dining hall. “This really did turn out beautifully. You’re lovely, my dear.”
Moira blushed. “I think you say that because I’m your niece.”
Laughing, Sebastian retorted, “I am bound to say only the truth, love.”
Early one afternoon in Maltisten, Kaelen and Lucian practiced their swordplay in Lysander’s fencing hall. Lucian had insisted on practicing right handed. “I’m getting better, I know I am,” Lucian said as they took a short break. “It still feels really weird though.”
“I can understand that,” Kaelen replied. He wasn’t feeling much better about his swordsmanship than Lucian was. “I suppose it’ll get easier. You know what’s going to be terrible though?”
“What?” Lucian asked as they started up again.
“I’m going to get so used to being a huge beast with super strength that when I do become human again, I’m going to feel like the weakest, tiniest person in the world,” Kaelen said with a laugh.
Lucian laughed too. “I doubt you’ll be tiny. You were a lot taller than everyone before the transformation. Well, everyone except Adrian.”
They were prevented from speaking longer as Alexandra came in to tell them that lunch was ready. “Put your swords away properly and then come eat.”
“Yes, Mom,” Lucian said. The boys put their swords away and walked down the hallway to the dining hall. They joined everyone else for steaming bowls of soup and freshly baked rolls. Conversation floated around the table lightly and easily as they ate together. As a maid was removing the lunch dishes, Cook came in with a large tiered cake with a single candle on the top. “Happy Birthday, Your Majesty.”
“You always remember that chocolate and raspberry is my favorite,” she said to Cook. “I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
Cook simply smiled before returning to the kitchen.
Everyone wished Alexandra a happy birthday and watched her blow out her candle before they began passing plates of cake around. “Well, love, what did you wish for this year?” Lysander asked.
“I can’t tell you or my wish won’t come true,” she replied.
“Well, you should at least give me a hint so that I can try to help it come true,” he teased.
She laughed, “I have everything a woman could possibly want. I have a wonderful husband, the two most beautiful children in the world, and now a second son who is wonderful in and of himself,” she added, smiling down the table at Kaelen. “There’s very little left for me to wish for.”
“Well,” he said, a mischievous note to his voice, “I was thinking that maybe it was time we went on a second honeymoon. But if you already have everything you want…”
“Lysander Paul,” she chided, “you know perfectly well that I wouldn’t say no. What exactly did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking that you and I would go on a trip around the southern portion of Sanalbereth so we can warm up a little bit. We’d visit your parents and then come up and visit my parents, taking the longest route possible,” he replied, taking his wife’s hand. “What better way to spend our silver anniversary?”
Smiling so brightly that it seemed to light the room, she said, “That sounds perfect, darling. When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow.”
“But the children, how will they get to school?”
“I’ve already arranged with Lavinia to come and get the children for school. She’ll be taking them back when she takes her children. All of them are old enough to be on their own for a while. Besides, Samuel will keep them out of trouble, won’t you?”
“Of course, sire,” the butler replied as he brought the mail in for the day.
“There you see? Everything is all taken care of. For a few weeks, you can just concentrate on being the most beautiful woman I know,” he said.
Laughing, she replied, “Well, I suppose I have no arguments left. Tomorrow it shall be.”
It was still early when Alexandra and Lysander left the following morning, waving from their carriage. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon as Alexandra hugged and kissed each of them before leaving. “Now you be sure you behave and if you need anything at all, send word. And don’t forget to make sure you go to town today to get any supplies that we missed for school. Oh and…”
“Mother, we’ll be fine,” Allegra interrupted with a smile. “Go on and enjoy yourselves.”
As the carriage left, everyone else headed back inside. Allegra went into the parlor to work on the needlepoint she’d been working on over the break. The boys went to the fencing hall, but didn’t feel much like actually practicing. Instead, they polished their swords until they gleamed and talked. “Well, I guess we should make sure we have everything ready for school” Kaelen said. “After all, Adrian’s mom will be coming tomorrow afternoon to get us.”
