And Around Again-A 'Cinderella Phenomenon' Tale

by Frostedrose

Princess Lucette has been reliving the same months of her life for 10 years. Inspired by the counsel of a fairy, she tries to live out the balance needed to sustain the Crystallum—the source of magic itself—while under a curse. Will she succeed, stopping the cycle and saving the lives of her friends and family, or will she fail once more and awaken as the cycle repeats?

36. A Point of Gratitude

Chapter 36. A Point of Gratitude

Waltz comes to sit beside me when Parfait leaves to go upstairs, and we answer a few last questions, while the others leave one by one. Finally, only one other person remains. Fritz has not moved from his seat. The others have left him alone, as he stares blankly at the table, probably figuring that he needs a little space as he wraps his mind around what his father is.

I know that there is more to it than that. He has to be wondering if the curse Myth gives him is what stopped any chance of me loving him. Fritz knows that I would not have loved a ruffian.

I get up from my own chair, pause a moment as I realize that I feel a bit queasy today, and sit down beside my knight. My husband gets up only to lean against the next table over, facing us but not intruding in Fritz's space. For a moment, neither Fritz nor I say anything. But when he sighs and turns from staring at the table to look at me, I speak. "Thank you Fritz."

"For what, Princess?" he asks.

"Every time your fight your curse, you do so to protect me," I tell him. "Even in your alter-ego condition, you still try to protect me. This last time, I had made a promise to marry my mother's apprentice. I would have had to keep it had Waltz died and Myth lived…and you kept that from happening because you killed Myth when you did."

Fritz's head comes up, and he stares at me, shocked.

"You could have let Myth kill Waltz when Waltz was distracted by worry over me. You might have been able to kill Myth after that and I would be released from my promise to marry at all…but there is no guarantee it would have happened that way." Considering the fortune-teller's words to Waltz…his life really had depended on Fritz loving me enough to let me choose Waltz. If Fritz had hesitated, Waltz would have died. "When not distracted by fighting Waltz, Myth could have noticed and killed or recursed you. My sister would not have been rescued, Parfait and the others with her might not have been notified to act quickly enough, I would have had to marry Myth. Depending on how quickly he had acted…this baby might have been his," I admit, and Fritz turns white. I know that Myth would have demanded what he had, in his eyes, paid for.

"I had been planning to kill him with a knife I was keeping on my person if it came down to it," I admit, unable to stop a shiver, "but I'm not sure how far I would have let him go, how distracted he would have to be, before I tried to kill him myself." It occurs to me to wonder if Myth would have found the knife that had been strapped to my leg, as Waltz had that night, but before I had a chance to use it. Possibly not…somehow I doubt Myth would have bothered with foreplay.

"Fritz," I continue, "with everything else that I have to deal with, I'm not sure if I would have had the strength to deal with that as well. I…think that it would have been the sort of thing to wear on me, eventually. It is entirely possible that not only I, but the entire kingdom, may owe you for keeping my sanity intact, and it is with my deepest gratitude that I thank you. With that one action, you may have prevented another Great War from happening, even though you don't remember taking it."

"I…really don't know what to say to that, Princess," Fritz admits, a little pink in his cheeks. "In that situation, I can't see myself doing anything else. For events to have happened that way, and assuming I was not able to see through the curtain…I was probably waiting until it was certain Myth would be distracted so he wouldn't see me coming. There is no time any fighter is more distracted than when he is about to land a killing blow on someone else, and there is no better time to land a killing blow than when your opponent is distracted. I must have decided it was time to strike when Waltz yelled your name."

"And you changed everything," I tell him with a smile.

Fritz takes a deep breath. "You said that I broke my curse this last time…" he trails off.

I nod. "You have broken your curse exactly twice," I tell him. "One other time, and this last time…when I actually needed you the most. To break it yourself, Varg has to leave, be reabsorbed back into you, voluntarily. This happens when he decides that he loves me as much as you do, and realizes that I need you beside me instead of him."

Now Fritz turns bright red, and glances up past me to where Waltz is still standing. My eyes do not leave Fritz, but I am sure that while my husband may be watching with interest, he is not upset by this. Waltz knows that he owes Fritz as much as I do, and I doubt that he blames Fritz for loving me.

"You know," Fritz finally says. "I…don't think that I ever could have told you, myself, but you still found out." He is silent for a moment. "You are married now, and to a man that comes closer to deserving you than I ever would. Perhaps I should not ask this, but throughout all these cycles…did you ever feel anything for me?"

