"I need clean water. This bowl's got too much blood in it."

Durwin glanced up from the arm wound he was dressing and frowned. He didn't like what he was seeing; not at all.

It wasn't just the wounded. Durwin had arrived on the cavalry grounds an hour before, knowing thanks to the page's description of a wolf attack what to expect. Torn limbs, bleeding wounds, men suffering great pain – he had seen all of that before, and was prepared.

But this was something else. He had seen soldiers wounded, but not afraid as these men were afraid. Not visibly, of course – Prince Jasen was there, and they would never show naked fear in front of a prince, not even a third-born one. But as Durwin issued orders, had water fetched and began cutting away rent garments and bathing torn skin and bleeding gashes, he could feel the flesh tremble beneath his hands, and not from pain. From fear.

Durwin was not surprised to see Yates, the captain of the palace cavalry, tending to the injured men as they lay on hastily spread-out blankets in the morning sunshine, but he was surprised to see Prince Jasen. Surprised, and at once very worried.

"You should have sent him away," Durwin muttered the first time he had a moment alone with Yates and the prince was not within earshot. It was not long after he arrived, and was setting up his needle and thread next to the soldier who had been injured the worst – a brown-haired young man whose scalp and face looked cut to ribbons, and who wasn't moving. Yates was sitting next to Durwin with his back to him, tying a bandage around another soldier's arm, and glanced over his shoulder at Durwin's words.

As soon as their eyes met, Durwin nodded toward Jasen who was some distance away, talking to a bearded soldier very intently and not paying attention to them. "The prince shouldn't be here. It's not safe."

"You think I didn't tell him that?" Yates replied, a little testily, and glanced down at the unconscious young man. "You need some help?"

"If you can spare your hands," Durwin answered, bending down and very gently lifting the young man's hair away from his face and scalp. "I need someone to hold him still."

Yates turned back to the other man and asked something, which was answered with an affirmative grunt as far as Durwin could tell, and in the next moment the shadows rippled over the young man's face and Yates was at his elbow.

"How bad is he?" Yates asked, and when Durwin glanced up he saw the bald concern on the captain's face, the urgent dread of a father who knows his child is wounded and has to ask the question he does not want answered.

Durwin understood; he was a father, after all. "He's lost a great deal of blood, and he'll lose more if I don't close this gash on his head. What's his name?"

"Haleth," Yates answered as he placed a pitcher of water and a bowl on the blanket where the young man lay. "He got the worst of it, I think. Trying to save Steven."

"Steven?"

"His older brother. The wolves got him, he's still in the woods."

"Damn!" Durwin's eyes immediately flicked to Jasen. "The prince wants to retrieve him, doesn't he? I know that posture."

Yates sighed and nodded. "I told him I would have men sent out, and I have, but their first order is to make sure those wolves don't get near the villages or the palace. Retrieving Steven will have to wait, and the prince doesn't like that."

"Damn," Durwin muttered again, wincing as he bent closer to Haleth, smoothing the hair away from the wound. "A clean cloth, water."

Yates hurried to answer that summons, pressing a wet cloth into the physician's hands.

Durwin immediately began cleaning Haleth's face, the water running in crimson rivulets from the lad's unmoving face onto the blanket. "So, red wolves the page said."

"Yes," Yates replied, glancing over his shoulder again to make sure none of the other wounded soldiers were too close. They were being tended by Durwin's assistants and the other cavalry soldiers, and no one was paying attention to them. He continued, in a low and knowing voice. "Yes, according to Barret. Red wolves. Not timid, and not small. Big."

"Hm," Durwin grunted, and tried to push down the horrible feeling in his gut. He glanced up at the prince again. Jasen hadn't moved.

"You're thinking what I am," Yates guessed.

"And what's that?" Durwin replied, trying to give his voice a careless air as he bathed Haleth's wounds.

Of course, it didn't work. Yates didn't become captain of the cavalry because he was unobservant. "The red wolves. Magic. Thorn towers growing in the middle of the woods - "

"Sh," Durwin warned, his eyes never straying from Haleth's face.

Yates winced in chagrin, then leaned closer and lowered his voice to a whisper. "You and I are the same age, Durwin, we remember what happened before. Vashrath, the dark magic attacking the kingdom. The red wolves are just the start."

