Stace stood with two of her sisters and Lady L'Petrie, idly chatting. Though she was not very experienced in the ways of the nobility, Stace would certainly count the party as a success. It seemed that most people were enjoying themselves, even Karigan who typically avoided such events. Stace smiled slightly as she thought of her niece. Karigan typically did everything she could to avoid events like the current one when she was younger and now she would have to attend far more than anyone else in the family ever did. "You must all be so happy for her," Lady L'Petrie remarked.

"We are," Tory agreed. "We can tell he makes her happy."

"It does seem that way. We were all so shocked when we heard the news—everyone expected him to marry Lady Estora Coutre, after all. But it seems that he decided to follow his heart. I, for one, am glad of that. It seems that too many people these days are marrying for all the wrong reasons. Marriage is a long business, and I think that we should ensure it's going to be a happy one."

The three sisters murmured their agreement as Stace glanced around the room, wondering where her niece had gone. She had briefly seen her with the king, and her eyes quickly sought him out. He sat on one of the settees on the side of the room, deep in conversation with a woman she vaguely remembered being introduced as a cousin of his and Lord Coutre. However, her niece was nowhere near him. Stace frowned, for she did not see Karigan anywhere.

Before she could look too long, a loud crack, almost like a clap of thunder, sounded. Out of the corner of her eye, Stace saw something falling from the ceiling toward the king. His Weapons moved toward him, obviously worried about what it might be, and a couple women near him shrieked in alarm. Whatever it was fell too quickly for him to move and ended up landing in his lap. The king's eyes went wide, and he said a single word which nearly stopped Stace's heart. "Karigan?"

Stace exchanged a look with her sisters before all three moved toward the king, intent on checking on their niece and trying to figure out exactly what caused her to fall from the ceiling of the banquet hall. "Get Master Mender Destarion and Mender Simeon in here now!" Zachary called, worry lacing his tone. A number of people nearby moved to obey their kings' command, and Stace squeezed closer, now even more concerned. She gasped when she saw her niece. Karigan lay across the king's lap. One of his arms cradled her head as the other travelled over her body. Stace swallowed hard when she noted that his second hand was stained with blood, the same blood that had also soaked through both the shoulder and side of her niece's new dress. "Karigan, love, please wake up," Zachary whispered, cupping her cheek with his free hand and inadvertently smearing blood over her face in the process.

"I'm not sleeping," Karigan said, her words ending in a moan as she shifted positions. Zachary slid his hand back down her body, holding her still.

"Aeryc, it's good to hear your voice. Just lie still, a mender will be here soon. What happened?"

Karigan opened her eyes, blinking up at him. "We were attacked," she said. "In the gardens."

"What about your Weapons?"

"They couldn't move. Whoever attacked used some sort of magic to freeze them in place." Stace heard the murmur of surprise and alarm travel through the crowd with that statement.

"How did you stop them?" a woman nearby asked. Zachary looked at her sharply as Karigan wet her lips, obviously unsure of how to answer.

"I don't know. I-" The arrival of the menders interrupted her, and they quickly began to attend to Karigan's injuries. Stace noted that she did not move from the king's lap, and he, too, seemed reluctant to let her go. Both were focused only on each other, seeming to have forgotten about the large number of people in the room, most of whom were now gathered around, watching them carefully. Stace heard the whispers nearby. Most seemed to be wondering what had happened though a few also commented on the impropriety of their position. Stace knew she should probably do something about that. As the oldest of the sisters, she had taken it upon herself to teach Karigan all the things that a mother would have taught her, and that included many lessons on proper conduct with members of the opposite sex. Karigan's current actions definitely did not fall into the realm of proper conduct. However, it was clear that both Karigan and Zachary were shaken and that they received a good deal of comfort from each other. Stace was loathe to deny them that.

The menders worked quickly, and Karigan soon had two large bandages covering her wounds. They tried to convince her to come to the mending wing, but she was insistent that she did not need to do so. After a minute or so of fruitless pleading, she glanced to Zachary. "I will take responsibility for ensuring she does not over-exert herself and sees you immediately if her condition worsens," Zachary finally said. The menders still seemed reluctant, but they could not disobey their king, so they bowed and left.

The hall was quiet for a minute or so until someone finally ventured to ask, "What happened?" Karigan exchanged a glance with Zachary but did not have a chance to answer before the next question came.

"How did you manage to survive when your Weapons could not?"

"How did you get back here?"

