"The message was delivered to General Wikner," reported the messenger. "He was not happy to receive it."
"Are his troops pulling back from the Arin River?" asked Captain Rezo.
"They are," nodded the messenger, "but you should expect General Wikner here within the hour. He is keen to talk to King Zinan about his orders. He left right after I did, but he could not keep up."
"Thank you," Captain Rezo nodded. "You have done well."
The messenger nodded and retreated to the courtyard. Captain Rezo turned to carry the news to King Zinan, but Prince Antion stopped him.
"I will carry the news for you," offered the Arin prince. "I would like to talk to King Zinan before he meets the general."
Captain Rezo hesitated only a moment before nodding his approval. "You will find him in the crypts."
"In the crypts?" frowned Prince Antion.
"Aye," sighed the captain as he looked around to see who might be listening. "He spends most of the day down there with his brother's body. He does not wish anyone to know, but you already know what happened upstairs."
Prince Antion nodded and moved off towards the stairs leading down to the crypts. Jared's body had been entombed alongside the kings and queens of Capri, but his tomb was unmarked by name or date. When the Arin prince entered the area where Jared's body was interred, he found King Zinan on his knees. Prince Antion stood for a few minutes staring at the Borundan king. He wondered what inner torment Zinan was putting himself through because of his past actions. As hard as he tried, the Arin prince could not imagine the anguish of having killed a brother that he never knew. His eyes moistened as he watched, and he realized that his own torment about Winona paled in comparison.
Eventually the Arin prince moved into the room and made sufficient noise to attract King Zinan's attention. The king started at the sound of someone approaching, but he recovered quickly. He stood and smiled thinly at the Arin prince.
"I am sorry to disturb you," Prince Antion said softly, "but a messenger just arrived from the front. General Wikner will arrive here within the hour to question your orders. I thought you would want the time to prepare. Perhaps we can discuss it before he arrives."
"Thank you," nodded the king, "but I do not need to prepare for General Wikner. I still remember how to act like a pompous and arrogant ruler, no matter how much I would prefer to forget."
Prince Antion nodded and turned to leave, but he halted after only a few feet. He turned back to see King Zinan watching him with interest.
"You must miss him a great deal," Prince Antion said with sadness, "probably even more than I do, and I miss him very much."
"I will always live with regret," King Zinan replied as his lips trembled with emotion. "I am thankful that I have his memories so that I truly do know him, but those memories bring tears to my eyes. I understand that Naveena used me for her own ends, but I am disgusted with the depravity of my past life. I would have looked upon such a beast with hatred, but Jared did not. He understood the truth and the danger of the Talent. He was a remarkable man."
"He was indeed," Prince Antion nodded.
As the prince turned once again to leave, King Zinan walked after him.
"Wait, Prince Antion," King Zinan called. "There is something that you need to know."
The Arin prince turned once again and found King Zinan standing before him.
"Jared was incapable of lying," King Zinan began, "but he was quite capable of withholding information. He withheld from you his plan to deal with me, but he hid even more from you."
"Jared was a wise man," replied the prince. "If he thought it best for the truth to be hidden from me, perhaps it is best that I do not know his secrets."
"The truth that he hid from you no longer exists," smiled King Zinan. "When he was with Orro, my brother learned the truth about Vineland."
"What would Orro know about Vineland?" frowned the prince.
"He knows that the search for an heir will not bear fruit," replied King Zinan, "yet there are heirs to the royal line. Those heirs reside in Harangar."
"All right," the prince replied with confusion. "I know that most of Harangar was populated by royalty kidnapped from the Land of the Nine Kingdoms, so finding an heir up there makes sense, but why would Jared hide such a thought from me. It is not as if it matters to me who rules Vineland."
"He hid that knowledge because one of the new royal family was endowed with the Talent," explained the king. "Jared had come to believe that the Talent had no place mixing with the ruling class. He thought that my rule would never have been so destructive if I had not held the Talent within me. I have to admit that I agree with him now that I can look back objectively."
"You said was endowed," Prince Antion said with renewed interest. "That would mean that this person no longer is endowed with the Talent. Is that what you are saying?"
"Indeed," smiled King Zinan. "Winona is the person that Jared feared gaining power. Now that she no longer is possessed by the Talent, someone should send for her father."
"Winona is a princess?" gasped the Arin prince. "Are you sure of this?"
"Orro was quite certain," nodded the king. "Winona can orally recite her entire bloodline since the founding of Harangar, as all citizens there can. Orro has insisted that they retain that knowledge. She is descended from Ericson, son of King Eric of Vineland. When her bloodline is matched against the historical records in Laborg, there will be no doubt about her claim."
"I must tell her," Prince Antion said excitedly.
The prince was so excited that he embraced the king before racing out of the room. King Zinan grinned and shook his head as he watched the prince race away.
"Live well, my brother," King Zinan mumbled under his breath.
* * *
"I really don't want to discuss it," Winona said with determination.
"Why would you keep your destination from your friends?" asked Prince Derri. "That is most unusual. Maybe we are heading in the same direction?"
