The day after her sixteenth birthday, King Morion arrives at the castle with only his second son and his young niece. The girl seems immediately enthralled by the beauty of Elusia's main hall, but the boy refuses to leave his father's side. Father greets King Morion cordially.

"As per the terms of our agreement," he says. King Morion nods tightly, looking a bit less than pleased.

"I must admit, I was rather surprised when the letter asked for Alcryst," he says. "In fact, I thought you'd be making the journey to Brodia with Ivy." He looks about to say something else before shaking his head. "Nevertheless, an agreement is an agreement." He glances towards Prince Alcryst, who immediately pulls away and bows clumsily before standing as straight as a board.

"Ivy," Father says, "when Prince Alcryst comes of age in five years, he will be your husband. He will live with us in Elusia Castle."

Ivy had always expected she'd be pushed into an arranged marriage someday. She was the firstborn child of the royal family, after all, and nobility were always seeking to make connections with royalty. It was how Father had come to marry her mother.

But she'd expected some overly polished noble kissing her hand and smothering her with flattery, Ivy forcing a smile so as not to make any waves before she excused herself to pray she would get through this. Instead, the one standing before her is quiet and small and still a child in so many ways despite having had his thirteenth birthday a month before.

Their fathers talk, King Morion obviously isn't pleased by any of this even as his tone is even and polite. His niece strikes up a conversation with one of the maids, and Ivy swears she hears the girl offering to buy her a full set of garnet jewelry.

Prince Alcryst continues to stand there, looking towards her but not at her, his hand running up and down his arm, his shoulders rising and falling with each sharp, slow breath.

"Ivy," Father says, "why not show Prince Alcryst the royal library? King Morion tells me he loves to read." Ivy swallows. The library is a good, safe spot free of whispering nobles and nosy servants. Aside from her secret shrine to the Divine Dragon tucked away in her closet, the library is where Ivy feels most comfortable. Maybe Prince Alcryst will relax a bit once they're alone and then she can at least have a conversation with him.

She tentatively holds out her hand, gesturing for him to follow her. After another deep, shaky breath, he does.

"I'm so sorry."

They've just barely sat down, and he's apologizing, bowing his head.

"Pardon?"

"That it's me," he says. "That I've come here to marry you instead of you coming to Brodia to marry my brother."

Ivy has heard the Crown Prince of Brodia is the very paragon of royalty. Strong, charismatic, intelligent, handsome, skilled, one could not ask for a better successor to the throne. Nobles clamor for King Morion and Queen Ruby to consider their daughters as Prince Diamant's bride. All she's ever heard about the second Prince is his name and little else.

"Maybe my father can convince yours to change his mind," Alcryst continues. "Honestly, I'm not sure why he wants me to marry into your family. I don't exactly fit Brodia's mold of strength, but I probably wouldn't fit Elusia's mold of knowledge, either. I love to read and study, but I'm not as smart as Diamant or Citrinne."

She's floored by this flagrant but genuine display of self-deprecation. For a moment, she wonders if King Morion isn't truly as good a father as they say he is and wants to be rid of this boy so he can't shame Brodia's name with his weakness. But she thinks of King Morion's expression upon his arrival, how clearly upset he is with Father for not telling him until now that he'd be handing his youngest son over to a foreign Kingdom.

She thinks of her father keeping her in the dark about this agreement until today, and something clicks. Of course. Brodia and Elusia had been at war until their Kings forged a pact shortly before Prince Diamant's birth, and Father was bound and determined to keep things peaceful.

If one of King Morion's sons is living in Elusuia, he'll think twice about breaking his promise.

He's stopped his ramblings, she heard several I'm sorrys nestled within. He won't even look at her now. From this angle, all she can see is his shiny, dark blue hair.

She's surprised to find herself quite enchanted by it. Ivy has always loathed the dark, but she's always been charmed by the moment before the sky goes completely black, where it's still just blue enough that the stars shine brilliantly against it.

Alcryst's hair reminds her of that.

"Prince Alcryst," she finally says, "will you please look at me?" He does, slowly lifting his head. His red eyes are wide, bright with uncertainty and surprise. Again, she's momentarily spellbound by how they shine, a contrast to the cool deep blue of his hair.

"I'm-"

"Don't apologize," she gently interrupts him. "Our fathers are the ones who arranged this, and it seems my father kept yours in the dark about certain details."

"I'll say. I always thought I'd be the one staying in Brodia," Prince Alcryst murmurs. "I wish I could. I don't...want to leave. My mother and father, Diamant, my retainers, Saphir, my music teacher...I'll have to say goodbye to all of them, I'll probably never see them again unless they're allowed to visit me. Brodia isn't perfect, but it's my home."

For all Brodia's faults, the royal family is clearly very loving and close. She and Father used to be, along with the children of Father's mistresses before Mother drove away all but Hortensia. But she's begun to sense a subtle change to Father, something she can almost put her finger on but doesn't want to believe. He still treats her and Hortensia well, but lately there's no sense of family among them.

And Father expects me to marry you and bring you into this environment. Not to mention the anti-Brodia sentiment that still circulates among people, even though the Kingdoms have been more or less civil to one another for years.

"I know." She sighs. "But I have the sense that Father will not change his mind no matter what yours says. I should be the one to apologize, Prince Alcryst."

"But you didn't know anything about it, either," he says. "Still, I...I can't lay all the blame at your father's feet. It's nothing new, this is how most royal marriages are made, right? My parents are the exception, not the rule."

"Be that as it may, there's nothing either of us can do about it," Ivy says.

"I know." Alcryst folds his hands in his lap, and to her relief he doesn't try to apologize again.

"However," she continues, "dismayed as I am that I was kept in the dark about this until today, I never did object to the idea. I can't say I'm exactly thrilled about it, but I always anticipated worse from an arranged spouse. You're not what I expected, and I mean that in a positive sense." His eyes widen, and he nearly falls out of his seat.

"Really?!"

"You don't put on airs, and you clearly have no interest in licking my father's boots to gain prestige through my hand." She pushes a lock of hair over her shoulder. "As someone who interacts with two-faced liars on a regular basis, it's refreshing to meet someone who's...genuine." She pauses. "Even if he could stand to denigrate himself a bit less." His cheeks turn as red as his eyes, and he tugs nervously on the lapel of his jacket.

"I...don't know what to say to that. Other than I'm sorry to hear you have to put up with people like that," he murmurs. "But why are you telling me this?"

"Because if we're to spend the next five years preparing to spend the rest of our lives together, I want us to be comfortable with each other," she says. "I want to get to know you, Prince Alcryst. I want us to form a genuine connection, to give you a reason to feel comfortable in Elusia."

He turns redder, but the hint of a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

"I...I didn't know what to expect from you," he says quietly. "They said you were quiet and standoffish, avoided people, spent most of your time alone practicing magic. I expected someone a little more...well, not this. Someone who wants to care about a lackluster second Prince like me."

"While I didn't know what to expect," she says. "Let's work on overcoming any perceptions we might have had, though, shall we?" He smiles in earnest, standing up and holding out his hand.

"All right...I'd like that!"

She takes his hand, surprised at how warm it feels through her glove. He really is quite handsome when he smiles, and underneath that self-deprecation she senses a quiet sort of strength.

I will make sure you feel safe in Elusia, Prince Alcryst. No matter what anyone says.