Guilty Party

Wednesday was a new day brimming with new possibilities and Graham woke early to seize them. He gathered all the travel books from his library and plopped them down on his desk, ready to find the perfect date location to take Vee. Cup of tea in hand, he flipped through A Village Idiot's Guide to the North and Here and There Again by Bilbert Babbins. Graham was just bookmarking a section about gingerbread house-making classes nearby when a dull roar rumbled up from the floorboards. It sounded like a herd of baby dragons were thundering up the stairs and heading right for the study.

"GRAAAAAHAM!" came a booming voice that shook the room. Before Graham could blink, the door banged open and none other than Whisper charged inside.

Graham quickly moved his cup of tea to avoid spillage. "Woah, there!" he said, as if to calm a raging stallion. Whisper paced furiously, stomping so the books toppled off the shelves. Graham didn't think that now was the time to warn him that most of the castle was still sleeping.

"Whisper is in great distress!" he wailed. "Whisper and Amaya were scheduled to leave for Whisper's house five minutes ago!"

Graham stood up to offer Whisper his chair and Whisper sank heavily into it, head flopping to rest in his hands. "Come on, buddy," Graham said, handing the knight his cup of tea. "Deep breaths."

Whisper's armor shuddered as he inhaled for six seconds and exhaled for eight. He dumped Graham's tea right into the mouth slats of his helmet and swallowed loudly.

"Now," said Graham, "What happened?"

Whisper sniffled. "Amaya is missing!"

Graham took a moment to let this sink in. "Missing?" he repeated. "What do you mean she's missing?"

"Amaya and the Crumbler left for a job at dawn and never returned!"

Graham glanced at the Graham-father clock in the corner. "Whisper," he said, his panic fizzling into relief, "these jobs take a long time."

"But she said she would be back by eight! It is now ten minutes after. I do not think I've ever been this worried about anything in my life."

Graham patted him on the back. "I'm sure she's just running a little late. Why don't you go on home, make yourself some hot cocoa, and she'll be back before you know it." Graham stood to escort him out, eager to have the study to himself again. He had a whole day to plan and only a few hours to do it, and the sooner Whisper was out of his hair, the better.

Whisper sighed and stood up, joints creaking. "What if something horrible has happened? Should I go out looking? I am the very best finder in Daventry, after all. Probably."

"Trust me," insisted Graham, already ushering him out the door. "Amaya tends to get a little bothered when people rush her in the middle of a project. One time she kicked me right out of my own room when I asked her how much time the bedframe would take."

Whisper sighed dreamily. "That does sound like my special little rabbit."

"Give her a little more than ten minutes and you two will be on your way in no time."

"Well…" Whisper trudged through the doorway, wringing his hands. "I suppose you have known her longer than I."

Graham waved. "Have fun on your trip!" he called and quickly shut the door. Alone again. "Now, let's see about this gingerbread class," he muttered, settling back at his desk and getting to work.

It took Graham a good twenty minutes to summon the courage to ask Vee out on a real date. He gave her a tour of the stables that morning, hovering a few inches away, and silently panicked as she offered bits of jerky to the happy mounts.

You can do this, he told himself, licking his dry lips. You've done things together before, this will be just like strolling in the gardens. The biggest difference is that this time, you're laying your heart completely bare and vulnerable for her to either accept or crush into tiny little pieces.

Easy peasy.

"Vee?"

"Mm?" she hummed, letting the giant wombat lick her hand clean.

He cleared his throat to ensure it didn't crack with nerves. "How are you liking Daventry so far?"

"Very well," she said, wiping her hands on her skirts. She was wearing a deep purple gown today and a thick brown cloak. She looked practical and beautiful, and perfect for the activities he'd planned for the day.

"Good," said Graham, leaning over to pat Miss Maple on the forehead. "Because I wondered if you'd care to see a little more of it today."

Vee glanced his way, eyes sparkling with mischief. "Oh?" she asked.

"Tour de Daventry is leaving in a few minutes," he said. "I thought since you'd seen the town and the castle already, I could show you around the outskirts." He led Vee a few stalls down where two mounts were already saddled up and biting at their bits, ready to go. "The woods are lovely this time of year."

He was relieved that Vee was already nodding. "Brilliant!" she said, reaching into the stall to pat the steed. "I've been wanting to get out of the castle for a bit." She stopped and quickly added, "Not that the castle is unsatisfactory."

