The king had taken my concerns to heart, and planned a relatively small ceremony.

We gathered in one of the castle's lesser used meeting rooms. The king and the princesses, Tandrin and me, and a handful of guards, advisors and other lords and ladies. I could have done without them, but I knew that wasn't an option. Besides, part of being a rich lord was learning how to pretend guards weren't constantly hovering around.

Tandrin insisted on having a tailor make me new clothes. So I was well dressed, if slightly uncomfortable, as we walked into the meeting room side by side. The clothing was just a variation of what I usually wore. Dark pants and a white tunic, but with the added flair of gold embroidery on the cuffs of my sleeves. He had new boots made for me as well, which were dark leather and still stiff. I wore my usual belt and scabbard, although I did agree to let one of Tandrin's men oil the leather. Arguably the most important part of my outfit was my blue cloak, freshly cleaned. Tandrin was just as dressed up, but for once he wasn't trying to overshadow me.

The king was dressed elaborately in gold and yellow, Zianna's colour. The princesses wore yellow dresses embroidered with flowers—black and gold for Esmeranda, white and red for Esmegara.

The walk across the room gave me plenty of time to look at the royal family, and to remember the afternoon when Finn and I had seen them in the upper city. He told me that part of the princesses' names, 'esm', was really an old Native Zian word. It had been just one of many moments of realization for me, moments when Finn would let his guard slip and reveal how intelligent he was.

Tandrin disrupted my thoughts by giving me a pat on the shoulder and then walking off to the side of the room. He left me alone in front of the king and the princesses. Tandrin had spent a significant portion of the evening before explaining everything I was supposed to do in detail, but he had never seen a champion naming ceremony before. So his instructions had consisted of a lot of 'if the king is sitting, do this. If he stands up, do that. If he offers you his hand, take it. Maybe kiss his ring, but maybe don't. You're not swearing loyalty. You're being awarded'. None of it had really been helpful.

So I fell back on the rules of etiquette I had been taught my whole life. Granted, as a Tandran, I was used to being on the other side of the arrangement.

I dropped to one knee, holding my sword steady with my left hand.

A hush fell over the room as the king stood up. "Lord Tandrix of West Draulin. A few shorts months ago I was honoured to speak at your graduation ceremony from the Order, and later that very evening you saved my life. Without your timely appearance, I may have been assassinated. The whole kingdom owes you a debt of gratitude."

He held up a tiny wooden box. It wasn't particularly fancy, but still it drew everyone's eyes. "With this ring, Lord Tandrix of West Draulin joins an illustrious brotherhood. Established by King Edarver II in the year 203, the title of Kingdom's Champion is given to any man who goes above and beyond in service to our kingdom or the crown. Lord Tandrix not only saved my life by interrupting the attack, he also singlehandedly ousted the former Director of the Order. That Lord Meyat was able to hold such a position of power for so long, while trying to undermine our kingdom, exposed a weakness in our court. Working alone, Lord Tandrix ended the threat.

"Lord Tandrix," the king was talking to me again, instead of the crowd. "While I would expect any of my knights or guards to save my life, your actions were spurred on by loyalty and nothing else. You were not serving me as a guard, and you were not investigating Meyat as an informant. Everything you did was above and beyond your duties. For that, you are a Champion. I believe my ancestors, and the Goddess herself, would agree that you deserve this award. Stand."

I did. King Edarius held the box out in one hand and popped off the lid with the other. Nestled inside was the champion ring. Its name was more valuable than the ring itself. It was a simple gold band, quite narrow, topped with a thin bar of white marble from the Cliffs of Loth. I took the ring from the box and, remembering what Tandrin had told me—the only piece of useful advice he had given me—slipped it onto my left middle finger.

Wearing rings was nothing new. I had worn two rings on my right hand for four years. The Order ring on my thumb, and my Tandran crest ring on my index finger. I was used to them being there, but the champion ring was the first ring on my left hand. Staring down at it, I allowed myself a moment to imagine Finn taking it and twirling it around his finger distractedly. Then I imagined his face lighting up when I told him that he could keep it, because he deserved it. But I couldn't do that. Now that I had the ring it would be odd and suspicious if I was seen without it.

"Lord Tandrix." I looked up to see that Princesses Esmeranda was standing. "In my father's reign there have been only two recipients of the champion ring. Your name will be added to the records as the sixty-sixth recipient since the award was created."

Sixty-six recipients in just over two hundred years. The number was staggering to hear, even though I knew the champion ring wasn't awarded very often. It wasn't that people didn't deserve it more often. But if a heroic act was expected as part of a job, it didn't count. If a heroic act helped anyone but the king, it didn't count. If Zianna wasn't a war, chances are the heroic act didn't count.

