It was cold the morning I got back into town – too cold for fall, and wetter than it had been since before the Emerald Wars, when the Sorceress had stifled all the natural processes that made the Outer Zone the enchanting place it was renowned for being throughout the realms. Coming into town, I noticed that little streams of water had cut their way through the earthen portions of the brick route where the golden bricks had crumbled or been otherwise removed throughout the annuals. Looking up, I also couldn't ignore the fact that the towers of the shining city were almost gleaming – another clear indication that it had rained enough in the past cycle to wash away the tarnish that had threatened to take root during the Queen's long absence. The temperature and the unseasonably constant downpour should have thrown up a series of red flags in my brain, warning me that something was wrong, but I was too distracted to pay either of them any mind.

I'd been away from the city for a little while, you see, and I'll admit that my mind was on other things as I climbed the road to see the shining city of the hill. While my time away should have left me feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work, it had been anything but restful. It had honestly been a long cycle away from Central City, or as DG had put it as I was in the process of yanking myself away, a month.

"I just don't understand, Cain," She'd complained for the thousandth time as she followed me into my room, "you were in such a hurry to leave there before, so why do you have to go back to your old house now? And why for an entire month?"

DG had been so busy, between storming after me and henpecking me all at one time, that she apparently hadn't realized what room she'd marched herself into. I didn't bother telling her either. Instead, I just stood in my own doorway, leaning nonchalantly on my door frame while I watched the gears click to inside her head. There was something so satisfying about watching DG morph from a state of blind exasperation into pure and utter embarrassment. Her pale face flushed so fast that I almost lost the fight with a smile, and if I had lost that battle, I might have been saved only by her blue eyes suddenly becoming wide with embarrassment just before she averted them to the floor.

"Never mind. Sorry Cain," she muttered in her raw, smoky voice as she walked carefully past me, her eyes still glued to the floor.

I could have stopped her then. Told her the truth. Then I'd be the one turning red and averting my eyes, and she'd no longer have to wonder why it was that I was so sullen and moody all the time or why I jumped at the chance to get away the moment Jeb's letter was delivered. Instead, I called after her retreating form, sounding almost triumphant and a bit amused at her discomfort. "Maybe I'm tired of being chased by you all the time, Princess. Can't even get a moment's peace in my own room."

The princess merely waved over her shoulder as she continued to march down the hall, going so fast that her raven hair flew behind her in a silken curtain. She didn't give me the pleasure of flashing me an angry scowl or storming back over to me to argue, so I continued to goad her, hoping she'd give in and turn around. "What's a month anyway? You know I don't speak Otherside," I called after her.

"It's four weeks, Mr. Cain," she retorted in a loud, cracked voice just before she turned to climb the stairs. When she did turn, she finally glanced sideways to meet my eyes. Even from a distance, I could tell that her own eyes had turned a stormy blue in that short march down the hall, and they had become so glassy too that the light from the nearby sconce seemed to reflect in them. "I'm sorry for bothering you all the time, I guess I just got used to you being around. Tell Jeb I said hi though, I know you both deserve some time to be alone. See you in a cycle."

With that, she climbed the stairs, launching herself over entire steps to get away from me faster. I didn't realize why it was that my chest hurt so much in that moment when she disappeared. Maybe if I had taken a moment to work it out, I might have saved us both a lot of trouble, but instead, I just stood there looking like a deer in headlights.

In the end, whether you called it a cycle or a month, it had been four weeks of pure, unrelenting hell, especially after that last interaction with DG. I should have been able to get that woman out of my head – enjoy some much-deserved father-son time, and while I did manage to get some real bonding with my suddenly grown son, I couldn't have that without DG being in there somewhere. If Jeb wasn't outright asking about her, then I would see her in my mind's eye instead. The bluest blue of the sky was DG's eyes instead, and the low, mournful croon of a dove at dusk was the rhythmic sound of her voice when she'd been closest to tears. It was enough to drive me to complete distraction, and Jeb - being my double in so many ways – couldn't help but notice it.

I'd only been at the old homestead for a few days when he forced me to talk about it, and although I was more than a little resentful for the intrusion at the time, I'm grateful that he noticed at least. But that's a different story for a different day. Let's just say the kid helped me get my head straight, and by the time I returned to Central City, I was ready to put into action the plan he and I had worked on for the better half of the cycle. Little did I know that I'd have to scrap it the minute I walked into the palace.

