Over the next several days, the castle and town filled up rapidly with the arriving Sunbirth celebrants. Visiting commoners and lower ranking gentry and magicians stayed in Luval Town, but the more important nobles, wizards, and their retinues were given lodging in the castle. The castle staff geared up for high level entertaining, with servants constantly moving between endless tasks. Colorful garlands, banners and tapestries, and crystal decorations brightened the castle's stone walls. Elaborate meals had to be prepared and served, cleaning done, musicians and various players performed at scheduled times, and through it all a stream of messengers flowed in and out, always seeking out some lord or lady. Somehow, the chaos worked.

King Ashura excused Yūi from his studies for the duration of the festival. Yūi wouldn't miss the math lessons, but was disappointed that he would also not be learning any new magic for a while. He could understand why, though. Both the king and Lord Suhail were very busy all the time at court. Yūi watched them as they went about their duties, and felt especially sorry for King Ashura. The king had to talk to everybody, it seemed. Most of the time people came to him, but he would also often move about the Great Hall as if restless. Sometimes, when he got a break from his social duties, he looked tired and sad, but whenever he spoke with visiting nobles and wizards he always made himself seem pleased to see them.

Lady Kendappa and Lady Sybilla also moved about the court and spoke with as many people as possible. Yūi noticed that they tended to stay on opposite sides of the Hall, and that solved the problem of their mutual dislike. However, despite the fact that they didn't want to be near each other, they both looked like they enjoyed the socializing. They might only be pretending, just like the king was pretending, although Yūi didn't think so.

There were a few other noble children in attendance, but Yūi hadn't met them yet. He hadn't decided if he wanted to risk it. He probably wouldn't. He had too many bad memories from Valeria, and knew that the stories about him might make him a target again. So he opted for avoidance, a skill he had learned very well in Valeria. He stayed with the children he already knew, Mielu and Virender. Being with them shielded him from the necessity of associating with children he didn't know and couldn't trust.

When he'd first met Mielu and Virender just three days earlier, Yūi had been hesitant to engage much with them, but because of the family situation he'd had no choice. Surprisingly, they turned out to be good company. They were nice to him, when he had expected them to be mean because of the rumors about him and the king. After all, their older brother was King Ashura's heir, so Yūi would have understood if they were resentful of him. Instead, they both cheerfully dragged Yūi into games and mischief.

It was during a fast-paced card game that they finally became aware of how somber Yūi's personality was. Mielu noticed first and stopped playing. "Aren't you having fun, Fai?" she asked.

He stared at her. Since he'd been throwing down cards just as furiously as they had been, he didn't understand why she looked concerned. "Why do you ask that?"

"You never laugh with us or even smile."

"Oh." Yūi lowered his eyes. "Well, I..."

"It's because his brother died," Virender said bluntly. "Stop pestering him about it, Mielu."

And that, Yūi was amazed to discover, was the end of that. The king had never mentioned to him that gossip could be a good thing, but Virender's comment revealed that he and Mielu had heard all about Yūi, and it had had a good effect. They all continued to play games together, and neither Mielu nor Virender mentioned Yūi's sadness again.

Fai's death wasn't the only reason Yūi always felt a little sad, but it was the only reason he could admit to anyone else. The future he had chosen for himself grieved him terribly when he thought about it, but now he could put it aside for long periods of time. It would be many, many years before he had to fulfill his promises to that sorcerer and betray the travelers he had yet to meet. So why not try to enjoy this lovely new life until then?

Still, he often felt guilty about hiding behind Fai's death to avoid admitting the whole truth, especially at times like this. Mielu and Virender were always so nice to him. They actually seemed to like him. And he liked them, too. It surprised him, that he could like other children, but it was true.

