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“I’m simply glad my soldiers and I were in the forest that night and were in a position to be of some assistance,” I reply. “How much of that night do you remember?”

His expression darkens with pain and anger. “All of it,” he replies, and his voice is choked with fury and agony.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

He takes a deep breath, as if trying to gather himself together and get his emotions under control. “Prince Mikil accused Aaran and me of being traitors. He said we were the leaders of a secret militia who were plotting a revolt against the royal house of Ellerban.”

He stops talking, as if the words cause him too much pain.

He looks away from me and stares out the window as he takes in a ragged breath full of torment.

“He proceeded to beat and torture us for the names of the others in this so-called militia, but of course we couldn’t give him these names as it doesn’t exist.”

The bitterness in his voice is palpable and I feel it fill the space between us and fall upon my skin like a thousand needles.

The only other person I’ve ever seen affected by so much pain and anger is Kes, and I have to fight an impulse to go to him to offer comfort, so I ask another question instead.

“Why would he accuse you of such a thing?”

His eyes darken with unmistakable anger and I suspect he feels my question suggests there’s some possible truth in Prince Mikil’s accusation.

“I don’t know.” He spits out the words as if they hurt him.

“But I can assure you there isn’t the remotest ounce of truth in it.

I can only think it has something to do with his desire to be king and… ”

He pauses and looks at me and it’s obvious he’s unsure of what to say next.

“And what?” I ask.

He looks back to the window. “Something that happened before. Something involving Prince Ronan, where both Aaran and I failed the prince.”

His voice is a whisper at the end and there’s an unmistakable air of shame about him. “I’m sorry, Queen Elinor, for the sharpness of my tone in answering your question, but Prince Mikil’s accusation is hugely offensive to me and a slur on my honour and the honour of my family.”

I smile. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Having witnessed the actions of Prince Mikil that night I can tell you he is not a man I hold in high regard.”

His head swings around in surprise. “You witnessed what happened?”

“Only some of it,” I reply. “Two of my soldiers came upon you when the prince strung you both up in the forest and they alerted me to what was happening. By the time I and the rest of my soldiers got there the damage had mostly been done, and Prince Mikil left you there to die. That’s when I gave the order to have you cut down and brought with us.

Your cousin, Ailish, vouched for you. She said you’re a good man, and I’ve never known her to be wrong about a person’s character. ”

He smiles and his dark blue eyes shine like a pair of precious sapphires. “She’s a good woman. It’s good to know she is happy here in Ardvalla.”

“She is one of my most trusted and valued warriors, and when she vouches for someone I listen,” I reply.

He musters a smile but I fear he is growing weary.

“Do you need to return to your bed?” I ask and just as I do so he grabs onto the window ledge.

I rush towards him, fearful he may faint and further injure himself.

I place my arm across his back, trying not to touch too many of his wounds, and hook my hand under his arm.

“No…” He starts to protest. “I can manage… please, Your Majesty, you must not…”

Even as he speaks I can feel him growing weaker. “Shh,” I command him, “come, let us get you to your bed.”

He doesn't protest any further, and even though I suspect it causes him great embarrassment, he allows me to help him to his bed. He may be weak in this moment, but as I feel his muscles flex under my touch there’s no doubting his physical prowess.

Just like the prince, he is powerfully built, and I suspect he is a fearsome warrior.

I help him to ease himself onto the bed and give him a moment to steady himself.

“Thank you,” he says in a low voice, “my indebtitude to you knows no bounds.”

“Please, do not concern yourself with matters of indebtitude,” I advise him. “I will leave you to rest now, but I’m afraid there is one small thing I must ask of you.”

“Anything.”

“I must ask you to keep the involvement of Prince Mikil in your injuries and that of your fellow soldier a secret for now. I don’t wish for Prince Ronan to discover the role his brother played in this unpleasant situation just yet.”

Even though he is visibly weary, his eyes light up at the mention of the prince.

“So, it’s true, Prince Ronan is here.”

