Chapter Nine

Slowly she became aware of things as she drifted back into consciousness. The air moving in and out of her body, the warm covers. She rolled over and looked up to see the fabric of the canopy stretched out above her but there was something not right about the pattern. Squinting she realized that it was not even the right color. She sat bolt upright and examined the room. She sagged back against the pillows as the events of the past days hit her. Seeing Martha, being trapped at the keep, almost escaping only to be taken captive again, her father's death. All she wanted to do was burrow back under the covers and stay there.

"Hello."

Rhoswen yelped in shock. "What are- Who are you?" she asked the pale elf sitting next to her bed.

"I am Princess Nuala, but you can call me Nuala. I just wanted to make sure that you were well." Her voice was soft and kind. It had none of the harshness of her brother's. Her brother. That soured her mood.

"I don't need a watcher so if you don't mind I'll just be going back to sleep." Rhoswen rolled over and pulled the blankets over herself but the princess did not let her escape that easily.

Moving to the other side of the bed she tilted her head sideways so they were eye to eye. "But I have a bath ready and waiting for you. Surely you would like to get cleaned up and get some fresh clothes on."

"I don't have any fresh clothes here."

"You can borrow some of mine." Nuala smiled innocently. "I have them laid out for you over there.

Rhoswen's eyes narrowed from where they peered out from the depths of the cover cave. As tempting as a bath was, she did not want to accept anything from the prince's sister or any elf for that matter. "No, thank you," she said grumpily.

The sweet smile on the girl's face slowly fell. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought you would be more comfortable."

The dejected look on her face made Rhoswen's conscience squirm. This lady seemed to genuinely want to help her and she had thrown the offer back in her face. She sighed as she pushed herself up. "No I'm sorry. Perhaps you're right Nuala. Maybe a bath would do me good."

The smile flew back to Nuala's face. "I'm so glad to hear that. Everything is ready for you in the second room on your left through that hall." She pointed. "I'll be out here reading if you need anything."

"Thank you." Rhoswen had the distinct feeling that she had been hoodwinked and grumbled to herself about it all the way to the bath tub. Her suspicions melted away however as soon as she slipped into the warm water. Oh yes, a bath was definitely needed. She let the heat relax her as the steam temporarily carried away her cares, her long brown hair floated up around her.

It could be worse she supposed, they could have kept her in some rat infested dungeon until Quinn paid the ransom. If Quinn paid the ransom. They were not exactly on the best of terms. She had been six when her mother died. Thinking about it now she had no idea why. Elves were supposed to be immortal unless they met some violent end. The lack of a male heir had forced her father to remarry quickly. Nine months later Quinn had been born and his mother and her father had slowly started to drift apart.

Angry that her husband did not allow her into his affairs she assumed the worst and as punishment kept Quinn away from him by running to court. Her father had threatened to take the boy if she did not bring him back so back she came but the tension in the household had been unbearable. Servants scurried about hoping not to be noticed when the lady of the house was in a fit which was almost every day. Worn down by the constant bickering and yelling her father had finally made a deal. She could live at court with Quinn until the boy was five. After that he would live with his father from spring through fall coming back to court for the winter. His wife had left a happy woman.

Rhoswen had not really had a chance to get to know her brother. He had been a cheerful little kid with a curly black mop of hair that always seemed to be in the way of his brown eyes. They had played together as children but when she went to court at fifteen she no longer saw him except in passing and he did not seek out her company. They had not spoken more than a few words to each other in the past five years.

She dunked her head under the water one last time before pulling her self out of the tub. He would get her out of here. He had to.

Nuala was sitting by the fire reading when she came out. It was kind of chilly. She wouldn't be surprised if it was raining outside. Rhoswen glanced around the room looking for a window. A few brightly colored tapestries covered the walls but there were no windows. She frowned. There had not been any in the adjoining room either. Her stomach suddenly gave a loud rumble.

Nuala's angelic face broke into a smile. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess so." She followed Nuala out into the hall, its vaulted ceiling floating high above here head supported by thin columns built into the side of the walls. Still no windows but looking ahead she thought she saw light coming through the columns on the other side of the intersecting hallway. The air is so damp I thought for sure it would be raining.

The far side of what she thought was a massive hall was open to the air but the view was not one of the surrounding landscape. Rhoswen stood in shock as she looked out at the various other levels of the underground city. She could hear an indistinct murmur of noise from countless discussions, craftsmen at work, and sellers hawking hundreds of goods echoing through the cavern. Beings she had not even known existed walked the streets and terraces. Unfamiliar sounds and smells rushed at her making her dizzy.