I was soaked through with rain by the time I reached the center of the city, where the palace held court with the other glittering spires surrounding it. This was an impressive feat in itself, since I was wearing my good old fedora and raincoat, and it had been completely cloudless and dry until I came within view of the city itself. It was because of this fact alone that I hadn't been waylaid by Glitch and Raw the second I arrived – they were certainly waiting on me to show up, but not at the servant's entrance, and that gave me a few minutes at least to shake out my coat and dry off before Glitch's circus of disjointed explanations was in full swing. I was just handing my hat and coat to one of the many butlers when the Zipperhead barreled into the kitchen, breathless and pale. In his wake was the furball, looking nearly as troubled as his partner, and twice as alarmed at what must have been a pretty unfriendly look on my face.

Before either of them could start in on me, I held up a hand in warning and commanded in my deepest, most intimidating voice, "Unless someone is dead, dying, or being put in an iron suit, we got nothing to talk about right now, Glitch. I'm cold, wet, and tired, and I'm going to need a bath and something to eat before I deal with whatever mess you've made while I was gone."

Glitch's mouth hung open for a split second while he processed my command, while Raw paced minutely behind him and wrung his hands nervously. This couldn't be good, and I knew it, but the fact that they were both standing there like they might have been three cycles ago when we'd been chasing the Emerald could only mean one thing: DG had to have turned tail after I'd left. The fact that I hadn't been recalled by the Queen meant that it hadn't been that long ago and being informed by Glitch and Raw rather than my officers meant that only a few people knew. Having surmised this in a few seconds, I couldn't hold my hard stance any longer, and exhaled a long and slow breath before I spoke again.

"When did she take off?" I rumbled in such a low voice that only the two of them could hear me. Before either of them could speak, I jerked my head, indicating that they should follow me out of the kitchen so we might speak without an audience.

The two of them flanked me, both so close to either of my shoulders that we might as well have been one person instead of three and could continue speaking quietly as we walked. Raw was the first to speak and his voice was equal in its depth to my own as he rumbled quietly. "Raw felt DG's absence yesterday morning –"

"We'd just been talking over lunch the day before about you coming home today, and the next thing I knew, she was a no show for lessons with Tutor in the afternoon." Glitch cut in, his voice disjointed and breathless as he puffed along to keep up.

My feet very suddenly felt like lead weights, keeping me from taking another step, and it seemed the only safe place to look was directly above me, to the high, ornate ceiling above. I wasn't really looking at anything in particular, if I'm being completely honest, I just needed to take a deep breath before I swore out loud. My heart seemed to be drumming out an SOS in my chest, and I felt a slight twang of discomfort – or should I say fear – rush through me. All the while, my mind was racing. I hadn't told DG when I was coming back for a simple reason: I didn't want to give her more information than I was ready to hand out myself in person, but I never expected her to bolt the second my name was mentioned. That was not how I expected things to go, and frankly, her reaction was giving me all kinds of thoughts that a grown man who's faced death a time or two should be long past. Despite these thoughts, I knew I'd have to push on sooner or later, and after another deep breath for good measure, I finally let my eyes drift downward to rest on Glitch and Raw, who'd apparently taken a few steps beyond me before realizing I'd stopped and were now watching me in quiet apprehension.

Avoiding Raw's probing stare, I turned my attention to Glitch, asking in a deadly quiet voice, "You told her I was coming back? Did she say anything after that?"

Glitch fiddled with a curl nervously while he pondered his answer, and he winced when he replied. "She might have said something about having a lot to do, but you know DG, her list of to do's is always a mile long. I naturally assumed she had something up her sleeve for you, seeing that she's been so moody since you left."

Thunder shook the windows so suddenly that it might as well have been a part of the conversation. This brought up another apropos question in my mind, and my eyes flicked onto the windows when I asked darkly, "and that, how long has that been going on?"

Glitch stared blankly at the windows, clearly having difficulty registering my question. Instead, Raw answered, his own voice echoing the depth of my own voice. "Almost a cycle, Cain. DG very troubled. Would not talk to Raw about it." He paused for what seemed an eternity and finally added quietly, "Found Princess in Cain's office when the first thunderstorm hit."

Raw's words were ringing in my ears like a massive bell, feeling like they might vibrate my skull apart. I wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that DG had been in my quarters when she was clearly so upset, but given her absence, I was guessing that it couldn't be good. Despite my chest feeling like it might burst, I knew that I had to shove my personal feelings aside though and focus. Glancing at my cohorts, I noticed that Glitch was chewing on his lower lip like he was afraid of how I'd react, and Raw was now intentionally not looking at me. This was a sure sign that he'd figured out whatever puzzle I was presenting to him, and had it been any other time, I might have told him to keep whatever he'd learned to himself, but right now I had more pressing issues.

