• Tal awoke that morning beneath the covers of Knight's mother's bed. She sat up in bed and gingerly got out and stepped onto the floor. Her movement woke up Fenwick. The martin blinked and yawned, showing his tiny white teeth. Tal smiled and headed to the bathroom to change.
    The girl quickly discarded her nightgown and replaced it with a brown, knee-length skirt and white cotton blouse. She then put on her boots and hastily rushed out of the room, eager to see Knight. Fenwick ran at her heels.

    Tal found Knight out in the garden again. He crouched respectfully next to what appeared to be marble tombstone. As Tal neared him, he arose and smiled at her.
    "What's that?" she asked, jerking her head to the tombstone. Engraved into the marble were the words that read:
    Here lies Lady Emilia, wife, mother, friend. May she forever rest in peace. And may her loved ones always live in comfort.

    "That's my mother's burial place. She always said that when she died, she would want to be buried in the garden. So when she did die, my father had her buried here." explained Knight distantly, probably still remembering her in his mind.
    Tal walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "What was she like, your mother?" she asked sincerely.
    Knight smiled at her and gently placed his hand over hers. "She was wonderful. She loved flowers. And she loved me and my father very much. She always tried to help me deal with my wings. She made me feel like they belonged there. That they weren't somethig to be ashamed of. I was grateful to her for that." he said calmly.
    Tal shuffled her feet. "My father was a lot like that to me. He never seemed to be remotely bothered by my cat-like attributes. Rather, he sometimes boasted about them. He meant his bragging as a joke, but some people were speechless after he spoke of me. But when he died of a sickness, everyone, even the adults treated me like an outcast. And my mother couldn't do a thing about it, for she had other things to worry about. But I guess it doesn't really matter anymore, now that she's dead by an assassin's hand."
    The moment the word assassin left her mouth, she rapidly slapped her hand to it. She hadn't meant to say that. She wanted no one to know of her pursuit to avenge her mother's death. Knight gave her a look of puzzlement.
    "Did her murderer leave a note saying that the killing was by the order of King Venn?" he asked, raising a white eyebrow.
    "Yes." Tal answered, baffled as to what the young man was getting at.
    "And did it say that she was condemned to death for harboring a Feral?" Knight asked suspiciously.
    "Yes." repeated Tal. "How did you know?"
    Fenwick wrapped himself around Tal's ankle. "What are you two goin' on about? What's going on?" he asked. Knight acted like he never heard the martin.
    "I know because that is how the death of my father came about. I saw him stabbed in the heart with a dagger. But he didn't die until after he told me what I wish he never had." he explained, his hands balled into fists.
    "What did he say?" Tal asked him, dreading what she might hear.
    "That the king was his older brother. And that if I didn't kill him, who knew what would happen." Knight replied, a tear trickling down his cheek.
    Tal was dumbfounded. King Venn the uncle of Knight? Impossible! But Knight's face was perfectly serious.
    Then that makes Knight a prince. He's royalty. the girl thought to herself soberly, her ears and tail drooping.