I took the boy's hand and the scene before me shifted and morphed. The glorious sunny day and orchard around us faded away into black. It was an all-consuming black and for a moment; I thought maybe I wasn't going to remember anything at all, and then a voice called to me in the dark.

"Adar, where are you?"

It took me a moment to realize the voice was of the younger version of Markus I remembered from the first memory I had of my childhood. I wanted to yell out to tell him where I was, but stopped myself as the memory of my five-year-old self suddenly came to me about why I was hiding. So I lay as still as possible and let the walking footsteps go by my hiding place without saying a word.

I was sad that I was purposefully hiding from Markus. I didn't really want to hide from him. I just wanted to hide from everyone else. If I did, then maybe they would forget about me and I wouldn't have to go away to the White Palace after all.

Markus walked past my hiding place several more times. His pace became more aggravated with each passing. I could feel his rising concern through my Empathic ability as he frantically searched my room. Again, I felt bad for hiding from him, but the worst part was feeling his worry. Finally, I couldn't stand it anymore, and I cried out to my friend.

"I'm here!"

I heard Markus's hurried steps as he ran toward my hiding place. I then heard his knees as they hit the floor. I saw him peer under the low bench I had squeezed under. It was a tight fit even for my small body and probably why he hadn't thought to check there.

"What are you doing under there?"

I stayed not moving or saying a word. Instead, I hid my head so I wouldn't have to look at him. The sadness I'd been feeling since my mother had told me that the two of us would be leaving River Palace and going to live with my birth father and his family at the Capitol of the Empire was stronger than ever. My body quivered with sadness.

"You realize that hiding won't do any good. Aragon will find you," Markus said quietly.

I felt a surge of frustration and sadness from my friend. He wasn't happy about my leaving either, but unlike me, he understood that there was nothing that could be done to change the situation.

I wasn't ready to give up, though. I liked it at River Palace, and couldn't imagine not being here anymore. What would happen if I wasn't here to chase the chitter monkeys in the orchard, or go down to the kitchen for my usual midday snack and talk with Jaxobe and Hania, or take care of the baby birds that liked to nest in the courtyard? But most of all, how would Markus manage without me? I was his best friend, and he was mine. Who would he play with and talk to when I was gone?

I peeked up at him from under the bench and spoke in a whisper so no one else could hear me, even though I was pretty sure it was just the two of us in my room. "But what if I were really still? I have been very still, Markus, and quiet. I'm sure he won't be able to find me this time."

Markus shook his head. "I told you. The bond doesn't work that way. He would find you no matter how still or quiet you are. It's what Protectors do. They always know where their charge is."

My heart fell as I thought about that. "Then how will I be able to stay here? I don't want to go to the White Palace. Maybe you can talk to him? Convince him to let me stay here."

Markus let out an exasperated sigh. "I already tried. He says it's not his decision or pavi's either. You have to go."

"It's not fair! I don't want to go!" I yelled suddenly, forgetting all about being quiet.

"But don't you want to see your mother?"

I paused at that. Mother had been gone a long time. Almost a whole month. She had never left me for so long before. My heart ached thinking about her. I missed her so much, but I was also angry at her for leaving me here while she went to the White Palace without me.

"Yes," I admitted quietly. "But why can't she just come back here instead? Why do I have to go there?"

A surge of frustration came from Markus. "I explained this to you, Adar. Your father has claimed you, and now you have to go live with him."

Yes, Markus had explained, so had Mother, Aragon, and Rainus, but none of them seemed to understand that I didn't care about having a father. I had lived just fine without one for five whole years. Why did I need one now?

"I've never even met him before. What if I don't like him? What if I don't like the White Palace?"

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The bench scraped against the stone floor as Markus shifted closer. His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "Well, the adults have already made the arrangements. There's nothing that can be done."

"What if we run away? Just us," I whispered back.

Markus was quiet a long time before he spoke, and I wondered if he was thinking of doing just that. Again, I felt the turmoil within him. Even more than that, his frustration. "Trust me, I already thought of that, and it just won't work. Did you forget the part about Aragon being able to find you wherever you go? Besides, you'd miss your mother too much."

"I miss her now."

"I know."

There was another long silence between us before I said the thing I had been thinking from the moment I'd heard that I would have to leave River Palace. "I'm going to miss you very much."

"I know. I'm going to miss you too."

I finally scooted myself out from under the bench. Markus helped me. A moment later, I was standing in front of my friend. He gave me a warm smile. "You know I will come visit. And maybe you can come back here to visit me too when your father lets you."

I nodded eagerly. I liked that idea a lot.

