Skylette climbed to the top of the paddock fence and waved. She sat down when Codey waved in return and waited for him to ride across the space to the fence.

"Hey Lettie!"

She grinned at him. "How's Lightning doing?"

Codey patted the horse's side. "Great, he still won't let anyone else ride him, but at least I'm not the only who can get near him now." The horse snorted.

Skylette giggled. "It sounds like he doesn't agree with your assessment of his progress."

"Well, when he lets someone else in the saddle then he can give an opinion. Race you back?"

"You're on!" She hopped off the fence and began running.

"Not fair!" he yelled after her as he tapped his heels into Lightning's side. The horse burst forward, heading back toward the stables. Codey laughed loudly as he watched Skylette hitch her skirts up past her knees in an effort to outrun the horse. When he'd first met her five years before he'd thought she was nothing but a spoiled brat, now she was his best friend.

He and Lightning outpaced her easily and beat her to the stables. By the time she ran up to the doors panting, he had already removed the saddle from the horse's back and begun rubbing him down. "Where have you been slow poke?"

She slapped at his arm. "Shut up! You had help!" She dropped down onto a bale of hay and fanned her face. "Whew! I'm beat. Let's go to the pond when you're done."

"I've got work to do. I can't run off like you can."

She groaned and dropped over onto the hay. "No one will ever do anything with me!"

He laughed and shook his head. "I can go later when my work is finished. You just need to be patient."

"How long have you known me now? Patience isn't one of my strong suits."

"So I've noticed." He grinned and led Lighnting to his stall where he gave him some water and oats. "There you go boy." He gave him a pat.

"Come on Codey, please!"

"I can't. I have a couple of stalls to muck out. Unless you want to help me, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

She jumped up and held out a hand.

He eyed her. "You aren't serious?"

"Again, how long have you known me?"

***

The laughter drew Darrien to the back of the stables. Actually, that wasn't quite true. It wasn't exactly the laughter; his sister's in combination with Codey's drew him.

"No, you smell worse!"

"I doubt that. That dress is completely ruined by the way."

Darrien stopped and looked into the open door of the stall he had heard the laughter issuing from and stared at his sister and Codey. "What in the name of all that's holy is going on?"

"Darrien, you missed all of the fun. Just like you to show up when it's over," his sister said with a wide grin.

"You are covered in filth!"

She looked down at herself. "Hmmm, yes so I am. That does happen when one is mucking out a stall."

He spluttered.

"I think he's lost the ability to speak," Codey commented.

"Why are you mucking out a stall?" Darrien asked as calmly as he could.

"Because I wanted Codey to come to the pond with me and he obviously can't until he finishes work."

Darrien rubbed at his temples. "How does that explains things?"

"Simple, I was helping!"

Codey chuckled. "And not doing a very decent job of it, either."

She slapped at him. "I did my best! I am a princess not a stable lad!"

"Mmm, yes you do have a point I suppose. Next time I won't take you up on the offer then."

"Hey, I got most of it in the wheelbarrow!"

He looked from her to the wheelbarrow. "It's fifty fifty I'd say."

"That's enough! Skylette, get back to the castle before Mother or Father spot you and get cleaned up! As for you Codey, I would think you'd know better than to encourage her!"

He shrugged. "You should know as well as I do, Your Highness, Lettie does as she pleases."

Darrien glared at him and snapped, "She is just as much Your Highness as I am!"

Skylette stepped in front of her brother. "Don't talk to him like that!"

Darrien took a step back. "He isn't your equal Sky, you should remember that."

"He's my best friend!" She poked her brother in the chest.

He shook his head. "You're not a child anymore. You're ten, you need to grow up."

She watched as he spun and stomped out of the stables. "He thinks he knows everything just because he's thirteen." She stuck her tongue out at his back.

"He's right though, I'm not your equal," Codey said with a note of sadness in his voice.

"You are whatever I decide you are," she snapped at him. "And what I decided is that you're my best friend and that means you don't have to treat me like some stupid princess!"

He smiled at her. "Thanks Lettie."

She smiled back at him. "No thank you. I don't want to be a stupid princess. Come on let's finish this." She jammed her shovel beneath a pile of manure before he could say another word.

Codey smiled and turned away, working on another corner of the stall. She was his best friend and that was what mattered.

When he'd first arrived he had been in a state of shock, the fact that his parents were gone hadn't sunk in yet. When it had, he'd been devastated to realize they weren't ever going to be around again.

