Elowen thought that arriving with Princess Avangelique on horseback would cause a commotion. She feared they'd be mobbed by guards or other ball attendees trying to get a good look at the princess.
Instead, the princess led the horses to a side entrance of the castle and handed them off to a stable boy before she led them to a secret door in the side of the castle. Once they were inside, Avangelique straightened her robe.
"Let's go find Estefania," Avangelique said. "Or do you want me to get someone to show you to the ballroom? The guests should be slowly gathering there, but it's still early."
Elowen only pondered it for a moment. She'd rather slip into the ballroom when it was full than have a grand entrance with her name announced. And if she stayed with Avangelique, she could meet Fletcher's betrothed.
"You want me to tag along?" She asked.
Avangelique smiled. "Trix spoke highly of you, and I believe my sister needs friends. After all, she's been in the desert for so long by herself."
Elowen's chest tightened when she thought about Estefania. The princess couldn't marry Fletcher. There was something unnatural about the union that made her skin crawl.
Still, she followed Avangelique through the Cyran Castle and up a stairwell behind a tapestry. The stairs let out behind another tapestry that Avangelique held to the side so Elowen could pass through before she followed her into the bright hallway.
Avangelique marched onward and knocked on a broad blue door at the end of the hallway. The princess only waited a few moments before she pushed the door open and led Elowen inside.
The bedchamber was large and ornate. Pure white furs covered a massive bed and all of the furniture was painted robin blue like the door. A woman no older than Elowen sat on a fur-covered chair with her dark hair loose around her embroidered pink robes.
"Steffie?" Avangelique rapped her fingers on a sideboard covered in sticky meats and round biscuits. "You don't look ready for the ball."
Princess Estefania de Sahar raised her head, and her cold brown eyes locked on her sister. Elowen's breath caught as she stared at the princess. Estefania's bronze skin practically glowed in the candlelight without cosmetics.
"Do you want me to call for maids to do your hair?" Avangelique asked. "What will Grandmother say if she sees your hair loose like a woman with her lover?"
"Grandmother isn't coming," Estefania said. "I just received the message. Her illness has progressed too much. Father won't leave her side. After the third ball, he wants us to come home immediately."
Avangelique's perky smile cracked. "We're going to Sahar?"
Elowen wondered how long it had been since the sisters had been to their homeland. Avangelique clutched her hands together and watched Estefania with anxious eyes. Her sister only shook her head as if to rid herself of any romantic notions before her eyes dropped on Elowen.
"Ava, who is your friend?" Estefania's voice thawed.
Avangelique's smile returned. "This is Elowen of Nene. A friend introduced us. I wanted her to meet you."
Estefania rose from her seat. She was taller and certainly more regal than Elowen. She'd often heard the countess and her daughters refer to stunning women like Estefania as proud peacocks putting on a show. However that description didn't suit Estefania. Elowen thought instead she looked like a mighty swan, majestic but deadly if provoked.
"Elowen," Estefania said. "How did you meet my sister?"
"We were at a dress shop," Elowen said. "I needed some alterations, and then Avangelique wanted me to come with her."
Avangelique took out a small box from her robe and held it out for her sister. "Trix sent these earrings to you as a gift."
Estefania took the box, but she did not open it. She wore no jewelry at all except a thin chain around her neck that appeared to have no pendant. Not even a crown rested on her head while Avangelique sparkled in the candlelight just from her hair alone.
"Trix said they would protect you from fairies," Avangelique said. "I know those silly brothers weren't big on material possessions Steffie, but you are a princess. Can you at least pretend you want to be here?"
Estefania stiffened. "Why? I just do not understand why Grandmother wants me to marry Fletcher. If our people are truly suffering is there no other solution?"
Elowen had heard her father grumble with Brennon behind closed doors about the state of Sahar. Crops refused to grow in their soil and then a year ago wells started drying up. The Earl of Nene had given Sahar surplus crops, but the Saharite queen couldn't afford to repay them since they were already in debt with Cyra for importing water.
"I did run the numbers," Avangelique said. "Assuming Sahar can reap a harvest next year Cyra's coffers can keep the people fed. I'm sorry Steffie, but without magic, it doesn't seem like our people will survive another year of drought. Father is right. We need this alliance."
Estefania sighed and put the earrings in her delicate lobes. The gold shape reminded Elowen of tears as if the princess was grieving her role.
A knock sounded at the door. Since her sister remained frozen to the spot, Avangelique moved to swing open the blue door.
Three young men stood in the doorway. Prince Fletcher de Cyra leaned against a golden cane topped with a magnificent opal. Behind him stood two boys who looked remarkably like the eldest prince. Elowen guessed the youngest was Prince Lorenzo which meant the other was likely their bastard brother the Marquis de Ryne.
