Chapter Two

Violet woke slowly, her mind captured by a lingering sense of pleasure she couldn't quite put her finger on. She opened her eyes, taking in the familiar canopy of her bed, and the ocean breeze shifting the curtains. A maid must have opened the window.

Memory returned as Violet sat up, and she smiled to herself. Prince Ari had arrived from Mistra the night before. And she'd let her more reckless side out, driven by the potentially drastic step she intended to take today. She'd felt she had nothing to lose, and every reason to enjoy whatever hijinks she could while opportunity offered. Basil was a much more lenient head of the royal family than her father had been, but she knew not all men ran their households that way.

Looking back over their conversation and her own behavior—brazen, Lilac had called it when Violet returned to her suite to find her sister waiting—she had to acknowledge Ari would have cause to be scandalized.

But he hadn't seemed to mind. If she'd read him correctly, he'd found the chaos of the Entolian royal family overwhelming but not unpleasant. And, by her best guess, he'd had much the same reaction to her.

Violet chuckled to herself as she rose, assessing her own thoughts about the visiting prince. She liked him, she decided. He wasn't quite what she'd expected. Wren was so reserved…Ari was less measured and less sophisticated. He was perfectly well-mannered—more so than she'd been—but there was an impression of frustrated energy underneath, which Wren entirely lacked.

She'd been foolish to expect him to be like Wren, though. As one of thirteen, Violet should know better than anyone not to assume siblings would all be alike in personality.

Yes, she liked Ari, she decided, as she sat down before her looking glass and studied her disheveled locks. He would be a welcome addition to the family circle for the next week. But she'd do well not to let herself like him too much. She'd yet to meet anyone who affected her that way, and it would be the worst possible timing for her to find herself attracted to someone. Especially someone as eligible as a foreign prince.

"Your Highness, you're awake." A servant bustled in from Violet's receiving room, her voice apologetic. "I thought you were still sleeping."

"I just woke," Violet said cheerfully. "No need to rush on my account." She looked the servant over. She wasn't one of Violet's personal maids, but she attended the princess often enough to be familiar. "Naomi, isn't it?"

The maid nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. I've laid out some gowns, if you care to make a selection."

"Thank you." Violet nodded absently, casting her eyes over the gowns laid out on a settee nearby. "The purple one," she said. "And I'll wear my silver set, the simple one with the necklace that—oh," she broke off, remembering. "No, I dropped it down the side of the bureau the other week, didn't I?" She sighed. "I must ask Basil about it again."

It was her favorite necklace, and she'd been so frustrated when it slipped from her fingers at the most inopportune moment. The bureau in question was enormous, and affixed to the wall, so it wasn't a matter of getting a few burly servants to shift the furniture. It would require tools, and any alterations to a royal suite had to be approved by the sovereign, she'd discovered.

She'd already mentioned it to Basil three times, but she didn't blame her brother for forgetting. He had so much on his plate, and although he carried his responsibilities amazingly for such a young king, she knew the strain it took on him. Truth be told, that type of request wouldn't have fared much better under her father. She might be a princess, but given she was only one of twelve princesses, she was used to that status providing less indulgence than the average person probably thought.

She would just have to wait, and wear a different necklace until Basil had time to address it. It wasn't exactly a crushing hardship.

"I hope you slept well, Your Highness," Naomi said, as she began to dress Violet's hair.

"Yes, thank you," Violet replied, her mind not on their conversation.

There was a moment of silence before the maid continued, her voice a little hesitant. "You seemed to enjoy dinner last night, Princess Violet. You and Prince Ari appear to be on…extremely good terms."

Violet met the other girl's eyes in the mirror, her attention properly captured. The maid was commenting on her interactions with Ari? That wasn't appropriate. Violet knew gossip ran rife in a castle—among royals and servants alike—and they didn't stand on as much ceremony as some sovereigns did. But for a servant she barely knew to be making sly remarks about potential romances was a little far.

Although Naomi's reflection didn't support the idea that she was teasing Violet, or looking for juicy gossip. Her expression was solemn but searching as it rested on Violet's face, as if hoping to read her thoughts.

She would be disappointed. Violet raised one eyebrow, assuming her most aloof royal air. She was still a princess, after all.

"I'm not sure I understand your implication. Did you anticipate poor relations between my family and the family of my sister-in-law, our queen?"

"Of course not, Your Highness," said Naomi, backing down at once. "I meant no disrespect."

Violet continued to regard the maid coolly, but inside she was remembering her conversation with Ari the night before. Had he meant it when he said he wouldn't mistake her for one of her sisters? He'd seemed sincere. He certainly knew how to get into her good graces if so.

