“Our scouts have told me that there have been no sightings of the troops from Dun’s Crossing,” mother is saying, and I realize sheepishly that I haven’t been listening. “Still, we must remain cautious. I’d like to wait one more day before anyone else ventures outside.” There’s grumbling from the sa
*Kieran*It’s late in the evening when I finally reach my father’s soldiers. The sun is low in the sky, threatening to set at any moment, and my body is weary after so many days of traveling. I’m grateful to see the men have already set up their camp for the evening. They’ve all shifted into their h
“Come on, Eric,” the first soldier shrugs. “He’ll be the king one day anyway. He might as well hear our concerns.” The gruff soldier, Eric, sizes me up again, but he must decide that I’m good for my word, because he finally opens his mouth to speak. “I haven’t been home in two years because I can’t
*Raven*Melany and I spend the entire day together, and I even have the opportunity to meet her mother, Anya. She invites me to dinner, which I happily accept, not eager to go back to my empty home. When I do eventually leave very late that evening, I realize that the ache of being away from Kieran
We both laugh at this, and she tells me the bears mostly stick to the mountains now, since King Gavin burned down so much of the forest. “So many of the animals left,” she says sadly as we walk through lush trees and overgrown grass. “And how could we blame them? Our water was poisoned, and the for
*Kieran*The sun is high in the sky when we finally reach the castle. After days of travel, my home should be a welcome sight, but I can only think of the lives that were lost to build this place. This is not a home, I realize for the first time in my life. It’s a monument to my father’s ego. This c
They barely respond at all. Mother looks at her nails in boredom, and my father’s face doesn’t change at all. He’s still just looking at me with a stoic expression. “Yes, well,” he says, clearing his throat. “That is, of course, terrible news.” “Terrible,” my mother echoes in a monotone. “Terrible
There’s a loud knock on my front door, and I’m so exhausted I have to actually take a moment to remember where I am. Thankfully, my eyes have gotten very used to the dark, and I manage to make it to the door without turning on any of the lights. Mother is on the other side with a steaming mug of tea