The moment Newton dropped Sonia at the entrance of the inner hall, he did not stay. He turned immediately.
His boots crunched against the snow as he walked away from the castle gates. The guards standing by the torches watched him pass but said nothing. They were used to the boy moving through the grounds like a shadow.
Newton headed toward the smaller stone building near the western wall. It stood apart from the main castle.
Closer to the Warden's study. The wind was stronger there. It swept across the cliffs and curled around the building like restless spirits. Newton pulled his cloak tighter as he climbed the short steps.
His mind was still racing. Sonia's voice echoed again and again in his head.
"Because I love you. I have always love you."
He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dark except for a dying candle on the wooden table.
Newton didn't bother lighting another. He tossed his cloak onto the chair and walked straight to his bed.
The mattress groaned as he collapsed onto it. Only then did he notice the figure sitting there.
Newton froze.
A shadow moved in the dim light. "Father," he whispered.
The man sitting at the edge of the bed slowly turned his head. The candlelight revealed the stern but familiar face of Lord Edmond Woodland.
"You are late," Edmond said calmly. His voice carried the weight of authority even in the quiet room.
Newton quickly sat upright.
"You know I am supposed to shave your hair tonight."
Newton nodded slowly. His hand rose to his head. He touched the smooth skin there. There was nothing to actually shave. Not even a faint stubble.
But it is in the Warden's nature to scrape the head, even though there is no hair.
No one had ever seen the color of his hair. Not even Newton himself.
For a moment he thought about protesting. Just once.
Just asking his father to let it grow. But the words never came.
Newton slipped off the bed and knelt on the floor. Then he turned and sat between his father's legs the way he had done every night for as long as he could remember.
Edmond reached into his robe. He pulled out the scrapper. A tiny blade. Sharp and narrow.
It was small enough to hide in his palm, yet sharp enough to cut through hair with a single motion.
He carried it everywhere. Always ready to scrape Newton's hair if he noticed any potential of hair growth.
The blade touched Newton's scalp. Then it moved. Slow, and careful.
The scrapper ran across the already bare head. There was no hair. Still Edmond scraped. Across the crown. Around the sides. Behind the ears. Every part. Every inch.
Newton stayed still.
The scraping sound filled the room. Soft, and dry.
Again and again the blade moved over skin that held nothing to remove.
Finally Newton spoke. His voice was quiet. Almost hesitant. "Is it true that you shave my hair because I am your shame?"
The scrapper stopped.
Edmond froze.
The room went silent. Slowly the Warden leaned forward. He tilted his head so he could see his son's face.
"Who told you that?"
Newton stared ahead. "The boys." His fingers tightened slightly against his knees.
"The people outside." For a long moment Edmond said nothing.
His eyes remained on the boy's face. He looked older suddenly.
Tired.
Like a man trying to hold together something fragile.
"Is that the reason why you don't allow my hair to grow?" Newton asked.
Edmond straightened slightly. "Of course not," he said. "That is not true."
Newton lowered his gaze.
"Then why?" His voice was softer now. Almost pleading. "Why can't my hair grow like every other kid out there?"
Edmond stared at the back of Newton's head. At the pale skin reflecting the candlelight.
For a brief moment something flickered in his eyes. Something heavy. Something complicated.
Then he forced a smile. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It felt more like something he was trying to convince himself of.
"Because I love you."
Newton looked up slightly.
Edmond continued scraping slowly across the smooth scalp. "One day," he said quietly, "you are going to discover why."
The blade glided once more across the crown. "And when you do, you will understand something."
Newton waited. Edmond's voice softened. "You will understand that I love you more than anything in this world."
Newton smiled.
A small one. But real.
Those words settled deep inside him. They warmed something that had been cold all evening. "I love you too, father," he said.
Edmond finished the scraping. The blade lifted away. There was nothing on the floor.
No hair.
Nothing at all.
Still Edmond leaned forward and examined the ground carefully. His eyes moved across the wooden boards.
Searching.
His fingers brushed the floor as if he expected to find something hidden there.
A strand. A trace. Anything. He checked the corners.
The space beneath the bed. Even the folds of Newton's cloak.
Nothing.
Finally he seemed satisfied. Edmond stood. He slipped the scrapper back into his robe.
Then he walked to the door. For a moment he paused there. He glanced once more at the boy sitting quietly on the bed.
Then he left the room. His footsteps faded down the corridor. Newton lay back on the mattress again.
The candle flickered. The wind outside howled softly around the walls. Soon his eyes closed. Sleep came quickly.
Morning arrived cold and gray. Snow still covered the castle grounds when the first light crept across the towers.
Inside the Warden's chamber, Edmond Woodland still slept. Beside him lay Bianca Woodland.
The room was warm with thick furs and heavy curtains blocking the winter wind. Then a sound broke the silence.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
The door rattled sharply.
Edmond stirred. His eyes opened slowly. He turned toward the door with irritation already forming on his face.
"Who is there?" he asked, his voice rough with sleep.
"Hansel, my lord.".The voice came from behind the door. "A raven has arrived from Kings' City."
There was a brief pause.
"Bearing the king's seal."
Edmond's eyes snapped fully open. In one quick motion he sat up. Beside him Bianca stirred as well.
Edmond was already rising from the bed. Messages from the king did not wait. They never arrived without reason.
He pulled his robe over his shoulders and moved quickly toward the door. The wood creaked as he opened it.
Hansel stood outside holding a gloved hand toward him. Perched upon the glove was a black raven. The bird's eyes were sharp and restless.
A rolled note hung from its beak. Edmond stepped forward and took the parchment carefully. The raven flapped once before settling again.
Bianca had followed him out into the corridor. She wrapped her cloak around herself as she watched.
Edmond broke the seal.
The wax bore the unmistakable mark of the crown. He unrolled the message. His eyes moved quickly across the lines.
Then he exhaled sharply. The sound echoed faintly in the hallway.
Bianca studied his face. "What is it?" she asked.
Edmond lowered the parchment slowly. Then he turned toward her. "Prepare the children."
Bianca blinked.
"The king wants our entire family in King's City within the next three days."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Our entire family?"
The words hung in the cold corridor.
Bianca's expression darkened slightly. "What for?"