"Why didn't you tell me about the tunnels?" Alaron asked his twin as they walked back toward his suite.

"It was only a theory until tonight. You do not like it when I give you a theory without proof. More importantly, why didn't you tell me about Cafer?" Mairwen countered.

"I knew you would tell our parents. And if you didn't , I didn't want you to feel the guilt." Although the twins had different interests and hopes for their future, they had an abiding love for each other that not even Cafer could hope to destroy.

They arrived at the prince's chambers. "Do you need me to stay until you fall asleep?" The princess said as she put a hand on his door.

"No, I'm sure the guards will keep me company tonight." Alaron gave a sidelong glance at the detail of soldiers behind them who were pretending to ignore them.

"Fair enough. No more secrets, brother."

"You know I cannot promise that," Alaron said seriously. He would rather be honest and hurt her now that lie and hurt her later.

Mairwen sighed, "Then promise me you will not do anything else foolish."

"I would break that promise, sister, and you know it." Alaron gave a wry smile. Even since they were very little, the prince was always finding mischief wherever he went.

"Oh my headstrong brother! You will be the death of me," Mairwen chucked.

The words cut the prince like a knife. "I will never let that happen." The children parted at the door after a tender goodbye. Alaron entered his rooms and stopped at the door of his bedchamber. "Goodnight, gentlemen," he said curtly.

"But Your Highness," the sergeant began.

"You will guard out here." With a swift movement, Alaron slammed the door. He waited a moment to see if soldiers would argue, but they grumbled and settled outside his room. The boy untucked the back of his shirt and pulled out the magic book. He would get stronger. He would protect his sister.

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Aurora awoke in Devrim's arms. For a moment she relaxed in the safety of his warmth, but the thoughts of the night before caused her mind to race. She pulled herself from his embrace. "Come back to bed," Devrim said groggily. She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss his cheek. The Emperor tried to catch the woman in his embrace, but she was too quick for him.

"Too much to do today, my love," Aurora whispered. Her warm breath against his ear encouraged him to make another swipe toward her, but his wife anticipated the move.

Devrim sighed. "Can you add me to the list of things to be taken care of?" He asked with a sly grin.

"Absolutely," she answered without hesitation.

"Then I shall be satisfied with just a kiss." Devrim sat up and received his reward galdly. He ran his fingers through his wife's hair and held her in place for longer than she planned. When Aurora finally came up for air, she couldn't help but laugh. "You are trouble, my husband."

"The best kind I hope," he said innocently.

"Yes, and I love you for it."

"I love you too." Devrim laid back down, and Aurora wrapped a robe around herself to head into her sitting room. It was still early, and Bella and Candela were not expecting her just yet. It was just as well, the Empress wanted to think.

"Good morning Your Majesty," a voice said from the shadows, startling her.

"How long have you been waiting to scare me like that?" Aurora asked when she had recovered.

"Long enough," Brinn said as she revealed herself.

The Empress rolled her eyes. "It is lucky Devrim was not the first one to come out. He would have tried to run you through with his sword before he knew who it was."

"Oh, is 'lover boy' here?" Brinn asked with a smirk. The Empress and Emperor had separate quarters, but the Emperor seldom slept in his.

"Yes, Devrim is here," Aurora answered with an air of superiority. "And he does not appreciate it when you call him that."

"The Princess can call me whatever she likes in private as long as she respects me in public," Devrim came out dressed in his clothing from the day before.

Brinn rolled her eyes. She despised being called princess normally, but at the moment she was amused. "See? We understand each other," the elf said to Aurora. The dark-haired woman loved to see her best friend and husband get along, but she knew that showing her pleasure would probably cause them to bicker just to spite her.

"Very well," she said, placing herself on the couch daintily. "I assume my spymaster did not appear in the early hours of the morning in my room just to scare me."

"You are right. I came to give you an update. Gandr and I have been out to both tunnel exits. We placed stones like the the ones used in the elven barrier to block the entrance. Cafer will get a nasty surprise if he tries to enter that way again.

"You just happened to have some protection stones?" Devrim asked with a hint of suspicion.

"I aquired them on one of my many journeys," the elf responded vaguely.

"Then why haven't you blocked the tunnels before now?" In his hurry to protect the Empress, the grey-eyed man was being rude.

"I am your spymaster not your head of security!" Brinn crossed her arms.

"The head of security knows nothing about the tunnels, my love. That part is our fault." Aurora had never seen a reason to reinforce the tunnel exits. As far as she knew, no one had ever come in that way before without permission.

"Wait, how did you access the tunnels?" Devrim asked the elf.

A mischievous smile bloomed on Brinn's face. "I could lie tell you that we went around from the outside, but instead I will just say that I knew the Emperor was not in his room before I came here. I am glad to know you are so faithful to your wife or I would have been duty bound to report your absence."

"You wicked elf!" Devrim marched toward the red-haired trouble-maker.

Brinn cocked her head to one side. "Who me?"

"If you enter my room again without permission, I will demote you to pie-master instead of spymaster."

"Can he do that?" Brinn asked Aurora.

The Empress shrugged. That particular topic had never come up before. "I suppose he can."

Brinn bowed her head, "It will not happen again, Your Majesty, but you should find better soldiers to guard your suite when you are playing lover-boy."

"Noted, princess." Devrim smirked and Brinn stuck out her tongue at him.

Aurora tried to steer them back to the topic. "I have been thinking that we should probably flood the manmade part of tunnel at least halfway. Gnomes don't like water and that would be an extra deterrent."

"Good idea," Brinn agreed. "I also placed another of my trinkets as a safeguard." The elf produced a ring. "If someone get past the stone shield, they will trip the alarm and this will glow. Would you like it, or do you want me to hold onto it?"

Aurora gave a negative gesture. "You will forgive me if I have no desire to wear new jewelry just now. After last night, I will be very careful of what I put on my body."