"I do not think so," Winona shook her head. "I am quite sure that we are traveling in different directions."
"Let us stop playing games," sighed Prince Umal. "Do you love him or not?"
Winona whirled around and stared at the Odessian prince, her eyes wide and round with surprise. "Love whom?" she asked.
"Prince Antion is in despair," declared Prince Derri. "He thinks that you are running off because you do not care for him. Umal and I think differently."
"And what do you think?" Winona asked coyly.
"We think you are running away so that Antion cannot pursue you," answered Prince Umal. "You know that he would throw away his crown to be with you, and you love him too much to let him do that. Are we wrong?"
Winona's lips pressed tightly together and she turned away from the princes. She walked to her window and stared out at the rippling waves washing ashore. After a few moments of silence, she turned around to face the princes.
"No," she sighed, "you are not wrong. I am running away to save him, and the two of you should be glad to help me. He means too much to the people of Arin for him to act so selfishly. I will not allow him to behave so foolishly, and neither should either of you. Now that we have established the truth, help him put me out of his mind."
"That is impossible," frowned Prince Umal. "He is determined to pursue you regardless of the consequences. If you truly understand Antion, you must know that he will doggedly follow you until you agree to marry him."
"I won't," Winona retorted stubbornly. "Ever. Did you not hear what I just said?"
"He would never be happy without you," countered the Salacian prince.
"He would never be happy with me," retorted Winona. "How long do you think it would be before he was filled with regret over his actions? How many sleepless nights would he have worrying about the people of Arin that he was supposed to be watching over? Antion was born to rule, but he is much more than a man born into royalty. He is not just the son of a king, but rather
a noble man who has compassion and love for those less fortunate than himself. He is exactly the opposite of everything I was taught to believe a royal was. His very existence proves that Harangar has the wrong impression of the royals, and you want me to take him away so that a lesser person can rule in his place? I cannot be so selfish as that."
"Does his happiness mean nothing to you?" asked Prince Umal.
"Don't do this to me, Umal," Winona pleaded as tears welled up in her eyes. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to come to this decision, but I must do what is right for Antion. Do not make me second-guess this, or I will not find the will again."
Winona turned away from the princes to hide her tears. She moved to the window again and peered out. As Prince Derri opened his mouth in another attempt to sway the woman, Winona whirled around and faced the princes.
"There are Borundan soldiers streaming into the castle!" she exclaimed.
Prince Umal and Prince Derri raced to the window and glanced out. They saw the soldiers riding up the ramp and dashed out of the room. As they raced down to the ground level, they saw Prince Antion making his way upstairs. They quickly corralled him into joining them, and they reached the entry foyer just a moment before General Wikner entered the room. The Borundan general started when he recognized the three princes. He turned back towards the door and shouted for his soldiers.
"Your men are not required here," King Zinan said authoritatively as he entered the room. "Dismiss them."
General Wikner glanced at King Zinan and bowed. As his men started rushing through the door, the general shouted for them to leave. No one spoke until the soldiers had left and the door was closed.
"This is most unexpected," frowned General Wikner. "Do these three have something to do with your orders to retreat to Tarent?"
"The princes are my guests," declared the Borundan king. "Why have you stopped here instead of following my orders?"
"I am following your orders," replied the general. "My army is marching back to Tarent as you demanded, but I wish to speak to you about the orders. May we speak in private?"
"I am sure the princes would allow us some privacy," King Zinan said as he watched the general begin to smile, "but I will not ask them to leave us. They are aware of the orders that I have issued. If you have questions about those orders, I think it is best for all of us to hear your thoughts."
General Wikner's brow creased severely, but he knew better than to argue with the king. He inhaled deeply and nodded.
"My army was on the verge of victory," the general stated, "and I can assure you that victory will be ours if you will reverse your orders. The Salacians are too far away to help the Arinites. We can crush them quickly and rule the entire Land of the Nine Kingdoms."
The king nodded and looked at the three princes with just the barest hint of a smile on his face. "Who would care to enlighten my general?" he asked the princes.
"I would consider it a pleasure," offered Prince Umal as he looked into the general's eyes. "The Arinites will not fall easily, General Wikner, and I doubt that you would be successful at all, but let me tell you what would happen if you do continue with the attack. While you and your men are busy fighting King Caedmon, thousands of Odessian warriors will sweep into Koar. We will ransack the city and turn westward to come up behind your army. As you try to disengage, the Salacians will arrive, and your army will be destroyed to the man."
"After your defeat," added Prince Derri, "our forces would have to march on to Tarent and Dulga to take over all of Borunda. Otherwise there would be no military force to maintain law and order."
"It is not something we desire to do," suggested Prince Antion, "but a nation cannot be left leaderless, and King Zinan would need some help to maintain order. It is far preferable for your army to return to Borunda and keep the peace."
"What are you saying?" scowled the general. "This is not some children's' game we are playing here. The Odessians are not a factor in this war. They will not be marching on Koar or anywhere else. I have read General Bassner's reports and know that Oran has fallen. I also know that the Odessians are up in Caroom. Do not play me for a fool."
