KAI
Midsummer's day in the small but prosperous – and strategically important – land of Erosia dawned the same way it did most summer mornings there – with a lot of noise and bustle, and, at precisely eight o'clock, the routine swearing from the King's chamber as he woke from peaceful and pleasant dreams and remembered who he was.
Prince Kai threw his pillow over his head and groaned. He too had remembered who he was, and that today was not like any other day – today, he was expected to find a wife at the Midsummer Masque. He echoed his father's rude sentiments as the pillow was yanked from his hands by his mother.
"Young man, clean your mouth out ! Just because that crochety old louse I have the distinct misfortune to be married to uses those particular phrases, does not mean that you should !"
"Go away !" Kai groaned, and yelped as his thick feather quilt, richly embroidered with a myriad of fantastic creatures, hit the floor alongside his pillow, leaving his backside bare to his mother's disapproving scowl. She flung a pair of silk braes at him and he pulled them on hurriedly, his face scarlet.
"I want you on your absolute best behaviour today," she said, handing him his shirt, of a cambric so fine it clung to the contours of his chest, well-muscled from his training in the tilt-yard. Dark fuzz showed through the neckline and he tied the cords under his chin to cover it, noting his mother's speculative look.
"There'll be many fine young women present," she said, "though some barely more than daughters of dukes and viscounts. Try and pick a princess."
"Yes, mother."
"And don't you dare use any bad language ! I've noticed you've picked up quite a bit lately – probably from that man who calls himself the King – and I don't want to hear it !"
"No, mother."
"And don't be cheeky !"
"No, mo – what ? How is this being cheeky ?"
"You know how," she sniffed. "It's not what you say, but how you say it. No, not that waistcoat, that doesn't go with the breeches. Try the pearl grey."
"I like this one," he said stubbornly, but he put the grey on anyway. Inspecting himself in the mirror, he wasn't too dismayed. Black hair curled around his jaw, which probably wasn't as square as the minstrels said it ought to be for true beauty, and his mouth was still soft and pink. Large and pretty grey eyes stared back at him, framed with thick black lashes – pretty eyes, girlish eyes. His mouth thinned.
"You should just pick a girl for me," he said, "and save me the trouble."
"It would be convenient, yes," agreed his mother, "but then it would be a business arrangement and we would be bound to offend somebody, most likely our doleful and greedy neighbours of Pensland – but you didn't hear me say that."
"No."
"Well, hurry up then ! Breakfast will be served and there are a lot of guests to meet and greet. And then the tailor, and the barber, and the jeweller, and the…………." His mother's voice echoed around the corridors as she swept out of the room, leaving him to follow at his own pace. He sat down at his vanity table and leaned his head in his hands. A loud sigh escaped his lips, his breath misting up the mirror, and he wiped it clear again.
"That's a big sigh, young man."
He glanced up, and saw a little old lady reflected in the mirror, her head cocked to one side like a sparrow watching him for signs of cat-ness.
"Under the circumstances, I think I am entitled to a little melancholy," he retorted, thinking she was one of the servants come to empty his chamber pot or refresh the flowers in the vases. They weren't usually this late though. He frowned. "Who are you ?"
"Oh, just a little old lady," she said brightly, her eyes gleaming. She pulled an apple from her apron and polished it on her sleeve, which was, to his eyes, a little grubby. Eyes sparkling, she bit into it and chewed thoughtfully.
"I am, in fact a fairy," she told him with a wink. He sighed and rose.
"I'm going to be late for breakfast," he said, "if you have business with my parents then I'll escort you to them."
"No, no, no, young man. My business is with you ! I am here to help you find a wife – to make the right choice."
"Ah, in that case, welcome !" he said, a trifle sarcastically, "I need all the help I can get !"
She looked him up and down, her eyebrows raised. "I don't think you'll have any trouble finding a girl who likes you," she said, "but you may not pick the right one. Listen, there'll be a girl there with something very special about her – and I don't mean the lands she'll inherit or how powerful her father is. Take no notice of what your parents tell you – follow your heart. That way, you'll pick the right wife."
"I don't think my heart is supposed to come into it," he said doubtfully. She glared.
"You're welcome to ignore me," she snapped, "but I know what I'm talking about !" She flung the apple core out of the window, spread her arms, and sprang from the sill. He gave a half-shout of shock, running to stare out of the casement after her, but all he saw was a small brown sparrow darting into the trees. He rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. The door crashed open, and a servant bowed hurriedly, his face flushed.
"Your Highness," he panted, "the King and Queen…ah…demand your presence…ah…breakfast….uh…."
"Oh, bugger breakfast !" growled Kai, but he followed the servant at a breakneck pace, down into the breakfast room where his parents were waiting for him with grim expressions.
"Well, now that everyone is finally here, perhaps we can begin !" sniped his mother, apparently to the ceiling. His father winced, swore under his breath, and waved Kai to his seat.
"It's going to be one of those," he said to his son, who snorted in agreement. "Best just toe the line, eh, son ?"
"As long as the sky doesn't fall on our heads," Kai muttered back, and they shared a brief and guilty snigger, swiftly quenched by the Queen, who tapped her teaspoon against her cup peremptorily for silence.
"It is a great day, a significant day, a joyful…"
"Must you ?"
"Is there a problem, your Majesty ?"
"Yes, there bloody is – your voice ! As if I don't have enough to….."
"Alright, alright !" snapped Kai, "Can we leave the bickering until later ? I just want to eat my breakfast in peace. Please."
"Well !" huffed his mother, apparently to the ceiling again.
"Just wish me luck," said Kai. He cracked his egg, soft-boiled and runny, and stuck a sliver of toast into it, delighting in the pained look his mother gave him as the yolk ran down his chin onto the grey waistcoat. He wiped it off with his cuff, and stifled a grin when she rolled her eyes and covered them with her hand.
"Just for once !" she half-sobbed, "Just once, I would like to see my husband and my son behave like royalty ! Just once !"
"It's not as bad as it looks, it'll wash out," said the King cheerfully, digging into his own egg and feeling better already. The Queen pretended to swoon, and Kai choked on a crumb.
His father was right.
It was going to be one of "those".
