“When in an enemy’s house, speak softly, and then strike quietly”

“Thou shalt marry Prince Quiro by August, and that is final!”

I flinched as my father pounded the table with his fist, sending up a puff of dust. He stormed out of the library, slamming the door behind him. I didn’t pursue him, knowing well the consequences of bothering an already angered man, especially one as angered as my father. Sighing, I closed the book I had been reading before my father interrupted me. I was in no mood for poetry. I picked up the book, and, on second thought, gathered up several of my other favorites. Then I, too, exited the library, although I gently shut the door.

Leave. The thought struck me like a thunderbolt. Well, why not? I asked myself. It’s not as if I’ll be missed. I mentally corrected myself. Much. I’ll not be missed much. I sighed. Who will miss me? I asked myself. Certainly not the woman my father married. Not my sisters, not my brothers. The servants are too scared to voice their opinions. I’m not even sure if they have opinions! I sighed, again. What have I got to lose?

“When on a long journey, take with you what is most important.”

As a young girl I always loved to explore. This is why I know where 78 of the 99 hidden passages are. I used to think that this knowledge would serve no purpose, but now I am glad of my curiosity. That is, glad that I put it to use. 27 of the tunnels are common knowledge, and, thus, 51 are not. At least 17 of these lead to the forest, my destination.

A palace is really quite an easy place to sneak out of. Especially if those running it like to have servants attending them night and day. And so, after packing food, money, clothes, and various other items, (I wore my weapons, so they were readily available), I shouldered my pack, and, using my skills of silence and shadow, slipped undetected to the treasure room, where my right lay. There, in an obsidian box, locked so that only I could open it, lay Ulmrin, the seventh of the nine stones named Nazgazh. I placed my hands on the box, and when the lid popped off, removed the deep indigo stone, and hung it round my neck. Then I stole quietly away.

“When in unfamiliar country, sleep with one eye open.”

The fief nearest our castle is the fief of Derran and Sarri Lanami. Their son, Evyn, and daughter, Jani, have always been my friends. This is why, once in the forest, I headed towards their fief. However, I hadn’t counted on meeting Evyn before I even got there.

As I mounted my horse, I saw the castle’s many lights glimmering through the gloom, like candles on a tree. The rain came in sheets, and had I had not been wearing my special cloak, I would have been soaked. As it was, I was dry, though quite cold. I hurriedly directed my mount into the shelter of the trees, knowing that it would be dryer undercover. I knew I would not reach Evyn’s home that night, so I set about finding a campsite. I found a suitable one rather quickly. Carefully, I tethered my horse to a tree, making sure she would be able to reach the grass that carpeted the forest floor, I then looked for firewood. It was readily available and I set the wood to my liking, leaving several of the larger pieces out, and with a small touch of magic, set it ablaze. Then I stretched out my legs, braced my back comfortably against a tree, preparing to rest, as I had learned how to, with one eye open.

It was then that I heard the voice.

“Stay where thou art, if thy life be of importance to thee!”

“A lone traveler is best for stealth, but two are better for battle.”

Obeying the stranger’s words, I kept still, save moving my head to look at him.

“Pray, stranger, why dost thou threaten me, who am but a lone traveler, and have not yet harmed thee?” I asked.

“Any man who trespasses on my father’s land is a possible threat, and I have ways of dealing with the likes of thee!” the stranger declared.

“Then I am not a threat!”

“What?” the figure was puzzled.

“Thou sayest any man. I am not a man. Or, methinks,” I added thoughtfully, “a trespasser.”

Regaining his composure, the figure contradicted me.

“Man thou mayn’t be, but thou art surely a trespasser, for the land upon which thou hast kindled thy fire and the tree which thou hast tethered thy mount to is the land of my father, Derran of Lanami’s.” Suddenly I gasped. I knew that voice!

“Evyn?” I whispered.

Evidently the stranger, whom I now knew to be Evyn, recognized my voice in that instant, for in the same voice, he breathed,

“Naria?” I nodded, and, disregarding Evyn’s threat, scrambled to my feet and hugged him fiercely. He hugged me back, then we locked eyes, and laughed ecstatically, for we had not seen each other in more than a year. Once we had calmed down enough to make rational conversation, Evyn insisted on hearing my life’s story since he had last seen me. I obliged, but ordered him to tell me his once I had finished mine.

He listened with rapt attention, never interrupting my steady flow of speech. When I finished, he nodded sagely.

“Always knew thou wert a smart girl, Nari,” he drawled, using his pet name for me.

“Now it’s thy turn,” I reminded him. He smiled, took a deep breath, and began.

“Well, things started going bad ever since thy lovely mother, may she sleep in peace, passed away. And then thy father married that duchess, and things went from bad to worse. All of a sudden, trade seemed to stop. Fights broke out in once peaceful cities. Fiefs started warring amongst themselves. And then you stopped coming.

“About six months after you left, my second cousins in fief Marin were recruited into the army. The boys, that is. All of them died in the war with Synvia, may they sleep in peace.

“The crops started withering, the streams started drying up. We barely survived. Maybe we did something to displease the gods, because they are certainly frowning upon us.” Evyn sighed heavily, then brightened up considerably.

“But now that thou hast left, things may be looking up.”

“Why’s that?” I asked, confused.

“Ulmrin’s a stone of weather,” Evyn replied, “And a change in weather’s what we need!”