Prologue
Ten Years Prior
The king’s council room smelled of tea and ink. Both were pleasant smells that Robin usually enjoyed, but at the moment they tickled her nose.
She scrunched it to keep from sneezing.
King Frederich sat in his usual place at the head of a long, round table. His hands were busy writing on a parchment on the table in front of him. He looked up as she entered, smiling warmly.
He did not invite her to sit. So she stood.
“Robin,” he said. “You have been a welcome addition to our family these last three seasons.”
Robin said nothing, waiting for him to explain why he had called for her.
“However,” he continued. “I have been giving careful thought to your future, and I believe the time has come for you to return home to Lockwood.”
“You are sending me away?” Robin kept her voice steady and light, though her stomach churned. She loved Lockwood. It had been her home for most of her life, until her parents hadcontracted a deadly disease and she had come to live at the castle as King Frederich’s ward. But this felt...
“I am sending you home,” Frederich continued. “You are the Lady of Lockwood. Your people need you. The floods this past goldenreign have devastated the farmlands, and your tenants require leadership.”
“This is because of what I said about Lind,” Robin said. She was far from ready to be a leader. She was only fourteen.
The king’s expression did not change, but she saw his eyes narrow. “Your heart is kind, Robin,” Frederich said, his voice both fatherly and condescending. “But you are outspoken, impudent even.”
Robin shook her head, her brow creasing in confusion. “Impudent? I advocated for justice for a hungry, desperate girl.”
“You are young, Robin,” Frederich responded, his voice still patient. “You do not understand the complexities of justice, or the responsibilities of leadership that—”
“But you just said that my tenants require my leadership,” Robin countered.
Frederich tapped his fingertips on the wooden table. “I must be cautious about the companions I allow my children to keep.”
Robin nearly stepped backward. So this was about Ian.
“I have arranged for you to leave at first light,” Frederich continued. “I will send some gold each season to ensure you are taken care of.”
Robin inhaled through her nose, pinching her lips together. She should be excited at the prospect of returning to Lockwood. The castle did not truly feel like her home.
The king dismissed her a few moments later.
She ran through the castle halls and pushed open the heavy door that led to the back courtyard. The cold air hit her face,soothing the heat that had gathered behind her eyes but had not yet released itself in tears.
She slowed her walk as she entered the stables, moving toward the one place at the castle that always felt like home.
When she reached her donkey’s stall, however, Humphrey’s was not the only long face that looked back at her. Ian leaned back against the far wall.
After throwing open the gate, Robin ran the short distance across the stall. “Your father is sending me back to Lockwood,” she cried, stumbling to a stop before she could fall against him.
He normally would have caught her himself, but his arms were crossed tightly across his chest and he had not opened them to meet her.
Robin took a half step back, confused.
His mouth was pressed in a firm line, his earnest eyes strained under the dark shadows of his furrowed brow.
“You are not surprised...?” she asked, choosing confusion as she slowly took another step back.
Ian shook his head, his mouth still clamped tightly shut.
