“The sheep have fallen in droves, your highness, you must understand. We were desperate, hungry!” Eduin chewed on his thumb nail as he paced the room, gaze averted to the floor.

“Get to the point.”

“Syna, luckily, is just nearby, but with such a blow to their harvest, their prices are… less than convenient.”

“Convenience is hardly an excuse.”

Lee looked between each of the speakers, trying to read between the lines, “Did you...eat the infected fruit?”

“Goodness, no!”

A wave of relief washed over Lee, the orange stains on Callum’s cheeks now a needless worry.

“But the town’s people did, didn’t they?”

Eduin stammered for a response to Donovan’s accusation,”It...I thought it was harmless. My wife disagreed. I allowed the traders to the town anyways.”

“And they started to die,” Donovan concluded.

Eduin started up his pace again and gestured as he spoke,“N-not at first! A stomach ache or two, maybe, but hunger does that to you. Then the sore throats started… then the spots.” He kicked away one of Callum’s wooden blocks.

“Then the deaths?” Lee piped up.

“Y-Yes. Then my wife left, as well as the traders.”

“Hm.”

“And you’ve managed fine, thusfar? Callum hasn’t touched any of the blight?”

“I would hope not, but without his mother-”

“Or father,” Lee added.

Eduin cleared his throat,”he’s proven a handful.”

“Why wasn’t the capital informed of these traders?”

“My wife wrote a few times on my behalf about the blight, but I couldn’t say if the source of the fruit was our concern. Just the outcome.”

“You say ‘our’ like you had any concern to give in this situation.” Donovan noted coolly, perking Lee’s expression and Eduin’s temper.

“Wh- Of course I was concerned! I-”

“No,” Donvan interrupted, “or you wouldn’t have left it all for your wife to handle.”

“I was! I was just... just…”

“Busy?” Don offered,”or was it all just too ‘inconvenient’?”

Lee choked on a guffaw, scratching abruptly at his face to cover it up as Eduin seized up in response.

“Baseless accusations!”

“I’d hardly call them baseless.”

“Slander! You can’t just traipse around someone’s home saying whatever you want like you’re some kind of-”

“Prince?” Leland finished for him. The lord made to shoot back, but thought better of it, his hands grasping at his scalp instead.

“Then what will your highness have me do? It’s too late. Half of the town is gone, and the other half is well on its way. I’m ruined! Absolutely, completely ruined! I have nothing left to offer you.”

Donovan crossed his arms, the line in his cheekbones tensed. Lee couldn't help but pity the misguided lord.

"Try harder."

With little room to argue, Lord Eduin nodded solemnly as Donovan requested a full report of recent traders, as well as letters to outreach to other local alliances for aid. At the mention he should relinquish all alcohol on the premises, there was hesitation.

"Is there a problem?" Donovan was just opening the door for them to exit the salon, but paused with it half ajar to stare. Callum managed to peek in, putting another set of eyes on Eduin as he stammered a half-hearted 'no'.

When they made it to the front entrance, Lee spun around on his heels and crouched down afront Callum, who gripped Don's sword tight in both hands. Donovan went ahead to retrieve their horses.

"I think we'll be needing that back, my lord."

Callum hugged the sword tighter,"I-I could take care of it until tomorrow! I won't lose it, I promise!"

Lee wore a sympathetic smile, "I'm afraid its owner wouldn't be fond of that idea."

"It's fine."

Leland looked over his shoulder in surprise, up at the prince with two bridles in hand. His expression was unreadable, but the horses framed him so against the backdrop of rolling hills, that Lee couldn't help but imagine it as a painting.

Callum was none the wiser, "Really?! Do you mean it?!"

Don said nothing else, so Lee pat Callum's shoulder and got to his feet- a convenient excuse to look away. He addressed Eduin who dawdled in the doorway:

"We'll be back in the morning."

"O-of course."

"You won't stay here?" Callum whined as Lee ruffled his hair. Donovan was already saddling up.

"I'm afraid we've already overstayed our welcome," Lee said, and before Callum could parse out his meaning, "but don't worry, we have to come back for the sword, after all."

This was enough to quell the anxious child as he again pulled the hilt to his chest and beamed, "okay!"

With that, they made their way back towards the town, a small dot waving at them until he disappeared behind the hillcrest. Lee cleared his throat.

"Well that was a right mess."