Two: The queen is in cahoots

There was someone in the queen's inner sanctuary; Ronin was sure of it, but Tara, who should have known first, seemed wholly unaware of any threat.

"I'm not so sure that's a sign of trouble," Tara ran her fingers over a bud, and it uncurled, bright and healthy under her touch, "boggans are always more active during fall. Keep…."

She stopped abruptly, an almost feral smile on her face, and Ronin dropped his hand to his sword hilt, knowing that that smile only meant trouble.

"Got you!" she shouted and there was a squeal, followed by a very familiar laugh.

"Nod?" Ronin straightened in surprise.

Tara waved her hand and the boy dropped into view hanging upside down, a vine wrapped around his ankle holding him in mid-air, and a grin on his face.

"How did you get in here?" Ronin gapped at him, going over guard positions and duty rosters in his head; he didn't think there was anyone on guard duty who would have let Nod in.

"I climbed," Nod grinned, looking pleased with himself.

"You…" Ronin blinked, "how… where?"

"Well, aren't you clever," Tara reached up and tickled him with both hands, making him shriek and squirm with laughter.

"Your majesty," Ronin protested.

The last thing he needed was to encourage Nod to be places he wasn't supposed to be; he had enough trouble with that already.

Tara rolled her eyes with an amused smile, and waved her hand, turning Nod right side up and setting him on his feet.

"Over the top and down the wall," Tara informed Ronin, reaching out to pick a leaf out of Nod's hair.

"You climbed down the wall?" Ronin didn't mean to sound impressed, but he couldn't help it; he wasn't sure if even he would have been able to climb that, and he could climb almost anything.

"It was easy," Nod beamed at him, recognizing the praise in his tone.

"Easy?" Tara's smile became teasing and Ronin's stomach sank a little, "maybe the good general is losing his touch."

It was a difficult balance to maintain with Tara. He had known her before she had become queen. They had been friends and maybe on the way towards something else as well, but Tara's coronation had derailed that. They both had duties and obligations now that didn't leave them free to pursue their own desires.

"He is not!" Nod said with such fierceness that it startled both of them.

They both started at him, and Nod looked down at his feet, bare and dirty as usual.

"Ronin didn't…" he scuffed his foot on the ground, "it wasn't…. I just…"

Tara and Ronin exchanged looks, and Tara knelt down in from of him, touching a finger under his chin to make him look up.

"You are awfully clever," Tara smiled at him, and he smiled back like one of her flowers blooming, "I don't think we can hold that against the general, do you?"

Nod shook his head quickly.

"Maybe Ronin could use a little practice though. Would you like to help?" Tara waited for his nod, then leaned forward and began whispering in his ear.

The wider Nod's grin grew, the more Ronin knew he wasn't going to like this. The way Nod was beaming though was almost worth it.

"Well, what do you think?" Tara stood up, dusting her hands off on her skirt.

"I can do it," Nod replied eagerly.

"Good," Tara said approvingly.

Before Ronin could ask, or more likely protest, Nod darted forward and smacked him on the arm.

"Tag! You're it!" he yelled, then ran, disappearing into the thick foliage that surrounded them.

"You're just encouraging him," Ronin sighed in annoyance.

"To play?" Tara laughed, "of course I am. He is a child after all."

"He is that," Ronin agreed fondly.

"Now, general," Tara folded her hands in front of her and squared her shoulders, "there is a highly skilled intruder in my inner chamber. What do you intend to do about it?"

"I suppose I'll have to find him," Ronin held his helmet out to Tara; Nod was almost always a two handed job.

"Do you need a kiss for luck?" Tara accepted the helmet from him.

"Tara!" Ronin groaned.

"Get going or you're never going to find him," Tara laughed and made a shooing motion.

With a shake or his head, Ronin went, pushing aside the tall stalks. He would have to talk to Nod about not sneaking in again. The climb down from the open roof was difficult and dangerous. As impressive as it was, he didn't want him risking it again. He would have to talk to the guard up on the roof as well. Nod must have slid by him somehow.

