Chapter Four

Ari was embarrassed by how eager he was to get to dinner after being entertained for the afternoon by the dowager queen and her eldest daughter, Princess Lilac.

Not that he couldn't handle a few dull hours. As a prince he was well used to tedium. But he hadn't come to Tola to get to know Princess Lilac and her mother. He'd been hoping to spend time with Wren, and was disappointed that she'd been needed in the meeting with the Merchants' Guild. Even his niece and nephew were otherwise occupied, having been taken to their nursery to nap.

Also—the true source of his embarrassment—he couldn't stop thinking about how much less satisfactory his new hostesses' company was than Violet's. He wasn't sure whether he was attracted to her, or just fascinated by her. But he did know that he wanted to find out more.

To his disappointment, although Violet greeted him in a friendly manner, she didn't sit next to him this time. Nor did she attempt to re-start their banter from earlier. She spoke cheerfully enough to everyone present, himself included, but watching her throughout the meal, he had a strong sense that she was uncomfortable.

Was she regretting their, well, flirtation? There was no other word for it. Ari couldn't help feeling a hint of embarrassment. At least it was private embarrassment, as no one else seemed to have caught the change. In fact, he could see no sign that anyone else had noticed Violet's more subdued demeanor. Much of the meal was occupied with a lively debate initiated by the two youngest sisters in the family—Ivy and Wisteria—who at the age of eight and nine were dissatisfied with still being required to ride smaller, more docile mounts than their fully grown sisters.

Ari didn't pay much attention to the conversation, and to his eye, neither did Violet. Halfway through the meal one of the other sisters—Briar, he thought—moved from her seat beside Violet to speak to her brother about something. Impulsively, Ari pushed his own chair out, embracing the informality of the group and carrying his plate to sit beside Violet. She didn't even look up as he lowered himself into the place beside her.

"Good evening again."

His quiet greeting brought her head snapping up, confusion on her face as she took in his new position.

"Ari. I'm sorry, I didn't see you. How was your afternoon?"

"Fine," said Ari, searching her face. "Are you all right, Violet?"

She blinked at him. "Of course I am. What makes you ask that?"

Ari's face creased in a small frown as he studied her. "You do," he said simply. "You don't quite seem yourself."

Violet gave a light laugh. "Bold words for someone who's known me such a short time. Are you an expert on human behavior?"

Ari smiled, relaxing a little at the restoration of her usual bright manner. "Hardly. You just seemed…heavy."

Violet regarded him for a moment, then her face softened into a smile. "You're right, I'm poor company. I must do better. I suppose it would be unkind of me to expect you to carry the conversation since in your own words, your thoughts are no more elevated than those of a swan."

"Swans are very intelligent, I'll have you know," Ari informed her haughtily.

Violet grinned. "Thus confirming the suggestion that you were the issue rather than the swan form."

Ari laughed, lifting his hands in surrender. "All right, I acknowledge. I'm disgracing my kingdom with my lack of wit. I hope Entolia won't withdraw from our alliance knowing what poor stock we provide."

"Nonsense," said Violet, her voice a little sharper than usual. "We're all fully committed to the alliance."

"Of course," said Ari, surprised. "It was a joke."

Violet nodded, seeming to regret her reaction. "I know it was. So what did you do this afternoon while I was stuck in the dullest meeting in history?"

"I had a fairly dull meeting of my own," Ari said. "With Lord Golding, who came with me from Myst. And after that, your mother and Lilac kept me company."

Violet laughed. "So your afternoon was no more exciting than mine. At least they won't have interrogated you about your swan-life."

Ari shook his head with a smile. "I wouldn't have minded if they had," he informed her. "Everyone back home is very awkward about it. I wish people would ask more, if it would remove the general impression that my brothers and I need to be handled with care due to our unnatural affliction."

"No chance of that kind of special treatment here," Violet told him solemnly. "As you've pointed out, having suffered under a curse doesn't make you remarkable around here."

"No need to think I'm special, got it," Ari responded.

Violet grinned. "Exactly." She studied him. "Do you ever miss it? Being a swan, I mean?"

Ari put his fork down, taken aback by the question. No one had ever asked him that before. "You know…" he said, thinking it over, "I do sometimes. Not being trapped. That was awful. And I'm not saying I wish I could go back or anything. But…I do miss being able to fly. That was pretty great."

"Ooh, that would be amazing," Violet agreed, her eyes lighting up. "I can't even imagine it. None of us got anything like that. Well, Basil was carried by a dragon once, but he said it was more of a stomach-emptying experience than a heart-soaring one."

