Part Three

Sae could hardly calm herself from her morning encounter with Roderick, who she must now think of as Prince Roderick. She had never felt this faint before, this emotionally drained. Never had she let her emotions get the best of her, but he made her feel such heat. She recounted her earlier scorching words to him and regretted how badly she had handled herself. However, her fiery temper may have been gone but her resentment was still burning relentlessly. While she wished she had not dismissed him so readily, she could not forgive him, and learning that he was not the person she thought he was made him a stranger.

This is what scared her the most, and caused her to recoil from him; she felt like she no longer knew him. Sae was slowly convincing herself that she had fallen in love with an illusion, not an actual person. Therefore, she had to stay away from the Prince, lest she let her false feelings cloud her judgement.

These thoughts churned agonizingly that evening while her maids took to the task of packing her things in a sombre manner. They were not happy with her decision to go, especially knowing she was in love with the real Prince, and that she had technically won all the tasks, as Prince Roderick Sevastian Montagne revealed himself to her before she had used her guess.

Phélie could not prevent the trickle of tear drops escaping from her every few moments, though she pretended to rub her eyes from mere tiredness. Alesia's bright smile was nowhere to be seen that evening. She kept on opening her mouth as if to protest, but would resolutely close it a second later, taking Sae's feelings into consideration. Beda was deeply distracted and kept making mistakes with the packing order, putting things together that should be kept in separate cases, and forgetting half of Sae's dresses, needing to go back and add them in.

Though she wasn't supposed to help them, Sae found herself handing them stuff, going through her possessions to see that she hadn't left anything behind, and doing anything else that would keep her mind off her brooding thoughts.

Just as they were finishing up, there was a sharp knock on the door, and Mayah appeared. "Your carriage is being readied and soon you will be departing, dear Sae."

Even Mayah's voice sounded gloomier, though Sae thought there was another change in it, a more elegant lilt that she supposed Mayah reserved for impressing the royalty. Sae realized with an ache that she would miss Mayah very much.

"Before you go Sae, I was hoping I could speak with you. Just the two of us," she added, looking at the three lady's maids.

Beda, Alesia and Phélie stopped at once. They moved away from Sae's belongings, bowed to them, and Alesia added, "We'll come back to finish your packing and bestow proper goodbyes."

"Yes, thank you." Sae nodded in consent.

When Mayah and Sae were alone, Mayah gestured for her to sit on a chaise lounge in the main room. Once both of them were comfortably seated, Mayah began.

"I wanted to first tell you that, whether you wish to know or not, you have won all the seven tasks. As the Prince let slip who he was, by default you win. You've earned your position as a queen and wife to Prince Roderick, should you like to claim it."

"Thank you Mayah, but I will decline. This has all been too…strenuous for me. I want to go back home."

Mayah's posture drooped at the maiden's answer, and she looked down at her hands as she said, "I am sorry that you've come to feel this way Sae. I do apologize, as much as I am allowed to apologize, as much as you will accept it of me, for putting you through all of this."

Sae frowned, shaking her head, "You are no more to blame than Alesia, or Beda, or Phélie. In fact, you have helped me through so much Mayah, considering the Queen forbade you from telling me anything. You have been my emotional support."

Mayah let out a conquered sigh. "No Sae, you see, this whole masquerade is all my doing. I needed to be sure of the lady who would one day marry my son and take my place in ruling Fu Naru. I needed to test her so that I could observe her, and know her with her guard down. I knew that, being the Queen, she would never let her guard down in my presence, but around servants she would not act like anyone but herself. Yes dear girl, I am the one who has put you through all of this."

Sae was stunned. Then, slowly, she formed the words. "You mean, you are…that is, you are Queen Ryona?"

Mayah bowed her head. "I am she. I switched places with my head lady-in-waiting, and we're been playing each other for quite a long time now; for all the seven ladies who have taken the tests. Sae, I am convinced that you are the woman to take my place as queen. You are genuine, hard working, fair, and have many other attributes ideal for a ruler. But more than any of that, my son is devastatingly in love with you, and he has never been in love with anyone before. He was always a boy who didn't give much thought or freedom to his emotions, but there's been a change in him recently, as you must know."

When Sae, still too shocked, did not answer, Mayah, or Queen Ryona, pressed onwards.

