Bring my children to me! King Godwin called out over the controlled chaos of the feasting hall. He could hear the anger in his voice, though it wasnt at any of themit was at the men who stood in front of him, a collection of nobles who stood there with all the solemnity of men standing at a funeral. He wanted to dismiss them, to tell them all to leave and take their stories with them, yet he couldnt. Duke Viris was among them, and the rest… these men supplied half of the kingdoms armies. The Knights of the Spur might be his men, but the rest were summoned from around the kingdom.

Where are you? he demanded again, loud enough that the feast fell silent.

His children came forward; at least, those of them who were there. Erin was still absent, and his men had yet to send word that theyd found her. Rodry was there, looking as though he expected to be sent off on some mission, and Vars was drunk, looking as though he hoped he wouldnt be. Greave was besotted on the arm of some girl, which was a strange look for him, but probably a better one than his usual moping in the library. Lenore was there, elegant and perfect as always…

…and then there was Nerra. Godwin wasnt supposed to have favorites, but hed always cared for Nerra so much. Looking after her, keeping her secret from the world, had drawn him closer and closer to his daughter. He wanted her to be safe…

…he just couldnt see how he could manage it now.

There have been… claims, he said. The word almost stuck in his throat. He looked over to Aethe, knowing how much this would hurt his wife, because it was hurting him at least as much. Claims about you, Nerra.

Fear filled him then, and as great as his fear for Nerra was, only part of that fear was for his middle daughter. Much of it was for the others there, for all the rest of his family. If people knew that he had kept something like this from them, had not sent away his daughter the moment he knew… they would never forgive him. His whole family might fall and die.

That was the terror that made him say it as if he didnt know all of this, as if he had never heard the words the nobles had said before, rather than hearing them almost the moment his daughter had been born.

What claims? Nerra asked, and she sounded genuinely confused, as if there might be more than one thing that this might be about.

King Godwin gestured to one of the nobles there, a minor earl, Earl Fontaine a few paces ahead of Duke Viris. The duke himself wasnt going to say it, because that would have been too much, but he was there, he was part of this.