Page 12 of The Prince

She looked like Braxton, with the same light brown hair and hazel eyes and general shape to her face, but she was willowy where he was stout, although Caro definitely believed she was just as strong.

“It’s lovely to meet you, Prince Caro,” she finished saying with another smile.

“It’s lovely to meet you as well, Princess Shairon,” Caro replied easily. She might have admonished him not to rise, but he did anyway, bowing over her hand as if they were both standing in court, all the nobles watching them jealously.

She laughed. “I hope you might be able to teach Brax some manners, although asking you to tame that buffoon is probably too big a task. Still, if you wanted to spend quite a long time trying, I don’t believe Brax would mind.” The knowing twinkle in her eyes had Caro’s cheeks heating, but the earlier conversation he had with Braxton kept his chin held high.

“I wouldn’t mind that either, my lady,” Caro replied.

“None of that.” Shairon wagged her finger at him, her eyes still twinkling happily. “Call me Shairon.” Her expression turned stern, and she stood straight, suddenly looking regal and everyinch a royal princess. “But if you hurt him or any of my family, the depths of pain I will subject you to will be far worse than anything you’ve ever experienced before. Understand?”

“I completely understand,” Caro replied, liking her a lot and hoping his firm tone conveyed his equally firm conviction that he would never allow Braxton to get hurt when he was around to prevent it.

“Then I would like to add my welcome to my brothers’ and welcome you to Etoval.” Shairon’s easy smile returned, but before she could say anything more, one of her kids ran up and tugged on her pants leg.

“Mummah, pretty fishies!”

He was maybe two years old and not exactly steady on his feet, but he dragged Shairon in the direction of the pond.

“I’ll see you later,” she called to Caro, before bending and grabbing up the tot, tickling him until he screeched with laughter. They reached the edge of the pond where the other one, who was maybe three years old, was lying on the edge, eyes rapt on the fish swimming below. The nursemaid was sitting at his side, but she moved out of the way when Shairon arrived.

“If you’re ready, we should start heading back,” Alina said. “Let them enjoy the pond.”

“Right.” Caro was already standing, but he waited for Alina to stand and dust off her green healer’s robes before starting down the path back toward the door. They waved goodbye to the guard as they reached the hallway, but no one else was around as they walked to Caro’s room. Once inside, Alina got Caro settled onto the couch, covered his legs with his quilt, and went to the tray she had left on the coffee table where a glass full of the familiar and hated glop was waiting.

“The princess scares me more than a drink full of healthy vitamins and minerals,” Alina scolded when Caro grimaced and was slow to take the glass from her. “She’s got so much more…” Her hands waved around her body to emphasize whatever nebulous presence to which Alina was referring. “If you’re going to be spending time around her, you’ll need all your strength, so drink up.”

Caro sighed, but obeyed, forcing the bitter goop down as quickly as he could swallow, grateful when Alina passed him a glass of water next to help him clear away that awful taste.

Alina resettled the blankets over him again before sighing. “I have to get back to the ward, but send a servant to fetch me if you need anything. Okay?”

“Okay. Have a good rest of your afternoon!”

“You as well.” She waved as she headed to the door, and then Caro was alone again.

He settled back into the couch cushions and pulled his quilt higher, snuggling into the comfortable fabric. An afternoon nap actually sounded pretty good at the moment, and maybe Caro would curl up with a book for a while after dinner.

And in the morning, he would meet the rest of Braxton’s family.

He was sure they were nice people. Shairon had certainly seemed nice and aside from when Fen had captured Caro, he and Ayer both acted like decent people as well. Still, the idea of meeting the entire family in one swoop was daunting, and Caro really didn’t want to dwell on the butterflies fluttering in his stomach that thought invoked. Instead, he closed his eyes and breathed slowly, trying to clear his head. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, only that his naptime dreams were of flitteringmulticolored fish and Braxton’s lips, pressing so wonderfully against his own.

Chapter Eight

CARO TOOK INa deep breath and slowly let it out, attempting, and failing, to calm his nerves. On the other side of the closed door, in front of which he was awkwardly standing, was Braxton’s entire family. Yes, Caro had met all of Braxton’s siblings, but always in his own room—not in a formal setting like a dining room, and certainly not with the king and queen present. And, while he might be Caro now, a day of being a new person didn’t magically erase the terrible things he had been part of as Clament.

A servant entered the hallway, heading toward Caro while holding a tray with a tureen and serving cups. Caro was in the way, so he wiped damp palms on his shirt, gripped the door handle, and pushed the door open.

He expected every eye to immediately turn in his direction, staring and accusing, but the only person who looked was Braxton, and he immediately smiled and jumped to his feet. He rushed over to Caro’s side and took Caro’s hand, guiding him to the empty place set next to Braxton’s chair.

“You’ve met my brothers, Ayer and Fen,” Braxton said, waving across the table to where Ayer sat next to a girl about six years old, sitting straight backed with her hands primly placedin her lap. Next to her was Fen, and next to Fen was another familiar face.

“Thank you for the chicken broth,” Caro told Char, the chef who had aided in his capture and then selflessly helped him recover. “Alina—my healer—says she had to fight to keep everyone from stealing it. It was delicious.”

Char smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You’ll have to come visit my kitchen at the barracks some time so I can feed you some real food too.”

“I’d like that. As soon as I’m cleared by the healers to walk farther than one hallway, I’ll come by.” Caro smiled, and Char returned the smile.

“This is my sister, Shairon,” Braxton continued, sitting back so Caro could see her sitting on Braxton’s other side.

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