Underneath her haughty expression, Violet fought a grin as she pictured Ari's face when she'd jokingly demanded that he marry her. It was all in jest, and he'd clearly taken it as such. Where was the harm in enjoying what freedom she had left? She had an important meeting to attend, but it was a few hours away yet. Perhaps their guest would like a tour.

Violet had overslept, so she wasn't surprised to see her family members trickling out of the dining hall as she approached it. To her delight, Ari's tall form appeared just behind Wren. She took a moment to study him as he unknowingly approached her. His hair was cropped closely, perhaps to prevent it from being as unmanageable as she knew Wren's could be, and his frame was lean, his limbs so long she had no doubt they'd been gangly in his youth. Or would have been, if he hadn't spent his formative years as a swan, she reminded herself.

In any event, he wasn't gangly now. He'd grown into his height, and he moved with a confidence that was appealing, even if his steps bounced with that impression of frustrated energy she'd noted the night before. He was dressed in the more formal style of the Mistrans, but the morning was warm, and he'd rolled his sleeves back to reveal the dark skin of his forearms.

In short, she liked what she saw. Perhaps a little too much.

Just a bit of harmless flirtation,she reminded herself lightly. He's heading off for an adventure in a week, and my future is about to take a different direction.

Without warning, her breath caught in her throat, and she massaged the feature with one hand, trying to fight off the feeling of suffocation. She gave her head a little shake. She was being foolish. She might be about to make a huge sacrifice for her family and kingdom, but she wasn't literally going to sacrifice herself. It wasn't as though she was dying.

And none of that was the point right now. The point was that neither she nor Ari had anything to lose. If her days of freedom were numbered, it was all the more reason to enjoy them while she could.

"Violet! There you are." Her brother's voice was a welcome interruption to her thoughts, especially since he refrained from chastising her for sleeping through breakfast. A forbearance that made all his sisters love their young king fiercely.

"Morning, Basil," Violet said, trying to inject her usual cheerfulness back into her tone. It helped that she hadn't missed the way Ari had looked up at her name, abandoning his conversation with Wren. Violet nodded to her brother's wife. "Wren. Where are the children?"

"With the nursemaid," Wren said, smiling at her. "Did you sleep well?"

"Of course," said Violet lightly.

"And you haven't forgotten the meeting with the Merchants' Guild today?" Wren added.

"I remember," Violet assured her more seriously. "I'll be there."

Basil frowned. "I'm sorry, Vi, I really am. It'll be unbearably dull. You really shouldn't have to sit through every single complaint they—"

"Don't try to talk her out of her role, after we had to bully you for so long to let her assume it in the first place," Wren scolded her husband gently. "You can't do everything yourself, Basil. And Violet's been doing an excellent job of liaising with the guild on your behalf."

"Of course you have," Basil told Violet, still looking apologetic. "I just wish you didn't have to."

Violet gave him a long-suffering look. "Basil, Wren is right. Stop trying to carry the whole kingdom alone. What's the use of all these younger siblings if you won't let us lighten your load? You need me there. I've been your go-between on this for months, and you're going to want my input. Trust me."

"I do," Basil assured her.

"If you want to repay me," said Violet jokingly, "authorize the steward to send a team to my suite to remove the bureau and rescue my favorite necklace."

Basil slapped a hand to his head. "I forgot. You asked me that already, didn't you? Sorry, Violet. I'll speak to him today."

Violet waved off her brother's apology. She knew he meant it, and it wasn't that he was an unreliable person. But she doubted such an insignificant domestic matter would actually stay in his head once he reached his study and was confronted with kingdom-wide issues. She didn't blame him.

"The meeting with the guild isn't for hours, though," she said, turning to Ari. The Mistran had stood silently throughout the exchange. "I wondered if Ari would like a tour of the castle in the meantime?"

"Did you?" Wren sounded faintly amused.

Violet gave a solemn nod, her eyes on Ari's face. He looked pleased, but wary. Clearly she'd succeeded in keeping him guessing, if nothing else.

"Yes," she said innocently. "I thought he might get bored in the company of a dull old married couple."

"Did you?" Basil echoed his wife's words, the look he sent Violet telling her he wasn't quite as forbearing regarding her flirtation as he was about her tardiness.

Violet just grinned at him before turning to Ari. "What do you say, Ari?"

"I'm at your disposal, Princess," Ari said, his lips twitching.

"Excellent," she said brightly, inclining her head in the opposite direction to where Wren and Basil were walking. Ari followed her, keeping up easily with his longer stride.

"What's the meeting with the Merchants' Guild about?" he asked curiously, once they'd left the others behind.

"Oh, nothing of consequence," said Violet, her light tone unconvincing even in her own ears. In her defense, it wasn't easy to speak casually of an event which was quite possibly going to determine the course of her entire life. If the meeting went as she feared and expected, her fate was all but sealed.

But she didn't say any of this to Ari. Instead she just sent him a tight smile. "Nothing we need concern ourselves with, anyway."

