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Chapter 70

Etienne had been in a coma for six months.

During those six months, while the king lay comatose in his quarters, King Damon had been acting as high king in his place. Damon had even called in reinforcements from Poston, supposedly for fear that others might challenge his temporary rule, and so when Zeinara arrived at Wychowl with the others, she was indignant to find soldiers clad in Poston colors lining every hall, guarding every door, pacing every garden, glowering from the battlements. It looked like an invasion, and her heart started thudding hard in her throat when Damon's soldiers marched her through the grounds to the throne room. She immediately thought her father was dead and that Damon had usurped the throne in her absence and perhaps his soldiers were dragging her off to her wedding to Sterling . . . . or her wedding to Damon himself. After Jule McIntyre, she wouldn't have put it past the king of Poston to try to marry her and become high king. And when she saw Damon sitting his tail on her father's throne, she almost spit fire. The indignation coursing through her erupted into fiery rage, and before all the court, she commanded King Damon to step down.

King Damon obeyed Zeinara, graciously and humbly. The tall, powerful black Pointer even made a show of humbly taking a knee before her and kissing her paw, to the court's great approval. He then walked with Zeinara through the gardens, and as she listened, he explained the current state of the castle and why he had been upon her father's throne.

As the search for Zeinara continued, Captain Franklin, who had been sent out to search with a small party, secretly returned alone to the castle and attacked Etienne in his bedchamber -- but not after quietly slaughtering his way through six guards in the practice yard, two nuns, and a stable boy. Zeinara gasped to hear such news, but King Damon wasn't done. The door to Etienne's bedchamber was locked and barricaded, and all attempts to break inside proved futile. As they despaired, Etienne was brutally assaulted and probably would have died, but Princess Ethelyn came and broke in the door. She then subdued Captain Franklin in a great battle that shook the castle, and the captain had been in the dungeons ever since, beaten and broken but still alive.

"Bloody hell!" said Zeinara, lifting her brows. She walked beside Damon through the courtyard, her paws clasped behind her back, her golden mane pulled back in a long plait and wisps of it in her blue eyes. "I believe I owe your daughter a word of thanks, Damon."

King Damon's lips twisted in a smirking half-smile Zeinara immediately hated, because she knew he was probably thinking he had gotten on her good side. Pft. As if she was so easily manipulated. She was not her father!

"That won't be necessary, your highness," King Damon said humbly. "Your father is a great ally and a worthy friend. And he is my king. It is my family's duty to protect his life."

"I'm sure it is," Zeinara said darkly.

Damon lifted his brows to hear the bitter suspicion in Zeinara's voice. "Your highness?" he said, and he sounded so innocently surprised by her hatred, she felt a twinge of guilt.

Zeinara still didn't know whether to thank King Damon or accuse him of being a lowlife opportunist. It was clear he had enjoyed being high king, even just for six months. When she voiced her suspicions in private to Judith, Judith vouched for King Damon, confirming that he had respected Etienne's rule and hadn't changed a thing, not a treaty or a law, as the true king slept.

Zeinara was surprised that Judith was so loyal to the king of Poston, but it only took some digging - and sending Axel to spy - before it was revealed that Judith was actually having an affair with the king. Ah. So King Damon had twisted Judith into his good graces as well! Even Etienne's personal servant, the devoted Beauceron, Decius, had become attached to Damon's servant, the handsome white Akbash, Icarus: Axel had stumbled upon the two of them in a broom closet. The king of Poston had done his homework while Zeinara was away. He was practically family now, where before her departure, he and Etienne had barely been acquaintances. She glared at him from a distance and she knew her marriage to Prince Sterling was only a matter of time. King Damon would have it no other way: all the pieces were already in place.

Prince Sterling du Grace, meanwhile, was smart enough to keep his distance from Zeinara. He knew he was unwanted and also seemed well aware of her infamous temper. But like his father, he had a certain manipulative charm that made Zeinara feel a growing lack of disgust for him. He would hold doors for her if she was passing, bow to her, pick something up that she had dropped, or else smile his polite and handsome smile at her across the supper table. If she was tired or upset, he seemed genuinely concerned, but rather than approach her directly, he would send his servant to ask after her health and to offer his assistance. He was a caring and devoted gentleman in every sense of the word, and because he gave her absolutely no reason to hate him - after all, he hadn't asked for the marriage anymore than she - she felt a stinging sense of guilt for being so standoffish and cold with him. She found herself wanting to approach him, to make things friendly. And . . . that was exactly what he wanted. She knew it was a trap. The du Graces excelled at the art.

