The days following her father's departure, Shelby kept herself busy. She fed and took care of the horses, cleaned her room, and other rooms, helped her mother cook, bought some stuff from town a couple of times, and practiced on her violin. Her parents encouraged her to learn an instrument; and violin had always interested her. Alyss had noticed a change in her daughter's behavior the days after Shelby had stood up to the people in the Castle Redmont town. She was a little bit more respectful, obedient even. That's not to say that Shelby was never respectful or obedient, but she seemed to be making more of an effort. Alyss wondered, but she never complained. The reason behind it was that Shelby really wondered what person would take an apprentice that was rude, or didn't listen to orders. If it was up to her, however, she would choose to do what she wanted and be a free spirit. She realized that her father's profession was a lot like that. He was only under the leader of the corps, and of the King or Queen themselves. But, Shelby knew that being a ranger wasn't for her. It definitely wasn't a boring job, but it just didn't seem like her.

One of the days her father was gone, Shelby was helping her mother with dinner. The day had been rather uneventful, as much of Shelby's young life was, but today, Alyss was making her daughter's favorite dinner; chicken and dumpling soup.

"Are you done with those dumplings yet?" Alyss asked Shelby. She looked up from the cutting board she was rolling dough out on.

"Almost," she said, rolling a ball of dough in her palm. Alyss nodded, and turned back to the broth hanging over the fireplace. Ever since Shelby had talked to her mother the few days back, she felt closer to her. She realized, unfortunately, for the first time, that her mother was always looking out for her, and that she only wanted what was best for her daughter. Shelby was making an attempt to follow her mother more directly, and help her more often. It hadn't gone unnoticed either. Alyss was making more of an effort to understand Shelby's feelings, and to be with her more often. Shelby finished rolling the dough, she dropped them into the broth. Alyss smiled at her, put an arm around her shoulder, and pulled her close to her side. Shelby rested her head on her mother's shoulder. Then, they heard an urgent rap on the door. Shelby raised an eyebrow at her mother.

"Again?" she asked. Alyss frowned and went to open the door. When the door swung open, the same man from before stood in front of them.

"What is it?" Alyss asked calmly.

"Another uprising, Lady Alyss. A large fire has burned down several houses and establishments over the Redmont town. Everyone has been ordered to evacuate." Alyss turned stone white, and this time the color didn't return to her face.

"Mom..." Shelby said, her voice a little higher than usual.

"Where do we go?" Alyss whispered. The man leaned against the door post.

"Most people are leaving to other, more safe fiefs for the time being. But Queen Cassandra has requested your presence at the Castle."

"Now?" Shelby demanded. The man looked at Shelby strangely. Alyss turned to her.

"Of course, child. We do as we're told." She turned to the man. "We will leave for Castle Araluen as soon as possible. Thank you for the warning." The man nodded, and turned back outside. The Treatys heard the horses's hooves beating away. Alyss turned to her daughter, still a bit pale. "Pack your things, Shelby. We are leaving immediately." Shelby turned straight to her room, and bolted towards it. When she had thrown the door open, she pulled a leather pack from a hook, and stuffed a few dresses in it. She threw her riding cloak on, and tucked some other things into her pack. She threw it over her shoulders, and laced her boots on. She closed her bedroom door behind her, and rejoined her mother in the living room. Alyss already had her things ready, cloak and all. She was scribbling something onto a piece of parchment. "To your father," she said as she wrote. "In case he comes back before we do." Shelby silently hope that would not be true, but she saw the wisdom in her mother's forethought. While she continued writing, Shelby picked up a bucket of water, and threw it over the fire in the fireplace. Alyss put the quill down, and they both hurried out the door. They raced towards the stables, and rushed to put on the saddle blankets, saddles, nuzzles, and such things. Shelby attached their packs to their horses, and within ten minutes, they were off. They were already hot and sweaty, but they were safe. They headed north, through the dark forest.

"I don't usually like traveling at night," Alyss said, "but we should get far enough away before we stop for the night." Shelby put her hand to her stomach as it rumbled.

"And for dinner," she said. Alyss nodded her agreement, and they continued to ride.

They rode into the dark forest for at least an hour until Alyss thought they had ridden far enough. Alyss reined in her horse near a large oak tree that she silently thought would do for the night. Shelby slowed her horse to a stop next to her mother.

"Is this where we're staying?" Shelby asked. Alyss nodded just enough for Shelby to make out the motion.

