Without a word, August removed the scabbard from his belt and presented it, sword and all, to Will. His eyes were stony as ever. He wasn't looking for forgiveness, and he wasn't apologizing. He would do whatever was necessary to see Narissa destroyed and the kingdom safe -- to ensure that Dorothea and Liam and Sam made it out of this alive. He had traded two guardsmen's lives for Dorothea's continued existence, and he didn't regret it.
Dorothea's heart swelled ten sizes, and she placed a delicate kiss on Liam's cheek. "I love you, my darling Liam," she purred happily.
"What is this, an inn?" roared a voice on the stairs. Prince Bryn of Verinia stomped regally down the stairs, barefoot and in silken pajamas. His blond hair was disoriented and his eyes were blearily livid. "Jolly! What are all these men doing here?" He stopped at the banister and squinted at an insignia on one soldier's sleeve. "What are all these Eldonian soldiers doing here? Were they invited? Are we under siege? Jolly!"
He rounded the doorway and stopped immediately upon seeing Liam canoodling with a cat. "And the prince of Itelia!" he sighed, raising his arm in exasperation. "Would someone tell me what is going on! Shall I prepare my gauntlets?" he added sarcastically.
August turned only enough to see the source of the brassy voice, and he clenched his jaw. His experience with the prince of Verinia had always been tiresome at best. Bryn was on an ever-growing list of people he'd like to curse with everlasting silence.
The giant, sitting in a corner with the dog in his lap, only stared morosely at the prince, without any effort to respond to such accusations.
Dorothea raised her head, looking squarely at Bryn. "Your aunt, the Queen Narissa, has turned me into a cat, grossly manipulated King Tommen, and tricked Prince Liam into very nearly waging war on Verinia, in her own bid for power. This is as far as these soldiers go. We march at dawn back to Eldonia, now that the truth is known."
Bryn stared at the talking cat for a long, silent moment.
"Well." He went quiet awhile longer, glancing around to be sure everyone else had, indeed, just heard the cat speak. "Princess Dorothea, I presume." At her acknowledgment he cleared his throat. "I was just on my way to offer your father my assistance in your recovery. I see you're .. still in one piece. Good. As for my dear aunt Narissa," he addressed Liam and Will, "I can't say I'm surprised. She is ... a black sheep, to put it mildly. Witchcraft, narcissism, a laugh that would make babies cry. I'm surprised it's taken you all this long to realize what a snake she is." His smug grin was very short-lived. He cleared his throat and squared his shoulders.
"Princess Dorothea of Eldonia. Prince Liam of Itelia. I offer my sword to your cause. I've already come this far for the purpose of assisting the Eldonian royal family. Allow me to accompany you the rest of the way." The request was only for formalities: of course he was coming with them. But after a moment his expression faltered curiously. "Prince Liam, may I say you look rather ill, are you all right?"