I cannot help but give him one of my smiles that he covets so much. "Fritz, I admire your dedication, your loyalty. I have the utmost respect for the strength you show as you deal with things that would shatter most other people. You do not shirk when you have stand against your father, when he has betrayed you; and your own struggles in that area are the closest echo I know of to what I have to deal with concerning my own mother. You mean so very much to me, and I still do love you Fritz…but not in the way you wanted me to, now."

"Still? Now?" Fritz asks, as if he is not sure if he wants the answer or not. "So…you did love me once?"

I sigh as I nod. Since he asked…. "I…was not sure if it would hurt you less if you knew that I had chosen another man above you, or if you thought that I never had any romantic feelings for you at all. But you deserve the truth…you deserve better than to be any woman's second choice."

"Why did you chose Waltz over me?" he asks.

"A couple of reasons," I admit. "Your path was…bloody. A lot more people died, even when you lived. And…while I appreciate that you always accepted me for who I was and were always loyal to me, Waltz knew that I was capable of becoming a good woman, and he helped me to want to be better person. This is important for a variety of reasons. I am less likely to fall to corruption, and I think I will be better able to rule Angielle when it is my time to do so, with him at my side."

Fritz nods slowly. "I…think that I can accept those reasons. Both you and Angielle needed him more than you did me. I always knew that an…attachment between us would be unlikely, and that you would eventually end up with another man. At least he is someone that will protect you as I would; someone that you can be happy with."

"And there are few things I wish more than that you could find happiness with someone that loves and deserves you," I tell my knight.

Fritz sighs. "Is that why you told me that I could have your sister if I wanted her?"

"Emelaigne really is smitten," I admit. "And she really is yours for the taking. She has never developed interest in anyone else during these cycles. Actually, she was even attracted to you as Varg when he showed up at a ball to find her a husband. Perhaps she recognized you under the mask…I do not know. Perhaps she even accepts the ruffian part of you that you hide so well."

"She's a sweet girl," Fritz admits, "but I do not know that she compares to you."

"You don't know her that well yet," I tell him. "It is true that she flaunts her emotions as much as I keep mine reserved, but she does have an inner strength that is not so different from mine. You just have not seen her in a situation in which she has to use it, that you can remember anyway."

"I…think that I would rather take your word for it than see her need to demonstrate it," Fritz admits. "Either way, what is important now is that you get the help you need from the other Bearers. And unless you manage to experience the amount of pain needed to stop the cycles during this cycle and figure out what else you need to do…it will not matter."

I nod. "There is that," I admit. "We might have to have this conversation again in another six months or so."

My knight shakes his head at me. "I don't even know how you have been doing it. You keep fighting, even knowing that in the long run, whatever you do will not matter."

"But it will someday," I tell him. "And I know that I need to treat every cycle as if it actually were the last; it is how I keep hope that they will end someday. Someday, I will have to live with the consequences of my actions. I'd rather they be consequences that I can afford."

….

The rest of the afternoon involves preparation for the parties leaving the Marchen the next morning, but as Waltz and I are going nowhere, we do not participate in those discussions. My only part is getting Fritz permission to leave Angielle. In theory, I could just walk up to the gates and be let into the palace through normal means, but that sounds…ordinary. Which is why my husband and I stand in the clearing while he teaches me a new spell after supper.

"You almost got it that time, Lucette," Waltz says from beside me as I try the spell again.

Light crystalizes in front of me as I try to fold two places together, with only a passable magic barrier between them. I pause, and then let go of my magic when I hear, "Princess…might I have a word?"

I turn around to see Garlan approaching. "Of course," I tell him, and the knight comes to stand before me, and I immediately read that he is nervous about something. "Is this about Jurien?" I ask.

He sighs. "Yes Princess," he tells me. "I…we won't see each other for months, since she is remaining here. Even if she doesn't love me…I don't want her hurt by anything. I will not be here to look out for her for the first time since we were children."

"I can make no promises," I tell him, "about who will and who will not be hurt this cycle. This one has little in common with any of the others." Garlan draws a deep breath, and his shoulders slump a little. "At least," I tell him, "if anything does happen, it will not be permanent."

He looks up at me sharply. "I would not have her suffer, even if I know that it would merely be undone, and her memories and mine of it erased."

"Nor would I, if I had choice in the matter," I tell him. "But I will be spending more time in the palace this cycle than the others, since my family does remember me…and I cannot undo her banishment without revealing Alcaster for what he is…and I cannot do that at least until the Tenebrarum is repaired and I have affirmative promises from the other Bearers. You, all the others, and I must successfully complete our tasks first. Jurien will not be able to remain with me all the time, and Parfait will need her to run sensitive errands. Given that we are unlikely to be together most of the time, I can give you no assurances for her safety, as much as I wish I could."