"I'm going to take a wild guess that she wasn't in her room this morning, the Queen knows, and she and the Consort are waiting on me in their sitting room. Does that sum it all up?" I asked Glitch in a somewhat strained mutter. Judging by Raw and Glitch's sheepish nods, I didn't really need them to say much else, so I added quickly, "I need to see the kid's room before I go talkin' to the Queen. Anyone cleaned it yet?"

"Oh no. I asked Ana to leave everything as it was until you looked it over," Glitch gasped excitedly.

I could feel a smile edging around the corners of my face. Hard not to smile sometimes with Glitch – he could sometimes be so ditzy that he might as well have been a bobble-head doll, and yet he was also the smartest person I've ever known. This was one of those times when he showed his metal, and I was grateful. I knew I needed to get whatever information I could before I stepped in front of DG's parents, and I'd have to do it fast, because they'd certainly been informed of my arrival. Words didn't seem necessary any longer, and the second I started striding forward again, the pair of them got back into formation with me. If I had been in any mood, I might have appreciated their camaraderie – these two had become my two closest friends in such a short time – the kind you make after going through battle together. I knew I could trust them, and I was certain Raw already knew what was in my head, but now wasn't the time. Now I just needed to find the princess.

When we finally got to the kid's room, I almost thought we'd been too late, and the maid had already cleaned up. "You sure Ana hasn't picked up yet?" I asked Glitch as my eyes scanned every corner of the room.

"Positive," Glitch answered simply. His voice was deep and clipped when he answered – a sure indicator that Ambrose had taken over at that moment, and he too was scanning the place slowly and methodically.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. The place looked almost too clean given who we were dealing with. On any other day, DG's sitting room would have seemed like it had been tossed by an overactive toddler. Watercolors normally lived on the tray now sitting empty on the coffee table in the center of the room, her latest sketch that was usually hastily pushed under the couch if it wasn't in her hand was absent, and the blanket that was ordinarily strewn over the same couch's backside after she'd been sleeping there half the morning was folded neatly on the cushion of the chair I usually sit in when we're talking. Other normal signs of DG were gone from this space too – her usual half-drank cup of coffee was absent from the mantle, and her sneakers and other traveling clothes had all disappeared from their homes on the floor by the door. Worst of all, given that the kid usually had a soliloquy of things to say to me, there wasn't even a note laying around anywhere to explain anything. She was just gone. A scan of her other rooms showed a similar lack of use – the bed was made, and the bathroom spotless, like she'd never been there at all. I could feel my jaw clenching up as I made yet another scan, and my heart seemed to stop beating altogether as I came to one sobering conclusion: DG wasn't intending on coming back, and as close as she was to the three of us, she didn't let on because we would have stopped her.

I could feel hot tears trying to sting the corners of my eyes, and I turned away from them both quickly so I wouldn't have to deal with their sympathy. "I need a minute before I see the Queen," I muttered, turning so quickly and marching out that neither had the chance to get in line with me again.

"You want me to tell her you're coming," Glitch called after me.

"Do that," I grunted back.

Good old Glitch – he wasn't a seer like Raw, for certain, but he still had great instincts. I was pretty certain that he had already figured out my state of mind, but he was too smart to put me on the spot. This was no time for warm and fuzzy feelings of gratitude, however, and I pushed those thoughts aside while I made the short trek down the hall to my own room. Fortunately, the Queen and I had been on the same page about me having a room just steps from DG. I didn't even need to argue with her, she just smiled and nodded when I suggested it. Knowing that DG's proclivity for rule-breaking didn't just begin in her adulthood, I didn't need to ask why Queen Lavender was so eager for her daughter to be so closely guarded. I was actually more surprised that she let me take leave for anything longer than a day, and as much as I'd needed that time with Jeb, I was beginning to regret leaving at all.

