Page 14

T he next morning, Theo came out the washroom with a small towel wrapped around his waist. To his surprise, Prince Sebastian was there setting a stack of clothes on the bed.

"Morning, your majesty."

"Oh. Good morning," he said, clearly a bit startled.

His leopard ears and tail had vanished now, but he still looked like an ethereal being from fairytales. His eyes swept Theo's body.

"I saw you didn't have many clothes suitable for our climate, so I brought you some for today. I will get more for you later. Leave your ruined clothes in the hall and I'll dispose of them."

"Thanks," he said, cheerily plopping down on the edge of the bed. He unfolded the clothes to take a look as the simple blouse and furry cloak. "How are you feeling, your majesty? You were pretty scraped up the other night."

"I'll manage. How is your arm doing?"

"I'm healing." He held up his bandaged arm. "The bear was rough but no permanent damage."

"That's good." He folded his arms behind his back. "Would you like to eat with us today?"

"I'm starved, actually. I know I was combative before, but I'm willing to eat now. The chains are lost to the forest though, so perhaps I could eat up here?"

"You should come down and eat with everyone. You've earned some goodwill for saving me, so let's forgo the chains." He came over, took Theo's arm, and examined it. "I will do my best to ease some anxieties among my people. As I said, you stay by my side when we leave this suite at all times. Your presence has angered many, and I don't want anyone to hurt you."

"I will." Theo nodded. If I stay by his side, how am I going to figure out how to escape? He couldn't ponder this too long because he was distracted by the prince's thick snowflake white lashes as his downcast eyes inspected him.

"You're staring again." He flicked his eyes up to meet his. "Truly a bad habit of yours."

"Sorry." Theo laughed, amused by the snarky comment. "I'll work on that, I promise. But it's really because you're just very—"

"Pretty. You told me,” he said dryly. "Get dressed. Come out when you're ready. We'll be heading into town after breakfast, so wear your cloak." With that he turned on his heels and let the door slam shut.

Seems I hit a nerve. Maybe if I poke enough, he'll not want me around so much. Excited to eat, Theo rushed to put on the new clothes. All of them were much nicer than anything he'd ever worn. The white blouse was a luxurious warm fabric with silver buttons. When he moved, the fabric shined the faintest shade of blue. The boots paired with the black fur cloak kept the cold almost completely away. He left his tattered clothes folded outside the door as he was told and went to thank the prince.

To his surprise, the prince was standing by his own bedroom window with eyes glued to a small bluejay. He was so still as his eyes tracked the fluttering creature. Theo was certain he would pounce at any moment.

Stifling a laugh, he tapped lightly on the door with the back of his hand. "Prince Sebastian?"

"Yes?" He whirled around. "If you're ready, let's not waste time. Come along."

Theo followed him through the winding halls lit by the dim natural light that shined through the clouds. He searched for any sign of a potential escape route but so far, it was still just branches bursting from walls and closed doors. He glanced at the prince and noticed the way the torchlight made those faint iridescent rainbows on his hair reappear. I wonder is all nymphs are so inexplicable lovely.

"Yes?" The prince looked at him. "Do you have a question?"

"Beautiful."

The prince stopped in his tracks and frowned. "What are you going on about now?"

"I said you were beautiful. When you mentioned my staring before, you said I called you pretty when I actually said beautiful. You diminished my compliment which is a bit rude. Some may argue ruder than staring."

"My deepest apologies." He rolled his eyes. "Why are you bringing that up now?"

"Isn't it obvious? Your beauty is the reason I'm staring again. The soft rainbows on your hair reminds me of light passing through misty rain. It's hard to ignore."

"You're mischievous, aren't you?" Prince Sebastian started walking again. "Flirts like you are irritating."

"So cold," Theo said with faux hurt as he followed. "I can't help it. From flowers, to art, to people, I just like beautiful things. I don't mean any offense."

When the prince ignored him, he decided to go back to poking fun. "You know, you being a snow leopard makes sense. You're exceptionally cat like."

"A cat?" he spat. "A snow leopard is a powerful wild animal, not a pet."

"Isn't a leopard just a big cat? They look like cats."

"I should've let the bear eat you," he mumbled.

"And that was a cat like reply if I ever heard one. Don't worry, though. I like cats just fine."

"You can try and annoy me all day, I'm still requiring you stay with me." He glanced at him and a faint smile formed on his lips. "Good try, though. I have to commend your foolish persistence. And just so you know, flattery doesn't work on me."

"And you enjoy outsmarting your prey," Theo said with a laugh. "Remind me again how a leopard isn't a cat?" He stuck his hands in his pockets. "For what it's worth, the flattery was genuine."