"Nuala where am I?"

The elf looked a little hesitant at the note of fear in the girl's voice.

Rhoswen turned on her. "Where am I Nuala?" she demanded. A couple of elves in guard uniforms pealed away from the wall but Nuala waved them back.

"You are in the hidden city of Bethmoora in the royal quarters," she explained. Rhoswen looked like she was close to fainting again.

"Are we underground?"

"Yes," Rhoswen's face went white but she stayed on her feet, "It's our winter home," Nuala explained. Rhoswen tried to remember to breathe. Since she was a child one of her greatest fears had been of being buried alive. Now it seemed like it was a reality. The only things keeping her together were the large open spaces and a determination not to humiliate herself by breaking down in public.

A horse whinnied on the causeway below drawing Rhoswen's eyes down. Her stomach flipped at the drop. A group of riders was heading out lead by the murderous bastard himself. The sight of him was enough for her anger to overtake her fear. "Where are they going?"

"They are going to assist the refugees making their way here. One of our cities was attacked by one of your king's men," Nuala said impassively.

Rhoswen silently watched them ride out. Maybe, if the gods were kind, justice would find the prince while he was out marauding. He just did not seem like the help the refugee type. She did not believe for one minute that that was all he was doing.

"Do you want to get some food?" Nuala's bright voice asked over her shoulder.

The building anger, being caught off guard in unfamiliar territory made it easy for things to slip out which she normally would not have said. "Nuala why do you care? You don't know anything about me except that I would happily see your brother's head on a pike for what he did to my father."

Nuala stepped up beside her. "I know you lost your father," she said quietly, "in one of the most horrible ways possible. I know you are in a place and among people you don't entirely understand and who you think are responsible for your father's death. And I know that if I were in your place I would want some one I could turn to. Some one who could, if not be a friend, then at least provide some comfort. That's all."

There was silence while Rhowen considered what the princess had said. Nuala's sincerity was clearly evident, either that or she was a stellar actress. She doubted that she could think of the prince's sister as a friend right now even though Nuala had been nothing but kind. To do so seemed like a betrayal to her father despite the fact that she had not been a part of what had happened. But then was not Nuala also betraying her own by extending a hand of friendship? She did not hate all humans for what the king's men were doing. Why should she blame Nuala for her brother's crimes?

"Alright then. Let's get something to eat."

After lunch Nuala took her on a tour of the palace complex which she was not allowed to leave. Everywhere else in the vast place from the library to the kitchens was open to her. All of the rooms seemed huge to her but were never cold feeling. Pointed archways supported by pillars with stone vines snaking up them adorned almost every entryway. Each was unique in design.

Of all the rooms available to her she liked the library the best. The wooden shelves and plush furniture in front of the crackling fireplace reminded her of home. It was here that she spent most of her time trying to figure out how Nuada had killed her father. At first it had seemed so simple, she did not know how the elves could not see it, but the more she thought about it the more obstacles she had to overcome to make her theories work.

The initial theory of Nuada opening the door and stabbing her father in the gut did not work. There were men outside who Nuada would first have had to kill. One of them should have been able to at least give a warning. Her father would not have opened the door for his attacker. But what if he had managed to take them out silently and then posed as the guard? Simply announcing that his daughter was outside would be enough for him to open the door. But why wouldn't he just order that she be brought in?

Around and around her thoughts chased themselves as she tried to make the scheme work. Nuala would sit and read while she would sit and think until she hit a dead end. Then they would play cards or go for a walk or do something to clear her head.

After several attempts she finally thought she had it. Nuala listened patiently while she explained. "So he just waited until my father was at the door to leave and then he threw it open and stabbed him."

Nuala frowned in thought. "Then how come the handle of the sword was protruding from his back and not his front."

Rhoswen's face fell. "Oh right. I forgot about that. Wait, how did you know that?"

Nuala looked slightly uncomfortable. "If I concentrate when I touch people I am able to read their thoughts. The night my brother came back my father asked that I read his thoughts to know whether or not he had acted justly."

"But you didn't touch him."

"My brother and I are twins. The bond linking us is so strong that I do not need to touch him in order to know his mind."

"So you know what he is thinking right now? You would know if something happened to him."

"No, it doesn't work at such a distance but I would know if something happened to him. We are linked in such a way that if he is injured then I bear that injury as well."

"But what if he died?"

"Then I would pass from this life as well."

Rhoswen looked at her in horrified speechlessness. Despite her reservations she and the princess had become companions. Could she bear the weight of an innocent life, the life of a friend, on her conscience if she proved the prince a murderer?