Entering my room seconds later, I was still holding out hope for something, even just a scrap of paper on the floor explaining DG's exit. Given the state of her own room, I shouldn't have been surprised that there was no note waiting for me in mine. Everything seemed to be in order, except for one addition – a bowl of apples on my dresser. Seeing that I don't normally keep fruit in my room since I'm almost always out chasing after DG, I knew that this had to be the one calling card she'd left and she'd scribbled my name on a card sitting on top, probably hoping that it's presence there might act as a flag to draw attention to the apples underneath it. I stepped closer to the dresser and huffed loudly as I leaned on the scarred walnut top, reaching to move the card and grab one of the ruby red fruits. The card itself was disappointingly blank, with only a thin sheet of ratty tissue sandwiched in between the sides of the heavy, pale white paper. I figured that she'd probably grabbed this card in a hurry from the standard stores of stationery kept on-hand for castle staff, seeing that she hadn't even bothered to notice the protective tissue still pushed inside it. I tried my best to ignore the pang of hurt stabbing me like a needle for the lack of care on DG's part, and instead slid the evidence under the bowl, choosing instead to examine DG's offering instead. There were seven apples in all – one for every day of the week it seemed, almost as if she left them there in her stead as some kind of down payment. I mulled over this concept as I took a bite out of the apple in my hand and considered that the apples were probably telling in themselves and would serve to give me some idea without the unfortunate side effect of having something concrete to hang her on later. My thought process was cut short by that fruit however, and I couldn't seem to think after the taste of it had completely coated my mouth. The apple itself was sweet and full of juice – most likely picked right off the tree in the courtyard by the princess herself, and I found myself drifting willingly into that memory, hoping there was some hint there.

The apple picking had become a sort of ritual for her after we'd taken the palace over. She was still working on getting her memories and her light back, and until she was recovered, her mother treated her as some kind of invalid, giving her as little to do as possible while everyone else bustled around rebuilding from annuals of strife under the Sorceress. DG took it as a kind of torture, seeing that she'd spent the last thirteen annuals of her life on a farm, and working as a waitress for the past five. As funny as I thought it was, thinking of a princess taking other people's orders, hard work was something that fit DG's character well. This forced respite was anything but relaxing to her, and so although I'd been given my own overflowing set of tasks as the Queen's new head of security, I'd also taken it upon myself to help keep the kid busy. I must have been glutton for punishment though, because keeping DG busy was a little like herding munchkins on bungie wires. Although I found her plenty to do, so did everyone else who had found out about her proclivity for fixing things and doing things with her hands. She was a marvel to watch really, except she never seemed to stay put. The only time she'd give it a rest, it seems, was when she'd yank me into the garden and make me sit while she worked there as well. Getting her hands into soil and feeling the cool air on her face seemed to both invigorate and calm DG, and she must have seen the same in me, because before I knew it, the daily sojourn to the garden had begun.

On the morning following our first visit to the garden, I was startled by a loud rapping on my door. It was too early to be Glitch, and Raw wouldn't have knocked so loud. It had to be one of my staff, I'd thought, and so I dashed for the door, still shirtless and in the middle of towel drying my hair. It wasn't one of my soldiers though and seeing DG standing there with the front of her hair pinned up, exposing her slender neck and the flush that always reached past her brilliant smile knocked the wind out of me. The fact that she'd so quickly rendered me speechless also took me by surprise, and I guess I showed it when I answered the door.

"Princess!" I exclaimed as I dropped the towel to my side, probably also looking at her like she was some kind of ghost.

She only smiled wider, showing that impish streak of hers, and she followed it up by chuckling under her breath, and replying in her brightest, most hard-to-say-no-to way. "I was thinking about spending some time in the garden before breakfast. I thought maybe it would be nicer early in the morning before everyone's moving around. You game, Tin Man?"

If there's one thing that I have a hard time saying no to, besides DG at her most charming, it's time outside with a supreme lack of people. It also didn't hurt that it was my day off, and as I was just about to head over to her suite, so turning the kid down wasn't really the first thing on my mind. All the same, it was entertaining to watch her squirm a little while I hesitated in my response – I stood there in my doorway feigning a need to dry my head a bit more, causing DG's eyes to widen and her brow to furrow. As I let the seconds pass us by, she began chewing on her bottom lip, clearly afraid that I'd say no. Covertly watching the princess become more agitated was so entertaining overall that I couldn't help but finally crack a smile, and this was joined by a scoff so lighthearted that I admit I felt a little bit giddy. DG was clearly pleased with my reaction, and beamed so brightly that I swear she was lit from within.

"You'll come?" she asked excitedly, bouncing ever so slightly on the balls of her slippered feet.

I was fully smiling now whether I wanted to or not. DG just had that effect on people, and I was no different than anyone else. "Yeah kid," I replied through another scoff, and I added as I looked down at myself, "Just let me finish getting dressed, okay?"

I guess the kid had been so excited that she hadn't realized that I was standing there the whole time without a shirt on, and my belt buckle was still undone. While this didn't really bother me too much, it clearly gave DG some sudden shyness, and her entire face flushed when I brought attention to my state of general undress. "Oh, sorry Cain, I guess I've been hanging around Glitch too much. Glitching again!" she exclaimed nervously, trying her best to imitate Glitch as she turned away to give me some privacy.