"But you are a fool," retorted Prince Umal, "and you had other fools as generals under you. The attack on Caxon failed. General Vanatay is dead, and Vineland has been liberated. General Bassner is also dead, and his army has been destroyed. Oran has been retaken without the need for a fight. Given the circumstances, your enemies are being gracious in letting you retreat to your homeland."
"We have come to an agreement with King Zinan," declared Prince Antion. "Our nations want peace, and we are prepared to stand by King Zinan as we begin a new period of the Great Peace. Is all of this clear to you now?"
"What are they saying?" the general asked King Zinan. "It is foolish to stop at this late date. Their words cannot be true?"
"It is all true," nodded King Zinan as his fingers moved rapidly in horse language. "I have assured the princes that my armies will retreat and cease their warlike activities. However, I do not feel that you are in step with my wishes. I want peace."
The general stood in stony silence for several moments, before giving the slightest nod to the king and turning to storm out of the castle. Before he could reach the door, the three princes sprang into action. Prince Derri dove across the floor and came to his feet with his back against the door. Prince Umal and Prince Antion flanked the general, and all three of the princes had their swords drawn.
"What treachery is this?" shouted the general as he turned to face the king.
"I have decided that your enthusiasm for the Great Peace is minimal at best," declared King Zinan. "As you were the superior officer for both General Vanatay and General Bassner, I hold you responsible for their losses. I am relieving you of command, General Wikner. You will be held here in the dungeons until my armies have returned to Tarent. When I am sure that peace and stability have returned to my kingdom, you will be stripped of your rank and released from the dungeon."
Captain Rezo had responded to the general's shout, and he appeared with half a dozen guards. Upon the king's orders, the captain took custody of the general, and his men led the general away.
"That completes the task of ensuring peace," sighed King Zinan. "Wikner was a poor choice to begin with. Where will you three go now?"
"I have to tell Winona the news," smiled Prince Antion. "I would like to take her to Anatar and wed her, but I know that she will refuse me."
"What news?" asked Prince Derri.
"Winona is the legal princess of Vineland," grinned the Arin prince. "I don't think that will make a difference to her, but I must try to change her view of me. I cannot live without her."
"You have no need to change her view of you, Brother," grinned the Odessian prince. "She turns a cold shoulder to you only to preserve your royal position."
Prince Antion's face beamed with joy as he turned and raced up the stairs. The other two princes stood talking to King Zinan until Prince Antion returned alone.
"She is gone!" the Arin prince exclaimed. "Her packs are gone. She has fled."
"I will have the gate sealed," shouted Prince Umal as he raced out the door.
"And I will check with the kitchens," offered Prince Derri. "She would want rations to take with her."
Prince Antion stood in shock until King Zinan nudged him.
"What are you waiting for, Brother," smiled the king. "She cannot escape from the three of you. Go and saddle the horses."
Prince Antion nodded distractedly and raced out of the castle. He ran through the courtyard and rounded the corner to where the stables were. A shiver coursed through his body as he saw Winona standing near the entrance to the stables. Monte and Talot were standing before her, and all three of them looked up as the Arin prince rushed towards them.
Winona tried to slide past the giant Lomite, but he shifted his body to refuse her entry to the stables. As the Arin prince slid to a halt, Talot and Monte grinned broadly.
&nb
sp; "This woman is trying to steal one of our horses," Talot said with a smile.
"It is my horse, you big oaf," snapped Winona. "I rode in on it, and I am riding out on it."
"Actually," interjected Monte, "it belongs to Prince Umal. Shouldn't you ask his permission?"
Winona turned to Prince Antion with a scowl on her face. "You put them up to this, didn't you? You think you can force me to do what you want, but you are wrong. I am heading out of here right now, even if I have to carve my name on the hide of this giant jungle dweller to do it. Tell them to move, Antion."
"Have you no manners?" Prince Antion quipped to his two friends. "You should not block a lady in such a manner. You will move aside this minute, and don't forget to bow properly when you do."
They all looked at the prince in confusion, but it was Winona who spoke.
"Are you trying to make fun of me?" she snapped. "Did you put Talot and Monte up to this just so you could come along and act the prince?"
"I did not ask either of them to interfere with your flight," answered the prince, "but I am grateful that they did. Will you marry me?"
"What?" balked Winona. "No, I will not marry you."
"Does your heart belong to another?" asked the Arin prince.
"That is of no concern to you," retorted Winona. "Return to Anatar and resume your royal life."
"I shall," grinned Price Antion, "but only with my bride."
"Whoever she might be," shrugged Winona. "I wish you both a long and happy life."
"She is the Princess of Vineland," declared the Arin prince, "and I love her dearly."
"Vineland has no princess," frowned Monte. "You know that."
"Ah," grinned Prince Antion, "but that is no longer true. Her name is Princess Winona."
"What?" Winona responded. "What are you talking about? This is nonsense."
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