"The crown is offended," Graham said stuffily, "but will overlook your treachery if you promise to enjoy today's excursion."

She shook his outstretched hand. "The guilty party accepts your ridiculous proposal."

After the deal was struck, Vee poked her head further through the stall, leaning so far over that her feet lifted a little off the ground. "Is that food I see?" she asked, squinting at the saddle bags.

Graham quickly reached out to pull her back. "No," he lied. "That's just…usual riding stuff."

Vee wriggled to bend further over the stall door while Graham tugged harder to keep her from seeing too much.

"A basket, a blanket, cheese, and is that a bottle of wine?"

He pulled her harder. Zards, she was strong. Graham adjusted his hands so he was gripping her around the waist.

Vee laughed. "You're planning a picnic, aren't you?"

"You weren't supposed to know that yet!" Graham grunted. He tried to yank her back, but Vee had latched her hands stubbornly around a wooden beam. She just had to be the winner, even if the contest was as silly as this.

"You are—" Graham heaved, "—one stubborn princess!"

Vee latched herself tighter to her anchor. "I think it's sweet that—ow—that King Graham has a romantic afternoon all planned out for—"

"Who said anything about romance?" snapped Graham. Unable to loosen her grip with tugging alone, Graham resorted to the lowest form of torture and squeezed her sides.

Vee yelped and slipped, and the force of Graham's pulling sent them both crashing backwards onto the barn floor. He took the brunt of the fall, sort of a cushion for Vee to land on, and he let out an enormous "Oof!" as the wind was knocked right out of him.

Vee scrambled off his chest. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Graham!" she said. "Can you breathe?"

He struggled for a minute, the blow to his abdomen forbidding him to inhale. Then, air rushed inside like cold water flooding his lungs and he drank it in like a parched man. As his vision came back into focus, he saw Vee's face hovering over him, so close that the ends of her hair tickled his cheeks. He had only just started enjoying the view when a coughing fit took over and wracked his body. He felt Vee place her small hands on his hip and shoulder, and she forced him onto his side where it was a bit easier to breathe. After a minute, he dizzily propped himself up on one elbow.

"Are you all right?" Vee asked, brow furrowed in concern. She reached out for him, but seemed to think better of it and withdrew her hand.

"I'm fine," he breathed, noting how she knelt over him so for once, he had to look up instead of down to see into her face. It was risky to be this physically close to Vee—she intoxicated him to dangerously high degrees. He remembered kissing her cheek the night before, and wondered if he could close the gap between them now, only this time he could aim for those rose-colored lips…

And then Vee started to laugh, slapping her hand over her pretty mouth and hiding it from view. He pursed his lips in disappointment and asked, "What's so funny?"

She waved her hand as if to shoo the question. "That was—" her fit of giggles returned, "—I'm sorry, you just look so—" She pointed and continued to laugh.

Graham brushed the top of his head where she indicated, and felt his hair sticking up on all sides. "You really find this amusing, your highness?" he asked, groping around the floor for his cap and shoving it back on his head. Vee nodded, clutching her sides, and Graham laughed along simply because Vee's merriment was so contagious. When she had calmed down enough to look him over, she combed her fingers through the ends of his brown curls. He leaned slightly into her touch.

"Straw," she noted, holding it up for him to see. "You're covered."

"So are you," he replied. Graham offered her a hand to lift them both to their feet. He picked at the pieces of gold straw tangled in Vee's dark hair, and she swiped her palms across his shoulders and torso to brush him off. He tried not to betray the thrill he felt when her hands met his body.

"Right," he said brusquely, adjusting his adventurer's cap for effect, "I think it's clear that I won that tug-of-war."

Vee scoffed. "Only because you used an illegal move. I demand a rematch."

Graham made a show of opening the stalls to retrieve the royal steeds. He handed her the reins and graced her with the smuggest look he could muster. "Patience, princess," he told her. "Perhaps you'll get your chance at retribution."

She grabbed the reins from him, and in one smooth motion, swung herself up onto her mount—a large doglike steed—and trotted right out of the barn. "Perhaps I will," she called back. "And I am patient."

Graham shuddered. There was something about this challenge that sparked something akin to desire inside of him. He quickly mounted his own steed and hurried to catch up. He had just rounded the corner of the barn when something big and shiny darted right in the path. Graham's capybara reared in fright, tossing its head so it just narrowly missed bumping Graham in the nose.