Zeinara was glad to see Judith again, who hugged her tight and praised Ti'uu that she was safe. After her discussion with King Damon, Zeinara went with Judith to the library and played catch up. She thought Judith was looking well, all things considered. Her hazel eyes were as warm and inviting - if not searching and probing - as ever. Sometimes Zeinara thought Judith could see into her soul and wondered if she and Ettoras weren't the only dogs on Aonre with magic.

That evening in the library, Judith was wearing the usual plain colors: a beautiful soft gray gown with plain tan slippers peeping from under the hem. Her mass of dark hair had been pulled back in a tidy bun and spectacles were perched on her nose. Zeinara thought Judith looked like a strict school marm, but she knew Judith dressed that way for a reason. According to Mogethis (who explained it with great disdain to Zeinara when she was younger), Judith was still mourning a lost love, and she also considered herself a priestess of Ti'uu: she was not to dress in a manor that purposely drew the eyes of mortals, as her body belonged to Ti'uu to use as he pleased.

The fact that Judith found joy in such restrictions baffled Zeinara, who'd always hated dressing to please societal expectations. After so many years of gliding around in gowns and painful corsets, Zeinara was perfectly content to continue wearing traveling pants and shirts, and the pleas of Axel and her advisors fell on deaf ears. Dressing for herself was simply too glorious. She was so relaxed in her casual attire, she propped her boot up on a chair and leaned her elbow on her thigh without even thinking - prompting a surprised gasp from Judith, who was used to Zeinara behaving like a lady.

When Judith asked after Pili, Zeinara warily explained that Pili had fallen in love and run off with Nkwe. She waited for Judith's shock and horror, but Judith didn't seem shocked in the least and even seemed happy for Pili and Nkwe, going so far as to declare having always wanted the two to get together.

"Only problem now," Judith said, rising gracefully from her seat, "is I need to find a replacement assassin and spy. They aren't exactly growing on trees."

"I'd recommend Yeneneshe if she weren't likely to kill us all," Zeinara joked, and Judith laughed as they walked side by side into the corridor.

When Damon humbly stepped down, Zeinara took on her father's duties and reigned on his throne, presiding over court each day from dawn until dusk. To her surprise, she was rather good at it, resolving each issue, pleasing each supplicant in record time. Even sitting in on the council meetings - tedious as they were - wasn't as difficult as she thought it might be. In light of her father's absence, the councilors treated her with deference and respect, as did the castle as a whole, and she realized she was no longer a child in their eyes.

Regardless, everyone seemed on edge around Zeinara, as if they thought she might run away again. It angered and shamed her. It angered her because they did not trust her; while it shamed her because she had run away from her duty like a child and that made their suspicion understandable. She suddenly felt determined to prove that she wasn't running this time. From Prince Sterling. From her father. From anyone. Well . . . maybe from her father. A little. Since her return to the castle, Zeinara hadn't gone to see Etienne once. She couldn't bring herself to do it, even when Azrian asked her.

Zeinara could see why Yeneneshe loved Azrian. The fallen goddess was motherly and warm and concerned, coming to Zeinara's bedchamber with stories about Etienne and her time living in the swamps of the far south as the terrible god-child the tribes feared. It immediately became apparent that Azrian loved Kayya as dearly as a daughter and was coming to see Kayya as much as she was coming to see Zeinara. She would sit with them for a few minutes before bed, and Zeinara would ask Azrian about her reign in Wychowl twenty years before. Having ruled the place once, Azrian had a wealth of information on the older nobility, the older laws, and the older treaties that helped Zeinara immensely during her time as temporary ruler. It wasn't that Zeinara hadn't been forced to study old laws and treaties . . . it was that she had never quite paid attention when her instructor was tutoring her.

Though Azrian coaxed Zeinara each day to see her father, the hypocritical fallen goddess never once went to see Etienne herself. For fear that the public would recognize her and start a commotion, Azrian mostly went about draped in her hood, with her head down and her wild red mane in her face. She largely kept to herself -- sleeping who knew where, for she simply disappeared at night -- and pretended she didn't even speak common tongue if and when she was noticed by dog nobility. The general public thought her just another ragged fox the princess had dragged home. They assumed she, Kayya, Yeneneshe, and Ettoras were just Zeinara's exotic pets, and no one suspected who any of them really were. No one except Judith.

The day Azrian met Judith, she kept her head down and didn't speak, and Judith simply nodded at her in greeting. But as Azrian was leaving the room, Judith's hazel eyes looked at Zeinara, twinkling with mirth. She knew exactly who Azrian was but seemed content to keep her secrets. Perhaps out of sheer respect for Ti'uu's daughter, the god she still served.

Judith also seemed to guess who Ettoras and Yeneneshe were. Yeneneshe's identity was arguably obvious, as she looked a great deal like Mogethis, and Ettoras looked a great deal like Etienne in the face. Judith greeted both with affection and respect. Ettoras responded with pleasant surprise to Judith's kind welcome, but Yeneneshe only responded with suspicion and disdain, turning up her nose at Judith before stalking off.

