Page 3

The sun shines through the great window of the mountain solar, illuminating everything. It's a cheery morning, even if I did spend the first part of it being lectured on decorum and my apparent lack of it by Mama.

My brother looks up from the table as I enter, surprise on his face.

"I didn't expect you to be awake so early," Arthur says.

"Mama came to my room to tell me about how I'm not supposed to say the first thing I think when we're entertaining foreign dignitaries.

" I take my seat at the table and reach for a slice of bread.

I wonder if it's the same loaf that Nate was working on last night.

I like to believe so, but I know there'll be lots of other bread being made in the kitchens.

Arthur laughs. "You were a little blunt."

"I can't help it," I mutter. "What am I supposed to do with a dragon?"

"I have a book that might help," he says. "I'd have brought it with me if I'd known you were coming to breakfast. I assumed you were going to be later after going to the kitchens last night."

A yawn escapes me as if trying to prove him right. "A couple of hours more sleep might have been helpful."

He laughs. "I can get you the book later."

"Thanks, Artie. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Not know what to do with your dragon egg."

"I put it in the oven," I say. "Well, Nate put it in the oven. I thought that was a good place for it."

To my surprise, my brother nods. "I would have put it in the fire in my room, but the oven is probably better. It'll have a more even heat."

"That's what I thought." I spread some butter and jam over my bread and take a bite.

It's good, which isn't a surprise. My father makes sure that we employ the most talented bakers in the kitchens.

That's why Nate is as good at what he does as he is.

He's learned from the best, and that means I've been able to learn from the best.

None of the cooks were particularly pleased about me trailing around after them at first, probably because they thought that I was just a princess underfoot.

Only Nate had been patient enough to actually talk to me properly at first, though in hindsight, that's probably because we were the same age and he was bored being the spit boy.

When he started learning how to bake from his father, he let me listen, and it soon became normal for us both to get a lesson at the same time.

I'm not really sure when that changed to the two of us baking together alone, but I don't mind. He's my only friend, or my only friend other than my siblings, and I like being able to spend time with him when no one else is around.

"Evie?" Arthur waves a hand in front of my face.

"Hmm?"

"I was asking if you were going on the picnic today."

"I didn't even know there was one." I put down my bread and turn my attention to making myself some tea.

It's a recent discovery after one of the foreign delegations brought it as a gift.

This is one that I can get behind, even if I think that the reciprocal gift giving should cancel one another out.

"It's for the ambassador."

"Well, then I should avoid it in case I say anything else that will potentially damage relations between our kingdoms," I say.

Arthur laughs. "Probably wise. I know you don't mean to, but you do have a tendency of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time."

"You don't think that Ambassador Zixin is angry about what I said last night?"

"He seemed more amused than annoyed to me," Arthur assures me with a shrug.

I let out a sigh of relief. "I don't want to insult anyone."

"I know you don't."

"Maybe I need to take diplomacy lessons or something."

He laughs. "I don't think that would help you."

"I can learn things," I protest.

"I know you can." He leans back in his seat and looks out of the window at the mountain. "You can practice next month when the delegation from Someil arrives."

I groan. "Another delegation?"

He nods. "This one's different, though. Supposedly, the King of Someil himself is coming, along with his daughter."

"Let me guess, Father is hoping that you fall madly in love with her?"

Arthur laughs. "I'm seventeen, as is she. I doubt anyone is going to be falling madly in love."

"There must be a reason the King is bringing his daughter, and she's your age," I point out. "And they're hardly hoping that she'll make a match with Ernest, are they? I suppose they could be trying to match her with Veronica, though."

Arthur laughs. "Our parents would never force one of us into marriage."

"Maybe. But logic would say that they would like an advantageous marriage for each of us. Especially one with a kingdom as wealthy as Someil." I take a sip of my tea.

"I don't like it when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Think about things without taking any feelings into account."

I frown. "That's not what I'm doing. I'm just saying what makes the most sense to me."

"I think it would make you a good ruler."

"Well, that's immaterial because Kathryn is going to sit on the throne after our father," I remind him.

"For now," he mutters.

"What do you mean for now ?" I ask.

He shrugs. "You never know what could happen."

"Nothing is going to happen. Father is in good health, and Kathryn too.

All of her children would be ahead of me in the succession as well.

The chances of you ever calling me Queen Evelyn are very small.

And if they become higher, I'll just abdicate and then the throne is Veronica's problem, or yours if she doesn't want it. "

He laughs. "I'll pass."

"Right, then Ernest it is." I finish my tea and set it down, leaning back in my chair.

Arthur grins. "So we should start preparing for him to be a king, then?"

"Exactly. Kathryn can have her dresses, you can care for your animals, I can bake, and Veronica can do whatever it is that she sneaks off to do when she thinks no one is paying her any attention."

"The gardener," Arthur mutters.

"What?"

He clears his throat. "She goes to the gardens."

"Oh, I would never have guessed that. I didn't think she liked flowers that much." My gaze falls to the teapot, and I wonder about making myself another cup of tea. I don't have anywhere to be, and I can't go down to the kitchens until later, so maybe I should.

I pick up the pot and pour myself a cup. "You never said if you were planning on going on the picnic?"

He shakes his head. "A farmer sent a message this morning about one of their goats having a problem, I'm going to go down and take a look."

"Ah." I should have known he had plans involving an animal. He truly has a way with them.

"I'll get you that book on dragons first."

"Thank you." I'd much rather spend the day reading about baking techniques, or even better, trying them out, but I can't go down to the kitchens while they're busy making all of the meals for the day, that's a good way for me to find myself banned in the future for making a nuisance of myself.

Besides, I do need to know what to expect from my dragon. It might not hatch, but I don't want to take the chance that it does and realise that I don't know anything about it.