Second Month of Summer

Third Era, Year 333

It had begun with word of raids along the coast in the Second Month of Spring. Berk ships were sinking Phelinian trading vessels and attacking harbor towns. No one knew what the reasons were this time, but hostility from Berk was nothing new. The country was covered in snow for most of the year and starved for trade with the Alta Mountains cutting them off from both Phelin and Algoma. The seas were even less inviting than crossing the mountains at any time of the year, as well.

But they were braving the wild seas to attack the ports of Phelin.

The entire court of Ryal took it as a sign of coming war. Caol had wasted no time ordering improvements to their navy vessels and expanding the standing army. He commanded local armies to send what help they could to the threatened towns and cities.

They were still painfully unprepared for what came.

Ryal's strategic location was also its weakness. It was high atop a hill on a cliff overlooking the Amia River, and that river could bring enemy ships incredibly close to the city. There were plenty of landing places both up and down river from the city. Invaders could attack the country at its head, instead of leading a grueling campaign across the countryside and losing soldiers itself.

Only Ardan knew the invaders were coming, and even he didn't know soon enough to save them. They barely had time to wake the city and secure the gates before an army larger than what any of them could have expected swarmed them from the morning mist.

The defenders fought bravely to keep the invaders off the walls and to stop the gates from being broken, but it was useless. Not even Ardan's magic and that of the other mages in the city could stop the inevitable from happening.

When it became clear that the outer wall was going to fall that afternoon, Ardan and the general of the castle guard forced Caol back to the slightly safer castle. That was where the castle servant met them, almost hysterical.

"The queen is in labor and the midwife is worried she may not survive," the girl told them in a rush.

Despite how things had started, Caol had come to consider Aisa a friend again over the last few months, and so had Ardan. Hearing that she may die sent a cold pain through him, even though he knew that likely all of them would die before the day was over.

They rushed to the royal bedchamber, but were kept from entering by two senior healers. Not even Caol could make them open the door. So they were left to wait.

Wait for the death of their friend. Wait for what would surely be a stillborn baby. Wait for the city to fall. Wait for death for them all.

Ardan went to the window at the end of the hall. The outer wall had nearly fallen. Most of the soldiers had retreated to the second wall now. It wasn't likely to last long, either.

He was so focused on the outside world, he hardly noticed that Caol had been summoned into the bedchamber. The words that came to him a short time later chilled him again.

"She didn't survive."

Ardan nodded silently.

"The midwife said it was the stress," Caol added, standing beside him.

"The child?" Ardan asked, though he thought he knew.

"Healthy. A son."

Ardan suppressed his tiny glimmer of hope. "Not that it matters. The siege is nearly over. Before the day is out we will be conquered. We will fall to Berk."

Caol was silent for a long moment, then cleared his throat. "There is something I must ask you to do. You're the only one I trust to do it, and the only one who can do it."

Ardan knew that whatever Caol was asking was his dying wish, and whatever this task was would be Ardan's last act in this world. "What is it?"

"Come with me."

Ardan followed Caol to the bedchamber that had become the birthing chamber. Inside it was dark and smelled of both birth and death. A form that could only be Aisa was covered fully with the blankets on the bed so that not even her hair could be seen. Ardan pushed back the lump forming in his throat.

Caol walked to the cradle beside the bed and lifted a small form from within. The newborn prince merely gave a small whimper in response.

"I've sent for a wet nurse," Caol explained. "If one can be found. What I ask is for you to take both the child and the nurse away from here. Hide, and when the time is right, help him take back the throne."

Ardan drew a deep breath. "And what of you?"

Caol smiled faintly. "I will die with hope."

Ardan knew that the invaders would make a search of the castle, and as soon as they knew that the queen had just given birth, they would not rest until the country was torn apart in search of the heir. Just surviving the coming days would be a challenge.

"I will do it," he declared. "I swear to you that I will raise him and help him become your heir."

Caol set the baby back into the cradle and pulled Ardan into a tight embrace. "Don't forget me."

Ardan held him fiercely. "As if I ever could. I'll miss you everyday."

"So will I," Caol said hoarsely, then gave Ardan a firm kiss. "May the gods watch over you."

