Hey guys! Here's the next update for you. I'm thinking this fic will end up being around 20 chapters, just so you guys know. Also, my favorite thing from any medieval story are the dances. The big ballroom dresses and gowns and classical music is just such an asthetic.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters, too! I love hearing your feedback :)

Enjoy!

"Mei is gone today," Rin informed the prince at breakfast when she was sure no one was paying attention.

He had asked her every day since their first lesson, nearly a week ago.

Len looked up from his food, grinning so widely that Rin was worried the others would notice. "I've been practicing."

"Good. You'd forget everything, otherwise."

She had gone to visit the girls every night since that day as well, soothing them to sleep with her violin. "Our little secret," she had told them. Afterward, she was always able to give Len a few pointers and answer questions about his books if he had any, but it was much too late for a full lesson. Plus, Rin could only imagine what her father would think if he caught her with the prince so late at night. So she never stayed long.

"I think it's high time we make it official," King Bruno stated from his place at the head of the table. "The people have been talking of the feast, festival, and celebratory ball for weeks now."

Kokone bounced in her chair. "When? When will it be?"

"It will take us some time to plan, dear," Kaori informed her.

"A week," Bruno said with a smile. "A week from today."

It had been a long time since Rin had attended a royal ball. She smiled at the thought of dressing up in an extravagant dress of her choosing and swaying across the dancefloor.

"And then will we be going home?"

Rin had never heard Galaco speak at all, let alone at the table. Her eyes flinched to the young girl.

A dark haze fell over the two families. Even Len seemed surprised at her outburst.

Ken shook his head. "No, dear. We won't be going home for quite a while."

"Why not!?" Lenka nearly screamed.

"Lenka! The King and Queen are treating us well here! Do not yell at the table!" Kaori scolded her, ashamed herself.

"But it's not home," Galaco pointed out, her voice shaking with grief.

King Brighton sighed, leaning towards Ken. "You and your family are always welcome to a home in the upper districts of the city if you do not wish to return."

"I do wish to return," Ken retorted, staring at his place with a furrowed brow and a frown. "I am meant to be a King. And my son is meant to take the crown after me, not some Yuzuki bastard."

Len looked over at his father with a blank expression, meeting his eyes but saying nothing.

Brighton nodded. "We will send spies to Acacia Falls, then. See exactly what we are dealing with. But first," he rose his head, planting a kingly smile on his face. "Let's worry about the ball. Might as well begin with the fun stuff, right girls?"

Galaco nodded, pleased with her progress. At least they weren't going to do nothing anymore.

Rin flashed a worried glance and Len, picking at her food until breakfast was over.

"That was… intense," Rin commented as Len emerged into the clearing of shelves that was their hiding spot.

Len nodded. "They're getting impatient." He took his seat at the table, setting down his books in the process.

"Your sisters?"

"They want to go home."

"I don't blame them."

He took a deep breath. "My father wants me to help plan our attacks."

Rin frowned. "Do you know how to do that?"

"I've sat on war councils with him before, but… I've never done anything like this."

"Are you going to?"

"Of course I am," he answered quickly. "I have to."

"Well… you had to bow to my father when you first arrived here, but you didn't do that. How is this any different?"

He thought for a moment. "Because that was harmless," he explained. "A pointless courtesy."

"And the sneaking out?" Rin prodded. "The gambling? Setting buildings on fire?"

"Just because I do those things doesn't mean I don't want to be king," he snapped, taking Rin aback. "I want to rule, and I want to take care of these people, and I want to make my family proud," he continued, not looking at her. "The fact that I hate the politeness and civilities that come with the throne doesn't mean that I don't want it."

Rin nodded. Of course he wanted to rule. He had finally sucked up his pride and let Rin teach him to read solely because he wanted to rule.

A few moments of silence passed before Rin broke it. "I know of some war books we can read," she offered. "They may be able to help you."

"War books?"

"They explain many historic battles," she explained. "They're basically strategy books. Though they are much more difficult than what we're learning now."

"What do you know about war?" He asked, curious.

"I sit in on father's councils," she answered. "The generals all know me, and they listen to what I have to say. Between me and you," she added, leaning a bit closer. "They trust my word more than my his."

He chuckled. The extent of her power never ceased to impress him. "Let's start with these," he decided. "I'm… I'm excited to show you what I've done this week."

Rin smiled. "Yeah? What have you done?"

"I was able to get through this whole page," he explained, opening up one of his books. "The fairy tale about the imp and the troll."

