Finally Pepper's secret is out! I am relieved...


Nothing haunts us like the things we don't say.

- Mitch Albom

Tony had his arm around Pepper, so he hugged her sideways as they walked through the back gate, towards the house.

"That was a great training session," he said to her, smiling widely, "I have said it before and I say it again: You are the best sparring partner, a knight could ask for."

As Pepper smiled smugly, he said naughtily, "And I especially like the way we set things right AFTER we spar...", he winked at her and she smacked him on the arm lightly.

They both came to a stop at the sight of the beautiful black carriage in the courtyard. Tony whistled appreciatively at its classic, clean lines and perfectly matched, black thoroughbreds holstered to it. A man dressed in a fancy black uniform, was holding them still. There was a royal-looking crest on the carriage's doors.

Pepper asked in a loud whisper, "Tony, who are they?"

Tony shrugged, equally curious. "I have no idea. Say my good man, what are you doing here? Who has come a visiting?"

The driver said haughtily, "The King and Queen of Nesswadia have come to visit the Lord of this Keep."

Tony smiled. "Well, that would be me. Where are these esteemed guests?"

The driver snorted in derision. "If you are Lord Stark, I will eat my hat."

Tony chuckled, knowing he looked like a stable hand, with his simple shirt and trousers, rough winter coat and dirty boots.

Pepper said drolly, "Would you like some ale with your hat?" Tony snickered and then the main door opened.

Jarvis stepped out, looking flustered. "My Lord, the-"

Tony said with a smile, "I know Jarvis, I know, the King and Queen are here. I am coming inside."

The driver's mouth was now wide open with horror and as they passed him, Pepper whispered, "I would recommend starting from the brim."

They entered the house and Jarvis murmured, "I have seated them in the drawing room, Sir, by the fireplace."

"Good man, Jarvis."

Pepper took Tony's hand and whispered, "Do you think we should freshen up slightly first?"

He looked down at himself. "Yes, I should at least. I reek of sweat. You, on the other hand..."

He looked admiringly at Pepper dressed in his breeches and thick jacket.

"Pepper, have I ever told you that you look amazingly arousing in men's clothing... especially," he lightly cupped her backside and pulled her towards him, "especially from the back."

She whispered throatily, 'Yes, Tony, you have mentioned a couple of time. And I would like to add that you look very nice from the back as well." he grinned widely, "I must admit, my lord, I prefer you out of your pants but..." she placed one firm finger against his lips, "now is not the time to discuss each other's finer points... we have guests, Lord Stark."

He pouted and she whispered in his ear, "Let's have a mutual appreciation discussion later... without pants... Go and change, I am waiting for you right here."

He nodded eagerly and ran upstairs to change his clothes, holding the sack with their armor parts.

Tony quickly changed into a fresh pair of clothes, washed his face and changed his shoes. He kept his sword in his room and applied some musk, so he smelled pleasant.

He then went downstairs where Pepper was waiting for him.

"Tony, that was quick."

"The faster we meet and greet, the faster they go and the faster we get to appreciate each other." he growled tersely and Pepper suppressed a giggle.

They stepped into the drawing room where a couple was seated. A small child was sitting on the rug by the fireplace, playing with a toy horse. A large man with a sword, was watching the child.

Jarvis intoned loudly, "Lord Stark and Lady Virginia are here."

The man with the sword came forward and said in a deep voice, "May I present His Royal Highness, King Cusrow of the Island of Nesswadia."

The seated man rose. He was tall and blond with a luxurious golden beard and a pointed nose. Tony realized he had to bow because this man was a king. He bowed quickly and saw Pepper curtsy, as best she could in her trousers.

The King nodded his head curtly at them and then stared at Pepper. Tony controlled himself from scowling at the man's avid staring, only because Pepper had placed her hand gently in his.

The King said in a soft cultured voice, "I am sorry for staring, my lady, but you are indeed a diamond of the first water. I was expecting you to be beautiful because of your lineage but..." he turned backwards and said, "My dear, don't you think the resemblance is uncanny?"

Again, the man with the sword announced, "And Her Royal Highness, Queen Claudia."

The woman rose and came forward from her seat. Tony felt Pepper's hand tense in his and he blinked hard himself. For the Queen was a slender, auburn-haired, delicate woman, slightly shorter than her husband, who bore a distinct resemblance to Pepper.

The hair... Pepper's hair has a rich, redder hue... and she has her cute freckles but this lady, the hair color, the facial features, the way she holds herself... even her eyes... lighter than Pepper's but...

Tony bowed to the Queen but she quickly stepped forward and clasped a shocked Pepper by the arms.

"Virginia, don't you remember me? I know we met so long long ago but surely..."

Pepper whispered in a hushed tone, "Claudia?"

The Queen gasped with happiness and hugged Pepper to her tightly. "Oh cousin, I am so glad to see you! It has been so long since we met..." she blinked away tears, "Virginia, I am so happy to know you are alright! When we heard about Cumbria..." she looked at her husband, "I worried for you!"