"You, as well," Ardan replied, fighting tears.

Amazingly, a young wet nurse arrived then, looking utterly terrified.

"You need to go," Caol commanded. "Before they reach the castle."

Ardan nodded. There were no words he could think to speak, though there were many things he wished to say. He said only, "Farewell, Your Majesty." It felt far too formal, considering the relationship they'd had for so long

Caol smiled faintly as he took Ardan's hand and pressed something into his palm. "Farewell, my friend."

Ardan opened his hand and found the king's signet ring. He slipped it onto his own finger and cast an illusion spell over it so that the ring looked to only be a plain band made from gold. Without another word or backwards glance – though it was difficult to stop himself – he led the nursemaid away, toward the servants' corridor and the cellar exit. They were unnoticed as he led her by the hand through the winding halls and twisting stairs until they reached the deserted cellar. The door opened out to the garden, which was mostly undisturbed, being against the wall that topped the steep cliff over the river. The sounds of battle were all around them, though, echoing off the stone walls.

Ardan tried to block it from his mind as he led the nursemaid along the wall until they found a place that had been almost completely leveled. There were no living soldiers near them, so Arden helped her climb over. Then they ran as fast as they could run together through the mostly deserted enemy camp. They had made it farther than Ardan had dared to hope when a sudden cry went up. Looking back, he saw three very large men in Berk armor chasing them.

He turned to face them, putting the girl behind his back and throwing up a magical barrier behind her in case of an ambush. Red mage fire flew from his hand and hit the first of the soldiers square in the chest, stopping them all in their tracks. But it simply went out against the metal breastplate the man wore.

The man laughed. "Now, now, mage. Stop being silly. Maybe we can letcha go for the girl there. How's that?"

Ardan aimed a little better with his second handful of fire, hitting the speaker in the face. He fell to the ground with a scream, instinctively bringing his hands to his face, which only added to his pain before the magical flames suffocated him. His two companions were too stunned to react immediately, and Ardan killed them before they could charge at himself and the nurse.

He knew the bodies would be found and it would be known that someone with magical abilities had fled the city, but he didn't care. Overlord Kane Ferchar would have known about Ardan's position as the court sorcerer, and when he wasn't captured in the invasion or his body found, they would know. He turned back around and urged the girl into a run again, trying to get as far from the capital as possible in the last hours before nightfall.

They finally stopped moving when it was too dark to travel safely, and settled in a clearing in a small patch of woods. Ardan set up a magical boundary that would hide them from most unwanted company, and alert them to any others. They had no fire and they had no food or blankets. The night would be chilly, but not dangerously cold, Ardan knew, so he wasn't concerned. They would be able to find food along the way as they continued to travel, unless the Overlord Kane Ferchar decided to burn the entire country that he had just conquered, which seemed foolish.

Ardan wasn't filled with hope, though, only a need to survive.

Somehow, he knew that Caol was dead already, and the thought sent daggers of agony through him. He had loved Caol more than he had ever expected to love anyone. There were challenges, but they were all worth it. And to think it was suddenly over was more painful than anything he had ever experienced.

It was difficult to hide the pain, but he wanted to comfort the nursemaid, whose name he had learned was Lilea. He let her cry against his shoulder as she cradled the newborn prince and his mind brought up every memory he had made with Caol over the years. At last it was too much for him and he broke down and cried with her.

He deserved a moment of weakness, but only one. Caol had given him one last task to complete.

Magic was their greatest ally. As they traveled through the country, evading the Berk military and looking for the perfect place to settle, Ardan was able to sew the seed of hope that would help them when the time came. He told the people they encountered that he and his sister had fled the capital as it fell, but that he had seen a group of the king's soldiers escaping the castle with a woman and infant. He explained that they had traveled with the soldiers for a time, and learned that the infant was the prince. One day, he said, the prince would return to take his father's throne again, and Phelin would have peace.

Ardan knew that the story would not sustain the entire country, and that many would forget the tale – until the prince announced himself. The surest supporters would always remember, however, and would tell the legend to their children. Those children would become the rebellion that would take back the country from Berk. That was what his magic guaranteed.