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Chapter Text

Sophia Ascart was bored. Bored, and uncomfortable. The plan had been for her father to just swing by the royal palace to drop off some paperwork, before taking her out to the bookstore. Sophia knew it was just an excuse to get her out of the house. Sophia didn’t even like leaving her room, and the only way her parents or her brother could get her out of the house was to bribe her with new books to read.

Unfortunately for her, what had been supposed to be a brief visit by her father had turned into an impromptu meeting between her father and the king, leaving Sophia stuck sitting in a corner of her father’s outer office. She’d brought a book, but it was an old favorite and she must have read it too many times recently, for she found it unable to hold her attention.

Not to mention she was hot. Sophia tugged self-consciously on the rim of the hooded green cloak she wore. It had started as a simple precaution against Sun – Sophia’s cursed skin burnt even more easily than most people’s, and Sun’s light hurt her eyes – but even at six years old Sophia had long ago become conscious of the stares that would follow her whenever she went out. The stares that would anchor onto her hair and eyes, look at her with disgust and then turn to her family with pity at the burden they had taken on. The hooded cloak had become her shield against more than Sun’s light. It was her personal cloak of invisibility, keeping her hidden from those who would judge – or worse, pity – her brother and her parents for being family to one such as she. Unfortunately, none of that prevented it from being horrifically hot, especially on a stuffy day like today.

Sophia groaned and kicked her heels. She could hear the raised voices of her father and the king through the door to the inner office, though it was too muffled for her to make out what they were actually saying. It certainly didn’t sound like they were going to be done anytime soon.

With a sigh, Sophia jumped to her feet. This wing of the palace, where the royal family lived, was practically deserted today. The regiments of bureaucrats that kept the kingdom running were busy today as they were every day, but that part of the palace was isolated from the king’s wing in much the same way the servants’ quarters were isolated from the masters’ territory in any great house. If Sophia was careful, she could probably do a little exploring without bothering anyone.

Sophia slipped out the office door and set off down the hallway, picking a direction at random. I wonder where the library is? she thought. She glanced around again and felt her lips twitch in a slight smile. When near-empty like this, the palace felt like something out of one of her stories. Dramatic and grand, like royalty probably felt like to anyone whose father wasn’t dealing with them on a daily basis.

As she trotted down the hall, Sophia began to hear the faintest trace of music. The notes lingered in the air, a soft melody that drew Sophia in, cloak trailing behind her. She turned a corner, following the delicate notes through the near-empty hallways.

Whoever was playing was very skilled. She’d heard her mother play the piano and the windpipes before, and her brother had been learning, but she had never heard either produce something as beautiful and gentle as this. It felt lighter than air, like she was soaring on the gusts of wind her brother conjured.

As the music grew louder and louder, she turned another corner and noticed a door slightly cracked at the end of the hallway. That had to be where the music was coming from. Sophia paused just outside the door and clutched her book to her chest, torn between a desperate desire to see who could be making such wonderful music and an equally desperate fear of being seen herself. The music began to build towards a climax, and Sophia stepped forward, peeking in through the crack of the door. She couldn’t see the musician, but she could see a chest of drawers, and a sliver of a beautiful painting on a wall. This must be someone’s bedroom.

As the notes continued to build, Sophia began to inch the door further open, her heart hammering in her chest. She knew she was pushing her luck, but she had to see the source of that lovely melody. In that moment, she understood as never before the passages in the old stories of maidens lured into the forest by the dark music of the elves, beautiful and deadly as nightshade and belladonna.

As she inched the door open, Sophia saw first the beginnings of a bed, then pale feet and hands holding a recorder like it was an extension of their body more than a mundane instrument. They were smaller than Sophia had expected, the musician apparently not much older than Sophia herself. Just a touch more and then she could see the musician’s face...

At that moment, the music broke. There was a sudden blast of horrible cacophony, then the recorder was cast aside and dry, strained hacks and choking noises filled the vacuum where the melody once was. It sounded like someone was drowning.

Sophia’s eyes widened and she urgently swung open the door with a slam. On the bed, propped up against the headboard and a mass of pillows, sat a small boy with silver hair that seemed to shine like starlight in the light from the window. His coughs had ceased, though his breathing was still ragged, and his sky-blue eyes bored into her.

“What are you doing in here?” he croaked out. “No one’s supposed to be in here.” His voice was lower, gruffer than she would have expected.

“I’m sorry- I heard the music and I was just wondering who was playing,” she said. She recognized the Stuart features in this strange boy’s face. This had to be the fourth prince, Prince Alan, though she’d never seen him before. Even her brother Nicol, who was a companion of Prince Geordo and often visited the palace, had only met Prince Alan a handful of times. She had heard rumors about the fourth prince being of ill health and judging by the tray of potions and medicines on his nightstand the rumors were true. “It was so beautiful.”

The Prince seemed to freeze at the compliment before frowning, then peering at her and asking, “Who are you?”

“My name is Sophia Ascart, your Highness,” she said, instinctively dropping into a curtsey.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prince Alan stared back at the hooded figure standing in his doorway. He could barely make out more than the flash of red eyes beneath that hood, everything else was hidden. Even the girl’s hands were tucked inside long sleeves. If not for the bottom of a dress peeking out from under the cloak and the soft tone of speaking he wouldn’t have even known she was a girl. He was perplexed. What on earth was a girl doing wearing a winter cloak like that in the middle of summer?

“Ascart-like the prime minister?” he asked, trying to breathe steadily to prevent another coughing fit.

“My father,” Sophia answered. “He came to pick up some paperwork to bring back home then the king called him into his office.”

“So why did you come?” Alan asked.

“Father promised to take me to the bookshop after,” the hooded little girl said, hugging a leather-bound tome to her chest.

“Well, you should go back to wherever you were,” Alan said. “I’m sure your father is looking for you, and I’m supposed to be resting.” He couldn’t help the acid that slipped into his tone at that last word.

“Were you really resting? It sounded more like you were playing music,” Sophia replied, her tone innocent. Alan felt his cheeks blush with mingled irritation and chagrin.

“Well I-er..” he stammered, caught red handed. “Rest is different to everyone,” he said, trying to sound confident. Another fit of coughs racked his chest, and even through the scraping sensation in his chest he was bitterly aware of how that undermined his words.

“Are you sick?” The hooded little girl asked.

“I’m always sick.” Alan answered bitterly, staring at the window. He had grown used to days like this: laying in bed while his brother enjoyed the sunshine and grounds and friends, life an endless series of nursemaids, healers and doctors trying to figure out how to fix him. He was always an object to be fixed apparently.

“With what?”

“Anything and everything, it feels like something new every time,” Alan said, rolling his eyes. “All I know is, I have to lie here in bed bored or Mother will be furious.”

The hooded girl paused for a moment before raising in a hesitant voice. “Well, if you wanted I could read to you?” she offered, holding up her book. Alan stayed silent for a moment, concentrating on his breathing again. He knew he wouldn’t be able to play the recorder again for a while, not with the way his chest was hurting, and there was nothing else for him to do other than look out the window at grounds he couldn’t visit.

Book or definite boredom? he pondered. Sophia didn’t seem too annoying, and it would be nice to have something different for once.

“Is it any good?” he asked. Sophia seemed to think about it for a moment, her hood dipping as if she were staring down at her book.

“It has pirates,” she said eventually.

Alan felt himself perk up. “Are there swordfights?” he asked.

“Many.”

“I’m in.” He bluntly responded, gesturing for her to pull up a chair.

Sophia dragged one towards his bedside and settled down. She began to crack open her book, but Alan interrupted her.

“Aren’t you hot in that?” he asked, gesturing towards her hooded cloak.

“A little, but I have to wear it,” Sophia replied.

“Why?” Alan asked. Even his mother wouldn’t make him wear a cloak in this weather, and she was paranoid about keeping him from chills and draughts.

“Because I’m cursed.”

Alan couldn’t help but laugh. “What, seriously? Do you have horns or something?”

“No,” Sophia said, sounding hesitant. “It’s well- my hair it’s white like an old persons…” She said lip quivering.

Alan was astounded. “Is that really it?” he asked. “Look at my hair,” he added with a gesture. “It’s gray, you don’t think that makes me cursed, do you?”

