Chapter Thirteen
The screams and cries that rang out put everyone’s previous protests to shame. Ari’s eyes flicked for the briefest moment to Violet, noting that her face showed nothing but blank, total shock. Then he remembered the task at hand, and he spun back around to face Naomi, who was still clutching Azure.
Ari was still wearing exactly what he had been when he’d fallen afoul of the students’ clumsy enchantment, and unfortunately he hadn’t been wearing a sword on that occasion. But a guard had approached, white-faced with shock, to assist the missing prince to his feet. Ari disregarded his offer, instead seizing the man’s sword and drawing it, turning to the traitorous maid in the same fluid motion.
“Put my niece down,” he growled. “Now.”
“I…but…Your Highness, I…” Naomi stuttered, her wide eyes fixed on the tip of Ari’s blade.
“I know you’re in league with Yannick,” he said calmly. “I saw you with him, and I heard him give you instructions. If you think I’m going to allow you to steal Princess Azure, you’ve lost your mind.”
Open fear was on Naomi’s face now, and her eyes flew frantically to each of the room’s exits. Guards stepped up on either side of Ari, their faces hard and menacing as they drew weapons of their own.
All at once, Naomi gave up. With a sob, she curled in on herself, dropping Azure like she was suddenly burning hot to the touch.
Ari dropped his pilfered sword, diving forward to catch the child before she hit the floor. It took all his focus to reach out his arms to intercept her—his poor, addled mind was trying to tell him to catch her with a flick of the tongue.
A shudder went over him, and he determined to take the details of his fly-eating moments to the grave. The sound of running feet reached him, and he turned to see Wren and Basil both hurrying forward. The looks on their faces cut him to the heart. He handed Azure over mutely, watching as the guards seized Naomi from either side.
“Ari.” Violet’s whisper instantly claimed Ari’s attention. He whipped around to see her moving toward him, almost like she was in a trance. Her eyes were fixed on his, and her face was pale. “You were the frog? The frog was you…the whole time?”
Ari nodded slowly. He could almost see her mind whirring, going back over all her interactions with her pet amphibian. Hopefully she’d remember that he’d respected her privacy. A pained look passed over Violet’s face, and Ari held his breath.
“I’m sorry I shoved you in my pocket,” she said. “And called you slimy, if I recall.”
A laugh burst out of Ari, the sound unsteady. He passed a hand through his hair, reveling in the return of his familiar human form. “Actually, you said I wasn’t slimy,” he reassured her. “I think you complimented me on my cleanliness.”
Someone groaned, but a slow grin was spreading across Violet’s face.
“That’s right,” she recalled. “I think what I actually said was that you weren’t as slimy as I expected. You were definitely still slimy.”
“My apologies,” said Ari solemnly, and Violet’s grin became a chuckle.
“Ari, this is too ridiculous,” said Wren, sounding impatient more than anything. “First a swan, then this? How in dragon’s flame did you get yourself turned into a frog?”
He shrugged. “I just felt like a change. Too long as a human, you know.”
“Ari.” His sister’s usually gentle voice was almost a growl.
Ari raised his hands in surrender, laughing. “All right, I’ll explain. But it’s a bit of a pitiful story to be perfectly honest. I wasn’t even part of some sinister plot. It was all a stupid accident.”
He proceeded to explain what had happened the night he’d turned into a frog, sprinkling the tale with humorous details in hopes of getting another laugh out of Violet. It always felt like a victory, getting her to laugh. And after all, he’d much rather his story be entertaining than tragic. Now that he was restored to his human form—and after only a matter of days rather than years—he was inclined to focus on the comical absurdity of it all.
Obsidian groaned aloud when Ari got to the part about the cocky magic student.
“I’ll have his hide,” muttered the enchanter to no one in particular.
Ari chuckled, unsurprised to learn that the student in question was known to those in charge.
“So how did you break it?” asked Briar, Violet’s sixteen-year-old sister.
“Oh, I forgot to explain the counterforce,” said Ari. “The students went for something they called traditional—a kiss from a princess.”
