“Oh, just that I stayed up too late. I’m not used to being up this early.”
Mother crossed the room, sat in a chair by the fireplace, and studied her. Zwaantie shifted her feet. Her underdress wasn’t sheer, but it was pretty close. Plus, without a dress on, her breasts were plainly visible.
“You are to be on your best behavior today. Or I will see that you marry Prince Moo-For-Me. Do you understand?”
Mother had never threatened Zwaantie before. Whoever was coming had to be someone important. But Zwaantie and her family were the most important people in Sol. The lower kings and queens visited all the time.
“Who’s coming?” Zwaantie asked.
Mother played with the lace on the edge of her collar, her jaw tense. “A high prince. I want you to wear your red dress, the one with the sequins. And Luna, will you put her hair in a fancy braid? He should be here within a couple of hours.”
Luna curtsied. “Of course, Your Majesty.”
Mother got up and nearly swept out the door before what she said registered. “Mother, wait!”
“What?” she asked in exasperation.
“What do you mean, a high prince? Raaf’s the only high prince in Sol.”
“Yes, I know that. The high prince is from Stella.”
Zwaantie sank down onto her bed. Luna sat in the chair Mother just vacated.
“Stella,” Luna uttered, her eyes staring off into space.
“Stars. That prince has stars.” Zwaantie pulled her bright yellow blanket up to her shoulders and wrapped it around herself. “Why do you think a high prince from Stella is coming here?”
Luna pulled her off the bed. “Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he’s coming to seek your hand in marriage.” Luna’s eyes sparkled, and Zwaantie knew she was joking, but that was actually one of the more sane reasons. He had another thing coming if he thought she was going to marry him.
“This is unheard of.” The royal families hadn’t spoken to each other in over two hundred years. The only Stellans they ever had contact with were traders.
Luna led Zwaantie to a steaming tub of water. “Get in. We’ll talk while I’m fixing your hair.”
Zwaantie undressed and slipped into the water.
“Mother can’t possibly want me to marry him. The people from Stella are barbarians. They don’t wear decent clothes, and they have no rules. And no sun. How could I live over there? I want to see the stars, but not at the expense of the sun.”
“Even if he is seeking marriage, your mother wouldn’t hear of it. She just wants you to behave while he is here. Believe it or not, I think your mother might feel threatened by his presence. Stella leaves us alone most of the time. What if his visit isn’t friendly? After all, they do know how to turn off the Voice.”
Zwaantie hadn’t thought of that. “But then why does Mother want me to behave?”
“I’m not even going to answer that.”
Zwaantie’s face was scrubbed clean, and then she stepped out of the tub. Luna dressed her in a bright red dress and pulled the laces tight. Then she braided Zwaantie’s hair.
The trumpets blared to announce the arrival of a visitor, and Zwaantie made no move to go down to the great hall. She wanted the prince to meet Mother and Father first. Truthfully, Zwaantie was hoping she wasn’t necessary for this visit. She didn’t want to meet him. What if Mother made Zwaantie marry him? Then she would leave Sol. And Phoenix.
No, she couldn’t make her do that.
“Should we go?” Luna asked, startling Zwaantie out of her thoughts.
“No, we’ll wait until we are summoned.”
Luna and Zwaantie didn’t talk while they waited. Thoughts buzzed in Zwaantie’s head about why a prince from the dark side, would be in Sol.
He could show her the stars. In spite of herself, she was excited to meet him. She wondered if he were old or young. It was always hard to tell with princes. Would he be dressed like them or would he wear garments from his own kingdom? People in Sol believed that if no skin was shown, the temptation was less. But Zwaantie disagreed. The more that was covered the more curious she was to see what was underneath.
Luna told her that in Stella they wore whatever they wanted, and sometimes they didn’t wear anything at all.
Ten minutes later Raaf appeared in the doorway with Phoenix at his side. At least he wasn’t still racked with pain. He didn’t even glance at Zwaantie. She hoped he wasn’t ashamed of the previous night. She certainly wasn’t. She warmed at the thought of his arms around her.
