First Month of Spring

Third Era, Year 351

With a cavalry and an infantry, Ardan realized that the only unit left to find was an army of mages, since a navy would be impractical. Caolan asked him why he didn't want to be that general himself, and the answer was easy to give.

"I can't be there with you if I'm to direct the fighting myself. I'd rather keep the role of court sorcerer."

Caolan nodded. "I accept that."

Six days later he was searching yet another city for someone loyal enough to lead the mages, of which they had twenty so far. He retired for the night to his inn, planning to scout the city again in the morning, but decided to take some time to sit in the tavern first. It was one of the best ways to find fighters in general. He could easily test someone's loyalty and place a map into a mind without attracting too much attention. And it was relatively easy to find people loyal enough to join the fight. He could encounter a dozen or more in any given tavern at night, and they needed those fighters just as badly as they needed the generals.

Almost as common as the loyal fighters were the ones who weren't loyal or honorable of character. They were the ones who heard the nonsense words instead of a true question, who would raise a commotion and demand to know what he was on about. But that was unavoidable. Not everyone could be willing to upset the balance of power.

This time it was the young sorceress in the corner who attracted his attention. Even from a distance he could see the red of her eyes – the same color as his. As far as anyone knew, only twelve people with red magic lived at any one time. Why was someone with such rare and powerful magic sitting in a tavern and earning coin by selling charms and doing tricks?

As the night grew later, the crowd thinned. When she had been alone for a while, Ardan rose form his table and went to hers. She gave him a curious look when she noticed his eyes. He folded his hands on the table and returned the look.

"Why are you here?" he finally asked. A much simpler question than the ones he usually used, but effective.

"Why are you here?" she replied immediately.

"Looking for someone like you. I have a better job for you, if you'll speak to me in private."

She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a tavern whore," she hissed.

He smiled. "That's not what I'm offering." He leaned closer and added quietly, "The prince lives."

That got a reaction out of her. Though she tried to conceal it, her eyes brightened for just a moment.

"I will explain everything, but away from here," he told her. "I have a room upstairs."

She nodded. "I'll come."

He shielded the room against listeners as soon as they arrived, then pulled the necklace he wore from beneath his shirt. Much to his surprise, she recognized the dragon symbol.

"King Caol's court sorcerer," she stated, eyes wide. "You've been missing for almost twenty years."

"Only missing to the right people," he replied. "How did you recognize this?"

"I was a mage in the overlord's army. We were taught to recognize the symbol so we could imprison you if we ever found you. The thought was that you had taken the prince away from Ryal before the city fell."

Ardan nodded. "That's exactly what I did. Caolan lives outside a village five days' ride from here. There is an army in the foothills that is growing in number every day, and will continue to grow as soon as he announces himself. I have been looking for his commanders. We have twenty mages thus far, and I'm not willing to lead them. I'm a court sorcerer, not a general."

"Is that what you need of me?"

"I was hoping you would fit the position. We want to march this summer, and the mages are the only unit without leadership."

She nodded. "I would be honored to do this."

"Then we will leave in the morning," Ardan replied. "What is your name?"

"Dyna," she answered. "You are Ardan."

He smiled. "I am. I'm glad we met tonight."

When Ardan returned from his travels with Dyna, he was surprised to be confronted by Lilea that night. She had looked tired when Ardan had returned, but he'd been too busy introducing Dyna to the way of life of their army that he hadn't been able to speak to her. After Caolan and his generals had joined them for dinner, she cornered him before he could leave the small kitchen.

"I'm worried about Caolan."

Ardan raised an eyebrow. "We all are."

She shook her head and wrung her hands in her skirt. "I'm worried about him and Kian."

Strange, Ardan hadn't found anything to be concerned about with the man. "What about him worries you?"

Lilea looked utterly uncomfortable. "Their friendship. It's... I think Kian's taking advantage of him."

"What makes you say this?"

She almost looked sick as she ran a hand through her hair. "I saw them this morning," she said quickly. "I think they thought I was at the market, but I saw them. They were... they were naked. Doing things I didn't even know men could do with each other. I just don't know what motives he has and it worries me."

"Like father, like son," Ardan mumbled to himself.

Lilea's eyes narrowed. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I'll find out what his motives are, don't worry."

