Queen Fesora could barely believer her ears upon hearing Fortuno's claim that there was a real heir ... and one that he had apparently lost! Could there be an heir? Wasn't she childless?

Fortan admitted to Fesora that the time for truth was at hand. He explained that, many years ago, she had been with child. But the child was born early and died. Fesora was so distraught that King Plentur begged Fortan to be merciful to her and cast a spell to erase her memories and ease her pain.

Upon hearing this, Fesora requested that Fortan remove the spell and restore her memories. At last she could remember the fateful day. Her sister, Isabella, had been at the castle. Isabella and she had quarreled as sisters sometimes do. Isabella had been jealous that Plentur had chosen Fesora to be his queen. When Fesora left to marry, she and Isabella were not on good terms. However, when Fesora found herself to be with child, she wrote the family, and Isabella responded that she would like to attend the birth.

Unfortunately, during the visit, the rivalry between the two sisters sprang up again and another quarrel ensued. Fesora became overly excited and fell just as King Plentur entered the room. He was outraged! He sent Fesora to her chamber, and sent Isabella packing. Fesora recalled that Fortan had come to the chamber door with a potion to help her rest. This he passed to the midwife who administered it to Fesora. That night the child came ... Fesora remembers the cry ... but then she was told the child died. She was overcome with grief. King Plentur then asked Fortan to administer the spell mentioned above. He banished Isabella from the kingdom forever.

When Fortan heard the Queen's account of this day, he was shocked! He had delivered no such potion to the Queen's chamber. In fact, he remembered distinctly that he had been out gathering willow root to prepare medicines for the Queen at the time she delivered.

The wicked truth descended upon the royal party ... Fortuno must have had a hand in the fate of the child. At the very least, he had been impersonating his brother Fortan and delivered a potion to the widwife.

Could the child have survived? Was Fortuno involved?

The Queen went to rest while the rest of the group investigated all clues that might reveal the truth of the birth. Dorran went to Springlea to visit the Queen's former home and find the truth from Isabella. Sentira went in search of the midwife, who had never been seen in the Kingdom since that day. Milo was left in charge of leading the search of the castle for clues.

In time, a message came from Dorran explaining that Isabella had never returned home. An emissary was sent from her homeland to the Kingdom to investigate her whereabouts. They found that she had been banished from the Kingdom. The next day she was seen at the castle gate demanding to see the Queen, but she was turned away. She was last seen heading toward a town called Whitmohr.

Sentira found that the midwife, whose name was Silvera, had lived for a short time in Whitmohr. She had with her a child whom she claimed to be her grandchild. One night Silvera was heard screaming. The next day she was dead and the child missing. For weeks the village was terrorized by wolf sightings.

Milo and the questors read these messages and also found an overgrown garden behind a locked gate. The garden revealed a mausoleum door and a relief carving of a baby. After passing the guardian of the tomb, they found themselves in a mausoleum. In there, they found a secret chamber containing a tiny draped sarcophagus engraved, "Dear One." After much effort, the sarcophagus was opened but inside there was no body. They found only a flour sack wrapped in a lavendar blanket.

Tomb of King Marentius II, Queen Persitia, the Dear One

So many questions still unanswered! Does the child live? Did the wolf kill the child? What became of Isabella?

As the royal party was pondering these questions, Sentira emerged with Fortuno in tow! Fortuno had been found lurking in the castle in the guise of his brother Fortan. He was imprisoned immediately! After much taunting on the part of Fortuno ... and many threats on the part of the castle guards ... Fortuno was in peril for his life. Then he reminded the guards. "... if you kill me, you will never find the child. I am the last one living who saw the heir."

The story continues ...