"Whisper?!" Graham exclaimed, yanking the reins back. Whisper blocked the entire path with his massive, gleaming, armored body. "What are you doing here? I thought you and Amaya would be heading out by now."

Whisper hurried over, hands grasping at Graham's cape to pull him unceremoniously to the ground. "You said Amaya would be back by now!" Whisper whispered, and Graham would argue that Whisper's whisper was even louder than his regular voice. "Amaya is not back yet! You said to wait until noon and…" he glanced directly at the sun, "…it is very noon."

Graham wriggled out of Whisper's grip, wondering how far Vee had ridden ahead. "It's only been a few hours, Whisper," he said distractedly, straightening his clothes. "I'm sure she's just tied up at the moment."

Whisper let out a distraught gasp. "TIED UP?!"

"Not literally," Graham muttered. He couldn't see Vee anywhere on the path. Had she turned to head into the forest? "Vee and I are heading out right now, so if you wouldn't mind…"

"But-but-but Graham!" Whisper's voice was trembling an octave Graham didn't know existed. "You asked Whisper to wait even though waiting it literally the most difficult thing in the world for Whisper!"

Graham scrambled back into his saddle. "I know you're worried, but I've really got to get going."

"I need your help launching a full-fledged investigation for my Amaya! I need you to call the Royal Guard, pool all your kingly resources! Who knows what may have happened?"

"Graham!" came Vee's voice from somewhere ahead. "Are you coming or what?"

"Ah—be right there!" Graham hastily called back. "Whisper, I'll only be gone for an hour or two, and I promise to lend a hand as soon as I get back, all right? In the meantime, why don't you go look?"

Whisper clutched Graham's reins with fervor. "But—!"

"I'm leaving without you, your highness!" shouted Vee.

Graham's nerves snapped. "Look, Whisper, Amaya has always been able to take care of herself, and she's worked this late before. If she's not back by the time I return, then I'll send out the Royal Guard. Okay?" With that, he yanked the reins back and rode off down the left path to catch up with Vee.

Graham couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty as he bobbed down the sloping path, leading the way through the snow-covered forest. He hadn't meant to sound as unkind to Whisper as he had, but the pressure of today left little room for sympathy. It simply didn't make sense to drop everything on a fruitless search because Whisper was feeling more overprotective of his girlfriend than usual.

Yes, it was a little odd for Amaya to be this late coming home, and despite what Graham had said before, she actually was a punctual person. But Graham had a plan in motion, and if he bailed on his date now, the momentum he had spent days building would be lost. He was a king, after all, and sometimes kings had to make the tough decisions. He comforted himself with the thought that Amaya was tough enough to take care of her own affairs, and either way, he would be back in…two hours tops.

"You still back there?" called Vee from up ahead. She turned around in the saddle to flash him a sassy grin. "Do I need to slow down?"

"No need!" Graham urged his mount, Banana, into a trot and quickly caught up with Vee and Pumpkin (noting that he had been very hungry on the day he'd christened the royal steeds). The woods grew denser the deeper they ventured; streaks of sunlight trickling through the tops of the branches like fingers poking through. They rode in relative silence, enjoying the sound of their mounts' paws crunching in the snow, the occasional deer watching them from a distance, and the distinct echoing noise of a raven flapping its wings. Their breaths rose like smoke and disappeared before they reached the treetops.

When the trees thinned and the snowy path widened, Graham came to ride alongside Vee. "Do I have your approval, highness?" he asked, leaning over his saddle.

Vee gave the woods a sweeping glance. She seemed to be thinking of something cheeky to say, but the way her eyes softened as she gazed at the landscape betrayed a hint of quiet awe. The snow glistened in the faint sunlight as if coated in specs of gold. "It's lovely," she managed to say after a moment.

"Not as lovely as you."

Vee scoffed. "You were waiting to use that one, weren't you?" she asked, pointedly looking away. Graham thought he saw a slight blush in her cheeks, but it could just as easily have been the cold.

They spent the afternoon circling the outskirts of the kingdom, following the river for a ways up the mountain until they reached a clearing where they could look down on Castle Daventry. This was the perfect spot for their picnic, and Graham set to work unfurling the blanket on the driest spot of ground. Vee lent a hand unpacking the food and together, they ate and drank curled up under the thick fur he'd brought. Graham could have patted himself on the back for arranging something so sickeningly romantic, and waited for the moments where Vee would snuggle just an inch closer to him. Her warmth enveloped him under the fur, and paired with the wine it made him delightfully drowsy.

