It’s been about four hours since they left Allsgorath behind, continuing further west. It’d been three hours into riding when Lyrael mentioned wanting to scout ahead of them. Tsarra had asked if she was sure, and she told her it was because she wanted to make sure they didn’t cross paths with anyone unsavory.
     In reality, Lyrael had wanted a bit of reprieve from having to control every micro expression that crossed her face. So, she had egged Nightheart from a trot to a canter and began scouting ahead of them.
     The surrounding forest was quiet besides for the soft chirping of birds and animals scuttling across the forest floor. She focused her hearing, blocking out any unnecessary sounds, pushing them from her mind. The birds singing, the wind whistling through the trees, Nightheart’s hooves thumping against the ground, leaves rustling as animals scavenged, all of it fading from her hearing.
     A beat later, Tsarra’s voice met her ears. “So, did you hear anything from base?”
     Wynn’s voice replied softly. “No... the Allsgorath operative had no messages for us.”
     Tsarra growled in frustration. “Okay.”
     “I know. I’m sort of frustrated that there haven’t been any updates.” Wynn grumbled. “You’d think someone would’ve found a lead about her.”
     “Do either of you find it odd that Elys isn’t sticking with us?” Soni asked, and Lyrael fought the urge to roll her eyes at her question. “I get why she’s wanting to scout ahead, just in case we meet anyone dangerous. But it’s still weird.”
     “Look, you need to consider how she grew up. She’s the lone wolf type and besides for her father, she hasn’t been with a group before, she’s used to being alone. Put yourself in her shoes.” Tsarra answered and Lyrael silently thanked her, glad that someone understood her.
     “You’re one to talk,” Wynn said sarcastically and Lyrael heard a thump, like she’d punched him in the arm... or the face.
     Lyrael sighed, I don't blame Soni for distrusting me. If I was her, I wouldn't exactly trust me, either.
     She carried on scouting, her hearing returning to normal. She pulled her bow from her shoulder, and she notched it. Scanning the ground and trees, she watched as a bush about twenty feet away rustled, a rabbit jumping from the bush a second later. She wrapped herself and Nightheart in her magic, both of them blinking from sight in an instant.
     Nimble fingers gripped the bow’s string lightly, pulling back until her hand nearly grazed her face. She let the arrow fly and watched it whiz through the air, finding its mark with a satisfying thud. The rabbit squealed, a painful cry, and then fell limp to the dirt, blood dripping from the arrow’s entry point.
     Fifteen minutes later, Tsarra, Soni, and Wynn appeared around the bend in the path. Lyrael had her horse tied to a nearby tree and she had been only waiting a few minutes. In that time, she’d skinned, gutted, and cleaned the rabbit with her water. She held it up with a smile, “Lunch, anyone?”
     “Oh, that sounds delicious.” Tsarra grinned widely and slid from her horse, gripping the lead rope. “Let’s find a spot to start a fire.”
     Lyrael bit her tongue before she spoke, cutting off her own words. She could just as easily cook it herself, but they were not aware of her elemental magic and she did not feel inclined to reveal to them that she had more abilities than she told them.
     She was worried they would put the pieces together, just as she had.
     During her walk, she came to the stark conclusion that she had to be Princess Lyrael. I hate to admit it, but Soni is right. Me being the dead princess makes the most logical sense. I must have been brought across the Border as a newborn and given to Anwel. But why? Why didn't he say anything? Why leave me in ignorance? It's yet another question I won't get an answer to until I rescue him.
     “Thank you for catching lunch, Elys.” Soni’s voice caught her attention, pulling her from her thoughts. Lyrael was surprised, not expecting Soni of all people to be the one to thank her. If anything, she would be the one to accuse her of poisoning their food.
     Once thoroughly cooked, she passed out small chunks of rabbit meat and each of them pulled out bits of cheese and bread from their prospective bags.
     The group was silent as they ate and Soni cleared her throat, looking toward Lyrael. “Tsarra admitted to telling you of our plans and who we’re looking for.”
     She shot a quick glance in Tsarra’s direction before looking back at Soni. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by Tsarra blurting out, “Sorry, Soni. I don’t really like lying to my friends. She asked... and I answered.”
     Soni’s words were cold, brief and assuming. “Are you her?”
     Lyrael fought to keep her face stoic as she wrapped the area in her magic, silencing their voices from anyone that could be nearby.
     “Her? You mean the dead princess?” Soni just raised her brows in response, waiting in silence. “No... well, I don’t know if I am.”
     “Okay, but why did someone hide you, some supposedly random High Elf baby, in Mahlon? None of it adds up. The only thing that sticks out to me is the fact that you only have sound manipulation. A High Elf, especially a royal one, would have multiple gifts, three or four of them at the minimum.”
     Lyrael hesitated slightly. But I do.
     “I agree with you, it doesn’t make sense. You’re completely right. But until I find Anwel, I won’t get any answers.” Lyrael responded. “Only he knows the truth of where I came from and who I am.”
     “We want to trust you, Elys, but you have to give us a reason to.” Wynn murmured, looking at her with a considerate expression on his face.
     Lyrael looked away, toward the trail they came from. “You guys don’t understand how much Anwel drilled cautiousness into me. Constantly, everywhere I turned, he was telling me to hide, hide my abilities, hide my... name. Hide everything about me. I don’t trust easily.” Her eyes flicked toward Soni briefly. “And I understand why you guys may also not be trusting of me. How about we start over?”
