Aisha was standing on the balcony, lost in thought, when a soft 'ahem' caught her attention.  She turned to find Hassan, the new eunuch, who had obviously not yet had his procedure performed, standing just inside the entry of the bed chambers.  Although she had yet to meet the man properly, the look of concern on his face was unmistakable.<br/><br/>"What is it, Hassan?" she asked, trepidation creeping into her voice.  She hadn't seen nor heard from her Prince since he left the two women in the baths, and she suspected that Tarkus was the reason for Hassan's visit.<br/><br/>"It's...." he began, obviously unsure of himself.  "It's Prince Tarkus, ma'am.  I'm concerned for his safety.  He was going to confront the Hound Division, and no one has seen him since."<br/><br/>Hassan's words came out in a rush, as if he thought that saying them quickly would somehow lessen their impact.  He couldn't have been more wrong.  Aisha's stomach tightened involuntarily.<br/><br/>"The Hound Division?" she whispered, her mind filling with dread.  "Did he go alone, Hassan?  Please tell me he took someone with him? Some protection?"<br/><br/>The man shook his head.  "He went alone. And the Hounds respect no one. Not even the Prince."<br/><br/>Aisha's head was swimming.  Tarkus had gone to face the Hound Division alone.  Brave and strong as he was, not even he could defeat an entire army of mercenaries, should they decide to turn on him.  This day was getting worse by the minute.<br/><br/>"And no one has seen him since?"  Hassan shook his head again.  Aisha willed her brain to start working again.  They needed to find the Prince, and fast.  "We must look for him, Hassan.  Discretely, of course.  We don't want to alarm anyone.  You search outside the palace, I'll search inside.   We'll meet back here in one hour, agreed?"<br/><br/>The eunuch in waiting bobbed his head and slipped quietly from the bed chambers.  Aisha tightened her robe around her, and set off in the opposite direction.  She had become very familiar with the palace since she had come to live here, and could navigate the interior with her eyes closed.  She'd check the Prince's private chambers first. It was, she thought, the most likely place for him to be.