Damn it, Durwin cursed to himself, why was Yates echoing his own thoughts and driving that horrible feeling in his gut straight up his throat, to strangle him? He took a deep breath, two, and shook his head. "It won't come back. It can't. I won't let it."

"We won't let it," Yates agreed, handing Durwin another dripping cloth. "Do you think Nimianae was not as dear to me as she was to you? I was only a cadet when that attack came, it took me years to claw my way back from feeling like I should have done more to save her. I don't know what, but - "

"Regret is a bottomless pit," Durwin sighed, plying the cloth against Haleth's neck, washing away the clotted blood there. "We have to step past it, and look to the work before us."

Yates nodded reluctant agreement, and taking a deep breath glanced over his shoulder to where the prince was still talking to the bearded soldier, only now instead of standing still the prince was putting on his riding gloves and nodding quickly as the soldier spoke and pointed toward the deep woods beyond them.

"And what a task we have," he muttered, "I must find a way to get the prince back to the palace and you have dark-magic wounds to bind. I'm not sure which of us has the fiercer battle."

"They're both impossible," Durwin admitted as he laid the cloth aside and picked a bottle of herbs from his medicine box. "But fortunately we're neither of us unarmed."

"I wish you had a potion in there to make a hotheaded child obedient! Oh, curse it, here he comes. Can I be of any further assistance?"

"No, thank you," Durwin shook his head with a slight smile. "Into battle with you, and good luck."

Yates stood; Durwin could hear the mail and metal on the cavalryman's livery jangling as he stood up, and his shadow grew long over Haleth's unconscious form. As Durwin wound the bandage around the young man's neck wound he tilted his head to one side, so he could hear the conversation over his head.

"Your Highness! Are you ready to be escorted back to the palace?"

A pause. Durwin could picture Prince Jasen shaking his head, his mother's determination shining in his eyes. "But they can escort me into the woods if they want. I'm going to get the soldier who was left behind."

"Oh, are you now?" Durwin smiled as he carefully plied the bandage; Yates was a commander, and countering arguments was something he did very well. "You know as well as I do that the king would have my head if I let you go in there. These aren't thorn scratches we're binding here."

"I've had thorn scratches, remember?" the prince rejoined, and suddenly Durwin heard footsteps and the prince's shadow passed over him. He glanced up to see the prince striding with great purpose toward the woods beyond; then more footsteps, quicker, and Yates was at the prince's side, one gloved hand grabbing his shoulder and pulling him to a halt.

"Your Highness!" Yates commanded, his voice sharper now as the prince stopped and turned and they faced each other. "You don't understand, this may be beyond anything your sword or my men can protect you from. Get back to the palace and once we notify the king - "

"You won't hear anything for weeks!" Prince Jasen interrupted, pointing toward the woods, his face bright with anger now. "He doesn't care about this kingdom, he never has. Protecting it is my job and I won't let whatever is in there roam free to menace my people. Not again."

Not again. Durwin secured the bandage around Haleth's neck and motioned to one of the serving girls standing nearby to bring water, and kept his eyes on the prince and Yates as he felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck and terrible memories tear at the back of his brain. Not again -

Yates sighed and put his hand on the prince's arm, tightening his grip there. "Your Highness, we don't know what magic we're dealing with here. It may not be the beast who killed your mother, and if it isn't I can't let you just run in there without a spell or enchantress to protect you." The prince snorted and looked away, at some spot far past Durwin's head. "No, not even with my training, I know what you're thinking! Get back to the palace and once we've found you a shield - "

The serving girl was kneeling at Durwin's side now, pouring a cup of water for Haleth. Satisfied that the boy was being tended to, Durwin moved to stand up and give Yates some support when suddenly he heard the prince yell

"Rapunzel!"

and looked up, completely confused as to why the prince would call that name, and why he was running not toward the forest but away from it, past Durwin, as fast as if he was on fire.

Then Durwin looked over his shoulder, understood, and immediately thought, damn.

How had she gotten there? Durwin stood quickly, watched as the prince ran past the soldiers, past the wounded, past everything to get to Rapunzel who had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing at the stone wall that marked the entrance to the cavalry yard, her slipper in one hand. Rapunzel, who looked a little windblown and out of breath but whose entire being seemed to burst into light the instant she locked eyes with the prince and they embraced, with all the ardor and urgency of youth. Rapunzel, who the king didn't even know was there and who was now -

"Damn," Durwin heard beside and glanced to see Yates there, his face lined with the same tense worry that Durwin felt. "Oh, damn."