“Well, no-” Sophia said, sounding reluctant.

“Then you're not cursed,” Alan said bluntly.

“But, my eyes they’re red like blood or the devil!” Sophia said.

Alan rolled his eyes. “I can see that, you know”, he said. “Look, show me.”

“Pardon?” Sophia squeaked

“Show me. Take off your hood so I can see this curse or whatever.” Alan said leaning back nonchalantly.

“You’re mad.” Sophia said clutching the edges of her hood.

“I’m royalty, madness comes with the territory.” Alan said, feeling his lips quirk at memories of some of the ridiculous things his elder siblings had gotten up to.

“If you’re sure…” Sophia said. Hands shaking, she pulled back her hood.

Prince Alan stared at her in mingled bafflement and amazement. Sophia’s hair was bright white, shining waves hanging down her back. Her eyes dug into him, brilliant and startlingly red. Her expression was tense and guarded, reminding him of his own when he was waiting for more bad news from the healers.

“I think you’re the crazy one.” Alan said after a moment.

“Huh?” Sophia looked baffled.

“How could that hair be like an old person?” Alan dug around in his head and he remembered a melody about the night sky. “Isn’t it more like moonlight?”

“Moonlight?” Sophia mouthed, looking at him almost spellbound.

“Moonlight,” Alan said firmly.

“And my eyes,” Sophia asked, her voice barely a whisper. “What do they look like?”

“They look..” pretty, he thought, like roses in the gardens. “It doesn’t matter what they look like!” Alan continued, feeling his own cheeks blush crimson. “You’re not cursed.”

Sophia stared at Alan, an expression of mingled delight and disbelief on her face.

That’s how I would look if the doctor came in and told me I was cured, I could go out and play in the sun, Alan thought.

“Aren’t you going to read?” he said sharply, not wanting to dwell on that particular thought.

“O-oh, sorry.” Sophia said before taking a shaky breath and cracking open her novel “The Princess Bride.”

“What? You didn’t tell me this was a girl’s book!” Alan groaned, feeling a sudden sense of dread.

“Trust me. It’s an everyone book.” Sophia said with a small smile that made Alan’s worries fade.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Sophia?” Dan Ascart called, “Sophia!” He’d finally managed to tie up his unexpected business with the king, only to discover that his daughter had wandered off in the interim. He hoped to the Lord Fivefold that she hadn’t gotten too badly lost. She’d been to the palace before, but she’d never wandered far, and the royal wing especially was a maze.

With a surge of relief, Dan heard Sophia’s familiar voice echoing down a hall. He followed her voice, and was shocked to find it coming from the 4th Prince’s bedroom.

“Wait- Wesley is Dread Pirate Roberts?!” said a voice, raspy and a boy’s and definitely not Sophia’s.

“Yes!”

“He’s been Dread Pirate Roberts this whole time? Why didn’t he go home to Buttercup?”

Could it be? Had Sophia made a friend? With a prince no less.

Dan Ascart cracked the door open. He froze as he saw the pure white hanging down. She hadn’t removed her hood outside of the house in months. They had begged her, but she never took it off in front of others, wanting to spare their eyes. But now she’d taken it off in front of Prince Alan, of all people.

“Let’s find out,” Sophia said with a little laugh in her tone, and Dan suddenly remembered his errand.

“Sophia,” he called from the door with a cough. His little girl’s head whipped around, and Prince Alan’s eyes went wide.

“Father!” she said with a smile.

“I’m sorry my meeting went on so long,” Dan said. “We can head to the bookshop now.” Sophia smiled and leapt up out of her chair.

Prince Alan looked stricken. “What! But I want to know if Inigo gets his revenge!” he blurted out.

Sophia seemed to pause before answering. “Well, if you would like, next time I come with Father I could read you the rest.” Dan felt his eyes widen. Sophia was going to leave the house for something other than books? Willingly spend time around someone who wasn’t a member of her family?

Oh thank you, Lord, he thought.

“Well, if you wanted to I wouldn’t mind…” Prince Alan said, looking flustered. Dan held back a laugh. Apparently, the fourth prince wasn’t any more accustomed to admitting his true feelings than the other three, though Prince Alan was certainly nowhere near as good at hiding those feelings as his elder siblings.

As he left the prince’s bedroom, daughter in tow, a great weight seemed to lift from Dan’s heart. Someone outside the family had finally seen Sophia’s value, and he was sure if Prince Alan could see Sophia as she truly was, others would soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roughly a year later

Sophia lay sprawled face-down on her bed, tears hot on her face, racking sobs smothered by her pillow. Earlier that day, she and her father had returned to the palace after a several-week absence visiting relatives to the west. As had been her custom for the past year, she had made her way to Alan’s bedchamber, only to find it empty. Asking around among the servants, she had finally learned that Prince Alan was out on the grounds with his twin. Apparently, coming into his powers a couple of weeks back had finally fixed whatever had left the fourth prince so prone to sicknesses. Even the Queen Mother had had to concede that he was now as healthy as any other boy.

All of which was wonderful news, of course, and Sophia was more thankful than she could find words for to the Lord of Light for finally answering hers and Alan’s and everyone else’s prayers and bringing the sickly Prince to full health. But it hurt, knowing that she’d lost her companion, the only one outside her family to ever see her as a person rather than an object of disgust or pity. Now that he was no longer confined to bed, now that he could run and play like other boys, he would have no need for her to sit and read with him…

There was a sudden rap on the door. Sophia started, then quickly rolled up into a sitting position and blotted the tears from her eyes with a sleeve.

"Who's there?" she asked.

"John, milady," replied the familiar voice of the Ascart butler. “Prince Alan is waiting to see you in the main sitting room, milady.”

"Alan?" Sophia blurted out, her eyes going wide. She flung the door open and bolted past John, dashing down the steps. She came to a halt in the door of the main sitting room. Sure enough, there on the couch was Prince Alan, looking pinker and healthier than she ever remembered seeing him and with a broad smile on his face.

"Alan!" Sophia said. "What… how…"

"I figured I owed you a visit," he said, "since I was outdoors and missed you earlier."

“Wow,” said Sophia, feeling her own cheeks ache with her smile. “Um…” she took a deep breath, searching for something appropriate to say. “Thank you,” she eventually said, as the silence was threatening to become awkward.

“You are very welcome,” said Alan. “Say, I’ve been learning a new piece on the piano. Would you like to hear it?”

“Certainly,” replied Sophia with a smile.

“Excellent!” said Alan, then a sheepish expression appeared on his face. “Um… do you have a piano around here anywhere?”

Sophia felt herself smile. “In the music room,” she said. “Follow me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“… his eyes shone, shone with a light that drew me in like a moth to a flame. I’d never felt this way about…”

Sophia was interrupted in the midst of her reading by the chime of bells from above, chiming the hour.

One, two, three, four, five… Oh, lambsblood, Alan thought with an internal sigh.

“I’m afraid it’s time for me to be going,” he said out loud. “Mom will be expecting me back in time for dinner.”

“That’s alright,” Sophia said with an adorable little smile. “We can pick this up next time.”

“I look forward to it,” Alan said. He didn’t really care for romance novels, but Sophia had developed quite a taste for them lately, and he was more than willing to put up with some gratuitous kissing if it made her happy.

He climbed to his feet, stepped out the door of the sitting room, and almost ran into Nicol Ascart.

“Oh,” he said, trying to cover up his momentary flusterment. Geordo would never have made that kind of misstep. “Master Ascart. I didn’t see you there.”

“Your Highness,” Nicol said, his face as inscrutable as Geordo’s. “Allow me to thank you for coming to spend time with Sophia today. I am grateful from the bottom of my heart.”

“The gratitude should be mine,” Alan said with a slight laugh. “You are truly blessed to have such a charming sister.”

Nicol twitched. It was barely visible, but life with Ian and Geordo as older brothers had made Alan a master of reading subtle shifts of expression, and he already knew that Nicol was normally even more inscrutable than the elder Stuarts.

“…Blessed?...” Nicol said.

“Um,” Alan said, unsure what the proper response was.

“Do you truly think… that I am blessed?” Nicol said slowly.

