**Sorry for leaving with that cliffhanger last time ;) I hope this makes up for it because y'all are about to find out some huge stuff!! yayyy**

Chapter 31

Ari prided himself on never being fazed. Life had downright smashed him over the head so many times that nothing really came as a surprise to him anymore. But honestly, this? He had not expected.

"What?"

Lyla didn't move. "He's not one of the royals," said she, slowly. "Is he... your brother... is he a Hapsburg?" She gaped at Jamie. "Are you a Hapsburg?"

Jamie's silence spoke volumes.

"We don't have time for that now." Aveline tugged on Ari's lifeless arms. "They led us here. We can hear them in the tent if we get closer! This could be our only chance. Ari."

He knew his first mate was right, but Ari couldn't seem to look away from Jamie. His mind was racing. What the hell was she talking about?! That boy with Tristran... was her brother? Did that mean she was an accessory to the kidnapping? A traitor?

Then why was she just sitting there and looking tearful? Ari just wished someone would sit him down and explain everything. But Jamie wouldn't even meet his eyes, she was crying— no, despite it all, he couldn't stand to see her crying-

Lyla reluctantly agreed. "Let's hide outside and listen in," she suggested. "I just found Tristran, I'm not letting him go. The other royals could be in there!"

Ari shook himself. "Fine. But this conversation isn't over." There was a small dip in the ground underneath a thick tangle of oak tree roots closer to the tent that Tristran had gone into, and Ari shuffled his companions towards it, pushing his own emotions aside. Compartmentalizing. He'd deal with everything else later.

Noises began to exude from inside the tent as Ari slowly made his way over, voices falling over each other and glasses clinking together.

It was a large and arbitrary structure; rather an extensive pile of persian fabrics draped somewhat adeptly on straightened tree branches nearby a group of small caves. Anywhere else, it was conspicuous; but the hideout was so far in the heart of the forest that Ari doubted anyone would have found it.

The sounds grew louder as they ducked behind the oak tree, and tucked neatly inside their little ditch of roots and branches, Ari could see into the makeshift tent through spaces in the quilts. Ducking his head further a bit more, he craned his neck to see into the room.

People clad in modest brown fabrics mingled together, speaking in low tones. The guards that had ushered Tristran in milled about, and Ari's heart sank as he spotted a vast pile of firearms in the corner. Lyla, who huddled beside him, took a rapid intake of breath.

"Those are the Hapsburgs," Jamie confirmed miserably. This time Ari didn't ask how she knew.

"And they're heavily armed," Eli muttered, stating the obvious. "We're dead."

Ari squinted closer at the people in the area.

Straightaway, he identified a definite distinction between the people. There were some adults, with hardened faces and graying hair and their hands skittering about restlessly on their thighs as if itching to grab at something.

But the other half of the space was younger, gentler; they wore hoods to cover frightened, darting eyes and unwrinkled foreheads. They huddled together and placed their hands on each other's backs, their palms uncalloused by labor.

"Lyla? Do you recognize any of them?" Ari inquired, but as the words left his mouth he realized he already knew.

They were the missing royals; Ari would bet his life on it.

"Oh." Lyla shuddered. Her face whitened and her fingers fumbled to wipe at moisture near her eyes. "Cecily, Gallien, Jenet, Milot... Tristran." When she looked at Ari, he could see the tears that flickered like liquid diamonds on her cheeks. "I know these people, Ari. What's happened to them?" For a moment, Lyla directed her unyielding eyes on Jamie's. "Were you and that boy part of this?"

Jamie's face crumpled in pleading. "No, Lyla, it's not Ben's fault, we never-"

"Shh." Aveline hushed them, motioning to the tent- Prince Tristran had appeared once more, with the floppy-haired Ben by his side. Ari watched them approach one of the rustic-looking men and begin engaging him in conversation. Ari strained to hear what they were saying.

"Sir." Ben's voice held a slight aura of caution, an unmistakable politeness to it. "Our guests are tired. It has been a trying day."

Ari's mouth twisted in distaste at the sight of the moderately short man whose spectacles rested atop the bridge of his long nose, eyebrows lugging together in an attentive steeple at his forehead.

"It is not even afternoon, and they have yet to..." His voice lowered into a whispered garble that Ari could no longer hear. Prince Tristran remained silent, though his eyes seemed to stray towards the entrance of the tent- Ari wondered if he knew they were listening.

"It's just that," Ben began again, louder, and Ari was sure that he did. "Some of them are anxious, sir, about what is expected of them before they are to be married."
Ari glanced back at his companions as their expressions dissolved into equal confusion.

"Especially," Ben cleared his throat, glancing towards the door once more, almost pointedly, "since the engagements were rather, uh, quick."

What?!

An awful suspicion was beginning to settle in the bottom of Ari's chest. He worriedly glanced back at Aveline, who shook her head almost imperceptibly.

"What's he talking about?!" Lyla's voice raised slightly, and Ari put a hand on her shoulder before he could stop himself. "Jamie?"
"I.. I don't know," Jamie said helplessly.

Ari tore his eyes from Jamie, returning his attention to the tent as the older Hapsburg's expression brightened.

"Our guests wish to be more acquainted with their betrothed?"

Ben hesitated. "In a manner of speaking- that is, Prince Tristran has a request."
Ari watched aptly to see this man's reaction; expecting anger or indignation, but he was all oily smiles and respect as he addressed Tristran.

