Back in the castle tower, I could see that the sun had moved considerably on its path through the sky. If I were to guess, I would have said that the time was three past noon. That meant I had spent near five hours in that strange but wonderful place. The abrupt change in temperature from the coldness of the cave to the warmth of the room made me take off my cloak, as did Christian. He took my cloak and together we walked back to the room from whence we got them.

As we walked the halls, we argued jovially about who would have won more races had we stayed longer. He said that since he had years of experience that he would surely be the victor and that I won because of luck and not skill. I argued that it had not been luck but rather a secret talent for cave sliding that I had discovered and would surely only get better at with time. We were laughing as we returned to the room.

As he put up the sword I asked, "Why did you need to bring that anyway? There was nothing dangerous in the caves."

Christian put the sword back up on the rack. "The portals are not only one way. We can pass through into other places, but things from other places can pass through to this side as well. That's one of the reasons the room is kept in a tower so whatever may come through cannot escape into the castle."

"Is that what happened that time with the king? I remember that man saying something about that." I was so scared of the hall of pictures before I had actually seen how wonderful it was. Everyone talked of it like it was some dreadful thing.

"When my father took the Tarahinian ambassador to the hall, a giant hummer wasp flew out of the jungle frame at them. Luckily, my father was carrying a ceremonial sword that day or they may have both been grievously wounded or even killed."

I was sure Christian meant the jungle frame I almost wandered into, I was glad he had stopped me. Hummer wasps were bothersome when they were regular size. I would not want to come into contact with one the size of a large bird.

"Shall we have lunch by the frog pond? I wish I could impress you with the grandeur of the main gardens but Joslynn has them filled with workers and decorations. When my sister wants to throw a ball she has to have the entire castle decorated to the rafters." Once again Christian and I were in the hallway and I was following him. I wondered if he knew his way around the entire castle. I knew he had lived there his whole life, but the castle was just so massive that I could not imagine anyone who could navigate the winding hallways and stairs easily.

"I cannot wait until this first ball. Your sister is doing a wonderful job with preparations, but are you sure she can get everything ready in only three days?" To me it seemed that there was still an endless list of things to do to prepare even though she had been working with my stepsisters for the past month. I knew that I could not have managed to put together a ball as elaborate as the princess seems to be organizing. It was a wonder that she was still standing after rushing around for more than a month.

Christian stopped a servant who was passing by with a load of flowers. He told the man to run to the kitchen and have them prepare a picnic lunch and have it taken to the frog pond. The servant nodded his head and went on his way. "If there is anyone who can pull off a ball of this scale, it is my sister. She was helping mother with organizing parties before she was old enough to attend them. It may look like chaos now, but it will be finished in time."

We walked out to the frog pond. It was a small pool of water surrounded by stones on a large uneven stone patio in an open area in the gardens. Cattails and tall grasses grew around the edges of the pond in clumps. Tiny colorful frogs jumped from lily pad to lily pad as dragonflies buzzed in between. There was a small fountain of water in the center that gave off a melodic bubbling noise to accompany the dragonfly wings and soft croaks from the frogs. Part of the patio was shaded by a large weeping willow with some of the branches cut away to allow people to walk under it easily. I thought it was the perfect place for a picnic. I thought that it was such a serene location that Joslynn would want to do something with it for her celebrations. Granted, it was a smaller area than the busy rose garden we passed through, but it was no less beautiful.

"Shall we?" Christian motioned to the spot under the weeping willow.

After we sat on the cool stones, it was only a matter of minutes before a pair of kitchen maids approached with a basket of food and a flagon of drink. The basket was filled with small items. There were no elaborate delicacies, but rather things would expect from a small meal taken in a garden. There were a few types of finger sandwiches and fruit to choose from along with cold strawberry fizz straight from the cellars; the bubbles from which tickled my throat as I swallowed. It was a perfect end to a wonderful day.

We talked and laughed as the sun sank lower in the sky. He told me about the other preparations his sister went through over the past few months and I told him about the day I went to the zoo and met his younger siblings. "They were quite spirited." I said. I wanted to avoid offending the prince by saying that his younger brother and sister were rude and forward with me.

Christian smiled, "That is one word for them. They are going to drag that poor nurse fairy of theirs into an early grave. Mother worries that Clover is growing up unladylike and wants to send her off to a finishing school in Tarahan. I think leaving Curtis might make her act more like a lady and less like a wild thing. Those two get into so much trouble together."

I could easily imagine the pair running around the castle and terrorizing the servants. For the brief time I met with them, I could tell that already that day they had worn Crimson out completely. Christian went on describing one of the scrapes they got themselves into. "Why, I recall last summer they caused such a fuss that father yelled so loud the very stones seemed to shake. Clover had gotten it into her head that her little pony just had to go for a swim in the large pond in the maid courtyard. She convinced Curtis to help her move the poor beast into the middle of the pond. Well, those two somehow got the horse all the way to the center of the pond where the horse's hooves got stuck in the mud. It's lucky that the pond wasn't very deep or else the pony would have drowned. It took two dozen servants nearly four hours to get that pony out of the pond. After father heard about it, he yelled at the two for nearly as long about respecting their animals and the servants who had to clean up their mess. When the horse had made it back to the stables, two of the men went to father and resigned saying they were not meant for work like that. That poor pony is still afraid of Curtis and Clover and throws a fit when they go near her."