Raaf scowled. “What are you doing? The prince will be here any minute.”
“Waiting to be summoned. I’m not that excited to meet him.”
“None of us are, but Mother wants you next to her when they arrive.”
“Fine.”
Luna fussed with her hair a little more, and then they followed the boys to the entrance hall. What would the prince think of her home? Was it like his in Stella? They’d never had a high prince set foot in their castle before. Would he find it impressive or lacking?
The grand hall was wide and the ceiling tall. Mother and Father sat on thrones directly across from the enormous front doors. Sixty guards lined the path from the door to the thrones. Twice as many as normal. Zwaantie wasn’t the only one skeptical of this dark prince.
Zwaantie stood next to Mother, with Luna taking her place behind them both, next to her own mother. Raaf and Phoenix went to stand by Father. Behind Father stood Pieter, tall and stoic. A few of the lower kings and queens had many personal slaves, but in the capital city they didn’t believe in extravagance. One or two was sufficient. That left the rest of the slaves to attend to the needs of the kingdom. They took care of the roads and kept the streets clean of debris and sewage. They prided themselves in the cleanliness of their city.
The doors opened just as Zwaantie took her place next to her mother.
Chapter 16
The Prince
Two men entered and sauntered up the path to the thrones. They didn’t seem awed or nervous of the guards. A little too cocky for Zwaantie’s taste.
Both men were dressed identically. They had on dark pants with leather boots. They wore white billowy shirts that opened at the neck with a necklace that rested on the hollow of their neckline. It was a simple necklace, with no jewels. Just a silver disk attached to a leather thong. They wore bright multi-colored vests over their shirts.
Just before they reached the stairs to the thrones, they stopped and bowed. It became clear who was the prince and who was the slave. While the prince bowed deep and low, the slave was more cautious. He eyed the guards next to him with suspicion, and he never took his hand off the hilt of his sword. This was no ordinary slave. He was also his guard. A good one from the looks of it.
The prince rose from his bow and looked at Zwaantie’s father.
“High King Geert, High Queen Janna, I bring the greetings of my father, High King Ajax. He wished to come himself, but found that he’s unable to get away from his current duties. I hope you will forgive his absence. High Princess Zwaantie and High Prince Raaf, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
His voice was rich and lilting. The speech was obviously rehearsed, and he appeared to stumble over the names. The smile never left his dark face. She could see the similarities between him and Phoenix. They had the same devastating smile, rich caramel skin, and dark piercing eyes. But the prince’s face was a little sharper. His hair was spiking instead of long and curly. He was definitely striking. Cow poop. She was hoping he was old or ugly.
He bowed once again, a short quick bow, and then spoke. “I am High Prince Leo, the fifth son of High King Ajax of Stella. I have come to see if it would be possible to join our kingdoms.”
Father glared down at him. That was a bold statement for a prince in foreign territory. “How exactly would we join our kingdoms?”
His eyes met Zwaantie’s. “Through marriage of course. I have no kingdom of my own. Marriage would create a partnership that I thi
nk we have both longed for.”
Luna sucked in a breath, and Zwaantie flicked her eyes to Phoenix. He stood expressionless, but Raaf was frowning. Zwaantie’s heart raced, and her palms began to sweat. She had no idea how her parents would react to this. Would they force her to marry him?
Father continued to glower at the man. Zwaantie let out a breath of relief. This was absurd.
After a long beat, Father waved his hand. “We have no desire to join with Stella. Zwaantie will be marrying a Solite prince.”
For once Zwaantie didn’t want to argue with him. She didn’t want to marry a prince, but one from Stella sounded downright terrifying.
Leo appeared confused. “Did the princess not send a message stating they were desperate for medicines? If Zwaantie and I join in marriage, then we could have free and open trade.”
Father stroked his beard. “We would be open to exploring additional trade agreements, but marriage to my daughter is out of the question.”