Both of them looked a lot like the king, Yūi thought. Both had straight black hair and light brown eyes, and the same sculpted features. King Ashura and his brother must have looked a lot alike. Yūi wondered if King Ashura had acted like Virender and Mielu when he'd been young, and thought that maybe he had. There was something about the way the king sometimes spoke and behaved that made Yūi think he still enjoyed a bit of mischief when he could escape his guards, councilors, and courtiers.

Now Yūi stood in the Great Hall with Mielu and contemplated the concourse of gentlefolk. The more people who arrived, the fancier the clothes and jewels everyone wore. It was all very pretty to look at, but unless some entertainers were performing, it was also kind of boring at court. At the moment, there were no jugglers or musicians or mummers or anything. He almost thought that a math lesson would be more interesting.

Almost.

"This is so dull," Mielu said, echoing his thoughts. "What do you want to do, Fai?"

"I don't know," he admitted. He was a little tired of board and card games, and the adults got cross when the children played tag or other games that involved a lot of chasing and hiding. Mielu and Virender had introduced him to those kinds of games, and he had to admit that he enjoyed them. He thought he was really good at hiding, running, and dodging. The king had smiled to see it and complimented Yūi on his agility, but some of the nobles had been unhappy. Mielu claimed the adults just didn't like having children around, but Yūi thought it was because she and Virender kept running into people. Finally, King Ashura had asked the three of them to "stop tearing about" for a while. He'd seemed regretful to do it, though, so Yūi believed the moratorium wouldn't last long.

Mielu said, "Well, I'm bored. We can't do anything good in the Hall right now. You want to sneak out? We can go somewhere else and have some fun."

"Sneak out?"

She nodded. "Right now, no one's paying attention to us. It's the perfect time. Maybe we could go outside."

"I don't want to go outside," Yūi said. "It's too cold. Besides, the guards would probably make us come back in."

Mielu pursed her lips. "You're right. Where do you think we should go? What sounds good?"

"We could go to the kitchens," Yūi suggested. That was where the food was, and food always held his interest. "The cooks like me. They'll probably give us something nice."

Mielu's eyes lit. "Good idea. We should take Virender, too. He thinks he's so grown up just because he's a year older than me, but he'll get mad if we leave him out."

The two children looked around for him, but couldn't find him in the crowd of gentlefolk filling the Great Hall.

"He's probably with Mother or Tancred," Mielu decided. She shrugged, displaying no trace of regret that she hadn't found her brother. "Oh, well. We tried."

She grabbed Yūi's hand and led him through the throngs toward the entrance to the Hall. "We'll have to start getting sneaky now," she said softly. "They don't like us to go off by ourselves during these big festivals."

"But it's only the castle. I can go anywhere I want," Yūi said, stretching the truth somewhat. There were actually quite a few places that were off-limits to him when he was on his own, like the shrine, or places everyone claimed were too dangerous for him at all, like the armory, the apothecaries' workshop, and, inexplicably, the eastern wall. But no one ever cared if he visited the cooks.

"Normally I can, too," Mielu said. "But these great big special courts are different. Mother says she doesn't like to have to hunt for us and worry about where we've gotten to."

Yūi wondered if the king would also dislike it. He hadn't said anything to Yūi, but maybe he just hadn't thought of it. It would be best to keep their trip to the kitchens secret. Yūi didn't want to upset King Ashura, but he wasn't about to miss a visit to the cooks.

"It's not dangerous or anything, and the servants will take care of us if we need something," Yūi said confidently.

"We're just lucky they haven't yet made any of their wizards or retainers keep watch over us," was Mielu's gloomy reply. "They will soon, especially if they catch us."

"Do you want to stay, then?"

"Oh, no. Let's still go, but we need to be really, really sneaky."

Carefully winding their way through crowd, the two young conspirators reached the door and slipped out into the corridor beyond. They still had to be careful, even outside the Great Hall. Well-dressed people were going in, others were leaving, and legions of servants moved purposefully throughout the hallways. The noise levels lowered only a little.

"It's going to be harder than I expected to stay unnoticed," Yūi said, but he saw that no one seemed to be paying attention to him and Mielu. At least, not yet.