Obsidian groaned again. “Foolish old superstitions,” he said. “Why is everyone so convinced that kisses have some kind of potent magical properties? They’re entirely ordinary.”
“As your wife, I take offense at that,” interjected Zinnia.
The look her husband gave her somehow managed to be both fond and exasperated. “You know what I mean.”
“Anyway, I didn’t think I could convince Vi—any of you girls to kiss me in my frog form,” Ari said, hastily trying to cover his slip. The smirks from various of his listeners told him he’d failed. Violet wasn’t smirking, though. Her cheeks had gone delightfully pink. “I thought I’d have to find another way around it, until just now when Azure was trying to kiss anything and everything, and I realized she’s a princess too…”
He trailed off, sending a wink to his niece. “Thanks for saving me, Zuzu. Don’t ever change.”
Wren let out a soft sigh, and Ari winked at her as well. No doubt she wouldn’t mind her daughter changing that one habit in particular.
“We were all so confused and worried when you went missing,” Violet said, recapturing his attention. Her gaze was full of meaning as it rested on his face. “I was so confused.”
Ari turned fully to face her, stepping forward and taking her hand in his. “I’m sorry about that night,” he said. “It was unlike me. I didn’t understand it myself at the time. But once I got outside the castle, I realized I was following some kind of magical compulsion.”
“You were?” Violet’s eyes were wide. “I think…I think I knew that,” she said slowly. “Or at least, some part of me suspected it. That explains my dream. But I never realized what it meant.”
“Your dream?” Ari repeated, confused.
“Never mind,” said Violet. “Go on.”
Ari let out a breath. “It was the golden ball. The one that my parents apparently sent as a gift for the children, although I’d never heard about it. It was a talisman.”
“The ball?” said Wren sharply. “So it wasn’t from our parents at all?” Her face fell. “It must have been Lex who brought it, I suppose.”
“Lex?” Ari asked, perplexed.
She raised miserable eyes to his. “He’s the one who kidnapped Teddy. He was working with Yannick.”
“What?!” Ari stared at her open-mouthed. “Lex? Surely you’re wrong.” He just couldn’t believe it.
“I wish I was,” Wren said softly. “But Basil found him holding Teddy captive.”
“I’ve just realized something,” Violet interjected. “Lex was hovering nearby when I told you about the secret tunnel in the garden, wasn’t he? He must have overheard and gone looking. How could I have forgotten he was there?”
“The secret tunnel?” Ari was lost again, but Violet shook her head impatiently.
“Finish what you were saying about that golden ball.”
“Yes, is the ball on you now?” The question came from Obsidian. “There’s still magic hanging about your person.”
With a frown, Ari felt in his pockets, fishing out the small golden ball. “I guess it was somehow wrapped up in my frog form all this time,” he commented. “Like my clothing.”
“Thank goodness for that,” muttered someone. Lilac, he was fairly sure.
Violet grinned, but the expression faded as she studied the ball. “What’s its purpose?”
“I don’t exactly know,” said Ari. He turned it over in his mind. “It was drawing me somewhere, and the longer I handled it, the stronger the compulsion got. I think I was following someone, but I couldn’t get a good look at them. Then I ended up on the trail of one of those students, and, well, you’ve heard the rest.”
“I don’t understand,” said one of Violet’s sisters, frowning. “How are those students mixed up in this? Were they working with the ones who kidnapped Teddy?”
Ari shook his head. “I really don’t think so. It was just a very unlucky accident that I got in the way of that enchantment. They didn’t know I’d been hit with the magic—they didn’t even know I was there. There’s no reason to think they knew about the golden ball. Whoever it was drawing me toward was someone different. I suppose they just chose to walk along the same hilltop.”
“Ari,” said Violet, her tone strange. “Why are you moving?”
“What?” Ari looked down at her, realizing as he did so that she was right. He’d taken a step to the side without even noticing it. “I don’t know,” he said. With an effort, he relaxed his mind, and instantly he felt it. The compulsion. He let his feet lead him another step, and then another. Next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the guards who still gripped Naomi. “You,” he breathed, lifting the ball and staring from it to her.