"Are you hungry?" Alyss mused, as she started to take things out of her riding pack.

"Just a little," Shelby said. She looked around the forest warily. She knew for a long time being the daughter of a ranger and a courier that sometime during her life, she would probably have to be on the run. She didn't imagine what or when it would be though, and this came as a total surprise to her. Riots were not the thing she expected. Even though she expected it, it was still a little weird. Shelby had never slept outside of a house before, but it didn't really bother her. She was not a pansy in any sense of the word. In fact, it was a little exciting for young Shelby to actually get to do something.

"Can you gather twigs for a fire, dear?" Alyss asked. Shelby looked up.

"Is that a good idea?"

"It should be fine," Alyss replied. "Nobody should bother us."

Shelby nodded. Her mother probably knew best.

"Be right back," she promised.

Shelby walked around the outlying area from where her mother was gathering food, and feeding their horses. She picked up a few sticks, twigs, and logs, and found her mother within a few minutes.

"Is this enough?" she asked her mother, with the answer being a simple nod.

"Plenty," Alyss said with a smile. Shelby deposited the wood at the base of a pit she suspected would be their fire pit. She threw a few choice pieces into the hole in the ground, and then looked around. Alyss came up behind her a struck a match against a log, and tossed it into the fire pit. The wood caught fire, and soon enough, a warm fire was blazing in front of them.

"Thanks," Shelby said. Alyss smiled and sat on the tightly packed dirt ground. "What are we having?" Shelby asked. Alyss reached to her pack which was on the ground. From it, she pulled a small container of soup.

"What we were going to have before," she said. "We just need to heat it up." Shelby nodded, and got a small pot from her travel pack. Within a few minutes, the two women had their dinner ready, and were eating it quietly. They finished quickly, and found themselves staring at each other for a few moments. "Do you want to stay here Shelby?" Alyss asked. Shelby turned her head to one side.

"What do you mean?"

"We can head straight for the castle, so we can get there as quickly as possible, and then rest for the night." Shelby looked at the position of the moon. The sun had set less than an hour since then, and she guessed it would be about ten o'clock by the time they would reach the castle.

"We can got to the castle," Shelby answered. "We haven't been riding that long, and I'm not even tired yet." Alyss nodded.

"Good idea," she said. So, they extinguished the fire, packed up their bags, and continued on their way.

Within about two hours, Shelby had begun to feel tired. She never complained though, and another hour later, they could see the castle looming ahead. They rode up to the castle gate, and a guard called them to stop.

"Halt," he said. The two girls stopped their horses. "Identity," he said gruffly.

"Lady Alyss of Redmont Fief," Alyss said. "And my daughter Shelby Treaty. We come on behalf of Queen Cassandra." The guard nodded.

"Of course, Lady Alyss," he said. "Carry on." So they carried on. The had their horses trot slowly and quietly down the castle towns cobblestone road. The town looked, smelled, and sounded completely different at night, Shelby thought. Everyone must have been in their beds, and dreaming already. Shelby yawned, and her mother looked at her side-long.

"Tired yet?" she asked.

"No," Shelby lied. Alyss turned looked ahead again, but Shelby could see her mother's amused smile. Together, they rode to the castle stables, and were greeted by a hooded man at the gate.

"Lady Alyss?" he called out. Alyss smiled.

"Hello," she said. Shelby tried to squint to look closer at the man, but his cloak hid him in the shadows. She straightened. He must be a ranger, she thought. The girls dismounted their horses, and approached the man. "Shelby," Alyss said, "Take the horses in the stable, please." Shelby nodded and took both their reins. As she pulled them into the stables, she felt the man's eyes on her, but she didn't look back. She lead the horses into two different stables, and hand fed them oats. She rubbed both their noses, and then rejoined her mother. "Thank you, Shelby," Alyss said, and the three of them walked towards the castle. "Oh, by the way," Alyss said after they had walked a few feet. "This is Halt." Shelby breathed in. So this was the world famous Halt. "Halt, this is my daughter, Shelby." Shelby could barely see the man, but she could feel his eyes on her again. He said nothing, and neither did she. Alyss shrugged, and they kept walking.

More guards were stationed at the large wooden door that was all too familiar to Shelby, but they didn't even question the trio. They let them pass into the warm, open hall of the castle.

"The Queen is in her office down the hall," Halt said."They expected your arrival would be quick." Alyss smile as they walked.

