Page 6

It's amazing how many things the woman who makes cat accessories has that Felicia doesn't need. And yet, I can't help myself from feeling drawn to the small mouse stuffed with some kind of herbs that cats actually like.

"Should I get it for Felicia?" I ask Arthur.

"Would she like it?" he asks.

"I'm not sure." I frown and consider everything in front of me, even as he digs into his pocket and pulls out a couple of coins, handing them to the woman.

"Consider it my welcome gift to Felicia," he says as the woman wraps up the little mouse and hands it to me.

"You already made her a cat tree, you don't need to do more for her."

"But I want to." He reaches out a hand as if he's going to touch me, but thinks better of it. "I want to keep her princess happy."

"She is," I assure him.

"Good."

There's something in the air that I'm not entirely sure I'm able to name, but there's something about it that makes me want to feel it more, and I know it's all to do with him.

There's something about Arthur that calls to me.

It's nothing like what I felt when I read his letters, though I can hear that person in his voice when he speaks to me.

Arthur clears his throat. "Are you hungry?"

I'm a little taken aback by the change in topic. "A little."

"Then we should find something to eat. There's a man who comes to the fairs who makes delicious roast pork, or a woman who makes a rice dish that's native to Rajaad."

"Isn't that across the sea?"

"It is, but a lot of their ships make port here. Well, not here, but in Porton," he says. "Some of the people have settled, and others come for things like the fair to share their wares and the food."

"Oh. I don't think I've ever had anything from Rajaad before."

"Isn't South Rajaad only a short journey from Someil?"

"I believe so, yes, but it's not something we serve at home. I think we were too inland to get much influence from the sailors."

"Ah, I see."

"Do you think I'll like it?" I ask, curious, but also a little wary.

"I'm not sure, but we could share?" he suggests. "If you don't like it, then we can get something else."

"All right, that sounds nice." I try to give him a reassuring smile. It's strange to be standing in front of someone who I feel like I know very well, and not at all, both at the same time.

All around us, the villagers are enjoying the fair without a care in the world, and they don't seem to realise that there are any members of royalty among them. Or maybe they do. Arthur and his sisters all seem very relaxed to be here, so it can't be the only time they've done this.

Arthur offers me his arm again and I take it, using it as an excuse to step a little bit closer to him. I'm not sure what makes me do it, but I catch him smiling in a way that makes it seem as if he's noticed.

He leads me through the stalls, nodding to the occasional person and revealing that some of my thoughts are correct and that the villagers do know who he is. I suppose he is dressed like a prince, and we're only a short walk from the main castle and still within the main walls.

A delicious smell that I don't recognise meets my nose and I take a deep breath, letting it sink in. A woman is tossing some rice in a pan larger than any I've ever seen.

She looks up and smiles at us. "Your Highness," she says, dipping her head towards Arthur.

"Evening, Jiya," he says to her.

"I've not known you bring a guest to the fair before, Your Highness," she says, her gaze straying to me. She's speaking in Falhavien, but has an accent I don't recognise. I assume it must be Rajaadi.

Arthur smiles widely. "This is Princess Solana of Someil, we're to be married."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I say quickly.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Highness," the woman responds. "How are you enjoying the fair?"

"It's wonderful," I respond. "I'm lucky that I have such a good guide to help me make the most of it."

Arthur's smile lights up his face and makes him look a little younger than before. Not that he ever looked old, he's very distinguished for twenty-two. "How are the lambs?" he asks the woman.

"They're good, Your Highness. Without your help, I doubt they would have been able to survive."

"It was my pleasure," he says.

I look at him. "What did you do?"

"Nothing much," he responds.

"He's being modest, Princess," the woman says.

"He came to the farm every day to help bottle feed the poor things.

Their mother broke her leg, and the stress made her lambs come early.

The village vet said that he thought the lambs would die, but Prince Arthur was having none of it. He has a way with animals."

"I've heard from his sisters." I put my hand on his arm and smile at him. It sounds like the same Arthur who has been writing to me, but also something new. He hasn't told me the details of his accomplishments at caring for animals. Perhaps he doesn't want to come across like he's boasting.

Arthur smiles. "I was hoping to share some of your food with Princess Solana," he says to the woman running the stall.

"Of course." She picks up a wooden bowl and stirs the large metal pan beside her. She scoops some of the rice dish into the bowl and hands it to Arthur along with a couple of spoons.

He digs into his pocket and takes out a coin, giving it to the woman.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"We're busy with wedding preparations this week, but I'll visit the farm when I have a chance. Please send for me if you need anything," he says.

"Of course."

I watch with interest, wondering if my translation abilities are stopping me from understanding the nuances of the conversation, but both of them seem to be genuine with what they're saying.

Arthur turns his attention to me with a smile. "We should take a seat." He leads me over to where some wooden tables are set out, and we sit down. He places the bowl between us and hands me a spoon.

My fingers brush against his as I take it, making my breath catch in my throat.

No one has ever had an effect on me like this, though perhaps that's because I haven't given anyone a chance.

I was never much interested in anyone like that until I met Arthur, and even then, it wasn't immediately something I wanted to pursue.

At seventeen, he'd been kind and sweet, asking me to dance because it was what was expected of us.

It's only once we started writing to one another that my feelings started to grow.

Once I got to know the real person and not the prince he puts on show for the world.

Nervously, I dip my spoon into the dish and bring some to my lips. Arthur follows every movement a little bit closer than he has to, filling me with a deep sense of awareness in what I'm doing.

There's an explosion of flavour on my tongue, spices that seem both familiar and not at the same time. "This is good," I say to Arthur. "We have a similar dish in the south of Someil near the coast, but we make it with prawns and different spices."

"You should give the palace cook the recipe for that," Arthur says. "I imagine the kitchens will make it for you."

"I wouldn't want to cause more work for them."

"They want to," he says. "I've been giving them the names of the dishes you've talked about in your letters, and they've been excited to try them, I'm sure they'd like to hear about them from someone who has actually eaten them."

I pause with my spoon over the bowl. "You've been doing that?"

"I wanted you to be able to ask for food from Someil if you got homesick," he responds.

"Arthur..." My voice cracks as I say his name, hardly believing that he's being so sweet. "That truly wasn't necessary."

"I will do anything I can to make sure you're comfortable, Solana," he says softly. "I want you to have a home here."

"That's very sweet." I set down my spoon and reach out to touch him, a lot more purposefully than any of the previous brushes against one another we've done.

It feels right. After years of getting to know one another, it's taking longer than I thought to relax into the more physical part of our relationship, but I know it will come.

How can it not when he looks at me with those adoring eyes and reveals all of the thoughtful things he's already been doing for me?

If this is a taste of the life I have to come in Falhaven, then I feel like I'm going to be very happy here.