It was a delight to spend time with Shirayuki and her grandfather. Zen had never enjoyed the feeling of isolation he'd always had due to living in the castle, but now he understood better why it was important to break that feeling. He thought that he'd understood when he met Atri, but looking back, his reasons for rebelling against the confinement of his elder brother's rules had been largely selfish: pushing back against the rules, escaping his duties, avoiding responsibility. But now, listening to Shirayuki's grandfather talk about different types of wines and the importance of national trade, watching Shirayuki's eyes light up as she spoke of her dreams for further education as an herbalist, he understood the truth. It was important to meet the common folk of his kingdom, not for his own sake, but for theirs. It was important to know what issues were important to them, to understand how policies about trade and taxes were affecting them, what sorts of opportunities he could provide to help them succeed, and by extension, to help the whole country grow. He actually dreaded the moment when he would have to tell them who he really was, afraid that once he did, they would withdraw from him and cease speaking so openly.

So he put it off, avoiding giving his new friends details about himself and his past. After all, he reasoned mentally, it is a matter of safety, too. I have no way of knowing if the people who attacked us could still be looking for me. One slip of the tongue could put them in danger as well.

Some time later, well after pulling his borrowed shirt back on and eating both breakfast and lunch, Shirayuki insisted that he try walking, offering her arm to support him. Zen carefully slipped his legs out from under the covers, shivering slightly in the cool fall air, before twisting to the side and placing his feet on the floor. "It feels like there are thorns stabbing my feet," he winced.

"Yeah, that's not uncommon given you were asleep for a full day. Lying down for that long can disrupt the blood flow in your body," Shirayuki replied cheerfully presenting her arm for him to take.

"You have an explanation for everything, don't you," Zen smirked, gripping her shoulder to pull himself to his feet.

"Mm, not everything. Grandma's still teaching me to cook, and I still don't understand why adults like to drink alcohol. It just looks like it makes them all act crazy to me," the young healer frowned, and Zen and her grandfather laughed.

"Maybe you'll understand when you're older, Shirayuki. Then again, maybe you'll turn out more like your mother; she could never hold her liquor."

"I don't really know what that means."

Zen just snickered and shook his head as he took a cautious step forward, pulling his hand away from his support. It wasn't as hard as he'd feared it would be, but his limbs certainly did feel abnormally stiff, and the pins and needles poking his feet seemed to have extended to his thighs. As he took another step and then another, Shirayuki nodded approvingly.

"Good. you still have regular muscle function. I've heard stories of people getting really terrible diseases from rivers that make it so they can't walk."

"Shirayuki, there's no need to scare the boy," her grandfather chided gently at Zen's alarmed expression. "Now then my boy, do you have anyway to contact your family? You should probably let them know that you're safe. They must be worried sick for you."

Zen blinked at him, then glanced towards the ring on his right hand, bearing his family's seal. Worried? About me? He was the second son. The rebellious son. The son naive enough to be fooled by a cheap promise of friendship. The son weak enough to let his fear send him tumbling over a cliff. His hand curled into a fist as he sighed wearily. "Yeah. I'll have to send a letter, but they could probably send someone to fetch me within a few days."

"A few days? Is your home some distance away, then?"

"Yeah."

"You weren't travelling alone, were you?"

"Well no, but I don't know if my… companions would have made it to our destination, so it would probably be better to contact my brother and ask him to send someone to fetch me."

"Very well then," the old man nodded. "I'll fetch you some materials."

"So you have a brother?" Shirayuki suddenly piped up, her eyes bright and eager as the door shut behind her grandfather.

"Uh… Yes?" Zen blinked, startled by her sudden enthusiasm.

"I don't have any siblings, so I've always wondered what it's like! Do you like it?"

"Well… Yeah, I suppose so."

"You don't sound very sure?"

"No, it's not that, it's just… Well, Izana can be a bit… distant at times. But… he does try to look out for me. In some ways even more than my mother."

"What about your father?"

"He died a long time ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I don't really remember him."

"I… don't really remember my parents, either," Shirayuki admitted quietly, sitting down on the bed. "My mother died a really long time ago, and my father sent me to live with my grandparents. I did see him once, but I never got the chance to talk to him"

"But why? Why wouldn't he want to talk to you?"

"I don't exactly know," the young herbalist frowned thoughtfully. "Grandmother and grandfather said that he wanted me to grow up in town, but that he needed to be somewhere else. They haven't really told me anything else."

"That… seems strange," Zen frowned, thinking about his own mother. She'd left him in the care of his brother, just as Shirayuki had been left with her grandparents. He thought it was strange for her to leave, too, but at least she wrote to him on occasion. Why would any parent want to separate themselves from their child?

"Yeah, it may be a little strange, but I still have my grandparents, and you know, I've never really felt like I was missing much. They love me after all," the girl smiled, a warmth and fondness glowing in her green eyes that made Zen smile.

"You're really lucky to have your grandparents in your life," he said softly, moving to sit beside her..

"I know."

"Zen?" Both Shirayuki and Zen looked up curiously as Shirayuki's grandfather stepped inside, a worried frown on his lips. "There's someone downstairs looking for you."

"What?!" Zen yelped, shooting to his feet once more, his heart racing. Had the ambushers found him? Had Atri found him? Had he inadvertently put everyone here in danger?

Have I put Shirayuki and her grandfather in danger?!

"Zen? Are you okay?" Shirayuki asked quietly, her hand slipping over his.

Zen shook himself, forcing himself to calm down even as his hand squeezed hers, using her presence to ground himself before he turned to Shirayuki's grandfather. "Did you tell this person that I was here?"

"No, I didn't. And the innkeeper was discreet as well."

The young man managed a sigh of relief at that. So then if it was Atri and his party, maybe they had a chance to slip away. "And this person, what did they look like? What exactly did they ask?"

"Well he seemed like a very polite young man, a few years older than you, I'd guess. He was pretty tall, and he wore a black shirt and a tan jacket, but he had a sword on his belt, which is what made me concerned. Oh, and his hair was unusual. It was almost a greenish-bluish tint."

Hope leaped in Zen's chest at that. "What was his hair style? Short on the sides and kind of long in the front and on top?"

"Yes, I'd say so."

"Did you catch his name?"

"Hm, something like Matsuske or Michizane, perhaps?"

"Mitsuhide?"

"Aye, that could be it. Do you know him?"

"I think so," Zen sighed in relief. "He's my… er… brother's employee."

"Well then, we should probably let him know you're alright."