“Of course!” Alan retorted, surprised by the question. He’d have thought it was as obvious to Nicol as it was to Alan. “I’d trade my health back to the Lord to have Sophia as a sibling. Do you not think yourself blessed?” he asked, feeling outrage pool in his gut.

And then Nicol smiled. It was barely more than a curl of his lip, but it still transformed his face, turned his beauty from the cold beauty of a statue to something warm and living and ten times more enchanting.

“...No, Prince Alan. No, you are not mistaken at all. I have a wonderful, beautiful, charming sister. I am truly blessed.”

And with that, he brushed past Alan and disappeared into the sitting room. For a moment, Alan stared at the door, wondering what on Earth had just happened, then he shook his head and started for the door and the carriage back to the palace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roughly six months later

“So how are things in the palace?” Radia Ascart asked as she settled back in her chair.

“It’s been busy,” Elena Stuart said, staring out the window of the private sitting room, over the Ascart grounds. The glow of magic haloed the tip of her finger as she spun it in a circle, and her tea followed suit, spinning into a tiny whirlpool in her cup.

“We’re getting fewer complaints from mothers who want Geordo for their daughters,” Elena continued after a moment’s thought, “so I think they’re finally getting the message that Geordo is engaged to Katarina Claes and they’re going to stay that way. Unfortunately, all the matchmaking mothers are trying to grab Alan now that they’re finally accepting that Geordo’s off the market."

Radia smiled, taking a sip of her own tea. “I can understand that,” she said. “Quite aside from the politics, Alan’s been a wonderful friend to Sophia.”

She paused, a sudden thought flashing through her mind. In a moment, half a dozen ideas rearranged into a new pattern.

Lord of Flame, that would be so perfect. But… how do you ask something like that?

Across from her, Elena took a sip of her tea, and when she put it back down there was an impish smile on her face.

“Come to think of it,” she said, “Alan and Sophia really are very good friends. And I’ve caught him giving her anatomy lessons…”

Radia gasped, almost inhaling a sip of her tea and instead spraying it all across the table. The fine spray of tea froze in midair, and as Radia tried to regain control of her breathing she saw the glow of magic haloing Elena’s splayed fingers.

You did that on purpose, she thought. No way you’d have been quick enough to catch that if you didn’t know it was coming.

“How do you mean?” she asked once her breath was steady once again.

Elena plucked a napkin from the basket to one side, and with a flick of her fingers she directed the spray of hovering tea into that napkin. “Pretty much literally,” she said. “Apparently, Sophia’s interest in romance novels led the two of them to some of the more… shall we say adult examples of the genre in the Royal Library, and then they started researching to figure out some of the unfamiliar terminology. Don’t think I’ve ever seen Alan quite so embarrassed.”

Radia felt a momentary flicker of embarrassment herself. I thought I knew Sophia better than this, she thought. All this happened, and I hadn’t a clue.

“Fascinating,” she said out loud. “I hadn’t realized things had gotten that close between them.” She gathered her nerve. “If you’re looking for a match for Alan… Sophia loves him, as much as two children their age can be in love, and I’m just about certain Alan feels the same. And Dan and Nicol would approve, they’ve both told me how good Alan has been for Sophia.”

“And the political implications would play out favorably,” Elena said with a nod. “Ian and Geoffrey both have factions behind them, and I suspect Geordo and Miss Claes will form a third as they get closer to of age.”

“Whereas Dan and I don’t have any particular powerbase of our own,” Radia said. “Before Edward came to the throne and named Dan as his prime minister, we were barely nobility. So if we pair Sophia to Alan, we probably won’t have a fourth faction form, and even the most ambitious nobles won’t be able to throw too much of a fit over you betrothing Alan to the daughter of your own prime minister. And unlike Claes, we have Nicol as our heir, so that part won’t be an issue.”

“So now we just need to actually run this by Sophia and Alan,” Elena said with a smile. “Wonder which one will turn pinker?”

Chapter Text

"Wait, what?"

Katarina's father let out a snort of laughter while her mother sighed.

"Honestly, Katarina," her mother said. "Can't you at least try to pay attention? The palace just announced an engagement between Prince Alan and Sophia Ascart, the Prime Minister's daughter."

“Wha - But - But that’s not right!” Katarina blurted out. “Prince Alan is supposed to get engaged to Mary!”

Her mouth snapped shut as she realized what she’d blurted out. Lord of Winds, please don’t let them ask why I said that, she thought. Glancing around, she saw that both her father and Keith were giving her quizzical looks, while her mother had an expression on her face Katarina couldn’t quite figure out.

“Honestly,” said Katarina’s mother, “I feel much the same. What Her Majesty was thinking, to betroth her son to a cursed child like Sophia Ascart…”

Cursed child? Katarina thought, perplexed. Not going to ask, the last thing I want right now is to draw attention back to me.

“Richard certainly expected to be able to get Prince Alan for his daughter,” said Katarina’s father. “I expect I’ll have to sit through a long rant on the topic next time I see him.”

"Perhaps we should discuss that later," Katarina's mother said pointedly. "Keith," she added, bestowing a smile on Katarina's brother, "how did your magic lessons go today?"

With the help of some wonderfully distracting sweets, Katarina managed to keep her consternation bottled up until dinner was finished and she could retreat to her room. Once safely behind a locked door, Katarina pulled her doom flag journal from its hiding place and flipped it open. She stared down at the Japanese text, her eyes unseeing. Inside her mind, an emergency meeting was hastily called.

"Order, order!" Chairwoman Katerina called, slamming a gavel against the imaginary conference table. “Alright, us, what do we make of this? How could this have happened?”

"Well,” said Studious Katarina, “we already know we can change some things, because we haven't been bullying Keith and we managed to get Mom and Dad to treat him as their proper son. So perhaps we did something that triggered this."

"But that means… that means this is our fault!" Timid Katarina blurted out. "We did something, said something to Mary that messed up her getting engaged to Alan. She would have been so happy, and we ruined that for her… oh God, now we're the villainess of her route! We actually managed to be more of a villainess even than we were supposed to be!"

There was a moment of shock, then Bold and Standard Katarinas both started talking at once.

"Order, order!" Chairwoman Katerina shouted again. “We're straying from the point. Does this require any changes to our Bad End Avoidance Strategy?"

"Most likely not," said Standard Katarina after a moment's silence. "Katarina was barely involved in Prince Alan's route, and we can't see how this would change that."

"Okay, second point," said Chairwoman Katarina. "Do we try and fix this, get Alan broken up with this "Sophia" and back together with Mary?"

"NO!!" shrieked Timid Katarina. "Are we crazy? That's exactly what a villainess would do in this situation! That's exactly what Katarina does do to Keith at the academy! We'd be signing our own death warrant!"

"Ah," said Bold Katarina, "but Katarina did that because she hates Keith and doesn't want him to be happy. We'd be doing it because we know that Alan and Mary are supposed to get engaged and will be happy together. Totally different."

"Let's put it to a vote," said Chairwoman Katarina. "Timid?"

"No!"

"Bold?"

"We made this mess somehow, and now we've got to fix it. Yes."

"Studious?"

"Logically, if we can't change things then Alan and Mary will end up together no matter what we do. If we can, then trying to arrange their relationships has a low likelihood of success and if it fails we will very likely be labeled a villainess and face premature exile. I vote No."

"Standard?"

"Umm… well, even if we did get Alan and Mary back together, they'll still break up when Maria comes round. I vote No."

"Three to one, motion carries," said Chairwoman Katarina, striking the table with her gavel again.

“Aha!” said Studious Katarina, gesturing to the screen where the input from Katarina's eyes was displayed. "That's where we know the name 'Ascart' from!"

"Nicol Ascart," she summarized from the doom flag journal. "Fourth capture target, incredibly beautiful but reserved and with a perfect poker face. We never really played his route, but from the early scenes and A-chan's hints the primary obstacle on his route is his sister, Sophia Ascart. The two are extremely close and highly protective of each other, so to win Nicol's heart you must first befriend Sophia and win her blessing."

"So… what does that mean for us?" Standard Katarina asked.