"She knows that I serve Ti'uu," Judith explained in amusement when Yeneneshe had gone. Her lips spread in a slow smile as she looked at Zeinara. "She has been raised to despise him . . . and yet her heart is devoted to Azrian, his daughter. What a . . . complicated girl. To say the least."

Though Yeneneshe avoided Judith entirely, Ettoras seemed to become fast friends with her, until it was not uncommon to walk in on them in the library, with Ettoras sitting at Judith's feet, listening to her lessons about Ti'uu.

Judith visited Etienne regularly and gently encouraged Zeinara and Ettoras to do the same, assuring them that their father would be very happy if they visited, even if he wasn't awake to really know they were there.

Judith's gentle lectures only made Zeinara feel worse. When she received a letter from Uncle Charles in Howlester asking to know how Etienne was faring, she couldn't tell him honestly that she had been to see him: she lied and said she had, and she felt terrible for it.

Florian - to no one's surprise - settled in very quickly, ordering around the servants and getting his own (ridiculously lavish) guest chambers prepared without missing a beat. He made outlandish demands of the servants as if he himself were king of the castle, and Zeinara was so busy most of the time, she was only able to bicker with him about it twice. Florian and Shakir retired to their chambers the first evening of their arrival and were hardly seen for days. Zeinara knew what they were likely doing and was only too happy not to disturb them.

When Florian was seen - usually at supper - he would ask after Etienne's health. One evening Zeinara demanded to know why he cared, when he'd made it apparent for years that he despised Etienne, body and soul. Florian seemed a little hurt by her anger and answered that while he had no love for Etienne, he had come to view Zeinara and her brother and even Kayya with affection: he wanted Etienne to be well for their sake, not for his. Zeinara was so taken aback, she didn't know what to say. But the next time Florian asked after Etienne, Zeinara politely replied that her father was doing well.

"As if you knew," Florian said with a snort and took a sip of wine. "You haven't even been to see him."

Zeinara glared at Florian across the dinner table, irritated by his scolding tone. "I'll make a deal with you, Florian," she said, setting down her spoon. "I'll make peace with my father if you'll make peace with yours."

Florian's lips pulled in a half-smile and he nodded, lifting his wineglass. "Touché, darling princess. Touché."

Zeinara smiled at Florian and returned to her supper.

Though Ettoras hated the noisy hustle and bustle of the castle grounds, he loved the gardens. He said the castle vibrated with old magic, that he could feel it shaking up from the ground. He spent a great deal of his time in the garden, meditating beside the fountain, under the trees, in the flowers. The way he'd been acting lately, Zeinara thought he rather reminded her of Motsumi . . . or even Nkwe . . . or even Father Thomas, Thalsin's local priest. He was so quiet and reflective, and though that had always been a part of his character, it seemed to be a trait that had deepened in him. Zeinara would watch from the window as Ettoras wandered the garden below, touching the stone arches and walls, listening . . . but for what?

When Zeinara expressed her confusion, Kayya sadly explained that Ettoras was coming into his power.

Zeinara's ears pricked forward. "How do you know this?" She and Kayya stood at the window together, in the morning sunlight, watching Ettoras in the garden below. Zeinara was draped in her long white nightgown and Kayya was wearing a similar one that had been given to her, as they'd just gotten out of bed. Zeinara slipped her arm around Kayya's waist, suddenly feeling very content. They had been sharing Zeinara's bed since their arrival. And it all felt so wonderfully . . . natural.

Kayya watched Ettoras in the garden a moment, then smiled and dropped her cheek against Zeinara's shoulder. "Ettoras and I were drawn to each other because neither of us were very great with magic. He had none and I had only a little. To foxes, to have no magical talent is . . . a shameful thing."

Zeinara glanced sympathetically at Kayya. "I know. So the two of you were outcasts."

"Sort of," Kayya answered. "But Ettoras was still our prince. Everyone loved him. It didn't matter that he didn't have magic."

"So what's happening to him now?"

Kayya frowned. "I'm not sure. I think being in the valley . . . awoke something in him. Maybe the place restored a little of the magic that was taken when he was made mortal. . . ."

Kayya sounded so sad that Zeinara rubbed her shoulder to sooth her. "Why don't you sound happy about that?" the princess wondered.

Kayya sighed. "Because the second Ettoras realizes he has magic, he'll want to fly back to S'pru and set it right. He'll leave."

"Ah. Well, look at the bright side: at least he'll take Yeneneshe with him."

Kayya laughed softly. "You're terrible!" She gently pried herself from Zeinara and gave the princess a playful shove in the arm.

