"Cut off! I have been cut off, Lawrence!" Naveen moaned, flopping onto his bed.

"Most dreadful, sire," Lawrence said, examining his fingernails.

"It is most dreadful! It is the most dreadful thing to happen to me since…since…" Naveen sat up, thinking. "It is the most dreadful thing that has happened to me ever." He groaned again and flopped backward.

"Faldi…what did I do to deserve this?" he asked, looking to the ceiling.

"Well, it might have been your incessant partying…" Lawrence said dryly.

Naveen snapped and sat up. "That is it! I shall throw a final party! If I am going out, then I am going out in style."

"There's only one problem with that, sire."

"What is that?"

"You have no money."

"What?"

"You're broke. In being cut off, your parents won't supply you with any more money. And any money you could have saved, you've spent. You don't have two nickels to rub together, to use an American phrase," Lawrence explained.

"Oh." Naveen slouched in defeat. He shrugged. "Then what can I do?"

Lawrence smirked. "You could get a job."

The prince shuddered. "No, no, no. That is not an option. You know I cannot work. I…I do not know the first thing of working!"

"Well, you could also try to marry a rich woman," Lawrence suggested.

Naveen groaned. "Marry? Me? You have got to be joking, Lawrence!"

"Quite the contrary, sire. I'm serious as death."

Naveen sighed and rested his chin in his palm. "What a couple of choices: try to work, or get tied down…" Naveen suddenly sat up, an idea having popped into his head. "Or…or I could be like those people down in the street! The ones that ask you for money!"

"Those are beggars, sire. And, unless you'd like to drag your family name through the mud even more, I'd highly advise against that occupation."

"Oh…" Naveen huffed, and flopped backwards again. "Being broke is harder than I thought."

"Indeed, sire."

Naveen got to his feet. "Well, there is no use moping about it. If there is one thing Prince Naveen does not do, it is moping." He rubbed his face, and walked over to his stack of records.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of selling those?" Lawrence said, barely hiding the glee in his voice.

"No, do not be ridiculous," Naveen said over his shoulder. He picked up a record and frowned at it, then looked up at the map on his wall, with a little pin stuck on the edge of Lousiana. He bit his lip, then turned around and shot Lawrence his old grin.

"I think I have found a way to get through this…predicament, is the word?" He looked back down at the record, and his grin widened. "Pack my bags, Lawrence! I am heading to New Orleans!"

------

"…And, finally, there is a rich culture and diversity in New Orleans. So…you see, that is why going to the States would be…beneficial to my training as future king," Naveen explained later that day. He shot a slightly uncertain smile to his parents, who looked at each other.

"I fail to see your point, Naveen," King Maneesh said, frowning.

Queen Luzia smiled. "Along with this 'rich culture and diversity' in New Orleans, something tells me that jazz is another reason you'd like to visit the States."

Naveen's grin turned sheepish. "Well, it is an unavoidable fact that jazz originated there. But my other points are entirely valid."

"I'm not sure…" King Maneesh said, his expression stern. "Sending you somewhere you've wanted to go for years doesn't seem like a very good punishment."

"Oh, hush, Maneesh," Queen Luzia said, smiling broad enough to show the dimples her son had inherited. "I think our son has brought up enough reasons in the past hour to make this a worthwhile trip." Her smile died suddenly. "But, we're going to have some conditions."

"Conditions?" Naveen wrung his hat between his hands. Conditions were not good. Queen Luzia nodded.

"Yes. We need to restrict you somehow. Do you agree, Maneesh?"

King Maneesh nodded, his face stoic. "Yes, I do." He looked down at Naveen. "We'll call you when we've decided what these conditions will be. You're dismissed."

Naveen bowed his head respectfully, then started toward the door.

"Naveen."

He turned around, still a bit nervous. But his father was wearing a smile, and his doe-brown eyes were twinkling.

"Be sure to get packed. Arrangements are going to be made immediately."

An enormous smile broke out on Naveen's face. He ran up and hugged his father, then his mother.

"Thank you, Mother, Father," he said, barely keeping his voice below a shout of joy. "Thank you!"

He rushed out of the room, then let out a crow of delight as he came into the hall.

"Fromanno! Fromanno, what's wrong?!" Ravi came rushing out of one of the rooms, a disgruntled tutor behind him. Naveen laughed and swept up his little brother.

"I'm going to New Orleans, fromanni!" he cried happily, spinning in a circle. "I'm going to see the birthplace of jazz!"

Ravi gasped excitedly. "Achedanza!"

"Yes, yes, achedanza, indeed!" He finally placed the younger prince on the ground. "Let's go celebrate!"

Ravi frowned. "But…I thought you weren't allowed to use money anymore…"

Naveen's happiness dimmed. "Oh…right…" He rubbed his neck, thinking. Suddenly, a sweet scent filled the air. He sniffed the air once, then smiled. "Thalia's making scones for the nobles' breakfast tomorrow. Let's go celebrate with a couple of those."

--------

"You're really planning to go to that dreadful place, sire?" Lawrence asked as he forced the suitcase closed. Naveen, tuning his ukulele, nodded.

"Yes, I am. It's to help me be a better king."