"If calling me a cat helps you understand things, I suppose there's no harm," he said, ignoring his last comment as he led Theo downstairs. He paused outside two large doors. "Don't call me that around others." He shoved the doors open, revealing the decadent great hall.

It had high arched ceilings with chandeliers made of twisted branches with candles that endlessly burned and yet never melted hanging over a long oak table lined with other nymphs.

Each person had splashes of grey stone and dried twigs or leaves sticking out from hair and the edges of their blouses. As the prince walked Theo to the head of the table, everyone silently followed with their eyes.

It's odd to know a room is talking about you before you arrive.

"Here you are," he said, pulling out a chair at the edge of the table before taking his own seat at the head. "This will be your seat from now on. I think at my side is best."

Still forced to stay right under him. Theo could see the prince's logic to some extent. He felt the glares coming from multiple guards, especially from the three he saw under his window the day before. In an attempt to break the tension, he did his best to speak casually with the prince. "So, what do you eat for breakfast here?"

"Food is sparse here due to the weather, but we hunt and feed on what we happen to find."

"Food is sparse?" he repeated confused. Isn't the veil lush with fruits and animals?

"Marcel and Collette make great food," a man across from Theo said. He had ochre skin with thick dark brown curls he kept short. He was well built with the physique Theo associated with guards and warriors. The front of his blouse was open, and there was some stone and dry moss visible on his skin. A stem of a plant sprouted out of his collarbone and snaked up the side of his neck, suggesting that the flowers that grew on him were a type of vine. "I'm Oliver, by the way," he said with a nod. "Bastian says you're Theo?"

"Yes, hello." Theo could tell he was trying to be polite, but he could see the anxious fidgeting in his hands. "It's nice to meet you."

"Food’s here!" said a thin older man holding a large pot. "More stew to warm your bones." He was much more stone than the others. His face, arms, and neck were all stone, and his eyes were pretty diamonds. He was like a living statue. He gripped the metal pot as if it wasn't hot to the touch as he came over to the table.

A woman with a voluptuous figure, pale skin, and a blonde bun on top of her head rushed out ahead of him with a bright smile. "Marcel, honey, you have to wait for me. They don't have bowls yet," she playfully scolded. She went around setting a bowl in front of each person and ladling out piping hot stew.

Even with no introduction, Theo could tell this was an old married couple and he delighted in watching them as they went around the table. They had warmth that reminded Theo of his own parents in his youth.

"Welcome, Theo," Colette said with a sweet smile when she finally got to him. Her eyes were an emerald stones that twinkled as she served him a heavy bowl of food. "I heard you might be a bit underfed, so please come find me and Marcel if you're still hungry during the day. We can whip you something up."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," he said, surprised at how hospitable she was.

They sat down in their own seats and that seemed to be the invisible cue that it was time to eat because everyone dug in and started talking with one another.

Unsure if he could eat this magical animal, Theo poked at his food hesitantly.

"It's safe for you to eat." Prince Sebastian gestured to Theo's bowl with a spoon. "I went to Collette and Marcel and made sure they cooked something a human could eat."

"And how did you know what humans eat?" Lyle asked from the opposite end of the table. He leaned back in his chair as he stared down the prince.

"I have books on humans. I simply did some reading."

"That's rather sweet," Theo said, perking up excitedly. He took a bite of the stew, and the tender meat reminded him of elk. He hummed with satisfaction. "It reminds me of my father's cooking." The memory of his family around the dinner table made a pit of sadness open in his chest. "Thank you. It's delicious. And it's not poisonous so far."

"I wouldn't poison you," Sebastian mumbled.

"I'm teasing again." Theo smiled a little, seeing the blush spread on the prince’s cheeks. If I have to be stuck with him, at least he's a little fun.

"You two are getting along," Oliver said as he sipped broth from his spoon.

"Prince Sebastian is a good host," Theo said between bites. "Easy to get along with."

"I bet he is," a man next to Oliver said with a smile. His skin was a deep brown with red undertones like black calla lilies. His midnight dreads were tied half up, half down and hung at shoulder length. The leaves on his body were brittle and curled inward. "Sebastian, when was the last time you made a special request in the kitchen for someone?"

The prince coughed on his food, covering his mouth with a napkin. "A request seemed reasonable in these circumstances. Do you have a request, too?"

"Ignore Jacques, he's just jealous of the ward," said the man on Theo's left. "I'm Henri, by the way. I'm glad you're here. It's been a while since anything exciting happened. I have a feeling you'll make things interesting."

Like the two cooks, Henri was much more stone than the others. Half his face was stone and even some of his hair was carved out of rock. The hair that was still soft was red and in short waves. He had a few dry brown twigs on his shoulder and a smattering of freckles on his skin.