Zeinara laughed as well, but she fell silent when Kayya moved a step away and bowed her head. Kayya's ears flattened against her flowing white mane, and as she stared at the floor, she rubbed her arm. Her face was incredibly sad again. And anxious.

Zeinara hesitated and touched Kayya's mane. "What is it, Kay?"

Kayya breathed a shuddering breath. "Do you think . . . d-do you think Ettoras can help my family? I don't even know if they're al-live . . ." Her voice broke and Zeinara took her into her arms.

Zeinara didn't want Ettoras to leave either, but if it meant saving Kayya's family and the rest of the foxes on S'pru, then it was something he would have to do, sooner or later. Before he left the valley for Howlester, Motsumi explained to them that S'pru had been frozen. The battle of fire and rage had not been ended by Robin's influence, just halted. When Zeinara complained that the goddess could have at least thrown them a bone, Motsumi only smiled and said it was up to mortals to solve their own squabbles and that Robin was wiser than any of the gods in allowing them to do so.

It wasn't a mortal squabble, though. Maret had orchestrated the entire thing! Zeinara wanted to shout as much at Motsumi but had to keep reminding herself that Motsumi wasn't to blame for everything that had happened . . . only partly to blame. When she bit back her anger, Motsumi smiled - as if he'd sensed as much - and told her that Maret would meet her judgment in Heaven for all she had wrought on the other worlds, as would the other gods. Zeinara wanted to know what he meant by that - would Robin destroy the other gods? - but it was then that Motsumi passed through one of the portals and was gone, leaving them alone in the valley's greatest temple.

Zeinara could tell that Kayya missed Motsumi, perhaps even Palesa. Sometimes Zeinara would catch Kayya sitting at the window with a small yellow feather, and she knew Kayya was thinking of the Guides, who had done their best to comfort, guide, and protect during their hellish journey. Perhaps Judith reminded her of Motsumi - a wise and loving parental figure -- and thus, she clung to her.

Like Ettoras, Kayya missed the forest, but she found the castle beautiful, magical, and mysterious. Judith explained to Kayya that she was drawn to the castle because it did have echoes of magic: in ancient times, during the conquest of King Antony, the castle had belonged to the half-sister of Queen Nadheertia, Queen Teshale, a brutal warrior queen who led a great campaign against King Antony and almost won. When Antony won instead, he found her such a worthy adversary that he was loath to kill her and her sister. Instead, he captured Teshale, Nadheertia, and the palace, and made Palace N'calia into Castle Wychowl. To this day, no one knew what happened to Teshale after Nadheertia's execution. Some believed King Antony simply let her go.

Kayya was fascinated by Judith's stories and seemed excited to live in the halls where such great warriors and sorcerers once walked. King Damon soon joined in Judith's tales, spinning out history lessons about Wychowl and King Antony that held Kayya and Ettoras enrapt. The two of them came to admire King Damon a great deal and even began to build a rapport with Prince Sterling - to Zeinara's great chagrin.

That Kayya could actually like Prince Sterling - her rival for Zeinara's paw! - irritated Zeinara especially.

"One day, he might have to marry me," Zeinara said impatiently to Kayya, "and you're laughing with him about the second dynasty of ancient so and so!"

Kayya only laughed her girlish laugh and said nothing was certain, not even marriage. She was, of course, alluding to her marriage to Ettoras, which both of them now considered null and void. She added that perhaps Etienne would understand their love; perhaps Etienne would be willing to risk the anger of Poston and all the kingdoms to allow his own daughter some happiness.

Zeinara snorted and replied that Kayya didn't know Etienne very well. "Why should he understand our love?" she demanded with a disgusted wave of her paw. "Daddy likes females. He's nothing like me!"

Kayya only laughed again. "Listen to what you just said."

It seemed to Zeinara that she and Yeneneshe were the only ones who had the sense to be suspicious of King Damon, his handsome son, and their manipulations. It was clear Damon, too, knew who Ettoras and Azrian really were - he even seemed to recognize Yeneneshe's accent as belonging to the foxes of his homeland -- and he was trying his damnedest to get in their good graces, so that when the time came to marry Zeinara to Sterling, there would be no objections. And while Azrian did in fact seem to suspect King Damon of some typical court intrigue, she was also polite to him, even friendly. Zeinara found it maddening. She wanted someone besides herself to outwardly object to King Damon's obvious self-inserting, and she was secretly pleased each time Yeneneshe glared at the king's polite inquiries and harshly brushed him off.

During her stay in the castle, Kayya seemed only too happy to wear Zeinara's gowns at first. She explained to Zeinara that, unlike the foxes on Aonre who wore deerskin, the foxes on S'pru wore white robes, long and beautiful and flowing. The dresses worn by dog bitches on Aonre were awkward to her and too much trouble to take on and off. She was baffled by the fact that it took more than one Beauceron to help stuff her into a corset, then the corset itself was painful and restricting. One evening she fainted at supper and vowed never to wear a corset again.