"There's no way to be sure," said Chairman Katarina. "If we remember correctly, there were a couple of scenes in the early portions of Fortune Lover where Katarina bullied Sophia Ascart for her unusual appearance, but she wasn't cast as the primary obstacle for Nicol's route the way she was for Keith and Geordo. Since we never finished Nicol's route we can't be sure, but most likely it will be similar to Alan's route and we should be available to escape the worst of our doom."

"Oh no!" said Timid Katarina suddenly. "Don't we get it? Alan is getting engaged to Sophia Ascart, messing up the two safe routes. The only routes left are the Keith and Geordo routes. Our doom is closing in!"

"Then we fight it!" Bold Katarina retorted, jumping to her feet and drawing their sword. "Our sword skills are almost as good as Geordo's, and our farming talents continue to improve. By the time our doom catches up to us, we'll be ready to meet it!"

All the Katarinas cheered (even Timid, though it was a quiet cheer), and the meeting was dismissed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(A few days later)

As he headed out onto the porch, Luigi mentally braced himself. This was going to be an awkward conversation. Behind him came James, bearing a tray with two glasses and a bottle of House Adeth whiskey.

"Hello, Richard," he said. “Can I tempt you?” he added, gesturing to James and the whiskey he carried.

"Hello, Luigi," replied Richard. “And yes, that would be splendid.” He gave a tight little half-smile.

As Luigi settled into the chair next to his friend, James poured a couple of fingers of whiskey for each of the two men, then set the bottle down on the table and withdrew with a polite nod at Luigi’s gesture of dismissal.

"I heard the news about Prince Alan's engagement," said Luigi as Richard took a sip of the whiskey.

"Can't imagine what the Queen was thinking," he continued. "Mary is a wonderful girl," he added, gesturing with one hand towards where his and Richard's daughters were running out to Katarina's so-called “flower patch”.

"I'm glad you think so," Richard said, something odd in his tone. "Still, the choice is made now, however Radia talked the Queen into it. Prince Alan might still break the engagement, but it's not likely. Certainly not likely enough to plan on."

"True," Luigi commented, before taking a sip of his own whiskey. He smiled slightly as it burned on his tongue. His father-in-law’s whiskey was among the finest in the kingdom, and what he was drinking now was among the better years even for House Adeth.

"As I was saying," Richard continued in a cautious tone as Luigi savored the whiskey, "Now that Prince Alan is pretty definitely off the table, I need to consider who else might be a good option for my Mary."

Ah, Luigi thought, realizing what Richard was working towards. Actually… that is something we'll need to consider, Miri and I.

He and Miridana had made a strict rule for themselves that they wouldn't arrange marriages for their children, wouldn't put any pressure on them if possible. But they'd made that rule when they'd each believed that they had tricked the other into marriage, wanting to ensure their children wouldn't share the fate they'd believed themselves condemned to.

Even so, he thought, I think the rule should stand. Even though Miri loves me, - he paused for half a moment to enjoy the thrill of that thought - what matters is that it could have been a loveless match. Better to ensure as best we may that Keith will never have cause to doubt his wife's love. 

Lord of Flame, consider Katarina! She still believes Prince Geordo just proposed as a shield and is going to break the engagement, no matter how obvious it is to everyone else that he's besotted with her.

"Well," he said out loud, "If you're considering Keith… I’ll have to talk to Miridana, see what she has to say. But one thing I think I can say with certainty is that if Mary and Keith are interested in each other, we won't stand in their way. I'd honestly be thrilled to have Mary as a daughter-in-law, and I know Miridana likes her. And of course Katarina considers her practically a sister."

And maybe having a fiancee will help Keith get a little more balance in his life. It’s a good thing that he and Katarina are so close, of course, but he gets a touch…obsessive…about it sometimes.

“That she does,” Richard said with a smile. “And Mary feels the same way… honestly, she gets along way better with Katarina than with any of her actual sisters.” He snorted. “Come to think of it, if this goes through her sisters are going to pitch a darkened fit at her marrying up a rank above them. I love all my girls, but I do wish I could have gotten them to love each other.”

“I was worried about that with Keith and Katarina,” Luigi admitted. “Katarina’s always been as stubborn as earth, and she didn’t always take well to changes or to sharing what she sees as hers. But she seems to have grabbed onto Keith with both hands and never let go. She’s got a heart of light, for all her stubbornness.”

“That she does,” Richard said. “I can see why Prince Geordo would choose her, of all the girls in the realm. I don’t think it had anything to do with rank or title, but with who you are, and who you raised Katarina to be. I’d bet gold that if your family were just commoners and the Prince somehow met you, he’d have proposed to Katarina just the same.

Luigi took a sip of whiskey, uncertain how to respond to that. “That’s very flattering, Richard,” he said after the whiskey had been duly savored and swallowed. “So,” he added, deliberately pitching his tone lighter, “now that we’ve discussed Mary, you have any prospects for the other girls?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(A few weeks later)

Katarina could almost hear the world whisper to her as she tended her crops. She was alone, a rare thing for her. Mary and Keith had escorted her out to her garden, but the two of them had wandered off at some point, leaving Katarina to pull weeds.

“Aimai na I my me datte guruguru mazetara,” she sang quietly as she worked, “Akogare no kyuutenkai ni mieru ka mo ne…”

She heard a rustle and looked up to see Mary walking quickly across the grass, heading for the house and her carriage.

“Oh, hey Mary!” she called out cheerfully. “Come on over and take a look at the aubergines, they’re doing great.”

“Maybe later, I really need to go,” Mary said quickly, blushing as she spoke.

Mary really is not supposed to be embarrassed, Standard Katarina commented in her head. The red on her cheeks clashes horribly with the color of her hair and eyes.

“Ok, hope to see you again soon!” Katarina called out as Mary disappeared towards the house. With a shrug she turned her attention back to her work, humming as she plucked weeds. This would be so much easier if I were a bit better with earth magic, she thought. I could make the earth spit the weeds out, and even if I had to do it one weed at a time I’d never prick my fingers or break off the stem and leave the root stuck in the ground to grow back from. Maybe I’ll learn how to do that at the Academy.

“Sister! Sister!” Katarina looked up again to see Keith running across the field towards her.

“Keith?” she asked. “Do you know what was up with Mary? She came by here just a couple minutes ago.”

“She… that’s what I came… Sister, she’s asked me to marry her!”

“What?!” Katarina blurted out. Then, before Keith could say anything, she continued frantically, “Congratulations, Keith! I hope you know that your Big Sister would never stand between you and your love.” Katarina hadn’t been anticipating this, but if there were two things she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, one of them was that to make any attempt to stand between Keith and the one he loved was to sign her own death warrant.

Keith stared at her for a moment. “So… you think I should accept her proposal, then?”

“Umm…” Katarina replied. Inside her mind, an emergency meeting was called.

“Quick, us,” said Chairwoman Katarina. “Do we think this is a genuine question, or a trap? Could we get away with saying no?”

“Why would we even want to say no?” Standard Katarina asked. “Mary’s practically our sister already, and she’d make a great match for Keith if Maria doesn't go that route.”

“Worst case scenario, Keith and Maria hook up at the Magic Academy and Mary gets her heart broken like in Fortune Lover. She wouldn’t get killed, she’s not a villainess like us,” commented Studious Katarina.

“Hurry up and say something, we’re weirding Keith out,” insisted Bold Katarina.

“Yes!” Katarina said aloud. “I support you, Keith! I approve of the budding romance between you and Mary! Big Sister will always be on your side! She will never stand between you and your romance!”

Keith stared at her, looking blank. “Okay…” he said after a moment. “Maybe I’d better go talk to Mom,” he added in a more distracted tone of voice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As her carriage drew up to the Claes estate, Mary carefully composed herself. She could almost feel the perfect noblewoman's expression settle over her face like a mask.

Around Katarina, I can drop the mask, she thought. But Keith isn't Katarina. Maybe, if I am very blessed, Keith and I will one day be that easy around each other. But based on what I've seen of husbands and wives in real life, the odds aren't in our favor. Still, Keith is a good boy, Katarina trained him well. Even if he and I never really grow close, he’ll treat me properly. That’s more than a lot of girls get. 

And I’ll be with Katarina, as much as I can be. I can’t actually marry her, but this is the next best thing.