"His Highness may have anything he desires," he simpered, and Ari couldn't help but let a tiny scoff escape his lips. Except for his freedom?

The prince straightened. He sounded awkward as he spoke, as if he were forcing the words, pushing them out in careful segments. "Due to the... unfamiliarity between individuals, I would perhaps suggest a small suspension to all ceremonies, at least until-"

"Suspension?" His captor repeated. "You mean to postpone the wedding?" The man threw his head back and laughed, a rude and jarring sound that drew others of the party nearby to listen.

The older ones were the abductors, Ari was sure of it- they approached Prince Tristran- and the rest of the royals, for that matter- almost hesitantly, as if in an artificial deference that was badly disguised with condescension.

One of the women nearly sneered at the prince over her champagne glass. They bow and curtsy, yet mock the royals to their faces, Ari thought; an odd and rather vile juxtaposition.

"The sooner our children are married, the sooner Your Highnesses may return to your families," she chided, as if Tristran should have known better than to make such an inane request.

Ari didn't catch Tristran's response; he dropped down and sank back against the trunk of their tree.

His stomach was churning. He should have known better. He nearly wanted to scoff at it all; in bitter hatred of the irony. Everywhere he and Aveline went, they found people such as these. The Detache was plagued heavily with stupid, self-titled aristocrats, he thought angrily, who deprived others of a choice, of, of...

"I don't understand," Lyla was saying in a panic, bringing Ari back to the present. Aveline was making soft noises, trying to calm her down. "What do they mean by speaking to the prince like that?"

Aveline worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "If what I'm hearing is correct, the Hapsburgs are forcing the royals to marry their children."

"But why would they do such a horrid thing?!"

Damn. Ari bit down on his thumbnail. "My guess is, they're trying to integrate themselves into the royal family."

"Oh, no." Lyla whimpered and buried her head in her hands with a small plop.

"We have to get out of here," Jamie urged. "If the guards aren't patrolling now, they'll send them back out soon."
"Yes, and aren't you the expert on the Hapsburgs?" Ari impulsively bit back, balling his hands into fists at his sides.

"Please," she begged. "I know these people. We have to get out of sight or they'll find us. If we move to a safer place, I'll tell you everything you want to know, I promise-"

Lyla shook her head furiously. "I'm not leaving them-"

"We'll move," Ari interjected. Jamie looked at him in surprise. He didn't meet her gaze.

He nodded towards a grove of caverns behind the Hapsburg tent. "We'll hide in the caves. It's far enough away that they won't be able to hear us, but we'll still be able to see them."

They made a wide arc around the tent to the caves, trying not to make noise stepping on twigs and soil, and entered through the back of the closest one to the tent, a safe distance away.

They had enough light coming from the mouth of their small hideout, but it was damp, and Ari had no idea how long they'd be there. He got started on making a fire, and Eli helped him, mutely gathering dried leaves and twigs.

"Princess Elaina is in there," he said, his usually cheery voice thin and strained. "The princess of my kingdom. She's only sixteen."

Anger swept through him, and Ari found himself fixing his stare on Eli with less disdain than usual. "We're going to save her."

Eli bowed his head, and Ari's respect for him increased just the tiniest bit.

Lyla sat by the entrance, reluctant to take her eyes off of the royal tent, so Aveline came to sit next to her, and eventually everyone else joined her. Ari watched the grove for any signs of movement, but it was quiet.

After a moment of sitting in silence, Lyla turned to Jamie.

"I recognized that boy. Ben?"
Jamie nodded weakly.

"I thought so." Lyla shifted back so her focus remained on the tent. "I've seen him with Tristran before."

Jamie inhaled and pushed her shoulders back. "I will tell you the truth, because you deserve that much. But I warn you, I only know bits and pieces."
She took a breath once more, gaining her audience's rapt attention, and began her tale.

"Ben and I grew up in Diviel. There were several of our families in our village; we were brought up with our cousins, aunties and uncles and grandparents surrounding us. We were poor, but it was all right; we had each other, and we always had enough."

She nervously pulled at a piece of grass underneath her feet. "That story about the Hapsburgs? Our parents have told it to us over and over since we were children. They were obsessed with the royals; obsessed with the inheritance that they believed their... our ancestors had lost." She looked up at them, at Ari, and her eyes were pleading. "It was a story passed on for generations. I had no idea, that..." she trailed off.

"Anyhow, they always pushed us to take jobs near to the royal families. I suppose they always hoped that one day one of the royals would hear out our story, and save us from destitution... Ben is a few years my senior, and my parents sent him off to work near Apreuna, just across the pond. And at first, Ben hated the job; he pulled haycarts near the palace, and it was hard work, but he must have started to enjoy it, because he started staying out longer, and coming home late with this massive grin on his face. He spent hours in Apreuna."

"He was with Tristran," Lyla said faintly.

Jamie inclined her head. "Lyla, I don't know how it happened, but somehow, your prince fell in love with my brother. And... I'm not completely sure, but I think that by doing so, they accidentally caused this entire abduction."

**HAHA okay so we obviously still don't know everything, but huge developments, amiright??! And at least we've finally found out Tristran's big secret... So what do you guys think? was that too confusing?? everything gets explained a bit more next chapter.**