After Kayya's brief and miserable stint with dog gowns, Zeinara ordered the castle tailor to make dresses especially for Kayya, in the exact style that she asked. By the end of the week, Kayya was wearing her first custom tailored dress: a long white gown, delicate and loose and flowing, just as the style in S'pru. Walking through the halls with the gown's skirts drifting behind her, she awed the courtiers and the servants alike with her beauty. Judith even remarked that Kayya appeared very like one of the ancient foxes she had seen in Ti'uu's visions: Queen Teshale herself had worn such gowns. Zeinara smiled to hear Judith's words: according to Kayya, the foxes on S'pru dressed themselves to please Azrian, which meant Azrian remembered ancient times . . . even if she didn't realize it.

While Kayya, Ettoras, and Florian were enjoying themselves, Yeneneshe_hated_ the castle and wanted to leave everyday. Zeinara didn't understand why and didn't know what to do to make her stay more enjoyable. The others tried to comfort Yeneneshe, but to no avail. Ettoras would sit with her in the garden and just hold her . . . but she would only begin to cry. Azrian sometimes talked with her in private, and that seemed to calm her for a while, but eventually, she always returned to her sour mood. Even Florian sent Yeneneshe a basket of wine, which was promptly returned to him.

Zeinara gave Yeneneshe the loveliest chambers in the castle, chambers which had historically belonged to many queens and princesses in the Emerald line. Yeneneshe was still unhappy and made a point of sleeping outside, in the garden, in the dirt. It baffled the servants, who stumbled upon her in the earliest hours of the morning with their rakes and spades and didn't know what to do. Zeinara ordered them to simply let Yeneneshe be: if she wanted to sleep in the dirt, that was her business. Zeinara knew that Yeneneshe missed Nkwe and was mourning Mogethis: she needed space and she needed time.

The only one in the castle who could calm Yeneneshe was Gallus, a male Beauceron who Zeinara would have mistaken for a servant if he weren't wearing the skins and furs of a tribal fox. Gallus was tall, calm, and muscular, with patient eyes and a deep voice that was soothing on the rare occasion that he actually spoke. One evening, Yeneneshe was crying in the garden as Ettoras held her, and Gallus slowly approached them. They hadn't been at Wychowl a day when this happened, and because no one knew who Gallus was, the sight of a Beauceron approaching dressed like a fox warrior startled Ettoras, who went very still and stared at Gallus in amazement.

Gallus looked down at Yeneneshe with sad eyes, and Zeinara thought his expression was pained when he whispered her name. Yeneneshe stopped sobbing at once and lifted her tear-streaked face from Ettoras' chest. She was baffled to see Gallus standing there, arms low but open, as if to hold her. She immediately launched up from Ettoras' lap and set about swinging her fists, drumming them against Gallus and screaming that he'd lied to her for years. Gallus caught Yeneneshe in his embrace, and together, they sank to the ground. He held her tightly and kissed her head and shushed her, until eventually, she was sniffling quietly in his arms.

Ettoras was completely baffled and Zeinara didn't blame him. When all was calm again, Gallus introduced himself and explained that he was Yeneneshe's father - as in, he had raised her out in the forest. As he was speaking, Azrian appeared behind him, smiling under her hood, one paw rubbing her arm. Given the look of relief in her eyes, it was obvious to Zeinara that Azrian knew Gallus, and yet, she didn't approach him - just turned away and went back inside.

Everyone thought that reuniting with her caretaker would improve Yeneneshe's disposition, but it did not. If anything, she only became worse, as if seeing Gallus again had triggered some horrible feeling. When Zeinara questioned Judith about it - because Judith seemed to know everything that was going on in Wychowl - the advisor explained that Yeneneshe had been a prisoner in Wychowl twenty years before, and it was Gallus who rescued her and took her away to safety . . . after Azrian helped them to escape.

Ah. Now it all made sense.

When she wasn't sulking, complaining, or sleeping outside, Yeneneshe was arguing with a young male fox who had taken up residence in the castle. It was clear to Zeinara that Yeneneshe and the young fox were attracted to each other - the sexual tension was pulsating each time they were in a room together -- yet they bickered and snapped and glared relentlessly. It was exhausting for the entire castle, as some of their bitter arguments would erupt into screaming. Some days Zeinara went to the far tower just to escape the noise.

