Between the Veil and Crown

Kylin 9

"How do you panic kidnap a prince?!" Rei demanded to know. He stared at Kylin, utterly flummoxed.

Kylin opened his mouth to answer the question, having believed himself prepared enough to do so, but nothing came out. The only thing he could give was a clueless shrug.

Rei glanced over to Taileia, his second in command, but she could only shake her head.

Kylin had spent a few more days with Amelia before leaving her to find Rei. He found the Ranger captain stationed at Camp Fairglade. Fairglade was one of a few large cabins positioned not too far off the forest path, built with the purpose to provide Rangers with a place to stay without having to stay in a village, go all the way to headquarters, or camp underneath the trees for an indefinite period of time while near the path. It also allowed villagers to easily find a Ranger if one could not be found in a village. It wasn't uncommon for village parents to send their children to any of the Ranger camps to spend part or all of the day, especially when situations with the soldiers grew tense. It had the added benefit of providing the soldiers access to the Rangers without having to give out the location of the headquarters.

As was the case now. Several village children were scattered across the front yard of the cabin, some having successfully enticed a few of the Rangers into play, while a couple others were content to sit and watch on top of logs. Kylin stood on the steps of the cabin, Rei and Taileia on the porch. He had just finished telling the entire tale, and his observation of the situation while he was with Amelia, to Rei.

"I would imagine that is one of the last things that would go through the head of someone who was panicking," Rei growled. "Kidnap? And Amelia?! She is one of the last people I would suspect of kidnap. Let alone a prince!"

"Well, people have done strange things in panic," Kylin said. Even to his own ears, his defense for Amelia was weak.

"Strange things, yes, but have you ever heard of kidnap?" Rei pointed out.

Kylin could find no argument against it.

Rei sighed heavily, shaking his head.

"We must consider the feasibility of just returning him," Taileia said. "Perhaps if we return him, and claim we've dealt with Lia, Masitoff will drop the issue, and nothing more will come of it. He won't pursue us, and he won't search for Amelia."

Rei said nothing for a while, considering what Taileia said. Then he raised his voice and called out to one of the village children. "Sharai, have you heard any news from the capitol of Harlofelp?"

One of the girls sitting on a log turned when her name was called. She shook her head. "No, sir. We've heard nothing."

"Do you know if the soldiers have started looking for anyone?"

"No, sir. Not that I know of. Everything is the same."

"Thank you. As you were."

Sharai turned back to observe the game the other kids were playing with the Rangers.

"Returning him certainly would be a safe option," Rei conceded. "But I cannot ignore the opportunity having a prince here provides."

Taileia gave him a sharp look. "It would not be wise of us to stoop to the level of holding someone hostage. Even for a good cause."

Rei frowned, narrowing his eyes. "I would normally agree with you, Taileia. But we have gone decades with each king ignoring the situation here more and more. The soldiers have only gotten worse over the years, abusing their stations, and those who suffer are the villagers."

"But if we return him, we could gain an audience with the king," she pointed out. "He'll listen to us then."

"He'll usher us out," Rei objected. "Once we've given our bit, he'll dismiss us. And if what Amelia told Kylin is true, and his account is close to hers, then it does not sound as though the king has changed his mind on us any. We return the prince, we lose our leverage, and after that, the only way the king will give any attention to the Veil will be when the day finally comes that we go to war with the soldiers. Holding the prince can circumvent that scenario."

Taileia's look clearly said she didn't approve of the plan, but she said nothing more.

Personally, Kylin agreed with Rei, though Taileia's convictions did raise some guilty concerns. The Rangers always tried to hold themselves to a standard above the soldiers, and holding someone hostage was uncharacteristic of them. This kind of action could prove to be a blemish that stayed with them for decades to come."

Besides," Rei continued a bit quieter, "depending on what kind of father Masitof is, perhaps we could convince him not to just remove the soldiers, but hand control of the villages to us."

Taileia shook her head. "Even for a loving father, the prince may be too low of a price for the villages. Masitof still has his heirs, and he has others to replace his heir. He would have to be a reckless king in order for that to work."

"Can't hurt to try."

Taileia was about to say something else when one of the children called out, "Soldiers! Soldiers are coming here!"

The activity in the yard came to a stop. The children backed out of the way of the approached soldiers while the Rangers remained where they were, their expressions grim. Rei straightened, lifting his chin and narrowing his eyes in disgust.

When Kylin turned to look at the soldiers, he felt his blood run cold and he inhaled sharply. A commander with two low ranked soldiers strode across the field. The superior held an expression of smug confidence, the shape of his eyes betraying Elven heritage. The superior's eyes slid from Rei to Kylin, the arrogant smile on his face only deepening.

"Ah, dear little brother, it's been a while, hasn't it?"