The forest path wound its way to the city of Aleria and the castle within its walls that seemed to shine with a golden glow in the sunlight. To the south lay the royal highway, the main traffic route to and from the capital of Frayne, fringed by neatly kept beech trees and surrounded by green hills.

Even from this distance, Ren could see the grey and silver banners with the howling wolf crest snapping in the wind. Lines of guards riding in formation boxed in what Ren could only assume was the Skarlan king and his daughter riding in the centre. They weren't in a carriage as was the Fraynean custom, but on horses of their own, followed by yet more guards and several supply wagons. They moved towards Aleria like a colony of ants, the horses kicking up clouds of dust that settled on the wheat fields around them.

Ren ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath, a brisk breeze tugging on his dark green hunting jacket.

“What can you see?” Niklas shouted up at him.

Leaning over the edge of the steep rock, Ren peered over the edge. Niklas and Hellic looked small below. “Trouble,” he called back.

* * *

“They're early,” Hellic noted, voice tense.

People bowed respectfully as they rode past farms and fields and through the golden city gates. The Fraynean guards in gold and white saluted their crown prince and the queen's bastard, but neither Hellic nor Ren paid them any mind. The white banners with the golden stag's head, Frayne's royal crest, billowed in the wind all along the wide street that led up to the castle gates.

“It's a long journey from Iskaal to Aleria. Maybe they were just eager for some good food and soft beds,” Ren said with a shrug.

In front of them, people moved out of their way, steering horses and carriages off the road. Men and women bowed deeply and children hung out of windows to wave at them as they rode past. Ren offered them joyful smiles and blew a young girl a kiss that made her blush bright red and flee back into her house. The friendly attention of the crowd and their softly muttered well-wishes almost made Ren forget about his own displeasure at missing the party. Bastard or not, Aleria loved all of their young, royal stags, even if Ren's golden hair and light blue eyes made him stand out from the rest of the family. Still, there was a certain apprehension in the gathered crowd. In the hundreds of years since the war began, no member of the Skarlan royal family had set foot within the walls of the city without a sword in hand.

“I bet King Halvard wants to talk wedding arrangements with Father before the party,” Hellic said, visibly shivering.