A Dove's Tale

Chapter 34

It was easy to get lost in the palace. I had my routine, and I knew how to get to where I needed to be within that routine, but the seamstresses were in a part of the palace I'd never explored before. Getting there had been a problem, and I got so mixed up in the process that I was now having difficulty reorienting myself to get back to Prince Chevalier's room. It seemed like the always busy palace was suddenly empty everywhere I turned. How was it possible that I consistently ended up in deserted hallways in a palace full of people?

I sighed, expressing my frustration at the silence, since it was the only thing listening, and resigned myself to wasting more time wandering around. Eventually, I would come across somebody who knew where I was, or I would come across something I recognized. Eventually.

This palace was unnecessarily large.

"Hey, Ivetta!"

Thank goodness.

I looked back to see Prince Luke heading toward me. He wore his usual boyish grin, and at that moment, I thought it was the best thing I'd seen all morning.

"Good morning, Prince Luke."

"Have ya seen Chevie?" he asked, easily catching up to me with his long legs.

I loved that nickname. It was childish and cute and decidedly not Prince Chevalier.

"Not since he left his room, and that was fifteen or twenty minutes ago, your highness. He said he wouldn't be in his office today."

Prince Luke frowned. "Huh. Clavis said to get Chevie for a big meeting with some important people or whatever. Wonder where he's at?"

"Have you checked the library, Prince Luke?" I suggested.

That's where I was expecting to find him.

Prince Luke shook his head. "Not yet. I was gonna check his room when I saw ya and thought I'd ask."

"Oh, good, so I'm going in the right direction," I said, relieved. "I got a bit turned around, your highness," I added in explanation.

"It's real easy to get lost here," he agreed. "I've been here over a month, and I still get lost all the time."

"Where were you before, Prince Luke?" I asked curiously.

Prince Leon had said something about Prince Luke not being with the rest of the princes on Bloodstained Rose Day, but surely he would have been too young to fight then. I didn't think he could be much older than me.

"I was a commoner. Didn't even know I was a prince until the day I came here," he said casually.

That explained a lot. Being with him wasn't like being with a prince at all. Everything about him was casual - his speech, his clothes, his posture. The only thing that marked him as different was the giant broadsword strapped to his back. That and his size, of course. The king must have been a tall man. Prince Yves was of average height, but he seemed short compared to his brothers. Prince Luke had to be six feet tall, and the rest weren't much shorter than him.

"How do you like it so far, your highness?"

Silly question. Being a prince had to be better than being a commoner.

"I dunno," he said, shrugging. "The food's better, and the bed's more comfortable. But I gotta take all these lessons with Sariel to learn how to talk and act right, and I'm supposed to dress different, too. I don't get it. I'm a prince, so why can't I do what I want?"

He had a point.

"I guess people expect more from you because you're a prince, your highness."

"Yeah, well, I hate it. That's why I hide from Sariel all the time. He's 'bout ready to pull his hair out 'cause of me."