Chapter Eight

He woke later in the earliest hours of the morning, the world still dark, but with a hazy gray light around the edges, a promise of the pending sunrise. Yawning, Aradishir disentangled himself from the pile of warm bodies and clinging limbs. After refreshing himself and pulling on lounging clothes, he ventured out to his garden—and immediately spied an intruder. "I don't think you're supposed to be here, little man."

"Mama calls me Keri."

"I thought she called you 'little bird'," Aradishir replied with a smile.

"She calls me both," Kerrin mumbled, letting go of the poor frog he'd lifted from the pond. "Are you going to take me back?"

Laughing softly, Aradishir lifted him out of the pond and took him inside to get him dried off and improvise some dry clothes for him, careful to stay quiet all the while. When they were ready, he led Kerrin to the hallway. "Would you escort us, please?" he asked the guards posted at his door. Two of the six immediately stepped out of formation to do so, clearly curious about Kerrin, but far too well trained to ask.

Scooping Kerrin up, smiling as the boy laughed in delight and clung happily, with absolute trust, to his neck, Aradishir wove through the palace until he reached one of the entrances to his parents' gardens, and the far larger and grander fish pond therein. "How's that for water?"

Kerrin shrieked in delight and squirmed free of Aradishir's hold, rushing to the pond and practically throwing himself into it. Aradishir waded in with him to ensure he didn't drown, and soon found himself catching fish to show him more closely, getting into a splashing war, and finally hauling Kerrin onto his shoulders, reminding him of all the times his parents had done the very same with him and his siblings. It was even more fun being the adult in the situation, bringing joy to a child so simply and easily, enshrining memories he'd hopefully look back on fondly.

Familiar laughter that he was already far too fond of drew them up short, and Aradishir flushed as he spun around to find Relanya watching them, accompanied by Jahanara holding her new daughter, and their handmaidens and concubines. Of course he had an audience. Relanya stepped forward slightly, still laughing as she managed, "So who kidnapped who?"

"Little bit of both, I'd say," Aradishir said sheepishly, wading out of the water and helping Kerrin down, smiling as he immediately ran to Relanya and immediately starting regaling her with all their adventures. If she was upset that her beautiful lavender dress was now soaked with pond water, she made no show of it, only listened attentively and made all the right noises throughout the torrent of words.

Aradishir watched them for the barest moment then accepted the towel that a guard handed him and dried off as best he could before joining his sister. "May I hold my niece?"

"Well, you're already charming your nephew, so why not?" Jahanara said with a wink. "Don't be offended if she immediately starts fussing though; she's done that with everyone but me and Dani."

"Nephew? Oh," Aradishir said, rolling his eyes, ducking his head to hide the hurt at being called Kerrin's uncle when he'd so much rather be—

Well, it didn't matter. He never would be. So he focused all his attention on his niece, who would be named after three months, the day that would also be considered her birthday, rather than the actual day of her birth. These days children were far less likely to die just days or weeks after birth, but the tradition of waiting three months continued.

She squirmed lightly in her sleep, a bubble of spit popping against her lips, before she went still again, happy in whatever dreams babies had. "She's lovely, Nara. You should be proud."

"Be certain I am," Jahanara said. "Look at that, still fast asleep. I guess you have a gift for children, Shir."

Aradishir gave her a look. "You sound surprised."

"Not really. You're the right combination of kind and stern, the same reason you're handling the trafficking problem so well. You have an empathy inherently that some of us have to learn, or have beaten into us, Bakhti."

He laughed briefly at that. There was nothing remarkable about him, but Bakhtiar deserved every insult levied at him. The jerk had better appreciate his new family, or Aradishir would drag him into the pond for a hostile talking to.

"Would you like to join us for breakfast?" Jahanara asked. "We were going to dine in Mama's butterfly garden and then go into town to do some shopping."

"I'd love to, so long as I have time to clean up first," Aradishir said with a laugh before kissing his darling niece and handing her back.

"As much as the court would delight in seeing you stroll the halls soaking wet," Jahanara replied dryly, "yes, of course you have time to change. Breakfast is in about half an hour now. We only left early because Kerrin had vanished, and you weren't in your room."

"What made you think to check here?"

"Relanya mentioned how enamored Kerrin is of water, especially your little pond. It wasn't hard to guess where he went if he woke up and wandered off, and where you might have taken him from there. Though it was even more adorable than anticipated. The ladies of the court will be clamoring to be your wife after hearing how precious an uncle you are." She snickered as he rolled his eyes again. "Though speaking of wandering off, your harem isn't terribly amused with you."

Aradishir groaned. "I took guards with me! I didn't want to wake them." Heaving a sigh, he lifted a hand in farewell and headed back to his room, though even the looming dressing down from his harem could not dampen his smile over a morning perfectly spent.

"Shir!" Merza said as he stepped inside. "Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Aradishir said as all three swarmed him, and explained all that had transpired. "I should have thought to send someone to tell you where I'd gone, I apologize."

"You are determined to give me gray hairs," Heydar grumbled, kissing his temple. "I'm glad you had so much fun, though. " He smiled softly. "You are a wonderful uncle, and you'll be a wonderful father someday."

"I'd rather not think about it right now." He slipped from their hold and headed for the bath, determined to wash and dress quickly, so he would not keep the others waiting on him overlong.

