Zofia was gone. 

The castle was empty and quiet. The coldness could be felt as it reached from the walls and into the kingdom. Winter was there, snow was falling, Draegon's heart was cold with the distance between him and his mate. 

Draegon stood beside Niklaus as the worried people stood below them. Women had their hands twisted together and men stood with their brows furrowed. 

It had been a week since she had left. 

"It is with great remorse that I, King Draegon, bring the news to you, the people of Caledon." He paused, uncertain about the script that was written for him. "Your beloved queen Zofia is terribly ill." Draegon finished, trying to compose his angered trembling. He nearly growled as he gritted his teeth together. He cleared his throat. There was a sob in the audience, and a few soft cries of worry. Of course, now that she was gone she was everyone's favorite. It was Nik's idea, to tell the people that she was sick. Mephis and Draegon agreed to it, because that way they could keep it hidden that she had run away. If she didn't return, if they were certain that she wouldn't, then they would say that she had died. They had sent a crier out to tell the people that their king would address them, they had gathered in a buzz that had died down as soon as the somber faces stepped up to greet tem. Draegon took a deep breath as he stood back. 

"What about cleaning up the old sector?" Someone in the crowd asked. 

"The queen's project will continue in her absence." Draegon answered. He ran his fingers through his hair and let Garison step in between him and the crowd. "If this life fails, there is always the next." He reminded himself in a whisper as Niklaus took the crowd on instead. 

"What's wrong with her?" They shouted. "When will she be better?" A voice joined in. 

"We are not sure what ails her, but we are confident that she will soon be her normal self." He lied, but he was failing at keeping it together. He had thought that she was going to be leaving with him, but she hadn't. She had left all on her own. Something must be wrong with her, he thought. She had gone off on her own and left him. 

Zofia was enjoying her time on the road, except for when she got mugged. She had nothing to give the robber. Instead she offered to start a fire on which he could cook his rabbit. He ended up sharing with her and they shook hands and parted ways with smiles. She had a plan in mind of where she wanted to go, even though the horse had a completely different plan. Zofia fought with Steve the stallion for the whole first week before she caved and let him have his way. She was close to starving and she needed his help. He was all she had to talk to on the cold and quiet roads, all warmth she had to cling to. He kept her sane, till he no longer listened. She shuddered and hung on him like a tattered rag, listening to his hooves as he insisted they to somewhere only he knew about. 

Draegon stared out of the window as if he could see the people in town, as if he would see Zofia among them. The snow was starting to fall. Behind him Mephis and Niklaus were interrogating Juniper, prodding her for answers. Garison stood by the wall as if he was just a statue clad in black. Dex sat at the desk, taking notes.

"Do you know where she could have gone?" Nik asked her gently. Juniper had been in tears since the moment she had heard that Queen Zofia was gone. 

"No, I don't know. I thought you would know." Juniper sniffled into her white handkerchief. Nik lowered his head at that, ashamed that he in fact didn't know. "She said that you had been friends with her for a long time."

"She doesn't know the kingdom. She's been in this part of Caledon all her life. I would say she's never seen a map, but she was so studious, she must know." Nik said to the five other people in the room, trying to think long and hard about where she could be. He hadn't told a soul that she was going to be leaving with him before she ran off all on her own.

"Do you think she will be able to find her way back?" Mephis finally spoke. He looked lost in thought for the longest time. 

"If she decides to come back, I'm sure she will. Zofia really is very smart." Niklaus answered. 

"She really is a smart girl." Juniper sniffed. "Are the guards still looking?" She wanted to know. 

"We are. In every establishment this kingdom has." Garison said to the elderly woman. He had very nearly gotten a beating for letting the queen slip out of his sights for a second time, but Juniper had put a stop to it, reminding the king how headstrong her girl is. 

"The horse, will it not return her here?" Niklaus asked. Mephis shook his head. 

"The horse is crazed. We found him half wild out in the grasslands. No matter how we tried to tame him, he does not want to be tamed. I wouldn't be surprised if he's trampled her to death." Mephis closed his eyes for a moment at the though. 

"Shut up, all of you!" Draegon growled from his window. He was balling his fists, his claws cutting deep into his palms. He turned to glare at them each in turn. "If it weren't for you prodding into her past..." He looked at his father, "You taking your eyes off her." He pointed at Garison, "And you, talking lies into her head..." His gaze fell on Nik. He shook his head solemnly. "She wouldn't have left if it weren't for all of you."

