Prologue
Prologue
Leon held the large, velvet bear and marveled at the silk trim and shiny button eyes. It wasn’t the first time he’d admired the toy. It was a little more special since his best friend said he could borrow the bear. “But…your Mother gave Humbert to you. You said he’s your favorite.”
“You’re my friend so you can have him for a while. I know you’ll take care of him. Bring him back when you come over again.”
“I will.”
Prince Sesuldo smiled, and it was a real one, not the odd one he occasionally bore. Leon could never quite understand what was wrong with it, or why the Prince’s face grew stiff at times.
Sesuldo’s smile dropped. “I don’t understand why you have to stay at the inn with your Mother now.”
“My parents are fighting again. I’ll still come and see you. I promise.”
Sesuldo’s eyes went to the little parchment packet on his bedside table. “Are you going to tell me what’s in there yet?”
“Yeah, but…I brought something for you, and you have to see it first before I show you what’s in the packet,” Leon blurted before he lost his nerve. He’d been trying to make himself give it over all afternoon. Since he was supposed to be leaving soon, he better do it then. He gently set the bear on the bed.
“What?” Sesuldo sat on the bed by the toy.
Leon pulled the ring from his pocket. Mother had let him have it and said it was worthless. According to her, anything from Father was worthless. Leon didn’t agree. The ring was gold with a small ruby, a black opal, and a yellow tourmaline. The brilliant tourmaline reminded him of his friend’s golden hair.
“I want to marry you.” Leon held out the ring.
Sesuldo’s eyes widened at the gold circle. “But we’re only eight. I don’t think we’re allowed.”
“I know. One day, we’ll be grown up, and we can get married then. This means we’ll be promised to each other. That’s almost as good as married, right?”
The light coming through the latticed bedroom window made Sesuldo’s golden hair shine, and a few strands with a reddish tint were noticeable. Leon wished he had hair like his instead of black.
Sesuldo accepted the ring to turn over. “I don’t have one to give to you.”
“You don’t have to give me one now. I asked you anyway. You have to say yes or no.”
If he didn’t say yes…Leon couldn’t imagine growing up to marry anyone else. Nobody else gave him feelings like the Prince.
“Yes!” Sesuldo broke into a smile as he stood, and Leon couldn’t help but copy him.
“Look at the inside.”
Sesuldo squinted at the thin, curly lettering inside. Leon knew how to pronounce the words because he’d heard Father say them to Mother. “What’s it say?”
“Du hast mich,” Leon slowly replied. “It’s German for ‘you have me,’ and it’s a language from the human world. They live in a place called, uh, Yourup.” He’d told Father he wanted to go to Earth, see Yourup, wherever that was, and learn their words. Father had told him it wasn’t that easy and to get such silly ideas out of his head.
“Du hast mich,” Sesuldo repeated slowly. “I like the way it sounds. Put it on me. I think you’re supposed to.”
Leon slid the ring onto Sesuldo’s finger. It was too big, so he put it on his thumb instead. “When you’re bigger, it’ll fit better. Now, we have to kiss.”
They pecked each other on the lips. Leon couldn’t see why adults kissed since it didn’t feel very special or exciting. Sesuldo didn’t seem to like it either, and his smile grew stiff. He quickly grabbed Leon in a hug and giggled as he was squeezed back.
“Du hast mich,” he whispered, and Leon said it back.
He smelled like magnolias and lavender, a rare combination. Most fairies smelled like roses although Leon had a hint of lemon with it. He rested his cheek on Sesuldo’s shoulder. Breathing in the odor, he caught the faint hint of another. Likely flowers from soap.
Mother said she had a feeling King Duncan was rather snobby about bloodlines even though it was silly. Higher-ups were higher-ups, and no Kingdom had collapsed when a ruler married someone lower, or even a commoner.
Leon was only the son of a Baron, and while he was legitimate, he wasn’t even the first son. When he admitted he loved Sesuldo and was going to marry him, she’d told him he was ridiculous. At eight, he couldn’t possibly know real love. He’d insisted he did, and she’d shaken her head.
“You’ll forget all about this long before you’re grown up. Besides, I bet his Father will try to marry him to royalty if he can. One of the ladies said she heard the King talking about Prince Sébastien. A third Prince is pretty good, and he’d rise to the position of King here. I’m sure he’ll like that since he’ll never rule Soleil. Of course, that’s only if they both like men when they grow up. Either way, it’ll be years from now, and if it doesn’t happen, an Earl’s son or daughter will have to do. There’s plenty of them to be had. Don’t get your hopes up, Leon.”
