"Can you tell me anything about what Aegaimore is like? The traveller I ran into on my way here wasn't able to tell me much."
"I wouldn't be able to tell you much either, unfortunately. All I've ever done in Thagia is attend the royal balls and try to woo the Princess."
Lovino sipped at his water, after failing to answer Natalya's question. The pair had found their way to the veranda again today, this time for lunch as Lovino now had a free afternoon which he did not have yesterday. The servants had brought them out a light lunch with some charcuterie and fruit.
"The Princess?"
"Princess Madeline of Aegaimore," Lovino described, "She is a very sweet lady, calm and gentle but also perceptive and wise. She has wavy golden blonde hair and indigo eyes, both simple and beautiful at the same time. She has almost the entire human realm vying for her hand in marriage."
"She sounds lovely," Natalya acknowledged, "She must have an easy life."
"Perhaps, but there is still some trouble," Lovino illustrated, "Neither Madeline or Alfred has been declared as heir to the throne, so many are waiting to see their fates chosen. There are a lot of vultures starting to circle the twins, hoping that they can swoop in to marry Madeline and take the crown if Alfred doesn't take it first."
"What do you expect will happen?" Natalya asked.
"Best case scenario is that Alfred takes it," Lovino explained, "He just needs to find the right lady first, and bring her back to Thagia, he's working on that right now. Once Alfred is declared the next King, Madeline will be free to marry into the royal family of another family. Last I spoke to Alfred, I am a top contender for her hand in marriage."
"So she would come here and become your future queen?" Natalya figured out.
"Exactly," Lovino continued, "As long as Alfred returns safe and sound with his true love, Madeline will be free to marry me. However, if something happens to Alfred, Madeline will become Queen of Aegaimore instead, and it wouldn't make sense for us to marry anymore."
"And where exactly has Prince Alfred gone, if I may ask?" Natalya queried, "You said he sailed to Niba with you, and he's off searching for his true love?"
Lovino ate a morsel of prosciutto as he considered how to answer. After their conversation yesterday, he noticed there was something strangely coincidental in Natalya's story. It's not every day a lady escapes from a tower, especially at the same time a prince is looking to rescue an unknown damsel from a tower.
"Funny you should ask that," Lovino redirected, "Tell me something first, do you know where the Tailian Mountains are?"
"Of course I do," Natalya confirmed, "My tower was at the base of the mountains. I never got to look out at them though, as my balcony window was facing south. Why do you ask?"
"Because that's where Prince Alfred is headed," Lovino revealed, "His Seelie cousin told him that his true love was trapped in a tower, and needed to be rescued."
"What?" Natalya gasped, her eyes widening.
"Isn't it hilarious?" Lovino chuckled, "What are the odds that there's another lady just like you, trapped in a tower by the mountains?"
"What does Prince Alfred look like?" Natalya grilled, "Blond hair, blue eyes, travelling alone on horseback?"
"Yes, yes, and yes," Lovino verified, "Did you see him?"
"We met on the road four days ago, and shared a campfire for the night," Natalya divulged, "He's the one who suggested I travel to Aegaimore, but he didn't say he was the Prince! Or that he was looking for a maiden in a tower!"
"I can't help but wonder if it could be your tower," Lovino suggested, "I'm sure he'll send word soon if he comes across your empty tower."
"What is the plan after Prince Alfred finds his true love?" Natalya asked, "Whisk her away to Aegaimore as his bride?"
"Pretty much, yes," Lovino answered, "He has to woo her first, but he does intend to make her his wife and future queen."
"You've suspected me since yesterday, haven't you?" Natalya realized, "Since I told you my story?"
"Naturally," Lovino gave up, "It's too good to be true, after all."
Natalya seemed about to say something else, only for her eyes to suddenly dart sideways to look at something, then widen in surprise. Lovino turned to look as well, only to see someone standing there in the shadows of the castle wall. It was Alfred's fae cousin, Arthur, dressed in green with his semi-opaque golden wings outstretched behind him, and an ethereal glow to his skin.