"I'd hate for anything to interrupt the all-important tour," Ari agreed. He sent her an amused look. "You do remember that I've been here before, don't you? I received a very official tour before Wren and Basil's wedding."

Violet shrugged a shoulder. "Yes, but official tours are horridly dull. And not very informative." She raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Can you remember a single fact you were told on that tour?"

"No," Ari confessed. "Not a single one."

"Precisely." Violet nodded sagely. "My tour will be much more interesting. For starters—" she pointed down an adjoining corridor as they passed, "that storeroom down there is where the housekeeper once discovered half a dozen serving men indulging in a whole barrel of ale they'd taken from the kitchens the night of a gala. They were all promptly dismissed." Her voice took on a reminiscent tone. "That was in my father's time. There are much more scandalous stories about my grandfather's rule."

"Spare my sensibilities, I beg of you," Ari said in mock horror.

"I shan't," Violet informed him brutally. "I promised you an interesting tour, and that's what you'll get. I should really take you to the gardens for the full circuit, but they're on the other side of the castle and not at all in our route."

"What's in the gardens?" Ari asked curiously.

"A secret tunnel," Violet said with relish.

"Really?" Ari demanded.

She nodded. "It hasn't been used for a long time, and hardly anyone remembers it anymore. Even if they did, it wouldn't matter, as the end is sealed up. My sisters and I used to play in it when we were little. But its original purpose was quite scandalous. Apparently my grandfather's brother was a little…loose, and he had it built so he could sneak women into the castle."

"Sounds like a security risk," Ari commented.

Violet nodded again. "It was. That's why it was all boarded up." She sent him a sideways grin. "We weren't even supposed to know about it, but Zinnia and I found it once, when we were hiding from one of our tutors. The poor deluded man wanted us to study geography when the sun was shining in the sky, can you believe it?"

Ari matched her grin with one of his own. "He doesn't sound nearly intelligent enough to be a royal tutor."

Violet chuckled. "If I really want to offend you, I could tell all sorts of details about the stories the gossips used to tell about the Mistrans in the years before and during the war."

As she spoke, she looked up and caught sight of an unfamiliar man, watching them from a nearby doorway with a frown on his face. As soon as he realized she was looking, he smoothed out his expression and dipped his head. She inclined hers in response, wondering who he was.

Ari must have noticed that she'd stopped speaking, because he looked over as well, his face brightening in recognition.

"Lex. Is all well?"

"Yes, Your Highness," the man responded. "I've just been checking on our horses. All in excellent form."

"Very good," said Ari cheerfully. "Lex, this is Princess Violet. Violet, Lex is one of my family's oldest and most faithful servants."

Violet greeted him politely, unable to help noticing that while his manner was the height of polite respect, his expression never fully softened.

After a moment the pair moved on, and Violet waited until they were well out of the man's earshot before speaking again.

"I was likely insensitive with my earlier comment," she said. "About all the gossip regarding Mistrans and their terrible ways."

"Not at all," said Ari, his voice dry. She shot him a sideways look, and he smiled in return. "I doubt your tales would be as impressive as you think. I could match them and then some, I imagine. Entolians weren't well-regarded in Mistra back then."

"And probably still aren't for many, if your servant is anything to go by," Violet said lightly. "He's the one I suspect found my comment insensitive. It's all right," she added quickly, seeing Ari's discomfort. "I understand it. We grew up thinking our people were enemies, didn't we? We've had years of Wren's presence to rid ourselves of that notion, but those in Myst haven't had the same advantage."

Ari said nothing, probably too polite to confirm it. He glanced around, confusion crossing his features as Violet led him through an external doorway.

"Why are we outside?" he asked. "I thought you were showing me around the castle."

Violet waved a careless hand at the stone building behind her. "There it is. It's very nice, we like it."

Ari chuckled. "Where are you really taking me? Should I have brought my guards? Should I rally Lex to come to my aid?"

"Only if you think you can't beat me in a fight," Violet responded with a grin. "I'm giving you the real tour. You haven't seen our castle if you haven't spent time on the cliffs. This is where we prefer to be, as much as we can."

They had crossed a small courtyard while she spoke, and a moment later made their way through a gate manned by armed guards. Ari blinked at the vista before him, looking surprised as he grasped that they'd left the city itself. The sudden fierceness of the wind should have been as big a clue as the sight of the grassy hills ahead and the ocean to one side. In this part of the capital, the wall of the castle formed the city wall itself.

"Zinnia and Obsidian's place is up that way," Violet informed her companion, raising her voice against the wind as she gestured further along the cliff. "And this is our favorite haunt."