"Wait," she said as he turned to go. "His father? You said you were the king's close friend, not just the court sorcerer. Is this why you never wanted to marry me, even for appearances? Why you said we were siblings and ignored my advances years ago?"

"I always told you that it wasn't you I was turning away," he answered quietly. "An no, it wasn't because I didn't want a woman. The pain of losing him was too strong. It still is. To be with anyone else feels dishonorable, even now."

"You could have told me the truth."

He shook his head. "It isn't easy to know who to trust when you're not like everyone else in the world. Even with magic, how would I even broach the subject? I didn't learn this spell I'm using to find Caolan's supporters until a few short years ago. By then you had given up on me. I'm sorry."

"Is he truly Caol's son then?" she whispered.

Ardan nodded. "Yes."

"But what if he is like his father?"

"I'm going to speak to Kian," Ardan assured her quietly. "If he's as true as I believe he is, hopefully he will be there for him later."

Lilea nodded. "I hope the best for everyone."

Ardan walked among the tents and cooking fires that littered the foothills behind the house. He nodded to everyone he passed who greeted him until he reached Kian's tent. It was only slightly larger than the other soldiers' tents, because he had wanted to live as simply as the men he was to lead in order to have more of their respect and loyalty.

When Ardan peeked in the tent flap, he saw Kian reading a book at his desk by the light of a lantern. He knocked on the wooden post and called in, "Could I speak with you?"

"Of course," Kian called back immediately.

Ardan stepped inside as Kian stood up from his desk. Before he spoke again he set a spell around the tent to keep their conversation private. A shimmering red light cascaded over the inside of the canvas walls.

"No one will hear us," he assured the younger man. "Lilea sent me to speak with you. It seems she saw you with Caolan."

Kian let out a heavy breath and sat down in his chair again. "We were afraid she had."

"Whatever your relationship with Caolan is, that's between the two of you. I just want to be sure you aren't using this as a way to gain power or money when everything is over."

Kian looked Ardan in the eye as he replied, "No. I know what I'm doing is selfish, but not for that reason. Only that I know it won't last once we win back his throne, and I'm still trying to enjoy every moment of it while I can."

"You never know what could happen when everything is over," Ardan said gently. "If you are important enough to him, he may still want and need you. Maybe he will find an understanding wife. How long has this been going on?"

"Almost a month."

Ardan nodded. "Just be there for him. Someday his dying wish may be for you to raise his son."

He left quickly, before Kian could say anything in response.

He went to see Caolan next, and found the prince writing in a journal in his room at the house. "I know you and Kian are lovers," he stated as he entered the room.

Caolan startled so badly that he spilled a bottle of ink across his desk. Ardan moved quickly. He took the jar and held the rim to the desk to could magically draw back in whatever had not already soaked deep into the wood.

"I could have been a lot less abrupt about that," Ardan said as he set the bottle back into the place. "I apologize. I've had a difficult evening."

"Because of Kian and me?" Caolan asked hesitantly.

"Not directly," Ardan replied with a sigh. "And I just wanted you to know that in this room you and Kian can be safe. I can place spells here so no one else will notice anything. It will obviously be more difficult once we start traveling, but for now you deserve peace. And I also wanted you to know that, if you wish for Kian to remain a part of your life when everything is over, there are ways that he can be. If all is well between you, you don't need to completely end things once you are king."

He took a deep breath and went on, "I never intended to tell you this, but your father and I were lovers. Yes, your mother knew and was accepting of it. In fact, she encouraged us to spend time together. I loved your father, and leaving him to die with our country was the most difficult thing I have ever done. But I did what he wished of me, to fulfill his last request. That is why this evening has been difficult, because it has brought back so much."

"Did he love you?" Caolan asked, his voice barely a whisper.

Ardan shook his head. "I never found out. He never said the words, but neither did I. I didn't want to find out, either. If the answer was yes, then I knew we would be trapped in the mostly hidden life we led. If the answer was no, then I knew I had been wasting my time and emotions on someone who didn't care. I wasn't sure which answer would have been worse. I never found the courage to find out."

"I think he must have loved you," Caolan replied. "The sort of person you are, I don't think anyone could spent time with you and not love you. You will always be the only father I truly knew, and so I love you as if you were him."

Ardan couldn't help smiling slightly, touched by the words. "Thank you."