Doyle stood silently in the open doorway to Merry's bedroom.  It 
was the darkest hours of the night, just before dawn.  He had guard 
duty inside the house.  Galen was outside.  All though he would never 
admit it, he was lost in thought.


 
'They love each other.' He watched Meredith and Frost sleeping on 
the bed.  Merry was on her side, Frost spooned up against her back.  
Kitto layed curled in a pile of cushions in the corner.  'No one 
should come between that.  If only he would get her with child.  If 
any of the rest of us do, this will become a huge mess.  I wish I 
could suggest to the others that we step back, let them have each 
other.  That would endanger her life, though.  The queen would be 
furious that she was not having sex with all of us.  The punishment 
for that... I love her too much to let that happen.  Its funny, I 
care about her as much as Frost, but not in the same way.  She is 
the Unseelie's future.  Our way to survive.  If only she would become 
pregnant.  With Frost's child.  I think he would truely fade if 
someone else ended up marrying her.  I can't let that happen 
either.  He is the only one I would call friend...'



Doyle turned and walked through the rest of the house.  Rhys' door 
was closed, but a faint light glowed under the door.  'Probably 
left the television on again.'  It was just as well that Rhys had 
ended up with the tiny room to himself.  The door to the larger room 
Nicca shared with Galen was open.  Doyle could see Nicca asleep under 
several blankets.  He moved on through the house, past the room he 
shared with Frost.  'Truely, it is not a burden to share rooms.  
Between the guard schedule and Merry's schedule, it is a rarity 
that both occupants are sleeping in the room at the same time.'



Completing his round of the house, he found himself back in the 
doorway to Merry's room.  This time when he looked in, he saw Frost 
laying on his back looking at him.  Frost moved to get up.  Shaking 
his head 'No', Doyle pulled the door closed.  He began his 
meandering through the house agian, checking out each window as he 
passed.  He saw Galen out the kitchen window.  'I was worried he'd 
end up being the one of us that she fell for.  I still worry he'll be 
king,' Doyle thought as he moved into the living room.  'He is 
realizing that he can't be king, that Merry would get herself killed 
trying to keep him alive.'



He heard soft steps across the carpet as he stopped a window in the 
living room.  "Go back to Merry, Frost," he said without turning 
around.


 
"Doyle?  She is sleeping.  I will be beside her when she awakes.  
Right now it is you I am worried about."  Frost came to stand 
beside his friend.  "What is troubling you?"  



"Nothing, Frost.  Go sleep."  Doyle turned to head towards another 
window.  Frost's hand on his arm stopped him.  With his back to 
Frost, he stopped.


 
"It is not nothing, Doyle.  I know you are still deep in the 
political games of the court, trying to make sure none of us have 
to go back.  I know you worry about Cel, and his followers.  Tell me, 
what is going on.  You and I have never hid anything from each 
other.  Not in the thousand years we have been Ravens together.  
Don't change that now, Doyle."  He lowered his hand from Doyle's 
arm.  Frost knew that Doyle would either tell him or walk away.  He 
hoped Doyle would talk.  For weeks now he could tell something was 
wrong, but Doyle had said nothing.  Frost doubted the others had 
even noticed.



"You love her.  Truely in love with her, Frost, unlike I have ever 
seen you with anyone.  I can see that she feels the same way.  I 
saw the walls you built when we served the Queen, that you kept your 
emotions locked away behind.   I don't want to see you build them 
again, because Merry has to make someone else King."  Doyle barely 
spoke the words, but Frost heard him.


 
"What of you, Doyle?  Is this why you have given me your nights for 
the last month?"


 
"Yes," Doyle paused, then added, "Unfortunately, if the others gave 
you their nights too, the Queen would get upset.  I don't want to 
see Merry and you suffer, Frost, like I did..."



"With Queen Andias?"  Frost had suspected this, but had never been 
sure.


 
Doyle nodded yes.  He turned to face Frost.  "Once, I loved her as 
you and Meredith love.  Then, she became pregnant with Cel.  I was 
not the father.  That was when she decided that if she could not 
have us, no one would.  I can't help but wonder how things would have 
been if I had become her consort."  He turned away.  "I never knew if 
she loved me.  Now, it doesn't matter.  She is no longer the person I 
loved.  And I cannot love the person she is now as I did the one 
she was."  He began to walk away.  "Go back to bed, Frost.  Be with 
your love."