"Let's get out of the main corridors," Mielu suggested, "where there won't be so many people to worry about."

Both children knew their way around the castle, and surreptitiously made their way down several levels. Soon the smell of delicious food reached Yūi's nostrils. He really liked visiting the kitchens.

The kitchens were every bit as busy as the upper levels, with cooks, their assistants, and other workers bustling purposefully to prepare the enormous amounts of food required by the court. The cooks were surprised by their two young guests, and sent them startled glances, but didn't even slow the tempo of their preparations.

One of the senior cooks came over. "Lord Fai, Lady Mielu," he said, giving them an abbreviated bow. "What are you two doing here? Does the king or Lady Sybilla know you're down here?"

Yūi started and looked down guiltily. The cooks didn't usually act like this. Maybe Mielu was right and they really weren't supposed to come here during the Sunbirth court.

"We just needed to get away from all those stuffy grownups for a little while," Mielu said unrepentantly. "It's boring in the Hall right now. Don't tell on us, please?"

"Only if you promise to go back right away," the cook said.

"Oh, okay, I guess..."

Yūi lifted his head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know we weren't supposed to visit," he said hesitantly.

The cook flashed a broad smile at him. "Don't look so unhappy, Lord Fai. It's not hurting anything. Just go back before anyone gets upset."

Another cook came over, bearing a platter of honey and hazelnut pastries. With twitching lips, she said, "Perhaps the children would like a snack before they go?" She exchanged an indulgent look with the senior cook.

"May we?" said Mielu.

"Of course." The second cook bent down and offered the tray to the children. "Just one for each of you," she said. "You don't want to spoil your dinners."

Both children grabbed a pastry. "Thank you," said Yūi.

"It's our pleasure," replied the senior cook. "Now, go quickly, all right? Remember, you promised you'd go back to the court."

"We will," Mielu said airily. "We promise." Giggling, she clutched her pastry and lightly tripped back upstairs.

Yūi almost ran into her when she stopped right in front of him in a side corridor on the way back to the Great Hall. She grinned at him and took a big bite of her pastry. "Oh, that's so good," she said, her words a little muffled by the half-chewed food in her mouth. She swallowed and added, "The king has the best cooks. Mother says he must pay them a lot. She can't lure any of them away, no matter how hard she tries."

"Don't tell Lady Kendappa that," Yūi said. "She'd get mad if she found out anyone tried to steal the cooks." He knew that Lady Kendappa was quite proud of the royal household she managed., and that she really didn't like Lady Sybilla. He didn't even want to think about how she would react to hearing that Lady Sybilla wanted to steal the cooks.

"Never," Mielu said. "Lady Kendappa can be scary when she's mad." She took another bite of her snack. "Try it, Fai. It's really good."

Yūi sampled his pastry and nodded. It tasted heavenly, with layers of flakey pastry filled with mashed berries and chopped nuts and drenched in honey. It was also quite sticky, but Yūi didn't mind. He just licked the honey from his fingers.

He thought it was a good thing Lady Sybilla couldn't steal any of the cooks away. He loved their food so much.

"I wish I could make food like this," he said, swallowing another bite. "Someday I'm going to ask the cooks to teach me."

Mielu blinked at him. "Will the king let you do that?"

"Why not? He's got other people teaching me all kinds of things."

"I think cooking food like this would be so interesting! Mother would never let me learn anything like that. She says cooking is servants' work."

"Oh." Yūi had never actually asked King Ashura if it was all right to learn to cook. He realized he didn't know what the king would say. Maybe he should ask after the Sunbirth court and find out. "Well, it can't hurt to ask." He tried to sound confident, but he wasn't sure.

"I hope you get to learn. Then you can teach me. Mother couldn't complain if you taught me." Mielu finished her pastry and delicately licked her hands.

