Sabina looked longingly at the practice yard from her window high in the main keep. Johan and Peewit were jousting (Johan was anyway, as usual, Peewit was goofing off.) Occasionally, they would look up at her window, though she didn't know if they could actually see her though the thick panes of glass. She was back in her blue linen gown, with a coif, veil and thin gold circlet hiding her scandalously short hair. It was if nothing had changed despite all the adventures they'd had in the course of that summer.

That wasn't true, some things had changed. Johan was a knight of high standing now, and Peewit now knew about magic like he'd always wished, though he had little control over it, and much to his disappointment enchanting singing was not among his skills. And there was her new state of being, much less enviable than her friends'. Before she had been merely been kept busy doing ladies' work and studying as a means to keep her out of trouble.

Now, after being brought home dressed as the boy who supposedly kidnapped her and having ridden into battle without a thought for her own safety, she had been made a prisoner in her suite of rooms. The damage was done, though, she was already the subject of gossip throughout the kingdom. Her rooms were comfortable, and she had everything she could want brought to her by her uncle's most trusted servants, but the doors were all guarded and the windows were locked.

"Until a better solution can be reached," he had said, which she assumed to mean until her betrothed could marry her and could keep her "out of trouble" for good. The King had said some other things to her in his initial anger, though she tried not to remember them.

She'd known the night she'd run away that the King and Dame Barbara would be furious with her if she were brought back, moreso if they'd known the true reasons for her leaving. Thankfully, the latter secret was still safe, but she had still received a tongue-lashing from them. It was only through the intervention of King Gerard and Sir Edelhart that her friends did not get into the same deep trouble; the King believed their story that no one knew why she had decided to follow her friends into the marshes in disguise. She took full blame and punishment.

The princess sighed and laid back down in her bed. She could go back to reading or weaving, but she saw little point in doing much of anything. Besides, she was so tired, despite it only being mid morning. Why was she so suddenly tired? She blamed lack of sun and fresh air, though depression might have something to do with her ill feelings, too. Before she knew it, she had drifted into fitful dreams.

Johan had settled into a strict routine in the days following their return. Partly this was due to his increased responsibilities as a knight, and partly because the guilt of not confessing his role in Sabina's disappearance weighed on him. As did the longing for her that only became worse was the days passed. It was best to keep busy when often only a locked door or stone wall separated them. He was on his way from mass to the practice yard when the King stopped him to give him a list of preparations for an upcoming tournament. Johan accepted it graciously.

"Now there's a few things I want you to check on as well, that I did not add yet," Pepin began, "We'll need some performers, and minstrels...good ones, but that goes without saying, doesn't it? We'll also need to go over the guest list a final time, and...are you all right?" The knight was looking impatient, his eyes shifting from the floor to the tapestry behind him, never once meeting the king's.

"No, I'm just...thinking. Forgive me, sire. The guest list. Will everyone be in attendance?" He dared not speak her name.

"We can get the details straightened out after a few more urgent things are attended to. To be honest, I'm putting this in your hands because you've shown real discipline since you've returned. You're never idle for a minute, and I know I can depend on you."

"Thank you. I won't disappoint you," He murmured, staring intently at the folded list. He stayed in the hall after the King had left, and his gaze again went to the tapestry. This particular one was his favorite, because his mother had made it years ago when she was a lady-in-waiting to then-princess Anne. Yvette had included herself in the scene, standing with Anne and other court Ladies, celebrating the Crusaders' return. She had woven each thread so expertly it was almost like looking at a painting. Seeing his mother's face had always been a comfort, but now she seemed to glare down in disapproval. Johan smoothed the now crumpled parchment in his hands, and hurried out of the hall.

Three weeks after the miraculous re-appearance in the forest came the Feast of Saint Matthew, and being a harvest festival, the whole kingdom was in celebration. The King had invited Gerard and Francesca to the festivities and a joust was being held, along with plenty of other entertainment to celebrate the years' bounty. But it was Johan and Peewit who found themselves to be celebrities at the feast, which was held outdoors to take advantage of the warm, sunny weather. Everyone had questions to ask about their adventure in the swamps, about the battle, and the rescue of the princess. The princess's state was of particular interest, given that Sabina was noticeably absent from the feast and had not been seen since she returned with them. Johan suspected there were questions he was not being asked and stories he was not hearing out of politeness and respect for his station, but he put those worries out of his mind. Why was Sabina still a prisoner in her rooms? Her uncle had been furious with her, but he wasn't a cruel man, surely he wasn't going to keep her under lock and key until her wedding date arrived.

This was beginning to be troubling. Johan happened to spy Maenad and his father discussing something near a grape trellis. He had barely seen Maenad in the past few weeks either. Dame Barbara had finally gotten her way and made the king forbid her from coming near the royal suite. Edelhart had gotten over his distrust of the werewolf, and they'd formed a sort of friendship around veteran stories and a mutual hatred of the elderly governess.

"…very sick. I overheard two of the female servants discussing it. When they saw me, they quit speaking and went on with their duties."

"Pardon my interruption, but I heard you say someone was sick?"

Maenad pulled Johan under the trellis.

"It's just a rumor, but I heard that the princess hasn't been seen for so long because she's come down with something. Has the king mentioned anything about it? You're with him all the time…"

"No, he hasn't. He doesn't discuss her condition much; I think it upsets him still." Not to mention Johan could not bring himself to ask.

"Well, sit down here, and I'll tell you everything I've overheard. I have better ears than most, after all. Besides, you've been ignoring your Lady since I was removed from my position as royal tutor. Would you like a drink?" She poured a goblet of hard cider and shoved it in his hand. Johan gave her a furious look; he hadn't told his father about Maenad being his pretend Lady-love.

"Calm down, I told him this is just a 'misunderstanding' the King has. And it keeps you out of trouble with the other ladies, eh?" She said with a wink. She was back to wearing fashionable ladies' gowns, tightly laced and the color of wine, with her hair in a simple long braid down her back. She smelled like cider too, probably already drunk and prone to say anything. Johan sat next to her and followed the conversation closely. His father mercifully ignored her blithe comments and picked up the conversation again.

"This, uh, friendship you two have is all well and good, but people are starting to talk, son, and not in a flattering way. You need to start thinking about your position. I'm going to speak with the King as soon as I can about finding you a wife...one who's not a retired mercenary."

"Marriage?" Johan laughed nervously. He had entertained the thought, but obviously not like this.

"You're a grown man now. You've got responsibilities and a reputation to uphold. Someday soon, you're going to inherit our manor and all our lands. None of this is going to happen right away, God willing, but it's something we need to face."

"Don't worry about me. I've been through more men than I can remember; you won't break my heart if you lay me aside for another, someone younger and fairer. There are plenty of young men here for me still." Maenad ignored her companions' shocked faces. She finished off another goblet and helped herself to a handful of little honey cakes that sat next to her on a gilded tray.

"She's drunk, father, she…"

"I know, I know. But all the more reason to leave these childish games behind."