What was more, Ettoras didn't like the young fox either, as he seemed to think he was a rival for Yeneneshe's affections. He wasn't directly rude to the young fox, but he wasn't exactly nice to him either, and depending on the weather, he might end up joining the frequent screaming matches between the male fox and Yeneneshe. When it came out that the fox was actually sleeping with Axel, Ettoras seemed to dislike him even more. Zeinara knew that Ettoras hated seeing the Beaucerons subjugated like pets - his feelings a direct result of having been subjugated -- and he seemed to believe that the young fox was treating Axel like a sex slave. Zeinara knew nothing could be farthest from the truth, as Axel seemed to be genuinely in love with the male. But she couldn't seem to convince Ettoras otherwise.

Judith explained to Zeinara that the young fox's name was Teliso and that he had arrived a little over six months ago with Gallus and an old friend of Etienne's. That old friend was Asres . . . Zeinara's uncle.

After demanding for years_that Nkwe and Mogethis tell her about Taiga's brother and whether or not he lived, Zeinara found it incredibly difficult to actually go and meet Asres. The first three days she was back in the castle, she hadn't even _known Asres was there. Because Asres never left Etienne's side, and because Zeinara refused to visit her father, neither of them had ever crossed paths. It only made her feel worse for not visiting Etienne. But after all that had happened, she wasn't certain she wanted to hear anymore about her mother or Maret or anything. She wanted to move forward. Looking back was what started all the mess in the first place.

"All you ever talked about was your uncle," Kayya said in amazement one afternoon.

It was the sixth day of Zeinara's rule, the end of the week, and Kayya and Zeinara were in Zeinara's bedchamber. Kayya stood with her back to the window, and the sunlight dazzling over her white mane and gown made her almost look surreal. Zeinara smiled to herself, thinking Kayya was a goddess.

"And now you won't see him at all?" Kayya said with a confused frown. "Zeinara. . . . I don't know anyone more contrary."

Zeinara laughed flatly and rubbed the back of her long neck. "Thanks."

Kayya came to Zeinara and touched an affectionate paw to her cheek. "You should go. Family is precious. You never know: this may be your only chance." She blinked sadly, and Zeinara knew she was thinking of her own family trapped back on S'pru.

Zeinara went to her father's chambers later that evening, after supper, and she couldn't decide if she was going because she wanted to or to make Kayya happy. Maybe a little of both.

Zeinara paused outside the doors of the royal chambers when she heard footsteps. The doors opened without warning and Decius stumbled to a stop to find Zeinara there, almost dropping the tray he was carrying. There were dirty washcloths and a basin of filthy water on the tray from having bathed the king as he lay comatose. Decius scrambled not to spill the water, bowed reverently to Zeinara, and continued on.

Zeinara glanced back at Decius and took a cautious step into her father's room. The royal chambers were exactly as she remembered: the grand bookcases, the desk, the alcove, the wide windows that were open upon the rainy sky, and in the center of it all, against the far wall, her father's enormous bed. The fire was burning quietly on the hearth, its scent and crackle as soothing as the rainy wind that swept wet across the bed, sprinkling her father in its cool mist.

Zeinara stepped into the room and heard the guards close the doors behind her, rejoining the split face of the roaring lion. She couldn't move. Etienne was lying on the bed, and he looked like a corpse. His cuts and bruises were long gone, probably healed from Asres' magic, but he was thin and gaunt and so still. It chilled Zeinara.

Etienne had been dressed in a loose nightshirt, and his long golden mane spread magnificent around his expressionless black face, dazzling in the firelight. The coverlet was pulled up to his chin, and he was resting against many pillows. Zeinara couldn't take her eyes away. She came to her father's side, and after hesitating, she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. She thought she saw his eye moving behind his eyelid in response, and she realized for the first time that his eyepatch had been removed. The missing eye was closed and the lids sunken in and shriveled. Somehow, the sight only made Zeinara more unhappy.

"He looks so helpless, doesn't he?" said a soft voice.

Zeinara looked up to find a black fox watching her intently, and she felt her entire body go still. She hadn't even noticed the fox was there. He blended so completely in the shadows, that at first glance, only his glinting eyes could be seen in the flickering glare of the fire. But Zeinara's eyes adjusted to the gloom, and she could see him more clearly. She could see Asres. He was completely still, regarding Zeinara with interest as he stood on the opposite side of Etienne's bed. He appeared so very young, Zeinara thought he could have been only a few years older than she, but she knew for a fact that he was old enough to be her father, and even if his face wasn't old, his eyes were. He was wearing deerskin pants and an open coat made of black wolfskin. His boots were also made of wolfskin, and around his throat hung a pouch that smelled of herbs. His long, jet-black mane tumbled wild around him, curly and frizzy and flying free and woven here and there with beads and feathers. He was very slender and slight, even short, and Zeinara instinctively knew he was probably a sorcerer. She had seen the sort before while living out in the forest: thin, small male foxes who excelled at magic more than any warrior, and as a result, were elevated within their tribe to the title of sorcerer. Sorcerers were usually priests, and Zeinara was aware that Asres was a priest of Maret - one more reason for her to dread having to meet him. The last thing she wanted was to be lectured about her duties to Maret.