"I am in awe by the emotions that have been awakened in him. I can tell by his actions, hear it in his words, see it in his eyes, feel his restless manner, that these feelings he is struggling with, because they are so new to him. He so desperately wants to be with you it's overwhelming him. I've never seen him like he is now Sae, and I know you love him too. I have seen it when you are near him. You once told me what you offered him while he was pretending to be his cousin; you would leave the competition to be with him. This was not a mistake, was it Sae? You were not mistaken in your love for him, were you?"

"I—I….I don't know anymore Ma—I mean, your highness."

"Yes, love can be a confusing thing. Dear girl, you came here and told me you were not made for love, and here you have found it. Why leave now?"

Mayah's confession was so astounding it almost completely extinguished Sae's anger. However, Ryona had just resurrected Sae's reasons for leaving by asking for them. Sae felt resentment begin to surface, and having never felt irritated with Mayah before, she was uncomfortable with this budding bitterness for the disguised queen.

"I am tired, your majesty, tired of all these tricks, of doubting myself and having to doubt those I came to trust between these walls." Sae's voice carried her hurt and frustrations. "I trusted Mayah, but Mayah is not who she seemed to be. I fell in love with Roderick, but Roderick is not Roderick. I am—forgive me your majesty—upset and I want to go back to the normality of my home. At least there I know things are real, and I can trust my family…I can breathe normal again. I miss home dearly."

The Queen nodded. "If that is what you wish for child, then home you shall have. The carriages will be ready by now, though I would ask you to do one last favour for the Mayah you came to care for, and what she wants, what I ask for, is that you sleep on this tonight. A night of sleep can get rid such angers and make things appear differently. Also, I do not like the thought of you travelling home by moonlight. There may be bandits out there only too happy to attack night travellers."

"I own I was hasty this morning in demanding a carriage ride home for the very same day. I was just so upset with him, I wanted to be out of here instantly. I knew packing and preparations would take half a day, and the earliest I could possibly part would be nightfall. I do see reason in leaving in the morning instead, and I will do this favour for you, your majesty, because you were there for me as Mayah. However, do not expect me to change my mind. You have caused me pain and I do not wish to belong to a family who has been so dishonest with me. I feel like I know none of you—forgive me for saying so your majesty but this is how I feel."

"I understand dear, I do, which is why I hold no offence, but only accept it as the truth of which I am ashamed of. I am just glad to know you will stay the night and be safe. I shall call your maids back now; they will be delighted to have you for one more night. And in the morning, off you go, away from us. Though I think I should warn you, should you run home, my son may follow."

"I'll be expecting him." Sae found herself admitting, but hastily added, "I mean—"

Ryona wouldn't let her retract it however, and so cut her off saying, "Good, then that gives me hope that should he give chase, you shall forgive him."

"Oh! Please do not tell him I said that." Sae pleaded in mortification.

"Tosh! I will not interfere with plights of the young. I have every confidence that he'll be after you without any need of encouragement from me or anyone else."

"Hmm…well, I don't know if that makes me happy or makes me feel annoyed."

"Once you have calmed down, I'm sure you will know the answer to that. In any case, goodnight my child. I shall leave and let the maids continue packing."

Sae walked with her to the door. "Goodnight your majesty." Sae said, but once Queen Ryona was out of the room, Sae added glumly, "Goodbye dear Mayah".

o-o-o

The gold encrusted pearly palace carriage sat pleasantly gleaming in the morning sun, as if promising a safe and agreeable trip home. The sight of it bathed Sae with fresh nostalgia. She paused at the front of the palace gates, anticipating the comforts of home. An approaching soft voice woke her up from her musings.

"I'm not too late then. I've come before your departure." Condor smiled kindly. "I've come to say goodbye Sae."

She turned from the servants loading her belongings onto the carriage and fixed her gaze on him. "So you too knew all along, didn't you Condor? I confided in you about Roderick and you knew he was the real prince."

"But I had not the freedom to speak it. I did very badly want you two to find each other. I still want you to be with him."

"Yes well, I am missing home and I think I need to clear my head before I make any decisions."

"What's there to decide?" He pressed, "You love him, he loves you, you won the competition. It's all settled."

"If only life were that easy, Condor." Her smile was sad. "If I regret few things, it is that you and I shall part now. You have become a dear friend to me."

"I'm honoured you think of me as a friend Sae, but it would have been better still to have you as a sister, especially after all the work Sevastian and I did trying to get you and my brother together. It was all for nothing now."

Sae blinked. "Wait—what?"

"Oh," he laughed weakly, "by the way, I'm Prince Condor Fabian Montagne…truly. The Fabian you saw was really a stable boy called Oren; we switched as well. The stables were my post where I was to assess each of the contenders, and you were by far my favourite."