"Doyle?  Frost?"  Merry walked into the living room.  She was 
wrapped in a long robe.  Doyle and Frost knew that it couldn't have 
been their conversation that woke her up.  Their voices hadn't even 
been whispers.  Doyle drew his sword, instantly alert.



"Yes, Princess?"  Doyle asked as he watched Frost go to her.  Frost 
pulled Merry to him, and she wrapped an arm around his waist.  

 
"The mirror.  It's the Queen."  They began to walk towards Merry's 
bedroom.  Doyle quietly slid his sword back into its sheath.


 
"Did she say what she wanted?"  Doyle was on edge.  It was unlike 
Queen Andias to contact them so late at night.  Doyle could see the 
dawn begin through the kitchen window as he walked past.


 
"She asked for you, Doyle."  Merry was nervous.  The Queen never 
made social calls.


The walked into the bedroom. Doyle knelt before the mirror, Frost 
and Merry sat down on the bed.  The mirror was full length, and sat 
in a corner of Merry's bedroom.  It was angled so that the bed was 
only partially in view.  Merry sat where the Queen could see her.  
Frost was at her side, barely out of view.



"My Queen?" Doyle asked.


 
"My Darkness.  You and the guards there have been with our Princess 
for three months now.  She is not pregnant.  I think it is time 
that some of you return, and she chose some new guards.  I will allow 
three of you to stay.  You will, however, be one of the ones to 
stay.  There was an attack on me tonight, Doyle.  Methal attacked 
me.  He is dead, by my own hand.  I fear the Princess will be 
next.  Therefore, you must stay with her.  Frost is as good as you, 
in his own way.  He will return here, to protect me, and to share my 
bed.  I have been thinking of what I saw, Frost."



Frost was silent.  Merry gave a little gasp.  Doyle glanced at 
her.  'Don't say anything,' he mouthed to her.  She nodded 
slightly.  Doyle looked at Frost's closed face for a long moment, 
then turned back to the Queen.  "My Queen, perhaps it would be better 
if I returned instead of Frost.  My first duty is to you, and I want 
to find whoever is responsible for Methal's attack.  I also think 
that we should leave the guards here where they are, but perhaps add 
to the ranks?"



The Queen sat for a moment.  "Very well, Doyle.  It has been a 
while since we shared a bed.  Your tolerance for pain is a lot 
highter than Frost's anyway.  And you will keep me safe.  Princess,"  
she said, turning her attention to Meredith, "you may choose two who 
will come to replace my Darkness.  That is a fair trade.  I will 
contact you in three nights to learn your decision.  Doyle, you are 
to stay with Meredith until your replacements arrive.  Unless, you 
have news for me Meredith?"



"No, your Highness.  I wish I did,"  Meredith said sincerely.


 
"Very well, then."  The Queen smiled and then the mirror went dark.


 
"Doyle! No!"  Merry cried out, springing off the bed.


 
Doyle slumped where he had been kneeling, his head bowed.  Frost 
went to him.  Rhys and Nicca where in the doorway, staying silent as 
they took in the scene before them.  Galen came in to stand behind 
Merry, gripping her shoulders.



"I will go, Doyle."  Frost said softly.


 
"No.  You need to stay with Merry.  I promised you that you would 
stay here, safe from Andais' attentions.  All of you will stay 
safe."  He looked up at Frost, then at the three other guards in 
the room.  "You will keep the Princess safe, and insure Cel does not 
rule after Andais." 


 
"She will crush your spirit, if you go back now"  Kitto said.  He 
had come from his bed in the corner to stand by Merry.


 
"The queen still has her uses for me" Doyle said.  He rose to his 
feet.  "There is not a choice in this."  He glanced at Merry, then 
at the clock.  "It is time for guard change."



"And time for me to start getting ready for work," Merry said.  She 
went to Doyle.  "I hate to say it, but I hope I get attacked.  Then 
you can convince the Queen to let you stay.  I don't want you to go 
back to her bed, Doyle."


 
He pulled her into a hug for a moment.  "I will not suffer there, 
Princess."  He turned, and walked out of the room.  Only Frost 
had known that Doyle lied.