"That's wonderful!" She exclaimed, looking at the page herself. She widened her eyes in surprise. "This is a lot, Len. You can read all of this?"

"I've… I've been practicing a lot."

"Have you?"

"I have a lot of free time," he admitted. "Not many of my old hobbies are available here."

Rin's excitement ebbed, but only slightly. "How did you pass your time? Other than drinking and gambling, of course."

He chuckled at the jest. "Well, I used to frequent the stables."

"You enjoyed the horses?"

"Yes," he answered. "We had to leave my favorite mare behind when we left. I used to take her along the river all the time. On good days, we went all the way to the waterfall."

"What was it like? The waterfall?" Rin could only imagine the torrent of water after which the kingdom got its name.

He leaned back in his chair, his eyes staring at the table but not really seeing it. "It was like walking through the forests, only hearing the chirping birds and the steps of your horse, and then all of the sudden you can hear nothing. Not even your own voice, if you shout. All you can hear is the roar of the water hitting the lake. You hear it long before you see it, too. After another ten minutes of riding, you canter around another tree and then the forest halts, and just before you is a wall of water. You can't see the end to your left or right, and looking up, it is difficult to tell where the water ends and the sky begins."

"Have you ever been to the top?" She asked, entranced.

He shook his head. "No one had ever found a way to the top. The falls seem to go on forever."

"Wow," she breathed, fiddling with her hands.

"I hope I can see it again someday."

"You will," she promised, too hopeful to even consider the opposite. "I know you will."

His eyes stayed on the table. He said nothing.

I would like to see it, too, she thought.

"Wh-what else did you do?" Rin asked, forcing herself out of her mind.

"I liked archery. But I had to leave my bow behind, as well."

"Were you any good?"

"Hah," Len's loud laugh made Rin jump in her seat. "The best anyone has ever seen," he said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" Rin asked with a smile. "How humble of you."

"No one could ever out-shoot me on the range. I might as well have been directing my arrows with magic."

"How did you get so good?"

"Practice, of course. Also, father and I used to go hunting often."

"You didn't have hunters for the castle?"

"We did," he replied. "But it is much more satisfying eating an animal that you killed yourself."

Rin did not know the feeling and doubted she ever would. "Well, we have an archery range in the gardens," she offered. "Father had them build long ago when he thought he would take up the hobby."

"He didn't?"

"He went for a few days," she remembered. It was long ago. "But it didn't stick with him."

Len smiled. "Who can I ask about this range?"

"Miku and Luka are caring for your sisters during the day, right?" The blue-haired maid had returned to work with a new schedule: one day of work, followed by one day of rest. So far, it was working phenomenally for her health. "They can show you where it is. But if you can't catch them when they aren't busy, the range is pretty easy to find. It's right next to my gardens on the west side of the palace. Towards the river."

He raised an eyebrow. "Right next to your gardens, huh?" He teased. "You going to spy on me while I shoot?"

She had not planned on it, but if she wanted to, she definitely could. "Shut it," she laughed, blushing. "Come on, let's get to the book."

Like the week before, their lesson had gone very well. Rin was able to guide him through nearly a whole chapter in his book, made possible mostly because of his rigorous practice. Len was able to remember nearly everything from the week before. He only left the library only as it was getting dark, dropping off his new pile of books just before he saw Rin again at supper.

She had come to the room his sisters were staying in every night, and he expected her again once it got late enough. Until then, he sat in his own room, alone, leaning over the books splayed open on his desk. Rin had given him fresh ink for his writing, which he used greedily, rewriting the words of the books over and over again until his hand ached. The single candle resting beside him was his only source of light in the room, and he wondered several times if he should light the fireplace. Although it was summer, he found his room often became unbearably cold at night.

He nearly jumped at the sound of his door opening.

"Len," Kokone called, entering without even knocking. "The girls are going to bed."

He knew what that meant. "Give me a second."

She narrowed her eyes at the sight of her brother hunched over the desk. "What are you doing?"

He closed his books quickly, leaving the quill in the bottle of ink and gathering his papers. "Nothing."

"Are you… are you reading?" She asked, walking over to the desk.

"No. Yes. Maybe."

She couldn't believe it. "How?"

"I've… I've been going to the library."

"Who's teaching you?"

He hesitated. "The princess."

Kokone's heart dropped. "Len-"

"Shut up."

"You know you're not supposed to see her."

"Has that stopped me before?"

"Father would be furious if he found out-"

"So?" He asked harshly, turning to face her. "Are you going to tell him?"