More lies! I cannot believe the lengths they've all gone to, Sae thought. Aloud, she asked, "Anyone else pretending to be someone they are not? Is Lisario really your knight cousin, and is Gallagher really the head servant? I've always wondered why he is so nervy, as if he's keeping some secret."

Condor chuckled. "Lisario is really himself. You yourself once said that I looked a bit like him and asked if we were related. We are; he's my cousin, cousin to the royal family. His full name is Lisario Sevastian. Gallagher is naturally nervy in personality, and he has been hiding a secret; mine, my mothers and my brother's secret, the secret of Fu Naru Palace. As head servant he felt responsible in making sure all the lady contenders never figured it out before they were supposed to, so he's been very anxious about anything that remotely hints at it."

Sae was interrupted from her reply by the sounds of running footsteps. They looked behind them and saw Lisario advancing from the main palace doors.

"I'm glad I caught you by the gate," He breathed, stopping a few feet back. "I've come bid you goodbye, Sae."

"Lisario, it's good to see you one last time." Sae said warmly despite her current mood. "May I ask where you have been these past few days? I had been looking for you but you seemed to have disappeared."

He sighed, handing her a rueful smile. "That was her majesty's doing. She felt it best I stay out of your way; didn't think you needed the distraction while you were trying to solve the task. She thought it would make things easier to take me out of the picture and out of the equation, but I was worried it would only rise your suspicions."

"It did in the beginning, but she was right in the end; with you not there I began to suspect others. I'm happy you've come to see me off though. Now I've said goodbye to everyone I wanted to. I only wish my lady's maids were allowed to see me off as well. They gave me their tearful goodbyes this morning and I'm afraid I'm going to miss them, and you two, terribly."

"I wish you would reconsider," the knight bid, "but I know better than to make any vain attempts in convincing you of it. Look, the servants have finished filling the carriage with your belongings. How about we help you in and give you a proper sending off?"

"Thank you, I suppose it is time for me to go." Sae said, suddenly miserable and looking back at the palace.

"Her majesty wanted to make sure your departure was unmarred, as you are anxious to be home. She set Prince Roderick on a small outing earlier this morning."

Sae scolded the disappointment that flooded her heart, and she nodded in an attempt to look content, saying "I am pleased she did that for me. Well, I am off now."

The carriage, now readied, was soon before them, and the manservant next to the driver descended from his seat, but Condor held up his hand in protest. "No need. We will assist her into the carriage."

Sae turned to them and said sincerely, "Goodbye Con—Prince Condor, and goodbye Sir Lisario. You two have been treasured companions during my stay."

"Goodbye my sister." Condor grinned, taking her hand and helping her in. Lisario saluted goodbye as she waved to them from her carriage window.

And she began her journey home.

o-o-o

Count Arland and Lady Kiva were waiting with open arms the moment Sae tumbled out of the palace carriage and into their embrace. The ride had been long, though peaceful, and tears welled in her eyes when she began to recognize the hills and slopes of the western region, her home. She had left it at the dawn of summer but now reds, oranges, and yellows dotted the lush mountains and smothered the forested valleys. The sky was cloudless and rich with blue, pink and orange, and the sun was half hiding behind a grouping of trees. Even the crisp air of her father's land carried a different fragrance. She took a deep breath and smelled the purity of vegetation, fresher and wilder than the overdone flora of the palace's impeccably kept gardens. If she had been Queen, she would have seen to it that more wild trees were planted. But no! She mustn't start thinking like that, she berated herself.

When Lady Sae reached the gates of Eldree Manor the family servants were already gathered outside to welcome her home. The driver halted the carriage and the manservant stepped down and helped Sae out. Her parents appeared, smiling warmly and pulling her towards them.

"My dearest, you didn't even send word ahead that you were coming! We only received news of it from her majesty's courier an hour ago!" Lady Kiva chided, kissing Sae and rubbing the girl's head affectionately.

"I left in a bit of a hurry." Sae admitted, looking at her father warily.

Count Arland held her at arms length. "You appear healthy my dear, though a little unhappy. Come inside and tell us all. I dare say Mealina will be frantic to see you. She is somewhere on the grounds with your brothers, up to no good I imagine."

Sae was overcome with a fondness that filled her; it was good to be home. Her parents walked on either side of her, their arms around her shoulders. The servants all smiled and wished her a happy return.

"We have already dined for the evening, but should you care to eat, I will get Iona to prepare something."

