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After lunch,Brighton and Lila gave Kaerius more instruction on etiquette and dancing, and then Brighton kissed his wife goodbye and led Kaerius back up the cliffside road to the palace.He stopped by a room which seemed to be for laundry, spoke with a woman briefly, and received a stack of clothes. Then he led Kaerius onward through the maze of corridors and stairwells until they reached Kaerius’s room.

“Here you are.” Brighton put the stack of clothes on the bed. “Use the belt; your trousers are about to fall off. Besides, it’s more polished.” Then he stepped out of the room and closed the door.

Kaerius dressed slowly, doing his best to ignore the fatigue that throbbed like his pulse in his chest and head. The trousers were of deep blue-green fabric, a warm wool that slid smoothly over his skin. There was a crisp white shirt that fit his shoulders surprisingly well and buttoned up with smooth mother of pearl. Over the shirt, he buttoned a vest of the same blue-green wool with pale gold embroidery, and over that, he slipped on a jacket of the same fabric. It settled around his shoulders, warm and thick and strangely comforting, for all he was so unused to fabric at all. The cuffs and upright collar were accented with more pale gold embroidery. The belt must be the leather strap that fit through the loops on his trousers, and he puzzled out the buckle with an unconscious smile of interest.

He sat on the bed to pull on socks, and then slipped his feet into new, shiny black boots that constricted his feet more than the other pair. They were lighter, but they rubbed uncomfortably in a few spots. No matter. He was a prince of the Mer; he would not complain over a little friction. It was hardly worth noticing beside all the other discomforts and unpleasant surprises of this world.

He stood up and smoothed his hand down the front of his jacket and tugged on the bottom hem. He felt constrained, almost trapped, but his weak human body was warm in these layers of fabric. Did he look elegant enough to woo a human princess?

After running his hands through his hair a few times, he straightened his shoulders and stepped out into the hallway.

Brighton looked him up and down with a critical eye. “Fix your hair,” he said finally.

Kaerius ran a hand through it again, feeling magnanimous to take that much trouble. His hair was perfect already.

“Are you ready to face your first adversary?” the guard asked.

I am beautiful, and Her Highness already trusts me. Also, I am a prince. I fear nothing.Kaerius smiled fiercely.

“Follow me.”

The sound of their footsteps echoed as Kaerius followed Brighton through the corridors. After ascending several flights of stairs, at last they reached a set of large wooden doors standing open with guards stationed on each side. The hall beyond was brightly lit with a hundred lanterns above, as well as the beginning of a brilliant sunset through the windows along the side of the room that looked over the ocean. Musicians played softly in one of the far corners.

Brighton nodded to the guards and spoke briefly to the servant standing just inside the door, then continued into the room, leaving Kaerius alone.

The servant looked at him, waiting, and the prince stepped forward.

“His Royal Highness Prince Kai,” boomed the servant, and the few people in the center of the room turned to see him.

Brighton had already informed him that the people here were Elerian nobility, Marin’s subjects, and though several of the men had privately expressed romantic interest in Marin, they all understood the political necessity of her marrying one of the visiting lords. They might not be happy about it, but they understood.

The princess herself would arrive just before the visiting delegation, for though she was the highest ranked and thuswould normally be expected to make an entrance, she also must act as host.

Kaerius walked through the doors with his head high. His boots echoed in the relative quiet, and he felt the sound portentous. His steps were also slightly painful; the places the boots rubbed seemed more uncomfortable by the minute. But he would not complain, even if he could have.

He strode to the nearest nobleman and gave the very faintest bow, as Brighton had informed him was appropriate for a prince to a lower-ranked nobleman.

The man bowed in return. “Prince Kai,” he murmured, eying Kaerius with interest. “I am Etin Sarith.” He didn’t mention his title, though Brighton had said everyone attending was titled in some way. “Her Highness informed me of your unusual situation and asked me to introduce you to those of higher rank in our court.”

I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Kaerius wondered what exactly the man had been told.

“You really don’t talk?” said the man.

Kaerius shook his head.It is a minor, temporary inconvenience. It would be unwise to estimate me merely because I cannot speak.

With a softhm, the young lord introduced him to the others one by one, and Kaerius gave them the same regal nod as they bowed to him. There were ladies, too, who wore colorful silk dresses, feathers in their hair, and jewels in their ears. He bowed to them just a little more deeply, because it seemed the gallant thing to do, and it pleased him to see them titter and blush.

Of course, none of them were as lovely as the princess. He was amused by them, entertained by the sight of their pretty faces and bright colors, but he was not fickle.

At least some of these noble guests had been informed of his visit from a foreign land and intent to court their princess, inhopes that his silence and strange customs would be a little less surprising, and to explain Marin’s interest in him. It was odd for a prince to travel alone, but this had been explained with a cover story: Kaerius’s servants had been sent out to become familiar with Eleria, and he was alone in the palace. He wanted to meet the nobility with little fanfare, and so he had requested that he be allowed to arrive before the princess to this ball.

“Her Royal Highness Marin de Gracey,” intoned the servant at the door.

The princess swept in with her head high and a sweet smile. She accepted their bows and curtsies with grace and had a kind word for everyone.

Of course she was beloved! She was ready to sacrifice her own happiness, her own life, for the sake of her people. If there was a little edge of nervous tension in her smile, it only stirred up more love for her in her subjects.

At the edge of the gathering, Brighton stood, quiet and unobtrusive save for his height and strength, and most of the guests ignored him. A few murmured polite greetings, which he returned. His attention was always on the princess and those nearest her.