Lawrence finally clasped the case shut, then leaned against it, panting. "Well, I, for one, don't see how spending who-knows-how-long in a swamp is going to help you become a better king."

"Bayou," the prince said absently, strumming the ukulele experimentally.

"Beg pardon?"

Naveen looked up. "Bayou. That is what it is. Not a swamp."

Lawrence rolled his eye. Sticking a French name on it doesn't make it any better, he thought to himself, but said, "Of course, sire."

In the end, it didn't really matter to him. He was looking forward to this extended vacation from the prince. No more cleaning up after messes and acting as a pack mule. Just relaxing as a heightened member of society in the beautiful Maldonian countryside while Prince Naveen was halfway round the world. He felt happier just thinking about it.

His daydreams were interrupted by a knock at the door. He frowned and answered it. "Yes?"

One of the younger maids was standing in front of him. "Um…I have a message for the prince."

"Yes?" Naveen was suddenly at the door, smiling excitedly. Lawrence rolled his eyes. Of course, the very sound of a young female voice had the prince giddy.

The maid blushed and looked down at her hands. Another thing Lawrence had seen far too many times. This vacation was sounding better and better every moment.

"Um…their Majesties would like to see you, Highness."

"Yes, all right, I shall be down in a moment," Naveen said breathlessly. "You are Irene, right?"

The maid nodded. "Y-yes."

Naveen swiftly kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Irene!"

The girl looked as though she was about to swoon, but Lawrence didn't care to find out. He shut the door on her, then looked over at Naveen.

"Another one of your 'conquests'?" he asked dryly. Naveen shook his head.

"No, I have only seen her a few times." He checked himself in the mirror, obviously wanting to look nice in front of his parents. He turned around and grinned at his manservant. "Ah, Lawrence, it is such a shame you cannot come!"

"Yes. Pity." A real pity…while you're hopefully sinking in that swamp, I'll be on vacation in the country, being treated like a king. Oh, how will I survive?

Naveen stepped forward and grabbed his hand, then proceeded to shake it hard enough to make the rest of Lawrence shake. "I will not miss you, but I will pretend I will," he said, then hurried out the door. "Abinaza!"

"Abinaza," Lawrence said, then smiled for the first time in days. At last, his vacation had begun.

-------

"You wanted to see me?" Naveen asked as he stepped once again into his father's study. King Maneesh nodded.

"We've decided the conditions for your trip to New Orleans," he said. Naveen smiled.

"Good! What are they?" he asked, excited.

"First of all, you will be staying with Mr. Eli La Bouff, who is like an American version of a lord. He is to treat you as a normal guest, not a prince," Queen Luzia said.

"That is fair," Naveen said. "So, when does the boat lea--?"

"We are not done, Naveen," King Maneesh interrupted, then continued, "Secondly, we shall be giving you enough money for necessities. No frivolous spending."

"Of course. You have my solemn word that I will not spend a single minos on anything I don't need," Naveen said, holding up his right hand and trying to look solemn.

"We know. Lawrence will be in charge of the finances."

"Ah, goo—wait, what?"

The king and queen looked at each other, smiling slyly.

"If anyone can keep you in line, it's Lawrence," Queen Luzia said. "He seems to be the only one immune to those charms of yours."

Naveen forced a little laugh. "But…but I am cut off, remember? So it seems a little silly that I would have a manservant…doesn't it?"

"Not if that manservant keeps you in check," King Maneesh said, smiling. But, suddenly, he and the queen grew serious. "And one last thing: you will not be allowed to return to Maldonia until you can pay back your debt."

Naveen's dark brows drew together in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Queen Luzia cut in. "You need to find a way, while you're in the States, to pay back your eleven-thousand-lyon debt. That would be about five thousand American dollars. I hear Mr. La Bouff has a charming daughter…"

"What?! You mean marriage?!" He laughed shakily. "I…I am too young for marriage!"

"You will be twenty in a week, Naveen," King Maneesh reminded him. "That was the age I married your mother."

"Yes, but…but…!"

"If you do not want to be married, then I hope you're ready for some hard work," Queen Luzia said, grinning. Before her son could protest, she continued, "You need to learn responsibility one way or another, Naveen. Marriage and working hard are two very good ways to learn."

Naveen sighed. "All right, all right. I suppose these are fair terms," he said, somewhat grudgingly.

King Maneesh smiled. "Good. Your boat leaves in an hour. We will see you off, but, as soon as that boat leaves the harbor, you are on your own."

Naveen nodded, grinning. "I shall see you both then. Abinaza!" he said, then exited the room.

As soon as the door closed, Queen Luzia sighed. She looked up at her husband.

"Do you think he'll be all right?" she asked worriedly. King Maneesh took her hand.

"Don't worry so much, Luzia. He's a bright boy, though he doesn't like to show it."

Queen Luzia sighed again. "That may be true, but he has no common sense. He could get into trouble…real trouble, not his normal trouble."

"That's why we're sending Lawrence. He'll make sure nothing happens to him. I promise."

(A/N—First of all, thank you all for the amazing comments! Seriously, guys, you have no idea how much that means to me. Secondly, we're the coolest people on this site, because we started all the fics. And, thirdly, I don't find this to be my best chapter. But the next one will be better. I promise! Well…Abinaza, friends! See you next chapter!)