"Think of this another way," Waltz suggests, trying to console him. "Things may be strained between the two of you now, but in a matter of months if all goes well, you will have another chance…the one chance that will actually matter."

Garlan is silent for a moment, considering that. "In these other cycles…was…was I ever able to tell her how I felt?"

"Yes," I tell him. "Though you needed a fair amount of encouragement before you would do so."

"Did I always need someone to get me to tell her?" Garlan asks, sounding disappointed with himself.

"Well," I consider, "I suppose there was that one time when you were trying to get it out, but drowned in your own blood first. Mother had gotten lose and…."

Both of the men beside me shiver. "Actually," Garlan says quietly, "I was wondering how Jurien responded when I was able to tell her."

I nod. "She doesn't exactly jump into your arms, but she is happy and receptive, and after that point the rest of us take it for granted that the two of you are a couple. She allows herself to be vulnerable around you. She would not give consideration to anyone she doesn't trust…and she trust you most of all."

Garlan nods slowly. "And…I threw the chance for that away by not telling her how I felt."

"Would you like me to give you a shove in her direction during the next cycle?" I offer. "I am perfectly willing to do so. I have counted the both of you as friends for some time now, and you two seem happiest when you are together."

The knight seems to relax a little. "Would you, Princess?"

I smile at him. "Why do you think you are being sent to Alicula? She adores getting lovers together, and might be more receptive to helping me so I can help you with your plight. I would love to be able to help you with this; and it is not like I have not done it before."

"I…would be very grateful, Princess," he tells me.

"And I am grateful for your assistance, as well," I tell Garlan as I reach for my husband's hand. "The 'happily ever after' will not come for anyone until this is resolved. We all have to work together to get that chance."

Garlan thanks me again before returning to the inn, and my husband pulls me into him, quite nearly resting his chin on the top of my head. "You are right, of course," he tells me, speaking only when we appear to be alone again. '"Happily ever after' will not come until this is done."

I turn to look up at him. "That doesn't mean that we cannot find ourselves a piece of it right now."

Waltz smiles at me before leaning down to thoroughly kiss me. "I think I would like finding that with you," he tells me once he has put me down. Still, I hold onto his arm. For some reason, my knees do not seem to be working correctly.

It is a few minutes before I am able to concentrate on the task at hand and return to my lesson. It is only after I succeed in making a portal to our room in the Marchen that I set my sights on my true target for the night—the private parlor of my father's suite in the palace. If he is not there, we can wait for him until he arrives. As his bedroom is immediately off it, he will have to come sooner or later. It hurts a little to realize that I have no idea what my own father's normal routine is, while I can state the routines of my friends in the Marchen with great detail.

I have rarely entered this room, as my mother dwelt…laired…in a different suite in the palace. The last time I was here was when I was called here on my seventeenth birthday when my father gave me Delora. I had no idea at the time that what my father thought was a simple present would change my life. I remember removing the bright paper away, and opening the box to see Delora. I had been expecting an ordinary, if lovely, doll as that is what he had given me in years past, but Delora was…exquisite.

I had very nearly smiled before reminding myself that of course the king would be able to procure me the loveliest doll in Angielle, that this is what I should expect of him. Now, I am ashamed just remembering that thought. I use to take so much for granted. But never again.

I take a deep breath, and try to make a portal into my father's parlor, and succeed on my second try. Waltz takes a look at it, and smiles at me. "It's stable enough to go through," he tells me.

I smile at him, and take his hand as I walk through the light pulling my husband behind me, only to find myself in my father's parlor. Only when my husband comes completely through do I let go of my spell. "I did it!" I say with a grin, as Waltz smiles back at me.

My head turns around at the sound of something crashing to the floor, and I turn around to see my father sitting with Ophelia on a couch near a coffee table, where a maid had been serving them tea. The crashing sound was the maid dropping a silver plate of small pastries on the floor. All three of them are wide-eyed, staring at Waltz and myself who have just appeared out of thin air.

"Oh…I hope we are not interrupting," I tell my father and Ophelia. It occurs to me to wonder if they are more surprised that I appeared out of thin air, or that I was smiling when I did so. "I suppose that I neglected to tell you we were coming over."

"Oh, not at all!" Ophelia tells me with a smile, as she gets up from the couch to come over to meet us. "And this must be Waltz?"

