“Let him approach.”
The Regent turned.
“My Queen—”
“I said let him approach.”
The Prince moved again.
The Captain remained in front of him.
Their eyes met.
The Captain whispered, “Not here.”
The Prince froze.
Something about the words sounded wrong.
Not threatening.
Afraid.
Behind him, metal scraped.
One of the guards had shifted his sword.
The Prince glanced sideways.
The Regent saw.
“Captain.”
The order was quiet.
The Captain’s face hardened.
Then he shoved the Prince.
Hard.
The boy stumbled backward.
Gasps erupted.
The Captain kicked the lower limb of the bow.
It flew sideways.
The Prince caught it before it struck the stones.
His anger exploded.
He slapped the Captain’s armored hand away.
The Regent stood.
“A child does not command warriors. Kneel before the Queen and surrender your father’s bow.”
Silence struck the courtyard.
The Regent had said it.
Your father’s bow.
No one had identified it.
Not publicly.
The Prince looked up.
The Regent realized his mistake.
Too late.
The Queen’s eyes narrowed.
“How do you know that bow?”
The Regent answered quickly.
“I have seen paintings.”
“No painting shows the lower repair.”
The Prince stared.
The Captain’s face changed.
The Regent pointed.
“Seize the weapon.”
The Prince dropped to one knee.
He drew an arrow from the quiver hidden beneath his tunic.
The guards reacted immediately.
Swords came free.
The Queen stepped down.
“Put that arrow away!”
The Prince looked toward the bronze sun above her throne.
Three waves.
Sun.
Broken crown.
Arrow.
Look above.
He nocked.
The Captain lunged.
The Prince released.
The arrow flew over the Regent’s shoulder.
Several nobles screamed.
The shaft struck the center of the bronze sun.
For one heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then the disk cracked.
A small compartment broke open behind it.
Something wrapped in faded blue cloth fell.
It struck the steps.
Rolled once.
Stopped near the Queen’s feet.
No one moved.
The Prince lowered the bow.
The Queen bent slowly.
Her hands trembled as she opened the cloth.
Inside lay a golden seal.
A lion beneath three waves.
Dark reddish stains marked one edge.
The Queen stopped breathing.
The Regent rushed down the steps.
“Give me that.”
Every face turned.
The Queen looked up.
He stopped.
The Prince spoke first.
“My father told me only the traitor would know where this was hidden.”
It was not entirely true.