"Don't you think you should go to the Mending Wing?" Stace saw Karigan's eyes growing wider as she struggled to figure out how to deal with all the questions being tossed her way. She looked to Zachary pleadingly, and he immediately understood her request.

"I think we have all had enough festivities for the day. I thank you all for coming but given recent events, I feel it best that we call an end to the party." Stace heard muttering from many of the guests, but most of them did turn to leave. Upon seeing that neither Karigan nor the king moved, however, she decided to stay put as well. After all, she certainly could not leave her niece unchaperoned with her betrothed, especially given their rather scandalous position. Even if nothing untoward occurred, the rumours would be horrific.

Stace's siblings all obviously had the same idea, for they remained behind as well as a few of the other guests, including a woman that Karigan had introduced as the captain of the Rider Corps. Stace noted that the captain was also frowning at the couple on the sofa. Good. Stace was happy to see that there was at least one person in the castle who wanted to ensure her niece behaved properly. Karigan glanced at the small crowd still surrounding her, her eyes narrowing in anger when she realized they had no intention of leaving. "You can leave, you know. It's not like we're going to consummate our relationship on a sofa in the East Banquet Hall."

The sheer audacity of the statement stunned the group into silence for a few moments. It was Zachary who recovered first. "Karigan, you know they're just looking out for you-"

But Karigan, it seemed, had finally had enough. Stace supposed she was not too surprised. Her niece had definitely inherited Stevic's fiery temper—once provoked, it took a good deal to calm her down. "No. They're not looking out for me. They're just curious—or worse, trying to catch us in a mistake. Well, you won't do so. There will be no baby born soon after the marriage because we have not slept together and will not sleep together until we are wed." Stace could not help but breathe a small sigh of relief. It was not necessarily that she did not believe Karigan when she said she was not pregnant, but the nearness of the wedding date did have her worried. She knew her niece was quite intelligent and generally level-headed, but she had seen the way Karigan looked at her betrothed. It was clear she was in love and, while happy about that fact, Stace knew love could cause people to do things they would not normally consider. Karigan obviously heard the sigh, for she turned her irate gaze to her aunts. "Don't look so smug. For your information, that was not actually the decision of the niece you're so worried about. I offered. Zachary refused because despite what you seem to think he's an honourable man."

Stace's eyes widened at the revelation. She glanced at the king who, for the first time since she had met him, seemed unsure of what to say. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he glanced at Karigan before moving his gaze slowly to the others in the room. The silence was almost deafening. Finally, Zachary spoke. "Let's retire to my study. I daresay we will be more comfortable there, and I will be able to keep my promise of keeping you from injuring yourself further."

"And if I don't want to go to your study?"

"Karigan." Zachary's voice had a slight pleading tone. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Karigan finally sighed in defeat.

"Fine. But only two chaperones." Zachary acquiesced to that request with a nod before helping her to stand, letting her lean heavily on him. He glanced quickly at everyone surrounding them, and it did not take long before Stace realized what he was doing.

"Brini and I will accompany you," she declared in a tone of voice that few dared to argue with. Zachary gave her a small smile, leading the way out of the room with Karigan still on his arm. They moved slowly in deference to Karigan's injuries, and it took nearly a quarter of an hour before they finally reached the study door. Zachary paused outside it as two of his Weapons walked inside, quickly checking the room. Once they were sure it was clear, they bowed in Karigan and the king. Zachary helped Karigan to sit on the couch before turning to Stace and Brini. "Please, have a seat, ladies." He gestured to a couple of armchairs, and Stace took the one nearest to her niece. Turning to the fire, Zachary added some more wood and stoked the embers until a small blaze had started. He then took a seat on the couch beside Karigan. Though he sat a proper distance away, Karigan immediately moved closer, pressing her thigh against his. She glared at Stace and Brini as if daring them to say anything about their position, but Stace kept her mouth shut. There were some battles that were simply not worth fighting.

Reaching out, Zachary grabbed one of Karigan's hands, running his fingers over the back of it. Stace noted with some interest that the simple gesture immediately calmed her niece. "What happened in the gardens?" Zachary questioned after a minute of silence.

Karigan told them of the frozen Weapons and the fight. Brini gasped when her niece talked about how the enemies had surrounded her. "How do we know they won't return?" Brini questioned, glancing around as if afraid that she might suddenly see the enemies Karigan fought. "If they can freeze Weapons in their tracks, what's to stop them from attacking the castle?"