"Yes, I would like some food, but I will go down to the kitchens and ask Iona myself. I want to say hello to her and the others."

"When you are done, you will find your mother and I in the drawing room, and then you can tell us all about your trip." Count Arland said.

Sae assented to the arrangement and made her way down to the kitchens.

When Sae joined her parents in the main drawing room, she seated herself comfortably next to them and prepared herself. However, before she could commence, the doors burst open and a flash of gold hurtled into the room. Then Mealina was clutching Sae around the neck and shaking her head.

"Oh Sae, you're home! You're home! I've missed you so!"

"Mealina you're squeezing a little too tightly," Sae choked. When Mealina loosened her grip by a millimetre, Sae continued. "Why don't you sit beside me? I was about to tell mother and father about my time at the palace."

"Oooh, I want to hear all about it!" Mealina was thus appeased and plopped herself down.

"Well," She began slowly, "you will probably not be very proud of me father, especially after the pains you took to give me such a great opportunity, but I am not betrothed to the crown prince."

King Arland patted her clasped hands and said, "Do not be concerned over my feelings daughter, I will always be proud of you no matter what. No young lady has been able to impress the Queen and win her favour as yet. I was asking a lot of you to go there and do what no other could. I am sure you did your best, and because of your hurried departure home I already came to the conclusion that things did not end in your favour. Tell us everything; we will not be upset."

Lady Kiva nodded and Mealina looked wide-eyed, waiting for her sister to begin.

"My leaving the palace was not because the Queen bid me so, but because I demanded passage home. They played a great farce on me there, and I feel very ill used."

These words surprised her relations, and she went on to explain the decoy princes and queen, how she had defeated task after task, how the king had warned her, how she and the fake prince had become fast friends, and how after her final task the trickery was revealed.

"Of course, I did not figure it out until the real prince gave up his guise to me. I was so upset that I did not want to be around them for any longer, and I dreamed only of home."

Her family was rightly horrified and upset on her behalf. To be treated in such a fashion! They hugged her and assured her that she had done the right thing.

"If it were not treachery to openly accuse her majesty of wrongful doing in court, I would demand an apology before all the courtiers." Count Arland seethed. "To treat a daughter of the noble house of Eldree in such a fashion, I can hardly stand to think of it!"

"We will have to content ourselves with the knowledge that Sae is unharmed dearest, and that she got the better of them by pulling herself out of there." Kiva surmised. "I cannot wholly condemn a mother who is looking out for her son's well being, though to treat our Sae like this is certainly condemnable."

"Do not hold ill will with them Sae, and I will promise to do the same. Though we must never trust them so explicitly again." Her father advised.

Lady Kiva did ponder aloud after some time about Roderick's behaviour. "I wonder why the real prince revealed his identity. It certainly did not coincide with his mother's wishes. He must have wanted you to win, to forfeit the truth like this. Why Sae, he must be in love with you to do such a thing!"

Mealina suddenly squealed but Sae frowned. She had left out everything concerning her relationship and feelings for the fake Royal Advisor, but her stepmother had still come to the conclusion that he loved her without her even mentioning it.

"Truly, it makes no difference to me. They all lied and gave me such false hopes, only to conjure a seventh task that I lacked the insight to succeed in. Her majesty requires my respect as my ruler, but if she wasn't the Queen, I'd have a mighty few words to give her."

"It is not loyal of us to say so," Count Arland interjected. "Regardless of how much her Majesty may deserve it, we must cease here with our spite. The treatment you received was abominable, however, let us instead focus on the happy occurrence of your being home again."

"You said you were not disappointed father, but I cannot help but feel I have wasted the chance you acquired for me. I've only ever wanted to please you and I know you had my best interests at heart."

"Say nothing more of it, dear Sae. The most important thing is that you are happy, and I promise you this; I will fulfill my duty as your father by making sure you have a happy future, whether it is as some nobleman's wife, or a jolly old maid looking after your parents."

His daughter's heartfelt smile meant more to Count Arland than any royal suitor. He gave her a one-armed embrace and told her not to fret.

It was clear to Sae that while her father was satisfied with her decision, Lady Kiva and Mealina were still curious and they would be asking her for more details after the Count retired to his study.

Sae could already see the wild possibilities forming in Mealina's mind. She resolved then to tell them the truth. She sincerely wanted to confide in Lady Kiva, whom she trusted to be unbiased, and she couldn't disappoint Mealina out of a tragic love story, after all.