Ari said nothing as he followed her along the well-worn track to the cliff's edge. After only a short distance, they reached the cliff face, and the familiar winding path down was revealed. Violet led the way, her ears telling her that Ari wasn't far behind. Once they reached the relative shelter of the beach below, she smiled at him, pleased not to have to yell now they were off the windy clifftop.

"It's nice being grown, and not being required to bring minders in order to leave the castle." Her smile grew cheeky. "I'll have to depend on you to protect me in the event of danger."

Ari laughed. "I'll do my best to serve as chivalry demands," he assured her. His eyes strayed to the water, and Violet could see his fascination. "I'm afraid I would be more likely to be the one needing rescuing, given how unfamiliar I am with the ocean."

"It is mesmerizing, isn't it?" Violet said, following his gaze. She was well pleased with what she'd seen in his eyes. Tola was the only capital in the continent of Solstice to be situated on the coast, so she'd played guide to many visitors experiencing the seaside for the first time. In her experience, people were either immediately captivated by the ocean's beauty and mystery, or they weren't. And if they weren't, there was simply no explaining it to them. It had to be felt. And harsh as it might sound to those who hadn't grown up with the ocean such a central and beloved part of their lives, anyone who couldn't feel it wasn't her kind of person.

Not that there was any need for Ari to be her kind of person, she reminded herself. This was all just a bit of foolish fun, and it shouldn't matter in the least whether he was naturally receptive to the lure of the sea, and all it represented.

But somehow, it did matter.

"I spent half my childhood here," she commented, keen to talk herself out of her reflective mood. "So did all my sisters. Poor Basil was never as free to roam as the rest of us were, but truth be told, most in the castle were pleased to have us down here and out from underfoot. Twelve is a lot of princesses to navigate."

Ari smiled. "I can imagine. I thought we had a large family with seven of us. I have no idea how poor little Teddy and Azure are going to remember the names of all their aunts and uncles." His eyes skimmed over the choppy water with its white caps, settling on the horizon. "I can see why you all liked to be here rather than cooped up inside, though. There's something almost magical about the ocean, isn't there?"

"There is," Violet agreed happily. "They say even dragons all have a longing for the sea, so perhaps there is some magic about it." She could hear her own voice turn a little sad. "Dragons used to come here quite often. Two in particular were friends of ours, to an extent. But we haven't seen them in years. Not since…"

Her voice trailed off, and Ari finished the thought, his own words calm. "Since your curse was lifted."

Violet shot him a sharp look, and he raised one eyebrow. "What, you're allowed to tease me about being a swan for six years, but I'm not allowed to mention the fact that you and all your sisters were under a crushing curse of your own?"

Violet couldn't help laughing, even as she grimaced in concession of his point. "It wasn't that crushing," she told him frankly. "Not at the time, at least, only afterward. Well," she amended, "it was pretty awful for Zinnia all along. But that's ancient history now. We're free of malicious curses, at least as far as I'm aware."

"Yes, I'm ready to never encounter magic again," Ari said.

Violet sent him an amused smile. "Don't let Obsidian hear you say that." She tilted her head to the side. "Actually, he wouldn't take offense. He's not at all puffed up about magic the way they are at the Enchanters' Guild. It can be handy having a brother-in-law who can work magic, though." Her eyes lit up as a thought occurred to her. "Maybe I should ask him to help get my necklace back! I hadn't thought of that. I'll have to try to corner him next time he's in the castle."

Ari squinted at her. "The necklace that requires a bureau to be moved?"

"Yes," said Violet, surprised that he'd taken note of her idle comment to Basil. Banishing the inconsequential matter from her mind, she turned her face back to the ocean, and her conversation to more interesting points.

"Since I have you alone, Ari…" She looked up to see him watching her with a suddenly wary expression, and couldn't resist indulging in a grin before letting him off the hook. "I have questions for you. We love Wren as our own, but she's maddeningly poised. Please tell me you have some embarrassing stories about her from childhood. I need something in my arsenal."

Ari relaxed, letting out a laugh that was appealingly deep. "There I can certainly help you," he assured her. "Although I might require some about Basil in return."

They passed the next hour in good-natured ribbing of their siblings, and Violet found herself reluctant to return to the castle. But it wouldn't do to be late to the meeting with the Merchants' Guild. On the contrary, she was determined to be the first in the room, to better observe everyone as they entered, and get a sense of which way the wind blew. Perhaps tempers would be improved since their last discussion, she thought optimistically. Perhaps it wouldn't be necessary for her to take any drastic steps.

The thought was more welcome than it should have been, even though she knew she was grasping at straws. Unease stirred in Violet's core as they walked back up the cliff path. Not long ago, she'd been able to remain fairly detached toward her scheme. But now, every step she took closer to her plan felt like walking on blades.

Somehow she'd let emotion enter into the equation, and it was doing her no favors. In fact, if she didn't get herself together, it could very well break her heart.