"Boys," Avangelique purred. "Please come in. We were about to head to the party."
"You'll need escorts," Prince Lorenzo winked.
"Then it's a good thing there's three of you," Avangelique smiled.
"Three?" Fletcher eyed Elowen with suspicion. "Who did you bring to the palace this time, Ava?"
"A friend from Nene," Avangelique said. "This is Elowen."
"Elowen from Nene," Lorenzo grinned. "And let me guess, you're the bestest of friends, and you've known her for how many hours?"
Elowen's jaw dropped. Did Avangelique frequently bring strangers home with her? Was she just another in a long line of new companions, or did the princess really want her sister to have a friend?
"I met her at Trix's shop," Avangelique said. "Trix likes her, and she was already going to be attending the ball. I only gave her a lift."
"I believe you, Ava," Lorenzo's grin widened. "And it works out. Now Nathaniel has someone to escort."
The marquis grimaced slightly before his face became a solid mask. Elowen thought that he saw his eyes flick towards Estefania, but she wasn't sure.
She didn't have time to figure out the marquis because Fletcher de Cyra was staring at her. His blue eyes trapped her like quick-forming ice pulling her in. Elowen half wondered if her dress no longer only looked like ice but Fletcher was somehow freezing her to the spot.
Without his mask, Elowen could see dark shadows under his eyes and a pallor she associated with ladies' facepaint. His muscles were tense and all of his weight was shifted towards the cane like he needed it to stand.
Finally, he nodded slightly and his mouth slowly quirked up. Heat crept up her neck as she remembered his lips smirking around her pastry days ago. Her body thawed and she gave Fletcher her most genteel smile.
"Brother," the crown prince turned to the marquis. "Take Estefania to the ballroom. Lorenzo allow the buzz of the ballroom to increase for a quarter of an hour before you take in Avangelique. I'll join you all later."
"That's not what Father wanted," Lorenzo said.
Fletcher adjusted his cane. "I don't care what Father wants. He's wrong and I'm tired of him ruining us all."
"The crown prince has spoken," the marquis held out his hand to Estefania. "If you would join me princess."
Estefania brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and her entire demeanor changed as she took the marquis's hand. She almost seemed to warm as he led her from the room.
"What's up with your sister?" Lorenzo asked.
Avangelique sighed. "She's been like this since she arrived on the docks. It thought maybe if she made a new friend..."
"Ava, you only know your sister from letters," Fletcher said. "We've known you your whole life. I promise we'll find out how to connect with your sister, but we can't do it tonight. At least she's comfortable with Than."
Lorenzo put an arm around Avangelique and she leaned against the younger prince. He grimaced but he didn't seem upset. Elowen knew Avangelique had grown up in the Cyran Castle but she seemed much more at ease with the brothers than her own sister.
"We'll see you soon," Fletcher led Elowen towards the door to give his brother and Avangelique privacy.
Elowen could barely breathe as Fletcher's hand on the small of her back steered her into the hall. The door clicked shut behind them and he turned towards her. Elowen's heart jumped into her throat as the heat of his hand left her skin.
"Your highness," Elowen dropped into a curtsy. "I apologize for barging into your home."
Fletcher chuckled. "Every time we meet, you're always apologizing. I should be the one who's sorry. I was so rude, I didn't even get your name the other night."
"It's Elowen," her cheeks burned.
"That is what Avangelique said," Fletcher said. "She's a spirited one and I don't believe you lied to get in her good graces. Ava is very trusting. I've found her sister less so."
"Princess Estefania is careful," Elowen said. "But you cannot blame her. She's lived in the desert while her sister has lived here and knows you very well. Not to mention the betrothal was sudden. Do you even know if she was consulted?"
Fletcher slammed his cane against the floor. "I wasn't even consulted. My blasted father decided it was for the best. His wish has twisted our whole family and every decision serves the idiotic decision he made."
The outburst seemed to exhaust him. Fletcher slumped back against the wall behind him and his arm holding his cane shook.
"Are you all right?" She asked. "Do you need a doctor?"
She made a move to call for Avangelique and Lorenzo but Fletcher held up his hand to stop her.
"They can't help," his voice was trembling. "I'll be fine. I've been like this for a long time."
The longer she stared at Fletcher the more she realized there was something seriously wrong with him. He wasn't using his cane for show. He needed it to stand up right.
"Who did this to you?" She asked.
Elowen wasn't sure exactly how she knew it because she was no medical professional but she knew whatever was wrong with Fletcher was magical. It was like someone was draining energy from his body.
"This is the last magic left in Cyra," he said. "And it's slowly killing me and my brothers."