"You did that all on your own. You were chasing her out of your bed, calling her a witch." Niklaus turned the accusations around. Juniper gasped. 

"A witch!" She yelled in her shrill, old voice. "How dare you?" Juniper accused Draegon in turn. The old woman sobbed harder.

"She confided this in you?" Draegon growled, his eyes narrowed as he turned an incredulous look on Nik. 

Nik nodded bravely, balling his fists as if he was ready to fight with Draegon. "I don't suppose she had anyone else in this place to talk to." He gestured around them as he placed importance on himself. 

"She went to his room the morning she left." Garison pointed out innocently. 

"What did you two talk about?" Mephis wanted to know. Draegon sunk into his chair at the desk and buried his face in his hands. All the eyes were on him. 

"Your highness." Dex prodded.

"I..." He struggled. "She brought me tea, then she asked me how she could convince me she wasn't a witch and I said.... I told her I want her to talk to someone who knew about these things. I wanted her to stay in her room." He dragged his fingers over his face and looked at the prying eyes. 

"Says the man who said that we needed to maintain trust in order for her to not turn against us." Mephis seemed amused. Draegon shook his head at his father. 

"I'm in charge of this kingdom and it's people. I needed to be sure." He growled. 

"Now you're here, broken over your mate and your 'deep bond' to her while she's out there doing hell knows what." Mephis attempted another argument, eager to prove his son unfit. 

"I have never been more offended in my life, your grace. I have spent the most time with her since she arrived and she most certainly isn't a witch." Juniper spoke up again, vehemently clinging to the overlooked argument. 

"What about the fire?" Mephis asked Juniper. 

"I saw you two doing worse things and I never bothered to ask!" Her sharp finger pointed at the king and his father as she pulled her face in a modest manner. She shook her head at Draegon. "She is a kind and special woman, and you sent her to her death. It's simply a miracle that you have not killed her yet. You should be ashamed of yourselves." Juniper spat the words out. She looked even older and more worn than usual. 

Zofia clung to Steve the stallion as he led her through the trees and through the grasslands. She was worn out, tired and hungry. He had been leading the way for more than two days before he finally stopped. Zofia rolled off his back and landed on her own with a thud. She blinked as she looked up. 

"Steve. Steve don't leave me here." She complained in a needy tone to the stallion as he started to walk away. She grabbed on to his stirrup and let him drag her for a few feet. He stopped and threw his head, then sloshed into the water with his front hooves. He lowered his head and started to drink. 

"Water." Zofia gasped as she got up. She nearly dunked her whole head into the horse's watering through, having her fill of the cool water. She fell on to her back and touched her face just as some kids started to laugh at her. Zofia bolted upright. Regardless of how thirsty she was, she was still the queen. She looked at the little kids and fought the urge to fall over again. Adults soon joined them. They were all dressed wildly bohemian. It was the sweetest she had probably ever seen. Brightly colored patches all over their earth toned clothing, scarves on their heads, flowers on their clothes, in their hair, all around them.  A lady hurried over and grabbed her arm before she could fall over. 

"What is your name, darling?" She asked her as she sat her in the shade and passed her more water. 

"Zofia." She answered. "Who are you?" 

"I'm Lilly!" She beamed at Zofia. She had short brown hair with brown eyes and a sun kissed skin that made even dazed Zofia feel jealous. 

"Lilly, don't tell the king I'm here?" She asked her as she fixed her hair. Lilly laughed at her. 

"I won't tell the king. Are you running from him?" She knelt by her, handing her some food that one of the children had gone to grab. It was just a banana but it looked like more than what Zofia's had in a long time. 

"I kind of am, yes. See, he is my husband and he's accusing me of being a witch so I ran away because I'm pretty sure I'm not a witch." Zofia babbled. She rubbed her eyes and tried to regain some control over herself. She was having a great time getting it all off her chest. After being away from home and everyone she knew for more than a week, she definitely needed someone to talk to. Her eyes darted to Steve. Steve who didn't listen to her or talk to her. Lilly had Zofia's banana in her hand. It seemed like a call to war, Zofia being ready to fight over it. She watched as Lilly peeled it, and finally handed it over.

"Oh, honey! You're no witch. Believe me. I know one when I see one!" Lilly laughed so hard that she almost fell over. Zofia stuffed the banana into her mouth and just gave Lilly a puzzled look. 

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