The King must have sensed Tony's confusion because he smiled widely and cleared his throat. "Claudia, my dear, perhaps you should sit down and explain why we are here and," he nodded at Tony, "also introduce yourself clearly to Lord Stark."

The Queen smiled and dimpled prettily at Tony, who bowed to her. "Lord Stark, I am Queen Claudia. And," she held out her hand as the large guardsman gently led the child to her, "this is the future King of Nesswadia, Prince Cyril."

Pepper knelt and gently shook the child's hand. The golden-haired boy reached out to grab her hair and she laughed and pulled him into her arms, picking him up.

The Queen took Pepper's hand and they both sat back down, Cyril sitting quietly on Pepper's lap. Tony looked around and was confused as to what he should do.

I am so happy Pepper has found some family... perhaps I should leave them alone? I mean, she should spend some time with her cousin...

Pepper looked up at him, a wide smile on her face but a weird hesitant look in her eyes.

She's nervous, why? Of my reaction? But I am nothing but happy for her...

Pepper spoke, "Tony, Claudia is my first cousin from my mother's side. My mother's elder sister's daughter. Do you remember me telling you once, about how my aunt went away and never came back to Cumbria?"

She smiled at the Queen. "I met Claudia when we were seven, when she had come for a short visit. What fun we used to have, playing together! Do you remember, Claudia? Flower picking and playing with mud..."

Claudia squealed and said excitedly, "We used to fool everyone by pretending we were one and the same person!"

She turned to her husband. "Virginia and I looked so similar, that we would pretend to be the same girl and confuse the castle guards who were watching us! I am Virginia! No, I am! They used to wonder how Virginia was in two different places at the same time! Oh Virginia!"

She touched her head to Pepper's. "I am so sorry, we have not seen each for so long... but with the distance and my mother's health and my marriage..."

The King came to stand by her side and with a gentle smile, told her softly, "Perhaps, Claudia, my love, you should start from the beginning."

"Oh yes! Let's see! Nesswadia is a week's journey from here, by ship. I have lived there all my life, with my mother, Princess Adele. I met Cusrow at a ball when I was eighteen and we fell in love. He asked me to marry him a year later and we have been married for 6 years now." She clasped her husband's hand and he continued.

"We would have come earlier but this naughty fellow," he ruffled his son's head, "was too small to handle the journey. However this year, I came to know that one of my dearest friends, Rheiner of Patait, got engaged and I had to attend his wedding. So we made the trip."

Tony exclaimed, "Patait! I know King Rheiner. My uncle, Duke Rorshach is the Steward of Patait."

The King nodded and Claudia said, "That's how we came to Lorinthia! You see, on our way to Patait, I wanted to go to Cumbria."

She faltered here and Tony saw Pepper's face fall with sadness. He clasped her shoulder in comfort and noticed the King looking at him thoughtfully.

Claudia continued slowly, "We were at the outskirts of Cumbria when we were warned by a band of gypsies, that the Kingdom had fallen and that an evil necromancer, called... Stane, I think, had taken the throne for himself. Then our bodyguard, Peron, risking his life, infiltrated Patait to find out what happened."

Tony was very interested in hearing this. "What did you see in there? What is happening in Cumbria?"

The burly guard, Peron, said deeply, "The whole place is heavily guarded by humans and things alike. I say things, because I do not know how to describe them. They are not human, that is all I can say. The people have become slaves."

Pepper gasped at this.

"They work all day long and at night, they are locked into their own houses. No one leaves or enters the city unless the Necromancer says so. The people seem to be under some sort of spell. They never talk or even move their faces. Their eyes are blank and empty."

Tony felt his Fire roar through him with anger at Stane's evilness. "What about the Necromancer himself?"

Peron shrugged. "I never saw him and for that I am thankful. I feared I would not be able to leave if I did, so frightening was his sorcery. Do you know, it is permanently winter in Cumbria? The temperature is freezing and there is ice everywhere. Magic, dark magic at hand." He crossed himself quickly.

Pepper asked curiously, "How did you get in and out then?"

Peron grinned proudly. "Through the sewer pipe in the river, my lady. There are multiple tunnel ways from the pipe but I followed one that led me to the town center, empty and abandoned. So I stayed there and could observe all quietly."

He said in a low voice, "I wanted to help some people out but... they are so lifeless and dead-like, that they did not understand me. I could have snuck them out through the sewer pipes but..."

Tony asked, "Are there no guards by the sewer? Why, I wonder."

Peron said thoughtfully, "There were no guards there. All the human guards seemed to be around the Castle itself. The things, they patrol everywhere. And I think the Necromancer has no fear of people sneaking in. And no one from the town, is in control of their own mind, to sneak out."

Tony had more questions but Claudia spoke then. "When Peron came back with this information, I knew we could not go there."

