For King and Country

The Prince

Chapter 12

"What do you mean the Prince of Thanir is here?" I snapped, my words making Josephine jerking away from me as if she had been slapped. I stormed across the large elegant room, my skirt fanning out as I stormed through the main area of my chambers. I fought the urge to throw a proper temper-tantrum and throw a vase into one of the landscapes that sat in gilded frames.

"He just showed up, my lady." She stuttered, scrambling to keep up with me. "I've put him in your office..."

"Wait," I stopped dead in my tracks, Josephine shooting passed me. I watched her walked away for a moment, before spinning to face me, her eyes wide. "Not only did you fail to kick that vile excuse for a man out, you went out of your way to make him comfortable?" I was yelling now, the servants whispering from behind my chamber doors.

"What else was I supposed to do? Treat him like a dog?" She snapped at me. "One does not come to see a Princess..."

"Don't you dare finishing that sentence." I snapped, throwing open my office door. The office was light and airy, with a large glass window with a white cashmere reading seat. I loved nestling in between two book cases, looking out over the city, reading one of the books from the floor to ceiling shelves that Henry had stocked with my mother's, father's, and his favorites. The Prince of Thanir was riffling through a large leather volume I'd left open earlier, looking far too at home.

"Well, I thought you would never arrive." He said, not bothering to look up. "An entire book on the speciation of daisies." Then he looked up, his eyes piercing mine, much clearer than they had been that night. "I never assumed a Princess would care."

"You make a lot of wrong assumptions." I snapped. "Josephine, leave us." She looked like she wanted to protest, her delicate mouth popping open as she struggled to find the words. I raised my eyebrows, motioning towards the door.

"See, the sudden onset of aphasia in ladies when they are bossed around would be a much more, interesting read." Prince Fitzgerald was dressed lazily in a linen shirt and trousers, but I suppose not everyone had a counsel meeting to attend. He coughed, sitting into a wing-backed chair that faced my dainty desk. I walked around behind it, quickly taking my seat. "Perhaps I shall write it."

"I dare say that is a very unsuitable topic for you, Prince Fitzgerald. Maybe it would be better suited if you wrote a book on barging into places you are not welcome." My eyes narrowed as I spoke, but he just smiled, an incredibly wide and blinding and annoying smile. Anger rose in me.

"I think it would be better if I wrote a guide to apologizing to women I've offended." His answer surprised me. "Maybe just the one actually."

"You came here today to apologize? What did Daddy demand it?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"No, actually. I'm not the only one who makes wrong assumptions." He said, sitting up, his face closed off. "My father is a kind man, but has high expectations. He expects me to fail miserably and then work my way through the consequences fate delivers me. Never once has he removed the punishment of my actions or attempted to cover my actions. Father does not know how I treated you, I expect he'd make the trip from Thanir just to box my ears if he did."

"So you're here of your own volition?" I asked, my voice quietly suspicious.

"Yes. To apologize for the way I acted at your ball. I should not have accosted you." He smiled. "And I believe it is fated for us to be friends."

"Well, I suppose you are the future leader of my largest ally." I began slowly. He smiled.

"Keep talking Princess, I'm liking the path this conversation is taking." He leaned back, his hands locked behind his head.

"But you are a complete and total dimwit!" I slammed a pen down. He grinned.

"You're going to have to learn to live with it. You're stuck with me for the rest of your life. I'm the Prince of your largest trading partner, your closest ally, and possibly your best friend..."

"What is wrong with you?" I snapped, squinting my eyes. "Did your mother not love you enough? Or do men in your country treat women as awfully as you do? Did..."

"My mother died when I was two weeks old. I never knew her. I do have a vicious step mother, though, if you want to blame my attitude on that. She's the reason I have a taste tester before all my meals. She has a son too." He said, leaning onto his elbows onto his knees. "But if you really want to know what is wrong with me... Well Princess... I'm in love."

I snorted. "What? I pity the poor girl."

"Don't she loves me." He grinned. "She's the most beautiful girl in the world." He sighed, much like Morris whenever he talked about a pretty girl. "She's smart, and witty, but unlike you, she's quite lovable. She will be an excellent queen, and mother... You'd actually like her, I think. I've never met anyone who didn't like her..."

"She sounds nice..." I replied uncertainly. "Are you sure she loves you?"

"Yes. I am." He snapped. "So... in the spirit of forgiveness, blame my actions at the ball on the terrible affliction of love, or being away from the ones you love." I snorted.

"I will forgive you because I must, not because I want to."

"That is good enough for me." He stood, turning for the door, letting himself out.

"What's her name?" I blurted out, making him pause. "The girl you love?"

"Thalia. Thalia Marie." He said, turning back to face me, one hand on the door. "What is his name? The one that holds your heart?"

I shook my head, "I don't have one." I replied.

"Avalyn," He said, shaking his head like he could see right through me. "I know that look in your eyes, there's some one."

I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "I'm staying across the palace. If you finally decide to share the sacred name of the valiant lover who holds the keys to your sadness."

"You're annoying? You know that?" I snapped, as he opened the door.

"I've been told..." Then he was gone.

I emerged a few seconds later, to Josephine's curious gaze, the servants whispering behind her in a neat line.

"Did you two discuss marriage?" She asked eagerly. I rolled my eyes.

"No, Josephine." I snapped, exasperatedly.

"At this rate you're going to ostracize yourself from every man in the Kingdom." She moaned, someone stepping forward to fan her face as if she was going to faint. I laughed at the silliness of it all as she collapsed on a chaise, and one of the servants shot me a disapproving look.

"No, I'm just making sure they're all aware I'm never going to marry any of them." Josephine glared at me, but I didn't care. It was time she got it through her blonde head I wasn't marrying. 

"Well," She sniffed, daintily. "It's time we prepared you for your salon." She said standing, suddenly recovered from her fainting spell, grabbing my arm, and pulling me into the dressing chamber for a dress change and the preparation for a voyage through the dimwitted ladies who wanted more than anything to be in my inner circle.