Durwin's throat tightened, fear slamming at him from all sides, the memories too close and frightening now. Too close! "Assemble that escort, we've got to get them both out of here at once. If the magic is close - "

"Agreed," Yates muttered and immediately left Durwin's side, striding briskly across the field even as the prince was walking back toward the physician, his left arm wrapped tightly around Rapunzel and his right hand clasping hers.

"Of course I'm fine!" the prince was insisting with a smile, and as the pair drew closer Durwin saw Rapunzel's face was wet with worried tears. "Nothing can happen to me as long as I have your love to protect me, you know that! But you ran all the way up the hill, that's amazing!"

"I had to see if you were all right," Rapunzel gulped, her eyes huge as she gazed up at the prince, her hand tightening in his. "I heard – at the palace, they said wolves – big, red - "

Durwin immediately straightened. He hated to interrupt a royal conversation but hating the thought of a panic at the palace more. "Who said that? Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but if word of this has gotten to the palace - "

"Oh - " Rapunzel turned pale and shook her head, her short blonde hair catching the sun's rays as she did so. "No, it wasn't like that, I – it was a page, in the courtyard, talking to the wine steward, warning him. Nobody else knows."

"And nobody else needs to!" the prince insisted, smiling confidently at Durwin before gently taking Rapunzel by the shoulders and turning her to face him. He tilted his head down until she looked up into his eyes and smiled even wider. "Now listen to me, love, I can handle anything that's thrown at me, I was raised to. But I won't put you in danger, not even from a stray bird dropping! I just saw Yates go into the stables, he'll get you an escort to take you back to the palace and I'll be back in time for us to join Kendil on the beach, just like we planned, all right?"

Durwin hoped that the girl would fall into those blue eyes and agree, but instead she shook her head and gripped his sleeve, the fabric bunching up in her delicate fingers.

"I can't," she insisted, and the words sounded like sobs, oddly on the edge of panic Durwin thought. "I – I promised your grandfather, I promised. I won't let her hurt you again!"

Durwin frowned, remembering the conversation he had had with Rapunzel the night before when she had learned about Vashrath and the terrible way Prince Jasen's mother had died. Regretting having frightened the girl in that way, he stepped forward and laid a calming hand on Rapunzel's arm. "Miss, let me assure you, even if there is danger from Vashrath we are more than prepared to meet it. We have - "

"No!" Rapunzel interrupted, turning to Durwin and fixing him with such a look of determined anger that the physician took a step back. "Not her, my mother! My mother." she spat the word, as if it was poison. She looked back up into Prince Jasen's eyes and Durwin marveled at the steel in her voice as she lifted one hand to his face and said, "I will never let her near you again!"

Durwin's mind went back once more to their conversation, to Rapunzel's words about the prince's cuts around his eyes and the cause of them. He was dumbfounded; he had told Rapunzel the story of Vashrath, about her power and cunning, and still to this girl, her own mother was worse. Was worse...

But whatever danger Rapunzel's mother may have posed, it did not seem to frighten Prince Jasen in slightest. He simply smiled again, this time in bemusement, and laid his hand over Rapunzel's as he gazed down at her.

"Darling, as long as you're with me I feel sorry for any witch that sets her sight on either of us!" he said lightly, disarming humor threaded through his voice like spun gold. "So, tell me, what else did you promise my grandfather? Anything we need to work on? Like, maybe tonight?"

Durwin sighed and internally rolled his eyes. Oh, to be young again and able to switch emotions so quickly! "Your Highness..."

A sudden yelp from the direction of the cavalry field's well caused all eyes to turn, and at first Durwin wasn't sure what he was looking at. All he saw was the serving girl standing about a foot from the edge of the well, her posture suggesting she'd seen a huge spider. Then he looked at the well's stone lip and saw Kendil leaning there on his elbows, glancing around until his green-blue eyes spotted the prince and Rapunzel.

"Well, there you two are," the Symdalin remarked archly, pulling himself up a little higher until he could cross his elbows and lean on them. "You could have told me there was a change of plans!"