Gods I was thick. It didn't really sink in yet, the reason why DG was so shy about my appearance. I figured at the time that looking at a half-dressed middle-aged man was a little unnerving. I hadn't really put it together that I hadn't aged in the suit and was still effectively thirty-two annuals old. I was really only about five annuals older than her, and even if I had aged, I could still keep up with my officers during training sessions. I guess I just don't spend too much time looking in the mirror to see the effect. I was pretty oblivious to it at the time though and was so quick to finish getting dressed that I didn't give her reaction much thought.

It wasn't too long before she was dragging me out to that garden, and the first thing she did was to pick the lowest hanging apple off a tree and hand it to me. "Here," she explained huskily, "breakfast."

Her eyes lingered on mine almost as long as her hand stayed itself over the apple that she'd placed in mine. The tips of her fingers glanced the pulse point of my wrist when her breath fluttered, and it wasn't until that moment that I realized what was happening, but I'll be damned if I had a single thought in my head. All I could focus on was the electricity that seemed to pass from her fingertips and into my skin, traveling up my arm and making my heart studder. Her eyes were glued to mine all the while – the pupils dilating in a way I'd never seen before – almost like she was a caught animal, except I was almost certain I had a similar look in my own eyes. I couldn't say what it was that kept me glued to that spot, or that kept me staring into the depths of her cerulean eyes. All I know is that I felt compelled to try and figure out what was happening between us. I was like some dense kid that had never met a girl before, and although the embarrassing thought had flickered to life in the back of my head, I was intentionally ignoring it, since I hadn't felt anything like this for over ten annuals. It seemed like we stood there for an eternity, but it was probably only a split second, and just like that, everything suddenly went back to normal: we both quickly looked away and dropped our hands as if we'd been shocked, avoiding any mention of what had just transpired. DG went to her gardening, and I stretched out on a nearby bench to begin carving into the apple she'd given me, smiling minutely at the fact that she'd remembered my meager breakfast preference. From then on, it was apples and gardening for at least an hour every morning, save the ones when I was gone on leave, and this realization broke me from my thoughts in a fraction of a hot minute.

When I stopped daydreaming, I realized fully that I'd just about finished changing into my uniform all while I'd been thinking about that first morning of our garden ritual, all while still taking chunks out of that apple. Knowing I probably wouldn't be able to partake in another breakfast in the garden with DG, I stopped eating that apple abruptly, and frowned deeply at it before I chucked it into the wastepaper basket.

"It's not going to be that easy, Princess," I muttered to the apple, acting like I was talking to DG instead.

I couldn't stop frowning then, and when I checked myself over in the mirror, I was still eyeing myself with that unfriendly grimace that DG often teased me about. "My momster – sorry, my nurture unit – used to stay that if I kept making faces like yours, my face would get stuck that way." DG would say before she laughed and added brightly, "I guess she wasn't telling a lie then."

I almost cracked a smile in the mirror at the memory, but I was so unhappy about the situation that hardly any would notice it except me. I had to take another deep, bracing breath to excise the hint of a smirk from my face and DG's voice from my head. Opening my eyes to examine myself once more, I paused to smooth out the deep, forest green material that had me strapped in like one of Jeb's tin soldiers. The silver buttons running down my front were nearly as steely as my eyes, and if it weren't for how trussed up I felt in that giddup, I might have been pleased with my clean-cut appearance. I was pleased at least that I looked presentable enough to stand before the Queen, so with one last glance at my reflection, I marched out of the bathroom, ready to face the proverbial firing squad.

Marching down the hall and across the palace to the Queen's private parlor suddenly felt like the hardest thing I'd done since saying goodbye to Adora. Every step was an effort, feeling more like I was pulling my feet through quicksand than thin air, and my senses were so fine-tuned that the light seemed a little too bright, and the smallest sound rang in my ears almost like it had been amplified a hundred times. You wouldn't have known this by looking at me, of course. The long annuals of first being a Tin Man, and then being trapped in an iron suit had hardened my exterior to such an extent that most wondered if I had any feelings left. Of course I did – I'm human after all – and one of the few people that excelled at pulling those emotions out of me was doing it again, but this time, it was her absence causing the ache, and the thought of facing her parents wasn't helping matters.

