"Kyndran would have come a bit earlier with his bow and arrow and the outcome would have remained the same."

"That's it?"

Tace shrugged.

"That's it. It's just a twist. The outcome doesn't change."

Rynere opened her mouth, then shut it again. Tace grinned.

"Since there don't appear to be any questions, shall we start?"

There was a tense silence for the next hour. Danid and Kyndran were eyeing each other suspiciously, and Rynere was jumping at every little sound in the woods, wondering if Matthan was returning. Tace was the only one who didn't seem to care.

"Tace," Rynere finally broke the quiet. "Why is Tass -why did the king we just meet want him dead? Why does Matthan want him dead?"

"The king wants him dead because of Sylver."

"Why? What was he doing?"

"Nothing."

"Then why -"

"The king was misinterpreting many things that were going on. For one, the princess was just looking for a friend and someone to talk to, and Tass was willing enough to be one. The king didn't want an explanation. He just wanted an excuse. A lot of people are like that."

"Then why did Matthan?"

"To make a long story short, Matthan wanted to marry Miss Kirea, but Miss Kirea wanted to marry Tass. So they married, and Matthan's been hunting him ever since. Out of jealousy."

Rynere noticed Kyndran and Danid exchanging a glance.

"As I recall, he plays a rather large part in this," Tace continued. "You'll be surprised -"

"We will be surprised?" Kyndran interrupted.

"Happens every time," Tace grinned.