The prince laughed and turned toward the well, taking a few steps toward it and guiding Rapunzel along with him. "Sorry, Kendil, I just found out myself! I thought Rapunzel was with you this whole time."

"She wasn't," Kendil huffed, shaking his long hair so that drops showered from it and caught in the sun. "And I've been out there baking dry for hours."

"Oh, I am sorry!" Rapunzel exclaimed, stepping forward and laying one hand on Kendil's glistening arm. "I'm afraid there was – can you come out and I'll tell you?"

"Not for a few minutes yet," Kendil replied somberly, although he was smiling. "Still transforming I'm afraid. And even then, well – I'm not wearing any clothes."

Prince Jasen grinned. "Sounds like a party to me!"

"Your Highness," Durwin chided, taking the prince by the arm - partially to turn him toward the cavalry gate, but mostly to block the Symdalin's view of the injured on the cavalry field, which would only lead to more questions and delays. "Kendil, you're just in time, you can join the escort to take both of these children home. We need to - "

But of course Kendil was too observant for such a ruse, and even as Durwin moved those sharp eyes widened, and Kendil leaned over to look past Durwin's arm. "Stars and storms! What happened here?"

"Wolves," Rapunzel blurted, and Durwin noticed that her tone was not fearful but angry – angry, as if she'd been pushed to the brink and had enough. "Red wolves, and - "

Kendil started and he stared at Rapunzel in shock. "What?"

"HELP!"

The cry, sudden and loud from the edge of the woods behind them, made Durwin spin around and reach for his side-dagger at the same time. At first all he saw was some shapeless commotion at the edge of the trees, sun-dappled leaves and grey tree trunks mixing together. Then there was lunging, heaving movement and he saw -

Someone yelled, and then the prince was running past, toward the edge of the forest where a large red wolf was dragging an injured soldier by the leg, its fangs white and terrible against its crimson fur. Even as Durwin stared, momentarily speechless, three more wolves burst from the woods and bounded toward the field of wounded men.

"Your Highness!" Durwin called out, but of course the prince was ignoring him and in ten seconds he would be right in those monsters' midst. Ten seconds and a quick glance toward the stables showed a dozen soldiers running but they were too slow, dammit!

Kendil saw too, of course, and as Durwin turned to him the Symdalin met his eyes and said, "The river runs through the woods, I'll do what I can."

And then he was gone, dropping like a stone into the depths of the well.

Durwin's breath catching in his throat, he turned to Rapunzel who was rooted where she stood, her eyes wide.

He laid a hand on her arm, pressed it until she looked at him – looked but wasn't really seeing, he knew.

"Run to the stables," he ordered, "They're stone and there's a loft, get up there and stay there."

Rapunzel only blinked, and Durwin knew he had no time to see if she minded him or not. Hoping only that he wasn't too late, he turned and ran after the prince.

It seemed like a century – certainly it was longer than that! - and as Durwin ran he had to stop and help some of the injured men get to their feet, and Haleth! Damn, what about him, he wasn't even conscious...but the soldiers would tend to him, they would look after their own and he had to get to the prince, protect the prince, there was no one else close -

Jasen had reached the wolves now, was swinging his broadsword at the one who had the injured soldier's leg, slicing its face with his blade. The wolf snarled and dropped its prey, baring its teeth but not attacking, thank God! His sword still raised in one hand, Jasen wrapped his arms around the injured soldier with his other arm and began dragging him back toward the field and safety.

As quick as lightning the other wolves leaped, knocking the prince to the ground and pinning him there. Dammit, where are those archers! Durwin cursed as he strove to close the distance, hating how his legs ached and his age betrayed him. He was almost there -

WHAM!

Something very large slammed into Durwin's side, so hard his feet left the ground and he flew four feet sideways before bashing into the hard earth. Teeth and claws tore at him, light and dark mixed together and he stabbed upward with all the strength he had, not even knowing where or whether his blade was finding its mark. All he knew was the prince was in danger and he had to get – UP -

Above his head and the rushing of blood through his ears he heard yelling, cursing, growls and barks and somewhere far away, the frantic neighs of frightened horses. Still he could not rise, for even though he felt warm blood dripping from a dozen wounds, his and the wolf's, still the animal would not relent. He pushed with one hand, stabbed with the other, saw red blur go speeding past the edges of his vision and knew the cavalry field was being overrun. Kicked and stabbed, pushed the wolf over only to see another lunge at him and stabbed again, his wife and son's faces flashing before him, black memories of a midnight sky and a terrible storm, the kingdom drowning in death and ruin, stabbed one more time thinking no, curse it, NO -

Suddenly something brushed against his face and Durwin could see daylight above, realized a moment later it was the sleeve of a palace dress and sat up very quickly.