Ari laughed. "Well, my version of flying was much more pleasant than that. I was very graceful as a swan, if I say so myself."

Violet was so delighted with this description, Ari wondered if he'd come to regret giving himself the compliment. But her banter didn't really trouble him. They passed the rest of the meal in cheerful conversation, Violet showing no sign of her earlier subdued demeanor. Ari could almost have thought he'd imagined it, at least until Violet rose to leave, then paused and turned back to him.

"Ari, about tonight. Thank you."

"For what?" Ari asked, confused.

"For…I don't know." Violet rubbed her neck in the first self-conscious gesture Ari had ever seen from her. "For noticing me, I suppose."

Ari said nothing, unsure how to respond, and with a final smile, Violet swept toward the door. Ari made his way to his own chambers more slowly. For the second night in a row, he fell asleep contemplating Violet, this time trying in vain to read in memory the change in her demeanor which he'd been unable to make sense of at the time.

* * *

Ari awoke to a loud banging on the door. His groggy eyes fell on a ray of sunlight across the floor that told him that not only had dawn come, but the morning was advanced enough for the servants to have been in and opened the curtains.

He sat up, running a hand through his hair as he tried to get his bearings. The banging had paused, to be replaced with a cheerful call from a voice that was somehow already becoming familiar.

"Wake up, Mistra! This is no time for lying abed. The sun is shining, and it's a sea bathing kind of day!"

"Violet?" Ari muttered, still disoriented.

Someone bustled past him, tutting disapprovingly, and Ari recognized Lex as the servant crossed into the suite's receiving room, from which the banging had come. From the sound of it, Lex opened the room's outer door, speaking to someone still in the corridor.

"I beg your pardon, Your Highness," he said with a courteous tone that still managed to be disapproving. "But Prince Ari is not yet receiving visitors."

"It's all right, Lex," yawned Ari, pushing himself up. "I'm awake. Tell her I'll be ready shortly."

The servant passed the message along dutifully, shutting the door with a firm click before reappearing in Ari's sleeping chamber.

"The royal family allows its young people a great deal of freedom in Entolia," he said, his lips pursed slightly.

Ari grinned, already rummaging through the garments he'd brought to find the best option for sea bathing. "You say that as though freedom is a bad thing, Lex. I like it. If I had my way, life would always be like this."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Lex asked sharply. "You wish to stay in Entolia indefinitely? Surely not."

"No," said Ari, surprised. "I didn't mean that. I just meant that I wish life back home was more relaxed."

The servant looked only slightly mollified, but Ari disregarded the other Mistran's offended pride for his homeland. He was too caught up in pondering Lex's suggestion. The idea of actually living in Entolia hadn't occurred to him, and his logic told him it was foolish to even consider it. Even if Basil and Wren were willing to accept his presence permanently, what justification could he give for staying?

A cheerful and slightly freckled face, surrounded by waves of brown hair, flashed through his mind.

He banished the thought. He was being absurd. He wasn't in Tola to stay. He wasn't even making a long visit. He was there for a week before traveling on to Bansford and hopefully beyond.

Still, he couldn't help the spring of excitement in his step as he emerged from his suite and went in search of Violet. He caught up with her in the small courtyard at the castle's eastern entrance, on the way to the cliffs and the beach below. Most of the family seemed to be gathered there for the outing. He was surprised to see Basil standing next to Violet, not having expected the king to have time for such indulgences. But as he approached, he realized Basil was just speaking with his sister before the group departed.

"So we won't have a meeting with the guild today after all. I won't deny I'm glad to get out of it, but I'm not sure why the change. Ulrich's message just said that on reflection the guild was satisfied with the discussion for the moment and wishes to spend more time coming up with suggestions for a way forward." The young king ran a hand down his chin, his forehead creased in thought. "I don't know whether that's a good sign or a bad one."

"A good one, I'm sure," said Violet firmly. "I think you can give yourself permission to put this particular crisis from your mind for now, Basil. There will be time enough to deal with it when the guild comes back."

The young king smiled ruefully, his expression seeming to say, If only I could. But he said no more about it, just wishing the group a pleasant outing. Ari felt for his brother-in-law. He knew that Basil was committed to sitting down with Lord Golding that morning, to discuss various matters Ari's parents had requested the nobleman to communicate. No doubt Basil would prefer to be going swimming with his siblings. There were definite advantages to being the youngest of six brothers.

