ETAN
He wasn't sure what he'd expected after the summons from his father—he knew there was a risk he would be detained if he was seen by the royal guards. But whatever he'd thought, it wasn't that he would walk through the castle with his hood up, and completely unnoticed, all the way to his chambers.
He and Borsche had entered the stables silent, watching for any sign of being followed or monitored, but there was nothing. There were people everywhere—stableboys rushing between stalls, nobles and their servants returning from rides, heading out for rides, horses being washed and brushed… All the activity of a busy castle on one of its busiest days, in anticipation of a great festival night.
Borsche had looked at him and shrugged. "I expect a plot," he said. "But this is the first place they'd be watching for you. Perhaps… perhaps the Father has laid the journey for us and this will not be the danger I fear," he said.
