“It’s complicated.”
“All the best love stories are. Who is she?”
He met his mother’s eyes. He needed to see her reaction. “Zwaantie.”
He mother began cackling. He’d hoped for a shocked gasp, but not laughing. He should leave.
“Thanks. Love you too.”
She wiped her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s so ironic. She’s beautiful and a crown princess. How are you going to steal her away from your brother?”
“I’m not.”
Astrid leaned forward, her laughter gone. “Of course you are. Zwaantie is your best chance for happiness. You need to take it. Besides, have you thought about the power?”
“What are you talking about?”
“She’ll be the queen of Sol. You’ll be the king of Stella—the entire world.”
He let out a sigh. “I don’t want her kingdom, Mother. I just want her.” It said a lot about the power she had over him that he hadn’t considered what it would mean if they married.
“Does she know?” Astrid asked.
“Yes.”
“And?”
“She told me to stay away from her.” He should listen to Zwaantie, but nearly every thought he had was about her. She was lucky he hadn’t ended up in her room overnight.
“Are you saying she doesn’t feel the same way?”
“I honestly don’t know how she feels. After I told her she was my soul mate, the Old Mother showed up and said if she didn’t start loving Leo, the vipers were going to kill everyone. Marriage isn’t enough.”
“You tell the Old Mother to go off herself. What does she know? This is true love. Not many people get this opportunity. You shouldn’t waste it.”
“So I should just let the people of Stella die?”
Astrid rolled her eyes. “No. She’s not always right. Zwaantie could fall in love with Leo, and people could still die. This could be a giant coincidence.”
Ari clenched his fists. “You’re telling me to risk the entire kingdom for one girl?”
“No, I’m telling you to go after your one shot at true happiness. Not many people get this chance. You should take it. But for goodness sakes, Ari, marry the poor girl.”
This was the one thing they never talked about. The curse. They’d mended their relationship years ago and left this unsaid. They had to. Otherwise, he’d never speak to her.
He wanted to follow his mother’s advice. Every fiber of his being did. Zwaantie made his blood sing. Even before the potion told him she was his soul mate, he’d been attracted to her. He thought it was because she was untouchable, but the closer he got to her, the more he liked her. She was interesting in a way most of the girls he knew were not. The potion heightened everything that was there.
“Mom, I can’t.”
Astrid sighed. “Fine, I’ll drop it for now. Tell me about her though. I haven’t had the privilege of spending any time with her.
“Please don’t. She needs to marry Leo. That’s important. We should stop talking about her.”
“I didn’t say anything about her upcoming marriage. I want you to tell me about her.”
“You already know she’s beautiful. She’s quiet, but funny. She laughs at me and is always getting into mishaps, so I’m constantly having to rescue her, and yet, she holds herself like a queen. She loves fiercely and is incredibly loyal. Don’t ever say anything bad about Sage in her presence. They’re very close.”
“Noted. I’m not allowed to say anything about the whore.”
He frowned at her. “Mom, that was neither funny nor true.”
“Says you. Have you kissed Zwaantie?”
“No.” His mother should stop putting ideas in his head.
“You should.”
“How will that be helpful?”
“It won’t be, but it will make you happy.”
“When are you going to stop worrying about my happiness? I’m fine.”
She dropped her eyes, suddenly serious. “I just... Never mind.”
He reached across and gripped her hand. “What?”
She jerked her hand out of his and gave a forced smile. “Regret. That’s all. I want you to have your heart’s desire.” Before he could respond, she shook her head. “Whew, it almost got serious there, didn’t it? Come, let’s go take a walk in the garden.”
Ari followed her out of the room, regret in his heart. He’d never have Zwaantie. She belonged to Leo. This wasn’t fair.
Chapter 6
The Eggs
Zwaantie slept in her own bed for the first time since she’d started sleeping with Sage. They’d cleared out the vipers days ago, and she’d made sure her door was locked tight. Sage had been staying out late, and Zwaantie wanted to be alone and reflect on what had happened. She hadn’t seen Ari since they returned from the magic testing, which was good. Maybe she could simply avoid him until Leo returned. She’d tried to find Luna and give her the necklace, but she was nowhere to be found.
The next morning the cows mooed softly on her wall as she perused her closet. She put on a long, but lightweight, silver skirt and a bright red sleeveless shirt that was tight when she slid it over her head, but when she looked in the mirror, it was nice.
She twisted her hair up and glossed her lips. She thought of the conversations with Leo and Ari. She’d been agonizing over the possibilities, but really, there was only one choice.
Today she would choose honor. She would forget about Ari and the way he made her feel. There was too much at stake for her to do anything else. She would do whatever it took to learn to love Leo and take her place as the queen of Sol.
Her door flew open, and Sage bounded in and whistled. “Classy and hot. Come, we’re going to the gamehouse.”
Zwaantie held her hands behind her back. “Not today. I don’t have time to play anymore. I need to start making plans for after the wedding. I’m sorry.” This would make sure she avoided Ari as well, because she was fairly certain Sage’s invitation involved Ari.
Sage’s face fell. “Well, what are you going to do? I’m supposed to guard you, remember?”