Yūi thought that was a very strange thing for her to say. He ate a few more bites, noticing that Mielu had gone silent and was looking at him with a question in her eyes. "Mielu, what is it?" he asked, sucking a glob of honey off his palm.

She looked at him for a long moment, then asked suddenly, "Fai, are you my cousin?"

Yūi blinked, startled, and stopped eating. This wasn't the first time someone had wanted to know about his relationship to the king. As King Ashura had warned him, a number of people had mentioned the rumor, or even tried to get a reaction from him in some sneaky ways, like talking about it around him while pretending not to watch him. Yūi was pretty sneaky himself, though, and didn't fall for their tricks. He'd also noticed some of the other noble children whispering and watching him, and he was pretty sure that was what they were talking about.

Mielu's question, however, was blunt and direct. Nobody else had asked so honestly. She didn't seem mean or spiteful about it, just curious and, oddly, a little hopeful.

"No," he said, and felt bad when she looked disappointed.

"Oh, that's too bad," she said. "I think you'd make a nice cousin."

Yūi said honestly, "You'd be a nice cousin, too. But really, I'm not your cousin."

"It's what people are saying, you know, but that doesn't mean anything. They say lots of mean things that aren't always true." She twisted her hands in her velvet skirts to wipe off the remaining stickiness. "People talk about us all the time and tell all kinds of lies. And now they're talking about you, too, so I kind of thought it might be true this time. I didn't think they'd talk about you if you weren't family."

"Oh." Yūi didn't know what to say to that tangled explanation. He covered his confusion by eating the last few bites of his pastry.

Mielu said artlessly, "I listen when they don't notice. I know Mother believes it's true, and so do a lot of other people." She added in a confiding tone, "Even some of the court wizards think it's true. They say your magic is a lot like the king's."

Yūi reddened. "That's because I blow stuff up. I don't mean to, but Lord Suhail says I use too much power all the time. Lady Kendappa told me the king used to do that, too, so I guess that's why the wizards said those things."

Mielu looked apologetic. "It's okay. Don't be embarrassed. Besides, if the king did it, it must be okay, right?"

"Right."

"Anyhow, all that made me think you might really be my cousin. I'm sorry you're not."

"I kind of wish it was true," Yūi admitted, looking down at his hands. "The king would make a really nice father."

"Mother says he's never been the same since Queen Luonnotar died. I was only a baby then. I don't know what happened, but I guess it was really bad."

"Who's Queen Luonnotar?"

"She was King Ashura's wife. I've seen a painting of her. She was really pretty. Mother said it was a terrible tragedy when she died, but she never told me any more than that."

"Oh. The king's never talked to me about it. I didn't know."

Mielu's eyes suddenly widened. She leaned in and whispered, "Don't tell anyone I told you. No one's supposed to talk about it. Mother says it upsets him a lot."

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," Yūi said thoughtfully. He'd had no idea that the king had been married before. No one had ever breathed a word to him until now. King Ashura's only brother was also dead, and Yūi had never heard about any other relatives besides the ones he'd met. Were they all dead, too? No wonder the king understood so well about Yūi's own grief.

Mielu smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "We can pretend we're cousins. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

It sounded like the sort of thing the king had told Yūi not to do. "That's lying," Yūi said. "King Ashura told me I wasn't supposed to lie about this."

"We don't have to tell anyone else. It can be just between us. Like a game."

Yūi thought it sounded like a good game, but he knew he couldn't do it. There would be too much trouble for the king if anyone else found out about it. Too many people would think it was real. But Mielu was gazing at him with such happy eyes, and he really didn't want to disappoint her.

He was saved from refusing to play her game by the arrival of Virender.

"There you two are," Virender whispered to them. "Mother and Lady Kendappa have noticed you're missing. They've started looking for you. You'd better get back to the Hall real quick if you don't want to get in trouble. Where'd you go, anyway?"

"We visited the kitchens," Mielu piped up. "The cooks gave us some sweet nut pastries."