"Yes…ah…how would you like me to address you?" Waltz asks Ophelia with an uncertain smile.

'"Mother' would be fine," Ophelia tells him. "If you are uncomfortable with that in any way, 'Ophelia' also works. And I believe that I have yet to congratulate the two of you, both on your marriage and the baby!"

"Thank you Ophelia," I tell her with a small smile. My eyes drift over to the couch my father has just left, and the maid hurriedly picking the pastries off of the carpet even as she stares at us.

"Is there anything wrong, Lucette?" my father asks me. Of course he wonders why I dropped in unexpectedly.

I shake my head. "I had a question for you about something, but it is nothing emergent. And Waltz has been expressing an interest in meeting everyone."

Ophelia's smile grows even brighter, and she leads Waltz to the couch. I am certain that she has a lot of questions she wants to ask him. He takes to this not only with some amount of grace, but a little nervous eagerness as well. I know that he has wanted a family for a long time, and our marriage has given him one. He knows that the progress he makes will merely be erased, but he also knows that there is no reason not to enjoy what can be had right now.

My father looks down at the maid that has just finished picking up the pastries. "Please tell Rod and Emelaigne that their sister and her husband have come for a visit, and that they are welcome to participate," he tells her.

The maid curtsies, still holding the plate she upset. "Yes, Your Majesty," she says before leaving.

After the maid has left, and my father notes that Ophelia and Waltz are deep in conversation, he turns to me. "Are you really alright, Lucette?"

"I am alright," I tell my father as I take a chair at the card table where he immediately joins me. "I was a little nauseous earlier today, but I should be expecting that."

My father sighs. "That is…I mean, how are you handling things emotionally?"

"I will not pretend that it was…is…not a lot to deal with all at once," I admit. "But I think I am coping. I was getting bored, staying in my room all the time except for meals and lessons anyway."

I think I hear something that almost sounds like a soft chortle from my father, but his features remain serious. "So," he notes, "instead of sitting in your room, you now take magic lessons, try to build a relationship with a new husband, repair a damaged Tenebrarum that I can only assume Hildyr was responsible for endangering, and carry your own child? Lucette…surely you can see why I am concerned."

And he doesn't know the half of it…. "I did not say that you did not have reason to be," I tell him. "But Waltz is very supportive, and that helps immeasurably."

"And your relationship with him?" my father asks.

"I will not deny that there has been some…awkwardness…" I admit, "but we are working through that. I would rather have it expressed than repressed, only to rear its head as something worse later."

My father frowns slightly. "Has he asked you for anything?"

"Just a family of his own," I tell him. "He misses not having one, since Mother killed his parents when he was ten. He loves children, and I would be happy to give him more than the one we have on the way if possible."

A muscle in my father's cheek twinges when I mention that Mother killed Waltz's family, and something that looks like guilt passes behind his eyes as I explain the rest of it. In spite of what Waltz has already done for everyone, my father still had a nagging doubt that Waltz might crave power of his own…only to be told that what my husband really craves are children of his own to love. "I…know that it was not only humans and fairies that suffered at her hand. It just did not seem…personal until now."

Of course it would seem more personal to him now; even if it was prompted by necessity, Waltz is his son-in-law. Hildyr killed his daughter's in-laws. "If Mother was the only witch you ever knew well until now, I can see where it wouldn't," I note.

"The witch that walked us back…Delora…mentioned that Hildyr had killed her daughter," he notes.

"That's true," I tell him. "It is why Parfait considers her incorruptible. Not even the loss of her only child turned her. If my understanding is correct, her husband had died at some point before that, so her daughter's death essentially left her alone."

My father frowns. "On the way back I asked her if she was a parent, and how she would have felt in my position if she was. I was feeling rather…defensive…at the time. I did not expect her to tell me that she would give anything to be in my position, or the reason why this was so. I almost felt as if I had been slapped…and that I deserved it."

"Delora is very blunt, but personally I find trait one of her charms. One thing that I have learned is to never assume that you are the only one that suffers," I tell my father.

"That…is truth," he tells me, and then looks at me oddly for a moment before his expression settles once more. "You…want to make your husband happy by giving him more children than only the one you actually need?"

I blink. "Well, yes. It is not as if there is not room in the palace for more than one."

"I…am just surprised that you are considering more than your own needs," my father admits, "especially with the amount of stress you must be under right now."