Naomi said nothing, but her gasping breaths and terrified face said it all. Yannick had chosen his conspirator poorly. She had nothing like the cool control he did. But then, she was clearly besotted enough to do whatever he asked of her, which had its own value, Ari supposed.
“The ball was drawing me toward you,” he said slowly.
“Naomi was there that night,” Violet interjected. “She was in the dining hall. I remember seeing her when I glanced in, and noted that you were staring at the row of pretty young serving girls.”
Ari gave her a pained look, but didn’t chastise her aloud for her lack of faith in him. As if he could have found any of those strangers pretty when he had Violet in front of him. He returned his attention to Naomi.
“I think I understand. The ball was intended to make the children wander in your direction, to make it easier for you to take them without being noticed.” He shook his head. “Lex may have carried the ball into the castle, but Yannick is the one who orchestrated the enchantment, isn’t he? That’s why he needed you. But once the ball went missing—my one useful contribution to this whole disaster—he had to improvise. So he weaseled his way into the castle to oversee the kidnapping himself.”
“That’s not why he needed me,” Naomi burst out unexpectedly, her voice quivering with passion. “He included me in his plans because he loves me. We both love each other.”
Ari said nothing, almost able to pity the deluded girl. He’d seen the embrace she and Yannick had shared, and he had no doubt whatsoever that the merchant had been using her for his own purposes.
“Either way, he probably never intended to go through with my offer to marry him,” Violet said thoughtfully. “That’s a relief, in a way.”
“What?!” Ari’s and Basil’s voices rang out in unison.
Violet shrugged, looking between Ari and her brother. “We had to find a solution to the merchant crisis. I told you it was about ego, Basil. You should have seen how quickly Ulrich changed his tune when I suggested the idea.”
“Merchant crisis be hanged!” Basil said curtly. “There’s no way I would let you sacrifice yourself like that.”
“I suspected you’d take that attitude,” Violet commented calmly. “That’s why I didn’t tell you. But there’s no need to get worked up,” she added quickly, as Basil opened his mouth to protest further. “Obviously I won’t be marrying him now.”
“I should think not,” Basil said darkly. He turned to Naomi. “There are a lot of questions still not answered to my satisfaction. I want to know exactly what was planned against my children, and why.” He nodded to the guards. “Bring both Lex and Yannick from the dungeons. We’ll have this out here and now.”
Half a dozen guards trotted off at this command, and the rest of the group waited tensely for their return. Violet came alongside Ari, her presence warm and reassuring.
“I still can’t believe you were the frog,” she murmured after a few minutes. “You owe me a new pet.” Ari chuckled as she studied him thoughtfully. “I’m very glad you weren’t yourself when you ran out on me like that,” she told him.
Ari’s gaze softened, and he slipped his hand into hers to give it a squeeze. “I’d like a second chance at that conversation,” he informed her.
“Conversation?” she repeated, her expression provocative. “That’s not what I call it.”
Ari was prevented from replying as the door opened. The prisoners were led in, chained and surrounded, and their bantering mood fell away at once.
Basil moved forward, his eyes hard as they passed between the three conspirators.
“Speak, one of you,” he said, his voice sending a chill over Ari.
“Your Majesty, you are operating under an absurd mistake,” Yannick said smoothly. “And I can’t help but fear that my father will be gravely offended when he learns of how I have been treated. I have no knowledge of whatever events have led to such a—”
“Don’t be a fool, boy.” Lex cut this eloquence off brutally. “Your precious plans didn’t work, and we’ve been caught. If you think I’m going to keep my mouth shut to protect you, you’re mad. I’ll tell them everything you did and said.”
A look of fury crossed Yannick’s face, but he managed to keep his voice steady. “You, sir, are mistaken. And you have absolutely no evidence to incriminate me in—”
“Enough,” said Basil sharply. “You were seen by Prince Ari discussing the matter with this young woman.” He gestured to Naomi. “And we have evidence that the artifact given to my children in the guise of a gift contains magic intended to draw the children to her. I have more knowledge of the black market dealings of non-guild enchanters than you imagine, and I have no doubt that inquiries by my agents will yield all the information I could desire. I’m not interested in excuses.” His eyes swung to Lex, perhaps identifying the one most likely to talk. “What I want to know is why.”
