her readings came from what people unconsciously told her.
“Then I would keep him apprised of the situation so that he might point out the ones that do not belong to his court,” she advised.
“My Prince,” one small boy whispered from his side. The boy was almost pressed completely next to Eamon.
“Yes?” Eamon asked and looked down at the small child. He was suddenly reminded when Edmond was the small. The boy had shaggy hair that desperately needed a cut, blue eyes like Eamon's, and was so fragile that Edmond was terrified of accidentally hurting him.
“They come in at nights, on the small boats. Not the big, mighty ones that you have. The small ones,” the boy insisted.
Eamon nodded but didn’t interrupt.
“They land on the southern beaches, the ones with all the sharp rocks. Then they walk all night.”
“How do you know?” Eamon asked.
“We follow them.”
“That is very brave of you.”
The little boy looked down at his hands and nodded.
“But I must ask you to stop.”
The little boy, his mop of unruly dark hair, looked up at him sharply and the tears began to form before Eamon could get another word out.
With one arm, Eamon scooped him up, and set him on the table so that the boy was looking at Eamon, trembling chin and all.
“You are very brave and I thank you for your service. But I prefer you safe and alive and healthy. When you get big and strong, I need you for service of your country, should you so desire. And you won’t get there if you are captured. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good.”
“Your Highness?”
“Yes?”
“I would much prefer to be a baker in your kitchens.”
Eamon couldn’t help but laugh at that. He nodded and told the boy to spread the word. No child should follow the Vresal scouts, no matter what. If there was any problem, any trouble, they should head straight for the castle. No child would be turned away.
The boy scampered off to tell his mates.
Semaleon looked troubled at the turn of events. “There are more and more each day.”
“I know.”
She chewed on her lower lip and shook her head. “I will keep them safe for you, my Prince.”
“I know you will. Bring them to me, all of them, if you must.”
“But your Prince-”
“He will understand,” Eamon said and realized far too late that he did not correct her word usage.
Eamon left, after handing over a large bag of coins to her. Someone her age, Eamon would be worried that it would be spent all on pretty dresses or frivolous food, but Eamon knew that Semaleon spent every spare bit of money she had on keeping the orphans fed and clothed and sheltered.
It took Eamon much longer than he thought it would, checking in with the others throughout the village only to hear the same thing. He got on his horse with the sun high overhead and headed straight for the beach where Avelina told him they would be spending the day. The guards left his side to head back to the castle and Kane disappeared sometime on the run to the beach.
As he rode, he considered all the information that he had on hand. If it were not for Alik and his family, Eamon would have already have declared war on the people of Vresal, thrown them from the Isles.
But his mother begged him to keep the peace, so long as Alik was here. He would do as she asked, for as long as his people were not in trouble, he decided.
Then he decided to send a contingent of men to the southern beaches. If there were more, they would be greeted with men and wolves. It would not be a peaceful night.
In the distance, he spotted the canopies and urged his horse a bit faster. He was hungry, hot, and thirsty. He knew that the servants would bring enough food for a small army and the water called to him.
“You cheat,” Alik accused as Eamon drew closer.
“You are terrible at this game!” Lissandra laughed.
Eamon dismounted easily, even as his horse slowed. He walked towards the canopies and collapsed across Lissandra and Avelina’s laps.
“Feed me, I starve,” he groaned.
“What happened to taking men with you?” Avelina asked.
Lissandra tipped her water goblet over his face. Eamon sputtered but did not move.
“Get off of us, you great beast! You will crush us!” Lissandra laughed and tried to move Eamon off her legs.
“I cannot. I lack the strength. No one has fed me, given me wine, or looked after me all morning,” Eamon cried out.
“How did you survive?” Edmond asked, from Alik’s side.
“Barely brother. Barely. Death is breathing down my neck.”
Edmond shook his head and then consulted with Alik on the set of cards between them. They were playing a game that Eamon taught them all as children and so far, his sisters were winning. A servant brought a platter over to him and he finally sat up, off his sister’s legs, and began to wash his hands and face in a bowl of cool water that another servant brought him. He gave his thanks to them both before he began to dig in.
Eamon only partially paid attention as Lissandra and Avelina won yet another game and was nodding along with some things that Lissandra was saying when he excused himself. Willhelm and Nicolin were at the edge of the water, the waves gently lapping over their feet. They were discussing something while they gazed out at the water.
“Might I interrupt?” Eamon asked.
“Of course,” Nicolin said. They were captains of both the Princes guards and often consulted one another on their comings and goings. They were also the ones that Eamon trusted the most.
“Are you friendly with the Grayhaven knights?” Eamon asked.
Willhelm snorted and Nicolin looked away.
“What is it?” Eamon said, looking between the two of them.
“They are not the friendliest group to have visited our fine islands, Your Highness,” Nicolin said, struggling to look for the words.
“They are far too concerned with bedding a noble lady or a princess than they are with doing their jobs. They are lazy, dull, lack discipline, and prefer almost everything to training,” Willhelm added, throwing civility to the wind.
“Scarily accurate,” Alik said from Eamon’s back.
All three men startled and turned around to see Alik squinting up at the three of them.
“I’m sure that Willhelm didn’t mean-” Nicolin began.
“He did and I am grateful for his words,” Alik looked to Eamon. “I would advise that if you wish to get information from the knights of Grayhaven that you consult Issat. She is far better informed and outstrips their intelligence easily.”
“You brag of your Lady,” Eamon said.
Alik shrugged. “I do not have to brag. She is precisely who she is.”
“I do agree with His Highness. The Lady is smart and willing to trade information. What is it you seek to know?” Willhelm asked.
“I have word that there have been more sightings of scouts from Vresal. But mother does not wish for me to do anything that could take away from this joyous time, so whatever is to be done, must be done discreetly,” Eamon said.
“Not a problem. I will send out scouts tonight-” Willhelm said.
“No need. The orphans have been tracking them,” Eamon said with a sigh.
Willhelm and Nicolin both groaned.
“What?” Alik asked.
“The orphans consider themselves part of the guard. They keep an ear out and an eye on anyone or anything that could be suspicious. Very often, their information is good and correct,” Eamon said.
“But there are times when instead of coming to report to us, they take it upon themselves to investigate. They put themselves in danger, from time to time,” Willhelm added.
Alik nodded but did not say anything further.
“Tonight, I want you to take a contingent. They are on the south shores. The rocky ones,” Eamon said.
“Of course they would land there,” Nicolin muttered and shook his head.
“They are rocky and dangerous in daylight. If you are familiar with the land, perhaps you would survive such a landing. Otherwise, you tempt death,” Willhelm explained to Eamon.
“Could you all land there?” Alik asked.
“We would not be in His Highnesses service if we could not,” Nicolin said and puffed his chest out.
“It is part of their training to land there successfully three times a year, during the worst of conditions,” Eamon explained.
“Then why put all this effort in? Sail out, wait for them during the day, and when you see them start to land, push them in. Crowd them towards the rocks, smash them and their boats against the shore,” Alik suggested.
“Oh,” Willhelm said softly.
Eamon looked at Alik with new appreciation.
“Will your wolves go to the shore to wait for any survivors?” Alik asked.
“Happily,” Nicolin said.
“Simply a suggestion,” Alik said and wandered back to the canopy where the others were seated, still talking and eating.
“I believe he is a witch and has stolen all the intelligence and wit from his knights,” Willhelm declared.
Eamon wasn’t sure if he agreed, but there was certainly something to his ideas.