"It is a marriage," I tell my father, "not a business relationship. If I understand it correctly, both the husband and the wife attempt to make the other happy and meet each other's needs. I may as well try to do this properly. And I am happy when he is happy about something; nothing makes me smile as readily as his own smile."

My father actually looks a little impressed. "That…is very good, Lucette. I am quite happy with the progress you have been making." I give my father a small smile in response to the complement before he continues. "You said that you had something to ask me?"

I nod. "I need aid from another Bearer," I tell him. "Waltz and Parfait can only give me so much help. You see…Mother did not exactly give me clear instructions on what I could and could not do with the Tenebrarum before she died. I have found out how to fix it, but I need to ensure it stops cracking."

"And how can I help with this?" my father asks.

"Delora is going to find one of the other Bearers for me, to ask him about helping me, and hopefully he will render me the aid I need," I explain. It is another half-truth, but at least this is all true. "She will have a fairy with her as well that Parfait provides, but I was wanting to send Fritz as well. Sometimes brawn will solve problems more quietly than magic. He would need permission to be elsewhere."

"Is there any other reason you are wanting to send young Fritz away for a time?" my father asks shrewdly.

I sigh. "Yes. Apparently, Fritz admired me. He never mentioned this to me, but it kind of became obvious that he was miserable when he saw me kissing Waltz and…."

"You do not have to explain further," my father tells me. "I knew that something was distressing him. I doubt he would have taken a genuine interest in a book on etiquette."

So, Father had noticed that too. I wonder if he is really more perceptive than I give him credit for at times. He misses Myth and Alcaster plotting against him so often, I have to remind myself that my father is far from obtuse.

My father pauses for a moment before saying, "If you had known earlier, would you have made a different decision?"

"No," I answer simply. "Why, would you have preferred that I had married a human?"

"I…cannot pretend that I am totally comfortable that you married a witch," he admits. "But if you had to have one, at least it is Waltz. I wish that there were more like him."

"There are more than you think, and I intend to make no apologies about being one, myself," I tell him.

"You should not have to apologize for what you are," my father admits. "Just…exercise your power responsibly, and that will be enough for me."

I nod, but still mentally note that he does not mention that it is currently necessary for nearly every other witch in Angielle to publically hide what they are. "That is reasonable. Have you given any thought to allowing me to deal with witches that have been accused of wrongdoing when I am able to do so?" I ask. "At least, once I am powerful and skillful enough that doing so will not endanger me? That is one of the roles of the Bearer, after all."

My father nods slowly. "I will send out a formal notice once Waltz tells me that you are proficient enough to follow through with it. Though…even currently, there has been very little cursing occurring, in the city at least if reports are accurate on the matter."

I nod. "That is what Parfait says, too," I admit. It was something she mentioned over supper today. "Even the corrupted witches appear to be cautious, right now anyway. They know that my power has awakened, know that I married Waltz, and currently judge me as someone to be wary of. I have not specified what kind of cursing I will and will not tolerate, yet." They also might suspect that I did something to Myth, since he basically disappeared without leaving a trace.

"You would allow some cursing?" my father asks, warily.

I sigh. "Not the kind that could cause injury, death, or with conditions that are practically impossible to meet. But on occasion, a witch will curse a human but still have their best interests at heart. An example of this would be so the human could learn a life lesson they would not have been taught otherwise. Or, if a human was attempting to harm the witch or her family, I believe that the witch could defend herself. If some criminal is trying to run her through with a sword, I really do not care if she turns him into a goat. And…I think it would be justice if I cursed some of the worst offenders among the witches; I do not think I should necessarily punish everyone for methods I might use myself."

"If my understanding of the situation is correct, you already cursed 'Mythros' for crimes he committed," My father admits.

"And the impact of that may be that cursing would remain at a low level," I acknowledge, "but I would rather not get deeply into that particular subject at this time." I have not thought up a convenient half-truth for that one, yet. I cannot tell him the entire truth, and I am certain my father would catch me in a lie.

He thinks for a moment on the rest of my previous statement. "Give me a factual example of a good witch cursing a human for the human's benefit."

I shrug, stalling for a moment while I think. I cannot give my own curse as an example. My father might demand to talk to the 'spoiled brat' involved in the curse, and that might complicate things. Fortunately, I know of an alternative. "There is a doctor in town who was given the Rumpelstiltskin curse, and he cannot remember his name, or anything else about himself. He was helping his patients, but refusing compensation from them to the point where his fiancée was running after the cured patients to get coin to pay their own bills. Their relationship began to fracture as he was meeting the needs of others, but never hers, and she ended up sleeping with one of his former patients, which damaged their relationship even further.