That, and the fact that 'given to any man' really meant 'any Teltan man'.

Princess Esmeranda wasn't finished speaking. "When I become queen, I know I will be able to depend on you for your loyalty and support. Having loyal lords such as yourself will be a great asset to me. In addition to the champion ring and the accompanying title, we present you with your monetary reward. To be discussed privately," she added more quietly, casting a glance at everyone else in the room.

Her sister stood up next. "The kingdom thanks you for saving the king," Princess Esmegara said. She was like me, overshadowed by a flashier, more confident older sibling. I wondered if she appreciated Esmeranda drawing all the attention the way I appreciated Tandrin drawing it. "My sister and I thank you for saving our father. Our gift to you is an invitation to sit at our family's table whenever you are in Zianna."

It was another honour I didn't really want, but I managed a smile and bowed to both princesses. "Thank you."

The king clapped his hands, calling the ceremony to a sudden end. "Then it is time for the feast!"

Thankfully, the feast was no bigger than the ceremony had been. At the raised table, I sat with the royal family. The princesses sat on either side of their father, and Queen Florinne's empty setting was beside Princess Esmegara. I was placed beside Princess Esmeranda. The arrangement meant I was much closer to Tandrin than I had been at the other feast. Close enough to make an attempt at communicating with stares and subtle actions.

Tandrin watched me, then shrugged and turned to the young lady beside him. That was the only help I got. A shrug. I stared at him a little longer while the food was served, but he was very good at pretending he didn't notice.

Princess Esmeranda didn't speak to me until we were eating. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

It took me a moment to realize that she meant the ceremony, and that the smile on her face meant she was teasing me. "No," I agreed. "Still, I would have preferred fewer attendants."

"Wouldn't we all?" she laughed. "In any case, you handled yourself very well. I've seen men twice your age weep when my father addressed them. Although to be fair, I suppose you are a Tandran, and you've met him before. So, tell me the story. How did you put it all together? It must have been hard to suspect your Director."

The king was sitting on her other side, but he seemed occupied speaking to Princess Esmegara. Tandrin was ignoring my looks, so he couldn't exactly tell me why telling Esmeranda the truth would be a bad idea. So I almost did. I gave her the version I had given the king months ago and added everything else Tandrin and I had learned or theorized about during those months.

Princess Esmeranda gave me her undivided attention. She listened with rapt attention, and only interrupted a few times to clarify details. When I was done, her food was nearly untouched because she had been too distracted to eat.

"So..." she finally said. She picked up her fork and poked a roasted carrot, but she didn't raise it to her mouth. "So, you didn't do it alone?"

If she had asked, I would have pulled of the champion ring and handed it to her. "Not at all."

She ate the carrot and chewed slowly. Unsure of what she was thinking, I tried to distract myself with my own food. I noticed Tandrin staring at me as he pretended to listen to the lord beside him, and I wondered if he was close enough to have heard our conversation.

The princess and I ate in silence for a while. I watched her from the corner of my eye, until she put down her fork again and picked up her napkin. She daintily patted her lips, then turned to me again. "It seems to me that without your support, your friend wouldn't have been able to act on anything. You read the letter, you told him the previous Director's name. You arrested Meyat, which your friend certainly wouldn't have been able to do on his own. Now you and your brother have been searching for more clues. So while you didn't act alone, you were fundamental to the happy outcome of the attempt on my father's life. You earned that ring."

Hearing it described to me in that way was comforting. I looked at my left hand for the first time, having been, without realizing it, avoiding looking at the ring. I still thought that Finn deserved it more than I did, but Princess Esmeranda was right. A lot of it had happened because of me.

I looked at her again. "Thank you for saying that. I needed to hear it."

Princess Esmeranda smiled. "Yes, I could tell."

Gone were the quiet evenings of Tandrin and I getting food brought to one of our rooms while we talked and talked again about the information we had gathered or how slowly Lord Resul worked. We were given a standing invitation to every dinner with the royal family, and Tandrin convinced me that we couldn't refuse.

Months continued to pass with little to no new information. The Changing of the Year came and went, and my birthday passed with it. I barely managed to talk Tandrin out of drawing attention to it. The last thing I wanted was another celebration dedicated to me.

I wasn't helpful in Zianna but I couldn't leave. Leaving felt like giving up on Finn. I distracted myself as I often had in West Draulin, by training. Tandrin's knights were happy to duel with me, and after the first few fights, they quickly realized that they didn't need to go easy on me. I won sometimes, and I lost sometimes, but every duel accomplished two goals—I improved, and time passed. Tandrin was talked into a few contests, but he didn't really enjoy fighting the way I did. He certainly didn't like it when I beat him in front of his men.

