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The gratitude and love in his expression nearly took her breath away. “I am not afraid,” she said.

He swallowed and nodded. “You are courageous.”

They ate a similarly quiet dinner, and Gytha felt the warmth of the food as a kindness, as if the princess had personally selected the dishes to provide comfort after many months of being chilled. When they had finished eating, a servant cleared the dishes and another one entered.

“Her Highness requests your presence at once.”

Gytha hurriedly smoothed her hands down the front of her dress and over her hair, noting surreptitiously that Alexander was making a similar effort to look more presentable. They followed the servant through many halls and up so many staircases that Gytha’s legs burned with exertion. She wondered whether the elevation and exertion were a way to show the power and authority of the throne, or whether the princess was so accustomed to the stairs that she did not mind climbing up so far. Perhaps she never went all the way down!They were accompanied by several guards, though the guards did not seem to expect any rebellion or violence from them.

At last they stopped before a set of wooden doors inlaid with gold and silver. They were ushered into the room.

The room was dazzling, and its occupants even more so. The lamplight glittered on the polished marble floor, the golden threads of the tapestries, and the silver and gold embroidery on the clothes of the princess and her companions.

The princess, as lovely as she was, suddenly seemed like perhaps the least interesting person in the room, excepting Gytha herself. Beside Her Highness was a man of such impossible beauty that it nearly hurt to look at him; his hair was spun gold, and his face was chiseled of alabaster. His full lips turned up in a smile at the sight of them, not exactly in mockery but as if he knew exactly how unsettling his beauty was. His clear, ocean blue eyes sparkled with intelligence and humor. He was barely of average height, but his shoulders were broad and muscular, set off to perfection by a suit the perfect color to make his remarkable eyes gleam.

Near them stood a man and a woman.

“Alex?” the woman said in disbelief. She was dainty and exquisite, like a sparkling jewel. Her dress nipped in to show her tiny waist and bared her delicate collarbones without being scandalous, and her dark hair was caught up in with jewels that sparkled merrily in the light. Her face was as delicate as a rose petal, pale and lovely, with huge dark eyes. She rivaled the blond for beauty, although her beauty was entirely of a different sort, but something about her seemed less perilous, at least to Gytha. The tall, lean man beside her was dressed in attire that matched hers; he had a dangerous elegance that bordered on forbidding. He had a wolfish face that gave away little, and his long, shaggy, black hair was liberally sprinkled with silver. His shoulders werebroad and his waist narrow; he gave Gytha the impression of tightly coiled strength with more than a hint of danger.

Alexander gave a soft gasp of surprise. “Miss Woodward?” He took a few steps forward. “Miss Colette Woodward? How are you…”

The tiny lady gave a soft, musical laugh. “It’s an odd story, as I suppose yours must be. Where have you been?”

“More likewhathave I been.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, controlling his emotions. “You haven’t aged a day.” His voice was filled with soft wonder. He turned to the tall man and paled slightly, ducking his head in reflexive respect. “Mr. Stepanov.”

Alexander smiled again; from behind him, Gytha could see the curve of his cheek and the almost imperceptible trembling of his hands at his sides.

“You’ve had a hard time, haven’t you?” Miss Woodward said gently. “I wish I had known, or I might have been able to help.”

Alexander looked down. “No one knew.” He straightened and forced a smile. “Miss Woodward, Mr. Stepanov, this is Miss Gytha Ivarrsdattar. She freed me from my captivity, and we are going to be married. It would mean a lot to me if I had your blessing.”

The woman turned her attention to Gytha, and Gytha felt the weight of her gaze with a shock. Everything in her wanted to obey this woman; her dark eyes were soft, kind, and utterly compelling.

“How do you know Alexander?,” Gytha managed. “He said he had been gone for two hundred fifty years.” Gytha dragged her eyes away from Miss Woodward to look at Mr. Stepanov; the man’s eyes were intent upon Alexander, and he spared Gytha only a quick glance.

“I was an advisor to his father more than once, and I met him when he was young.” Miss Woodward smiled kindly at her and then looked back at the princess. “I see now why you requested Mr. Stepanov and me. It is difficult to believe, and I am sure this causes political difficulties, but Alexander truly is the lost prince.”

“I see,” said the princess. “This does complicate things.” She took a deep breath, and her eyes flicked from face to face as she thought. “It is rather late. Whatever we decide, Prince Alexander, we will not make the decision tonight. Please believe me when I say you are safe here, and I have no desire to cause you additional pain. Why don’t you rest tonight and perhaps all day tomorrow, and then we can discuss what we will do, together, for the good of the kingdom.”

Alexander bowed. “Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Miss Woodward. Mr. Stepanov.”

The trembling in his hands had become more obvious. Gytha slipped her hand into his and felt him relax a little. Only now did Gytha notice that two other people, in addition to the guards, were present: a youth of about her own age, and a girl of perhaps eleven. Both of these were observing with naked curiosity and fascination, but neither seemed to have any role in the conversation.

When they turned to leave, Mr. Stepanov stepped forward and put a hand on Alexander’s shoulder. His dark eyes swept over Alexander’s face, and he frowned. “You smell like a bear,” he said softly.

Alexander nodded. “Yes, sir.”

The man’s gaze flickered, and he nodded. He squeezed Alexander’s shoulder and stepped back, bowing slightly.

Chapter 18

Two days later, after Gytha and Alexander had slept, eaten, rested, been provided with new clothes, and been treated with every possible courtesy, they were escorted to a room even higher in the stone castle. Great windows all along one wall offered an expansive view of the land to the east, now shadowed, with gold fading on the distant hills as the sun slipped beneath the waves on the opposite side of the palace. They were provided a meal, and soon they were joined by the king, who appeared frail and blind but mostly clear-minded, the princess and her blond betrothed, Miss Woodward, Mr. Stepanov, and several of the princess’s royal advisors, including the steely-eyed guard.

What followed was not exactly a negotiation, but rather a conversation with a remarkable degree of generosity on bothsides. The advisors presented Alexander with an account of the diplomacy, political struggles, and economic progress of the years since he had been kidnapped, with an emphasis on the most recent conflicts with its neighbors, the assistance of the blond prince, Kaerius, and the agreement he had arranged between Eleria and his own people, the Mer Folk. At this, Gytha looked at him curiously, and he smiled and winked at her with such impudence that she blushed furiously and looked down. He wastoogorgeous; it was not comfortable to look at him. She fixed her attention back on Alexander, and from the corner of her eye, she saw that the Mer prince’s smiled softened and warmed, as if he had been teasing her and was pleased by her fidelity to Alexander.

Various officials briefed Alexander on the defenses of the nation, of the pay of the soldiers, of Eleria’s trade agreements, and on various other elements of statecraft that Gytha had little interest in. She enjoyed watching the people more. Each of the participants was fascinating in their own way.

The princess was unfailingly sweet and courteous. The Mer prince would have been dangerous to anyone, and when he opened his mouth, his voice was like the purest gold, and it would have been easy for him to command or beguile the group to his own ends. Despite his easy power, he was too occupied by admiring the princess to be troublesome; indeed, he seemed to enjoy watching her graciously lead the proceedings. The various military leaders and administrators seemed to like and respect the princess, and Gytha thought there was something beautiful in that. They could have discounted her for her youth or her sex, but they both treated her as a lady and respected her as a leader. Miss Woodward and Mr. Stepanov spoke rarely, but when they did, everyone listened.