Curl Up with a Good Book

Just as Noble had thought, this yellow book was part of the same series as the one Emira had taken on her first day in the library. 

It might have even been the same book, but Noble didn't think so. The other had the top corner bent and this one had a small water stain on the spine. There were also no missing pages. 

'How many books are in this collection?' Noble wondered, 'And why was this one outside of Emira's library?' 

Only one person could have requested it. Her Majesty! 

'Seems like the queen is doing some research of her own...' Noble wondered if this was part of a new fascination or something Emira had always done. 

Maybe Her Majesty was trying to help Noble...or thwart her. Or she had some other motive for her reading entirely. 

"Let's see what you have to offer." Leaning on the windowsill, Noble used the enhanced moonlight to guide her reading.

She could have lit a lamp, but the cool night air felt good against her face, helping her focus. 

The pages fluttered gently in the breeze as Noble read what the tome had to offer. 

It was a history of sorts. 'More of a journal.' 

Wasn't that what Emira had given Drune? She had filled two journals and asked for more. 

This book belonged to a king from ages past. Most of it was about day-to-day activities and meetings, but one particular passage caught Noble's attention. 

"My dealings with the King of the Mountains have become strained. He swears that he loves my dear Mandra, but my daughter does not reciprocate.

"While I do not doubt his conviction, I do doubt his sanity. He says he will seek out the truth to capture her heart. 

"He has become singularly obsessed with Mandra, spending more time here than in his own kingdom. I fear that turning him down may lead to war. What shall I do? Condemn my sweet child to an unhappy existence?

"My son says he will smuggle his sister out through the tunnels if I agree to this match. I do not doubt he will try. So I am faced with an impossible task. Do I betray my children or my country?" 

Noble studied the page carefully. 

'Hmm. It talks both about the mountains and a heart, but that doesn't mean it is related. Though this does confirm my suspicion that there are tunnels under the palace.'

All her time in the underground arena had made Noble aware of various drafts. But whenever she went to investigate, all she could find was solid stone. 

Noble's mind drifted back to the king's situation. As a parent, she felt for the ruler.

The good of one versus the good of many.

As a professor, she would choose Rain and her boys every day of the week. 

But being tasked with keeping the peace between nations would have been a weighty thing to consider. Saying no could have easily gotten both himself and his daughter killed. 

'Emira did say it was a family trait for people to try and kill us...I wonder what he decided to do in the end.' If Noble hoped for an immediate answer when she turned the page, she was doomed to be disappointed. 

The next entry was unrelated, as were the next many. Noble waded through entries on all manner of interactions with the nobility, commoners, and even a few Noble Creatures. One of the descriptions sounded suspiciously like Kosi. 

'Maybe one of his ancestors.' Noble mused. 

Looking at the setting moon, Noble felt the lateness of the hour. She had been so engrossed in the king's thoughts and stories that the hours had flown by. There was much more to glean from this journal than just information to solve the Nightmare. 

It was a treasure trove for any researcher! 

But Noble would have to cut her study short. 

The book would be missed sooner or later, and she planned to float it back to where she found it at first light. Hopefully, no one would be the wiser. 

'Time to hurry up and get serious.'

There were only a few pages left in the journal. Noble feared that she would be left hanging from a cliff, at least for the night.

But the final page provided more of the information she sought.

"I have found a temporary solution. The King of the Mountains was so intent on finding the truth that I told him that he may not have my daughter's hand until he does.

"He must return with the Truth, or leave Mandra alone. His Majesty left this morning. I do not expect to see him again for quite some time.

"I hope that the separation will allow my daughter some peace and my fellow monarch a chance to find someone else to marry. Perhaps the future is not so bleak after all." 

Noble read the page over twice more before falling deep into thought. 

The author seemed tentatively hopeful. While Noble wasn't sure whether Mandra had married the King of the Mountains or not, this kingdom, at least, had withstood the trial. 

'King of the Mountains sounds close to Lord of the Mountains. Then again... it isn't that close either.' 

And what had happened to that kingdom? All Noble knew was that no one had heard from those people in a very long time. 

'I hope you got your happy ending, Mandra. Your brother and father thought you were worth protecting.'

Would Brock and Blaze do the same for their sister? Noble would like to think so.

Fort certainly would give his life for Rain. That man would bring the whole Earth to its knees to protect his little girl. 

'He's a good man.' A smile came to Noble's face. She tucked her loose hair behind her ear and stroked [The Other's Voice]. Her heart flooded with longing such that she thought it might burst.

She called out to her husband knowing that he couldn't hear. 'I am trying to come home. Don't give up on me!' 

Noble calmed her nerves. Even if he never got the other half of the Memory, Fort would not lose hope. She was strong physically, but when it came to emotional strength, he was the rock Noble clung to. 

Together, they were unstoppable. "Hold on," she whispered as much to herself as to her absent husband. 

With a sigh, Noble pushed back another strand of hair which whipped into her face.

'It's almost time.'

Unlike Kosi, who was snoring softly, Noble knew that she would not be sleeping tonight. She had not even let Lenore dress her for bed. 

Carefully, Noble shed the blanket wrapped around her and laid it across Kosi before rising from him slightly. 

In a rain of sparks, a suit of armor overlaid her tight, simple tunic as the [Fradulent Facade] formed around the lower half of her face. Her eyes began to swirl in a way she hadn't allowed since she entered the nightmare. 

She kept her body relaxed as she continued to stare at the final page even though she was no longer reading.

'Just a little closer…'

There was a second reason Noble had chosen to read in the window. One that had nothing to do with the light of the moon or the evening breeze. 

And the wait, hard as it had been, was nearly over.

For out in the darkness hiding in the deepest shadows someone was creeping ever nearer.

The corners of Noble's lips tipped upwards.

And one way or another, she was going to get answers.