Lex said nothing, at least until Wren stepped up beside her husband. “Yes, why, Lex?” she asked, tears in her eyes. “How could you betray me and my family like this?”
“Betray your family?” Lex burst out. “I’ve done nothing of the kind, Your Highness. It’s you who’ve done that, and it breaks my heart to say it.”
Wren drew in a breath as Basil let out an angry hiss. Ari knew it wasn’t new for them to encounter this reaction to their union and the alliance it represented. But to hear it from Lex, who’d been part of his daily life for as long as he could remember, was more personal, and undeniably more painful.
“Don’t misunderstand me,” Lex said pleadingly. “I told the truth in the garden—I would never have harmed either of the children, or allowed anyone else to do so. They’re part of the Mistran royal family. They belong in their own kingdom, with their own family.”
“Basil and I are their family,” said Wren passionately. “Your attempts to justify your behavior are the most despicable part of it all.”
“And they make no sense,” said Basil coldly. “If you weren’t going to harm them, why take them?”
“The plan was to hold them hostage to compel you to abdicate on behalf of yourself and your line,” said Lex stonily, his eyes on Basil. “Then Princess Wren and her children could return to Mistra, where they belong. The royal lines of our kingdoms should never have been mingled. Mistra and Entolia are enemies, and always will be.”
“They always will be in the minds of people like you,” Basil corrected, sounding weary now. “People unwilling to let go of the past.”
“Hold on.” Zinnia seemed to be focused on a different detail. “If Basil abdicated for himself and his children, that would make me the monarch.”
“Save us all,” said Lilac dryly.
“Wren’s right, this whole plan is despicable,” said Zinnia with feeling. “How dare you, all of you? I don’t want to be queen!”
In spite of the gravity of the situation, Ari’s lips twitched at this evidence of what aspect of the whole debacle offended Zinnia most.
“Obsidian, we’d be the rulers,” she said, apparently dissatisfied with her husband’s failure to express adequate horror at the idea. “Our whole lives would be ruined.”
“Thanks, Zin,” said Basil dryly.
“I suspect that may have been part of the point,” said Obsidian quietly.
Everyone frowned at him, his wife as confused as the rest of them. “What do you mean?” Zinnia asked.
Obsidian shrugged. “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I suspect I may have featured in their motivation. It’s not the first time I’ve heard mutters about how beneficial it would be to have an enchanter on the throne. It’s nonsense, of course. But people so often value magic much more highly than it deserves.”
Zinnia drew in a sharp breath, her eyes flying to Yannick. “He’s right, isn’t he? You liked the idea of Obsidian ruling by my side. Of all the cheek!” She narrowed her eyes. “The joke would have been on you, because I would have abdicated as well. Lilac would make a better queen than I would.”
Ari glanced at the family’s second daughter, noting that she looked both surprised and gratified by her sister’s praise.
“But you tried to plan for that eventuality, too, didn’t you?” Violet said slowly, her eyes on Yannick. “When I suggested a marriage alliance, you basically asked if you could marry Lilac instead. You didn’t count on it—you must have known it was a long shot—but you actually hoped you could be in the running for ruler, didn’t you? You little snake.”
“Yannick?” Naomi sounded uncertain for the first time. “You…you didn’t plan to marry a princess, did you?”
“Stop making a fool of yourself, Naomi,” said Yannick brutally, his calm mask falling away. “Did you truly think I would marry you? A servant girl with nothing but a weak heart and a gullible mind to recommend you?”
Naomi gasped, then began to cry openly. It was a painful sight, and Ari looked away. No doubt the girl had believed Yannick would marry her, and she would one day inherit his father’s vast merchant empire with him. Instead, she’d lost everything, and she would likely be thrown into prison.
“How can you claim that Mistra and Entolia can never be anything but enemies, while at the same time plotting with Entolians for a common purpose?” Wren asked Lex, pointedly turning away from the scene between the merchant and the maid. Her heartbreak over Lex’s betrayal was still plain on her face. “Can’t you see the hypocrisy in that?”