Assuming Keith says yes.

The carriage drew to a halt, and Mary stepped out. Standing on the front porch of the Claes manor were all four members of the Claes family. Keith stood front and center, dressed up for the occasion in a formal suit of Claes white-trimmed blue. Duke Claes stood behind his adoptive son, hands behind his back. At his side stood Duchess Claes, and in front of her was Katarina. Katarina's eyes seemed to glow, and she was visibly vibrating in place with poorly-contained excitement, only her mother’s hands on her shoulders holding her in place.

At that sight, Mary felt the knots of fear in her stomach come undone. Katarina wouldn’t be so excited if Keith intended to turn Mary down, or if Katarina didn’t approve of the engagement. Keith was going to say yes, and Katarina and Mary would be sisters in law as they already were in heart.

Chapter Text

It was ironic, Sophia reflected, that she spent less time with Alan now that they were actually engaged than she had during those first couple of years when they were just friends.

With each passing year, there were more demands on Alan's time. He now had to attend lessons in everything from magic to deportment to the holdings and alliances of Sorcier's hundreds of noble families, everything a prince needed to learn. And now that he was healthy, at least some of Alan's free time was spent outside with his and Sophia's brothers, running and roughhousing and doing all sorts of things Sophia was still too fragile (and too female) to join in on. She tried not to begrudge him that, but it was still one extra demand on Alan's time.

And then there were the mandatory social events like the one she was presently attending, chances for him to interact with the scions of other noble families. Granted, as Alan's fiancee she could have accompanied him to almost all of those, but she instead begged out of all but the most important. The vicious envy of all the nobles who'd wanted Alan for themselves or for their sister or daughter had only exacerbated the loathing her cursed features had always brought, and a little extra time with Alan wasn't worth facing the hatred of the rest of Sorcier's aristocracy.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught Alan shooting a glare at Geordo, and she winced beneath the green hood of her newest robe, a birthday present from Alan enchanted with warming and cooling spells. That was the other reason she didn't like attending these events. Geordo was all too often present, and lately being in his brother's presence brought out a side of Alan Sophia didn't like. 

It started when he finally shook off the sicknesses, she thought. Before that, he couldn’t compete with Geordo because of the sickness, and he knew it. So his frustration at Geordo’s accomplishments got subsumed into the frustration he was already feeling at his weakness. But now that his body is healed, he believes he should be able to match Geordo at everything. Every time Geordo does something better than him it cuts at him, and he doesn’t even register the things he does better than Geordo.

I wonder… would I be the same, without my curse? Would I envy Nicol his beauty, his intelligence, his skill at magic? I want to believe I wouldn’t, but still… Is that the bargain, Lord? My cursed features the price for loving and being loved by my brother? If so…

A sudden gust of mage-wind tore the hood from her shoulders, jarring her from her reverie. She realized with a sinking sensation that while she’d been thinking, at least half a dozen young women had surrounded her. A couple of them she recognized as failed suitors of Alan’s.

“You have some nerve coming here,” one of them snapped. 

“Cursed children like you shouldn’t show their ugly faces in public,” said another.

“Prince Alan should have been mine,” said another - Estella Morel, Sophia knew.

“Or mine,” said another that Sophia didn’t recognize.

“Or anyone’s,” said a third. “Anyone’s but a cursed freak like you.”

Sophia backed away, unable to stand before their barrage of condemnation, but her back hit the tree in whose shade she’d been standing. Her heart raced and she felt herself scrunching up, curling in on herself.

Suddenly, there was a thud behind her, and a clear voice spoke out. “Excuse me, but you’re in my way.”

Sophia spun, and for a fraction of a second she thought it was one of the Angels of Fire standing behind her, beautiful and confident and terrifying to stand against. Then she realized it was just another young noblewoman, her sky-blue eyes alight with a strange focus.

There was a rustle, and Sophia turned back to see her bullies retreating, too afraid to stand up to this stranger’s confident gaze. Sophia tried to thank her rescuer, but before she could muster words the strange lady strode briskly past her, on her way to some unknown goal. Sophia could only stare as her rescuer disappeared into the crowd of milling nobles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After her angel disappeared into the crowd, Sophia realized that she was hungry. After taking a few minutes to settle her nerves, she dived into the crowd, hoping that there might be some snacks left over and that she might be able to find Alan. 

While she didn’t find Alan, she did find her rescuer at the snack table, feasting on the provided treats. I should at least thank her for helping me, Sophia thought. That didn't make it any easier for her to do it, though. That sharp-edged face was more than a little intimidating, even when it belonged to one who had defended her. 

Sophia took a deep breath, splayed her palm - pressing her palm to her chest with fingers spread- for luck, and approached her angel. "Um," she said. The angel turned around, her eyes meeting Sophia's. The fierce light that had illuminated her features in their earlier encounter had softened into a radiance that made something in Sophia's heart shift. 

"Um," Sophia murmured, "A-about just now…" She trailed off, unable to find words. The angel's lips parted, and she spoke.

"What pretty hair you have. Just like strands of silk… Would you mind if I ran my fingers through it, just ever so slightly?"

"...Ah?"

For a moment, Sophia was simply dumbstruck. And then she recognized the words. They were from the romance novel she'd taken almost as a talisman, the one whose protagonist shared her name. They were the first words spoken by the beautiful…

"... Princess Emerald," she whispered, and only then realized that she'd said it out loud.

The angel's eyes flashed like blue suns, and her hands shot out to grab Sophia's shoulders.

"Princess Emerald! From the romance novels! M-Maybe! You know of Princess Emerald and Sophia too?" 

Sophia nodded eagerly, a sudden inexplicable excitement pouring through her. An ache inside her that she had felt since her birth and had never before noticed for its sheer omnipresence faded for the first time. Here at last, some instinct whispered, was one whom she could be herself with, someone who would understand her as even Nicol and Alan never could…

"What are you doing, Big Sister?"

"Way! I-I apologize." The angel snatched her hands back as if Sophia's cursed flesh had burned her.

Sophia's head flickered to the side to see the speaker, a young man with honey-colored hair. His eyes were blue, but a darker shade than the brilliant sky-blue of the angel’s eyes. At his elbow hovered a pretty young lady, whose sun-yellow dress complemented her fiery hair and eyes to produce the impression of a candle's flame.

The angel curtsied elegantly. "I do apologize for my manners," she said. "I am Katarina Claes. Very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Katarina Claes, Sophia thought. Of course . Of course Geordo would have a fiance as beautiful and elegant and flawless as he is. Of course I would be to Geordo's fiance what Alan is to Geordo himself.

"... Sophia Ascart," she replied, feeling her cheeks burn as red as her eyes.

Princess Katarina's eyes lit up again. "Lady Sophia! If it would please you, would you like to pay a visit to Claes Manor and speak in greater detail with me?"

"Ah…um. Yes. I will," Sophia sputtered. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the familiar hatred and revulsion flash across the copperling's face, before vanishing once again behind a mask of noble decorum.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they had first met at the garden party, Mary Hunt had resented Sophia Ascart. It was already hard enough to have to compete with Keith and Prince Geordo for Katarina’s time, for Katarina to latch onto yet another person was beyond frustrating. 

That resentment didn’t last more than maybe half an hour into Sophia's first visit to Claes Manor. In the first place, it required a certain effort not to like anyone Katarina liked. Even Mary's resentment of Prince Geordo himself had to constantly be reinforced against the corrosive force of Katarina's fondness for the black-hearted prince. And, quite simply, Sophia Ascart was likeable. She was almost as sweet as Katarina herself, and while not clever , was surprisingly intelligent and articulate once Katarina had pushed her out of her initial shyness.

But that shyness was really the key. Mary knew what that felt like, knew what it was to be outcast and shunned not because of anything you had done but because of the blood that ran in your veins. In Sophia, Mary saw herself as she had been before Katarina, the wilted flower of a girl who had hidden from a world that hated her. It was only Katarina’s love that let Mary be more than that scared girl, and she could not resent Sophia for grabbing onto that love just as Mary herself had.

Over the hours, the conversation meandered from one romance novel to another, and from there to the obvious next step of talking about their own romances.