"The Queen knows me well," she said. Halt looked at Alyss out of the corner of his eye, and she smiled at him. Shelby knew she must be missing something, but she didn't ask. It only took them a few moments to reach what must have been the Queen's office. They paused at the door, and Alyss knocked on the door softly.

"Come in," a woman's voice called out. Halt pushed open the door, and there they found Queen Cassandra sitting at a desk, with her husband behind her, and another single guard.

"Hello," Cassandra said warmly.

"Hello, Your highness," Alyss greeted. The queen motioned for them to sit in chairs in front of her desk.

"I am sorry that I have to come to you on such circumstances, but this is an urgent message." Shelby rubbed her eyes, and the queen smiled at her.

"Oh, dear, Shelby. Where are my manners?" She turned to the guard behind her. "Will you escort Shelby to a guest room?" Shelby expected that she would be left out of the conversation, so she didn't even try to protest. She looked at her mother. Alyss smiled at her.

"I'll find you in the morning, dear. Go on." Shelby nodded, and followed the guard out the door. They walked down the hall for a few feet, and then turned to the left side of the castle. They climbed a few flights of stairs, and Shelby followed the guard down another hall. When they reached the end of the hall, the turned a corner, and found Princess Abigail standing right in front of them. Her face lit up.

"Shelby?" she said. "What are you doing here?" The guard bowed in her direction.

"It's a long story," Shelby answered, both of the girl ignoring the guard.

"Go on," Abigail told him eventually. She shooed him with her hands, and he retreated down the hall.

"The queen wanted to talk with my mom," Shelby answered in short. "She offered me a room here." Abigail smiled.

"I have one that's perfect for you!" She took Shelby by the hand and pulled her along behind her.

It took Abigail about ten minutes to find the room she was looking for, but when she found it, Shelby felt like she had to refuse. The room was huge. It was painted royal blue, with a large window in the center of the room, with a plush seat in front of it, and a large canopied bed pushed into one of the corners. A fire burned in the fireplace on the left wall.

"Here you go!" Abigail said.

"Uh," Shelby said, since she couldn't think of anything else to say. Abigail just beamed at her.

"I was just about to go to sleep, so if you need me, I'll be upstairs."

"Um, okay," Shelby said. Abigail gave the girl a hug, and then left the room. When she had closed the door, Shelby sat on the bed. "That was odd," she mused to herself.

It didn't take long for the young girl to pass out. She was a lot more exhausted than she let on. She had changed from her riding clothes, and fell asleep right away. When she woke the next morning, she had forgotten where she was. Shelby's eyes opened to a bright colored room, with the drapes on the window pulled back, and a silver tray piled with food balancing on a footstool. Shelby got up and stretched. She put her bare feet on the floor tentatively, and then stood. Shelby quickly changed into day clothes, and ate her breakfast while she thought.

"I should probably find Mom," she said to herself. So, after she finished eat and lacing on her shoes, she followed the stairs back down into the main hall. For a castle, it seemed rather quiet. A guard exited the room that Shelby and her mother had met the queen in the previous night.

"Lady Shelby," the guard said. Shelby looked up.

"Uh, yes?"

"The queen requests your presence in the dining hall." Shelby straightened her robes.

"Of course," she said, and turned around to find the main hall.

It didn't take Shelby long to find the dining hall. It laid right across from the courtroom, and was just as large, if not bigger. She pushed the wooden doors open with some effort to reveal a large oak table in the center of the room. The royal family and Gavin were seated at the table, looking up at Shelby. She felt rather uncomfortable just walking in such a manner, but the queen motioned her forward.

"Please," Cassandra said, her voice ringing in the large hall. "Have a seat." Shelby timidly walked forward, and sat a few chairs away from the family. Cassandra smiled at her. "I would wager you're looking for your mother?" Shelby nodded slowly. "Well, I sent her on an urgent mission out of the country, and I suggested you stay here with us." The words hit Shelby square in the chest like ice. She shifted uncomfortably. When she said nothing, the queen continued. "I have no clue how long she'll be gone, and she wanted you to be safe."

"Thank you," Shelby said, barely audible. Horace looked at her with some sort of sympathy. Abigail stood up.

"I'll take you through more of the city today if you'd like." Shelby looked at the Princess with a smile.

"I would enjoy that," she replied kindly. Cassandra smiled.

"Alright then," she said. "Just be careful." Abigail grabbed Shelby's hand again.

"Come on," she said. "There's someone I want you to meet."