“We briefly had the same end,” said Lex stiffly. “That doesn’t mean we’re allies.”
“Yes it does,” Basil contradicted. “That’s often all allies are.” He frowned. “I don’t understand how you made your plans, though. When did you even—ah.” He glanced at Yannick. “Your visit to Myst a short time ago, on behalf of the Merchants’ Guild. That’s when you and Lex connected? You weren’t exaggerating when you said it was an informative visit.”
“You masked your evil intentions well, Yannick, I’ll give you that,” said Violet coldly. “But have you no shame? Your father I can understand. He’s self-important and overly dramatic, but at least it makes some kind of sense for him to want to see Mistran merchants banned from his most profitable marketplace. It’s a response that relates to his grievance. You, though. Were you really so disgruntled over the Mistran merchants moving in on your family’s trade that you were willing to abduct the heir to the throne? Was such drastic action as kidnapping two young children really required?”
Yannick made a dismissive noise in his throat. “Drastic action was required. The alliance between Mistra and Entolia is a travesty. The advantages to the Mistran merchants are an example of the alliance’s evils, certainly, but they’re hardly a central one.” His eyes passed to Basil, and he yanked one arm, as if trying to free it from the guard who held it. “You know what you’ve done. You know how you’ve insulted your own people with the way you ended the war. My best friend fought and died to beat back the Mistrans. And his own king openly dishonored his sacrifice by welcoming the enemy into our kingdom—onto the throne—with open arms.”
Ari tensed at this insult to his sister and his people. But Wren met Yannick’s eyes calmly, with no hint of the emotion she’d shown at Lex’s more personal betrayal. Obviously she was inured to this attitude in her new people. Ari’s heart ached for her. He hadn’t realized it could be this bad.
Ari’s eyes passed to Lex, whose face was stony as he listened to Yannick’s angry words. The old servant’s own motivations weren’t so different from the Entolian’s. Ari remembered Lex’s reaction when they’d crossed the former front lines, and the grizzled servant’s explanation that he’d been stationed there for a while during the war. Who knew what he’d seen in that time to create such an unshakable hatred for the Entolians? And even back in the Mistran capital, he’d seen the effect of the war on the royal family he served. It had been a grim time.
“Queen Wren is right.” Obsidian re-entered the conversation unexpectedly. Ari had heard him speak more during this confrontation than during the entire rest of his time in Tola. “Whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, you are united by your anger about the alliance between our two kingdoms. Calling our peoples natural enemies while working together in an attempt to prove that we shouldn’t be allies is the most absurd hypocrisy.”
Obsidian shifted forward, his upright—almost rigid—posture reminding Ari that he was a lieutenant as well as an enchanter, and had served in the war himself.
“I fought in the war,” he said, his eyes passing from Lex to Yannick. “And I lost someone very dear to me. You’re not the only ones who suffered from the conflict. Far from it. But you’d rather pretend no one understands your pain, because it’s easier than admitting that there’s another way to respond. That you could choose to forgive and move forward. Instead you’re choosing anger and violence. The very things we all hated about the war.”
His eyes passed to Basil and Wren, standing nearby with their children cocooned between them. As glad as he was to see the family all safe and together, Ari’s heart was heavy as he looked at them. It would probably be some time before they would be able to relax again, after watching attempted kidnappings of both their children, in each case perpetrated by someone they trusted.
“You know there’s a better way,” Obsidian went on, still addressing the conspirators. “You’ve seen it. You have no excuse.”
None of the three had anything to say in response to these words, and at an order from Basil, the guards carted them away. Ari let out a long breath. There would be plenty more headaches to come as the situation was fully dealt with, but for the moment they could all afford to lower their guard. The threat was past. Under the direction of the steward, most of the servants and guards trickled from the room, leaving only the royal family and a few necessary attendants.
“I’ve just realized something,” Violet said thoughtfully from beside Ari. “Naomi does my hair sometimes, and she’s been strange ever since you arrived, Ari. She was asking me about you from the start, trying to draw me out into acknowledging a connection between us. No wonder she was concerned. A second marriage of alliance between you and me would be the last thing they would have wanted.”