The experience of sea bathing was new for Ari, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. It didn't hurt that Violet was once again the cheerful, cheeky girl he'd been so intrigued by his first night in Tola. There was a great deal of splashing and squealing, from the grown members of the party as well as the children, and Violet was as bad as any of them. He hung on to the concept of chivalry until the third time she managed to dunk him under, at which point he realized it was utterly wasted on the incorrigible princess. The next time she came for him, he managed to get her first, which only seemed to delight her more. A few times Ari caught one of the other princesses watching their interactions with a little too much interest, but he couldn't bring himself to care. If Violet's behavior had seemed faintly subdued the night before, her actions in the light of day savored of recklessness. And apparently Ari had caught it.

That day it was sea bathing. The next it was horseback riding. The day after, Violet talked him into archery practice in the training yard. Somehow, without any pointed intention, the others in Violet's family lost interest in their plans, and the group activities became one-on-one occasions. Ari found himself passing most of every day with Violet, his intention to spend quality time with his sister fading from his mind.

The other thing that was rapidly fading was his interest in traveling on to Bansford and exploring what might be beyond the desert. He was less inclined to leave by the day, and there was no denying the reason. The fascination Violet provoked didn't lessen the more time he spent with her. Her effervescent presence was as fresh and bracing as the ocean breeze that was a constant part of life in the Entolian castle.

He knew she was flirting shamelessly with him—the disapproving looks she regularly received from her sister Lilac confirmed it—but he didn't mind in the least. How could he, when he lost no opportunity to do the same? Occasionally Violet succumbed once again to the melancholy he'd observed that night at dinner, but whenever he asked her about it, she denied it cheerfully and perked up again. He felt arrogant to think it, but he found himself wondering—even hoping—that the source of her low spirits might be his imminent departure.

The day before he was due to leave, he went in search of Violet only to be told by a servant that she was otherwise engaged by prior appointment. Ari was just making his way back through the castle, feeling foolish for how much the information disappointed him, when her familiar voice caught his ears.

He looked up to see Violet striding down the corridor, apparently giving a tour of some kind. It didn't sound nearly as entertaining as the tour she'd given him, but the young man accompanying her was looking around him with great interest anyway.

Ari frowned at the pair. He'd never seen the man before, and there was something about his air of confidence that rubbed Ari the wrong way. His eyes slid to Violet, and his frown deepened. She was uncomfortable, her demeanor reminiscent of that night at dinner. It was hard to put his finger on what told him that, but he was sure of it. She was ill at ease.

As Ari watched, Violet led the young man into what appeared to be a meeting room. The stranger paused in the doorway, his eyes flicking around once again and landing on Ari. For a moment the two men regarded each other in silence, then the stranger followed Violet into the room, and a guard closed the door behind them.

Ari turned away, troubled. After a moment's reflection, he went in search of Wren. With his planned departure so close, he'd been feeling guilty for neglecting his sister in favor of spending so much time with Violet. A helpful servant directed him to a garden on the northern side of the castle, which he'd never entered before. It must be the garden Violet had mentioned to him in her initial tour, although she hadn't bothered to actually take him there.

It was a very pleasant spot, sheltered from the ocean by the building. Well-tended garden beds sported blooms of all colors, and trees waved gently in the breeze, rather than being pummeled by the ocean wind.

It was the closest thing he'd seen in Entolia to the garden that graced the center of their castle back home. The garden in which Wren had practically lived for six years, and Ari had literally lived for six years, during his time as a swan. It was no wonder Wren liked this spot.

He found her sitting by a willow, at the edge of a large pond. Little Teddy was kneeling at the water's edge, and Azure was on Wren's lap. Wren seemed to be trying, yet again, to stop her daughter from shoving things in her mouth—this time, a half-rotten, moss-covered stick.

"Ari," Wren greeted him with a smile when he approached. "Have you come to join us? What a rare delight."

There was a twinkle in her eyes as she said it, but Ari still grimaced in acknowledgment of the criticism. "Sorry, Wren."

She waved a hand. "No need to apologize."

Ari sank onto the grass beside her. "There is, though," he said. "I've barely spent time with you, and I'm supposed to be leaving tomorrow."

Wren said nothing, and Ari found himself pulling out blades of grass and rubbing them between his thumb and finger.

"Although, on that topic," he added casually, "I've been toying with the idea of extending my time here. If you wouldn't object."

He snuck a glance at his sister to see that she was fighting a smile. He narrowed his eyes at her. She was a year younger than him—when had she gained the air of an indulgent older sibling? Probably when she became a mother.

