The further we traveled from the Black Fortress, the easier I felt.

The knot in my stomach - the worry that accompanied ignoring notifications - untangled itself. All I had to process was one bard and her horse… and interestingly enough, the horse was easier to read.

Donna was confident, content, and enjoying the sun.

Granted, Bronwynn wasn't technically classified as a [Patient], yet, so I'd only be picking up strong negative emotions. And it was a beautiful day, sun high in the sky, with a cool breeze, so hopefully there wasn't much to feel negative about.

It was my job to appear composed and casual at all times. I had men to lead and a castle full of the Dark Lord's minions to keep from killing each other every day… but my cultivated image paled next to Bronwynn's - she just was relaxed. It was probably that feeling that'd won me to her music.

“So tell me General Rufus,” her melodious voice roused me from my thoughts, “How long have you been Commander General of the Dark Lord's armies?”

“Officially? Just shy of a decade?”

She raised an eyebrow at me, “Officially?”

There wasn't much to hide when the entire Dark Enchanted Forest knew, “I was chosen as King Keith's playmate when I was 6, and it came with the job, even if I didn't start until he came of age.”

Bronwynn frowned. I waited for her to gather her thoughts, until she asked, “what did your parents think of that?”

“It was a great honor.” I tried to sound proud, but it came out flat.

“Oh really?” Her eyes still gave away her displeasure. “Alright then, what was it like being the Dark Lord's playmate?”

“I was tasked to prevent Keith from unaliving himself. I was mostly successful." The image of our illustrious king jumping off a building with his untested mechanical wings came to mind. Or that time he jumped into the lake after a selkie because the girl promised to take him treasure hunting.

Patina was now a Lieutenant in the Dark Lord's Army, and the treasure hunting had been fun once I'd made sure she wasn't just there to assassinate my prince… Keith was always walking into the line of fire, exploding himself or bringing home murderous creatures he'd somehow managed to convince not to murder him.

His wife included. My lips quirked at that thought.

“How did you meet our Dark Lady?” The name made me actually smile. The tiny fluffy princess who'd become our queen was about as evil as our distracted paper shuffling King.

“She was pretending to be a maid, and kept coming to listen to me sing at the castle village fountain,” Bronwynn said, fondness in her speech. “I’d never seen the princess before - our family moved between Drendil and Peldeep a lot and I spent most of my childhood there. It was nice having a little girl following me around.”

Our positions were switched then. I pushed down the slight envy I had for our queen– getting to hear Bronwynn's songs from childhood. “How old were you?”

“Twelve I think?” She shook her head. “I always prided myself on figuring out people, but who would’ve guessed Ria was a princess with callused hands like those? And we got busier as I became famous and she took on Royal responsibilities… honestly I just ignored or explained away the signs. She’s my best friend, you know? I figured she'd tell me about her life one day.”

“It must have come as quite the shock.” For a second, I thought about offering to counsel Bronwynn. It was a perfect opportunity while her guard was down… but I'd be tricking her to become my [Patient].

It would make it easier to complete my task… but it would also make the entire trip unbearable. And I'd feel awful.

And there was no certainty that she'd even accept the prompt. Not everyone was like Henrietta, who'd shown up in his dungeon and accepted the request unquestioning and then poured out her heart and soul without much effort on my part.

“I felt less shocked and more… I don't know. Betrayed is a strong word.” The bard shrugged. “Untrustworthy?”

There was so much to unpack there, and I was standing on the edge of manipulating a full session… but wallowing in our past on such a nice day was a shame.

And, if I was being honest with myself, I respected the bard too much to use my interrogation skills on her. I would, if needed, but I didn't need to. Yet. I changed the subject. “And now?”

“Now I'm glad she's found happiness,” Bronwynn grabbed a waterskin tucked beside her. She unwound the top as she continued, “and it's nice that she's smack dab in the middle of the Dark Enchanted Forest of Nilheim. I'll be visiting often. I cross the forest every other week.”

On the outside, I nodded politely. I'd also forced myself to sit comfortably in a confident and casual recline, my arm draped over the back rest.

My tail slipped between the hand length opening between the seat and the backrest, where it was out of the way.

On the inside, I was mentally screaming. The idea made my heart race and at the same time I could feel my stomach tense. I didn't think I could see Bronwynn at the dinner table every two weeks for the rest of my life without wanting to confess my sins.

Which sins? All of them. That I was an adoring fan. That she already knew me from her concerts. That I was on a mission to spy on her.

Being on a Quest to discover if she was, in fact, a top secret Assassin bent on illegally assassinating the world leaders with Molten Ash Vane was the only thing keeping me from outright sharing my own dark secrets.

The hair on the back of my neck stood up as three notifications lit up at the edge of my vision.

We were about to have company. And whoever it was, they were not happy.