Prince Jazan V peeked out from behind his hiding spot in the curtains. He could hear the Nightsteed in the garden. If he could just stay still for a little bit longer, he would have won the game of hide-and-seek, and would get to stay away from lessons for the day — that had been their agreement. He saw two advisors approach and begin a hushed conversation. It was not until the ten-year-old red Kyrii heard his name that he paid them any mind, though.

"Well, if the queen says no, what are we expected to do?" one of the advisors was saying.

"We can't do anything but hope the king or prince sees sense," another replied.

"But the bloodline!" exclaimed the other. "We can't trust some young teenager to ignore his own feelinsg and choose a Qasala bride! For all we know, he may pull another street urchin into the royal family! Yes, our queen has done well, but her birth and upbringing has lowered Qasala's political respectability. Did you know that Meridell's noble women hide their valuables when she visits?"

Jazan wiggled in his hiding spot, straining to hear better.

A Bruce, whom the price recognised as one of his father's least-favorite advisors, was one of the speakers. "What we should be worrying about is if the boy is even loyal to the country," he said. "My family has intermarried with the royal family for generations. Our blood built this city. I do not see how some upstart could possibly have the same loyalties!"

The Nightsteed then entered from the courtyard, saying in a dark voice, "May I remind you, advisor Sash, that it was wife"was the Qasala noble…? You were merely a merchant until you married her… I have nothing wrong with 'upstarts;' however, if we are making accusations… at least the queen can trace her heritage to a princess."

The Bruce paled a bit, but said in a rather haughty voice, "With the death of my wife, I feel it necessary to raise our child as she would have been raised by her mother: to see the welfare Qasala as her priority, with pride and love of her country. She wants nothing more than to be of use to her country!""She is not six months old yet. She wants nothing at all,"

one of the other advisors said. "However, I do agree with Advisor Sash that we should encourage the royal family to pick a bride for the crown prince… at the very least, it will encourage him not to marry the first pretty face he sees when he becomes old enough. If not, it could prove…"Nightsteed cut him off.

"The king is aware of the political advantages that come with arranged marriages, and the queen understands that the country is actually in need of funds after the rebuilding. If, despite those things, the parents still wish to leave their son free, do you think that they will arrange a marriage just to keep the court happy?"

Jazan watched as they left. He knew what an arranged marriage was. It had just never occurred to him that anyone would wanthim to marry someone. Not yet, anyway… He knew about babies, of course. He had always enjoyed reading, especially medical and magic books, and had found out how babies were made a long time ago… but, until that moment, he had not thought about how the court was probably anxious for another heir. True, there was Ata, but the desert Ixi had inherited his mother's stubbornness, his father's temper, and always acted before he thought. That combination was… not what one wanted in a king… Amber could maybe be a good queen, despite being second-oldest. Sons got presidency in inheritance of titles and throne, though, so she was actually third in line for the throne; and, anyway, the pink Kyrii wanted to become a mage, so it was unlikely she would want to learn how to rule the country… Summer was only three, so there was no telling what she would be like. Jazan smiled. Summer, a lovely, delicate pink Ixi, was the family pet. Treated like a queen already, she was a bit spoiled, but she had such a sweet temperament that it actually did not bother anyone. Although, their father was actually in a panic because she did not seem to be a magic user… he seemed concerned that she could have something wrong with her.

The young Kyrii prince could hear Nightsteed calling his name, telling him that he had won, but the prince found himself unable to enjoy his victory. He came out of hiding and went to sit and think in his father's study — the only room in the royal family's quarters that tended to be quite most of the time.

King Jazan looked up. His first-born son had not said a single word of greeting and had a very serious expression on his young face. "What's wrong, son?" the king asked.

"Father… has the court — or, I suppose, the advisors — been pressuring you to find me a wife?" the boy asked, looking up with dark, golden-brown eyes."

The king inhaled deeply. The main problem with Jazan Junior was that he was too wise for his own good. He had never acted much like a child.

"Your mother and I feel it would be best if we ignored them," the king replied. "You will choose your own wife. We do not intend to do more than advise you against girls that would not be able to handle being queen. And, of course, you can choose to ignore us. You have a duty to pick well, but we know that even a thief can be a wonderful queen, even if she is a bit unorthodox.

The young prince nodded, deep in thought. Qasala noble girls… there were a few of them. Sorra, she was kind of dull — boring, and uninterested in lively conversation. Juniper was more fun, but her love of fighting could actually be dangerous if she had a throne. Korra was sweet and smart, but scared of bugs… and that was a major turn-off, Jazan decided. So who did that leave? No girl came to mind. He could widen the search to include servants, but that went against what he was trying to do. "Who would you suggest as a traditional match, Father?" the young prince asked.

"No, Jazan," the king replied, looking up from his paperwork. "You are not going to sacrifice your own happiness for the kingdom. You can have both a healthy family life and a happy, prospering kingdom."

