Aleydis scurried through the halls, taking care to peek around the corner to make sure the next corridor was empty before hurrying. After all, it wouldn't do for a princess to be seen running through the palace. 

According to her etiquette teacher, a princess was to be quiet and demure at all times. A princess was never to raise her voice or move any faster than a sedate glide. And princesses were especially not supposed to enjoy playing outside and getting dirty. If she had to go outside for any reason, she needed to wear a hat that would protect her from the sun and either sit and sip tea with friends or pick a few flowers that her attendants would then handle for her.

Which made no sense, because those were all the things that Aleydis hated doing and her family didn't mind when she got a little messy playing outside. But Father and Mother had chosen this tutor especially for her, so they must think that what her teacher said was the proper sort of behavior for princesses. She was working up her nerve to ask them about it, but she wasn't quite ready yet.

Still, her parents had sent a maid to her lessons today to fetch her for a meeting, so maybe they had heard how she'd gone out to the garden three times last week without a hat. Or maybe how she'd skipped on her way to her lessons, singing loudly. Although, it could also be about the time she slid down the stairway banister. But she could've sworn there was no one around when she had done that. She had double and triple-checked both before and after. Maybe she had missed seeing one of the servants and they'd been the one to tell Mother.

Ignoring the maid's pleas to slow down, she couldn't keep her parents waiting when they were always so busy with meetings, Aleydis darted into the hallway that contained her father's office. All though the maid hadn't said where she was supposed to go, there was only one place where he'd be at this time of day.

The hall was empty except for the guards stationed outside the king's office, but they were well used to her antics by now. Nonetheless, she slowed a little in case there was someone with her parents, although it was still a fast walk instead of a slow glide.

However, her plans to behave in a sedate manner were quickly abandoned when she saw her brother enter the other end of the corridor. Aleydis heard the maid sigh behind her as she sprinted toward her brother, calling gleefully, "Alrik! Did Mother and Father summon you as well?"

As soon as she called his name, he looked away from his companion and grinned brightly at her. He strode forward and picked her up, spinning her three times before setting her down and steadying her. "Aleydis! How have you been this morning?" He tapped the tip of her nose gently with his index finger. "And what have you been told about running in the palace?"

She pouted at him, rubbing her nose. "You saw me at breakfast. And you were moving fast too."

He tugged lightly on a lock of her hair. "Ah, but I'm not the prettiest girl in all of Colbini. I just want others to be able to see that too, which is why you must move slow enough for them to actually see you, petal."

A quiet snicker caught her attention and she looked over to find Kadin trying to pretend like he hadn't just laughed at her. She started to pout before remembering that they were standing right outside the king's office. With a glance at the guards from the corner of her eye, she decided that she'd better be on her best behavior just in case she had been called in for a reprimand.

Dipping into a small curtsy, she was careful to keep her voice soft and sweet like her tutor insisted on. "Lord Kadin, please forgive my rudeness in failing to greet you. I was simply excited to see my brother, but that is no excuse for such an oversight."

Kadin looked like he wanted to snicker again but thankfully, he simply bowed in return. "Not at all, Your Highness. It's reassuring to see the closeness of the royal family. It bodes well for the future peace and prosperity of Colbini."

Alrik was smiling fondly at her. "Look at you, Sister. You've become a lovely young lady while I was busy training. You've clearly been working hard at your lessons, Mother and Father must be pleased."

Suddenly remembering why she was there, it was all she could do not to twist her fingers into her skirt. "I hope so. I want to make you all proud of me."

Alrik grinned at her, "We already are. No matter what, you're perfect as you are."

He turned and inclined his head to Kadin. "I'll see you later at training."

Kadin offered the pair a deeper bow. "I look forward to it. It was lovely to see you, Princess Aleydis. May the sun shine bright upon you."

Aleydis offered him a small smile when he straightened. "May the road be smooth beneath your feet."

With one last quick nod to them, he turned and disappeared back the way he'd come from. Once she was certain that he was out of earshot, she murmured to Alrik, "Make sure that you trip him at least once during training for snickering at me, please, Brother."

He laughed at that, pulling her into a quick side hug before looping her arm carefully through his. "I will make sure to do so. Now come, Father wants to see us both, so we'd best not keep him waiting."

A tiny sigh escaped as relief filled her. If Alrik had also been called, it probably wasn't anything she had done.

Tugging her toward the door, Alrik murmured, "What have you been up to, Sprout? However, I don't think this is whatever mischief you've been up to. Still, I wouldn't relax too much. They'll probably mention it right when you start to relax."

She wrinkled her nose at him but couldn't reply, since the guards were opening the door and ushering them inside. To her relief, their parents were sitting on the comfortable couches instead of at the large desk that dominated one end of the study.

They were sitting close together on one of the couches, holding hands even as they appeared to be discussing some sort of state matter. Aleydis couldn't help but smile, it was so nice to see their parents happy, even when they were busy running the kingdom.

It was their mother who spotted them first, looking up with a smooth expression that quickly shifted into a bright smile. "Children, there you are. Come and join us, tea will be here in just a minute and then we can chat."

Aleydis slipped her arm from Alrik's and skipped over to the couch, dropping a kiss on her father's cheek and giving her mother a quick hug before sitting. All of her family laughed at her antics, settling comfortably in their seats. Before anyone could speak, the door opened and a maid rolled in a tray piled high with treats and tea.

Her mother smiled warmly, snagging the papers away from the king and tucking them on her other side out of reach. "And here is Lettie with the refreshments now. We can continue dealing with all of this later, Dear, after we're done with our talk with the children."

Aleydis stiffened slightly despite her best efforts to stay calm. Had she and Alrik gotten up to any mischief lately? But if they were having tea and treats, most likely not. Still, she didn't want to have to read another dreary book about how princesses were supposed to behave instead of having her usual afternoon walk.

Her father grumbled but winked at her. "Very well, My Love. Tea first and a talk and then we'll go back to the boring administration work instead of having fun sliding down banisters, like our daughter seems to be so fond of doing."

Aleydis felt her face flame while both Mother and Alrik laughed at whatever expression she was making. So, they'd known all along about the banisters. Really, it was no wonder she could never surprise her family with anything, they always knew anything she'd done before she even finished doing it.

Alrik reached over and gently ruffled her hair. "It's okay, Sprout. Father used to do the same exact thing. It's a family tradition."

Their mother nodded. "Yes. I remember right after we got married, your father insisted that we sneak out one night when everyone was asleep. I had no idea what was going on when he brought me to the staircase and insisted that I try sliding down it. I almost went back to our room right then."

Her embarrassment forgotten, Aleydis leaned forward. "Really?"

Their father laughed, his eyes sparkling. "Yep. She looked like she wanted to push me down the stairs for teasing her. However, your mother was very brave and went ahead and did it anyway. After all, royal tradition is very important."

All of them laughed at that. After all, most of their 'royal traditions' were little games made up by their family that they didn't share with anyone else. She really did love her family so much.