So, while I worked with his men, Tandrin made friends in the castle. He and Lord Resul talked a few times a week, but nothing Tandrin said could make the spymaster work any faster. He was exceedingly cautious with good reason, and it was hard to truly be angry at him for doing his job.

At the banquets and dances, Tandrin flittered around charming people. It wasn't unusual for lesser lords to move to Zianna to work in the castle as ministers or attendants. It wouldn't really have been unusual for me, either. As the second son in a big noble family, it would make sense for me to spend some time exploring various options. As the heir, Tandrin should really have been home working. But if anyone thought it odd that West Draulin's heir was spending so long in Zianna, they forgot all about it when he paid them any attention. He flirted and danced with ladies, he let himself get drawn into long conversation with lesser lords. These were people who probably rarely got one on one attention from the king, so they soaked it up from Tandrin. He wasn't an Edarius, but he was almost as close as it was possible to get. Our status difference, caused by nothing but a four-year difference in age, had never felt so vast.

Except that I was the one who sat with the royal family. Mostly I sat on Princess Esmeranda's side. Necessity made me quite good at holding conversations with her and the king. Sometimes when the dancing started, Princess Esmeranda would hint that she wanted me to ask her to dance. At first those moments made me uncomfortable—I knew how to dance, but being with the princess automatically made us the centre of attention. After four or five dances, I got used to that, too.

It was while dancing, almost eight months after I had arrested Finn, that Esmeranda surprised me with a question. "Have you ever considered being king?"

I almost missed the next step in the dance. Before I could stumble my way through an answer, she continued talking.

"I'm going to assume that means no."

She didn't falter, and I let her confident movement help me get back into the rhythm of the dance. Once I could ignore my steps again, I finally answered. "No. It certainly seems like a lot of work."

She smiled. "I think you would rise to the occasion. If you trusted yourself more."

I felt like I had done nothing but rise to the occasion all year. So she was probably right. Still, being king sounded like a nightmare. Not that I was going to admit that much. "I think ruling Zianna is better trusted to someone who has been training for it her whole life."

"My husband will never hold the power I will," Esmeranda said.

"Of course not." She was the heir, that was how it worked.

"I suppose you wouldn't be fond of the attention."

I was also getting used to laughing at myself. "True."

"Oh well, it hardly matters." Esmeranda stepped away from me and twirled, I moved up to catch her hands. When we were face to face again, she said, "My dear friend Lady Mayah wrote to me recently. My last letter to her talked about you, and she mentioned that you're betrothed. I knew that, of course. I suppose some part of me hoped you would feel the way I feel. But that wouldn't be at all fair to Mayah."

She was being serious. I nearly faltered again, but managed to catch myself and keep up the dance. "My apologies, Princess. I didn't realize..."

"No, of course you didn't. You've been thinking about someone else," she said. "I do hope it's Mayah."

"I..." I didn't want to lie and claim that Mayah consumed my thoughts, so I settled for a diplomatic half-truth. "Lady Mayah and I unfortunately haven't been able to spend much time together. I'm looking forward to getting to know her."

Esmeranda didn't seem disappointed that I was rejecting her, and for the first time in a long while I was glad to be betrothed. "I'm certain you'll get along well."

The song ended and we slowed down along with the other dancers. I escorted Princess Esmeranda back to her seat, then excused myself to talk to Tandrin. He was talking to an older woman I didn't recognize, who was still sitting. I was desperate to talk to him, so I stepped up to interrupt.

"Tandrin, I need—"

"Tannix!" Tandrin draped an arm over my shoulders. "Allow me to introduce Lady Brylow from Adeno. From a villa near Adeno," he corrected himself when she opened her mouth. "Lady Brylow turned down my request for a dance, but she's been telling me all about how she once danced with our grandfather."

She didn't look old enough to have danced with our grandfather, but I knew women had tricks for that. She really was an elegant woman. A fine shawl was draped over her shoulders and pinned with a gold brooch, and bracelets dangled from each thin wrist. Her white hair was tied up in a neat knot. She looked regal, if a little frail. I doubted she would have been able to dance with Tandrin even she wanted to, but she seemed to be enjoying his company anyway. She smiled at me. "You both take after the Tandran side of the family, don't you? There's isn't much of Keridel in either of you."

I had immediately assumed she meant our grandfather, Lord Tandrin V. Instead, she meant our mother's father. The man who had given me darker hair than most Teltans. No Teltish family could really claim to be pure blooded anymore, but many still tried. Our Native blood was too recent to completely ignore, and so we usually didn't. Our mother was very proud of her Native Zian and Teltish blood.

I must have looked startled, because Lady Brylow laughed.