After studying Zeinara a long time with his thoughtful eyes, Asres' mouth curled in a small smile and he turned away. Zeinara realized he had been at a basin on the bedside table, probably washing his paws when she came in. She sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Asres dried his paws on a towel.

"You move like her, you know," he said quietly, and Zeinara thought he sounded a little sad.

"T-Taiga," Zeinara said, surprised by the crack in her voice.

Asres frowned slightly at his paws as he dried them. "Yes." Behind him, leaning against a chair, was his staff. He set aside the towel and sat slowly and tiredly in the chair, and when moonlight fell across his face, Zeinara could see for the first time that he had lines under his eyes. The lines made him look older and wearier.

"Did you know about me?" Zeinara asked calmly. "That I was alive."

Asres frowned. "No. I thought Taiga died when the cave-in h-happened --" His voice cracked and he paused, and Zeinara realized with sympathy just difficult speaking about his sister was for him. Looking at him now, she suddenly understood that he had chosen to avoid meeting her not because he wanted to care for Etienne . . . but because he couldn't face the past anymore than she.

Asres cleared his throat and seemed to be steeling himself. With his paws relaxed in his lap, his eyes were apologetic as they peered across Etienne's sleeping form at Zeinara. "I heard rumors for years that a fox was in your father's court . . . a vixen with a dog-fox child. The rumors said the child belonged to this vixen and your father. I thought it might have been Taiga. I wanted to come . . . but I . . . I was afraid." He swallowed hard. "I'd never been outside the forest before. And if I was wrong, well . . ."

"It's okay," Zeinara said gently. She thought his moon-shaped eyes were beautiful, but they were glistening with unshed tears, and she didn't want him to cry. If he cried, she would cry.

"When you fled from here," Asres went on, "Maret wanted me to find you and escort you home. She confirmed that you had been alive all that time . . ." His face darkened. "But she never told me. I prayed so hard and so long . . . and she never told me." Asres' long black lashes angled down, and watching his sorrow, Zeinara suddenly hated Maret with every fiber in her being.

"This Mogethis . . . she took good care of you?" Asres asked, peering hopefully at Zeinara.

Zeinara smiled sadly at the dark night sky beyond the windows. "Yes. I miss her." She looked at Etienne's calm face. "She died in the SummerValley being her usual stupid and foolish self. . . . I don't think I could lose another p-parent." She smoothed her paw over Etienne's large paw and hated herself when tears started to her eyes.

It took Zeinara a moment to realize Asres was staring at her. When she looked up, his moon-shaped eyes were in awe and were warm with affection, but he blinked as if he'd caught himself and looked away.

"I'm sorry," he said. "It's just . . . you even sound like Taiga. If she had a dog accent, that is."

Zeinara laughed. "What was she like? What was she really like? Jule told me things." Her face darkened. "But he was probably pulling stuff from under his tail."

"Your mother was pigheaded and stubborn," Asres said at once, and Zeinara laughed again. Asres smiled even as tears glistened down his black cheeks. "She was protective, especially of me. She was devoted to her family and to our tribe, a hard warrior who went out of her way to please the gods. She never asked for anything for herself, never cared about her own happiness . . . until the day she finally met your father."

Zeinara smiled sadly, listening, enrapt, as Asres' hushed voice rose against the gentle sweep of the rainy wind.

Asres shook his head as he gazed off, remembering. "We use to have a bet among the clan," he said with a laugh, "that Taiga would never marry until the gods themselves intervened. It was her duty and she was honor-bound to make a good match, but she was so scary, even the most ambitious males wouldn't approach her."

"Ouch," Zeinara said in amusement. "So Mum was a ball buster."

Asres' moon-shaped eyes crinkled up. "Oh yes. On top of that," he frowned, "our father was a very strict male. Very cold, very devoted to the gods. He expected the best from his children. I was expected to become clan Seer, which is the highest title a priest can have within a clan --"

"Wouldn't you have to voluntarily give up your eyesight for that?" Zeinara interrupted in amazement.

"Yes," Asres said solemnly. "But I was gifted with the Sight, and Father said it was my duty to be an instrument of the gods."

"But you never went through with it," Zeinara pointed out.

"No," said Asres quietly and said no more.

Asres had become so solemn and unhappy, Zeinara knew she'd poked a tender wound. "How did my mother wind up with Daddy?" she asked to steer away from the subject.

