Finn took Mau's hand a little reluctantly and stepped into the place where Gabe had been imprisoned. As the Darkness enveloped her, so did an overwhelming sense of foreboding. This might be a completely terrible plan.
She clasped Mau's hand tighter. It shook slightly, as if he were laughing at her, but there was no sound. He led her toward a point of light that seemed like it was in the far distance. They walked in the oppressive darkness and silence.
The distance was much shorter than she anticipated, but it was long enough for fear to grip her heart. What kind of terrible place was this? What lurked out there, in the dark, and how would she even know if it came for her?
These thoughts and more filled her head. Without sound and light to occupy her senses, it seemed her mind would run wild. Closing her eyes, she tried to pull up mental pictures to focus on. Her father, Gabe, Roland, Mayra, and the faces of others she cared for passed through her mind's eye, helping her relax a little.
When she opened her eyes again, the light was close enough to make out as a campfire. Others were around it, forming a camp of sorts, but almost entirely without structures. Men worked diligently at various tasks, seemingly preparing for battle. She shrunk behind Mau when one of them looked her way.
Finn's fear seemed to please the spy. She still had not let go of his hand, even though the fires now lit some of the ground around them. Sound was still muted and the darkness was oddly invasive. He seemed to lead her towards the middle of the camp, where he spoke quietly with a guard, asking directions to Prince Duncan's headquarters. Finn stayed half-hidden behind him.
She shouldn't have been startled by the size of the camp, but the way it seemed to appear out of nothing as they walked onward, ever expanding, was something Finn had never experienced. At last, they came to a place where several men were hunched over a low, rough table.
"Strangers!" A guard thrust his spear out to block Mau and Finn from coming closer.
The men around the table all quickly wrapped their faces in their head coverings before addressing the situation. Finn cowered behind Mau, and he chuckled.
"I have returned, Your Highness, after my long assignment and subsequent discovery by Klain."
"Mau?" Prince Duncan asked, stepping forward. "Loyal servant of Rhone, welcome back. How is it you have come to us?"
"I was imprisoned for a time, and freed by a little mouse," He pulled Finn forward from behind his back. Startled by the action, she stumbled slightly, amusing the group. She quickly glanced around the circle of men before lowering her eyes to the ground. It had been easy to pick out Roland's blue gaze from the soldiers, but she would let him take the lead on whether to reveal their connection. He had been here longer and would know the best way for them to talk.
She curtsied nervously at Prince Duncan but remained silent, trying to scoot herself back behind Mau.
"Oh? And why have you freed my spy, little mouse?" Prince Duncan spoke directly to her.
"Well, Your Highness," She tripped slightly over the title as if overwhelmed by it, which she was, really. "My father was a simple villager. Although I proclaimed his innocence in this war, Klain cut him down like he was nothing. They dumped his bleeding body in the street and left him to die, refusing to let him have medical aid."
She let her story end there, tears streaming down her face as she gathered her courage to look Prince Duncan full in the face.
He was the spitting image of Roland, save for his dark eyes. He examined her carefully, and then turned back to Mau.
"We have much to discuss." He said.
"Father, may I have a word with you?" Roland's voice came across the table, drawing everyone's gaze.
"Ah, I have been eager to meet the lost prince Derek that returned to Rhone!" Mau seemed delighted when he heard the manner of address. Finn wondered how often he must have received news from Rhone.
"What is it?" Prince Duncan turned to his son, and Roland stepped forward and spoke quietly into his ear, face covering still in place. "Really? I see."
Mau looked on curiously at this whispered conversation until the prince turned back to him.
"What do you know of this mouse?" Duncan asked.
"She was a nuisance to me, eager to get in my way until I had her imprisoned. Apparently now that her love has been reported dead and her father was struck down by Klain's swords, her loyalties shifted violently enough to release Klain's greatest prisoner of war." Mau's mouth twitched.
"Her love was reported dead, you say?" Duncan eyed his son even though he spoke to Mau. "Come, Mau, let us speak. I will leave your mouse in the care of Prince Derek."
Mau bowed deeply and followed the older man, while Finn found herself being led away by Roland. He still kept on his face covering, and eventually led her to a tent. It was the only one she'd seen. Once inside, he closed the flaps and turned to her.
"What are you doing here?? Don't you know how dangerous this is?" He demanded, ripping his face covering away.
"I found the answer." She said softly.
"What?" He stopped berating her and took a breath, trying to control his fear for her safety.
"The answer, to the prophecy. The roots inside the mountain were genealogies, books of a family tree. I can explain it all, but first I need to know something. Was the line of kings of Rhone unbroken?"
He blinked at her a few seconds. "What do you mean?"
"The genetic line from Rhonian, to you. Are you the direct descendant of Rhonian or did the monarchy change somewhere along the way?" She hoped he had the answer.
"According to the history book Titania lent me, which was not terribly detailed, the royal line never wavered, even in the darkness. The first king of Rhone gathered all the people to himself, and formed them into a kingdom. His great-grandson was the one who gathered the people in the Darkness, and I can only conclude that he was my great-great-great something grandfather."
"Excellent. We need to get married right now." Finn replied urgently.
"What?? I mean, I'd love to, but what??" Roland took a slight step back in surprise.
"Rejoin the roots of old. It's the roots of a family tree. You are descendant of the first son of King Itherian, first and only king of Klain. I discovered in the genealogical archives in the tunnels under the mountain that I'm descendant of the second son, John. I think our marriage will break the curse." Finn explained as succinctly as she could.
Roland took a moment to absorb the information, puzzling her words alongside the prophecy to see if they fit.
"I'm not sure how the marriage ceremonies work here," Roland could find no reason to reject this new interpretation of the prophecy, "and Queen Titania has made it clear that I don't be allowed to get away again... let me talk with my father. Surely he wouldn't object to a slight delay in the attack to try letting us get married."
Roland frowned. He would much rather have a wedding focused on celebrating their union, surrounded by family and friends, than a madly rushed ceremony thrown together in an effort to prevent genocide.
"Come with me," He said, reaching for her hand to lead her out of the tent, and suddenly stopped. "But first--"
As soon as he had touched her delicate fingers, his skin tingled, reminding him that the woman he loved was within his reach. He pulled her close and pressed a brief, passionate kiss to her mouth.
"I'm really glad to have you with me," He whispered, and she blushed.
Roland released her, and reclaimed her hand to lead her off with him.
"How long is it until nightfall?" He asked.
"I'm not sure. A couple of hours, I think, no more. Why?"
"That's when Rhone attacks." He said grimly, and her eyes widened.
"Let's hurry," She replied. They had only gotten a few feet beyond the tent when Titania came into view.
"Oh no." Roland whispered. "Stay calm, say nothing unless spoken to, and try to make yourself as unassuming as possible. This is danger you definitely do not want to run straight at."
Finn nodded seriously. Roland briefly considered trying to move away to avoid being seen, but the route he would have to take to avoid Titania was blocked by a large group of soldiers going over orders for the battle. To try and push through them with Finn in tow would draw far more attention than walking casually.
Cursing the circumstance quietly, and knowing that time was short, Roland pulled Finn along. They could have run back inside the tent, but there was no way of knowing whether Titania would go there next, or how long she would linger where she was, seemingly directing someone carrying a load of supplies.
He hoped she was too distracted to notice them, but that hope was in vain.