I did not take a nap. I had not taken naps in years and I had no intention of starting at that time. All I did was make a quick beeline to my bedroom and locked the door behind me. For all I knew Pierre's pleasant quieteness masked a prying thief and Bastien would go against his nature and come in after me. So as soon as the door was locked I stepped back and stared it, wondering just which of them would be the first to break it down.

My goodness, but I was becoming a bit paranoid.

"I take it things did not go well?" Gigona asked from the windowsill.

I sighed and turned to face her. "I have decided that much of this courtship thing is dull."

"You haven't picked one?"

"Pick one?" I echoed. "Oh, but I have no desire to pick either one of them."

"I see." She hopped onto the bed and I suddenly wished I was back to being a monkey when life seemed so comparably simpler. Though I knew perfectly well nothing could be further from the truth. "So you despise both of them."

"No, they're both fine."

"Even Bastien?"

"He is fine. He is just like he always has been, which means that nothing is wrong with him and he is every definition of fine. All is well with him." I sighed again and put a hand to my head. "Gigona, have you ever been courted?"

"By a human?" She laughed her pretty little monkey laugh.

"No, that's just silly." She was not going to get a grin out of me. "By another monkey, I mean. One of your kind."

She shook her head and took a moment to preen her tail. "Not yet. With my father still looking to get married it seems my own marriage prospects are far from the focus of things. You would think that Mirlifiche would be a little more interested in just marrying me to take up the throne but I don't think he thinks that way. Or I disgust him. One of the two." She seemed delighted by the idea that she disgusted him.

And she had to bring up that monster. "You're still going to leave soon?"

She nodded. "Don't worry, you will be the first to know."

That was a blessing. I was grateful to be sure of something.

"So why did you lock the door?" she asked.

"I really don't know." I looked back at the door. No sign nor sound of it jiggling yet. "I'm afraid one of them might try to follow me."
"That sounds terrifying. Are you truly afraid of that?"

"Well…."

"Because I would never allow myself to be courted by strange men who would be so rude as to follow me to my room."

"I don't really think that either of them would try—"

"Because I can't think of anything more terrifying."

"Gigona, I—"

"Where are they? If they are trying to follow you and I will find them and bite off their fingers and they will regret all of it and it will be a horrifically bloody mess and we will have yet another kingdom terrified of monkeys."

All right, so I was being ridiculous. I unlocked the door. "There. Happy?"

She didn't look it. "Now it seems they can just get in."

I slumped down into the chair. And to think I had come here for a little rest and respite. "I am still rather new to the concept of being courted!"

"Obviously. So have Queen Patricia pick one for you."

That was a novel idea and I considered it. "No, it wouldn't work. I would ask her to do that and she would simply turn the duty back on me. She's a queen and she loves it. No proper and self-respecting queen would allow someone to pick a suitor for her."

"I suppose I'll just have to pick one for you, then," Gigona said with a sigh.

I stared at her and tried not to laugh. "I think that still goes against Queen Patricia's beliefs."

"Yes, but this is me, your dear friend and almost-stepdaughter Gigona. I'll know exactly which one you should marry."

"I don't think I want to marry either of them."

"Then why on earth did you allow yourself to be brought to this palace?"

I looked her square in her eyes before I responded. "Because it was something to do. It had absolutely nothing to do with myself getting married. Because I could become a princess and learn and not to have to look at Bastien all the time. Because I like Queen Patricia and she is nice to me and because apparently a river fish king told her to take me here."

That did appear to catch her off-guard. "Well, as long as you have a reason, I suppose. Though I'm still not sure what the river king would make such a command. Though according to what you said, you do not want to marry Bastien. So I shall have to investigate this Lord Pierre a little closer. If he still likes you after witnessing you attempting to climb a pillar he can't be all bad."

I smiled. "All right, then, you can examine him all you want."

She pushed open the window and disappeared.

I did not see her for the rest of the day. As for myself, I was bored. There was little to do in my room except stare at my human reflection and wonder just what these men saw in it. I should have brought books there. Queen Patricia had a magnificent library with a fine collection of histories and sciences but I had never considered the possibility of bringing any to my quarters. Of course I could probably just leave my room and go to the library but that would risk having to lie about missing my nap. Which at this point was taking all day. Which would suggest that Bastien and Pierre could assume that my nap was finished. But at that point it was far too much explanation running through my head.

At last it was time for supper and I crept like a guilty child from my room and into the dining room where it appeared I would not only be eating with Patricia but with our two dear guests as well.

It was the first time I properly realized that Patricia expected the possibility of one of them marrying me. She sat at the table as was her duty with me placed at her right side. Pierre was next to me and Bastien was at her left. A normal enough placement considering the amount of people but Patricia seemed to have placed greater significance to the arrangement and spent her time glancing at me than each suitor in turn.

"So, gentleman, are you enjoying your stay here?"

Bastien laughed. "You know I always do, Queen Patricia. It's always wonderful to visit you." He looked right at me as he said it, an action that Queen Patricia did not miss.

With pure glee in her eyes she turned to Pierre to await his response.

He did not laugh but instead smile happily and big enough he might as well have. "It's a beautiful kingdom, Your Majesty, and you have been more than generous to have me here. Your adopted daughter is charming as well."

I blushed and it was only my training that kept me from sinking into my seat. Though was I myself smiling? I was becoming one of those simpering and idiotic maidens Bastien had always liked so much. No wonder he was here.

The joy instantly faded from Bastien's face—clearly he had not expected such brashness in his competition—but Queen Patricia laughed right out, loud and long.

"Well, then, Lord Pierre!" she exclaimed as she slammed her knife to the table with a loud clank. "I like that about you! You are leaping straight to the point. Keep in mind that Princess Singette has already turned down a marriage to Bastien once—"

Bastien's face turned a distinct red at that.