"What did the grape say when it was crushed?" Graham asked, spurred by the drink and Vee's intoxicating aura.

She wrinkled her nose. "Nothing," she said. "It just let out a little wine."

"All right, that was an easy one." Graham finished his last few drops. "Though I've got to say, I do love how the cold air gives you rosé cheeks."

Vee groaned. "You're giving me grape depression."

Graham snorted into his glass. She was…perfect.

When they had eaten their fill, Graham felt something tickling his nose and looked up just in time to see white flakes drifting softly to the ground. It was as if the universe had anticipated his needs and provided the perfect moment to break out the romantics. Graham let out a huge yawn, stretching his arms over his head, and aimed to casually rest his arm around Vee' shoulder when…

"I challenge you to a race," she said.

Graham recoiled his hand. "Uh, pardon?"

Vee looked directly at him, fire in her eyes. "Retribution," she said.

For the tug-of-war, Graham thought grimly. He thought she would have forgotten all about the bet they'd made back in the barn, but he should have known better than to underestimate her capacity for revenge. Though he felt disappointed that she'd interrupted him before he'd made a move, the relief was overwhelming. And how could he deny his fire-eyed princess for a chance to beat him at something?

Graham made a show of crossing his arms. "All right, princess," he said measuredly. "What are the terms of your race?"

Vee made her way back to Pumpkin, tightening her leather gloves for good measure. "Whoever reaches the castle first, wins," she said, swinging herself back into the saddle.

Graham swept the picnic things back into the basket and attached it to his saddle before swinging himself up. "Wins what?" he asked, tightening the girth.

"If I win, I get your kingdom."

Graham paused. She had to be joking, but even so, he didn't wish to cross her. "You should know that I can navigate these woods with my eyes closed."

Vee's eyes sparkled. "Then you shouldn't have a problem, should you?"

Graham puffed out his chest. If the princess wanted a race, she was going to have the race of her life. "What if I'm the victor?" he asked. "And I'll ask that you don't offer me your kingdom as a reward. When I inevitably win, your only home will be out in the snow, and I'd rather not have that."

Vee thought for a minute as Pumpkin sidestepped in anticipation. "How about," said Vee, "a kiss?"

Graham's heart ba-dumped. "A…a what?"

"Do we have an accord?"

Graham stared at Vee's outstretched hand, his mind racing with memories of their first kiss and possibilities of how different this one could be. Vee's challenge either meant that she was completely convinced she'd win, or that she hoped Graham would claim his prize. He took her hand and shook it without breaking eye contact. For the second deal of the day, this certainly would be a rewarding one.

Unfortunately, Graham was so lost in the fantasy of winning that he didn't anticipate Vee's sudden departure. As soon as the handshake had broken, Vee's mount exploded forward and her brazen laugh carried back to where Graham sill sat dumbly on Banana. With a yell, he kicked his mount and together they tore after the princess.

Both parties rode hard through the woods, kicking up the snow that once lay peacefully on the path. Though Graham couldn't see whether Vee was behind or in front, he could distinctly hear her laugh echoing through the trees. They passed the frozen waterfalls and disturbed the winter calm with their pounding steps and shouts of euphoria. At one point, Graham caught a flash of Vee's cloak whipping ahead, and quickly turned his steed down the opposite path: a shortcut around the cliffside. He had purposefully not shown Vee this route for the fear of her safety, but Graham had traversed this road plenty of times to navigate it without falling to his demise. From up on the crag, he could see the turrets of Castle Daventry with ease.

That kiss is as good as mine.

Graham was halfway down the hill when he heard a rustling in the branches above him. He looked up, which ended up being a huge mistake. Something—or someone—large crashed out of the trees and landed right on top of Graham, who screamed, and this sent Banana stampeding faster down the steep mountainside. Graham felt two metal arms squeezing the breath out of him, and so he yanked hard on the reins on impulse. The momentum sent both passengers flying out of the saddle and tumbling down the rest of the hill.

When Graham reached the bottom, he coughed out a mouthful of snow and dirt and stood up to regain his sense of balance. The world around him spun dangerously, but a huge metal knight soon came sharply into focus.

