“Come in,” I call, expecting it to be a servant with our breakfast trays. The door opens and, to everyone’s surprise, Father walks in.

“Eh…Father,” I say as I stand up, taking a few steps forward, meeting him halfway. “I thought you were breakfast.”

 “Last time I checked, I am not an edible,” Father replies with a bit of a chuckle. 

He’s the only one laughing. 

Axellia is now furiously working on some homework that she already completed, avoiding eye contact with Father. Seana just keeps working on Axellia’s hair, trying not to draw attention to herself. She quickly undoes one of the braids she had already completed and begins again. Tempest watches on, wise enough not to say a word.

Clearing his throat awkwardly Father steps further into my room, forcing me to take a step back. He runs a hand over his silver hair. He looks at Axellia and me, all business now. “I don’t think I have to remind you two that you leave for the Cristabel Academy in a week.”

 “No, sir,” both of us reply.

 “Are you packed?”

 I point to a trunk sitting in between my bed and wardrobe. “Not quite, but almost.”

 Father nods in approval. “Axellia?”

“Likewise,” she answers flatly, keeping her eyes glued keenly on her workbook as Seana finishes tying her hair up into some kind of up-do. Seana is not looking at Father either, her eyes are fixed intently on her work, pinning down every little hair that may be even a tad out of place. Father finally catches note of her, and his eyes narrow.

“I suppose the half-breed will be going with you?” he asks in a venomously calm voice.

 Seana’s face shows no sign of a reaction, but I can see a flicker of pain cross her eyes, and her hands begin to tremble.

 “Well, Axellia’s hair won’t do itself,” I answer quickly, trying to ward off any further attacks before changing the subject. “Do you think we should pack any heavy coats?”

 It seems to work, because Father turns his attention back to me. 

“Just one. It doesn’t usually get that cold on Draga but it has been known to experience an occasional chill. How are the lessons going?”

 “We are currently working on the last ones in our workbooks, so good I suppose,” I answer.

 Father grows thoughtful. I hang my head and brace myself.

“Nicholai had finished all of his lessons by this point.”

 It’s muttered under his breath, not intended for me to hear, but I do. I’m also aware that the comment was not directed towards Axellia.

“My advisors, your mother, and I are going on a hunting trip this afternoon if you’d like to come along, Cai,” Father says. Thankfully for me, this was an offer, not a demand. Even if it had been, I already had a way out.

“Fredricks and I are going to go over a few drills this afternoon to prepare me for the Academy.”

Father nods in understanding and I sigh in relief.

“Alright. Carry on,” Father says and he exits. For a long while the only sounds are his footsteps echoing down the hall. 

 “Bebin also tells me Nicholai was not so thorough in his answers and corrections as you two are,” Seana whispers once she’s sure Father is out of earshot. She finishes Axellia hair and puts the brush away into one of the many pockets on her cloak. Still, she runs a hand over the loops and swirls to make sure not a hair is out of place, ever the perfectionist.

 “Hm. Whatever,” I mutter, running a finger over the scars on my chin. I turn and look at Seana. She never lets her face betray what she was feeling but I could tell by the gleam in her eyes that she’s upset. “Sorry if what was said hurt.”

 Seana shrugs. “I know you didn’t mean it.” 

 “I wasn’t talking about me,” I answer before walking back to the table and opening my art portfolio.

 Seana still wears her normal, stone-faced look, but there’s a glimmer of surprise in her gaze. I’m not sure why she’s still surprised that I can tell when she’s upset. We’ve known each other for twelve years.

 She shrugs again and stares at the floor. “Nothing he hasn’t said before.”

 “Hm,” I pull a folded wad of paper hidden amongst the stack of paintings, pencil and chalk sketches, and reference sheets in my portfolio and hand it to Seana before sitting back down. “Here’s all of our lessons from yesterday. Go hide out in the washroom and do them to take your mind off Father.”

 Seana smiles at me in thanks and slips into the washroom. I see her pull her own notebook out from the makeshift compartment I placed under the washbasin stand. It’s not much, just a couple straps of leather that I tacked into the wood, but it was enough to both hold and hide a spare notebook or two in plain view. Seana closes the door behind her and I turn back to my arithmetic. 

“Oh,” I say, sitting back down. “By the way, Seana, some duke, or earl, or whatever sent me a book of poetry. Looks dumb and boring to me, but you might like it.”

“Did you just call me dumb and boring?” Seana pokes her head out of the washroom, a playful frown on her face.

“No, I said your hobbies are.”

Seana rolls her eyes before disappearing into the washroom again. 

 “I’m sorry, Tempest, where were we?” I asks. 

 “Sea serpent was last,” Tempest answers.

 “Mm-hm,” I nod as I turn the page in my workbook. The pitter-patter of tiny feet run across the floor towards me. Without looking up from my workbook, I hold out my arm for Vilda. She climbs into my lap and snuggles against my chest, her mess of curly hair tickling my nose. With my free hand, I brush her wild locks down as she plays with the drawstrings on my shirt.

 “What comes after Sea Serpent?” Axellia asks Tempest.

 “Thunderbird?”

 “No.”

 “Manticore?”

