She took his hand in hers, pressed her cheek against it, and he stopped feeling his body.

– Please give me a son. I've been dreaming about this. To see his eyes, just like yours. I want to look at him and think of you. I want you to always be there for me, always. Anna slowly stroked his hair, causing him to close his eyes. Something unknown gripped him. But the Countess moved away from him and took the feelings she had given him with her.

The silence was broken by the striking of the clock, and the young man awoke.

– I have to go, Robin, – the girl said.

– It is clear that I do not deserve such words, because I can not have children.

– The curse of the royal dynasty, – Raven said bitterly, pushing her onto the bed and kneeling beside her, holding her down with his hands.

– Do you believe in curses? – Anna asked wearily. – Comprehend your life and the life of your ancestors and understand who is to blame for what happened and how to fix it. Look around, more and more people can't have children. Do you think that someone cursed them all?

She tried to get up, but the young man wouldn't let her.

– I didn't let you go, – he said irritably.

Anna glanced at the sword beside the bed, and Raven saw it.

– The royal sword of Adenia. He chooses his own master, he can only be held by the strongest, and the rest of this weapon causes pain.

The monarch's voice had regained its former firmness and authority. He looked at Anna quizzically. And before he knew it, she had turned on her axis and, in the blink of an eye, had placed the cold steel against his throat like a flash of lightning. The leader of the strongest Raven magic clan froze in place. He didn't move, feeling a warm trickle of blood trickle down his neck.

– Yes, – Anna said. – I've handled this sword before. – Should I claim the throne? After all, I personally also have a connection to the dynasty of the kings of Adenia. And I have more right to be at the head of the state than you, my nephew Ratmir, whom you are so afraid of, and even more than the late Leo the Seventh. Once upon a time, my grandfather ceded power to him and paid for it. And you're so calm about leaving this toy anywhere. And for some reason, you call me a fool.

– So you put a blade to my throat for that? – The king asked, squinting at the blade.

– No. For your joke with the fountain, I decided to take revenge, – she smiled.

Raven took a moment to cast a paralyzing spell on her, and immediately felt his entire body go numb as he realized that Anna had repelled his attack. With the swift movement of a skilled warrior, she slashed the blade through the air, sheathed it, and slung it over her back. Then she picked Robin up and laid him on the bed, making him comfortable with the pillows. With a satisfied glance at the motionless youth and a wink, she quickly put on her cloak and left.

Fifteen minutes of motionless solitude seemed like an eternity to Robin. During this time, he tried hundreds of ways to rid himself of the effects of his own charms. Suddenly, the door flew off its hinges from a strong blow, and Arthur stumbled into the room. To say that he looked surprised was to say nothing. For half a minute, Lord Kern was just a statue. Edward followed him through the doorway. Raising his eyebrows, he silently stood next to his friend and stared at Robin. A few more seconds passed before the young men began to shake with laughter. Reclining on the pillows, the king seemed to show no concern about this, except that his black eyes glittered fiercely in his dark face.

– How are you, Robin? – Arthur asked mockingly.

– Can I help you? – The Falcon chimed in.

– How can we help? – The Bear said, puzzled. – Do you have the magic to remove this paralysis?

– I don't have it, it was blocked. And you?

– And I don't have any magic, either.

– Should we call someone? – The young men were clearly enjoying the situation.

– How so? I'm under arrest and there's nothing I can do.

– So am I.

The king could only show by the expression of his eyes what he thought of his subjects. Finally, the leader of the Bears left and brought the guards. The mages quickly freed the Raven, who was able to yell immediately:

– Where is she?

The Falcon and the Bear looked at each other in mock bewilderment. Suddenly, the pale-faced head of the guard rushed into the room and hurriedly bowed.

– Your Majesty, the Countess of the Rhine has left the castle on her horse.

– Catch up and bring her back! – Raven snapped.

In his excitement, the subject began to stutter.

– W-w-which one?

– What?!

– The six horsewomen rode off in different directions. We couldn't determine where the mirages were, it all happened too fast.

– Catch up with all the horsewomen!

– Yes, Your Majesty.

The guards withdrew. Robin quickly pulled on his shirt and doublet, moving back and forth uncontrollably. The sound of the siren made everyone in the room tense up.

– Someone broke into the vault!" – Arthur shouted.

The young men ran.

The palace treasury was protected by the most powerful magic spells imaginable. Therefore, it was deserted in front of the entrance. When the siren announced that all the locks were broken, a large squad of the palace's best guards quickly appeared in the hall. Spread out in battle readiness, they looked around for the enemy. The captain was the first to spot the black knight at the top of the stairs. In the hands of the silent stranger, two blades flashed and cut through the air like lightning. After performing this trick, he paused for a moment, waiting for the attack, and it immediately took place. Streams of destructive energy flew at him like a wall. The warrior swung his swords again and, in some incomprehensible way, some of the magic reflected back, scattering the squad, and another part created a wall behind them. Which is what Arthur, Edward, and Robin saw when they arrived on the scene. The squad immediately grouped together and split into two halves. The first half of the warriors rushed into battle, climbing the stairs with their weapons drawn. The Bear and the Falcon were touching the invisible wall, trying to figure out what spell would destroy it, and the Raven suddenly disconnected from reality. A memory flashed clearly in his mind. He's only seven years old. He lives alone in the Greenlands. The servants who had cared for him and the Auden heir had fled. He hears the baby cry and sees the last of the knights defending them fall, slain by the swords of the warriors of the Order of the Golden Lion. He is small, but he understands that no one will spare them. The Black Knight appears unexpectedly and pats him on the head. He pulls out two blades that reflect the blinding light of the sun, and goes forward alone against two hundred experienced soldiers. The boy barely has time to watch him, like a black tornado that inflicts wounds on its opponents, and they can do nothing in return.

– It's him, – Robin said dully.

– The Phoenix spell, Raven, recite it, and the wall will collapse in fifteen minutes, – Arthur says hurriedly.

At this time, the knight in black entered the battle. In his hands, a weapon glittered, smashing at his opponents. It took him five minutes to leave ten people injured on the stairs. The best warriors, the Falcon and the Raven, stood speechless. Meanwhile, the stranger in dark clothes, after taking a short break, jumped down the stairs, spinning like a top. Another five minutes, and the rest of the squad suffered the same fate. Leaving the soldiers groaning from their wounds, the masked man hurried to the vault door and opened it with a single blow of his blade.

– The King's sword, – the Falcon breathed, and looked back at Robin. – He has the sword of Adenia.

– Yes, she's not acting alone. She managed to get it to him, – Raven said softly.