"But Father, the advisors were talking about the kingdom needing funds," the prince replied. "Maybe, if I chose a rich bride, the kingdom would have it easier. What about a Brightvale girl? They have a prospering kingdom!

"My son, you ares no marrying into a kingdom because you want their library…" the king replied, rubbing his temples.

"I'm not, though they do have nice libraries," the prince replied. "But who would be an advantageous match for our country, Father?"

Jazan the elder sighed. "I don't know. As I said, Nabile and I have not even considered it. And, most of the court is in the same boat as us, as far as the need for funds go. That is why we have that unpleasant Sash as an advisor. He married Advisor Kolorah and got the title upon her death. His family is filthy rich… although, she died before she could actually invest much into the economy and construction projects. But, there aren't many merchants of his level who are seeking titled or noble family ties to Qasala. We are still considered a recovering country.

The young prince nodded, then said, "Can't you make Advisor Sash invest in the country?"

"You don't have to worry about the country for a few years, son," the king replied. He then dismissed his overly-mature son with a wave of his hand. "Run off and play."

The prince obeyed, but brought arranged marriages up with his mother that night as she put him to bed. She was more definite against the idea, actually… her exact words were: "Over my dead body are you marrying some snooty, stuffed shirt, titled hussy."

"Prince Jazan had read a lot, and one recurring theme in all he read was that a price always did what was in the best interest for his kingdom. Jazan knew that the best thing to do would be to marry a rich girl with a title, but he also knew that the girl needed to be a good queen. He deliberately went and talked to the girls at school, but could not find a girl that was actually… well, interesting. As he walked back from the palace school, he passed a brown Cybunny who was bouncing a tiny bundle up and down in front of the castle gates. The prince stopped and approached the gates. It was obvious the guards would not let her in, and Advisor Sash was looking irritated.

"What do you mean we do not get to use the royal doctors? We are royals! They ares royal doctors! My daughter needs medical attention!" He stopped short when he saw the prince.

"Ahh, greetings, young Jazan!" the advisor said with a saccharine smile. "How have you been? I trust your father spoke to you about little Kiko here?

"The young prince shook his head

"No? Oh, well, must have forgotten. You see, my daughter Kiko is actually your fourth cousin. Almost a princess herself. And it seems such a shame that she is forced to be just a merchant, especially now that the court has decided that I should take an early retirement. So, I have already told the court she is looking for a husband. And, since our families have always been so close, I decided to offer her to you first. I actually have the paperwork here, my boy! Just needs your signature. How about you give your father a lovely surprise?!"

"Jen, stop!" the Cybunny griped. "She is ill, and she needs a doctor! Let the boy be. The king already told you no!"

Jazan motioned for the guards to open the gate and took the three into the royal hospital wing. The doctor simply gave the bundle some medicine and sent the Cybunny nurse and father away. The prince decided to take a look at the bundle and approached the crib they had placed the baby in. She was wearing a traditional black dress and shoes, but they were of a finer quality then even his own. She had dark red fur and bright gold eyes. He could actually see a bit of the royal family resemblance. All the relatives on his father's side looked like that… his mother looked nothing like anyone she claimed as family. Uncle Tomas looked completely different.

"She was a Poogle, though. Most of his father's family were Kyriis. A tuft of soft black hair stuck up on the top of her head in a spiky fluffiness that begged to be petted.

"That girl is worth more then the city," a nurse said as she passed the prince. "Don't bump her."

"What?" the Kyrii asked, confused./

"Her dowry is enough to build two Qasalas," the nurse replied. "Her mother managed to make sure that the girl had control of everything! The poor father is broke as can be. So broke he can't even afford to stay on as an advisor. That is why he is trying to marry her off. Some of the property will go to him when she marries. She still gets the money and jewels, though."

"Is it enough to rebuild the city?" the prince asked.

"Yeah, like, four times over," the nurse replied. "But she won't be able to help until she is married. And, even then, if she is raised in her father's house, she will be a greedy, snooty brat who won't even want to help.

"The prince walked to the family quarters holding a small bundle. A perfect queen did not exist yet, but he knew that, in about sixteen years, she would be perfect for the kingdom. The agreement had been simple: he knighted the Bruce — he could do that himself — and gave the merchant a golden bust of his mother's head (which, for some bizarre reason, were all over the palace, despite the fact that his mother did not like gold much and was not vain.) In return, he signed the papers, and would get to take the girl to be raised in the palace in a way befitting of a princess.

The Poogle, Lady Kiko, cooed happily in his arms. Her fever gone, and she seemed very happy to just look up at him and giggle. The Cybunny had explained that ex-advisor Sash had actually not played with her much. Some said he was heartbroken over the death of his wife. Others said it was over the fact that the little Poogle was not a boy. So the girl had been brought up by any servant that had free time, constantly passed on to the next, and they were always distracted by their duties, anyway. So, getting the full attention of the prince was extremely enjoyable.

"What you got there?" Nabile asked her ten-year-old son as he approached.

"The boy looked up and grinned. "The answer to all our problems," he replied.