"Adar, where are you?"

The voice sent a surge of panic through me, and I felt an urge to run away and hide again. Instead, I looked up to Markus, who shook his head. As usual, he seemed to know what I was thinking. "You should go, Adar. If you give them a lot of trouble over this, then they might not let us see each other for a really long time."

His words struck me with sudden terror. Would they really keep me away from Markus forever? That seemed even worse than having to leave River Palace.

"Adar!" The voice called again, louder this time.

I gazed up at Markus with wide eyes. So instead of running, I stayed still as the woman calling for me came into the room. She saw me and frowned. "What happened to the coat I dressed you in earlier?"

I shrugged my shoulders. Markus pointed to the bedchamber behind him. "It's on the floor in there. I saw it when I was looking for Adar."

I shot him an accusatory look.

He shrugged and mouthed. "No trouble, remember?"

I sighed heavily as Markus's mother came back out into the room and held the blue coat open for me to slip on. I hesitated, but Markus gave me a firm push toward the coat. I walked over and the woman slipped it over my arms.

It was unlike any of the clothes I'd worn so far. The blue was very pretty, but even more so were the gold symbols in the coat. But it felt weird wearing it. I had never worn anything this fancy before. The adults were always yelling at me for getting my normal clothes dirty. Wouldn't they be even angrier if I got this coat messed up? I frowned at Markus as if this was all his fault, but I knew it wasn't.

He gave me a look of sympathy and again mouthed to me. "Sorry."

Markus's mother hooked the coat tightly around my neck. It felt like I was being choked. Once it was in place, she pulled back to admire her work.

"There. You look like a little Prince now. Your father will be very pleased to see you. Come on. Rainus wants a word before you go."

She reached out a hand to me. I dutifully took it and she led me into the corridor. I heard Markus following behind. We moved through the palace quickly. We passed some servants, who smiled and waved to me. I waved back. I also couldn't help but feel the sadness in each of them, and it only made my sadness worse. By the time we arrived at the great hall, I was crying.

The King stood in the center of a small crowd, as he always seemed to be when I came to see him. Most of them were servants, but by some of the fancy coats, I could tell a few were much more important. But when Rainus caught sight of us coming, he shooed them all away. By the time I reached him, he was all alone. The King looked down at me with a warmth he always seemed to reserve just for me.

"Oh, it's not as bad as that, is it, Adar? You will get to see your mother again, after all."

I sniffled. "I do miss her, but why can't things be like they were before?"

The King gave me a reproachful look. "You know why, Adar. We've talked about this several times. It's time for you to go home."

"But this is my home!" I wailed.

The King stooped down, so he was face to face with me, and he reached out his arms. I didn't hesitate as I ran into them. He held me for a long moment, and it felt good. I always loved being in his comforting embrace. I wanted to just stay here, but all too soon he released me, and looked at me with a sad smile.

"You have a new home now. I know you aren't happy about the change, but give it a chance; you might find you like it at the White Palace. And I know for a fact that your father is very excited to have you come live with him. He has great things planned for you. And I talked to your mother just this morning. She has your room all ready with some new toys from your father she thinks you will like. She's eager for you to come to see it. Don't you want to go see your new room?"

I nodded vigorously.

Rainus smiled. "Then it's settled. It will be all right. You will see."

I nodded again. If the King said it would be all right, then it had to be, right? I snuck a glance at Markus. "Will I ever be able to come back?"

The King pursed his lips and was silent for a long moment before speaking. "As I have explained to you, things are different now that your father has claimed you, Adar. What once was can no longer be. But I make this promise to you. River Palace will always welcome you back any time you wish to visit."

"Promise."

"Promise," the King looked behind me, and then took my hand to gently turn me around. "I think it's time."

I turned and noticed Aragon standing at the base of the long, wide stairs that separated the great hall in two. As always, he was clothed in his black uniform with the scary brown dragon crest on his shoulders, the only color on his person. He stood tall and forever at the ready, like he was expecting trouble at any moment. He gave a firm nod to the King, and then stretched out a hand to me. Only then did he let a small smile come to his face.

I couldn't help but smile myself as I raced down the stairs to meet him. I took his hand, and we turned to exit the expansive room. I wanted to look back to get one last glance at the people I was leaving behind, but Aragon stopped me with his quiet but stern voice.

"No, don't look back. It's easier that way."

I didn't like it, but I did as Aragon said. I always did what Aragon said. And I thought about seeing my mother again as we walked down the large hallways of the palace. That and the firm grasp of Aragon were the only things that kept me moving forward as tears once again cascaded down my cheeks.

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