I had nothing to be scared of – I wasn't to blame, so guilt wasn't a factor in my well-hidden anxiety. I just didn't want to tell the kid's parents that it didn't look like she planning on coming back. Thinking on my own son, who had been just eight annuals old when I'd been thrown in that suit, I sympathized with them. They'd gone through just about the same kind of hell – being forcibly separated from their daughter without any way to get to her for annuals. They just had to hope that they'd done enough to prepare her for the world – or at least loved her enough – so that she could survive it without them. Suddenly being reunited was a dream for me, I'll say that, but it was difficult to reconcile eight annual Jeb with the grown man that many in the Resistance called "Captain," and it was one of the most painful things to relinquish my parenting role. Although relating to DG's parents was an easy thing for that reason, being told that they didn't really get her back after all was fortunately something I hadn't gone through personally yet. I could imagine, though, and I assumed the worst in my own mind.

My curiosity was more than a little peaked when I reached the Queen's guard detail standing sentry outside her doors. Being that they were both under my command, and painfully aware of the tight ship I ran, they both stood as straight as poles as I approached, and their gaze was cool and outward, as if intentionally ignoring me, with the exception that they somehow stood even straighter still and offered me a stiff salute when I paused before them.

"Sir!" The two guards exclaimed in clipped tones.

"Report." I replied with equal urgency, already guessing that neither would have much to tell me based on Glitch's comment.

"The Queen and her consort are inside, sir. Just sat down to breakfast." The left-hand guard replied quickly.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" I asked, continuing the debrief just make a point.

"No sir," the right-hand guard replied, "all quiet in the palace."

Obviously a true debrief was scheduled for later. This little interrogation was only a means of making my least experienced soldiers aware of the fact that they shouldn't let their commanding officer walk into a room with the Queen with his pants down. I was satisfied, at least, in that they'd confirmed one fact: the Queen was keeping this quiet.

With that fact put to rest, I closed our little interview with a small salute. "As you were," I rumbled just before stepping between them to knock on the door.

"Come in," I could hear the Queen lilt on the other side of the door, and so I entered without delay.

In all the annuals of being a cop, I'd seen a lot of parents, and their reactions to their children's missteps or miss happenings had run the gambit from being completely unaffected to over the moon hysterical. All the same, whatever image I'd had in my head about what to expect when I walked in that room faded the moment I set eyes on DG's parents. By all outward appearances, they were completely calm and collected – a congenial pair enjoying their breakfast without a care in the entire OZ. The closer I stepped to their breakfast table, however, it became apparent that it was all a ruse. Their breakfast, consisting of the most meager offerings – toast and marmalade with a carafe of tea between them – lay untouched, and the expression within their eyes when a knowing party arrived made some of the subterfuge melt, leaving a hint of worry between them as they exchanged a look before greeting me.

"Your Majesties," I greeted the pair with a tight bow as I approached.

The Queen arose as if I was some kind of dignitary and swept a hand across the table, "Good morning, General Cain, please sit with us."

Of course I accepted the Queen's offer, and sat down between them, all the while stealing snatches of their expressions to better understand the pair. The Queen's stately countenance had reappeared on cue the moment she'd arisen, and now seated once more, it was as if she'd gotten completely into character. There was no hint of worry showing in her eyes any longer, and instead, an entirely serene and gracious expression prevailed. The rest of her person was equally well-put together; her silver curls were perfectly piled on the top of her head, and her dress was the calmest shade of lavender, with no sign of wrinkles or overwear. The consort was another story all together – to be fair, the first time I'd met him, I'd believed him to be nothing more than some old carpetbagger in the Realm of the Unwanted. He'd been pretty rough and ready back then, with long, unkempt blonde hair and mutton chops, and his apparel put him directly in line with the Gypsies that migrated about the realms. Although much more coifed these days, that proclivity for being a bit unusual remained. Although the long hair remained, it was now neatly combed and pulled into a tight ponytail at the base of the man's neck, and he'd merely traded his ragged apparel for a more opulent variant replete with rich velvets and silks. Apart from this, he'd looked completely at ease sitting at that table, and the only sign of discomfort he'd offered was a slight clearing of his throat when I'd first entered the room.

Admittedly, I wasn't sure what to say at first. Ordinarily, when these kinds of things happened in the past, I'd dive headlong into my report to the parents without any real pause at this stage – but this was the Queen I was talking to. It was best to wait on her to speak first, so I fiddled with the hat in my hand instead until she spoke.

"I assume, General, that you've been informed of the situation." The Queen began as she lowered herself back into her seat.

I swallowed the lump in my throat keeping me from talking while I nodded. "Yes ma'am," I answered roughly.

"What are your thoughts, General?" She continued to prompt me, sounding as calm and patient as if I were a kid.