The King spoke, "We cannot counter magic, not as we are. What of the Queen? Has Stane got her under some sort of spell? How are you free, Virginia?"

Pepper swallowed hard and said, "The Queen died the night Stane took over."

Claudia's eyes filled with tears then. The King lowered his head and said sadly, "That evil man... he killed her... Long live the Queen..."

Pepper quietly asked, "How did you find me?"

The King spoke, "We moved on to Patait, where we discussed Cumbria and our need to find you, to make sure you were alright. Rheiner then spoke of his own kingdom and how he had nearly lost it to his own religious order. Then... he spoke of how a former knight, a man from Patait and his lady, a red-haired woman with a mystical power, had saved Patait."

Claudia interrupted, "She sounded remarkably like you, Virginia and my mother had told me... that she knew you had the ... you know what I am referring to?" She raised an eyebrow at Pepper, who nodded. "So Rheiner said to seek you out in Lorinthia, where you were living with a Lord Stark."

She looked at Tony. "I thank you, Sir, for taking care of my cousin all this time, when she needed help."

Tony barely heard her. He was busy piecing together different snippets of the conversation because there was a loud thought echoing in his mind.

Claudia's mother, Princess Adele. Claudia married a King. This is Pepper's first cousin. Her aunt is the one Pepper, told me about, the aunt who went away because she had Pepper's gift... The Queen is dead... how is Virginia free? How...

The Dragon stirred and said quietly, It is as I guessed once... Pepper is more than she appears...

Pepper was looking up at him, still with that nervous look in her bright blue eyes. Tony shook his head, the murmurings in his head annoying him.

I am missing something here...

Suddenly his brain focused on what Claudia was saying. "Virginia, I am so sorry about your mother, my aunt Helen... I am sorry and sad that you have lost your birthright... is there no one who will fight Stane?"

Aunt Helen... Pepper's mother... the Queen of Cumbria died the same day as Pepper's mother... Stane stabbed her in her bed... But did she really die like that? Wait! Claudia knows about the gift... birthright and lineage... The gift is passed down from mother to daughter... Claudia's mother a princess, had the gift, Claudia does not have it but is a princess...What does that make Pepper?

He felt his heart beat painfully, his mind knowing the truth but his heart refusing to accept Pepper's secret.

It can't be... It can't...

Then the King exclaimed angrily. "It is an outrage that the noble house of Potts has been usurped from the throne of Cumbria by a necromancer! Why, why did he choose Cumbria of all places?"

Tony asked slowly, "Noble house of Potts?"

The King smiled at him. "For the last five centuries, a member of the Potts family has occupied the throne of Cumbria, the good Queen Helen, Virginia's mother, being the most recent ruler. A wise and just ruler. May she rest in peace."

He felt faint. The roar of his Fire was deafening in his ears but Tony's stubborn heart insisted on hearing it spelled out one more time. He asked, his own voice sounding weak to him. "So that makes Pep- I mean, Virginia, the..."

"The Princess of Cumbria," he heard Pepper say from far away, in a quiet tone. "I am or at least I was, the Princess of Cumbria."

Tony turned to her. Pepper, the Princess, was looking at him silently, thoughtfully, her eyes soft and worried. She said, "It does not matter anymore... Cumbria is lost."

Claudia exclaimed, "But Virginia! With your mother gone, you are responsible for Cumbria and its subjects! So now you are the Queen."

Those words echoed loudly in his head. The Queen. Queen Virginia of Cumbria... The Queen is dead, long live the new Queen. Queen Virginia Potts of Cumbria!

He was dimly aware that the people in the room were talking but Tony couldn't breathe.

He stepped backwards, murmuring some excuse and walked quickly outside, out of the house. He stood in the courtyard and heard Magdalene loudly exclaim, "Lady Virginia is actually a Queen!" from the kitchen window.

Tony smiled tensely, happy that at least someone like him, was shocked.

Anthony, whispered the Dragon, breathe in and out... breathe my boy...

He whispered incredulously to himself, "How did I not see this? How... why... Pepper is the Queen?!"

He somehow ended up in the stables, standing near Balthazar's stall. His horse came over to nuzzle him and he absently patted Balthazar's velvety nose, his mind still reeling with the news.

Tony felt a soft hand on his shoulder and turned to look at Pepper, wide-eyed and nervous.

"Tony..." she said softly, "I know this must be a shock..."

He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

Beautiful blue-eyed fire queen of my heart... a waif from the water, turned out to be a Queen... my Pepper... is the Queen of Cumbria... is she mine anymore?

Tony shook his head hard.

I need some air, I need to get out of here!

He opened the stall door and swung himself onto Balthazar.

Pepper said quietly, "Tony..."

Tony said tersely, "I am sorry, I need to think, I need some air, I need to get out of here, I will leave you to your guests."

He guided Balthazar out and rode hard out of the Keep, not looking back, wishing he and Pepper had not returned to the Keep, after their training.