At the end of the two weeks, my stepfather returned home, all disputes settled. Mother joyfully arranged for a banquet and invited all her friends, officers, and ministers in the city. Another one of her big fanfares that should have been reserved for something more important. I didn't consider Edward's homecoming important, but Mother was too excited to listen. And she had said I was first. Hah.

Edward's response upon seeing me implied that he had absolutely no memory of our fight. We hugged, and he gave me a kiss on the forehead. The same went with he and Wyni. Only she was more enthusiastic, a clear step up from my indifference. Strange that I had actually missed him. A little bit. But I had become accustomed to the palace without the King.

Mother, of course, was all over Edward with shrieks and kisses. I couldn't help but smile at the two of them. They were obviously in love.

In fact, they spent as big a portion of time as possible without dropping from good host standards talking to each other. As I was sitting next to Mother, I gave them a half-attentive ear while I picked at my food and watched the rest of the guests. Grandfather tried to make conversation with me, but I just wasn't in the mood. At least Mother and Edward were decent in that talk, discussing mainly Afvanan, descriptions of its scenery, with only a sprinkling of "I missed you!"

Finally, with a turn to what happened while Edward was gone, he asked Wyni and me what we had been doing.

I stared at him for a good ten seconds in shock before I coolly replied that we had played games. Then I turned my eyes to Wyni as if she would add more.

She made a soft choking noise and lowered her eyes. "Yes, games. Nothing else, really."

Edward frowned. "What? None of your usual lengthy summaries? Do you feel ill, Wyni?"

She shook her head. "No, I feel fine." She lifted her head and met my eyes.

I tore mine away and stood up. "Well, I'm not fine. I'm going to my room."

Grandfather sent me a pitying look. "If you feel sick, you really should lie down."

Mother looked at Grandfather, then at me, surprised. "You really feel sick...?" Her voice trailed off as I glared at her the message that I did not want to talk. She shrugged and finished with "Have a good rest, darling."

I marched up to my room, utterly sullen as if I had been a punished five-year old and flung myself upon the bed. Wyni. What in earth and sky was Wyni's problem? Did she say nothing? Was she always going to continue with her silence routine while leaving me to feel like some beast? She was impossible.

And then there was Mother. What had happened to her? She had said I was to be first, but instead transformed every prank she thought to pull on Wyni a harmless little game. Like she wanted to please Wyni. Tease her, not taunt her. Now that her dear Eddie was back, what was she going to do? Return to being a charming stepmother instead of the wicked stepmother?

I must have dozed off, because I found myself lured awake by voices down the hall. Groggily, I pulled myself into a sitting position and rubbed my eyes. My room was dark, lit faintly only by moonlight spilling through the window. A servant must have put out the candles already. That made me rather angry. I wasn't even in my nightgown! Did it look like I was ready for bed?

I rolled off the bed and went to my door. The voice was still very faint, little more than an echo.

Curious, I opened the door and stopped out into the hall. It must have been very late, for the hall was deathly silent except for the voice. Everyone else must have been asleep; only a few candles lit the hall. The voice did grow a bit louder, though. It was high, female. I recognized it as Wyni's. I tiptoed down the hall and placed my ear against her door.

"...hate me..."Wyni was saying. She used a tone of voice that I rarely heard from her, and this time it was amplified beyond the usually distress of clothing. She was practically shrieking.

A new voice came in. Edward's, sounding much more calm. "Surely you don''t mean that."

"No!" cried Wyni. "I do! I don't understand it, but they absolutely detest me. I don't know what I'm doing wrong..." She started to cry

Edward's voice melted into some gentle shushing. "It's probably nothing, Wyni. You're all still getting used to each other. I shouldn't have left you all here."

Wyni sniffed. "Maybe you're right." She didn't sound convinced.

"Here, Wyni, I'll talk to them."

Painful silence.

He sighed. "Is there no way to cheer you up, dear? A ball. Yes. You'd like a ball, wouldn't you?"

"That's kind of you, Father." But in a quieter voice, she said, "But how does it make me feel any better?"

Silence. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know that, and I don't mean to be ungracious, but things like that do very little good."

"Perhaps it will help you take your mind off things. Besides..."

I didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. I drew away from the door and fled down the hall to my room. Earlier I had liked about a sickness, but now it had suddenly become real in the way of a bleak sore in the pit of my stomach. I had to lie down.

I entered my room, pulled off my dress, and dumped it on the floor in a wrinkled blue pile. It was my bridesmaid dress. I was usually neater, but now was not the time. I then tore a nightgown from my closet and pulled it over my head. It was a poofy white thing, rather pretty, but big on me. Wyni had given it to me with the message that the dark green ribbon slung through the collar suited my eyes better. Which eye? I turned to the mirror and tugged gently at the ribbon, more black than green in the darkness, half-wondering if I could possibly pull it out. The ribbon, of course, stayed.

