For the second time today, I was standing in the great chamber. "All of the guards have been informed and are on the lookout for them. But I fear they might already have slipped out of the city." It would be foolish to stay here. And if there is one thing I am sure of, it's that my kids are no fools.

"Then we need to expand the search to the villages," King Alfonso declared.

"I am doubtful it is where they will be found. They had coins from Vouri in their belongings. I am expecting they will flee there."

King Alfonso comes with a loud sigh. "Putting our search in Vouri won't be possible."

I raise an eyebrow. "I do not understand how that can be a problem. We have always had a good relationship with the Vouri kingdom."

"We indeed had, but that has changed. King Khavazh is furious at me. After all, his son is second in line to what is left of Ledasgele. He had the expectation that Teival would hand it over to him. Teival, however, chose to bestow it to me in exchange for marriage with my oldest daughter. And he is furious about that."

I knew about the land and why the marriage was to happen. However, I was unaware that this was at the risk of angering our closest ally. He is risking war, just to own a cursed kingdom. To me, that sounds like an unwise decision. But Alfonso is the King, which means he knows what he is doing. It is my mistake for not seeing that. 

"I wonder if it even matters if she is found. She can not remove the curse." The King slouches back in his chair. In all my years I have never seen him with anything but perfect posture. It's odd seeing the King act this way.

"If I may ask Your Majesty, I do have very little knowledge regarding magic. But as the daughter of the curse caster, wouldn't Alva be able to break it?" This question had weighed on my mind for some time.

"That was the whole reason we kept her, yet we never tried. As some of the spell casters who tried to lift the curse, made us aware, it is a spell that have no known way of breaking it. Not even by its maker's blood, only blood curses are connected that way, and this curse is not one."

Blood curses, the rebels  Alva's mother was part of, were feared because they could cast blood curses that had been destroyed hundreds of years ago. How they did it, was never known. 

"I fear for the future." King Alfonso's worry is justified.

"I am sure Valor is going to be a great King like you and your father." The King makes a grunt. Did I step out of line trying to reassure him?

"Did you even know my father?" King Alfonso asks, he looks sternly at me, awaiting an answer. 

"No, your majesty, I had only taken my oath a few weeks before he passed." The King stands up and moves to the window. His back is turned to me.

"My father may have been a good King. However, I doubt it being more than what people are accustomed to saying. With his drinking, his waste of tax money, and that he had relations with half the female servants, he does not sound like a good King."

I had heard those rumours about the former King, but I never thought them to be true. The King is supposed to be good and to think of his people. To question our King is as obscene as questioning our God.

"Nevertheless. He was a lousy father. When my mom died, it didn't take him long to send my brother and me away to Heilagur. We were kids, and we were taken away from everything we knew. But at least we had each other. Until my father, for some reason decided to move me to Daingneach alone. For two years, I was stuck in that place. After that, I didn't see my brother again. Not before some guards showed up with him. But I barely got to talk with him before I had to leave. They left him there. While bringing me here, as my father had picked a wife for me. I did not see my brother again before our father's death. Only for him to leave as soon as he could."

"I wish Hellvian were here, " King Alfonso whispered. The sting of feeling intruding suddenly hit me. He is sharing deep personal feelings. The kind he would share with someone close, someone like Hellvian. But he is dead, and I am standing here in his place. The King takes a deep breath before continuing." He was a great friend of mine and one of the few people I truly trusted. In less than a year, I lost both him and my wife, I haven't felt this kind of pain in a long time. Not since my own mother died." His voice was sad, I too could feel a few tears prick my eyes.

But before I could say anything, his tone changed. "Please regard what I said, it doesn't do to dwell on the death, especially not at the moment, as we have more urgent problems."

"Of course, Your Majesty, what you told, will be regarded, and I will hold my tongue."

“I assume you have a past full of sorrow too. I do not believe you told me how you ended up as an orphaned guard. Were you abandoned or did your parents die?”

I wish he never asked, but I knew he was going to ask at some point. I just hope he will be satisfied with what I say and not ask more questions. My mouth opens to say the line I rehearsed and repeated a hundred of times. 

“Neither, I was stolen from my parents at a young age, a few years later, those who stole me got tired of me and abandoned me, with no way of finding my way back home to my parents.”

“Oh that's… that's tragic, My deepest...“ King Alfonso does not get to finish the sentence, as there is a knock at the door. “We are having a meeting?” King Alfonso yells out. 

“I need to speak with you?” The voice of a young female comes from the other side. The King gestures for me to open the door, I step over and pull the handle. Outside, Princess Zora is standing. She walks past me, her long sky-blue nightgown trailing behind her.

"This better be important, because I am in no mood for your attitude, Zora." King Alfonso says. 

"I remembered something, I heard the man say at the tavern." Zora blurts out. 

"What man?" King Alfonso asks, taken aback by her fast speaking. 

"The eastern who was with the girl who sang, he said something about going to a place called men's blissful menders."

The King looks to me, and asked, "Captain, do you know such a place?" 

That is the name of a brothel, if I am not mistaken. But I can't say that in the presence of a Princess. "I do, it's... It's on the bad side of the city."

Why would they go there, of all places? Has Narin fallen so far that he is paying for pleasure? 

"You better go there immediately and search for them," King Alfonso Orded.

"I will get going right away, Your Majesty."