I nod. “Yes, the night the attack took place I was in Ellerban on business to see the prince and he accompanied me back to Ardvalla. We were on our return journey and making our way through the forest when my two outriders discovered you.”

He looks puzzled at my words but doesn’t question them. “So, the prince is here and I haven’t been hallucinating his presence by my bedside.”

I smile. “No, you haven’t been hallucinating. He is very much present and has kept a close eye on you both. You say you failed him, but I’ve never seen a prince think more highly of his men than the prince thinks of you and your fellow soldier.”

He looks away as if my words cause him shame. “Does he fare well?” he asks, and I find his question a little strange. I feel as if he is asking me something else, but I have no idea what it is.

“He fares very well, apart from when he is worrying about you and your comrade.”

“May I ask why you wish me not to mention Prince Mikil’s involvement in my injuries? If he was with you in the forest, did Prince Ronan not see for himself what happened?”

I hesitate before answering, knowing I need to choose my words carefully and not reveal the true nature of how the prince “accompanied” me that night.

“The prince had consumed a large amount of wine prior to our meeting, and not long after we started our journey he fell asleep in the... carriage. I was unfamiliar with the prince at the time and unsure as to how he would react if I revealed it was his own brother who caused such grievous injuries to two men he held in such high regard. Therefore, I told him I didn’t know who attacked you, only that they were from Ellerban. ”

He says nothing, but I can see he is carefully considering what I am telling him.

I continue, deciding to tell him as much as I can.

“The prince and I are engaged in discussions regarding a sensitive matter, and I didn’t want to cause a fissure in our relationship early on by accusing his brother of such heinous behavior.

I now understand the prince is aware of changes in his brother, but our discussions are at such an advanced stage, and we are so near to an agreement that I don’t wish to jeopardise anything at this delicate stage. Do you understand?”

He nods but looks troubled. “As much as I owe you a debt of gratitude, Queen Elinor, you must understand, my first duty is to my prince. I must therefore ask for your word that by agreeing to your request it in no way adversely affects the prince.”

“I give you my word and my solemn promise, keeping this secret will have no adverse effects for the prince. It is my intention to inform him soon, but not just yet. I had hoped to find out more from you and your fellow soldier as to why Prince Mikil acted the way he did towards you, but what you have told me is even more troubling.”

Anger darkens his face again but he says nothing, and I decide to tentatively explore the other reason I kept the prince in the dark about the actions of his brother.

“There was also another reason why I didn’t mention Prince Mikil and his actions…

At times, Prince Ronan can become distant and he retreats into himself as if he is in great pain and torment.

On occasion his mental state seems fragile, and I didn’t want to cause him any further pain or distress.

Therefore, I kept my own counsel in this matter. ”

He looks at me, and his blue eyes and handsome features are sharp with tension. “Has the prince told you anything of his life in recent times?” he asks, and again I feel he is really asking me something else.

I realise, despite spending increasing time in each other’s company, I know very little about the prince, and it hits me that a few times he has been evasive. I sense there is something in his recent history, something that has affected him deeply and the man before me knows what it is.

“No,” I reply. “However, I suspect something happened that has greatly affected him. Do you know what it is?”

A dark sadness clouds his face and he looks away in an obvious effort to avoid my gaze.

“It is not for me to tell you this story, Queen Elinor. I’m sorry, but this is something only the prince can reveal.

All I can tell you is that you are correct, something happened to him, something beyond imagining, and on the day he needed me most, I failed him. ”

He looks tired and I can tell from his expression he doesn’t wish to talk any further.

“Fine. I can respect that. I will take my leave of you now so you can rest. Thank you so much for telling me more of what happened that night and agreeing to keep Prince Mikil’s involvement a secret for the time being. Rest now. I’m sure the prince will be along to see you shortly.”

“If he asks about that night I will tell him my memory currently forsakes me. That way, when you tell him, I will be able to corroborate your story and finally be truthful with him.”

I nod. “Thank you.”

He closes his eyes as I open the door to leave and an inexplicable desire to remain by his side comes over me. Instead, I walk through the door and head back to my chambers where the business of being queen awaits.