“No, no,” Katarina said, her bright smile tinged with a touch of regret. “Geordo just proposed to me as a shield, a way to keep the suitors off his back until he actually falls in love with someone. I’ve told him that I’ll happily step aside when that happens, I’m not stupid enough to get in his way. That way lies doom flags.”

As always, Mary felt her heart leap a little at Katarina’s words. As long as Katarina remained blind to Prince Geordo’s true feelings for her, as long as words like these continued to confirm that she didn’t reciprocate Geordo’s feelings, there was still hope for Mary. The engagement might yet be broken, Katarina tucked away safely in Claes Manor beneath her and Keith’s watchful gaze or persuaded to run away across the sea… maybe Katarina might even prove right, and enough rejections might persuade the Prince to turn his attentions aside and seek a more pliable girl to be his consort.

“Hey, maybe you should try for his heart, Sophia,” Katarina said with a sudden flash of excitement. “I mean, definitely wait until we’ve been at the Academy a few months,” she added in a sudden rush of words, “the last thing I want is for you to be the one the Prince has to get rid of if some unexpected girl comes out of nowhere at the Academy and steals his heart, but if that completely hypothetical girl doesn’t pick him, I’d think you’ve got a pretty good chance of being the one to fix Geordo’s heart. You’re kind and clever, and you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Sorry, Mary,” she added, shooting a quick grin in Mary’s direction. “You’re pretty and elegant, but Sophia is beautiful. ”

Mary finally recovered enough to shoot a quick glance at Sophia Ascart and confirm that she was staring at Katarina with the same look of utter bafflement Mary felt on her own face. Spend enough time around Katarina and you eventually got used to her cavalier attitude towards her own engagement, but had Katarina simply forgotten that Sophia Ascart was herself betrothed to Prince Alan?

Actually… that makes total sense, Mary admitted to herself. I love Katarina with all my heart and soul, but she has the wits of a little girl. A very little girl. I'd suspect that she had wounded her brain in that fall, if I didn't know that the Claes could afford a light-wielder to fix such damage.

“B-b-beautiful?” Sophia stuttered. “Do you… really believe I am beautiful?”

“Of course,” Katarina said, sounding vaguely baffled. “Your hair is so silky and such a lovely shade of white, and your eyes are like rubies, and you have such a sweet and innocent face - not like this villainess face.” Katarina indicated her own striking features with a wave of her hand.

Sophia stared at Katarina, cocking her head to the side. "You know," she said after a moment’s awkward pause, "you are only the second person ever to tell me that. Even my family…they think my heart is beautiful, and that its light shines through my features and makes them beautiful, but they don't claim that my features are themselves beautiful."

“So…” Mary asked after another moment, “Who was the other person?”

A sudden sly grin flashed across Sophia’s features. “Prince Alan,” she said, tone just a hair too innocent, “My betrothed.”

Katarina let out a sudden terrified squeak, her features paling. “Oh no,” she whispered. “Sophia, I swear to the Lord of Light, I didn’t mean to interfere with your and Prince Alan’s relationship! I would never ever try to stand in the way of someone being with the person they love! I just keep forgetting that you and Prince Alan are together because he was-” Her eyes went wide and her mouth snapped shut.

Sophia shot Mary a raised eyebrow. Mary responded with a slight shrug.

“Uh…” Katarina said. “Do you want to go down to the kitchen? I think they are making tarts today.” At the mention of baked goods, her earlier cheerfulness returned like someone had lit a lamp.

“Umm…” Sophia replied, sounding a little nonplussed.

“Just roll with it,” Mary said, not even bothering to lower her voice. “One thing you’ll learn quickly if you keep coming here is that Katarina Claes loves her baked goods.”

“Okay…” Sophia said. Then suddenly her eyes widened slightly. “Oh my, what time is it?”

Mary glanced over to the clock in the corner. “Almost fifth hour,” she said. 

“You want to stay for dinner, Sophia?” Katarina asked, bouncing slightly in her seat. “I know Mary’s staying, and like I said there will be tarts. With fresh berries, too!”

Sophia smiled slightly. “Sorry, but I can’t,” she said. “My family will be worried about me if I’m not back by dinnertime.”

“Aww…” Katarina said, pouting visibly. “Well, maybe next time you can stay!” she said, her expression switching back to a smile.

“Next time?” Sophia asked. “You mean… you want me to come back?” 

“Of course!” Katarina said with a laugh. “I’d like you to come back soon and often, Sophia. I think we’re going to be great friends.” 

Mary resolutely pushed down a brief flash of jealousy. At least this girl probably won’t be a rival in that way, not when she’s betrothed herself, Mary thought. The risk is more that she’ll try and shore up the third Prince’s claim, to get Katarina as her… what exactly is the term for your brother-in-law’s wife?

Katarina extended her hands and Sophia took them, her features alight with the same sense of wonder Mary knew her own must have born all those years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Master Ascart? Your sister is ready to leave.” 

Nicol rose smoothly to his feet, his face impassive. “Thank you for your hospitality, Duke Claes, Duchess Claes,” he said, giving them a bow a few degrees deeper than strictly necessary. This was the first time he’d paid a social call on the Claes family, but already the Claes parents were bearing out Prince Geordo’s good reports of them.

“You are welcome, Master Ascart,” Duchess Claes replied, inclining her head towards him. 

Nicol exited the sitting room and made his way in the direction of the library. The door opened, and his sister emerged, practically glowing with happiness. Nicol had seen her smile like that before, but only when alone with their family or around Prince Alan. Immediately behind Sophia came Katarina Claes herself, a similar smile on her face.

“Nicol!” Sophia chirped happily, gliding over to Nicol’s side.

Katarina stared at Nicol, her eyes momentarily glazing over as those of so many girls did. Then she shook herself, and dropped into a curtsy.

“Master Ascart,” she said, “Thank you for letting Sophia visit. You are truly blessed to have such a wonderful sister, and I hope that she can visit again soon.”

“Or maybe I can come visit her!” she added, her eyes flashing with excitement.

Nicol felt the corners of his mouth twitch ever so slightly. “You truly think I am blessed, Lady Claes?” he asked. He’d heard Prince Geordo say the same thing before, but he’d never been quite sure that the third prince actually saw Sophia for the blessing she was instead of merely being polite to a friend.

“Of course!” Katarina replied, her features suddenly alight with the sharp-edged fire that Sophia had reported seeing at that party. “Don’t tell me you believe that nonsense about your sister being cursed.”

Of course, Nicol thought to himself with a hint of resignation, which he kept purely internal. Of course the only girl I’ve ever found who sees my sister’s worth is already betrothed to my friend . Still, if there are two who see Sophia’s value, there might be three or more. I should not give up hope of finding one who I can share my life with.

“No, Lady Claes,” he said aloud, feeling the warmth of renewed hope. “No, you are quite right. I have a wonderful, kind sister who is a true blessing of light in my life.”

Chapter Text

“Young miss! The Prince is here, saying that he requires your presence!”

Katarina turned from the field covered in bumps of earth to give Anne a questioning look. “What’s the problem, Anne?” she asked. “Geordo shows up all the time, and he hasn’t bothered waiting for me to come to him for years.”

Anne’s eyes squeezed shut for a moment. “Not Prince Geordo, mistress,” she said. “It’s Prince Alan, the fourth prince, who’s come to see you.”

Prince Alan? What could he want with… Oh, shades, Katarina thought with sudden horror, he must have figured out that I messed up his engagement to Mary, and he’s come to demand that I be exiled for my interference!

Her heart sinking within her, Katarina took another quick glance at the field before her. Despite all her practice and all her communion with the earth, her magic had barely improved from where it had been three years ago when she first regained her memories of life as the monkey girl.

Still, at least my farming skills are excellent, Katarina thought. I’ll have a way to support myself.

She glanced down at herself. While she hadn’t exactly worn her best dress to practice in, these weren’t her farming overalls either and she wasn’t especially dirty. “What do you think, Anne?” she asked her maid. “Think I need to bathe, or am I good enough to see the prince?”

Anne cocked her head to the side. “I couldn’t say for sure,” she said levelly, “but the prince sounded very impatient.”

Katarina nodded. “Then let’s not keep him waiting any longer,” she said.