What met his eyes was chaos. Every cavalry officer and soldier was on the field doing battle with what seemed like a hundred red wolves. The air was filled with swinging swords and spraying blood, and the dying screams of man and wolf alike. And just in front of him, hauling a wolf by the scruff of its neck and stabbing it in the throat, was -

"Rapunzel!" Durwin was so startled he yelled the word, but before the breath was out of his mouth the girl dropped the dead beast to the ground and without looking at Durwin ran toward the woods.

"Rapunzel!" Durwin called again, and he didn't understand. He told her to run for the stables and here she was, her dress smeared and stained with blood, her blonde hair streaked with gore, and the knife in her hand -

"Stop!" the physician called, but of course the girl didn't. He blinked and realized that the injured soldier was gone, the prince was gone, and as Rapunzel ran into the woods the wolves followed her, every one as she passed turning and following after her but not bringing her down.

"Rap - " Durwin began to stand but a shadow rushing by him toppled him over again and he lay there, stunned, not comprehending what he was seeing. A wolf had knocked him over, not attacked him but just run right past, what was happening!

Behind him Durwin heard Yates yell something and then soldiers were hurrying toward the woods, joining a dozen that Durwin could see fighting in the trees. As the soldiers approached some of the wolves turned and snarled at them, jumped at the ones who came too close. Between them, and unharrassed, Durwin saw the light slip of Rapunzel's dress shimmer in the sun as she ran into the woods and disappeared.

Amazed, Durwin planted both bloodied hands on the grass and tried to push himself up, felt muscles and bones protest the movement loudly. He sunk back to the earth, tried again, and this time he felt hands on his shoulders. He looked up and saw Yates, his face shining with black matter and sweat.

"The prince - " Durwin gasped, trying to grab Yates' arm as the cavalryman pulled him to his knees.

"Ran into the woods," Yates replied breathlessly with a shake of his head. "The wolves took the soldier."

"No," Durwin fought to breathe, damn it, why did he have to get old! "We've got – to - "

But it was no use. The forest wall was now lined with snarling, lunging wolves who were taking down anyone who got close. After a few more frantic moments two of them turned and ran back into the forest's depths. Then two more. Three more -

Yates straightened, took a deep breath. "Do not give chase!" he commanded. "Let them go!"

Durwin looked up, aghast. "What? Are you mad? The prince is in those woods!"

"Yes, and beyond our help," Yates replied, his dark eyes scanning the trees as the wolves began to depart in greater numbers, howling and snapping as they fled. "You know that as well as I do. Does your physician's chest have protections from magic in it?"

Durwin shrugged. "Yes, of course, but - "

"Then get it and get some on the horses, then we'll send them in," Yates helped Durwin to his feet, his eyes still on the woods where a half-dozen wolves still lingered, growling at the soldiers who stood with swords and crossbows drawn, helpless. "Any of us who goes in there now won't be coming out otherwise."

Durwin stood, ignoring the pain that radiated through his body, taking with gratitude the flask that Yates offered him.

"That's not water," Yates cautioned him.

"Good," Durwin shot back, and tilted the flask to his lips. He drank, swallowed, and handing the flask back said, "Rapunzel went in after him."

"I know."

"Did you see what she had?"

"The water-knife?" Yates tucked the flask back in his belt. "Yes. With a wicked long blade on it."

"And – did you also notice - "

"That the wolves let her go into the forest? Yes."

Durwin paused, peering as hard as he could into the forest, desperate to see the prince, the girl, but there was nothing. Only the faintly bobbing forms of the retreating wolves, and a terrible dread filling his stomach.

"Fetch those magic protections," Yates ordered as he turned away, his voice as hard and flat as Durwin had ever heard it. "And hope that whatever Vashrath wants with either of them, that we're not too late."