My fingers trailed down the ribbon to its end. That I pulled up tightly against my cheek so that the edge sat squarely against the corner of my eye. I tilted my head to catch as much moonlight as possible. Then I smiled. The greed did seem match my green eye. It was sweet of Wyni to notice. It was a thing that Wyni of course would notice, but it was sweet nonetheless to give one of her nicest nightgowns away as a gift.

A gift. My fingers dropped the ribbon. The nightgown was a gift. A sweet gift from my stepsister which I had indifferently accepted and replied that I'd probably never wear it. Well, I had word it several times without ever giving memory to my statement. Wyni, on the other hand, praised Blaze every single day. How often did I talk about the nightgown? I almost laughed at the thought of myself starting elaborate conversations about how much I liked Wyni's hand-me-down things.

A horse was certainly a much better gift than a nightgown, however lovely. Wyni was the one who had given the nightgown; I the horse. Why should I thank her? Just because I had given her Blaze because she was annoying.

I studied my reflection in the mirror again. A little moonlit ghost drowning in tall Wyni's nightgown. Why should I thank her for a nightgown that didn't fit? I made a face, baring my teeth like a vampire or monster. The shadows made the image perfect.

I turned away from the mirror and climbed into bed. Thinking about Wyni made me absolutely ill, which made me dislike her all the more. I liked back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. The nausea refused to go away.

"Stupid Wyni," I mumbled aloud.

By no means did that make me feel any better. Sleep was the only thing I felt that could. I rolled over into a kneeling position and pulled the bed covers back to create a nice, warm-looking nest near the head of the bed. Too warm. I pushed all the blankets back except for the top cover and smoothed them down. I then crawled underneath the quilt and had just closed my eyes when there came a knock at the door.

"Dragon's bones," I muttered softly, sitting up. More loudly I said "Thank-you for disturbing my sleep! Do enter that I might yell at you face-to-face!"

"Katrina, it's me, Edward."

Edward! I wanted to smack myself. He had just told Wyni that he would speak to me, and here he had arrived. He must have just left Wyni's room and had decided not to put off talking to me. "Oh."

"Do you still want me to come in?"

"It's your palace," I said with a shrug. "And you're King of Daven. Do as you please."

There was a pause, and then the door opened with a flood of hall candlelight. Edward's form appeared in the doorway: tall, powerful, and completely hidden by shadows. The only light besides that of the hall came from the candle he held in one hand, and that revealed only a ghostly flicker of his face.

His eyes searched the room for me before finally thinking to look to the bed. He smiled.

"I'm sorry to have awakened you. Do you still want to yell at me? I'm right here."

I smiled weakly. I didn't feel like yelling. "Well, considering I'm sick and sleepy and just about to close my eyes, you deserve a scolding, but I am sick and sleepy!"

He nodded and laughed. "You wouldn't want to tire yourself out. Do you still feel sick? You don''t look it," he finished knowingly.

"I wasn't sick until you came in." The words were harsh, but my tone wasn't, so we both laughed.

Then I remembered Wyni and stopped mid-chuckle. "So why are you here?"

Edward instantly sobered up. He set the candle down on my bed stand and looked me straight in the eye. "We need to talk," he said firmly, a complete pivot of emotion.

I continued to play the innocent girl who hadn't an idea what was going on. "Talk about what?"

He nodded at my bed. "May I sit down?"

I shrugged.

He took that for a yes and sat down at the foot of the bed. "Your sister," he began, putting extra emphasis on 'sister', "is feeling rather upset-"

"Wyni? Never!"

Edward frowned, then continued. "I feel I made a mistake leaving the city so soon after the marriage. I thought Wyni had adjusted to the idea perfectly, but I was wrong."

"A second time," I muttered softly.

He didn't catch my words, but decided to cut to the chase. "She believes that you and your mother hate her."

I sat straight up in bed. "Us?"

Edward nodded gravely. "Yes. What I want to know is if this is true."

I stared at him, my mouth slightly open. I hadn't any idea of what to say. Edward said he wanted the truth, but what was the truth? How would it sound if I said that I found Wyni annoying? How would it sound if I said I was jealous of Wyni's beauty? How would it sound if I said that I had no idea what the truth was and I wished that Wyni would go away and stop confusing me? What was the truth?

I finally decided to tell part of the truth. "I think she's annoying, but I certainly don't hate her."

Edward nodded again, taking it all in. All the while his eyes didn't leave my face. "You say she's annoying. Have you done anything to her?"

"Did she say anything specific?"

He stared at me in bewilderment. "She said you laughed at her when she fell in some thorns."

The memory of the picnic suddenly became as clear as the present, and I couldn't help but smile a little. But I hadn't realize then how mean I had been.

"You're smiling,"" Edward stated.

I forced the smile away. "Oh, that. We hadn't meant anything. She just happened to fall. We had laughed by accident. I didn't think she had been hurt. Just an accident."

