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fire. “I trembled so that I nearly fell off my horse. But Isa
just held their gaze, didn’t even blink. Instead, she told me not
to move. The two men stared at her in shock, and the one with the
bow finally spoke. He said, ‘You will get off those horses, or I
will get you off myself.’
    “‘ No, you won’t,’ Isa answered
him. She was as calm as a breeze. The one with the sword chuckled.
‘And why the blazes not?’
    “‘ Because the Fortress is just a
short ways up this mountain,’ she said, ‘and the king is there at
this moment. If you kill me, the king will know, and he will hunt
you down like the dogs you are. And believe me when I say his
treatment of you will be anything but merciful.’”
    Ever couldn’t help but look down
at his wife. She was a bit taller than most women, and since he had
been training her, she’d certainly grown stronger than she had been
before. But even now, in the light of the fire, she looked anything
but fierce, with her shoulders slumped forward and her head against
his arm. He suddenly burned with anger as he imagined anyone
threatening to kill her. Launce’s voice pulled him back into the
story, however, before he had time to linger.
    “ The one with the sword stared at
her as if she were mad. ‘And how would a girl know such a thing?’
he asked. ‘I know,’ she replied lifting her skirts just enough to
show her ankle, ‘because the power that flows from the king is the
same power that crippled me.’”
    Ever looked up to see Launce
looking directly at him, and he knew why. Though all had been
forgiven between Ever and his wife, shame still filled him with a
sickly warmth. All along, the story had been for him. Isa’s brother
might be terrible with a sword, but he knew exactly how to use his
words like a dagger in Ever’s ribs, slowly carving his way to the
heart.
    “ The thief with the sword seemed a
bit taken aback, but the one with the bow immediately turned and
pointed it at me,” Launce continued, not bothering to break eye
contact with Ever as he spoke. “‘How about this,’ he asked her.
‘You get off your horses, or I’ll kill the boy.’ Without another
word, Isa pulled herself off the horse. She landed on her bad
ankle, as she didn’t have a step to help her like we did at
home.”
    Ever closed his eyes as he
imagined Isa, the crippled child, trying to get off the horse by
herself. The remorse that filled him was nearly painful.
    “ We walked home that night, Isa
leaning on my arm. Father had to borrow a neighbor’s horse to come
looking for us. He didn’t find us until it was almost sunrise.”
Launce shrugged. “That’s the story. Isa nearly came to blows with
two horse thieves, and she couldn’t even walk.”
    Ever tried not to look as
miserable as he felt. Launce was indeed skilled with words. He had
pierced his king’s heart in one of the only places it hadn’t yet
healed.
    “ How old are you, boy?” Norbert
asked, rubbing his silver whiskers.
    “ Twenty,” Launce
replied.
    “ I think I remember those two.”
Norbert looked at Ever thoughtfully. Ever struggled to pull himself
together so he could somewhat intelligently answer whatever his
guard was about to ask. “We had gotten several complaints from the
people in Soudain in just two days. Weren’t you leading the
contingent to find them?”
    “ It was the first contingent my
father allowed me to lead on my own.” Ever’s voice felt tight as he
answered, like a rope strained too far. The two horse thieves had
been foreigners, unfamiliar with the Fortress monarchs’ unusual
abilities. He had simply had them chained and returned to the
Fortress for his father to deal with. It was nothing too exciting,
but now he found himself wishing he’d made them much more miserable
first.
    Everyone sat in an uncomfortable
silence after Launce finished, not sure what they should do. It had
certainly been a story that exemplified Isa’s bravery, but it left
a bitter taste, and whether he