"I don't think they can use magic in the castle, at least not dark magic. I think that the moonstone prevents it, but I was outside its protection." She looked to Zachary who nodded thoughtfully though Stace was honestly not sure what he was agreeing with. She did not have a chance to question him further however before Karigan continued. "I knew I couldn't fight them, so I called on my ability. I thought maybe if I faded enough to make it hard for them to see me, I could slip away."

"Your ability?" Stace asked.

Karigan grimaced, obviously regretting saying so much. "Green Riders all have special abilities. Mine allows me to fade. In broad daylight, I become. . . hard to see, like a shadow of myself. In the dark, I'm nearly invisible."

"So that's how you escaped? You made it hard for them to see you?"

"No. The fading didn't quite work as it usually did." Karigan gave a brief synopsis of her time in the grey world. Stace sensed she was holding back some details.

"So Westrion told you how to get out?" Stace pressed.

"Sort of. He talked in riddles, but he gave me the clues I needed. He also. . . alluded to some other things we had heard recently and confirmed that connection." Karigan shared a significant look with Zachary who nodded. Stace wished she knew what they were talking about, but Karigan had always been secretive. Though not, it seemed, from Zachary. She was glad of that, for she knew that honesty was a good foundation for a marriage, but it did leave her slightly frustrated when she did not know what was going on.

They talked for a short time longer before Zachary insisted that Karigan needed her rest despite her grumblings to the contrary. Stace and Brini tried to accompany her back to her quarters, but she insisted they leave her when they reached the guest quarters, pointing out that she had two new Weapons with her and was not planning to leave the castle walls. Stace wanted to object and insist they accompany her the whole way, but she knew her stubborn niece would not allow it, so she acquiesced.

Stace had known for most of Karigan's life that when the time came, she would need to give her niece the traditional pre-marriage expectations speech. She had never worried too much about it before, for Karigan had never really shown an interest in marrying or really relations with men in general. And then when she had shown up a few months before with the King of Sacoridia courting her, thoughts of Karigan as Queen and the beautiful children the pair would make had chased the more practical thoughts from Stace's mind. It was not until she received Karigan's letter and saw the nearness of the wedding date that she began to worry that perhaps she had delayed the speech too long. And while it was good to know that Karigan had not taken things further yet, the fact that she had offered concerned Stace. Zachary may have been a good man, but he was still a man, and Stace knew that men would not refuse for long. The wedding was fast approaching, but it still had not happened which meant Karigan should not have been offering anything of the sort no matter how good of a man she or anyone else believed Zachary to be. Even good men might call off a wedding.

And even if Karigan did wait, she still needed to know what to expect on the wedding night. Stace had no first-hand experience, but her mother had given her the speech nevertheless, so she could at least give that to Karigan. And so she scheduled a luncheon for just the two of them three days after the disastrous party, deciding that would be enough time for Karigan to recover somewhat from the ordeal and be a bit more receptive to Stace's words. Karigan tried to object to the luncheon, pointing out her busy schedule, but Stace managed to find others to take care of all the "duties" she claimed to have, leaving a two hour block for them to talk. It was not much time, but it would do.

Stace could tell Karigan was tense as soon as she walked into the room where they were eating, so she made small talk as they started, telling Karigan stories of Corsa. Gradually, Karigan started to relax, even adding a few tales of her own about the Riders. Stace noted that she carefully avoided the subject of the king, however, despite the fact that Stace was sure she was spending far more time with him than any of the Riders. Not that Stace had expected much else. Her niece was quite good at evading uncomfortable subjects—a talent she had picked up from her father. But Stace had decades of experience dealing with the evasiveness.

"We need to talk about what's going to happen on the wedding night," Stace finally said, knowing bluntness was the best tactic. Karigan's eyes went wide.

"How would you know?" she questioned. "You've never been married."

"But my mother told me what I needed to know in case I did ever married, and it's my duty now to tell it to you."

"It's fine. I know everything I need."

"You didn't-"

"No! I've just. . . already heard about what's going to happen. I understand, and I don't have questions." Karigan's face was red, and she was staring determinedly at her plate.

"Someone told you already?"

"Yes."

"Who? The Captain? I know she's never married either, so maybe it would be good for us to talk as well so you can get a more complete picture." Stace liked the other woman well enough, but she knew the conversation she was about to have was an important one, and she didn't trust it to anyone else.

"No, it wasn't the Captain. Trust me, the person I talked to knows enough about the subject to give an accurate account of what will occur."

"Look, Karigan, I know you don't want to have this conversation, but making up stories about fake people isn't going to help you."

