From her position atop Condor's back, Karigan watched the priest with mounting dread, cold gripping her limbs despite the heat of the day. If only she were invisible.

The priest standing on top of the dais was almost upon Zachary and Estora, she still paralysed with the decision before her, raising his hands in acknowledgement of Aeron and chanting. He abruptly stopped, eyes fixed in horror on the spectacle unfolding among the gathered soldiery. There were deformations of the lines, gasps and shouts as the guards scrambled to get out of the way, making the sign of the crescent moon to ward off evil. One of the Green Riders and her horse had entirely disappeared.

It was a few moments before the Weapons regained control of the ranks – as swiftly as she had disappeared, Karigan G'ladheon returned to the visible world, and the commotion passed. She hadn't meant to do it, and she would earn a fierce reprimand from Captain Mapstone later, but wasn't that how the brooch worked?

This was the distraction Estora needed, the flash that broke her resolve. "My Lord," she whispered. "I feel that my heart lies elsewhere – I do not consent to be your wife." Her warm smile reflected the gratitude in his eyes.

"This wedding cannot continue!"

But it wasn't Zachary's voice that called out to the congregation. The priest of Aeron lifted his hands high, as though channelling the divine will of the Goddess herself.

"Whyever not!" demanded the irascible voice of Lord Coutre, who surged to his feet in the front row. "Zachary! You signed a contract! You will go through with this!"

"My Lord," replied the priest. "This is not a question of contracts or alliances. Aeron has sent an omen in the form of the disappearance of that Green Rider." He pointed to the commotion among the ranks, not noticing Zachary's smile. Karigan. Whether by purpose or not, she had halted his wedding. "As a sign from the Heavens, it means the marriage cannot take place."

"But – but –"

"And as long as we are speaking of contracts, My Lord Coutre," added Zachary, rising from his kneeling position before the priest. "My marriage contract is null and void. Lady Estora finds herself unwilling to be my bride." The King grinned into Lord Coutre's murderous face. "Go to him," he whispered to Estora.

"Thank you, Zachary," she said, kissing his cheek.

Xandis Amberhill, still wondering whether the disappearing G'ladheon girl had been part of the plan, could only watch as the angelic figure of Lady Estora ran to him, her skirts trailing like the framing of divine winds. She landed in his arms, where she never thought she would be, and kissed him soundly. Someone was laughing as they spun together, and Xandis realised it was himself, not caring about the confusion around him, nor the angry Lord Coutre stalking in their direction through the crowds of nobles.

"This seems like the perfect opportunity for me to make a little announcement," Zachary boomed from the top of the dais. The sun had come to rest on the lintel of Her throne, framing Zachary's head with a halo of light. The priest looked awestruck, as did the rest of the congregation, who had never seen their King so regal.

"Sacoridia is entering a period in her history filled with great danger. The threats from Blackveil Forest and Second Empire increase daily, and it is likely that I may die without an heir, or, at least, one not old enough to rule at my death. We now declare, with his consent, that Lord Xandis Amberhill, Our second cousin, a man who has proven himself with services rendered to the Crown of Sacoridia, is to be Our heir until the time that We have produced a child of age to assume the throne. He is to rule as regent in Our absence and, should We be killed, he is to assume the Throne of Sacoridia."

The nobles were too stunned to speak, but word quickly passed down the line of soldiers from those close enough to hear: Zachary wasn't getting married! He was announcing his heir instead. Karigan refused to believe it, though inside her heart jumped and a blush roared across her cheeks.

"We present him now with the Ring of State to seal his position." The King pulled from his right hand a silver ring wrought with the crescent moon and firebrand of Sacoridia and held it up to the light. Xandis ascended the dais, humbled, sweating under the pressure of occasion weighted in thousands of eyes staring at him, fingering the dragon ring he already wore. The oath he swore passed in a daze, and when he finished kneeling and received the symbol of his regency, his only thoughts were for Estora.

"I suggest you go and gain Lord Coutre's good opinion," The King said, so that only Xandis could hear.

"I will, Sire."

It took weeks for things to return to normal. All the courtiers could buzz about was the new regent, all they did was try and win his favour, since now the only one with more power than Xandis Amberhill was the King himself. He wasn't interested, however. After asking Lord Coutre for permission to court his daughter, Xandis had spent every available moment with Estora, falling ever more deeply in love. Perhaps he should tell her his second identity?

Karigan had been relegated to stable duty. Not that she minded the smell of horses and hay, but most of the other Riders had been posted off to the far corners of the kingdom to pass on the bizarre news. Or else they had gone to round up the new Rider mounts and herd them back to Sacor City for breaking in.

