Prince Vayel has a lover's spat the month before his wedding, so he flees to his old friend and teacher, Cala Greyraven, for advice and support. His betrothed isn't standing for this; she follows him, finds him and confronts him, demanding an explanation. But is it too late to overcome their problems?

Friends are our dearest possessions and should be held close, always. But what about enemies? Isn't it safer to hold them even closer, if only purely in self-defense? Vayel finds out that sometimes the hardest thing is to tell friend from foe.

A short story from our Orbits sci-fi/fantasy line.