"You're very welcome to stay for as long as you like," Wren said, her eyes twinkling again. "In fact, I'd be delighted."

"I'm just considering it," Ari said quickly. "I haven't decided anything."

Wren's hidden smile was quickly turning into a hidden laugh, but fortunately Teddy claimed her attention at that moment, and Ari was given time to gather his thoughts.

"It is nice here," he commented, when Wren was once again free to speak to him. "So much more relaxed than our castle at home, isn't it?" He shook his head in amazement. "Violet's taken me to the beach more than once without anyone following—not a maid, not even a guard! Can you imagine being allowed to actually leave the castle without a guard when you were a Mistran princess?"

Wren scrunched up her nose. "It would definitely never have happened, but truth be told it shouldn't really happen here either. Inside the castle is fine, but none of the princesses should really be leaving the city itself unguarded." She sighed. "To be perfectly honest, our royal guard is stretched very thin. With so many princesses, it was always a bit of a challenge. Now there's also a queen and king as well as the dowager queen. And more to the point, we have Teddy and Azure."

She glanced at the half dozen guards standing a stone's throw away, out of earshot of their conversation but alert and watchful. "They're certainly the best guarded children in Entolia. In any event, the best solution we could find was to ease off the guard presence required for those of Basil's sisters who are of age. Since Lilac almost always stays with her mother, that only really leaves Violet traipsing about unsupervised. Although Daisy isn't far off turning eighteen."

Ari nodded absently, uninterested in Lilac's habits or Daisy's age. "From what I've seen, Violet doesn't use her freedom to get up to anything Basil would disapprove of," he said. He rubbed the blade of grass between his fingers again. "I saw her on the way here, actually. She was meeting with someone I didn't recognize. A young man. Do you know who it was?"

Wren was once again hiding a smile—not very successfully—but she narrowed her eyes in thought. "A young man—oh, I suppose that was Yannick. I heard he was coming to the castle today."

"Who's Yannick?" Ari asked, a little too quickly.

"He's the son of Ulrich, the wealthiest merchant in Tola, who also happens to be the head of the Merchants' Guild. Yannick will inherit an incredibly wealthy and influential empire one day." She bit her lip, looking worried.

"What is it?" Ari prompted, uneasy. "What's wrong? Should Violet not be meeting with him?"

"No, she should," said Wren quickly. "She's been liaising with the Merchants' Guild on Basil's behalf. Basil's encouraged her from the start to negotiate directly with Yannick where possible. He's always optimistic that those of the younger generation will deal better together."

She met his eye seriously. "Between you and me, it's quite a mess. We're all very concerned. It's the alliance that's the cause of contention. There have been complaints ever since the war ended and Basil allowed Mistran merchants to trade within Entolia again. But it's only under Ulrich's influence that things have reached such a crisis. The merchants' demands are unreasonable, but they're refusing to budge. They're even starting to mutter about a guild-wide trade embargo on the city of Tola."

Ari gave a low whistle.

"I didn't know there was still so much tension," he said. He frowned. "And I had no idea Violet was in the middle of such a stressful situation. Is that what's been making her uncomfortable?" He felt both foolish and guilty for his trickle of disappointment. Likely her melancholy had nothing to do with him leaving at all.

"Uncomfortable?" Wren asked. "What do you mean?"

Ari shrugged. "I've noticed it a few times. And I noticed it again when I saw her speaking with this Yannick."

Wren frowned, but whatever she was about to say was lost as Azure made a dive for the water's edge, almost succeeding in catapulting herself out of her mother's arms.

"Zuzu, no!" Wren said. "Stop that. No, don't put it in your mouth." She gently but firmly removed a ball from the one-year-old's hand. Ari hadn't even noticed her playing with it.

The toddler fought her mother for custody of the ball, yelling at the top of her considerable voice as she tried again to wriggle free.

"Tiss! Tiss!"

A nursemaid hurried forward, apparently having been hovering back with the guards. She offered to take the screaming child from the queen, but Wren waved her off with a word of thanks.

"You're all right, Zuzu," said Ari soothingly. "Want to come sit on Uncle Ari's lap for a while?"

"You can try, but at your own peril," Wren told him dryly. She handed Azure over, and Ari took a firm hold of the toddler, conscious of the pond close by. It looked deep.

"There we go," he said cheerfully, but the small child wasn't listening. She was still shouting tiss—whatever that meant—as loudly as she could and reaching out her little fists to reclaim the ball. She wasn't coordinated enough to grab it from her mother, however. All she succeeded in doing was to knock it from Wren's hands. It fell to the ground, rolling promptly toward the pond, where it disappeared into the water.