"The doctor was asking the Witch Doctor to cure patients that were dying in spite of his own efforts," I continue. "Each time, she asked a higher price for her services, and he still did not ask for the compensation he gave her to be returned to him by the patients she treated. The third time he asked her to treat someone, she said that she would do so in exchange for his memories…for him submitting to a curse. He agreed, and the patient who was actually his ex-fiancée recovered. He is currently staying in the Marchen while he works on his curse. He only has to find three written entries about himself to rediscover his past and reclaim his memories, and I have told him where to start looking."

"And he benefits by this by...?" my father wants to know.

"It is to make him reassess his life, and his priorities," I tell him. "Sometimes, you have to look at something with fresh eyes to properly evaluate it. I have no intention of dispelling his curse the way I dispelled Rod's. The Witch Doctor is not known to be corrupted, and you never know when you might need her services anyway; she's the only Healer Angielle has."

There is a slight frown on my father's face as he looks at me. "I…cannot say that I am comfortable with letting any curse stand. But as you have obviously spoken to the witch involved to get this background information on the matter, and genuinely believe that having this doctor break his own curse will benefit him, I will not attempt to change your mind on the matter. At least you are helping him by giving him further direction in breaking the curse."

I want to ask him why he says nothing about my idea of cursing other witches myself for their punishment, but he has qualms about them cursing humans for their benefit. However, I decide not to pursue the issue further tonight. "But back to the subject of Fritz," I say instead, "that errand is something that is important and needful. And I think a little time and distance from me might do him some good. He just needs permission to be away…and he would appreciate your discretion in this matter."

My father nods, and gets up from the card table and moves to the desk in the adjacent study to pen the document, and I get up from my chair as well to follow him. "I'll have it recorded elsewhere, and tell his father as well…or is Fritz doing that himself?"

I consider the risk of letting Alcaster know that I am getting help from another Bearer, but the party Fritz will be in is easily the largest until they separate into two and go their separate ways once they reach Cedel. It is unlikely that Alcaster would care to intervene…but it could be disastrous if he did so.

"Just tell his father that he is on an errand for me, but be very vague if he asks location or purpose," I ask. "If I had to repair the Tenebrarum over and over again, in theory it could raise my risk for corruption…which is something a corrupted witch would want. I would rather not risk one finding out about it. And Fritz and his father are not on good terms anyway." And at this very moment, Fritz is writing a list of the knights his father frequently had him deliver private communication to. These are the knights most likely to already be prepared to side with Alcaster against their king.

"They are on poor terms?" my father asks, slightly surprised as if he had never noticed a more than professional gulf between the two men. Some amount of distance could be easily explained by the disparity between their ranks, and a professional man in a high position might be especially careful to show everyone else that his son received no favors from him. It would not surprise me if some of the guard thought Fritz's status as my personal knight was a challenge rather than a boon, given my own temperament, so even that was no favor from his father.

"Not exactly poor terms," I try to explain, as I describe what their relationship had been like before Fritz had found out what his father was. "Fritz and his father are on no terms at all. They are more strangers that share a roof than anything else. I think I would have more hope for their relationship if they were on poor terms. At least hate is an emotion that can be actively fought, and provide motivation for wanting something better. I have no idea what to do with indifference."

My father drips wax on the end of the document, and presses his seal in after signing his name. "Indifference gives birth to cruelty sometimes, be it intentional or not," he admits. "I wish that they would have better than indifference between them, but I know that some men live for their careers. It would be easy to suppose that that was what Sir Alcaster decided to live for, once his wife died years ago."

I take the document that my father offers me, and fold it up carefully to put into my pocket. "Thank you," I tell him.

Just then, I hear a sound and turn my head to look out of the study into the parlor area. I find that Rod and Emelaigne are entering the other room. My sister smiles somewhat nervously as she is introduced to Waltz, but I know that this is not their first meeting. Apparently, she and Rod chose to hide what they had done in sneaking out of the palace after dark with no guard for Emelaigne. I guess that Rod probably admitted to going by himself at some point when he delivered my letter concerning Myth to Father.

Waltz plays along without missing a beat, but when my father and Ophelia are looking elsewhere, I meet Rod's eyes and crook an eyebrow at him slightly. He shakes his head at me, and taps a finger in front of his lips as he pretends to rest his chin on a fist. He does not want my father or his mother to know that they had snuck out after hours. I give a ghost of a shrug, and return my attention to the conversation taking place, but not before my brother gives me a slight, but grateful, smile.

….