“Probably find the king and queen and ask them for advice on diplomatic matters. I’ll be fine without you.” Her words were harsh, but she had to get rid of Sage. Being with her was too easy.
Sage screwed up her face. “Sounds boring. That shouldn’t take too long. We can go out after lunch.”
Zwaantie took a few steps back from Sage. She stood tall, like she’d seen her mother do and kept her arms stiff at her side. “No. Sage. You understand. I’m not going to be playing anymore. I don’t have time for such frivolities.” She hated to do this to Sage, but she didn’t have any other options.
“I have to protect you.”
“I know. But as long as I stay in the castle, I’m fine. If I leave, I’m sure I can find a castle guard to protect me. It’s time for me to get to work.”
Sage twisted her lips. “Fine. I’ll be around if you want a break.” She turned and trudged out the door, her shoulders slumped. Zwaantie felt bad for hurting her feelings, but she had to do the right thing, and Sage and Ari were not a part of that.
Zwaantie still got lost in the castle, but hoped she could at least find the king’s office. She stopped at Luna’s room first, but of course she was out. Zwaantie wondered if she’d been there at all. She thought about simply leaving the necklace for her, but figured Luna would have to be coerced to wear it. She didn’t seem to like Zwaantie’s company much anymore.
The halls were quiet. She found a stairwell and tried to remember. Up or down? She went down one flight and got lost in the maze. Eventually she’d find a servant who could direct her, but for a castle, there were very few servants. A door to her right opened, and Ari stepped out. She stopped abruptly, her breath catching.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to not get lost in his eyes. This was what she was avoiding, not Sage. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t tell Sage, though Sage would probably tell her to ki
ss him and move on. Zwaantie didn’t think there was any moving on from Ari. He’d grab hold of her heart and never let go.
He gave her a grin. “Just visiting the library. I’m glad I ran into you. Sage wants to go to the gamehouse today. You haven’t been there. It should be fun.”
Zwaantie let out a breath. “No, I’m sorry. I’m going to stay here and visit with the king and queen. Playtime is over.”
“Father and Mother are out today. What were you planning on doing?”
She dropped her eyes so she didn’t have to look at him. “I don’t know, but it’s time for me to stop playing and start stepping up. In a few short weeks, I’m going to be queen. It’s time I owned that.”
Ari scratched his head. “Well, I can help you. I’m going to be king.” He held out his arm. “Come, let me show you all the boring and diplomatic parts of Stella.”
Zwaantie squeezed her eyes shut. She had to be rude and blunt, or he’d never get the hint. “Ari, I’m sorry. I can’t hang out with you.”
He dropped his arm, and his face fell. “Why not?”
Zwaantie wrung her hands. “Because my feelings are all mixed up. I can’t have you around. It’s imperative I fall in love with Leo. You know this. I’m sorry.”
She raised her head and met his eyes. He closed the distance between them, and she thought for a moment he was going to kiss her. His chest rose and fell, and he ran a light finger down her cheek. She wanted him to press his lips against hers, and she hated herself for wanting it. Instead, he dropped a kiss on her forehead and walked away without a word.
She almost went into the library, thinking maybe she could read up on Stellan history. Running into Ari made her confused. She needed to focus on Leo. How did one go about loving someone they didn’t? Maybe she could learn more about him.
The problem was the person who probably knew him best was Candace, and she was on a different island and not really speaking to Zwaantie at the moment.
Zwaantie continued her walk and went down another flight of stairs. She turned right, but saw Lyra and another mage talking at the end of the hall, and she swiveled around and headed the other direction. She did not want to speak to that woman ever again.
Smells of baking bread floated out through a door. She entered the enormous kitchen with shiny metal boxes everywhere. She’d rarely gone into the one at her own castle, but it had pale wooden tables, the occasional live chicken, and it was thick with smoke. Stella’s castle kitchen was clean and slick.
Zwaantie took a tentative step forward. People were milling about. Some were cooking, but most were chatting. A tall man with a very sharp face looked up. His mouth split into a grin.
“Princess. How can we help you?”
She spotted a bowl of brown eggs and remembered how Leo had told her his mother used to make him colored eggs. Perhaps she could learn how to make eggs for him.
“I’ve never cooked before. I’d like to learn how to make eggs.”
The man held out his hand. “I’m Atlas, and I can certainly teach you how to do eggs.”
He spent a good hour showing her how to make every kind of egg. From fried, to poached, to scrambled. She didn’t touch anything, but he was good at explaining things.
“Leo told me his mother used to make colored eggs. Can you?”
“Of course.” He held his hand over the plate of eggs, and they turned green, purple, and blue.
Zwaantie clapped her hands. “Can you show me how?”
“Have you learned how to do any magic?”
She shook her head. “I was tested, and I have none.”
Atlas gave a small frown. “Then there is no way. I’m sorry.”
“Is there a potion or something?”
“You know, there might be. Why don’t you see if you can scramble a couple more eggs. I’ll see if I can find colored potions.”
He left her, and she stared at the eggs. She picked up an egg and cracked it into a metal bowl. Then she added two more. So far, so good. She mixed the eggs with a metal whisk. They didn’t get as fluffy as they had when Atlas had done them, but they looked good enough. She added some milk, probably too much. She stirred the mixture, but the eggs were way too white. Oh well, they should still work.