"Awww, why didn't you bring me along?" Virender said. He looked terribly disappointed to have missed out on the treats.

"We wanted to, but we didn't see you and we had to sneak away. There's a lot of people at court now."

"That's true," Virender agreed. "We'd better get back, before Mother and Lady Kendappa get mad."

"What about the king?" Yūi asked. "Has he noticed we're gone?"

Virender's eyes grew wide. "I don't know. I don't think so, not unless Mother or Lady Kendappa told him. But we'd really better get back. I don't want any of them mad at me."

Yūi wondered if King Ashura would really get mad, or if he'd just smile about it. Yūi knew that the king also liked to sometimes slip away, like that time he had taken Yūi into the mountains to see the castle. So Yūi thought the king would probably understand. But Yūi didn't say anything about that; it would be too much like a betrayal.

The three children went back into the Great Hall. The boring adults were still talking nonstop, and there seemed to be even more servants scurrying about now.

"I sure hope Mother isn't too mad," Mielu said glumly. "If she's already looking for us, she probably is, though."

"And don't forget Lady Kendappa," Virender said.

"She's as bad as Mother."

"Let's go find the king," Yūi suggested. "They won't yell at us if we're with him."

Mielu nodded enthusiastically. "That's a good idea, Fai. He's always nice to us."

"He's usually up at the front of the room," Virender said.

The trio wound their way through the nobles, furniture, and busy servants, but when they got to the dais it was empty.

"He must be nearby," said Virender.

Yūi spotted an elaborately coifed, dark head a little ways away to their right. "Uh, oh," he said. "There's Lady Kendappa."

"Maybe he's that way," said Mielu, pointing to the left side of the room.

Yūi scanned the crowd. King Ashura was tall, so he should be easy to find if he wasn't sitting down. He didn't spot the king, but while he was looking around he noticed a small commotion back at the entrance to the Great Hall. Then the crowd parted, and a tall man strode forward, trailed by a fine retinue of personal guards, a young wizard, and a number of highborn retainers. The newcomers paused just inside.

Yūi stared. He couldn't help it, but it was okay because everyone else was staring, too. The nobleman was riveting, with an overwhelming presence that commanded attention. His long hair was loose and reached past his waist. It was platinum blond, so pale as to almost be colorless. He was tall, even taller than the king, with a powerful build emphasized by perfectly tailored, pristine white clothes. His fine garments were trimmed with white fur, embroidered in silver, and glittering with aquamarines. A heavy silver and aquamarine chain gleamed on his broad shoulders. When he turned to speak to his retainers his billowing cloak swirled, displaying an intricate knotwork pattern of a griffin, worked in thick silver appliqué. Silver and aquamarines even bedecked his belt.

He had the face of a god, clean-shaven and flawless and utterly beautiful.

Something about him unnerved Yūi a great deal.

The nobleman's ice blue eyes swept over the aristocratic company. A faint smile touched his perfect lips, and he strode forward again with supreme confidence. The murmuring crowd flowed apart to clear a path for him. His escort remained behind.

"Who's that?" Yūi asked.

Mielu answered, "That's Lord Taishaku, the Lord of the Southlands." Her voice sounded awe-stricken.

"They call him the Griffin of the South," Virender put in. "He's a great hero."

Mielu's eyes shone, transfixed on Lord Taishaku. "He's so handsome."

Virender jeered, "Mielu's been in love with him forever."

"Shut up. I have not." Her light brown eyes flashed angrily, but then her gaze was irresistibly drawn back to the magnificent nobleman. "All the ladies think he's handsome, even Mother," she said defensively.

Virender poked his sister.

"Quit it," she said, slapping away his hand.

