Slowly, the crowd seeped out of the glittering halls of the courtroom, taking with them their judging gazes and mocking voices. Fenn held his breath as the Regent and her throned Chancellors bustled past him with nary a second glance. He supposed that he was beneath their notice now. Good. Shakily, he forced himself back to his feet and began to follow the other fae out the room.

“Child,” two voices as bright as silver, called out to him. “Where on Sidhe do you think you are going?”

Stopped just shy of the doorway, Fenn peered over his shoulder at the third Chancellor. Banrion was just a few feet behind him. With a pondering grin, she stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but flinch.

Just as quickly, the hand retreated. “You are aware that the Regent would like it best if I did as I asked and kept a close eye on you, correct? Or were you not paying attention during your trial?”

Fenn shrugged, and stared at the floor.

“This displeases you, I see. My regrets. Yet…” The Chancellor’s robes fluttered behind her as she stepped out into the hall. “Do follow me; at the very least, I ought to spend our eve of company showing you around our Court’s grounds. Why don’t we try to answer a few questions you doubtlessly have after being thrust into our curious world? I suppose you are wondering why I went to the work of sparing you. You are entirely aware that I could have merely agreed with the rest of the council and washed my hands of the whole matter, are you not?”

In truth, Fenn was pretty confused about that. He gave her a small nod and a curious glance as they padded down the hall, imploring her to explain further.

“I should put this in a way you can easily grasp,” she told him, a slight bite of sarcasm to her words. “Suffice it to say, our glorious Regent is irksome to me, and there is joy in the little ways I can get under her skin.” Her throaty laugh gave Fenn a start. “So of course, I could not help but take the opportunity to defy her when it arose. That, and I thought it may be useful to make an acquaintances of one foreign to our Winter Court, one with no stakes in our politics. Those from the outside make more loyal a friend than any within.”

Especially when that foreigner owed you their life, Fenn figured.

Fenn chewed his lip and looked away. He had faintly suspected himself to have become a sort of pawn in… whatever went on here. The survivalist half of him was pretty sure that Chancellor Banrion did not have his best interests in mind. This was going to be another Amari, another Aengus all over again, wasn’t it? Things were going to go well until, suddenly, they didn’t. Trusting her was too dangerous to risk. Yet, who else did he have to trust? All the same, his inner thief happened to be staunchly in favor of her. After all, she did save him.

Banrion sucked in two deep simultaneous breaths and heaved a sigh. “Returning to these mountains was not your brightest idea,” she said, considering him with a glint of amusement. “Morrighna once told me of a Changeling she caught dreaming near the dragon’s lair. That was you, was it not? One would think your near death by our eccentric neighbor was enough to keep you away. Or was Nippariess not a fright enough on her own?”

With a bashfully dismissive wave of his hand, Fenn cast off her questions. He had some of his own. The boy dug into his bag until he found a broken pencil and a crumpled scrap of paper. Rapidly, he scribbled something down and handed it to the Chancellor.

MY WOLF? WHERE SHE? SHE SAFE?

Banrion smiled with both heads and handed the paper back after reading. “Worry not about your beast. She is being kept in our stables, safe until it is time for you to leave. It is fortunate that I was able to save you from Morrighna ’s wrath. Otherwise, she might have claimed your unusual pup for her own. Predators have a special place in her heart, though I daresay scavengers might suit her better.”

The idea that Daugi could be “claimed” sent a strong shiver down his back. Fenn wrapped his arms around himself, but it didn’t really console him.

“I should show you around the markets. Perhaps something to eat will make you feel more at ease,” Banrion said,

There was hollowness yawning inside the boy, and he realized that he hadn't had anything substantial for a while. His stomach growled softly, and bashfully, he nodded. Food sounded like an excellent idea.