"Forgive my intrusion, your Highness," Arthur greeted, "I bring news from my cousin."
"What a coincidence," Lovino noted, "I was just telling my friend here about Alfred and Madeline."
"Perfect timing then," Arthur remarked, "My news from Alfred concerns her too."
"Let me take a wild guess," Lovino speculated, "He found an empty tower with about seventy feet worth of flaxen blonde hair hanging from the window?"
"Yes, he did," Arthur confirmed, "How did you know that?"
"I just told Lovino the story yesterday," Natalya revealed, "I cut off my hair and used it to climb down the tower."
"Which leads me to a very important question for you, Arthur," Lovino addressed, "Is Natalya the one you sent Alfred to find? Is she Alfred's true love?"
"Yes, it is Natalya," Arthur ratified, "This human realm can really feel small at times."
"No kidding," Natalya sighed, placing her elbow on the table so she could lean her head on her palm.
"We found fresh produce at the base of the tower, at the bottom of the stairs," Arthur reported, "It appears that somebody else has been by in the last few days."
"That would be Francis," Natalya determined, "He definitely knows I've left then."
"Natalya has already been here a few days," Lovino pointed out, "You said it took a week to walk to Niba, yes?"
"That is correct," Natalya verified, "It's been eleven days since I escaped the tower."
"Which was the same day Alfred left Thagia on our ship," Lovino compared, "What timing, he left home to find the tower the same day you escaped."
"And so he's travelled all that way to discover that what he needed to find is no longer there," Arthur took over, "This leads me to the message Alfred asked me to deliver. He and his companions will ride back as quickly as possible, they will arrive in a few days, and he humbly requests that Natalya stay here in Niba to meet him on arrival."
"Companions?" Lovino flagged.
"In his travels, Alfred came across another pair of travellers who were also searching for Natalya," Arthur unveiled, "Using a bit of Natalya's hair at the tower, their Seelie fae friend and I were able to confirm that Ivan and Katerina are indeed Natalya's long-lost siblings."
"I have siblings now?" Natalya repeated, "A brother and sister?"
"They say you were taken away as a newborn, by a witch and her son," Arthur described, "They've been searching for you for some time, and now they're riding here with Alfred so they can finally meet you."
"Would you look at that," Lovino remarked, "Within two weeks of escaping the tower, you'll have managed to find both your long-lost family and your true love."
"The fates certainly are being kind," Natalya noted, "It almost seems too easy."
"Perhaps, only time will tell," Arthur assured, "Speaking of time, I've been in the human realm for too long already today, so I will take my leave. For Alfred's sake, Natalya, please stay in Niba until he returns."
"I'll make sure she does," Lovino vowed.
"He won't have to try too hard," Natalya promised, "I don't have a good reason to run away yet."
"In that case, farewell."
A moment later, the fae had vanished into thin air.
"What do you mean by that?" Lovino quizzed, "The fates are taking it easy on you?"
"It feels like a trap," Natalya explained, "Not finding my siblings of course, even the idea of true love isn't too bad. But being a queen, that's beyond anything I could've imagined for myself. I've been trapped in a tower for 13 years, and it seems that fate has already decided what will become of me."
"That's an odd way to think of it," Lovino vouched, "Being royalty is indeed a comfortable life, you don't have to worry about fending for yourself."
"It's still a gilded cage," Natalya insisted, "Everything would be chosen for me, I would have no freedom."
"And that's what you want, after all that time in that tower?" Lovino determined, "Freedom to choose your own life?"
"Yes," Natalya answered, "Above all else."
They fell silent after that, and Lovino pondered her words while they both looked out to the sea. Natalya certainly was unique, wanting freedom to choose her own life more than any luxury. If Alfred was to win her over, he'd need to convince her to choose a crown over freedom, which would clearly take some effort.
He'd have to talk to Alfred about that upon his return to Niba.