She halted her sweeping. Zachary wasn't married. Her stomach flipped every time she thought about it. Then it settled again. She had been sure the King would send for her at some point, she had hoped he would, but more than a month had passed without any word from him.

"Something troubling you?" asked Flynn, the new groom hired to cope with the influx of new horses.

"No," she answered, surfacing from her reverie. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all." And she returned to her chores.

She was just setting up Condor's haynet when a small voice from the door called her name. A Green Foot runner.

"The King wishes to see you." It was all she could do not to sprint straight to his study – but that would not have looked proper, and instead she let the Green Foot runner lead the way, after tidying herself up, of course. One did not tread horse muck and straw into the royal carpets, after all.

Nerves sprouted the closer she got to the King's study, and multiplied exponentially when Fastion, on guard outside the King's door, gave her a small wink. She gulped.

"Leave us," Zachary commanded the Green Foot runner. He was busying himself with replacing several books on their shelves and did not look at Karigan. She didn't notice his hands were shaking slightly. She stood there uncertainly, willing herself not to become invisible again.

"I hear you're being punished for causing such a commotion the other week," the King finally said, turning to her. "Mucking out, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Sire," Karigan replied. "I don't think it's entirely fair though."

"Oh?" he mused. "I thought it was the privilege of a commanding officer to ascribe punishments when they saw fit."

"To be honest, Highness, I wasn't the only one interrupting the proceedings," she said frankly, looking him straight in the eye. All her fear of him had gone. "But I was the only one who did it by accident."

Zachary smiled. "Indeed. Pleas, sit."

He sat down, too. And stood straight back up again. Karigan had never seen such behaviour in him before, and she had the feeling she knew what was coming next – or, at least, she hoped so, but whether it terrified or comforted her was difficult to say.

"Karigan." Zachary's voice dropped to an earnest level. "Karigan, you must know the reason I asked you here was not just to speak about your punishment from Captain Mapstone." Heart hammering as he knelt beside her, Karigan nodded. "And I know that, last time I gave you these –" he pulled a small, intricately carved box from the desk, a box Karigan recognised. "You returned them to me." He tentatively stroked her cheek as the box was pressed into her hands, as if she were a wisp of wind that could vanish at any instant. "So full of fire; so full of pain." He swallowed. "I'm sorry for that. I remember what you said."

Karigan was finding it hard to breathe. Inside the box, cushioned in velvet, was the silver hairset that had been a gift once before. She knew what Zachary's words meant now.

"Sire, I –" she began.

"Call me by my name."

She inhaled and looked at him. "Zachary. I cannot accept this gift."

"You know what I mean by it," he urged. "A wedding gift – I'm asking you to marry me, Kari."

"I know." She laid hand on his cheek. "I know. But I am a commoner, a messenger – nothing more."

"You are so much more to me."

"But to everyone else, I will be seen as a usurper, unworthy –"

"I will strike down anyone who dares utter such a thing," he growled passionately. "You are my love, worthy in every sense of the word," he whispered, clasping her face, smoothing away the tears that had choked her throat and traced down her cheeks. "And, with war approaching, I will need a Queen who can defend herself, who can lead. None of the high-born ladies at court possess such skills, as I pointed out to Captain Mapstone." He grinned.

"You talked to the Captain?" she asked, shocked.

"Of course. She was opposed to it, of course, but I reminded her that it was my decision."

Karigan laughed. Imagining the Captain being put in her place was something she would have liked to see. Even Drent was scared of her, for Gods' sakes.

"Your laugh is more music to me than anything else," he murmured, kissing her hand.

"You can stop being like that right now," she grimaced.

"Like what?"

"All mushy and poetic, it's awful."

"Very well, I shall never pay you a compliment again." Could this small exchange mean what he thought it meant? "But come, tell me, what is your answer?" Her eyes dropped, and she bit her lip. Taking his hand, she kissed the knuckles, feeling the calluses on his swordmaster's palm. "Is that a yes?"

She sighed. "I'm still a Green Rider."

"I release you from your service."

"No, Zachary, you don't understand," she replied, touching the brooch that he couldn't quite see but which glowed with warmth at the brief touch, as if in encouragement. And she explained that she was bound to the messenger service until the brooch released her – not mentioning that usually death came first.

"So it's a no?" All his dreams, all his plans for the day she would finally be his and he could present her to the world as the Queen of Sacoridia were falling through his hands like dust to be scattered on the wind. That was it, he would never marry now.

"No."

He looked up, hope brimming anew.

"Call it… a promise. When the messenger service releases me, if you still feel the same for me, I will marry you," she said.

"My feelings for you will never change, my love," he whispered. Her bashful smile lit up the entire room. And he leaned in, and Karigan did what she had only dreamed of before, in the deep recesses of the night when nobody could see – she shared a kiss with the man she loved.