A/N: Loving the mass of reviews! Thank you to everyone! Because of Raider, I'm now taking book recommendations. I need something new to read. I have Cinder on my list and am currently on Mortal Instruments. Get it going!

TheRanger'sDaughter: You are in for quite a few twists :)

Aubrey: It gets better. I promise.

Raider: Yeah...I remember when I was writing this the first time and thinking, "I miss Will. He can come back now."

RedRebel: Well done :)

Disclaimer: Not John Flanagan.

Scout arrived at Roscrea in fair time. She went straight to the throne room where she found Kineta hearing cases.

"Scout?"

Scout walked right up to Kineta. "Can we talk alone?" she asked. Kineta raised an eyebrow. She must have sensed the urgency because with little more than a nod to everyone else she stood and led the way back to a private office behind the throne room.

"What's going on?" Kineta asked. "We sent Daniel to meet with you at the Academy but find out, through him, that you aren't there? Jeddrick was not at liberty to authorize…"

"We caught him, Kineta," Scout cut her off. "Victor Eula…the one who killed my mother."

Kineta took a deep breath. "Where is he?"

"He hurt Tucker…he and Julia stayed behind until he's able to travel. Talia's with Eula, and Daniel should have joined them by now."

Kineta nodded. "Alright. I'll send a message to Sean and say good bye to Elizabet and Gabe. You go gather up whatever you need resupplied and meet me at the stable."

Elizabet…Scout caught Kineta's arm to make her wait and hear the rest. "There's more," she said.

"Does it involve getting to Talia as fast as possible?"

Scout shook her head. "Well…no, but…"

"Then it can wait."

Scout sighed and went to do as she was told. She went around the castle as quickly as possible collecting food and extra clothes. She even stopped by the armory and picked up extra cases of arrows and emergency kits. By the time she met Kineta at the stable all the horses, including Swift, were ready to go. Kineta had gathered three men to go with them on the venture. Sean stood there holding Elizabet's hand. Gabe was probably somewhere with a nanny or maid. He didn't like being left by his mother so they tried to avoid letting him actually see her leave.

"Don't forget," their king said sternly, "The man is to be brought here alive."

Everyone nodded and turned their horses towards the road.

"Scout's leading this one," Kineta told everyone. "Follow her."

Now that they were actually en route Scout's adrenaline went into overdrive. She wanted to ride hard and fast towards Talia, Daniel, and Eula but knew that would be a waste. They'd all arrive too tired and burned out to do anything useful. Instead they kept a pace that could go on for hours easily. This way they'd conserve energy while covering as much ground as possible. With Talia and Daniel coming towards them they could make it in just a little more than a day.

"You really shouldn't go on unauthorized missions you know."

Scout glanced over and silently moaned. She'd been so caught up in returning to Eula she hadn't realized one of the guards Kineta collected was Warden.

"Sitting around waiting to be told what to do isn't exactly in my nature."

"Good quality, but you still shouldn't have gone."

Scout sat up and looked over her shoulder. Kineta had obviously arranged this little confrontation. She and the other men had hung back well out of earshot while still in line of sight. She glared at her cousin.

"He's the one who killed my mother," she said to Warden while still glaring at Kineta.

"So you're out for revenge. Revenge is never pretty."

"He's an assassin for hire, Warden. How many others do you think he's killed?"

"I don't think an assassin warrants the services of the queen and crown princess."

"Well, this one does."

"Why?"

"Because my mother could have been the queen of Hibernia."

"Yes, and she turned it down."

Scout pursed her lips together tightly.

"Why didn't you kill him when you had the chance?"

Scout urged Swift to a faster gait. "Because I'm not an assassin."

They rode until nightfall. The group hadn't even made it to the little town Scout had tried to lose Daniel in, but it was still good ground. They'd rise early in the morning and continue then. Kineta and Scout worked alongside the men to make camp. Scout now recognized the other two guards Kineta had brought along. One was Rolf, one of the last original Academy graduates who had been just a young teenager studying when a certain Captain Yudai split allegiances during what should have been the Academy's greatest victory. The other man was Nicholas, someone who had been on Kineta's personal guard for as long as Scout had lived in Hibernia. They along with Kineta were experienced in addition to being trained. They'd probably crossed men like Eula dozens of times. Warden had been plucked out of the Academy six years ago when Scout became Hibernia's heir. He'd been receiving the same training as her father when he was there as a Search and Rescue agent. His placement on Scout's personal guard, which was still assembled for when she wasn't at the Academy, had been granted for two reasons. The main one was because he was a promising, advanced student who was more than capable of serving on the guard of Hibernia's new princess. The second was because Sean and Kineta felt Scout needed more people her age around and Warden was just two years older.

Scout couldn't ignore the fact that Warden had seen her through a lot. Their original friendship came from when he saved her waltz lessons. He suited her much more than the other partners the instructor had come up with and he masked her mistakes by turning or spinning her out when she made them. He'd helped with her rescue when she was taken to Nihon-Ja and he'd been more than just a friend when she lost her mother. Now he was going to help her in putting her mother's killer where he belonged.