Men came from the castle and they went about helping Henry and Henrietta. Granthar stood watch over his injured master keeping an eye on everyone. Fenrir observed as well. When Henry unmasked the assailant, he spoke a name “Gerald”. A look of pain flitted across his face and Fenrir saw the hurt of betrayal. This Gerald was a friend to Henry. Did Gwendolyn know Gerald too?

Guards came to take Gerald away and Fenrir stood too. They hesitated, testing to see if Fenrir was hostile because they too saw the blood on his mouth and fur. But Fenrir did nothing as they lifted the man and carried him away. Fenrir followed them. Gwendolyn would want some confirmation that the assailant was securely imprisoned and she had commanded him to stay with the body until then. His eyes flicked over Granthar and he inclined his head to signal his departure. The tiger did the same.

The guards were nervous with the large wolf trailing them. Fenrir could smell it even though they tried to hide their unease. They asked him to return to his master, but Fenrir ignored their requests. Gwendolyn had commanded him to stay with Gerald. They gave up trying to shoo the wolf away when they entered the castle and into the underground. These weren’t dungeons but they were… holding rooms. The guards put Gerald down on a cot in one of these rooms and the healers went about doing their job. Fenrir sat by the doorway and observed.

His ears perked up and a deep throated growl emanated from his clenched teeth. Panic. Gwendolyn was scared. It was faint, but he could sense it. The healer stopped his work and turned around waiting for the wolf familiar to bark or attack, but Fenrir had already gone.
The wolf ran with the grace and strength of a predator hunting its prey. Startled humans jumped out of the path but the wolf didn’t pay them any attention. He could smell Gwendolyn’s scent. It was fresh and he followed. He came back to the medical ward and stopped. He sniffed the air and around the spot where his master’s scent was the strongest. A small red stain was on the wall… it was her blood. The fur on his neck stood on end. He sniffed the air again to memorize her scent and the scent of her attacker. It was another man. His scent was covered by the same earthy dampness that Gerald also wore. This scents were fresh, they couldn’t have gone too far. Fenrir was only minutes away. Without any hesitation the large wolf set off on a sprint, following the trail of his master.

***

Gwen woke up to a headache. Her neck was stiff and she the ringing in her ear wouldn’t stop. She tried to raise a hand to rub her temples, but she couldn’t. With a jerk she sat up straight. Her hands and legs were bound but other than the headache she felt alright.

“Sleeping beauty finally wakes up eh?” A voice called to her. The accent was thick and foreign which made his words hard to understand. It was his voice that sent shivers down her spine. The words were like grease. There was slimy texture to that voice that the only word she could describe it was ‘swarmy’. A hand jerked her face around and her eyes met the owner of that voice. “Oh my, what pretty eyes you have.”

Gwen’s stomach churned. Although the man wasn’t ugly his voice made her sick.

“I’ll ask nicely. What is your Queen planning?”

It took the girl a moment to understand, but even then she didn’t understand quite what he was implying. Was he talking about the Academy? “This Academy was built to bring in an era of peace. Our plan is to strengthen ties with all the other countries.” The strike was quick. Gwen didn’t know she was slapped until she felt her cheek stinging.

“She saw it didn’t she? I’ve heard of rumors of her ‘visions’. She saw our attack and switched places with that servant girl. What else does she have up her sleeve?” Whatever gentless was gone from that voice and it took all of Gwen’s willpower to not flinch.

Attack? Are these people going to attack the Academy?! But that didn’t make sense…. What he said about the queen and the servant girl… Henrietta… It finally clicked. Henrietta was the Queen in disguise. But...then Eleshir. 

The next strike was harder and faster. Gwen was knocked down by the blow. Someone entered the room and spoke softly to the man while Gwen recovered.

“I wanted a Queen not her purse keeper! That doesn’t matter now. Even with Gerald’s failure we might have some use for you yet. Tell me girl how much are you worth to your Queen?” He grabbed chin and forced her to look at him again.

Gerald? Gerald?! The Queen’s guard Gerald? That was the kidnapper? Him of all people betrayed the Queen? The man’s smile grew more vicious at her confusion. “Time to go, girl. You should feel honored. You’ll get the best seat to watch the Queen’s greatest work burn.”