Zwaantie let out a breath. She was in the clear. She watched the prince for a reaction. His face fell slightly, but he forged on.
“Very well. May we stay and discuss possible agreements? I will not be able to finalize anything, but after our discussions, I can take the agreements to my father.” He flicked his gaze back up to her again. She averted her eyes. What was he doing?
“Of course. Where is the rest of your party?” Father asked.
Leo grinned, once again looking at her instead of Father. “My guard, Hunter, is the only one who accompanied me. We like to travel light. We hope you will be able to accommodate us. Also, we brought gifts from our home. Do you have servants who can help us fetch them from our carriage?”
Father snapped his fingers, and ten slaves appeared. They followed the prince’s guard out the front doors. The prince looked around the great room, examining the tapestries and windows. He glanced at Zwaantie a time or two, but always averted his eyes when he caught her staring back. He was quick to agree to the trade possibilities, but he didn’t seem to keep his eyes off of her. Perhaps he wasn’t easily deterred. This could be a problem.
She took the time to study him. His angular face was different from theirs. The people of Sol were more round faced and jolly looking. His eyebrows were thick and dark, and he had an unbelievable amount of eyelashes. His eyes were a deep brown. In Sol, their eyes were usually blue or green. Occasionally gray, but brown eyes were rare.
The guard returned, and the slaves followed, carrying large trunks.
Leo opened the first trunk and took out a bottle.
“For the queen, I bring new medicines to better the health of your people. You will find that they are most effective in curing minor diseases and discomforts. There are also potions to enhance beauty, not that you need those.” He grinned and closed the trunk. Two slaves lifted the trunk and placed it in front of Mother. She thanked him with a smile and raised her eyebrows at Zwaantie. Zwaantie gave a sharp shake of her head and watched as her mother stared at Leo. Was Mother considering his proposal?
The prince opened another trunk. This one was long and slender.
“For the king, I bring magically enhanced weapons.” Leo pulled out a sword, and Father’s eyes went wide. “This sword will never dull or chip. It is razor sharp and will slice through any opponent with ease. There are twenty of these.”
Father gave Leo a rare smile. “Thank you. That is most generous. You know the way to a king’s heart.”
Oh Sol. Now Father was having second thoughts as well. If Prince Leo kept this up, they’d be forcing her hand within a day.
He replaced the sword and pulled out a small black box. He held it up for Father to see. “This is one of our newest inventions, a backsnipe.”
Father pursed his lips. “That is no weapon. It is just a small box.”
Leo grinned.
“Ah, but it is indeed a weapon. It performs much like a crossbow. Do you see this small button?”
The king nodded.
“When I press this button, the bolt will shoot out from the end and will pierce whatever I aimed it at. We are working on accuracy spells, but haven’t perfected them yet. Right now, if you are a good shot, this would be the best weapon you’ve ever used. May I demonstrate?”
The king whispered to a slave. The slave scurried from the room and came back carrying a pedestal. He set it down by the door and placed an apple on it.
The prince pointed the small box at the apple and pushed a button. A six-inch bolt shot out of the end of the box. It went through the apple and lodged in the door.
A collective gasp filled the room. We had no weapons like that. Stella would slaughter them in a war. Leo turned to Father who clapped his hands.
“That is extraordinary. We shall go hunting while you are here. I want to see those in action. Also,” he said, waving over a slave. “Go down to the kitchens and tell them we have a rare opportunity to impress the Stellans. I want a grand lunch.”
Zwaantie looked at Mother, who still studied the prince with an intense gaze. Zwaantie wondered why no one else was suspicious. For years she’d heard how horrible the people of Stella were, and now here was her father and mother treating them like exalted guests.
The prince gave a small bow and put the backsnipe into a larger box.
“There are ten of those. May you use them wisely.”
The prince opened a third, smaller trunk—about the size of a large jewelry box.
“I had heard Prince Raaf became the grand chancellor. This is a weighty position that requires great wisdom and carries responsibility.”
He removed a leather throng like the one he wore.