She poured the mix into a pan and twisted the knob she’d seen Atlas turn. A flame burst out, and she turned it all the way up. Atlas had waited at least a minute before he stirred anything in the pan. The disc in her pocket vibrated. She jumped. She pulled it out and pressed the blinking green light. Leo’s face popped out.
“Whatcha doing?” he asked.
She grinned. “Trying to learn how to make eggs. Look.” She tilted the disc so Leo’s head was staring at the eggs.
“I think you need to stir those.”
“Oh yeah.” She set the disc down and ran a spoon over the eggs. Nothing changed. It was still soup.
“Why are you trying to learn how to make eggs?” Leo asked as Zwaantie continued to stir. The pan smelled funny, and the eggs didn’t look like Atlas’s.
“I wanted to surprise you. You said your mom used to make colored eggs. I don’t have any magic, so I can’t color them, but I still wanted to see how it worked.”
He didn’t say anything, but he creased his eyebrows. He watched the eggs instead of her. The eggs started smoking and smelled putrid. Atlas rushed back and yanked the pan off the burner.
“Goodness gracious, girl, what are you doing?”
“Making eggs.”
“No, you are burning eggs.” Then he laughed. Leo joined him. Zwaantie felt her face flush.
“I guess I wasn’t cut out for cooking.” She grabbed the disc off the counter and raced out of the kitchen, Leo’s laughter following her.
Chapter 7
The Youngest
Leo couldn’t stop laughing long enough to say anything else, so eventually Zwaantie shut the disc down. So much for trying to get to know him. She needed him here. How was she going to learn to love him like this? Especially when he was laughing at her. At the moment she didn’t like him much.
Ari probably wouldn’t have laughed at her. Well, he might have, but then he would’ve shown her how to do it right. After chasing her down, of course. She shivered at the thought of his hand on hers, stirring the eggs. On second thought, maybe they’d burn anyway. She and Ari were far too likely to get carried away doing something they shouldn’t.
She was doing everything wrong, and it centered around her heart not being where it needed to be, but she didn’t know how to fix that. Everything she tried had failed.
She wanted to hide from everyone, so she found her way to the library. She planned on perusing the books, but she saw Leo’s youngest brother sitting in an armchair in a corner. She took the seat to his left.
Pius glanced up from the book, but immediately dropped his eyes.
“I’m Zwaantie,” she said. Pius would be a good ally to have. Aside from seeing him at dinner a couple of times, she hadn’t spoken to him. If she focused on making new friends, maybe she’d be able to avoid Sage and Ari.
“I know,” he muttered. Of course he knew. This was a dumb way to start a conversation. Leo had mentioned Pius would be better off in Sol. Maybe they could bond over their shared desire for order and rules.
“We haven’t had a chance to talk.”
“So?” He wouldn’t look up from the book he was reading. If he was like Solites, he certainly wasn’t very polite.
“So, I thought maybe we could get to know one another a bit.”
He rolled his eyes, and she nearly laughed. He reminded her a little too much of herself.
“Don’t you have other friends?” he asked, finally meeting her eyes. They were a deep piercing green—an unusual color in Stella. After seeing all the illusions, she wondered if it was real, or if he colored his eyes on purpose. Either way, if he managed to drop his scowl, sit up straight, and do something with his hair, he’d probably have girls falling at his feet.
“Sure. But tha
t doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”
“Sorry, not interested in being your friend.” He turned his chair so he wasn’t facing her anymore.
“Why?” Now she was just irritated. He had no reason to talk to her like that.
He slammed his book shut and glared at her. The hatred there was real and unnerving.
“Maybe because you’re responsible for the viper deaths, and now you’re running around with Ari. You’re never going to love Leo. Candace is my favorite sister, and you’re going to kill her baby. Maybe that’s what Sol wanted, and you’re just sacrificing yourself. You don’t care about Stella at all.”
She furrowed her brow. “You really think that?” She wanted to ask how he knew about her role in the viper deaths, but needed more information from him first.
“You should hear the rumors. You’re not well-liked in our kingdom. Maybe you should go home.”
Zwaantie felt like she’d been slapped. “What are you talking about?” Everything she’d ever heard from the Ticker was how beloved she was.
She remembered the other Ticker. Maybe there was truth to what he was saying. If people thought she wasn’t really in love with Leo, the main Ticker would change, but right now, she was the public’s darling. Plus, everyone had been nice to her. Why would they act like they loved her if they didn’t really?
“You think everything you read on the Ticker is true? It’s not. I’m not the only one who is suspicious of your intentions.”
His words stung. She stood and made for the door, no longer wanting to make new friends. Candace’s words came back to her. Perhaps there was truth to what she said.
Viggo was the one who managed the Ticker for the family. Was he hiding the truth from her? She thought back to that other Ticker. Maybe what Viggo and his family were looking at wasn’t the whole truth. Were they as blind as she’d been? No, they probably knew everything and simply kept the truth from her.
Just as she was nearly out the door, Pius raised his voice and called after her.
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