Henrique looked like he was about to cry.

Iris, sympathetically, watched the boy in the corner of the room, but she knew that moment was not the time to comfort him, she herself was vibrating with fear and hatred.

- What do you mean my daughter was kidnapped? - said the queen's mother, through clenched teeth.

- Please forgive us, Your Majesty, we still don't know how. One moment the queen was in her carriage, the next she was gone. We found a trail, but we could barely see anything in the fog. We left a group in search of the queen and brought the rest of the retinue - replied the leader of the guard.

- You are the best warriors Sunstone has. HOW DID YOU NOT SEE WHO TOOK MY DAUGHTER? AND WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GO AFTER HER!

- Yes, immediately!

The soldiers hurried out. The former queen shouted orders to her own guard and servants, causing every resource and effort to be invested in the search for Rosa. She also ordered them to send letters to all their allies. She herself thought about taking a horse and going in search of her daughter, but she resisted the impulse. The mother knew she wouldn't be of any help, she had no skills in that area. Second, Henrique needed her. After crying, taking a deep breath and drinking a lot, she turned to the boy who had barely moved in the last few hours.

- Rosa knows how to take care of herself, she'll be back home soon - she said more to herself than to the young prince.

- Yes, I know…

He fell silent again. Iris didn't know what else to say. She took an anguished turn around the living room of her summer mansion, where they should have met to go together the rest of the way to Hyra, but which at that moment only held her and Henrique. Her gaze occasionally falls on a painting of her daughter, making her heart sink more and more with each step. Finally, she couldn't stand the silence.

- Didn't you see anything that could help identify these bandits?

- I don't know, Your Majesty, but if you think I can help, I'll give you as detailed a description as I can.

- Iris darling, call me Iris.

- Yes, ma'am. - replied the blushing boy, but too sad for the excessive reactions that this type of interaction usually caused in him.

- You were with her, but they didn't take you. How was that? Did they pull her out? Knocked you out first?

- I… I don't remember very well. I remember that someone tried to get into the carriage, I was so scared that I cowered in the corner and the queen stood in front of me - Henrique looked embarrassed. - I didn't quite see what happened. I just saw her slashing at the intruder with a dagger, he staggered out, but before she could continue the attack, she froze and whispered something I did not understand. I tried to look, but with her in front of me I did not see much, then the man walked away.

- And when did she disappear?

- That was the strangest part, she went after him.

The queen glared at Henrique, as if expecting this to be a cruel joke. As the boy remained serious and not given to such banter, she felt her mind go blank. Nothing seemed to justify such a scenario, not a bandit running away from a woman and a fearful boy, nor Rosa going after him.

- You did not see anything? Or where did they go? You said Rosa acted weird...

- I beg your pardon, Your Majesty - Henrique began to burst into tears - I should have p-protected the queen. But I could barely breathe. When I saw that she had left and had not returned to the carriage, it took me a while to call the guards. B-because I would not move.

At this point the boy began to sob so hard that the words barely came out. Iris sat beside him and held both of the boy's hands.

- Breathe, honey, it's not your fault. I don't want to push you, but anything you remember can help us now. Did you see anything of the assailant?

Henrique took a few deep breaths before speaking again.

- He-he had w-white skin, h-had dark hair, wore a mask…- At the last word Henrique turned white and started stuttering again. - King Ga-gabriel said, the mi-minstrel, in this re-region…

Iris felt as if ice had been thrown over her body.

- No, no... It must be just a rumor. What would the Minstrel do in this part of the world?

***

It could only be a lie.

It was unbelievable to Calandiel to be sitting across from Rosa. The same one that had broken her heart, the one that had been the pivot of everything that happened in her life in the last 10 years.

Ever since she'd seen her in the carriage, she'd gone back to feeling like a helpless princess, and it irritated her. She'd been through so much good and bad since they'd split that for a long time she hadn't thought of her anymore, no more than a distant memory. It was as if it had occurred in another life.

However, there she was. Eating and drinking, in front of her, disheveled, dirty and with torn clothes, but with an unshakable glow and confidence that Cali recognized from their times together.

Humans age much faster than elves, but the Minstrel couldn't say exactly what had changed about her. Perhaps a few extra pounds and bigger curves that the queen had insisted on accentuating with her dress, her face a little more freckled and with expression lines. Other than that, Calandiel thought Rosa was pretty much the same. Same cleverness, daring and stubbornness. This fact also irritated her.

- Well, you've eaten - began the elf - Now tell me, is it true that Celegorm opened the borders?

- As an act of good faith, I'll tell you yes, but before I answer anything else, I need to ask you something.

Calandiel, though irritated by Rosa's boldness, was curious to see where the conversation would go, so she nodded for the queen to continue talking.

- Please don't ask for my ransom. I can't go back there!