Athanasia had never been so angry with Sabille than she was when the woman brought, instead of Igerna, the Royal guards to take all of them back to her father's palace. For the entire walk back she refused to look at her while Galatyn was crying quietly from where she held him at her side.

Even when she tried to follow the princess into her room to help her dress for the court that would be gathered to meet these merchants, she was rejected. Athanasia felt little guilt for shutting the door in her face.

She donned the long, heavy skirts, and the massive bell sleeves. She left her hair unbound and applied her ornament all on her own, before dressing Clarine as well. They were both very irritated at their nurse.

How could she betray them to their father?

The princesses walked, heads high, into the room to take their place by their father. The rest of the court gathered and, with the best scholars present to translate, they demanded the travellers intention.

"I am Sinbad," the leader declared, "And I want to offer you a place in our trading company."

There was a murmur through the crowd.

Athanasia's eyes were drawn to the boys sword. It shown with magic. Magic was not permitted on the islands, and she had to wonder if anyone else could recognize it without it being used. There was something familiar about the shine that came off of it, but she could not place it.

Her frown was barely noticeable, but it got her mother's attention. Loudine glanced at her, but did little more than touch her shoulder. Athanasia leaned into the contact, however briefly.

Ablion scoffed.

"Leave," he demanded, loudly. "You are not welcome here. Outsiders bring nothing but trouble. You are not welcome here."

"Please," the white haired boy stepped forwards, "Lets us trade with you! You have the most advanced medicines in the world! If we could spread that to other people, thousands could be-"

"That is not my concern," his voice sliced through the air, a knife in the hopes of these boys. "My people have survived this long on our own. We don't need anything that could be offered to us, and we will give no charity."

"At least give us time enough to restock our supplies," Mystras weaseled.

Albion narrowed his eyes at the teenagers before he nodded curtly.

"You have one week," he declared. It was the greatest kindness Athanasia had ever seen him bestow upon a person. And wasn't that just pathetic?


"This is a bad idea," Athanasia warned, but she did nothing to deter the boy from creeping across the roof. She was right at his back, ready to catch Galatyn if his footing slipped. Clarine gripped her other hand, holding on tight.

"We be 'kay," he assured. The trio spirited themselves away, into the forest that surrounded the castle in which they lived, out into the darkness. They moved quietly, small feet padding against the soft earth beneath them. They made their way past giant sloths dozing for the night, and the elephants fields. No one caught them. Not even when they ran through the docks to get to the ship, though that may have had more to do with people looking the other way for the royal children than it did their own abilities at stealth.

The ship was large. She had never seen anything quite like it as far as this world went. It wasn't from anywhere near them, that was something she could be absolutely certain of.

She could admire it later. Right then she lead her sibling towards the light that spilled out of the open door that lead below deck. None of them dared bring Igerna with them. Athanasia had forbidden it. They would pay only a small price, but a slave girl could be killed for the offense of disobeying the king's order that contact be kept to a minimum.

She knocked politely.

The door opened and Sinbad peered out. He smiled widely when he saw the three royal children standing before him. He offered his hand to Athanasia, who placed her own in it and smiled, just a bit, when he kissed her knuckles once more.

"Hello, princess!"

Now she had a better understanding, even from that small encounter in the palace.

"Hello," she repeated. Galatyn launched himself into the room, breaking past her and Sinbad both. He barely acknowledge the other people in there, too busy was he with inspecting the furs on the walls and the crates. The rugs rolled up in one corner, a plate of fruit he'd never seen on the table. Her brother wanted to know everything there was about this world, and heaven help anyone who thought they could deter that.

He didn't care much for his tutors, who were obsessed with rules and the history only of their country. He wanted to know about the world itself, about far away lands and the people who lived there. Customs besides the lengths of a ladies sleeve or what flower graced the head of which king, what stone dictated which island of origin.

Athanasia didn't blame him. There had been life times where she hadn't given two shits about what people wanted her to learn. Times where it was all so mundane that she would just walk away and damn it all to whoever wanted her to sit still and listen to the quadratic formula for the eight hundredth time.

This time, she didn't have that fuck all attitude. This time she was clawing her way into power.

"Please," she said, slowly, "Tell us about the outside world."

And so they did. They talked about where they had been. Where Mystras was from, the land Hinahoho had come from.

They sounded nice. A country in the mountains where religion reigned supreme. Mystras didn't speak of it with much fondness, and he had a hard time making eye contact with Athanasia and Clarine. She didn't mind.

A country in the north covered in frost, where men and women were giants, and could spend hours underwater without a break. Where there was snow all the time and cold. The opposite of the tropical isles they stood on now.

One look at Galatyn's face and she knew that he was in love with the idea. She was sure some of her translations were wrong, but that didn't matter. He wanted to see absolutely everything. And she would find a way that he would.

Her own inheritance had been stripped of her, and Clarine would not be there long enough for her to become queen. Which meant that Galatyn was going to be the next Great King of Carleon and the Malory Isles.

He would hate that.

"What about this country," Ja'far asked, "What is it like?"

To that, Athanasia had to think.

"We are a chain of islands united under my father's crown. Each island has its own king, and its own queen. Along with that, each island has its own crown. The stone of Carleon is a selenite," which was soft enough to scratch with a nail. "Clarine is next in line for our thrown, and her betrothed. Or, whoever that winds up being.

Um, we have sloths and elephants, we mainly eat plants, fish and birds. And our medical knowledge had wiped out almost all illnesses that once plagued us."

"Would you show us the island tomorrow?" Sinbad asked, offering her an award winning smile.

Athanasia should have said no, probably. Any good princess, any obedient daughter would.

Instead, she smiled.

"Of course."

It was then that Sebille appeared in the doorway, looking harried. She was in her nightgown. Athanasia felt only a little pity that the nurse maid had had to run all the way here in her night clothes. If she had listened before this wouldn't be an issue at all.

Really, if people would just listen to her, things would be so much easier for all of them.

"I came to fetch you," she said, frowning down at the three royal children. Galatyn pouted at her.

"Just one more story? Please?" he pleased, reaching for her hand.

Sebille faltered, looking down at the wide, pleading eyes of the child. And her face melted into something of a softening. One that Athanasia knew meant that they had won the fight to get their 'one more story'. One more was never enough.

Athanasia turned to them and, minding her words, she said, "Will you tell one more tale?"

Sinbad grinned and stood up, drawing his sword. Sebille stiffened and grabbed Athanasia's shoulder, and she sunk back to put a hand on her sisters stomach. Ready to act if it came down to it, however much she doubted that it would. A light poured forth from the blade and she had to squint against it. She knew that glow.

"I'll tell you how I, Sindbad, captured the first Dungeon!" he declared. Athanasia tried to translate as best she could.

She didn't know how she missed the interest that Sebille payed.