A few of Violet’s sisters let out choking laughs, and Ari found himself grinning as well.
“It’s good to see that the misadventures of the past few days haven’t changed you, Violet,” he said in a mock solemn tone. “You’re just as eager to propose to me as ever. You Entolians sure know how to make a man feel welcome.”
“I…I didn’t…” Violet’s cheeks reddened, her usual witty banter failing her.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tease you,” said Ari quickly. He squeezed her hand, sending a quick glance around the room at their large audience. “Can you spare a minute?”
Violet nodded mutely, and Ari tugged her across the room, heading for the very patio where she’d taken him on his first night. This time, he pulled her down the steps and into the small gardens beyond, continuing until a shrub hid them from the window’s view.
“Standing behind a plant? How disappointing,” Violet said, in an unconvincing attempt at her usual teasing tone. “I thought you would at least scale the building.”
Ari chuckled at this reference to their first private conversation. “I would, but I’m concerned that perching on a rooftop would make it harder.”
“Make what harder?” Violet asked suspiciously.
Ari didn’t answer her. “I said I wanted a second chance at this.” He searched her eyes. “Violet, I fell for you the very first night.” He jerked his head back toward the building. “The moment you climbed that wall, I think. I have no interest in going across the desert anymore. I haven’t for some time. I want…” He drew a deep breath. “I want to stay here, with you. Forever. Only if you’ll have me, of course.”
Violet’s eyes were glowing, and her hands slipped up onto his chest. “I want nothing more, Ari.” Her cheeks were pink again. “I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with you, but I knew it for sure when I thought you were gone. I couldn’t help falling for you—you made me feel so seen.” Her eyes softened. “And that didn’t even change after you disappeared, did it? You saw me and helped me even when you were a frog, for goodness’ sake. Listening to me at meals when I couldn’t get anyone else to hear me…the necklace was you, wasn’t it?”
Ari nodded, touching a finger to the silver chain, which he’d only just noticed was suspended around her neck. “I retrieved it with my sticky frog tongue,” he informed her candidly. “It was quite disgusting. You probably want to wash it.”
Violet laughed, and Ari slipped his hands over hers where they still rested on his chest. Her touch was warm and exhilarating, every nerve of his body extra responsive after his time in a different—and much less appealing—form.
“Of course I saw you, Violet,” he said softly. “How could I not? From the first time I looked at you, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. You’re…incomparable. There’s no one in the world like you.”
There was plenty more he could say about her, but he wasn’t given the chance. Violet pushed up on her toes, and Ari dipped his head in response, his thoughts and instincts delightfully in sync.
Their lips met at last, the embrace all the sweeter for the interruption that had been forced on this moment. Ari’s hands slipped around Violet’s waist, pulling her against him as he kissed her passionately. Her hands fisted in his tunic, her lips moving eagerly against his. Ari never wanted the moment to end, but far too soon, Violet pulled back, apparently to catch her breath.
He supposed breathing was a valid excuse for not doing that every minute of every day. But just barely.
“Don’t you think that would have been harder if we were perched on a roof?” he asked, grinning contentedly at her.
Violet chuckled. “Definitely. I’m pretty sure I would have plummeted off the edge, given how my head was just spinning.”
Ari smiled at the compliment to his kissing skills, but her lighthearted words triggered a darker thought in his mind. “It seems you were close to plummeting off a different kind of edge while I was gone,” he said quietly. “Were you really planning to marry that merchant, Yannick, without even telling me?”
Violet’s expression became serious at once. She reached up a hand to Ari’s cheek, her soft touch a greater balm than any apology.
“I formulated that plan long before you arrived,” she told him. “And I was seriously second-guessing whether I could go through with it by the time you disappeared. But then you just walked out on me—or so I thought—and I admit, I threw myself into my cold-blooded plan all the more determinedly because of it. I didn’t want to acknowledge to myself that I had a broken heart. It was easier to pretend I didn’t have much of a heart, and there was no reason not to form a political alliance.”