“Why does break always go by so quickly?” Lucian asked with a laugh.
All too soon classes had started again. Morghana watched Lucian as he measured the ingredients for the poultice he was working on. She studied the way he worked, trying to find the best way to help him improve. She played absent-mindedly with a lock of tangled white hair, twisting it around her finger as she watched. No, no, that’s not the way, she thought as Lucian began heating the mixture over the small fire. “Lucian, you need to hold that up higher over the flame or the ingredients will burn. If they do, it will render your poultice useless.”
He sighed and lifted the small pan higher above the flame. He got the feeling that no matter what he did, it was never going to be good enough. In his mind he could just see himself working on poultices up until the day of graduation. Then Morghana would say there hadn’t been enough improvement and he wasn’t ready to be a Prince Charming. Moira would be stuck dying in some tower who knew where and he’d be stuck in this miserable little room trying to figure out the cure.
As though sensing Lucian’s frustration, Morghana said, “Why don’t you set that to the side for a while? A little break never hurt anyone.” Gladly, Lucian set down the pan and sat back in his chair. When he had, she asked, “How do you think you’re doing, Lucian?”
Unsure quite how to respond, he shrugged, “I guess I’m doing better. I just don’t get everything.”
“Well, dear, nobody learns this overnight,” she rasped. “Even my very best students have struggled with this part. It probably doesn’t help that I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this sort of thing. A lot of that is because I have to be. Even the slightest mistake can change a cure to a death sentence.”
Great, Lucian thought, I am going to kill Moira and not even be trying to.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself,” she continued, as though she had known his thought. “You really are improving a great deal more than you see. In fact, I do believe you’re almost ready to move on to more difficult poultices. The reason that we spend so much time on them is because they are so useful. There are so many applications for them. They can be used to heal people, sick animals; some can even help wilting plants, not that you face that problem,” she added. Before Lucian could ask what she meant, Morghana had continued on. “The art of poultice making is a long and difficult process to master. In truth Lucian, you are one of my better students. I’ve only had a few who learned this process as quickly as you have and one of them had perhaps an unfair advantage.”
“So, I’m not failing?”
“Dear heavens, no,” she laughed. “Believe me, child, if you were failing you would know it.” She glanced at the wall clock. “Well, we’re out of time for today. I know you’re tired of hearing it…”
“I need to reread chapter fifteen again,” he interrupted, unable to keep the misery from his voice.
“Actually, I think if you just read the section on heating the ingredients that should be sufficient. Read that section and perhaps the section on cutting them. You’re still a little too choppy. Then, we’ll see how you do next time. Enjoy the rest of your day Lucian.”
“You too, Morghana.” He
walked out of the hovel and back towards the castle. He pulled his jacket closer about himself as he walked to block out the wind. It was bitterly cold which didn’t really improve his mood much.
His thoughts were interrupted as he got inside and met with the rest of his classmates in Airlia’s classroom for language arts. They were studying romantic poetry, which most of the boys found to be rather pointless. Lucian tended to spend much of this class in a bit of a stupor. He had never been particularly good in language arts, much less romantic poetry. He didn’t think he was capable of writing anything romantic. Words just weren’t enough. Then Airlia’s voice interrupted him again. “You’ll have to write a series of ten sonnets for your princess, two of which you will memorize and present to her at your next meeting. These sonnets are due at the end of the month. We will then revise and edit them until they are perfect. Your presentation will be graded, so think carefully about what you wish to write.”
Her announcement was met with much groaning and suddenly Lucian wished he hadn’t spent so much of the class daydreaming. How many sonnets? What exactly was a sonnet anyway? As the boys filed out of the classroom to go to their next class, Lucian felt like his day couldn’t possibly get any worse. Adrian looked about as miserable as he felt. “How are we supposed to write ten sonnets?” Lucian whispered as they walked through the door, hoping that Airlia wouldn’t