"Yes, Keridel was a handsome man," she said. "If your grandmother hadn't married him, I might have. I wasn't nearly brave enough, though. The older nobility in the area didn't approve of him, just because he was a Native man. But he worked hard and earned enough money to buy a small villa. Oh, my, plenty of us girls were just fascinated by him. Clarille was the only one of us bold enough to disappoint her parents by letting him court her. But I did get one dance, before they were officially courting."

"You must have met our mother?" I asked.

"Yes, when she was very, very young. Keridel's accident wasn't long afterwards. Clarille's parents wouldn't take her back with the baby in tow, which is when she fled to West Draulin. I've always thought she made the right choice." Lady Brylow smiled, and reached up to pat my cheek with one hand and Tandrin's with the other. "Such handsome young grandsons. I really was quite upset to hear about her passing. It was not too long ago, was it?"

"Nearly ten years," Tandrin said. "Now, I apologize, Lady Brylow. It seems like Tannix has something to discuss with me."

"I do," I agreed. "But thank you for sharing your story, my lady." Really, I didn't need to use her title. But proper etiquette put her age above our status, at least in a casual conversation. "Our grandmother never spoke about Keridel. But hearing that story I think I understand where our sister gets her personality."

Tandrin laughed. "Yes, Tairia and grandmother were inseparable."

Lady Brylow smiled again. "It has been a pleasure to talk to you both. Now, go on. I know young men are always in a hurry and you don't want to spend your evening talking to me."

Tandrin leaned down to take her hand, and raised it to his lips. "Maybe next time you'll honour me with a dance?" he asked, pressing a quick kiss on the back of her hand.

"Maybe," she laughed, as she pulled her hand away from him. "Go on, now."

I led Tandrin away, further into a corner where we could talk privately. Lady Brylow's story had been a nice distraction, but there was something more urgent to discuss. "Esmeranda wants to marry me."

"Oh. So you finally figured that out? Or did she just ask you outright?"

"What?"

"What?" Tandrin repeated incredulously. "There have been rumours for weeks. You spend every banquet with her. She doesn't dance with anyone else. People have been talking."

"But..." I glanced over the room, wondering just what people were talking about. Suddenly it seemed like they were all talking about me. "But Lady Mayah."

"Of course. But those who knew that you're betrothed are few and far between here. Well, now everyone knows, because it's been part of the gossip. People are fairly certain that you're going to try to find a way to break it off."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Tandrin shrugged. "Because I knew it wasn't true. Also, it gave some credence to us still being here, which didn't seem like a bad thing."

"You still could have told me."

"Maybe. But now you're thinking about it and you're going to be awkward and uncomfortable every time you talk to her," Tandrin said. "That didn't seem like the best idea."

I threw up my hands in exasperation. "If you want to give people a reason for us to still be in Zianna, you court her. Who's on guard tonight?" I looked around, and quickly spotted Zoyen and Frett hovering nearby. "Zoyen, take me back to my rooms. I'm exhausted."

Tandrin sighed. "Tannix, don't be like this."

"I don't feel well." Feigning an illness was one foolproof way to get myself excused from the banquet, even if it wasn't true. "Pass my apologies on to the royal family, Tandrin. Zoyen!" I snapped, already heading towards the doors.

I saw Zoyen glance at Tandrin for confirmation, and he must have received it, because he hurried to catch up with me. At my rooms, I left the knight in the hallway and slammed the door.

Papers were spread over my desk. I went to look at them, letting my eyes roam over the notes. I had probably read them hundreds of times, desperate that something would fit together in a new way. I hated that there was nothing I could do. I hated politics and protocols. In that moment, I might have even hated Tandrin.

I collapsed on my bed, still fully dressed, and stared at the wooden canopy above me, I thought about Finn. Whenever I thought about him in prison I tried to imagine him the way he had been more than half a year ago. The way his gaze would settle on something as he thought. Or the deliberate, confident ways he moved around. Not just when he was climbing, but when we were walking together. In the lower city he was confident in his place, in the upper city he had been confident in his ability to go unnoticed. I thought about the time he had slipped money from my pocket without me even noticing. How he'd questioned things about my life I had taken for granted, and shared things about his own I could have never imagined.

I thought about that Finn—the clever and quick Finn—because it was less painful than imagining what being in prison was doing to him. I knew he was being fed, but that wasn't good enough. He needed to be challenged. He needed goals and puzzles to keep his mind occupied. Without that, I was scared that the man I freed wouldn't be the same one I had arrested.

I forced those thoughts from my head and focused on nicer ones. Our reunion. In my daydream I was rescuing the old Finn, not the broken one I was terrified of finding.

And with that scenario playing itself out in my head, I fell into an uneasy sleep.