"I will have to do a more thorough investigation, of course, but I did stop on my way here to search the Princess's room." I paused here, feeling a little like a kid myself for the sudden feeling of unwillingness swelling up in me.

Then the Queen's voice cut in, sounding quiet and friendly, "DG is a dear friend to you, we know General Cain, but please do not spare our feelings. I trust your thoughts more than most and would greatly appreciate your candor."

I ventured a glance into the woman's face and, finding her lavender eyes warm and watching me with compassion, I admit I relaxed a little. A slender hand was reaching across the table towards me, and I got the distinct impression that this was plea – not from my queen, but from a mother. It was enough to restore some of my natural fortitude, and I continued with a slight nod. "I apologize ma'am, what I was going to say is that the Princess picked the place clean. This doesn't look to be one of her random adventures. I don't think she intends on coming back."

I'd given a little away with my last comment – my voice had cracked slightly, and I glanced into the Queen's eyes once more to gauge if she'd caught it. She had, of course, but what appeared on both of their faces as a result surprised me, I'll admit, and took me off-guard. The pair exchanged what I would call a knowing glance, and their next joint expression in my direction was one of compassion and understanding.

"That's not all, I assume," the Queen prompted me gently.

"I'm afraid so, for now, ma'am," I lied.

I'm no fool, I know what she was doing. Although I suspected that I wouldn't want to play poker with this woman, I had the benefit of experience; she was doing exactly what I do it with my officers on a constant basis, especially when I can hear that little cue in their voice that there's more to be said. Fortunately for me, though, she didn't press me further on that. Maybe she could tell that whatever it was behind my cracked voice was more personal than I was willing to discuss for now, and since I wasn't in any way prepared to discuss the matter of the apples, I'm glad that she didn't pressure me to cough up the goods.

Instead, the Consort cleared his voice and spoke, seeming very much like a voice of reason when he suggested gently, "Lav, I think we ought to tell the General what we know. Maybe it will help him in his investigation."

I looked between them like I was some kind of spectator in a sporting match. The Queen's eyes flashed almost angrily on her husband when he made that suggestion, but she instantly deflated at his expression; both loving and pleading.

If I didn't know any better, I'd might have said that DG's personality hailed more than her father, but I would have changed my tune after that moment. Watching the silent sparing between the Queen and her consort was very much like throwing a mirror on me and DG under similar circumstances. It was no surprise then that the Queen very quickly deflated and sighed, replying in a grumble, "Oh, alright." She quickly turned to me then and offered, "I apologize General, but I am admittedly somewhat embarrassed about what I'm about to tell you. You see, not long after you departed, I was approached by the counsel to find ways to improve our relationships with the neighboring realms. Among the suggestions, the counsel intimated that we might encourage certain suitors for both princesses."

I shouldn't have been surprised by this, but for some reason, confirmation that DG would be expected to take on suitors knocked the wind out of me. It was as if my heart dropped into my stomach, and when I tried to swallow, my mouth felt dry and cottony.

"Did you tell DG this?" I asked, my voice sounding far away to my own ears.

The Consort was eyeing the Queen skeptically with this question, while the Queen seemed to be having trouble speaking herself, and she took a hard swallow of her tea before she answered. "I may have left the suggestion portion out of my imperative to her, unfortunately." I must have lost my poker face with that revelation because the Queen added apologetically, "I realize now that I made a grave mistake. DG never has followed the rules, and I thought she might benefit from some direction given what she's been through. What I failed to account for was the fact that she's done without my direction for so long and doesn't really remember me as her mother. I should have remembered that before I attempted to resume that role."

Whatever my issue was with pushing DG in front of a bunch of men like she was some kind of carrot seemed to fizzle with the Queen's explanation. Don't get me wrong, besides my own flimsy stake in the matter, I still don't agree with the whole outdated notion. That said, I did relate to the Queen's failed attempt to parent her now grown daughter. It hadn't been more than a two cycles ago, when Jeb asked if he could take over the old homestead that I had my own misstep. Jeb had been quick to remind me of my place, and we'd moved on pretty quick, but then he's no prince, and I'm not a King. I never had to challenge my son's autonomy – I reveled in it in fact - but I can see where encouraging a princess' autonomy might present certain challenges to security.

I was so busy chewing on what the Queen had said, and my feelings on the matter, that I must have looked pretty far off for a few seconds. The Queen was polite about it though, and only really cleared her throat once before I'd shaken myself loose from my train of thought.

"I apologize your Majesty; I was just considering the information." I replied in answer to her non-verbal cue.