His harem, however, had other ideas, and had him dressed far more finely than he'd normally bother for breakfast, though not so ornate that his sister would give him looks. The very last thing he needed was his sister realizing he was smitten with his future sister-in-law. He would quite literally rather die.

"Am I finally suitable enough for you?"

"You'll suffice," Merza drawled.

Javed smiled softly and kissed his cheek. "Beautiful as always, my prince. Come on, your sister and your lady—"

"She's not mine!" Aradishir snapped. "I can tolerate the three of you teasing me on everything else, but not that."

"But—"

Aradishir strode off, not wanting to be angry with them or say something in that anger, but it hurt . They knew Relanya wasn't his, would never be his. He'd have more luck marrying the palace head chef.

His harem caught up to him, Javed sliding an arm around his waist in silent apology. "I don't think you should lose all faith, my prince. She looks at you too."

"Please just stop."

"As you wish."

Thankfully the rest of the walk was in silence, and a short time later guards slid open the doors to the dining room where Relanya, Jahanara, and their respective maidens and concubines waited. Javed sat next to Aradishir, and the other two scattered amongst the women, a casual arrangement in this instance rather than the strategic moves of a formal dinner.

"I'm so happy you could join us," Relanya said with one of her lovely smiles. "Thank you again for being so kind to Keri. He's never had the easiest time making friends, and moving to a whole new country is an entirely different set of challenges." Her mouth twisted slightly. "At least here he doesn't have to worry about people saying unkind things about his mother. Not yet, anyway."

"People can try it once," Aradishir said. "I promise they won't feel inclined to try it a second time. Whatever problems someone might have with a person, they shouldn't be dragging children into it unless the child is in danger." He smiled ruefully. "I wish I could stop the negativity entirely, but I overhear near daily that I'm a sanctimonious busybody who doesn't know what he's mucking with."

Jahanara narrowed her eyes. "Who are these people you have been overhearing? Because I don't take kindly to threats, veiled, vague, or blatant."

"I keep the guards apprised, put your teeth away."

"That does not give me any comfort, given the sordid history this palace has of backstabbing guards."

Heydar sighed. "My father is many things, most of them frustrating at best, but he would agree with you and is ruthless about cutting off those damaged limbs. I keep close watch of every whisperer, Your Highness, I promise."

Relanya tilted her head. "Who is your father?"

"Commander of the Guards."

"He's lucky he had the sense to still be your father," Aradishir said. "I think we'd all benefit by pitching his sorry ass into the ocean."

"Down, sweet prince. Family is nothing if not complicated."

"He had you whipped , multiple times!" Aradishir hissed. He would never forget all the blood on Heydar's back on multiple occasions, soaking through his layers of clothes. How despondent he'd been that night Aradishir had followed him into the city and finally worked up the nerve to ask Heydar to be his. He'd been certain Heydar would say no, would prefer to be quite literally anywhere else in the world.

His stupid father had recanted disowning him the next day, but Aradishir doubted it was from true remorse. More like he'd seen his son a royal concubine and realized all the trouble being at odds with him could cause. The man was a weaselly coward, and nobody would ever change his mind on that.

"Down, sweet prince," Javed echoed, kissing his cheek, one hand stroking his neck, thumb at his pulse. "We're all safe and happy now, you do not have to remain angry on our behalf."

"Or you could just let me throw people into the ocean," Aradishir grumbled.

Relanya smiled in understanding. "It's an even more pleasant daydream back in Penna, because the water ices back over quickly and they're trapped."

"What a lovely thought for all the cretins I'm enduring while I sort out this trafficking nightmare." He thanked the servants who set out a marvelous-looking breakfast, and took a sip of the tea Javed offered up.

"Two bloodthirsty scorpions in their den," Jahanara said dryly. "Speaking of bloodthirsty, I believe Mother is going to seek you out to help her sort a problem at the temple."

"Me?" Since when did their mother need him?

"You're easily the most diplomatic of us, Ari. It's a pretty contentious fight, from what she's told me, and she thinks you'd be able to help sort it out better than her."

"All of that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I can't even fight off mercenaries."

"Mercenaries don't put that much effort into hunting down someone they're not scared of," Relanya said, surprisingly somber. "If they thought you a pushover, they would have tried different tactics. Bribing, blackmail—though I can't imagine what they would use—or beating you. Instead, they've tried at least twice to assassinate you. That is the work of fear and anger. I have not met Bakhtiar yet, obviously, but I would agree with the assessment you're the most dangerous of you three. Patience, empathy, and a willingness to listen and compromise is a rare combination of traits, and all the more dangerous to people like the traffickers."

Aradishir had no idea what to say to that, face hot with discomfort. He was the youngest and most unremarkable. He was tending the trafficking matter because it was equal parts punishment and no one else having the time. "I don't think—"

He stopped as the doors opened, frowning that something was important enough to merit interrupting them.

The breath left his lungs as a familiar figure limped into the room supported by his personal bodyguard, as he was the only one of the three of them who required such a thing. "Bakhti!"

Grinning despite the obvious pain he was in, probably from pushing himself too hard on a broken leg, Bakhtiar grinned. "Hello, Ari, Nara. Miss me?"