My eyes widened at his tale. It sounded like a terrible mess and I felt sorry for the horse that had to endure being driven into a pond. "Where ever did she get the idea that the horse needed to be led into the pond?"

Christian shrugged. "She said that she had heard a story about horses with large wings that could float on water like swans and that her pony was one of them. No one could figure out where she had heard such a story and she would not tell which book she got it from or who had told her such a tale. No one in the castle had ever heard of something as absurd as horses floating on water."

I was wondering where anyone would get such an absurd notion when someone else entered the frog pond area. It was a tall thin boy who walked with his long pointed nose held high in the air. He had short sandy brown hair that was carefully assembled in waves on his head. He addressed Christian and did not acknowledge me at all. When he spoke his voice was high and bored sounding, as if he had gone through a lot of trouble to find the prince and now couldn't be bothered to do anything more. I glanced at Christian. His had had clenched into a fist, he looked rather annoyed. "It seems Aunt Marge has arrived and brought her son. This is Cousin Dewey." Christian whispered at me through the corner of his mouth. I looked the prince's cousin again. If I were to guess, I would say he was nearly seventeen annuals of age. He carried the confidence of youth and the arrogance that came from growing up with no discipline. It seemed Christian was not overly fond of his cousin.

"Ian, there you are. It was very rude of you to not have been there to greet me and mother when we arrived here this morn. I was so looking forward to the archery skills you promised to show me the last time I visited. I also was expecting to see the new horse you wrote about. I was hoping we could spend the day together while the women worked at their decorations and washing." Dewey said. He never once lowered his nose out of the air. Instead he looked at his cousin at a very odd angle. He kept his hands clasped firmly behind his back and cut rather an odd pose as he stood on the other side of the pond.

"I had a previous engagement today, Dewey. Perhaps tomorrow we can do the things I promised." Next to me I could see the annoyance clear in the very way Christian sat with his back straight and his jaw set. He was trying to be polite, but he found his cousin tiresome.

Now Dewey glanced at me. I stood and introduced myself with a small curtsy as was polite. Stiffly Dewey returned the politeness with a small nod of his head before he went back to berating Christian. While Dewey gave a very long tedious speech and filled his ears with his own voice, Christian whispered to me. "I'm sorry for his behavior. He follows me around constantly when he is here. I had hoped that perhaps if I was not here when he arrived he would spend more time with Curtis and Clover. Curtis is closer to his age after all, they is less than an annual of difference between them. Honestly, I cannot stand his company for extended periods of time. He speaks so stiffly and acts like one of the old stuffy advisors at court. Once he told me that he felt he was too mature for my younger brother and much preferred my company for we had similar interests. I think the real reason he prefers me is…"

"Would you mind listening to me when I speak to you?" Dewey interrupted. He walked around the pond to sit between us under the willow. He picked at the food and between bites he spoke. "There now you must listen to me. I was saying that it is very important for one to keep his promises especially when they are vows made to his own flesh and blood. We are of a higher class of people and must be expected to hold to a higher set of rules for how we conduct ourselves. Without such rules the hierarchy of the kingdom will fall to ruin. Now, if you do not mind I would like you to uphold your promises to me and show me your archery and horse. There are still a few hours left of the day and I'm sure you can find the time."

I shifted nervously. Now with Dewey nearly demanding to spend the rest of the day with the prince, I felt out of place. "Perhaps I should return to the inn."

"Splendid idea," The spoiled boy said.

The prince looked slightly disappointed, like he didn't want me to go just yet. I did not want to leave either, but Dewey made me feel like I was completely ruining the day he had planned and that one way or another he would send me away so he could be alone to do the things Christian had promised. It occurred to me that I could not get back to the inn without a carriage. Christian had been the one to bring me from the inn to the castle and I could not find my way back to the inn alone. Luckily, I was not the only one who remembered this and Christian told Dewey that he would have to personally return with me to the Gilded Leopard. To both of our surprise, the boy stood straight up and adjusted his tunic. "Well then, we had best be on our way. I do not want to waste any time."

Christian and I stood up more slowly. "Perhaps you could stay here and unpack your things first and get settled in your room." Christian offered.

Dewey waved a hand and laughed. "Oh, cousin, that is what servants are for. Besides I have already unpacked most of my things in the hours I spent waiting on your return. Now let us be off."

The carriage ride was awkward, to say the least. Dewey talked incessantly about his journey to Pharyss, his mother, a ball he attended last month, and any other minute detail that he felt the need to share. Neither I nor Christian spoke more than a few words on the way back to the inn. I could not imagine how Christian could spend more than an hour with the endless prattle. After the short carriage ride, I was thankful when we stopped at the front steps of the Gilded Leopard. Christian helped me out of the carriage and to my surprise Dewey hopped out after me. He explained that it was only proper for him and his cousin to escort me into the inn. I did my best to keep my annoyance in check when he took my arm and led me up the steps; all the while talking with his nose in the air.

Well, that was Dewey. I think he's fun to write because he is so absurd.

P.S. - The strawberry fizz reference is not really mine. I don't know if there is actually a drink called strawberry fizz, but I know it from a series about Redwall Abbey written by Brian Jacques. That series is probably the one that made me want to write and write well. Brian Jacques was my favorite author for years and I find my shelf of Redwall very comforting still. So that was my little salute to him. He was a great author, a great poet, and a great man.