"You father was killed," Asres said, and Zeinara's ears pricked forward in surprise. "His soul was supposed to pass through the Halfway Place and be reborn at a later time, as it had countless times before. But Maret - who rules over the spirit realm - saw Etienne's soul passing through her realm and decided to intervene. Normally, Ti'uu would protect the soul of King Antony from Maret's intentions, but he had neglected him."

"Why?" Zeinara wondered.

"When Ti'uu ordered your father to return to Wychowl and rule it with Azrian, Etienne refused to obey. Eventually, he and Azrian were captured by his Honor Guard, which was Ti'uu's doing through your father's advisor, the one you call Judy --"

"Wait," said Zeinara, shaking her head. "What? Judith was involved in this?"

Asres smiled patiently. "Judith served as a maid in Howlester long before she was your father's advisor, Zeinara. She manipulated Corene - your cousin's wife - into searching for your father. The result? Etienne and Azrian were captured. They would have been taken peacefully back to Wychowl, except Azrian fought the guards with magic, and it enraged them until they were determined to kill her. Your father and Azrian switched appearances to confuse the guards, and the dogs killed your father, believing he was Azrian."

"But that's stupid," Zeinara said in amazement. "How would switching appearances even help them. . .?"

"When Azrian fought the guards with magic, they viewed her as dangerous and were determined to kill her. Etienne's own magic awoke in his panic to protect her, and they switched appearances," Asres explained with a sad smile. "It was obvious to me when your father told me the story," he looked with amusement at Etienne's still face, "but he still believes Azrian caused the switch. She might believe it was her fault as well."

"So Daddy died to protect Azrian," Zeinara said softly and fondly stroked her father's golden mane. "Sounds about right."

"Yes," agreed Asres. "Of course, Ayni in turn intervened. She took Etienne's resurrected soul and trapped it in Skkye. She would do anything to stop the cycle of his rebirth. When he finally escaped, he fell back to Aonre and was guided to my tribe by Maret. He was guided to your mother."

Zeinara shook her head in amazement. "Why go through so much trouble for my father's soul?"

"Maret wanted control of Varimore," Asres answered. "Whoever controls Varimore controls the world. The gods have been fighting over this place since long before King Antony invaded it, as whoever controls the Emerald throne has won the Great Game."

Zeinara's nose wrinkled. "The wot?"

"The Great Game," Asres repeated grimly. "They vie for power over mortals simply to amuse themselves."

"Ah," Zeinara said darkly.

"The castle sits on a wellspring of magic that connects it to Skkye," Asres went on. "Or so the legends say. It only stands to reason that Varimore should become the power center of the world."

"So Maret orchestrated my birth," Zeinara said bitterly.

"Yes," Asres said apologetically. "She commanded that Taiga should make love to your father and create a child . . . and that child would then rule Varimore. . . and the world."

Zeinara stared angrily at the coverlet and felt her lips tightening. "Daddy was blackmailed into creating me --!"

"No," said Asres with a sad smile.

Zeinara glanced up and was surprised to find Asres looking at her with a soft, glowing affection in his eyes.

"Your mother and I decided to help Etienne escape our tribe and the gods be damned," Asres said. "We realized it wasn't right to hold him hostage. In return, Etienne decided to give Taiga a child anyway. I believe he wanted to keep us safe from Maret's wrath. And he wanted to make Taiga happy . . . not the gods."

Zeinara went very still. She hadn't expected such an explanation, and in that moment, her love for her father only deepened. She had thought that perhaps Etienne hadn't cared about Taiga at all. And believing that he'd never wanted her . . . hurt.

When Zeinara looked up again, Asres was staring at Etienne warmly, but the look was so intimate, it startled her. Her lips parted in surprise. Did Asres . . . love her father?

Asres eventually felt Zeinara's shocked stare and blinked in embarrassment. He rose abruptly from his chair, suddenly awkward and uncertain. "Now that you're here, perhaps I should get some rest. I haven't left his side since it happened. I've . . . been sleeping in the room."

"For six months? Bloody hell," Zeinara said incredulously. "Gallus probably didn't like that," she added, trying to keep the scolding tone from her voice. Asres seemed to catch her tone anyway.

"No. Gallus understands," Asres said quietly. Then he smiled at Zeinara, took up his staff, and turned from the room, tail swinging low behind him.

Long after Asres had gone, Zeinara sat on the edge of the bed, staring in amazement at her father's passive face. There had been rumors for years that Etienne liked males, but there were always rumors of kings toying with their slaves, and because Zeinara saw no evidence to give the rumors weight, she had always thought nothing of it. Now there was irrefutable evidence that Etienne once had relations with a male --- warm and loving intimacy, given the doting and devotion of Asres - and the fact changed everything entirely.

It meant Etienne was more like Zeinara than she'd ever realized.