"Whisper!" Graham couldn't control the exasperation in his voice as he stomped over to calm his rearing Banana down. A pang of guilt ran through him as he suddenly realized that the sun was a lot lower in the sky than he'd expected. He'd promised that he would be back in two hours, and it was clear that he'd been gone much longer than that.

Whisper was scrambling to his feet, clutching something close to his chest. For being his third appearance today, he looked worse for wear; his armor was scuffed and his cape was torn, even his helmet lay askew. "Graham, please," he begged, holding out the twisted wooden thing in his trembling hands, "I've been scouring the edge of the woods all day in search for Amaya, and…"

"What is it?" Graham squinted at the thing, trying to place where he'd seen it before. One end was sanded smooth like a handle, and the other was splintered as though it had been ripped off whatever it had been attached to. There was only one person in town who could make something this well-crafted. Graham gulped. "It's from…the Crumbler."

Whisper let out a loud wail and fell at Graham's feet, grabbing the end of his cloak to blow his nose on. "It is the handle of my love's brakes!" Whisper cried. "I found it and thought, 'What if the Crumbler spun out of control?' I knew it was too icy to be driving that monster through the woods!" He began to sob into Graham's cape, and Graham no longer had the heart to pull it away. Amaya had no way of stopping her rampaging machine and could have been anywhere; stuck, hurt, or worse.

And it was all Graham's fault.

Before he could express how sorry he was, how horrible he felt, and how he was going to fix this, Vee and her mount rounded the corner of the clearing. She had that flush in her cheeks brought on by the hard ride, but at the sight of her, Graham's heart sank.

"Well, there you are!" Vee said breathlessly, dismounting. "You should know, I've won the race and the kingdom by extension, so you…" She glanced over, face falling as she laid eyes on a very distressed Whisper. "Whisper, what's—?"

Blubbering, he told her the story of Amaya's disappearance, ending with the brake lever clutched in Graham's hands. Vee knelt beside him in the snow while Graham remained glued to his spot a few feet away, unable to move or breathe.

"I know you both were busy today," Whisper sniffed, "But I…when I found this I…I couldn't…" The knight couldn't even finish his thought before another round of sobs took over.

Vee patted him gently on the back. "Oh, Whisper, we would have helped you look had we known Amaya was gone. Right Graham?"

Graham bit his lip so hard he tasted blood. Vee looked from him and back to Whisper a few times, eyebrows furrowing.

"You knew?" she asked quietly.

Graham couldn't bring himself to meet her gaze; the shame was too great. "I…I was going to help once we'd returned," he admitted, but the words sounded even lamer coming out of his mouth. "I-I lost track of time and I..."

"When did you notice she was missing, Whisper?" asked Vee, a slight edge to her voice.

"Th-this morning."

Vee set her sights on Graham. "Whatever trail Amaya's left, it'll be getting cold."

Whisper sniffed loudly. "She's dead! Whisper knows it!"

"No!" said Graham, swallowing his rising panic. He knelt beside Whisper, hand gripping his shoulder, and said, "You listen to me: I'm dropping everything right now and I will personally go out and find her, I'll dispatch the Royal Guard, whatever it takes." Graham pressed through his crippling guilt and continued, "This is my fault, but I'll find her. I promise."

Whisper nodded, helmet clinking, and for once, he said nothing.

"I'm coming, too," said Vee, helping the knight to his feet.

Graham wanted to tell her no; that he'd never forgive himself if she got hurt, too. But Vee was staring at him with steely determination, daring him to deny her.

"Very well," said Graham heavily. "I'll have some supplies prepared, and we'll leave at once."

Graham wasn't sure how they ended up back at the castle. He was hardly aware of calling his best guards to arrange the search party. All he knew was that by sunset, he, a forlorn knight, the princess, and a small army of guards were all trudging through the snow laden with packs and light supplies. Whisper led the party right to the spot where he'd found Amaya's brakes, and they could just make out some Crumbler tracks leading into the woods. They would have to move fast, since the snow was falling at an alarming rate and soon the trail would be gone.

No words passed between anyone as darkness began to fall, but the accusations bouncing around in Graham's mind were loud enough to urge him onward. He couldn't help thinking that this wasn't the first time his thoughtlessness had led to the death of a friend.

No. Amaya's not dead, Graham told himself firmly. You'll find her and you'll save her. You've got to.