Prince Sébastien could find someone else to marry. Sesuldo was all Leon’s, and it didn’t matter if he was only the second son of a Baron. They’d hold hands and go to the Temple when they were all grown up, and Leon would love his fair, golden Prince forever. They’d sleep in the same bed every night, and Leon would get to see his beautiful eyes, one ice blue, and the other violet when he woke up in the morning.
For their wedding, he’d also buy Sesuldo a pretty soft toy so Humbert would have a bear friend.
“Do you want me to bring Tubby when I return Humbert?” Leon had a soft bear who wasn’t nearly as fine. He was so stuffed with wool, he looked like a fat, rich man in the little coat Mother had sewn for him. “We can trade them sometimes.”
“Okay. When we get married, can you take me away from here?”
Leon squinted at the shelf against the wall by the toy chest. Sesuldo had lots of little toys, but he only played with a few things. “Don’t you want to stay here? It’s bigger than my home. We only have a manor house.”
“No. I want you to take me far away to Crystal Lake. I don’t care how big our home is. Maybe we can build a house ourselves.”
“I’ll take you there.” If Sesuldo wanted a new home by the beautiful lake in the northeast, he would have it.
Sesuldo turned his face more into Leon’s shoulder. “You’ll save me from bad things, right? You won’t let them happen?”
“You know I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise. We’ll go to Crystal Lake, and I’ll keep you safe.”
Why would Sesuldo be afraid of bad things? Nobody could hurt the Prince. Maybe he was afraid his Father would get mad at him for leaving. Everyone said he was a good King and Father, but at times, he didn’t seem like a very nice man. Leon wasn’t supposed to say things like that about royalty. At least Sesuldo seemed reassured.
“Now you can see what else I brought.” Leon led Sesuldo to the bedside table where he’d set the little packet earlier. After they sat, he opened it and pulled out one of the sweets he’d bought earlier.
“What’s that?”
Leon held up the small, brown ball. “The man at the sweet shop said it’s hazelnut and cacao. We should have something sweet since we’re promised to each other forever now. Here.”
Sesuldo took it to eat, and Leon had one too. In the sweetened cacao, the minuscule, crunchy bits of hazelnut added a pleasant texture, and in the center, it was soft and gooey. Leon was sure he’d never had hazelnuts before. They were like the peanuts he’d once eaten back home.
Sesuldo made an appreciative noise and grinned with cacao smeared on his teeth. “I like these. I never had them before.”
“Me neither. Do you want another?”
“How many are in there now?” Sesuldo leaned over to look.
“Two.”
“Save them for the next time you come over.”
When Leon had to go, he hurried downstairs. A guard had taken him from their inn in Silverton. Mother had said to take him straight to the Palace so he could play with Sesuldo, but when Leon had asked him to stop at a sweet shop, the guard had said they’d keep their detour a secret.
Leon couldn’t wait to tell Mother he’d be marrying Sesuldo, and when they moved away, she could come too. His parents were fighting, although Leon didn’t understand why. She was always saying she wanted to move back in with her Mother. She’d probably like Crystal Lake better because Grandma was such a horrible nag and no fun to be around.
The day before, his parents had shouted and yelled at each other. Father had told Mother that she could go to an inn, and he’d keep their son. Leon had said he’d go with Mother even though he liked staying in the Palace. Father’s face had turned red.
“Fine. Go with her, and see if I care. You know what? Maybe I’ll go home without you both, and you can leech off the King for charity. It figures you’d take her side.”
Why Father would go home without them made no sense either. Mother had once said she was packing her trunk and leaving, and Father had shouted that she’d wish she’d never been born if she tried to leave, especially with Leon.
Why couldn’t they make up? Why couldn’t the nice periods last forever?
Halfway down the stairs, he spotted Tickles, a small grey cat. Sesuldo said the kitty was all grown up, but he was still a lot smaller than the other cats who wandered the Palace and its grounds. Despite not being as big, he didn’t let the other cats bully him, and he was also the only one who liked having his tummy rubbed.
The guard could wait a few minutes. Leon stepped onto the landing. “Here, kitty, kitty.”
Tickles peered at him and wandered down the hallway.
“Come back, kitty.”
Tickles scurried with his ears back and disappeared through a wide doorway. Leon dashed after him and almost ran into the Queen when he entered the sitting room.
Her belly was large and round. Sesuldo said he’d have a little brother or sister soon, and she was always tired since the baby in her tummy was so big and taking away her energy. Lately, she also seemed to constantly need the privy for some reason.
“Why aren’t you playing with Sesuldo?”
