Page 100 of Ties of Dust

“Isolating from the rest of the Peninsula will only leave us vulnerable to being manipulated again by players from the continent,” Cassius said firmly. “This is a strategic moment, Father. We must seize it to secure our future. And Flora has found the perfect means of doing so.”

His father stared at him like he’d lost his mind. “You are taking advice on matters of state from this peasant masquerading as a guard?”

“She has been masquerading,” Cassius acknowledged. “But in the opposite way from what you imagine. She’s not a peasant, she’s a princess. Specifically Princess Floriana of Dernan. It is with her I will form a marriage alliance.” He pulled from his pocket the two billets, each bearing the royal seal of a different king, and slapped them onto the table. “I can explain it all to you in detail, but let us adjourn to my room for the purpose. Then Flora can go to bed in hersuite. You see, she can’t go further than twenty feet from me, due to a magical tether imposed on us by Lord Armand when he was in a more than usually interfering mood.”

A movement drew Flora’s eyes, and she realized for the first time that Lord Armand was among the advisors present. He was squirming uncomfortably, and she didn’t hesitate to glare at him. Cassius, however, took a different approach.

“Yes, I see you there, My Lord.” He stared the nobleman down for a moment before he let out a sigh. “I’ll deal with you tomorrow. I know I’m furious with you, but for the moment I can’t remember all the reasons why. I’m too conscious of my gratitude for the connection you created between Flora and me.”

He turned to the king, who was standing motionless, struggling to comprehend all his son had just disclosed.

“Come, Father. It’s time we remembered how to work together.”

Cassius held out his arm to Flora, who was only too ready to lean on him for support as they moved from the room.

“It’s over, my darling,” he murmured as they entered the hallway. The endearment blazed over Flora, holding the fog of her exhaustion at bay. “You’re safe, and you can relax now. Consider yourself off duty.”

She smiled wearily up at him. “Yes, Your Highness.”

A month later, Flora traversed the same corridor, this time toward the throne room. Cassius walked about fifteen feet ahead, to preserve the formality of separate arrivals. It was foolish to make such a fuss about following the rules—itwas to be the barest and most practical of betrothal ceremonies.

That fact hadn’t stopped the castle’s inhabitants from gathering to watch her go past. She’d braced herself for ire from the servants once her true identity was revealed, but they’d surprised her. As Flora neared the throne room, a group of maids sank into curtsies, eyes alight with excitement. Among their number was the very maid who’d been offended by her joke about Dust. Apparently they all liked her better as a princess than as a guard. On reflection, Flora suspected that the idea of a lowly servant, like them, winning the prince’s heart and then being discovered to secretly be a royal princess had captured the imagination of every serving girl in the castle. They’d no doubt retell the story in their minds—each girl replacing Flora with herself as heroine, of course—for years to come.

The guards had reacted differently, but their demeanor was equally free of antagonism. Those who’d behaved most distastefully when she was among their number were the most dutiful and proper in her presence now. They no doubt feared recriminations, and although she didn’t intend to cause anyone problems, it didn’t bother her at all to let them squirm in their discomfort for a while.

The court was more mixed in its reaction. Some of them had been eager to meet her in her new guise, full of fascinated questions about her unusual story and her native kingdom. Others had kept more distance, a hint of censure in their eyes when they watched her from afar, no doubt drawing their own conclusions about all that had passed between her and their crown prince. Then there were those who whispered more openly, some of them genuinely offended by her masquerade, others just jealous she’d secured the position they coveted.

They would no doubt be even more annoyed at the proper wedding, where the real pomp and frills would be found. That event would take much longer to prepare than the simple betrothal ceremony. The hope was that she would be free in the intervening period, perhaps even to return for a stretch of time to Sindon, to properly farewell her friends and the life she’d lived there.

And the next time she came to Crandell, it would be to make it her permanent home. She would become Carrack’s crown princess.

It was hard to take in. She’d discarded her life as a princess so long ago, and vowed never to take it up again.

But that vow hadn’t accounted for Cassius. For him, she was ready to put back on the mantle of royal responsibility. With him by her side, she wasn’t even troubled by those among the court who disapproved of her. Choosing not to overvalue the opinion of strangers had been essential to her escape from her first role as a princess of Dernan. The return to royal life didn’t have to mean accepting the same shackles she’d worn in her parents’ castle. If it had, she didn’t think it would be tolerable. But Cassius didn’t expect her to bow and scrape to the offended nobles. He assured her that he knew her behavior had been honorable throughout everything they’d endured, and that the gossip of those who didn’t know her was beneath her notice as a princess just as it had been beneath her notice as a guard.

He was very attractive when he spoke like that. It turned out that princely pride wasn’t always vain and self-important. Sometimes it could be used to excellent effect.

And she was eager to discover how much good a crown could do when on the right head. Together, she and Cassius would help Carrack to prosper, and protect it from any interference from whoever had sent Sir Keavling to starttheir destructive work. It would help that they would have the support of the alliances they were about to formalize. Further negotiations had remained promising with both Siqual and Dernan.

Torrens was a different matter. They had refrained from attacking Carrack, but tensions remained high. There was now little doubt that Sir Keavling and his mercenaries had been behind the various attacks and disasters that had made the other kingdoms suspect some foul play from Torrens. But that knowledge wasn’t a magical cloud of Dust that could clear the effects of all the tension that had been building for over a year.

The future with Torrens was unsure.

Flora couldn’t find it in her to worry about it, however, not on such a glorious day. She entered the throne room behind Cassius, walking with her best, most stately princess manner up the length of the space. The event hadn’t been widely advertised, and yet, somehow everyone knew. The large room was almost full.

Flora ignored them all. She only had eyes for Cassius as she joined him before his father’s throne, slipping her hand into his offered one.

“Are you ready?” he asked softly.

She nodded, contentment swirling through her.

“I know this isn’t our wedding yet, but it is a legally binding agreement for our kingdoms,” he reminded her. “No backing out after this.”

“There’s no fear of me backing out,” she told him, her eyes laughing at the somber look in his. “I’ve become quite accustomed to being tethered to you.”

That brought out a smile, the one that held the tiniest hint of smugness. The one that Flora found particularlyirresistible, although she didn’t intend to admit that to Cassius.

“There’s no way out of this tether, though,” he said. “And I won’t be dancing around the edge of it, either. I can tell you right now that I willnotbe sleeping on the floor once we’re married.”

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