"Suna?" I walk into the room and see several young men around her. "Oh, Lady Thorne! You made it!" She rushes over to me, taking my hands in hers. It is terrible!" I nod. "Well, would anyone mind telling me what is terrible? I have not heard anything yet."
One of the young men step forward. "You probably do not recognize us." I nod. "You are her step sons that were turned into swans several years ago." He looks at me surprised. "Oh, you do remember us."
I nod. "Helping you was the last job I did before my son was born, so of course I would remember." He nods. "Right, well... I am the eldest son. Not long after we were returned our natural forms, I married my wife and she gave birth to twin girls."
I sigh. When I asked for what was wrong, I did not actually need the whole background story as well...
"Our daughters are young women now, but just a few days ago, they were kidnapped." He looks away. I have to keep reminding myself not to roll my eyes when humans get dramatic. "Right. Do you know who kidnapped them?"
He shakes his head. "I only know it was a man." I sigh. Suna tightens her grip on me and I look down. "Suna?" Her eyes meet mine and I can see sadness in them.
"Eric took them." I frown. "Eric? You mean the Eric I am thinking of?" She nods. I shake my head and sigh. "Eric Von Rothbart. What is he up to now?" The princes look at me. "Who is Eric Von Rothbart?" I pat Suna's hand.
"He is Suna's father." They stare at us. "Father?!" I nod. "He has a flair for the dramatic. When he gets something in his head, it is often difficult to change his mind. Suna and him had a disagreement when she was going to marry your father. He swore that marrying him would make her unhappy. So, he turned her into a swan, to keep her safe."
I sigh. "It was his wife that scolded him and made him change her back. Unfortunately, he then swore to never speak to her again..." The eldest prince nods. "I see. He would not harm my daughters, would he?"
Suna shakes her head. "No. He is not evil. I would not be surprised if he turned them into swans though. He has an odd way of showing he cares, and an odd way of trying to protect others." I nod. "She is right."
I look at them. "Well, all of you should remain here. If he did turn them into swans, it will be a tad more complicated than it was with Suna. In that case, I will have to help them out a bit." Suna grabs onto me. "I will go too." I shake my head.
"No. I will call you when I have gotten things figured out. For now, you are needed here with your husband and children." She sighs. "Very well. Please, be careful, and tell my father that I miss him." I smile. "I will."
It only takes a few days to locate the home of Baron Von Rothbart. "Who dares to trespass on my land!" A dark form lands in front of me. He looks a bit owl-like. When he walks a bit closer, I can see that his hood is what resembles and owl.
"Eric Von Rothbart?" He frowns and pulls back his hood, squinting at me. "You know me?" I nod. "We have not met face to face before. I know your daughter Suna." He looks a bit sad for a moment. "How is she?"
I shrug. "She has been well, but she misses her father. She is also sad that her grandchildren were kidnapped." He looks away. "Oh? Kidnapped?" I nod. "Yes, by a man who sometimes dresses as an owl."
He sighs. "I only want to protect them from all the dangers of the world." I smile. "If they are overly protected, then they will never learn to grow. They will never get the chance to fall in love, or find the place where they can feel that they belong."