He and Sky had been sitting in the field behind the stables and he'd turned and looked at her and just said, "My parents are dead and they aren't coming back." And burst into tears.

It hadn't mattered that she was a year younger than he was; she'd taken charge and wrapped him in her arms. She'd simply held him and let him cry until he could cry no more. After that day, they had been inseparable. He realized she would be there for him no matter what happened and he would do the same for her.

***

Darrien disliked the fact that his sister had made friends with Codey. He went in search of his father and found him in his study. "Father, we need to discuss Skylette's friendship with Codey."

"Not now, we have something more important to talk about. Sit down."

He frowned at his father, but did as his father asked. "What is it?"

There was the loud echoing of his father's fingers tapping on the surface of the desk for several minutes before he finally answered. "You know I've been trying to broker a peace agreement with the king of Velash for years now."

Darrien was a bit confused as to why his father was bringing this up now. It was something his father had been going back and forth with Velash's King for years now. "Yes of course, but why bring it up now?"

His father stood, clasped his hands behind his back and paced about the room. "I've finally come to an agreement with King Mal."

"That's good, right?"

His father stopped pacing and turned to him with a smile. "Yes, yes it's good. It's great."

"Then why do you seem so hesitant about it."

"You noticed did you?"

"You are my father, there isn't much I don't noticed," he answered with a tiny smile.

His father retook his seat. "The treaty with Velash involves you, Darrien."

"Me? How could it possibly involve me?"

"King Mal has several children, among them a daughter who is least likely to inherit. She has three older brothers, two of which have already married. The eldest already has two sons."

Despite his thirteen years, Darrien was clear on his duties as the future king. Marry and produce an heir. He was getting a crystal picture of what it was his father was telling him. "How old?"

"Three years younger than you," he answered.

Darrien nodded. At least she wasn't a small child. It was a bit odd to him that she was the same age as his sister he supposed, but he could deal with it. "All right. When do I meet her?"

"Not until your sixteenth year. It will give you both some time to grow up a bit."

"All right."

"You're okay with this?" His father leaned forward, folding his hands together atop his desk.

"For Eliria, yes. It's what I must do for our people. I never expected to marry for any other reason, Father."

"I don't want you upset."

"Don't worry, I'm not." He smiled.

"Well, I suppose that's it then.

"Yes, I suppose it is." He stood and shook his father's hand before leaving. It wasn't until he was nearly back to his rooms that he realized he'd forgotten to speak to his father about Sky and Codey. He muttered a curse. It wasn't that he particularly disliked Codey, he found him very likeable. What his disapproved of was his sister's relationship with Codey. She was a princess and she shouldn't befriend someone below her station, it simply wasn't done.

Darrien knew the rules and he followed them. His sister should as well.

***

"You spend way too much time up here."

Skylette glanced up at Codey and smiled. "You spend just as much time up here as I do."

He moved over to sit beside her. "You have a point. So how are the stars looking tonight?"

"Pretty as always." She tipped her head back with a grin.

He lay back on the roof of the tower where they were perched and stared up at the sky. "Yeah, they are. I miss doing this with my dad; we used to do this all the time when I was a kid."

"So you tell me, repeatedly."

"Hey come on leave the poor orphan kid his memories. The few I have left."

She looked over her shoulder at him and smiled. "I know you miss them."

"Mmmhmm."

She looked back up at the stars. "Darrien cornered me again this evening after dinner. I wish he would leave me alone about our friendship. It isn't as if I'm going to be Queen someday. Why does it matter if we're friends?"

"Because your brother loves to follow the rules."

"He cares how things look, I don't."

"Neither do I, Lettie. You'll always be my friend, even when you're stuffy old brother is King."

She turned and lay down beside him, resting her head on his chest. "You'll always be my best friend, always. He can't do anything about it, ever."

"No, he can't. What about when you marry and move away?" he said quietly.

She pulled away and sat up. "I'm never going to marry. I'll be a dowager princess. Old and eccentric with lots of kitties!"

He laughed. "See if you're old and eccentric then you can be friends with whomever you wish! Come here," He held out his arm and she settled back beside him.

"Yes, yes I can."

"Thanks for being my friend, Lettie."

"Always and forever."

"Forever."

He hugged his arm around her and stared up at the stars. He knew she meant forever. He did too. Whether it would stay that way would remain to be seen.

Her father might have different plans for her. He would enjoy every moment he had with her until the fates pulled them apart. Until that day that happened, he'd make no plans for his future.