***
November 9, 1800
Juele Fiore

It had been days since Ytger had woken up and Juele Fiore still hadn't gotten the chance to go see her.

"Princey," Lara started, staring at his eye bags and elegantly crossed legs as he sat on a stool too thin to be functional, "you've really ought to take a nap. You've been here almost a week straight."

He smiled. "It's your fault I'm still here. I've been forbidden from leaving the lower levels of the castle until I get the answers the king wants from you."

Lara sank into the sack of hay in the corner of her cell. "Just schedule my execution. I've forgotten much of what happened already."

"You may think so, but you reveal a little bit more every day."

Time went on and the sunset yet again and another day went by without the chance to meet his sister. Another day stuck with the criminal who ruined chances of peace between Tereline and Auber and his marriage. He'd started looking forward to it after that late-night chance meeting with the princess, but here he was, the ring still on his finger wondering if Maya wore it too.

Jules swore to the god he wouldn't be the king's errand boy anymore. Just because Lara spoke to no one but him didn't mean it was his responsibility to suck her dry for answers that didn't even matter in the long run. All that mattered was that she lied about her motivations during the attack to everybody, she allowed Kronos' men inside for intentions Juele was yet to decipher, and she was scheduled to die anyway.

What good would it be learning her character now?

Unless she was an excuse to keep Juele... "busy".

Another week went by with the same nonsense before Juele earned an audience with the King. An opportunity to beg for a meeting with his sister, and to his surprise, earn permission.

Constantly failing at his task for longer than two weeks without a chance to escape certainly took a toll on his mindset, and Juele was convinced meeting Ytger was the only event that could heal his poor soul. To rejuvenate the boredom and emptiness imprinted onto his state of being.

As he jogged across the hallways, Jules couldn't help but imagine how he would greet his sister for the first time. Would a hug suffice? Was a kiss on the cheek inappropriate now that years had passed?

Upon his arrival, Ytger skipped all formal greetings and got straight to the point. "Arrange a meeting for me with Dain, please."

Jules gripped the door, his heart falling to the ground. "Excuse me?"

She cleared her throat, adjusting her position on her bed. "I'm sorry I didn't greet you properly, but I really must see him."

Jules wasn't sure whether his heart hadn't recovered from jogging all this way or if it beat out of rage. Such disrespect wasn't what he expected. He had hoped for a hug, a pleasant smile from the sister he hadn't spoken to in years.

If he had known that Ytger considered Dain more important than her brother...

"Dain isn't worthy of speaking to anyone but the rats that have infested his house as of late."

Ytger's expression darkened, looking to the floor. "I know."

Angered, Juele's mouth failed to produce words or comprehensible sounds. "If you know then why? What does he mean to you that you failed to have a proper reunion with me? I-I came running to your room the second I was free of all the duties the king put on my shoulders and the first words out of your mouth are not of yourself or me but of the man—the coward who failed his sister and turned into a piece of dirt now that he has the taste of money again."

Ytger bit her lip, the silence growing louder, the pain of Juele's words settling in. Her heart raced. I've made a mistake.

Jules sighed and threw his head into his hand. "I'll arrange a meeting with Dain for you. Be in the ballroom tomorrow at midnight."

Silence again.

Ytger shifted, her hand moving to remove her covers and legs preparing to stand. "Jules, I'm sorry. You know how single-minded I can be. For me it's as if just yesterday you were a little boy, running around with a smile, playing. Yesterday for me was years ago, Jules."

The prince chuckled darkly, the sound too evil for her little brother, too broken to escape his mouth. Shock jolted through her body. Just what had happened to him? What broke her little brother, the brother she'd practically raised when the adults were busy with affairs of royalty.

"Of course," he started. "Maybe because it's been years since I've seen you do anything but sleep, but I promise to keep in mind that to you I'm still the child you raised, I'm just the little brother rather than the Crown Prince of a powerhouse nation." Jules turned and left the room. "Good day."

Ytger scrambled to find something to say, anything. To her, she'd met Jules just a few days ago, but to him, it had been years. And she'd forgotten.

"Don't tell me the rats are because of you," she projected, hoping Jules heard it beyond her bedroom doors. Humour was the way to his heart a few days ago, perhaps he hadn't changed.