The Queen smiled minutely and shook her head. "There is no need to apologize, General Cain, I too needed time to swallow the suggestion put forth by the counsel. It was not proposed to DG lightly for obvious reasons, and I never intended for her to marry any of these suitors, but my position is still somewhat precarious. I was afraid that this very thing might happen." She paused to swipe at her eyes, and her own voice cracked somewhat when she asked quietly, "Do you think she'll leave the OZ again?"

This was the true elephant in the room. It isn't generally like me to look away from something terrifying that has the potential to tear me to shreds, but I'd been avoiding this question in my own mind for one simple reason: as possible as it was, I didn't want it to happen. It took me a minute to grapple with this, bearing in mind that although the Queen had chosen to be frank and vulnerable with me, I had to return some amount of courage to her, if only to keep her from crumbling. If there was any chance that I might find DG, I needed this woman's help to do it, and I'd need her to keep things quiet, if only for a little while. Just as I was pondering how I might accomplish that, the thunder and rain picked up again, and it boomed and rolled just outside the large bay window at the end of the room, all while flailing heavy drops against the panes.

"If she's thinking about it, she hasn't done it yet," I replied deeply, gesturing all the while at the storm outside the windows. "I noticed a while back that it seems to rain when she's upset about something, but what I don't know is if this is representative of some new-found ability to brew up a travel storm. Can you tell me anything about that?"

The Queen started chewing on her lower lip. I might have even found it endearingly similar to the princess in question at any other moment, but right now, I needed the Queen to reassure me a little.

"It may be possible soon," the Queen replied darkly, "but not yet. DG's abilities have always been somewhat mercurial, and since she was taken from us before she could learn how to temper her emotions, she is just now mastering that skill. I am not certain, however, how well that is proceeding."

The Queen's last comment was darker than the first, and was laced with a fair amount of displeasure, which she kept reigned in just barely. The Consort obviously picked up on this as well, and he explained with an unhappy sigh, "Tutor's reports aren't really telling us much about her progress, I'm afraid. The man's good at what he does, we don't have any doubts there, but he's always had a soft spot for those two girls. Indulges them. I used to encourage it when they were little. Felt like their time with tutor was the closest thing to the childhood I remembered on the Otherside; being spoiled by my grandparents and uncles. Lav and I can't really afford to do that ourselves, you see, we have to prepare them for their roles, but now I'm wondering if I was wrong."

Internally, I'll admit that there have been more than a handful of times that I've been suspicious of the old magic teacher, but I didn't bring them up for a couple of reasons. The first and most important fact was that, despite the man's initial reasons for showing up again in DG's life, he always looked out for her best interests. By the end of our quest for the emerald, he also saved my butt, and nearly got himself killed for the pleasure. So, I won't lie that those little nuggets might have stayed my mouth from landing the pooch in hot water just then, but it didn't stop my suspicions. I'd have to go find the old man soon. I just hoped that he wasn't leaving anything out in his reports to DG's parents.

"I'm not so sure, Ahamo, but it is beside the point at this moment in any case," the Queen replied, drawing me out of my thoughts with her gentle lilt of a voice, and loving expression aimed at her husband. She then turned to me, and that expression changed, now appearing as a mixture of monarch and mother. "General, I feel that we have addressed what we can. I would like to waste no further time and have decided to assign you to locating our daughter."

The Queen then arose, indicating that our interview had ended. As I slid out of my seat and began to bow in parting, she raised a hand to stay me, and she added softly. "Mr. Cain, I only have one request as you go about finding my daughter. Please do not cause a scene or force her to return, and although I would like to be kept informed of your progress, I will also vow to keep attention away from her true whereabouts until you say otherwise. Are we understood?"

The Queen's lavender eyes were sharp and knowing on me, as if she'd read my mind. Now she just wanted my promise that I would play along, just as I had hoped she would just a few moments before. It was a little unnerving, but a relief all the same, so I offered her a tight nod and a quiet vow.

"You have my word, your Majesty, I'll find DG and keep her safe. Always." I replied softly as I bowed my head.

Whether I'd meant to or not, those words had come out feeling just as serious as the vows I'd taken on my wedding day to Adora. I'd stood by those words to the very end, and it had nearly killed me to kneel beside her grave. I'll be damned though if I'll be standing by another too soon, and I certainly won't be showing up late to any travel storm party, not if I can help it. I'd rather jump into a twister after her to keep my word, and at least I'd know she was safe.

I'd just have to find her first, and now I had the leave of the Queen to do just that.