She followed Anne into the manor and through to the main sitting room, where Prince Alan was waiting for them. She knew what the fourth prince looked like, of course, but she’d barely ever met him. Even at the social events, he seemed to go out of his way to avoid Geordo and Katarina.

“Katarina Claes. I am here because I have something to say to you today,” Alan said, and Katarina wrinkled her nose. His arrogant tone was surprisingly off-putting. Geordo might be the black-hearted prince, but at least he could put on a mask of civility and interest.

Katarina centered herself, doing her best to put on the villainess’s mask of noble composure that Keith and her mother had tried to teach her to assume. If her doom had finally caught up to her, she could at least face it like her mother’s daughter. 

“What is it?” she said.

“You know Sophia Ascart, right?”

What? Katarina blinked, feeling her mask crack. “Huh? Ah… yes?”

“She says that you are now close to her.”

“...Yes? I think she might be my best friend. Her or maybe Mary.”

“Did you know Sophia is betrothed to me?” Alan said, tone oddly angry.

“Yes…” Katarina said slowly. Had Prince Alan heard about those earlier days when she’d kept forgetting that Alan was engaged to Sophia instead of Mary? She hadn’t thought she’d made that mistake in front of anyone except Claes family and staff, and it had been weeks since she’d made it at all.

“So you do know. Stop seducing her, then!”

Katarina felt her jaw drop. “S-seduce? What?”

Has Prince Alan lost his mind? Yes, Sophia is beautiful and clever and sweet, but I’m not attracted to her like that! We’re both girls, for the Lord’s sake! I’ve had more romantic thoughts about Keith than about Sophia, and he’s my brother !

Alan clenched his teeth, fury visible on his face. “Don't play dumb! Every time I go around to see her I'm told she is here with you! And when we are together, you're all she wants to talk about! I'm sick of it! She's mine, do you understand! Mine, not yours!”

At hearing those words, words that represented what she'd hated and feared she'd become for the past three years, blazing fury awoke within Katarina. Inside her mind, Bold Katarina shoved the others aside and seized the controls.

“What is wrong with you!” Katarina shouted. “All I've done is offered Sophia friendship. It's your fault for being so possessive and paranoid that she was driven to seek out new relationships. You want to know why she'd rather spend time with me? It's because you're a selfish, arrogant, paranoid jackass !”

Within her mind, Standard and Chairwoman Katarina finally managed to wrestle Bold Katarina away from the control panel. Timid Katarina was wringing her hands and beginning to hyperventilate. 

“Ohnoohnoohnowhathavewedonewhathavewedonewhathavewedone…” she whispered.

Prince Alan and Anne stared at Katarina, the latter's face pale with horror while the former grew crimson with fury.

“Selfish… Arrogant…” the fourth prince muttered, his jaw working as if chewing the words. He stiffened, his dark eyes flashing with a sudden fire. “I have never been so insulted in my life. Katarina Claes, I challenge you to a duel of might and power!”

There was a long, awkward pause. Katarina regarded Alan down the length of her polished wooden practice sword. He had recoiled when the weapon appeared in her hand, but quickly recovered his composure and met her gaze with a sneer. Out of the corner of her eye, Katarina saw Anne wringing her hands, her gaze flickering between her mistress and the fourth prince.

“So…” asked Chairwoman Katarina inside her head, “do we actually remember the rules for a formal duel? Sounds like that’s what Alan has challenged us to.”

“Nope,” Studious Katarina said with a quick shake of her head. “We never really payed attention to that bit of our sword-fighting training. It’s not like Geordo formally challenges us in his Bad End, and why else would we need to know how to fight a duel?”

“Because of this, apparently,” Bold Katarina said with a shrug. “Guess we resort to plan B, and if that doesn’t work we can fall back on plan C. Or should that be plan A for Anne, and plan F for Father?”

“Anne,” Katarina said out loud. “How exactly is this supposed to work? Do you know?”

“Umm…” Anne said, then took a breath and visibly composed herself. “As the challenger, Prince Alan has the right to choose the place and time. I know there are some circumstances that let you override that if there’s a conflict of duty, but I’d have to look up the exact laws on that.”

“Here and now!” snapped Prince Alan.

“Uh, can we not fight in here?” Katarina said before Anne could continue, feeling corrosive horror in her gut. “Mom will kill me for you if we wreck this room.”

“I wasn’t being literal,” hissed Prince Alan through clenched teeth. “I meant that we should fight in the grounds here at the manor, and as soon as possible.”

“That makes more sense,” Katarina said, smiling in relief. “Anyway, Anne, you were saying?”

“Umm… so…” Anne said. “Miss Katarina. As the challenged party, you have the right to name a champion to fight on your behalf, if you want. And you, or your champion, can choose how the duel will be fought, whether it’s with blades or magic.”

“Okay,” said Katarina slowly. Okay, so champions are not an option. I’m not getting anyone else caught up in my doom flags. I don’t have a chance in a magic duel. Prince Alan ranked third in the scene where everyone’s first scores were announced, well above Katarina. I’ve got a decent chance with blades, but I’d probably get in trouble anyway if I hurt a prince. And I don’t want to hurt anyone in the first place!

Do I have any other options? Wait, that could work!

“Tree-climbing!” Katarina said, letting her blade bounce up out of alignment in her sudden excitement. 

“What?” Prince Alan blurted out.

“Tree-climbing!” Katarina repeated. “If I get to choose what we'll be doing, I choose a tree-climbing contest.”

“Umm…” Anne’s hands twisted uncomfortably in front of her body. “That's… not really how it works. I suppose, if Prince Alan doesn't object…”

“Well, Alan?” Katarina said, feeling her face twist into a villainess's grin. “Do you dare to face me at tree-climbing?”

“Of course!” Prince Alan snapped back. 

Katarina hurried upstairs to change into an outfit with pants, then outside to meet Prince Alan by the pair of trees that stood in one corner of the Claes gardens. 

“Well, Prince Alan,” Katarina said as she arrived, “are you ready?” 

“Of course,” Prince Alan replied.

“Then pick a tree, and I will take the other,” Katarina said. “We will begin on the count of three - Anne here can do the honors. First one to reach the top of their tree wins.”

Prince Alan glanced back and forth between the trees. “This one,” he eventually said, slapping the one he was standing next to.

Katarina nodded and moved over to the other tree. Anne counted off, and on “three!” Katarina exploded upwards, grabbing the first branch and hauling herself skywards. In barely a minute, she planted her foot in the topmost crook of the tree and shouted “Done!” 

She glanced across and down to see Prince Alan seated on one of his tree's lowest branches. Pitiful, she thought to herself. Has he ever even touched a tree before? 

“Well, Prince Alan,” she called down, “we have a clear winner. Can we be done with this foolishness now?” 

“I demand a rematch!” Prince Alan shouted back. “This was my first time climbing a tree, I wasn't ready.”

So he really hadn't touched a tree before, Katarina thought, and felt a small stab of guilt. She'd picked tree-climbing because she expected to have the advantage, but she hadn't expected that big a mismatch.

They descended to the ground, switched trees on Prince Alan's insistence, and then Anne counted off for another contest. Katarina won this round even more dramatically than the first, but that didn't stop Prince Alan demanding a third. 

Perhaps a half-dozen rounds later, Prince Alan finally admitted defeat for the day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days later

“Miss Katrina, Prince Alan is here again!” 

Sophia’s head spun round at the mention of her betrothed. Again? she thought. Has something been happening between Katarina and Alan? He never wants to talk about her…

A sharp-edged smile flashed across Katarina's face, and her eyes lit up as if with blue fire. For a moment she glanced back and forth from Sophia to Mary Hunt to Anne where she stood in the sitting room doorway. “Show him in,” Katarina said after a moment. 

Anne disappeared, then returned a moment later followed by Alan. As Alan stepped into the room and spotted Sophia, his jaw dropped and he staggered as though struck. Sophia felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. That could not possibly foreshadow anything good…

“Well, Prince Alan,” Katarina said, “you here for a rematch?”

Alan closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, a look of sudden determination on his face.

“Yes, I am!” he snapped. “And no more tree-climbing this time. I demand a proper duel this time, with blades or magic!”