"Um, thanks," Theo said not sure how anything in the veil could be boring. "Does not much happen here?"

"You have no idea," Oliver said with a sigh.

"Most people in the castle are part of the guard like Oliver, Jacques, and Henri," Prince Sebastian explained. "Unfortunately, most of the staff has passed on. We maintain the castle and kingdom. I suppose that can get monotonous. You'll primarily be with me, so you'll see what we have to do day to day. I'm sure you'll get the hang of things quickly."

Echoes of Sebastian's growls replayed in his mind. Is the prince the reason a lot of his staff has passed?

"What's your human village like?" Oliver asked, drawing Theo's mind away from dark thoughts.

"It's a small village. It's nothing as fancy as this. It's quiet and there's no magic but is still a peaceful place. Have any of you ever been to the human world?"

"We could but our powers are dulled outside of the veil," Sebastian explained. "Most children of the veil will avoid the edge altogether, so they aren't weakened."

"That explains why I've never seen a nymph before."

"Why don't more humans enter the veil?" Jacques asked. "We've never seen a human."

"It's hard for us to even look at it directly." Theo took a bite of his food. "It takes skill to look into it and travel through it."

"Yet you're kissed by the veil," Sebastian said, nodding to Theo's chest. "Clearly you've traveled through often. You must be one of the skilled."

"Is kissed by the veil what you call this?" He touched his chest absentmindedly as he asked.

"Yes," he said, poking at his food. "In the wilds, what we called the uncolonized portions of the veil, I'm sure you've seen certain things glow. It's believed that all the living things that glow are favored by the veil and all share a connection with each other. For example, in theory a snake that glows won't eat a mouse that glows. The more of a glow, the more favored the thing is. Some view glowing items as lucky. Your marks suggestion you're exceptionally favored."

"Well, if the veil favors me, I am grateful." Hearing his scar referred to as something lucky made his heart swell, and a small part of him healed. "Hopefully that means you can come to favor me, too. Who knows, maybe I can be your good luck charm."

"Now I see why Theo got a request put into the kitchen," Henri said with a chuckle. "Theo, when do you enter the veil? It moves around season to season. Do you chase it or wait?"

"I don't chase it. I have too much responsibility at home. I only go in in the spring."

There was a loud clatter as the prince dropped his spoon on the table and knocked over his glass of water.

"You alright?" Theo said, surprised by the noise. He quickly took a cloth napkin and patted the water on the table dry, his instincts from raising his sisters taking over.

"Like I said interesting," Henri said under his breath.

Lyle slammed his hands on the table and stood, making the rest of the room fall silent. "Why are we treating him as if he did nothing wrong? What he did was disgusting. He shouldn't be allowed to speak so casually, let alone live and eat among us."

"I agree with Lyle," the lanky blond added. His voice was less confident, but he continued. "And what happened to at least keeping the ward in chains?"

Theo tensed under the rage filled glare from across the table. The other guards were silent, looking between the two and not wanting to anger either party.

"Watch your words when speaking to the prince," Oliver warned but Sebastian put up his hand, silencing him.

"Remy, Lyle can defend his opinion on his own. I suggest you stay quiet."

The lanky blond lowered his eyes. "I apologize, Prince Sebastian."

"Lyle, Theo will be here for a while," the prince said calmly, ignoring the apology completely. "Getting to know him is only natural. I ask that you all treat him respectfully. We aren't uncivilized."

"It's not about being civilized. It's about the principle. You should have hanged him or left him out in the cold to fend for himself." Lyle scowled. "There's still time to correct your mistake."

"I know quite a few of you want justice for what was done. Theo didn't commit the crime and yet I made him give up his home, his family, and his life to be here in this cursed wasteland with us." He scoffed, gesturing to the room. "Are you suggesting living here under the curse is easy?"

"Obviously not but—"

"You are my general and head of my royal guard. I value your opinion, but my word is final. Don't forget that. And don't forget your place." He stood, scooting back his chair. "If you disagree with me, you know where the door is. You are welcome to move out and go back to the city."

There was a long pause and Lyle sat and scowled. "I apologize, Sebastian, I just—"

"It's Prince Sebastian. You've forgotten how to show respect this morning. I hope you remember before the day is over." He turned to Theo and offered a smile. "Theo, have you finished eating?"

"Um, yes?" he said, startled by Prince Sebastian's sudden attention.

"Perfect. Time for us to start our tour. Leave the bowl. Lyle can clean it up with the rest of the dishes."

Sebastian was already heading for the doors and, not wanting to be left alone under Lyle's furious glare, Theo hurried after.