She began laughing quietly. “Yes, I prefer those words too.”

He grinned down at her.

A shadow crossed her eyes just as she moved a hand to stroke his beard.

“You do know,” she said softly, “I will be fine.”

“I do know that, baby,” he whispered in return, “for I will make it that way.”

She held his gaze a moment, before she nodded.

“Shall we have luncheon?” he suggested.

“Yes, let’s,” she agreed.

He bent his head to kiss her, his intention a light peck.

She came up to her toes and pressed into the kiss, thus it ended anything but a light peck.

They then strode to the doors with their arms wound about each other.

For his part, Aramus did this hiding his thoughts, which were centered on the fact he was rather rabidly concerned for his wife’s safety.

This was, on the one hand, logical.

On the other, a quarter of Keel Castle’s grounds were bordered by ocean, which was at his wife’s command. But regardless, there was a dock, which was guarded on land and at sea.

The rest of the castle grounds were protected by a fifteen-foot wall, which was manned with soldiers. There was a gate to get to the lane to the castle that was staffed with guards and a portcullis to enter the courtyard that was manned by more. And the castle itself had yet another cadre assigned to it.

And there were a further one hundred in the guards’ quarters that could come at any sign of trouble.

She was safe there.

She was safe in her home.

She was certainly safe by the sea, for she could make herself that way.

In foreign lands, that was one thing.

But as she put it, in her own home, was entirely another.

So why was Aramus so utterly terrified she was not?

He knew the answer to that, he was in love with his queen and times were rife.

He also knew there were other answers to be had, and he’d put it off, for a number of reasons.

But in times this rife, now that he was home, he needed to seek them.

From olden times, the King of Mar-el had a secret weapon.

It was just, due to its perils, he had to be very careful about using it.

“I do not think this is a good idea,” Ore said as Aramus dismounted at the neck of the abyss.

He looked up at his brother still on his mount and saw Oreti’s eyes aimed at the opening, and they were not narrowed only against the stiff sea breeze.

He was not surprised at Ore’s reticence. The abyss did not look welcoming. Indeed, the entire area was craggy, bleak and uninviting.

Aramus did not refer to that.

“No matter what you see, or hear, or feel, you do not descend this chasm behind me,” he ordered.

“Cap,” Xi murmured.