Azure instantly set up a wail, diving toward the pond. Ari kept her in a secure grip, but he didn't blame Wren for her evident alarm.

"Let me take her," his sister said, reclaiming her child. "I'm sorry, Zuzu, but the ball is gone. It'll be at the bottom of the pond by now."

"Time for Uncle Ari to come to the rescue," Ari declared, standing up and stripping off his jacket.

"Ari, you don't need to—"

Ari didn't wait for Wren to finish, striding straight forward into the pond. It was cold, and slanted downward more quickly than he expected. He'd hoped to just feel around for the ball, but it quickly became clear that wouldn't do it. Taking a deep breath, he dove into the water, his eyes searching the murkiness for a glint of gold. His first attempt yielded nothing, but after resurfacing for a breath, he tried again with more success. The ball was nestled at the bottom in a patch of waterweeds. Ari dove down, thinking humorously how much easier it had been to dive through water when he was a swan. His movement startled a frog which was sitting on the bottom, just near the golden ball, and the creature glided away from Ari's questing hand.

When Ari emerged from the water, he was given a hero's welcome by Azure, who wasted no time in snatching the ball from him and trying again to put it in her mouth. When she pulled away from the water, Wren let her down, and she began to toddle toward her brother, who was playing happily in the dirt nearby.

The three-year-old looked up with interest at her approach, and inevitably questioned his sister's right to sole custody of the ball. The resultant tussle caused Wren to confiscate the ball, which she handed absently to Ari while she restored peace between her children.

Ari threw it from one hand to the other, admiring its shine. "No wonder she dropped it," he commented, when Wren at last rejoined him. "Why is it so heavy?"

"Because, as best I can tell, it's made of solid gold," Wren said. She rolled her eyes. "Next time I write to Mother and Father, I'll have to ask them why in the world they would think a pair of toddlers—royal or otherwise—need solid gold toys to play with."

"Mother and Father?" Ari asked, surprised. "This is from our parents?"

Wren nodded. "It was an official gift from the delegation."

Ari frowned in confusion. He had no memory of his parents sending a gift for Wren's children. And it wasn't an official delegation, he'd seen to that. Before he could ask Wren about it, Azure barreled up to them, flinging her arms around her mother's legs and complaining incomprehensibly about some disaster. Taking advantage of Wren's distraction, Ari slipped the ball into the pocket of his jacket, which was slung over his arm.

He couldn't explain why, but he felt uneasy about the golden ball. He wanted to find out where exactly it came from before returning it to his niece and nephew.

But investigating their toy would have to wait. For the moment, he was sopping wet and needed to get into dry clothes before he was expected for dinner. He took his leave of Wren, hurrying back into the castle.

Lex, who was waiting for him in his rooms, tutted at the sight of his dripping form and hastened to select fresh clothes for the evening meal. Back in Mistra, Lex didn't act as a personal servant for any of the royals, but he'd been filling the role since their arrival in Tola. Ari didn't mind. He liked having someone familiar around him, rather than relying on Entolian servants who were all total strangers.

"Tonight is a farewell dinner of sorts, is it not, Your Highness?" Lex asked, as he helped Ari don his dry garments.

"I think so, but it's nothing official," Ari said, still mulling on the question of whether he would really leave in the morning as intended.

"If I may, Your Highness," Lex said deferentially, "I wished to speak to you about your onward journey."

"Of course," said Ari. "What is it?"

The servant cleared his throat. "Well, I wondered if you might give me leave to return to Myst rather than continuing with you. I have no doubt the other servants in our group are more than capable of seeing to your needs."

Ari regarded the older man in surprise. He hadn't guessed that Lex was having doubts about the trip to Bansford—after all, the servant had volunteered to come with him in the first place. Perhaps he'd found the time in Entolia more taxing than expected, and wished for the familiar comfort of home. It wasn't Ari's tendency, but he didn't blame the servant for being different from him.

"Of course, Lex," he said. "You'll be missed, but I'm very willing to release you."

"Thank you, Your Highness," said Lex, bowing his head.

Ari nodded absently, his eyes on his reflection as he straightened his tunic. The evening was warm, so he draped his jacket over his arm rather than wearing it. He might want it later.

He turned from the looking glass with renewed energy, eager to be gone. After all, whatever other commitments she'd had during the afternoon, Violet would surely be present at dinner.