I kept my eyes down to the chess board, not even bothering to hide my scowl.
"It's impossible to fall in love with someone in just six months." I muttered, taking father's knight.

"Indeed." Father agreed, his voice clipped, "But as your mother and I have tried to tell you, the season is hardly a place to find love -"

"It is an opportunity to make my Kingdom a better place." I finished with him and looked up, letting the ghost of a grin flit across my face. "I know but it's so very permanent. Plus with only ten to choose from the odds of finding one who is tolerable are severely out of my favour." Father took my Queen, I cursed quietly.

"All women are tolerable. Besides if you really couldn't stand her for too long at a time then go back to the front lines, you seemed happier there." He sat back in his chair, raising one white streaked brown eyebrow.

"Few women are tolerable." I snapped back. I was being petulant but I was irritated that he reminded me of the war. "They're nothing more than delicate little things which break if you drop them. Ha, check." I ran my hands through my hair, insanely pleased with myself.

The room was silent for a minute, the fire crackling enough to fill the silence.

"Checkmate." Father announced. I glared at the chessboard with contempt. "If a king can't win at chess how can he win against the Baracosians?"

I chuckled and rolled my eyes, pulling my jacket back on from the back of my chair.

"Well played sir." I extended my hand across the table to him and he shook it.
Syme, father's valet, began to clear the board as I stepped back out into the wide corridor.

I was on my way to call on Tristan to have dinner with me in my suite to calm my irritation at the imminent threat of the Season when Fana clapped his hand over my shoulder. What better way to irritate me more.

"Aw did you lose to father again?" He crooned sarcastically. "Come then, let's ride to the inn at Galavon for dinner, to commiserate what an awful chess player you are."

I scowled, a smile tugging at my mouth. "More like let's ride to Galavon so you can seduce the last of the innkeeper's daughters."

Fana chuckled, shrugging a little. "Only one more and I'll have the full five. They're much better women than the prize hens you'll be choosing from next week."

My mouth pressed into a line as he brought up the Season yet again. The smell of roast beef floated through the air and I could taste it on my tongue so I grabbed my brother by the arm and we went down to Tristan's rooms, in the older part of the palace.

"It really is a lovely night for a ride." Fana kept on even as I knocked on the door. "And their salmon is second to none."

Tristan opened the door, one eyebrow raised already at Fana. "Trying to seduce the Browns again?" His hair was all over the place so I expect there was something he wanted to talk to me about.

"Seducing the Brown sisters is a matter permanently on my mind." Fana clapped him on the shoulder and walked in.

I glanced at Tristan again and he showed a small smile, inclining his head for me to come inside.

"Crick, call some dinner up would you?" Tristan asked airily to his valet as I sat across from him on the wooden stool by the fire. He had some oddities in his room but I particularly liked the stool, it helped me think.

"What's this?" Fana snatched up a letter from one of the many which littered Trist's desk.

"A letter from my parents." Tristan snapped, Fana curled into himself a little, cowed. "Read it if you like, but they're already trying to push Holly Reichen on me before the season has begun."

I offered a sympathetic smile and stirred the fire a little. Trist was one of the few people I knew who insisted on having a wood fire. He always smelt faintly like smoke for that reason and any of the dinners I ate with him in here tasted like it too.

"Holly Reichen?" Fana sat forward eagerly as dinner was brought in and placed on the table. "God she's insufferable. Apparently all she can do is sing."

I laughed under my breath and shoveled a potato into my mouth. "A singing wife isn't the worst thing you can have." I pointed out once I had finished. "Besides, she might be alright."

Fana scoffed again, his mouth practically full. "She isn't."

"Well who are then?" Tristan laughed, but it was exasperated.

"What? Tolerable?" Fana raised an eyebrow. "Elena Frost is quiet apparently, Rachel Graem is meant to be clever - but she's very definitely after your crown, Ganechka. Serena Jeffords is airheaded but pretty. Ann-Marie Starkey, good manners, rich, insufferable. Angel is rich beyond measure but I think we all know to steer clear of her."

I scowled at my fork even with the mention of Angel - a relatively close family friend to mother. Ever since we were little she had wound me up by complaining that she wasn't royal, then she got to age thirteen and realised that she could marry me to become Queen.
Tristan went over to his whiskey tray and poured two glasses, passing one to me.

"To the end of freedom." He raised his glass as Fana looked on smugly.

"To being forced into loveless marriages." I raised mine and knocked it gently against his before we both downed it in one.

Fana left us as soon as he had eaten, no doubt off to try the crossbow he had been making. I moved over to the long couch by the window and Tristan cleared the letters away.
"They'll get here tomorrow." I muttered, sipping the whiskey. "They'll overrun my home. I won't get a moments peace until I've got a golden band around my finger." Tristan chuckled.

"At least they'll pay you attention. Tristan Turner is hardly the most interesting person I've no doubt."

I grinned at him, "You are indeed incredibly boring. But anyway, you're my best friend which must count for something."

Tristan scowled, "Ooh yes look at me. Pay me attention or I'll go crying to Gavrila and you'll fall out of favour." He mocked.

"At least if you do get attention, it won't be only for the crown on your head."

Trist frowned. "No it'll be for the crown on yours."

It was my turn to scowl. "I'll find one of them. Surely one of them won't be bothered about being Queen, then I'll get her to fall in love with me."

Tristan laughed mockingly again, but as I considered it, I realised it wasn't a a bad plan.

Now to find a girl who doesn't want to rule the kingdom.