Author's Note: My amazingly awesome artist friend ArtByCelyne over on Twitter has requested more Kai/Helene vignettes from me. And considering she just created that unbelievably gorgeous artwork for me, it's the least I can do! (She is also now co-captain of the Good Ship Kai/Helene.)

Kai sat quietly in Heine's chambers while the tutor went through his most recent test, silently grading it and making the occasional note. When he heard an approaching carriage, he rose and went to the window, and looked out in time to see Bruno, Ludwig, and Maximilian step from the carriage.

"I take it Prince Bruno has returned from his lecture?" Heine asked without looking up.

"Mm-hmm."

At that, Heine looked up and saw a look of wistful sadness cross the prince's face. "Is something wrong, Your Highness?"

"No, not really. I just… wish I had the courage to speak in front of people as he does." Kai tried to imagine speaking before a crowded hall and shuddered.

"You might not believe this, but your brother is not nearly as confident about public speaking as he appears."

Kai looked at the tutor in surprise. "He isn't?"

"No." Heine shook his head. "Though in his case, I suspect it is less a fear of public speaking itself, and more a matter of setting almost unrealistic expectations on himself. But I assure you, it does not come as naturally to him as you might expect."

"Still, he's much better at it than I am."

"Then perhaps you should practice, prince." Heine set aside the test he was grading and went to one of his bookshelves. Perusing the books, he finally selected one and handed it to Kai. It was a collection of poetry*, the prince noted.

"What is this?"

"Something to help you along. I want you to practice reading aloud, Prince Kai. Become more comfortable speaking."

"In front of people?" Kai looked alarmed at the idea.

"No, no, not at first. Just practice on your own. Get to know your own voice. We will progress to speaking in front of others later."

Kai took the book back to his room and sat down on the windowsill. He began to leaf through its pages, wondering where to begin. Eventually, he decided to simply pick a poem at random. Reading through it to make sure he could pronounce all the words, he began to read aloud.

"O Granzreich night! the ripe moon hangs above
Weaving enchantment o'er the shadowy lea.
From the old tower the hours fall heavily
Into the dark as though into the sea–"

For nearly half an hour, he read poem after poem in his usual soft-spoken voice. Not only was it extremely relaxing, but he found he enjoyed the cadence of it; it gave him a subtle rhythm to his speech.

Then he was startled by a knock at the door and dropped the book.

"Y-yes?"

The door opened, and Helene the maid came in. "Pardon the interruption, Your Highness, but I've come to change your sheets, and I've brought you fresh towels."

"Oh. Good afternoon… Helene. Thank you."

She gave him a bright smile and set to her task, and for a moment, Kai sat and enjoyed the sound of her humming softly to herself. Once he was certain she was engrossed in her tasks, he picked up the book and went back to his reading.

"Ah yes! I long for you. To you I glide
And lose myself–for to you I belong.
The hope that hitherto I have denied
Imperious comes to me as from your side
Serious, unfaltering and swift and strong."

He was unaware that Helene had stopped humming and had turned to look at him.

"Those times: the times when I was quite alone
By memories wrapt that whispered to me low,
My silence was the quiet of a stone
Over which rippling murmuring waters flow…
But in these weeks of the awakening Spring
Something within me has been freed–something
That in the past dark years unconscious lay,
Which rises now within me and commands
And gives my poor warm life into your hands
Who know not what I was that Yesterday."

He heard a soft gasp, and turned to see that Helene was sitting on the chaise longue, her eyes wide and her hands in her lap. And he realized to his slowly growing horror that she had been listening.

"I… I d-didn't… I-I mean…" he stammered, his face pale.

"Oh, no, it was wonderful!" she protested, quickly standing up and holding out her hands entreatingly. "Please, do keep reading, Prince! I'm so sorry for stopping my work, but your voice was so pleasant that I-"

"P-pleasant?" he said slowly.

"Oh, yes, Highness!" She blushed and looked down at the floor. "I didn't mean to be presumptuous, truly. I'll go if you like. Please excuse me." Without looking up at him, she curtsied and turned to go.

"Stay."

Helene stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned around, her eyes wide and hopeful but still cautious. "Are… are you sure, prince?"

"Please… stay." He gave her a faint smile. "I… need to practice. If you… you don't mind."

She gave him a gentle smile in return, and sat down again as he opened the book and began to once more read aloud.

*The poetry that Kai reads is from a collection by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, widely considered to be one of Germany's finest poets. Admittedly, it's slightly anachronistic in that Rilke would have been in his late teens to early 20s during the timeline of The Royal Tutor, but what's life without a little creative freedom? That, by the way, is also my justification for slightly altering the text from "South-German night" to "O Granzreich night." So there. :)