She wanted to. She wanted to so, so bad. Her deepest fear was that Len would do something to enrage King Brighton so much, he'd turn them away. "We are safe here," she began. "And you are putting us all at risk. You know she is betrothed?"

"It's not like that," he spat.

"Then what is it like?"

He had no answer.

She knew it was him who told the princess about their sisters. She saw them exchange words and glances across the table at every meal. And now, she knew where they both were when she wasn't around her brother. And she feared they were getting much too close.

Despite all of this, she could not entirely blame him. Kokone was fond of the princess as well, and they had often enjoyed lunch together since their arrival. But Kokone was not a prince. She was only Rin's friend.

Kokone dropped to her knees, resting her hands on his arm. "Len, please. If you choose one thing in your entire life to listen to, let it be this. Please."

He watched her as she spoke.

"Do not ruin this for us," she begged. "Stay away from her."

As much as Len did not want to admit it, his sister was right. He was getting himself involved in a risky game that could have dire consequences for his family. Rin had already given him the tools to learn how to read on his own, and she had told him of various places around the castle to spend his time.

And yet, after breakfast the next day, he still found his feet carrying him towards the library. She said her instructor would be gone for a few days, traveling to another city on business. It was on his way to his lesson that he realized none of those things sounded fun compared to meeting Rin in their secret little haven.

The thought scared him.

Disobedience without consequences was his specialty. What would they do if he snuck off to the tavern? Nothing. What would they do if he pissed off a couple of men by cheating at cards? Nothing. Hell, even the fires he had started only ended with stern words from his father.

But sneaking around with Brighton's daughter… they would definitely do something. Even knowing this, he couldn't help himself.

Rin smiled as she caught sight of him climbing the stairs. "Good morning, prince," she called from her place behind the banister. The library was empty besides the two of them.

He caught sight of leaning against the railing above him and took a deep breath. "Good morning," he replied.

She frowned. "Is something the matter?" She was too good and sensing these things.

He shook his head. "Just tired, is all."

"Well you better wake up," she joked. "We're going to tackle some harder stuff, today."

He reached the top of the stairs. "Really? I don't know…"

"You're ready," she stated. "Come. Let's begin."

Throughout the lesson, Len could not shake Kokone's words out of his head. Even while Rin was speaking to him, all he could imagine was the King walking in through the library doors below them, furiously searching for his daughter. And when he found her, here, with him…

"Len?" She asked, waving him back to reality. In his daydream, he had been staring blankly at her while she spoke. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He looked down at the table. We are safe here. Do not ruin this for us. Where would they go without the King's hospitality? They would be forced to set up tents in some field far away, unable to plan their attack to reclaim their home. They truly had nowhere to run to.

"Len," Rin said again, switching from her normal airy tone to her concerned, motherly voice. "Talk to me."

"I was asleep," he suddenly found himself saying. "I was sound asleep in my room after dinner with my father in his study. We were talking about how we planned to attack Yuzuki's Empire within the week. Our spies never knew that they had left their city to come to us."

Rin listened, eyes wide with concern.

"I was asleep," he repeated. "When I heard the guards running down the hall to my room. They had attacked from the jails in the back of the castle. My sisters' rooms were in the back of the castle as well, several floors above the cells. We think-" he cut himself off, trying to catch his breath. "We think they were trying to take one of them. Use them as ransom. But the guards came to me first- because they thought the girls were already gone."

"Len," Rin said, gently. He was too upset, he needed to stop. But he didn't.

"But I wasn't going to just leave them. So I ran with my guard towards their rooms, and by the grace of the gods we got there before the Yuzuki soldiers did. They were all terrified, hearing the commotion and the fires and the yelling-"

"Len, stop," Rin warned, worried he would break down if he went on any longer.

He stood, pacing behind the chairs as he imagined the night that led him here. "All the girls ran off with our parents, but Galaco's room was the last one we got to. And - and they were already there, trying to take her. And she was yelling when we finally got there, this… this guard was pulling her from her bed by her hair, and I had my sword, and I just - I just -"

He hadn't seen or heard Rin stand from her chair, but in that instant she interrupted him by throwing her arms around his shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. He blinked, too stunned to do anything else, as single strands of her short hair poked the side of his face.

"Hush," she choked, tearing up at the tale. "No more of that."

He said nothing, only wrapping his arms around her waist, returning her hug.

"All that is over, Len," she comforted. "It's all over."

But it wasn't. Len knew it. It wasn't over. And it wouldn't be for a long, long time.

I just realized I forgot to make the joke about Mei being a maester. Get it? Meister? ha

Thanks for reading :)