As Frey stood tense, eyes gleaming like an animal's, Asbel stood likewise frozen. The phoenix had been terrified the night before, but even that confusing amalgamation of sensations did not quite fit the fear borne of this. Last night, at least, the necessary action had been clear: catch Frey, rescue Frey, keep Frey from drowning. But this was a prince frightened near to violence by nothing more than a handful of harmless animals screeching at him from the treetops. He was frightened. This Frey, so wild and so panicked, was drowning, too, and Asbel realized, with a flood of ill-concealed horror, that he could do nothing to help this time.

Cassius, too, seemed on edge: Asbel could feel the dragon's awareness prickling the edges of his consciousness. The dragon had some sort of connection with the youngest prince, didn't he? If Cassius was wary, what did that suggest for the rest of them?

"Get you out?" Augustine, of course, spoke first, though he glanced at Cassius with open apprehension. Asbel knew, without asking, what passed between dragon and rider: they could not turn back. They were on a diplomatic mission and to give up now would be to leave the northern kingdom to its own fate. Such an act would look like abandonment. The political turmoil would be impossible to unravel.

"We have to keep going, Frey," the general admitted at last. He turned to his brother with an apologetic frown, eyes dark with concern. "You might... you might feel better once we are out of the mountains. Let's keep moving."

Augustine picked up his allotted supplies and began to lead the way deeper into the woods. And while Asbel did not want to be too far away from the general, he hung back anyway, and edged closer to the younger prince. He could see blood leaking between the young man's fingers, and without thinking, tried to take the prince's hand in his own. He touched Frey's palm with his fingertips and, with some effort given how tightly the prince's fingers were embedded in his own flesh, managed to worm his fingers between those of the prince, gently and carefully twisting their hands together.

"Asbel!" The shout startled the phoenix and he jerked his hand away at once, palm streaked with Frey's blood. He caught his breath in time to hear Augustine call again: "Walk up here with me. Cassius, stay with Frey."

Saved from making any sense of what in heavens name he had tried to do, Asbel ducked away to retrieve his pack and hastened to catch up with Augustine. He cast no glance behind, but he knew Cassius was already beside the prince in his stead, grumbling some low words of reassurance.