“So- what did Oto want?”

  As I settled in for breakfast, Cervis returned to the dining hall. I finished a bite of toast and looked up. “He is indeed my godfather, so that’s odd. He said of all the Winds, he was the one deemed to come investigate why I was imprisoned. When he learned of the deal made, he said there was nothing to save me from, said you were more caring that you act, and then bade me farewell and whisked up over the wall and out of sight.”

  Cervis tilted his head contemplatively, and then nodded. “Sounds like Oto. So, you didn’t go crying for help, pleading for an escape at the first opportunity? He could have taken you away, had you asked, you know.”

  “Strangely, I still abide by principles of honor,” I said while spreading jam across the second piece of toast. “It’s not a habit of mine to go back on deals just because the circumstances are somewhat unfavorable.”

  Cervis snorted. “What you call ‘unfavorable,’ most would call ‘terrifying.’ You were seconds from being eaten by a wendigo just yesterday.”

  I shrugged. “That was my own stupidity. It’s a learning process.”

  “One that kills most people on the first step.” Cervis shook his head. “Imagine if your father had given me that pretty songbird of an older sister instead of you- she would have gone screaming out the gates at the first opportunity.”

  I grinned at the thought of Jana or Calya or Elowyn doing just that: sprinting through the forest, arms flopping about overhead, screaming bloody murder, with Cervis chasing after them demanding they come back to the palace, else they die a most painful death.

  “Oh, but it would be such an adventure,” I said.

  “How so?”

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  “Well, for one thing, they’d never listen to your rules.” I took a sip of orange juice. “They’d think you were a bossy naysayer. And they aren’t particularly fans of reading. They would, however, rather quickly don those lovely gowns-”

  “I see you crafted more mens’ clothing, speaking of.”

  “It’s not a man’s clothing if it’s tailored for a woman. Anyway. You’d be alright with Rendra; she would have listened to the rules, but she’d make some of her own as well. Gella would have been haughty and silent and eventually fell into despair. I love my sisters, but the worst you’ll get with me is a stupid inclination to go explore.”

  “So, what you’re telling me is that the best your family could offer is someone who’s going to go walk into a den of Pale-Walkers in the name of adventure.”

  I raised my goblet. “Precisely.”

  Cervis shook his head. “No wonder your mother set the Winds as your godparents- you’d need someone to look out for you!”

  With a laugh, I finished my orange juice and breakfast. Cervis excused himself and left meanwhile; it was only after he’d vanished that I remembered I’d meant to ask him about the man in my bed. I would have to wait, then, I supposed, and headed to the library with Sol once more.

  ~*~

  The thought occurred to me early that afternoon that the original Cervis was a golden deer, and it made me wonder about my ethereal companion. He was silver, near-white, and yet named after a golden deer. And who had named him?

  I looked over at Sol, needing to think out loud. “If Cervis is a silver stag, why is he named after a golden one? Is he the man that lays in the bed at night, some cursed individual named after a deer and turned into one during daylight? How do the Winds know him? There’s so much here- wait, Sol, come back!”

  The Light had gone sprinting out of the room in a spiral. I sighed. Where was the informative motherly figure usually present in these tales? The fairy godmother? The handsome prince?

  Why did I get a prickly deer, sarcastic fox, and skittish star? Wind for godparents? What kind of story was this?

  Then a thought came to me, an insane one:

  Perhaps I didn’t have a fairy godmother- but there was a korrigan queen…