 “Yes, and what-”

 “That’s what Fredricks has!” Vilda cheers as she pops her head up, off my shoulder, knocking into my chin. I rub the sore spot, but say nothing.

 “Yes, that’s right,” Axellia agrees. “And what magic do manticores have?”

 “Scary kind,” Vilda answers in her most serious voice. Axellia and I can’t help but laugh a little.

 “True,” Axellia chuckles, “but what is the more proper name, Tempest?”

 “Venom. And it’s red,” Tempest answers.

 “And scary!” Vilda reminds us, causing another round of giggles. Vilda loses interest in Tempest’s studying after that, and begins to play with her doll that she carried with her from the nursery last night while I continue on my lesson and bounce her on my knee. She stops after a while and pokes the cut on my cheek.

 “What happened?”

 I wince a bit as I gently pull her hand away. “I cut myself shaving.”

 “Trick question, now,” Axellia says to Tempest as she violently marks out some mistake in her book.

 “What did that pencil ever do to you?” I ask with a smug smile as Axellia glares at me.

 “What’s the name of the international mercenary and assassin group that is comprised entirely of manticore holders?”

 Tempest’s face turns a bit pale.

 “She doesn’t know about that, she’s twelve,” I scold Axellia.

 “I was just going to see if she did,” Axellia rolls her eyes. “They’re called the Red Brotherhood. And yes-” she pokes Vilda in the stomach. “They’re scary.”

 Another knock comes at the door.

 “Come in,” I call, expecting this time for it to be breakfast. It’s not, however, it’s Fredricks.

 “How are you all feeling this morning?” he asks merrily. “Prince, Princesses, and Lady-in-Waiting wherever you are?” he asks.

 Seana taps on the door of the washroom to signify her presence.

 “Alright, I suppose,” I answer just as Fredricks sticks a finger under my chin and tilts my face towards him.

 “Cut yourself again,” Fredricks sighs. “How many times do I have to tell you to take it slow.”

 “At least one more time, apparently,” Axellia chuckles.

“Hey,” I snap at her. “Whenever you have to put a blade to your face daily, then you can talk to me.”

 She makes a face at me and Fredricks rolls his eyes.

 “Have you had breakfast yet?” he asks.

 “No, unfortunately,” I reply.

 “Well, as soon as you do, I’ll need you outside for some last-minute archery drills with you before you go to the Cristabel Academy.”

 “Do I have to?” I ask as I scratch down another answer.

“Am I bald?” Fredricks replies, pointing to his shining head.

 “Better than being trapped inside all day,” Axellia mutters as she scratches out another botched equation.

 “She is right,” Tempest agrees.

 “Yeah!” Vilda crosses her arms for emphasis.

 “I think you lost,” Seana calls from the washroom.

 “Thank you for explaining that,” I call back to her.

A rumbling purr comes from outside my window as the large, scaly, wet, blue snout of a sea serpent hovers over my desk. Oris pokes his head back in my window. He looks about the room and snorts when he notices Seana’s missing.

“Seana, Oris is here,” Axellia calls.

Seana bounds out of the washroom and stands at the table. Oris chortles at seeing us all present and opens his mouth, dropping what looks like a long needle onto the table, covered in green coral from being at the bottom of the ocean. 

“Ah,” Fredricks sighs as he picks it up. “See you’ve found a Judopyran wreck this time, eh?” he asks Oris who chortles in agreement.

“Is that where the fox people live?” Vilda asks as she jumps onto the table and runs over to Fredricks to get a better look. Or, she tries to. Oris grabs her by the back of her nightgown with his teeth, picks her up, and all but drops her back into my lap.

“Kitsune, Princess Vilda, and yes,” Fredricks says as he holds the needle-like thing up for all of us to see. “This here is a lady’s hair pin. Kitsune women used to roll their hair into tight buns and stick these lovely little things through them for ‘decoration.’”

“Why do you say ‘decoration’ like that?” Axellia asks as she takes the hairpin from him and looks at it. 

“Well, they started to fall out of style after the City State Age,” Fredricks explains.

“What’s that have to do with anything?” I ask.

“Well, after the world was divided into kingdoms and land wars became fewer and fewer, ladies didn’t need to defend themselves as much.”

“So?” I shrug.

“Look at this thing,” Fredricks takes the hairpin from Axellia and points to what would have once been the sharp end. “Don’t tell me a young woman or two didn’t use these things to gouge out the eyes, or throat, or heart of an attacker back in the day.”

Vilda gasps and clings to my shirt, cowering away from the pin.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t elaborate on such things with young ears in the room,” I mutter as I pat Vilda’s head.

“You asked,” Fredricks shrugs as he gives the pin to Seana and we pass it around to look at before giving it to Oris who takes it away to, I assume, put it back where he found it. I wish we could just keep it. If Father won’t let us out of the palace he could at least give his blessing to having Oris bring bits of the outside world to us. He made it pretty clear he didn’t approve of these daily meetings. Still, Oris continued them in “secret.”

I’m fairly certain Father knows Oris still comes here to bring us samples of the outside world. How does one force their will upon a Sea Serpent, though? Especially one who has cleaved to the queen? 

Another knock comes at the door, and this time it’s finally breakfast.

“Alright, eat up, I’ll meet you outside,” Fredricks says, patting my back as he makes his exit.