Prince Cariun didn’t return until much later.  Eventually, Tiyrus summoned the maid to request dinner in his room.  Olive was relieved to find the food wasn’t much different than what she was used to.  The meat was a bit tougher, but that was all.  She asked Tiyrus about this during the meal.  She’d find a lot of similarities between their world’s ecosystems, he said.  While there wasn’t a lot of information about other worlds, the few accounts given from guides in the past reported similar plants and animals across worlds.  The theory was that humanity originated on one world and spread out from there.

He was surprised to learn that the technology in her world was significantly more advanced than theirs.  None of the accounts from previous guides had described such a thing.

“Is it because of magic?” Olive suggested.

“Or perhaps your world has had more time to develop,” he replied.  “Your world could very well be the origin of all of us.  Building a new civilization from scratch would set progress back a bit, don’t you think?”

Tiyrus wasn’t one to make idle talk, Olive was finding.  He was polite and would answer questions and talk about any topic she volunteered, but he wasn’t one to start a conversation or carry it forward if it dwindled.  He seemed comfortable with silence, which made Olive uneasy.  She was someone that felt compelled to fill the silence and it was difficult to not do so throughout the meal.  Tiyrus, at least, seemed to not mind.  And towards the end of the meal, she was starting to feel like she could sit in silence with him and be comfortable as well.

It was odd.  She’d never felt that way with someone before.

Unfortunately, the quiet peace couldn’t last.  Prince Cariun returned shortly after the meal was cleared away.  He carried a bundle of clothing in his arms and he burst into the room after knocking… or rather kicking the door with his foot to announce his arrival.

“Here,” he proclaimed, dropping the pile on a chair.  “My sister was willing to part with some of her clothing.”

“You couldn’t find a tailor?” Tiyrus asked dryly.

“On short notice?  Certainly not.”

“There’s quite a few that would work for your siblings at a moment’s notice.”

Cariun’s amber eyes narrowed.

“Yes,” he said icily, “there are, aren’t there?”

Olive hastily went to the chair and started picking through the garments to cover for her unease.  She should start avoiding being around when both of them were in the same room, she thought.  The tension was starting to make her anxious.

Cariun’s sister was taller than Olive.  Everything would be a little too long and a little baggy, but it was better than the other way around, she supposed.  

“Pick something out and get changed,” Cariun said curtly.  “I don’t want you walking through the streets dressed as a foreigner.”

“Streets?” Olive replied, startled.

“The children of the king live in their own residences,” Tiyrus explained.  “Only the king’s staff live inside the palace.  We’ll wait outside while you change.”

Olive was relieved to find there were pants and shirts in the pile.  Unfortunately, she didn’t trust that they’d fit her without a belt and she’d seen most of the women in the palace wearing dresses earlier.  She chose the plainest one - peach with lace trim - and hastily put it on.  Her chest failed to fill the low-cut bust and for a moment she panicked.  Were all the dresses like this, she wondered desperately?

Then she remembered that the women they’d passed in the hallways layered their dresses.  Her eyes fell upon a nightgown-like dress with a drawstring neckline.  Once she put this on underneath, she felt adequately covered.  It was apparent none of this was sized for her, but it would do for now.  Then she called the men back in.

Prince Cariun stared at her with naked appraisal.  Tiyrus was at least polite enough to not stare.  He only concentrated on gathering up the rest of her clothing into a bundle and tying it with string.

“I’ll have a servant carry this back for you,” he said, “since I assume you came alone, Prince Cariun.”

“I always do.”

Said dismissively, without a trace of concern.  Why didn’t he have a servant with him?  She’d find out later, she supposed.  In the meantime, there was one more thing to take care of before they left.

“My shoes,” she said flatly, raising the hem of her skirt so they could see her feet.

“Oh!” Tiyrus exclaimed in surprise.  “I’m sorry!  I, uh, took them with me when I put you in bed because I wanted to look at what they were made of.”

He actually seemed embarrassed.  It was kind of cute, Olive decided.  This was the first time she’d seen him flustered.  There really was a person underneath that cool exterior.  He hastily went to his desk and took her sneakers out from behind it and brought them to her.  Both the prince and the captain watched in curiosity as she laced them up.

“The soles are made of rubber,” she explained.

“That translated as… tree sap?” Cariun said slowly.

“Yep.  That’s right.”

Both men looked bemused.  If only they could be like this all the time, she thought sadly.  It was a lot more refreshing than their snide insults.

But the moment was quickly gone.  A servant had arrived, male this time, and Tiyrus handed over the bundle with instructions to drop it off at the prince’s palace and then return.  He quickly left, clearly intending to make his own way there and back.  Nervously, Olive realized that meant she’d be walking through the city alone with Prince Cariun.  She didn’t know him.  She certainly didn’t trust him.

Could she refuse?  Could she demand she stay here, be put back in her room that was no better than a jail cell?  Did she want to stay here?  She recalled the humiliation of being held by the king’s retinue, of them removing her earrings as if she were nothing but a doll, as if she weren’t a frightened young woman lost in a world that wasn’t her own.  

No.  She didn’t want to stay here.  Tentatively, she followed Cariun out into the hallway.  Tiyrus saw them to the door and grabbed her sleeve at the last moment, pulling her close.

“If he harms you,” he hissed, “I will kill him myself.  I will not make it quick.”

“You could get away with killing a prince?” she whispered back in shock.  

Tiyrus smiled thinly.

“Yes,” he said.  “And Cariun knows it.”

Tiyrus let go.  She stumbled backwards, staring at the man, seeing him in a different light.  Just how much power did he wield?  At least, she thought, he was on her side.

For now.