Yūi ignored the byplay and watched the silver nobleman. He noticed that the adults also watched Lord Taishaku, most with approving eyes, but many also mixed their admiration with an odd discomfiture. Mielu was right that the ladies all seemed to be fascinated with him, but despite what else she and Virender said, the general feelings about Lord Taishaku seemed mixed. Maybe the king's relatives just didn't feel nervous or intimidated by the lord because their rank was so high that no one ever dared threaten them. But Yūi understood why some of the courtiers felt nervous. He knew what it was like to feel threatened, despite the elevated position he'd been born into. He also knew the fear that came from the knowledge that no one wanted to protect him, that instead they'd be happy if he were dead or gone. That wasn't true anymore, he knew it wasn't, but he still couldn't stop those old feelings from returning.

Then Yūi looked in the direction the frightening lord was heading and finally found the king. "He's going to King Ashura," he said, and started moving in the same direction.

Lord Taishaku got to the king before the children. Yūi, Mielu, and Virender pushed through to the front of the crowd to watch the meeting.

The nobleman continued forward until he came face to face with the king. Then, instead of bowing like the other gentry, he went down on one knee in the most graceful genuflection Yūi had ever seen.

"My greetings, Your Majesty," said Lord Taishaku. Even his voice was beautiful, deep and resonant and powerful.

"Welcome, Lord Taishaku," King Ashura said, extending his hand to gesture the lord back to his feet. "Rise, my lord, and join us. Tell us of your latest victories against the Arimaspi raiders."

"Gladly, my liege." Lord Taishaku smoothly got to his feet, every bit as gracefully as he had knelt.

Yūi started as he felt a hand clasp his shoulder. He jerked his head up and found himself staring up at Lady Kendappa. But she wasn't scolding him, or even looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on Lord Taishaku and the king. Her features were carefully schooled into the same pleasant, serene mask that King Ashura wore.

Yūi wondered what it was about Lord Taishaku that had her on edge. Was she nervous like some of the whispering courtiers? Was her feeling the same as Yūi's? But Lady Kendappa wasn't afraid of anything!

And, indeed, when he looked beyond her show of serenity and focused on her eyes, he didn't see fear, just a bewildering combination of admiration and uneasiness. She frowned and gave her head a tiny shake, then she finally looked down at Yūi and his companions. "You three have led us a merry chase," she chastised them.

"We're sorry, Lady Kendappa," Virender said.

"It's my fault. I didn't know we were supposed to stay..." Yūi said.

Lady Kendappa lifted an eyebrow. "I can believe the king forgot to tell you the rules, Fai," she said, "but these two know better. Virender, Mielu, your mother is awaiting you by the dais. Go make your peace with her now."

They scampered off, grateful to have escaped Lady Kendappa. She finally smiled, saying, "Sybilla is ready to murder them. Where did you all go, Fai? We couldn't find you anywhere."

"I don't know where Virender went. We only joined him a little while ago. Mielu and I only went to the kitchens," Yūi said defensively. "No one's ever told me I couldn't go there before." He didn't mention that Mielu had explained that they weren't supposed to run off alone, hoping Lady Kendappa would keep assuming he hadn't known any better. "Is the king mad at me?"

"The king is the one who missed you and sent us searching. He's not angry, but there are a lot of gentlefolk and strange servants around right now who you don't know. You need to stay where we can keep an eye on you."

"Why? This is my home, isn't it?"

"Of course, Fai, but with so many people here, it makes us feel better to know where you are. All right? You don't want the king to worry, do you?"

Yūi shook his head. "No," he said softly.

"All right, then. I doubt it was your idea to run off, anyway. I'm sure Mielu was the instigator. She and Virender are quite a handful."

Yūi stayed silent. He didn't want Mielu to get into even more trouble.

Lady Kendappa's severe expression softened. "Never mind, Fai, as long as you know not to do it again. Your only real fault was that you didn't tell me or the king where you were going. Promise me you will do so in the future, and all will be well between us."

Yūi could do that. "I promise," he said.

She smiled at him. "Then let's go join Sybilla and your fellow truants." She took his hand and led him to the dais.