Ari nodded, not liking the whole situation, but recognizing that there was nothing to be gained by distressing himself over what-ifs. Yannick was very much out of the picture, and Violet would never be called upon to sacrifice her heart in that way.
“All right lovebirds, wherever you are.” Wren’s voice issued from the room now concealed behind the shrub. “There’s more to discuss in here.”
Ari grimaced at Violet. “Sisters.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” Violet laughed back at him. “Only one sister, and as sweet as Wren? You have no right to complain.”
Ari laughed as well, twining his fingers through hers and leading the way back through the gardens. They’d barely entered the room when Briar challenged them, her eyes flying from their clasped hands to their faces.
“So that’s it, then? You’re going to get married now?”
“That’s the plan,” said Violet cheerfully. “Ari wants to stay in Tola, and I said it would be fine, I guess.”
“Something tells me that’s not what you said,” Zinnia interjected, grinning.
“Oh, Ari, it would be so wonderful to have you living here!” Wren said, her face shining. “I hoped it when I saw how you two hit it off, but I didn’t want to push in case I scared you away. You seemed so excited about the idea of crossing the desert.”
Ari shook his head. “I was excited. And yet, it’s amazing how quickly any interest in that idea faded away once I started spending time with Violet. I think the truth is I was desperate for a change, and anything new would have felt like an adventure.” He grinned at his sister. “At least this is a change our parents will have to approve of, since it brings political benefit.”
“Not much,” said Briar, with the frankness Ari was already coming to expect from her. “We already have an alliance through Basil and Wren. You two marrying won’t change much.” Her tone was unemotional as she addressed her next words to her sister. “At least marrying Yannick would have resolved an active problem, Violet.”
“We’ll have no more talk of that,” said Basil, speaking with a sternness Ari had rarely heard him direct toward his sisters. “Violet, I know you meant well, but it was a horrible plan.”
His gaze flicked to his wife, softening slightly. “Marriage isn’t a quick solution to any problem, no matter how dire. It’s a serious business, and it’s lifelong. I’d far rather the embargo go ahead than sacrifice the future happiness of any of my sisters to stop it. Besides,” his voice turned dry, “there will certainly be no embargo. Ulrich may not have had a hand in his son’s treasonous plans, but they’ve still removed any bargaining power he had. I doubt the rest of the guild will continue to blindly follow his lead when word gets out that his son is in the dungeons. If he wants me to show mercy and refrain from seeing Yannick hang for trying to abduct my children, he’ll fall in line very quickly.”
Ari regarded his usually even-tempered brother-in-law with new respect. He hadn’t often appreciated what it must cost to take on the role of monarch so young. Basil wore it remarkably well.
“Well, I’m sure it’s all very nice that everyone’s marriages are working out,” said Briar impatiently. “But some of us have much more interesting questions we want answers to.”
“Agreed.” Wisteria, the youngest, stepped forward to join her older sister. “Tell us everything, Ari. What was it like?”
“Did you eat flies?” nine-year-old Ivy demanded. “Did you catch things with your tongue?”
“We know you ribbited,” said Wisteria solemnly. “We heard you.”
“Uh…” Ari dithered, unsure where to start.
Violet was openly laughing by now, her eyes dancing as they met his. “First a swan, then a frog…I think you really must be the unluckiest prince in all Solstice,” she informed him.
Ari shook his head, a smile playing on his lips as he put an arm around her shoulder and drew her close.
“Actually,” he told her, “I’m completely convinced that I’m the luckiest.”
He was sure he heard one of the younger girls groan, but he didn’t care about the audience. He only cared about the pink tint to Violet’s cheeks, and the smile she wasn’t quite able to hide. She was pleased, and that was all that mattered.
He lowered his head, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she leaned against him. With any luck, he would spend the rest of his life making her as happy as he felt in this moment. Hopefully in human form. Because, he reflected, as Violet slipped her arm around his waist in a comfortably familiar gesture, there was a lot to be said for arms that could hold and lips that could kiss.
After all, what princess in her right mind would want to kiss a frog?
* * *