"—but that still does not mean his competition will be any less fierce for he is a boy I know quite well. Princess Singette will be making the ultimate choice, as I'm sure you realize, and you can't possibly think that her hand will be offered exclusively to the two of you."

I couldn't hold myself back any longer. "You're encouraging this?"

She nodded and laughed. "Of course I am! You're a princess now and a beautiful one at that. Of course if you don't want to get married you don't have to get married. I had rather hoped you trusted me enough to know I wouldn't force you to do anything. But is it so wrong to announce that a marriage to you is a possibility? With your approval, I admit. Dear me, maybe I did speak too soon."

To my horror I found myself shaking my head. "No, no. It's all fine." Was it? I suppose I wasn't adversely opposed to the idea of getting married, but everything was happening so fast.

Bastien and Pierre, at least, seemed to like the idea almost as much as Patricia did.

"Then it's settled," she announced, picking her knife back up using it to carve her meat with more grace than her sudden announcement would suggest about her. "I'll make the announcement. I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I must allow my new daughter to have a greater exposure to young men, she had a rather sheltered childhood."

"Of course not," they said in near unison.

"You're inviting more to come here?" I managed to ask.

Patricia nodded. "Yes. I have room enough to host a bunch and it will be loas of fun. I promise you that you will enjoy it. They're be dances and hunts and tournaments. You will have plenty of opportunity to talk with any you take a fancy to. And who knows? You might just find a husband in the mess of it."

I nodded. I had to admit that it would take pressure off the Pierre and Bastien situation.

Somehow we all managed to finish our meal in relative peace.

The time after supper was dedicated to quieter things. I had sort of hoped that we could all sit together and chat, but just after the plates had been taken away Patricia whispered to me that I would need to spend some time with each of them in turn.

So since it was determined that Bastien did not like walks, I found myself strolling through a terrace on the arm of Pierre. It was quite pleasant, I had to admit. I still did not know Pierre very well and perhaps it was a good thing to get to know him. He was nice.

"So you're an orphan," he said.

It took me a moment to remember Singette's backstory, and I nodded. "Yes, left completely destitute as well. That's when Queen Patricia found me."

He smiled. "How good of her. Though to look at you I can't believe that any one would not offer you help had they seen you on the road."

Blushing, I brought a hand to my face. "I can't be that beautiful."

"Oh, but you are! Princess, you are exquisite."

"Thank-you. You sure know your compliments."

"I do enjoy words." He cleared his throat. "You are lovely, gracious, kind, sweet, enchanting, beautiful, dazzling, exquisite, pretty, stunning and…"

I laughed. "Did you run out of words?"

"I suppose I did."

"Am I just not worth any more words?"

His eyes went wide with terror. "No, no, that's not at all what I mean."

I laughed again. "I see. So—"

"Just let me find a thesaurus and I'll give you more words."

I really had no interest in waiting around for him to look up words. It was time to change the subject. "So what was your childhood like, Lord Pierre?"

He shrugged. "It was quite nice. We have nice grounds and I like my family. We like to ride horses."

I had never ridden a horse. "What's that like?"

"It's like riding a horse." He seemed unsure of what else to say.

"Fair enough," I replied. The air was growing rather dark and I wondered if we shouldn't head back to the palace. Though I suppose the twilight garden was quite romantic. "What else did you do?"

"Not archery."

"Yes, I am still better at it than you."

He took a long moment to think. "We had dogs. I would take them hunting."

I had always learned the key to conversation was to get the other person talking about themselves as was only polite, but I was growing bored and antsy. "Are you ever going to ask me why I was climbing a pillar?"

He stopped and my arm was nearly pulled form his. "I… I figured you liked climbing. That was all."

"But a pillar. At a time like that."

"Yes. It was strange but then again I haven't met all that many people."

"But Lord Pierre, I was trying to climb a pillar!"

He laughed, but it sounded strained and forced. "All right, then. Princess Singette, why were you climbing a pillar?"

I sighed. "Because I am a monkey princess turned mysteriously into a human girl."

Now his laugh was sincere. "That's a very good joke!"

I forced myself to smile. "Yes, well, I felt the mood should be lightened." It was not as if I had expected him to believe me.

"And lighten it you did! I had no idea you had such an imagination."

And I had no idea he would have the whole thing so funny. So I stood next to a bug-surrounded fountain while I waited for him to stop laughing.

Even when we were continuing our walk several minutes later he was still occasionally chuckling. Nothing else had been said in the meantime.

At least he easily amused. That was a nice quality.

"So, really," he finally asked. "Why were you climbing the pillar?"

"I suppose I found it the equivalent of a chair or something and I was frightened. And I do enjoying climbing trees."

"Such a strange hobby. It's like—"

Whatever simile he was to bring up was interrupted when a small furry shape darted out before us.

Pierre screamed and jumped in front of me. How heroic.

The creature scampered from the shadows and it was just who I had expected. Gigona smiled at me a very knowing smile.

"What is that?" Pierre asked in terror.

"A monkey," I said.

"A monkey…" he repeated. "Like the kind that King Achille and Queen Cerese hate. Oh, the stories I had heard from them."

I held out my arms and Gigona sprang into them. "See? She's quite tame. I've seen her around the palace from time to time. Must be someone's lost pet."

Pierre backed away from us before sneezing. "I hear they can tear faces off."

"Yes. But I don't think she will."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. Here." I had to admit, Gigona did take the trouble of making herself adorable.

Pierre sneezed again.

Gigona sprang back to the ground. "I don't think he likes me," she said.

I shook my head.

"He's quite dull.

This time I nodded.