     Soni glanced toward Tsarra and then back at Lyrael. “Okay. Fine, let’s start over.”
     Lyrael smiled, relief washing over her in a calm wave. “I am Lyrael Elysande Waestris. Or I guess... I’m Lyrael Weyfiel, if we’re being frank.”
     The three of them all shared looks, their eyes wide. Tsarra looked back at her, “Wait, what? So you think you’re her?”
     Lyrael nodded. “It adds up. Anwel told me my first name was Lyrael, but to never use it. I must have been glamoured and placed in Mahlon, with Anwel, when I was a newborn. And I have multiple abilities. So yeah, I’m pretty positive I am this dead princess you’re looking for.”
     “You have multiple abilities? If so, that confirms it.” Soni stared at her, looking sort of smug. She swung her gaze to look at Tsarra and grinned widely. “I knew it! I told you she was her. But you didn’t believe me.”
     Tsarra blinked at Lyrael, and then frowned. “I guess my gut was wrong, then.”
     Guilt clenched Lyrael’s stomach, and she fought off the feeling, breathing in and out. “I apologize for lying, but you have to understand why. This is all new to me.”
     “We, or at least I, understand.” Wynn smiled, nodding his head.
     “What abilities do you have?”
     Lyrael hesitated. Sorry, Papa. If you lied about all of this... what else was a lie?
     “Well, I have my illusion magic. You’re aware of that.”
     She lifted her hand and crafted an illusion of a small white cat curled in her palm, sleeping.
     “But I also have elemental magic, which includes water, fire, earth, and wind.”
     She called her elemental magic forward, and in quick succession, she spouted off each type of element from her hand.
     “And finally, healing.”
     Lyrael stepped toward Wynn and called her magic forward once again, waving her palm over the still healing gash on his forehead. It was barely starting to scab over, but in an instant, it was gone, the scab disappearing, not even a scar left behind.
     “Holy shit... guys.” Tsarra whispered. “We actually did it. We found her.”
   The three of them shared knowing looks, and then Wynn lifted his shirt, showing the bandages around his side. “Can you heal this, too?”
     “Oh, yeah.” Lyrael crouched beside him, removing the bandages around his abdomen. He grimaced and she called her magic forward, the golden light emanating from her palm. Within a minute or two, the wound was gone, completed healed, with nothing but a thin scar.
     Wynn grinned excitedly as he looked down at his side, in awe. “Only like a week into our mission, and we find her almost immediately.”
“What will headquarters say when they find out we actually found her?”
     Lyrael looked back and forth, confused. “Headquarters?”
     Tsarra looked back at her. “This isn’t something I had explained. We are part of the rebellion that is trying to take down Zaos. We were given the task of searching for, well... you.”
     Lyrael blinked in surprise. “Oh, I see.”
     The group fell silent, and Lyrael stared into the flames in front of her. She was unsure if this was the right move, telling them who she was, but there was no undoing it.
     “Well, no wonder why you were able to lift both Soni and I.” Wynn laughed, shaking his head. “I mean I’m just a Low Elf and I can barely pick up my own rucksack with my levitation.”
     “Yeah. I could probably pick someone up but only for a short amount of time.” Tsarra agreed and then looked back at Lyrael. “Thank you, for trusting us. I promise, we’re the good guys.”
     Soni smiled, nodding along. “At least, I’m pretty sure we are.”
     Lyrael looked at her lap, at the bow laying across her legs. “Well, I don’t know anything about being Kamthas’ or anything, but I’ll do what I can to help take down Zaos... or well, I guess he’s technically my older brother.”
     “Oh, and by the way, you have five of those."
     Lyrael snapped her head to look at Soni. “What?”
     “You have five brothers. There are five princes, four older, and one that is a few years younger than you.” She answered and Lyrael blinked multiple times.
     “Five brothers? That’s a lot of brothers.”
     “King Zaos is in his mid-thirties.” Tsarra sighed. “If the two other girls Queen Saelihn had were alive, one would be like thirty-one and the other would be a few years older than you. Probably like twenty-two or three.”
     Lyrael couldn’t bring herself to think of them as her siblings, even though they were by blood. She knew nothing about them, they were strangers, even more so than the three friends she had sitting before her.
     “Who is my biological father, then?” Lyrael looked up at them and they all shared a look. It was Wynn who finally looked back at her.
     “His name is Keryth and he disappeared shortly after King Zaos’ coronation. You see, when Saelihn was the queen, he was technically a King, but only in name. He had no power. No one knows where he went, and he hasn’t been seen since.”
     “We should continue. I’d like to make it closer to the next town before dark.” Tsarra stood from the fire and Soni nodded, standing to put out the fire like she did last time. Lyrael stood, holding up her hand to stop her.
     “Let me do it.” Lyrael stated and Soni nodded, stepping back.
     “All yours.”
     She called her magic forward and water began raining from her hand, drenching the flames. Smoke rose into the air, and she used her wind magic to disperse it, so it wouldn’t give off their immediate location.
     Soni suddenly groaned, tilting her head back. “Does that mean I could’ve had a bath at Allsgorath?”
     Lyrael chuckled. “Yes, technically speaking. Although... I don’t know if you would’ve wanted to bathe in that bath. It looked disgusting.”
     “Yeah, probably not then.”