“No!” Sophia shouted, horror rushing through her. She sprang to her feet, flinging herself between Alan and Katarina. “No, no, Darkness and its Lord no !”

There was a momentary pause as everyone stared at Sophia, and she felt her face flush as crimson as her eyes as she registered the language she had just used. 

Thank the Lord Nicol isn’t here , some detached part of herself thought. If Mom and Dad found out what I just said, I’d probably be banned from reading for a month. The rest of her was barely holding back from breaking down into tears. If whatever was going on between Alan and Katarina had gone far enough for Alan to call for a formal duel, then she might have to choose which of them to give up. And that was a choice she could not make. It would be like choosing which of her hands she wanted cut off. 

“Please!” she begged. “Please, don’t fight! I don’t want to… I can’t… there has to be some other way!”

Katarina and Alan both glanced back and forth between each other and Sophia. After a moment, Katarina sighed. “I’m willing to apologize for what I said at our last meeting, Prince Alan,” she said, “but I will not give up my friendship with Sophia. If you’re not willing to accept that, then we’ll have to fight.”

Give up… so it's just as bad as I feared , Sophia thought. “Alan, can we talk?” she said out loud. “In private,” she added, with a quick glance back at Katarina.

Alan stared at her for a moment. “Of course,” he said, suddenly sounding defeated.

Alan mutely followed Sophia out the sitting room door and into the grounds. As soon as the door closed behind them, Sophia turned to face Alan. 

“Alan…” she said, then paused for a moment as she tried to find the words. “What in the Dark Lord's name is going on between you and Katarina? What was that about demanding that she cut ties with me?” Please, Lord, let that be some sort of misunderstanding, she prayed. Katarina is melodramatic and jumps to conclusions, she could have made a mistake. Please let that be all it is. 

Alan's face fell. “Lord, I know… I knew that was wrong, but… Sophia, you're all I have! The only person who ever chose me over my brother, the only thing I ever had that he didn't. I couldn't bear to lose you too.” 

Oh, fire and light, Sophia thought, a complex blend of exasperation, pity, and love welling up inside her. 

“Look, I'll retract-” Alan started to say, but was interrupted as Sophia flung herself at him, knocking them both to the ground in a flurry of limbs and skirts. Before Alan could react, she pressed her lips to his. From up close, she saw Alan’s eyes widen as she pushed her tongue between his lips, and she desperately tried to keep from breaking out laughing at how ridiculous she felt. While she refused to believe that her beloved romance books had lied to her, kissing with tongue was clearly one of those things that you needed to be a bit older than Alan or herself to properly appreciate. Not that kissing Alan wasn’t nice…

She pulled her head back a tad, breaking contact and letting herself draw in a breath. “Alan,” she said before her betrothed could recover his wits. “I love you. I have loved you for years, and you are the person I want to marry one day. What I feel for Katarina doesn’t change that, any more than what I feel for Nicol or my parents does. Do you think I should be jealous of your mother, because you love her in addition to loving me?”

From a few inches away, Sophia watched as emotions flashed across Alan's face. Bewilderment gave way to relief and joy, which in turn was displaced by a familiar blend of resentment and determination. Then Alan's expression flashed into embarrassment. “Uh, Sophia… could you get off me?”

Sophia smiled and rolled off of Alan into a sitting position, and he sat up. There was an awkward pause.

“I’m sorry for doubting you,” Alan said eventually. “I shouldn't have… I should have realized…” He paused for a moment. “It’s just… why would you want me ? I’m nothing but the shadow cast by Geordo’s fire, what’s left behind after he took all the good parts. Tell me the truth, would you have ever considered my suit if Geordo wasn’t already taken?”

Sopia felt like she’d been stabbed. This wasn’t exactly a new sentiment from Alan, but it wasn’t often that he was this blunt about how overshadowed by Geordo he felt.

“Please don’t say that, Alan,” she said, feeling her eyes prickle. “It’s not true. You both have your strengths and weaknesses, just like everyone else does. Everyone has things that they are good at and things they struggle with.”

She paused for breath, but before she could continue Alan cut in. “So you’re saying that even Geordo has things he’s not good at? Like what?”

“Music, for one,” Sophia replied promptly. “I’ve heard Geordo play once or twice, and you’re a lot better than he is. You should know that yourself, I’m sure you’ve heard him play more than I have. Also stories in general, really. You’re a much better reader and critic, Geordo’s tastes are pretty shallow in that regard.”

Alan stared at her, features at war. 

“Besides,” Sophia added, letting her own features quirk into a smile, “Geordo has a secret weakness.”

Alan blinked. “Geordo has a secret weakness? What is it?” he asked, suddenly eager.

Sophia opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again as a sudden idea flashed across her mind. “You know what, I think I’d rather show you than tell you,” she said. “Geordo will be here in an hour or two. If you're willing to wait until then, I think you'll enjoy what follows.”

Alan’s face fell.

“In the meantime,” Sophia said, “Let’s head back inside. I’ve been bragging about your musical talent to Katarina and Mary Hunt, and I want to show them that you’re as good as I said you were.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alan watched through the brush as the carriage drew to a halt in front of the Claes manor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sophia draw something from her pocket, and he glanced over to see what it was.

A toy snake? he thought. Why does she have that? And what is she going to do…

Geordo stepped out of the carriage. As his foot touched the ground, magic flared around Sophia's hands and a gust of wind flung the snake toy at Geordo’s face. 

Geordo let out a shriek, one hand whipped up, and an arc of fire cut the snake toy in half. The two halves fell on either side of Geordo, fire rapidly spreading across the rolled paper.

“Oops,” Sophia said, wincing. “I hope Katrina won't be mad that I got her pocket snake destroyed. Good thing I couldn't find a real snake, though.” 

Alan felt laughter welling up inside him at the look on his brother's face. 

Geordo - perfect Geordo - panicking at the sight of a snake! And not even a real snake, not even a good likeness of one, just a cheap children's toy!

Alan felt the laughter burst past his teeth and out into the world, even as he felt tears start to run down his cheeks. Geordo's head snapped up and he swung around to face the bushes where Alan and Sophia lurked.

Uh oh, Alan thought. “You'd better run, Sophia,” he whispered to her between giggles, then he got to his feet and stepped out between two bushes onto the driveway.

“Ah, Geordo,” he said in a loud voice, mirth bubbling in his tone. “So even you have something you can't handle.”

There was a rustling noise behind Alan, and he quickly glanced behind himself to see Sophia step out onto the driveway behind him. 

Oh, shades, Alan thought.

Geordo glanced back and forth between Sophia and Alan, then took a deep breath and visibly recovered his composure. “I wouldn't say I can't handle snakes. I just… prefer not to deal with them if I don't have to.”

Geordo's lips curved into a smile, and there was a dark gleam in his eyes. “Speaking of which,” he said in a cheerful tone, “which of you threw that thing at me? I want to ensure that the one responsible is properly… rewarded.” 

Alan blinked, feeling a sudden spike of panic. “Umm… yeah, that was me,” he said quickly. Better for Geordo to retaliate against him then against Sophia. 

“No it wasn't!” Sophia said, stepping forward and taking Alan's hand in hers. “And you know that, Prince Geordo,” she added. “You must have noticed the snake was thrown with wind magic, and that's my element, not Alan's.”

“Well, your desire to protect each other does you credit,” Geordo said, still with that ominous smile on his face. 

“Geordo!” Katarina called from the direction of the house, and the dark glee in Geordo's eyes was replaced by the same glow that Alan had sometimes seen in Sophia's eyes, or in Ian's.

“So, my brother and sister-to-be,” Geordo said, tone almost teasing. “Are you going to be staying, or did you just come over to throw snakes at people?”

Alan quickly considered that question. Mom will probably be upset if I stay for dinner, but I don't have anything I need to do this afternoon. Plus, didn't Katarina say that she was going to be working in that garden of hers? I have a sudden urgent desire to see Geordo sweaty and covered in dirt.

“I'll stay a few more hours if you will, Sophia,” Alan said, feeling his lips quirk into a smirk. 

Sophia's eyes shone like rubies. “Of course!” she chirped. 

The three of them turned and began to walk back towards the Claes manor.