Ytger was rarely right as misfortune tainted her life, but this time her instinct was correct.

His reply barely touched her ears. "I won't tell you. Since I think you already know."

***

Iona had never been this tired before, even on the White Crow. Reyna and Illorin had been dragging her around the market long enough for her to decide that maybe missing out wasn't that bad.

Iona no longer paid attention to Reyna and Illorin running from stall to stall, and instead found the nearest bench she could find and fixated on one of the firefly lamps hung on the clothing stall in front of her.

She was about to close her eyes when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent. The sweet smell of vanilla belonged to only one she knew, Prince Juele Fiore. The scent so pleasant in the sea of sweat and people, so distinct.

She whipped her head around, searching for the prince to confirm whether or not she was mistaken. It could easily have been someone who'd just bought a cake from the bakery down the line.

Hopping to her feet and pushing her way through the crowd, Iona regained the energy she thought Reyna and Illorin had drained out of her.

Finally, her eyes landed on his light-brown hair and a jewel upon his neck too exquisite for a commoner.

"Jules!" she called, waving her hand and jumping, making herself as noticeable as possible.

The overwhelming crowd, music coming from the right and gasps coming from the magic show by the left stopped the prince from hearing anything but his muttering.

"JULES!"

Realizing he wouldn't hear her like this, Iona wrestled her crowd to make her way. She shot her hand through the crowd and grabbed the prince's shoulder. "Jules."

Startled, the prince let out a small scream and wiped her grip off. But when he turned around, the look of relief in his eyes spoke volumes of what he had to go through in the Arce Ace.

Iona offered a smile and he gave one in return. It was so surreal that she had the chance as a pirate to speak with the prince. Just months ago he was the fuel for gossip and stories between her crewmates and now he was something short of a friend.

"I would hug you, but I've had enough of touching people," Jules said, glaring at the crowd from his peripheral.

To break the awkward silence bestowed upon them, Iona perked up. "What are you doing out of the castle?"

Not hesitating to answer, Jules sighed. "I'm searching for Dain, Aeryn's brother. My sister woke up and requested me to find him for her."

"Why are you searching here then? Why not his house?"

Jules' grip on his freshly squeezed juice tightened. "I, uh, got distracted. I was thirsty." He raised the half-empty glass of watermelon juice to show. "I'm headed over there right now."

"I'll accompany—"

A hand grabbed her and Iona jumped out of her skin. Juele simply smiled, content in knowing Iona now knew what it felt like to be grabbed all of a sudden in such a dense crowd.

"Iona," said Reyna, "why did you leave us?"

Iona didn't bother answering. "We have more important work to deal with. Sorry to cut your shopping trip in half, but let's go."

Juele wanted to refuse, not wanting to be the reason Reyna and Illorin wouldn't be able to enjoy the market. However, the sharp look in Iona's eyes said he would regret saying something more than cutting short their fun.

Clearly, she was frustrated with the other two and thought they no longer deserved market fun.

They headed over to Dain's house, Reyna and Illorin still unaware of what exactly they were doing until they reached their destination.

Iona, Reyna, and Illorin waited outside Dain's house and remained unbeknownst to the strategy Juele used to drag the bastard out.

The sheer rage etched on the prince's features stopped either of them from asking.

Iona was the only one of the three who had a vague idea of what Aeryn went through because of her family, but it seems the prince knew a lot more. Why else would he be so angry? A soft soul like Juele should be jailed for straying from his usual nature.

Iona didn't process the trip from Dain's house to the Arce Ace's poorly guarded ballroom. She stayed in an almost trance-like state wondering what the hell Dain had done to elicit such a reaction from the prince, and from the few snippets of scenery she did notice, Reyna and Illorin were wondering the same.

That was until she heard a voice as angry as Juele's upon entering the ballroom.

She raised her head and her eyes fell on Auber's previous heir, Princess Ytger Fiore. She too was angry, full of rage and disappointment as Jules was, but it came out much more sugar-coated than her younger brother's words.

But the more shocking thing was the shrill sound of a slap echoing in the ballroom.

Ytger had slapped Dain.

***
WORD COUNT: 1760