He heard a muffled giggle off to his right and paused. Immediately the laugh fell silent. Nod was somewhere he could see him then. That meant he had probably found some place to perch. Ronin was careful not to look up as he headed in the direction of the giggle, listening instead for the shifting of leafs above him. It took him a good ten minutes to pin point the boy. He was being remarkably still. It was something his father had been good at as well.

Ronin found him crouched on the high leaf of a daisy stock, and managed to snag his ankle and pull him down before he knew he had been spotted.

"Nod," Ronin set him on the ground, intending to try to explain to him why he couldn't be here.

"The queen said you have to catch me five times," Nod said quickly, then was gone again.

"Nod!" Ronin tried to grab him, but he slid through his fingers.

Ronin huffed in annoyance, not with Nod, but with Tara. He knew she took her responsibilities as queen seriously, and he knew she wasn't the type to shirk or put off work, but she drove him crazy sometimes. He had things he needed to talk to her about now, not later. He just wanted to get through the business he had and be done, not put off finishing with games and teasing.

The next time, he had to pull Nod out from under a tangle of mossy fallen twigs. He pulled him out by the ankle, then scooped him up to hold so he couldn't get away again. He was almost too big for it, but he wrapped his arms and legs around Ronin anyway.

"Nod, what are you even doing here?" Ronin shifted him to support with one arm, freeing his hand to wipe a streak of dirt off his face.

"It's almost dinner time, and you weren't in your office," Nod grumbled.

"We talked about this kiddo," Ronin softened, "I can't always be there for dinner. If you're hungry you can always go home and the healer who's helping your mother will make you dinner, or you can go to the mess hall."

"I don't like it at home," Nod hid his face against Ronin's shoulder moodily.

"I know buddy," Ronin hugged him closer, "it will get better though. You just have to give it time."

Ronin really did think it would. Lysette was starting to take an interest in things again. She seemed more aware of what was going on around her, and even occasionally of where her son was, or in most cases, wasn't. It would get better, but for now, it was hard on Nod.

"Now," Ronin bounced him slightly, "aren't you supposed to be hiding."

Nod lifted his head and grinned, "you have to find me three more times."

Ronin set him on the ground, and he ran off into the plants again. If the queen wanted to spend the afternoon entertaining a child, who was he to disagree with her.

It was more than three times, and eventually, Tara started using the plants to help Nod. It was past nightfall when they finally stopped. Ronin found Nod curled up asleep on a daisy head. The daisy tipped gently down to let him scoop the boy up, and Nod snuggled into his shoulder without waking.

Tara was sitting on a mossy stone in the center of her garden waiting for them, Ronin's helmet on her lap.

"Finally caught him?" she stood with a teasing smile.

"No thanks to you," Ronin shook his head.

"Well, I have to have fun somehow," she shrugged, clearly unrepentant, and reached out to brush Nod's hair from his face. "He is a lot like his father."

"I know," Ronin nodded.

Sometimes that was a painful reminder. Nod wasn't his father, but sometimes he would say or do something that reminded him so much of Soren that it hurt. Sometimes it was hard, but Ronin was grateful for it anyway.

"We still need to talk about the patrols," Ronin reminded her.

"Tomorrow morning, no tag this time, I promise," Tara agreed, "you better get him to bed though."

"Yeah," Ronin nodded, "I need my helmet back."

"It's my job to take care of you too Ronin," Tara laughed softly and put his helmet on his head, "you're too serious. You need to play more."

"I don't…" Ronin started in exasperation.

"Good night general," Tara kissed his cheek, effectively silencing him, "I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked away, leaving him sputtering and bright red.

"That woman is going to be the death of me," he muttered when he found his voice again.

"Can't catch me," Nod muttering in his sleep.

"How about I just don't let you go kiddo," Ronin laughed softy and turned to take Nod home.