"I'm not making anything up."

"Than why won't you tell me who you talked to?"

They stared at one another for a few minutes before Karigan sighed. "It was Zachary." Stace's eyes widened.

"Zachary? Zachary Hillander?"

"I don't know any other Zachary's."

"But he's. . . he's a man."

"So? None of my female friends have any experience in these matters."

"What exactly did he tell you."

Karigan bristled. "That's between Zachary and me."

"I'm just worried about you, Karigan. I want to make sure you don't make a decision you'll regret later."

"I won't regret anything about my relationship with Zachary." They stared at each other for a few moments, two strong-willed women unwilling to back down. Finally, Stace sighed loudly.

"Just. . . be careful. Please. We care about you and don't want you to be hurt."

Karigan's face softened. "I won't be. Not by Zachary."

Deciding it was time for a safer topic, Stace took a bite of her lunch, chewed carefully, and swallowed before remarking, "We've been looking into some possibilities for a maid for you." Karigan looked at her with wide eyes.

"A maid? Why?"

"Karigan, Lass, you'll be the Queen. You'll need at least one maid for now—certainly more as you start to have children."

"But what for? I've done just fine without one so far."

"Yes when all you have to wear is your uniforms or an occasional dress. Trust me, after a couple state occasions, you will thank us. Now, I have some notes about the candidates. We've already done interviews and pre-screened them so there aren't too many, but we wanted you to have the final say."

Karigan still seemed a bit shell-shocked. "It's fine. . . whatever you decide is fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I wouldn't even know what to look for anyway."

"Okay. Well, we did find one girl who seemed like a good fit. Her name is Lorial, and she is actually from L'Petrie province—Catswain, specifically." Stace gave Lorial's background, and Karigan nodded in the appropriate places though Stace suspected she was not truly listening. Of course, she had not really expected her niece to listen much. Stace and her sisters had already chosen Lorial for Karigan's maid knowing their niece would not care about who it was. Asking Karigan's opinion was more of a formality than anything.

The rest of the luncheon passed smoothly. Stace still had a number of unanswered questions—including how the topic of what would happen in their marriage bed could have possibly come up in a conversation between her niece and the king—but she held her tongue, knowing that she would not receive further details from Karigan. Perhaps one of her sisters would have better luck.

Lorial started the next day, just in time to help prepare Karigan for yet another pre-wedding function, this time a ball thrown in honor of her and the king. Surprisingly, Karigan did not object at all to her required attendance at the ball nor the rather ostentatious dress Brini and Gretta picked out for the occasion. When Gretta questioned her acquiescence, Karigan grimaced slightly. "Zachary pointed out that I could either meet all of these people during one grand ball or have luncheons with a few at a time. It made the choice rather obvious. Too bad they couldn't all come to the previous luncheon but apparently that would have meant the event was not intimate enough."

They had tightened security after the last pre-wedding event. Stace counted no fewer than ten Weapons within a couple meters of Karigan, all of them on high alert. With Zachary's own, slightly smaller entourage, it made for quite the sight when they were near one another. The black clad figures seemed almost unsure of where to go, for there was always another in every corner they tried to disappear into which meant most of them were far more obvious than they usually were.

Fortunately, there were no unexpected events at the ball, and everyone seemed to agree it was a success. Karigan and Zachary danced a few times as custom demanded, and Stace was happy to note that the dance lessons she insisted upon had paid off, at least somewhat. The couple moved quite gracefully across the floor with no stumbling. Alcohol flowed freely, and Stace imbibed more than she normally would, enjoying the carefree nature of everyone around her. By the time the clock struck midnight, she was feeling quite lightheaded but made it back to the guest quarters where she was staying without incident.

She woke the next morning with a pounding headache. The throbbing in her head caused her to miss the pounding on the door for a few seconds, but the sound eventually registered through the fog in her brain. She managed to push herself out of bed, swallowing back her nausea as she took her dressing gown from its customary hook on the back of the door and pulled it over her body. She moved into the sitting room she shared with the rest of her family, surprised to find that she was the first one there given the intensity of the knocking. But then, she had imbibed less than her siblings the previous night.

She opened the door to reveal a frantic-looking Zachary. Dimly, her brain registered that he was still in silk pajamas without even a dressing gown, but the slightly crazed look in his eyes quickly pushed those thoughts aside. "Did Karigan stay with you last night?" he questioned.

Stace frowned. "No. Why would she?"

His frown deepened. "I was afraid of that. She was not in her room this morning. No one knows where she is."