“I have to go, but I…just wanted to see Tickles, Your Majesty,” said Leon. The King scared him because he was a gruff man. The Queen always had a smile and a kind word for people, but he still found her a little intimidating due to her height. She had hair similar to her son’s, except it was curly, and she always wore it partially pinned up.
“Isn’t that Sesuldo’s?” She pointed at the bear.
“Yeah…” Maybe he wasn’t supposed to have Humbert. “Sesuldo said I have to bring him back. I will. I promise.”
“Make sure you take care of him. Would you do me a favor and stay here for a moment to watch my food? I’ll be back in a few minutes, and I don’t want Tickles nibbling on anything.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” He wondered if she needed the privy.
She patted his head and left the room. Tickles jumped into the armchair by a small table set by the fire. He wasn’t messing with anything, so Leon left him be and looked at the Queen’s things.
A ribbon stuck out of a book by a tray that contained a pot, a teacup, and a plate. The assortment of food was odd. Sesuldo had said his Mother also craved strange things at times. A tiny pastry must have been made with berries since red goo was oozing from it. Beside it were little round, puffy things he absolutely loved. They’d had it for dessert in the Hall after dinner a couple of times, but he couldn’t remember the odd name. They were light, fluffy, and a Soleilian sweet. The tray also held what appeared to be two cacao balls, although they were smooth unlike his.
He eyed the puffy dessert with the pearled sugar and remembered how they tasted. The last time they’d been served in the Hall, Father had been annoyed with Leon and told him he wasn’t allowed to have any. Mother had called him spiteful.
He shouldn’t take food that didn’t belong to him, but he really wanted one. What if he gave the Queen something in return and didn’t say anything? Technically, one could say it was fair. It’d be a trade. He quickly took one to pop in his mouth. The inside was more air than anything else, and the outside was a burst of sweetness and still light at the same time. It was so different from cacao and delicious in its own way. He could have devoured the rest.
Tickles stared at him as if he’d committed an unforgivable crime, and guilt pricked him. “I’m not stealing from her!” He took the tiny packet from his pocket and removed a cacao ball to place by the other two. “See? I’m giving her a sweet too. It’s trading.”
Tickles settled on the chair and stuck up a leg to lick it. The Queen might not like what he’d done even though it made sense. Adults were like that sometimes. He’d say nothing, and hopefully, she wouldn’t notice anything different about her plate. If she did, he could point out that he’d given her a sweet, so it was a fair trade, not theft. She wouldn’t want her son to marry a thief when they grew up.
He tucked the packet in his pocket. With one left, he’d let Sesuldo have it when he came by again. He petted Tickles who sprawled out in the chair and rolled over for belly rubs.
When the Queen returned, she asked Leon to move the cat. She carefully sat with a sigh and adjusted the pillow for her back.
“Don’t go just yet, Leon.” She motioned for him to come closer, and he did. “You wouldn’t lie to your Queen, right?”
“No, Your Majesty.” His gut sank. She’d noticed he’d eaten her food, and he was about to say he’d left her a cacao ball in return.
“I know your Father put you and your Mother in an inn yesterday, correct?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
She frowned and rubbed her stomach. “Does he hit your Mother?”
He squeezed the bear. “No, Your Majesty.”
“You can tell me the truth if he does.”
“He doesn’t.” Leon had never seen him hit Mother. Their fights involved lots of arguing and yelling. Occasionally, a door was slammed.
“What about you?”
“No.”
“If he does, tell me, all right?”
“I will, Your Majesty.”
She patted the side of his face. “You’re a good boy. Sesuldo talks about you all of the time.”
“Where did you get the bear?” Mother demanded when he entered the room. She was sitting in front of the fire with a glower on her face. She didn’t like the inn, but Leon didn’t mind the small room.
“Sesuldo gave him to me. His name is Humbert.”
“Did he really give it to you, or did you take it without asking?” She flicked her cig into the fireplace.
“He gave Humbert to me!” With that attitude, she could wait to hear the good news about Leon and Sesuldo’s future marriage. He went to sit on his bed.
“There better not be someone banging on the door later because the Prince lost his toy.”
She lit a second cig while he played with Humbert and Tubby.
“Leon, I need to tell you something,” she said once she’d tossed the remains of the last cig into the fire. “I know you’re not going to like this, but I don’t want to hear any complai-”
A deep bong sounded. Mother looked toward the window, and three seconds later, another followed.
“Why’s it doing that?” Leon had never heard the Palace bell in the back tower ring.
“Shh.”
A third bong came, and after a few moments of silence, the next three were quick.
Mother paled. “Oh, Elira. I wonder if the Queen miscarried again.”