That seemed to catch Edward off guard. "Oh. Did you tell that to Wyni?"

"No."

He seemed about to continue the subject, but instead he just shook his head. "You must tell her, then," he commanded. "It hurt her feelings, and she's rather tender." He said nothing g more for several long moments, only continued to stare at me in wonder.

Finally, I realized he was awaiting an answer. ""I'll make a point to apologize."

That pleased him. "She is very tender-hearted," he re-stated. "So don't think I'm attacking you for any reason. I'm sorry if you felt so."

I considered saying yes, I did feel attacked, but I remained silent.

"I'll tell Wyni there is nothing to worry about. She is still adjusting to you and Sarah, apparently. It'll probably be a long time before we all get along with each other. I know that you're still adjusting. And Sarah probably doesn't know what to think about Wyni. It's difficult suddenly gaining a child that isn't your own."

"She didn't ask for another daughter."

"She knew she would get one, thought."

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't argue with that truth. ""I didn't ask for a sister. I didn't ask for a father."

I expected Edward to have for a reply some condoning remark reeking with blame or a too-happy assurance that it was all for the best. Or maybe h would get mad at me again. I expected any of those reactions, single or combined. Surely my biting statement was enough to cause some sting.

Instead, he said "I can't help that."

I certainly did not expect that, and it angered me. With a resentful "Hmph!" I punched my pillow, imagining it was Edward. "I'm sure you could. You're king, aren't you?"

"You do realize, Kat," he said bitterly. "You're not the easiest person in the world to get along with."

I laughed and punched my pillow again. "You're the first person to actually say that to my face."

"I thought you needed to be told."

I spent a moment studying my crumpled pillow before turning to face Edward. "I suppose that meant you hate me."

He frowned. "Of course I don't hate you. You've never given me a reason to."

The words "I've tortured your daughter" actually found their ways to my mouth, but fortunately I was able to keep them unspoken. It was best not to think about Wyni.

"As I said, Kat," Edward continued. "I don't believe there is any reason to worry. Who knows how long it will take?"

Months had already passed since the marriage. How long did he think it would take? "All right. Whatever you say."

He nodded and stood up. "That's all I wanted to discuss," he said, walking toward the door.

"Good-night."

I had already dropped face-first into the pillow. "Good-night," replied my muffled voice.

The door opened, but it didn't close. "Oh, to leave on a lighter note," said Edward. "I'm arranging a ball for you and Wyni."

For me, too? That startled me. From my eavesdropping I had thought the ball was only for Wyni as a sympathy gift or something. After all, she was the one who actually enjoyed parties, the only one who would appreciate a ball. The only one who would actually attend it. I lifted my head up and looked at Edward as if were crazy. "I don't want to go to a ball! What's it for?"

"Oh, for fun." Though it was dark, I could still make out the trickster's grin on my stepfather's face. It then occurred to me that this would be no ordinary ball. He was up to something.

I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you inviting?"

Edward shrugged, but he couldn't hide his smile. His manner was suddenly very different than it had been during our solemn little talk. "No one you'd know. Nor Wyni, for that matter. I've decided to make this event a little different."

I frowned, not following.

"I've invited a small group of young men from within the kingdom and without."

Had the news about the ball surprised me, this new revelation was like a dagger. "What?"

Edward actually had the nerve to laugh. "You, Kat, both you and Wyni, are certainly getting old enough to think about marriage. You, especially, need to start meeting some nice young men."

By this time I was on my feet. "You must be joking."

He shook his head. "Never."

I took a deep breath and sat down. "I've already decided that I'm going to marry our stable-master back at Aeryn Dova," I said sweetly.

He gave me an odd-look, then realized I was joking and laughed. "Just look around. At least you'll have some fun."

"Yes, Wyni and I will certainly have fun surrounded by a hundred princes," I said sarcastically.

"There won't be a hundred princes and it won't be just you and Wyni. I'm not that cruel." He stepped out of the room into the hall. "Now good-night again."

"Same to you," I called out as he shut the door. I nestled back under my blanket, but I was no longer tired. How could I possibly sleep after such an announcement? Wyni wasn't getting a little dance with her friends; her father was trying to marry us both off.

Such a thing wasn't shocking; in Daven's culture, sixteen or seventeen was the average marrying age for a girl. But the subject had come up so... so suddenly. Exactly how long had Edward had this plan in mind? I had thought it a spur-of-the-moment idea in an attempt to comfort Wyni. Now it was more probable that he had thought Wyni's tear a good opportunity to bring up the ball. I wondered if she knew what the ball was for. Knowing her, she'd be delighted.

As for myself, I wasn't exactly furious. Father would have tried to marry me off, too, if he hadn't died. But I had decided that I'd never get married. I would attend the ball; that would be insisted upon.

I just didn't think Edward was aware of just what it would mean.