“This disc is imbued with much powerful magic. In Stella, we all have them, and each is unique to the wearer. Mine protects me, and also increases my ability to observe, as I am an academic mage. I’m constantly looking to learn new things. We modeled yours off our head mage’s disc, as she is the closest thing we have to a chancellor. When you wear this, your decision-making skills will be improved. We have created twenty so that you may share them with all of your lower chancellors.”
The Stellan prince approached Raaf and handed him the necklace. Raaf put it on. He looked at the prince in awe. Now he would want her to marry Leo as well. This prince was making a very good impression on her family, but she wasn’t convinced. Not yet.
“Finally, for the princess. It was difficult for me to know what to bring, having never met you before, but I had my sisters’ help. First, I present you with a necklace that carries an amethyst, the gemstone of your birthday. Our magicians imbued it with many protection charms. While you wear it, you can never be harmed.” He paused for a moment, putting the necklace back its box. “This was my choice. My sisters, on the other hand, insisted I bring you dresses.”
He lifted one out. The material flowed across his hands like water. But it was missing many important pieces. Like sleeves. And the neckline plunged down so far that her cleavage would show. No one but Luna and her mother had ever seen any part of her breasts. Leo was not going to change that now.
Filthy dresses. Don’t even think about wearing them.
For once, Zwaantie agreed with the Voice. She gathered her skirts together and got ready to depart. She couldn’t stay here anymore. This prince came waltzing in here asking for her hand in marriage and presenting her gifts she could never accept.
Zwaantie spoke. “High Prince Leo, it was a pleasure to meet you. But I’m afraid I’m not interested in your dresses. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a headache.”
Zwaantie fled from the room, Luna close on her heels. She didn’t bother to look at Mother before she left. Zwaantie didn’t want to see the disappointment on her face.
Zwaantie had no intention of leaving her room again that day. She didn’t have a headache, but she could pretend. Sleep would be wondrous. Maybe Luna could even find some of that magical medicine the prince brought.
Luna caught Zwaantie before she climbed into bed and wrapped Zwaanti
e in a hug. Zwaantie froze. There were times where Luna forgot she was in Sol and not Stella. Luna’s instinct was to comfort Zwaantie, which she did a lot when they were kids, but she’d withdrawn since she became Zwaantie’s slave instead of her playmate.
Luna whispered fiercely in Zwaantie’s ear. “Are you okay?”
Zwaantie shook her head. “They all loved him. I know Father said I didn’t have to marry him, but he’s charming them. Did you see how Raaf was drooling?”
Luna pulled back and laughed. “Then Raaf can marry him. Sit,” she said, pointing to Zwaantie’s couch. “I’ll change your sheets, and then we can get you into bed.”
Zwaantie sat and stared at the star table. The moon was in a crescent shape and moved slowly across the table. For years Zwaantie had dreamed of traveling to Stella and seeing the stars. She wanted to see what Stellan magic was capable of too. But her dream was always to travel there, never live. Never leave her own home and become part of Stella. In spite of her annoyances with the Voice, she wanted to stay in Sol, marry Phoenix, and live on a farm.
In Stella they had magic. No need for fireplaces or lamps. They had blankets that warmed you and bright lights. But no sun. The dark terrified her.
“Come on, Princess, let’s get you to bed.” Luna undid Zwaantie’s laces and helped her out of the dress. Zwaantie closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. A few minutes later she heard rustling at the door.
“She is asleep, Your Majesty. Her head ached terribly,” Luna said. Zwaantie couldn’t have asked for a better slave. Luna would do just about anything for her.
“Wake her up. She’s never embarrassed me quite as badly as today.”
“The princess is rather difficult when she’s woken up. I can send her to you as soon she wakes.”
“Luna, who am I?”
“The queen.” Her voice quivered.
“Wake up my daughter, now, or you will be dismissed and will have to work with the sewage slaves.”
Luna would never work the sewage route. Zwaantie sat up.
“I can hear you, Mother. What do you want?”
Stella and Sol Box Set Page 10
