Page 39 of The Abandoned Princess

They stopped at the base of the steps, and the younger one looked to the older. The older hesitated for a moment and then jerked his head toward the door. The younger one seemed to understand his unspoken message, hurrying into the tap room alone.

“He’s the most senior of the guards along on the tour,” Xander said, indicating the man who still stood near us.

“Is that our letter?” I pointed at the paper gripped in the man’s hand. “They must have gone upstairs to check what had happened to you.”

“That confirms they thought I was in there,” Xander said. “It’s a good thing we brought the letter straight away. The timing was perfect.”

The door opened again, this time letting the younger guard and four other men out of the tap room. We all flattened ourselves further against the walls since the space was starting to feel crowded. Neither the king, the prince, nor either of the new guards noticed us, though, the enchantment holding firm.

“What’s all this?” King Richard asked. “Is there something wrong with the prince?”

The senior guard silently handed over the letter. Prince William stood calmly and quietly beside his father, waiting for the king to finish reading. His manner was that of a soldier at attention, but something subtle in his bearing told me he was having to restrain himself from leaning forward to read over his father’s shoulder.

When the king finished, he silently handed the paper to his son. William read more quickly, his eyes quickly jumping back to his father’s face.

“When did he leave? Last night?” he asked.

The king looked to the senior guard who looked pained. “I’m afraid I don’t know, Your Majesty. His Royal Highness has proved…resistant to close surveillance, even for the sake of his own protection.”

Xander grinned. “The Northhelmians are good people, but they’re so formal and proper. I couldn’t bear having two people watching my every move with disapproving eyes.”

“Naturally you couldn’t go against the wishes of a foreign prince,” William said quickly, earning a grateful look from the guard.

King Richard seemed about to speak, but instead he paused and looked to his son. “How would you like to handle this, William? Whatever consequences there are with Kuralan will be yours to manage.”

“Is he really going to abdicate soon, then?” I asked.

It had seemed a distant, abstract fact back in my tower, where the rest of the world had been a distant place. But now that the king and prince in question were standing in front of me, it seemed a far more interesting development. Watching them brought back memories of listening in on official meetings and spying from hidden corners as the business of kingdoms was conducted.

“The necessary ceremonies will happen as soon as the tour finishes and they return to the capital,” Xander said. “King Richard says that his stamina and faculties aren’t what they once were, and the time has come for him to retire and allow his son to take his turn at ruling. He’ll still be around to advise him, though.”

“It’s a good ruler who knows when the time has come to let go of power,” Lori said approvingly. “Far too few pass that big test.”

“We’ll have to send word to Sultan Khalil, of course,” William said with a furrowed brow. “But Prince Xander came to us by his own choice and without entourage. And he told us from the beginning that he had come to Northhelm following rumors of the missing princess. Celeste has been greatly frustrated by her inability to track the girl down, so I know she was happy to consult with him and even suggest locations for him to investigate further. So we can’t be surprised that he has left to follow this lead.”

“We won’t go after him, then?” the senior guard asked.

William shook his head. “We weren’t the ones to send him on this tour or on his quest. If he’s decided our paths need to diverge, I don’t think we can attempt to recall him, and I don’t believe his father would blame us for not doing so.” He frowned. “I do wish he’d taken the time for a proper farewell, though. It’s hard to be entirely at ease without one. Did he think we would try to restrain him?”

Xander sighed. “It makes both me and Kuralan look terrible. I know they were hoping we could talk further about the possibility of a treaty before I left.”

I patted his arm as reassuringly as I could. “Once we work out how to free ourselves, you can discuss all the treaties your heart desires.”

“None, then?” he grinned at me. “You must be thinking of my older brother.”

I laughed. “Very well, you can leave the treaty making to the more responsible members of your family, but at least you can give your own farewells.”

His expression grew serious again, and I could see he felt true distress over that part of his disappearance. He didn’t like these new friends thinking he had spurned them and run off.

“I suppose that’s the famous jewel of the true ruler,” Lori said, eyes locked on the glowing blue gem resting against the king’s chest.

“The jewel of what?” I asked, only half listening, my attention distracted by William.

The crown prince had subtly slipped the letter into his pocket instead of handing it back to the king. Was he planning to send it to his wife for further analysis? Would she be able to tell it hadn’t been written with Xander’s hand?

“Didn’t you learn about the jewel before we left Trione to join the delegation?” Lori asked. “You seemed to be studying everything about the Four Kingdoms you could get your hands on.”

“Learn about what?” I asked, finally refocusing on our conversation.

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