Page 21 of Lily of the Valley

Eventually, they came to a halt by the tower remains, and Lily gasped as she spied a placard, the silver kind used for memorials. Brushing away the leaves and roses partially covering it, she read, "Here lies the Rose and the Fox, who gave everything for a kingdom that rarely gave them anything. May they rest in joy and peace."

The fox gave several sharp, piercing barks and turned several times in a circle before sitting down like an eager hunting dog being made to hold still.

"The Rose and the Fox," Lily repeated. "Prince Briar."

"And Reynard, I'd wager," Scout said, scowling at the fox. "In all his irritating glory, you bossy bastard."

Reynard made a noise that could only be a laugh.

"You shouldn't be so rude," Lily said with amusement of her own. "Clearly he has power here."

"I killed my own father, I don't give a single damn about anyone's power or authority."

Lily laughed loudly enough to startle nearby birds. "Well that's certainly true. I don't know of anyone else in the world who would make their queen wash dishes."

Scout looked briefly abashed, but rolled her eyes when Lily smirked. "You be quiet. Your Majesty."

Still smiling, Lily looked over the rest of the ruins. "I wonder why Josiah wanted me to come here."

"Who exactly is this Josiah?"

Lily was surprised only that Scout hadn't asked sooner. "The Captain of the Guard."

"You sure you can trust him?"

"Yes, absolutely. Without him I never would have made it out of the palace. I hope he's all right."

Scout narrowed her eyes. "What exactly does this Josiah look like?"

"Why are you acting so suspicious of a man you've never met? Never even seen."

"Oh, I met a Josiah once," Scout said with a snort. "Eerily pale, eyes a peculiar red-toned brown, hair the color of old, dark steel."

"That's…that's the same Josiah."

"Not many Josiah's around who would know the location of the ruins and be able to make it all the way out here on their own."

"I feel you're insulting me, somehow," a familiar voice said from behind Lily.

Scout snarled and went for her sword, even as the voice registered and Lily rushed to him with a disbelieving cry. "Josiah!"

He embraced her tightly. "Your Majesty, I'm so happy to see you alive and well." He slowly let her go, smiling as his gaze shifted to Scout. "If I'd known you were under the protection of the Wolf, though, I wouldn't have worried. Long time no see, Scout. I had no idea you lived here now. Last I heard, you were in Huntsman country."

"Good to see you again, blood drinker," Scout said, letting go of the hilt of her sword. "What in the world are you doing playing at human in the royal court?"

"Blood drinker?" Lily echoed, staring between them. "They called you that before, back when I was running away. What does that mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like," Scout replied. "He drinks blood. Human, specifically."

Josiah smiled crookedly. "Different cultures call my kind different things, but the one you probably know best is vampire."

Lily's eyes widened. "I didn't think vampires were real."

Josiah and Scout laughed, before he replied, "We like to keep a low profile. There aren't many of us, and killing one of us is considered a serious prize for hunters and other cretins."

"You still haven't told me what you're doing here playing at human."

"Come on, I'm sure you'd like to sit down, rest, have some food. I'll talk while you rest, and then you can sleep, and tomorrow we'll start addressing the problem of that backstabbing shitstain."

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