CHAPTER 2
Archie
Azzurra's breathinghad been off for almost a week now, and I was starting to worry.
I ran my hand along her swollen flank, feeling for any sign of distress.She was a magnificent creature, a deep chestnut Arabian with a white blaze that ran from her forehead to her velvet nose.Her coat gleamed like polished copper even in the dim barn lighting, and her intelligent brown eyes tracked my every movement with the kind of trust I'd never managed to earn from any human being.
She turned her head to nuzzle my shoulder, which was her way of saying "stop hovering, you ridiculous man."The palace veterinarian had assured me yesterday that everything was progressing normally, but something about her restlessness told me otherwise.Or maybe I was projecting.Hard to tell these days.
"Easy, girl," I murmured, checking her water for the third time this morning."Just a few more weeks."
The royal stables were a masterpiece of nineteenth-century architecture: soaring ceilings with exposed wooden beams, cobblestone floors worn smooth by centuries of hooves, and brass fixtures that gleamed despite their age.Twenty-four stalls lined the main corridor, each one spacious enough to house the finest bloodstock in the Mediterranean.The air smelled of leather and hay and that distinctive horse scent that had been more comforting to me than any nursery ever was.
This was the only place on the entire island where I could think clearly.No advisors hovering with schedules.No ceremonial duties that required me to smile and nod while pretending to care about trade agreements with countries I'd never visit.Just horses who didn't give a damn about my bloodline or my title.Horses were refreshingly honest like that.If they thought you were an idiot, they'd simply refuse to move.No diplomatic niceties required.
Azzurra whickered and pressed her nose against my chest.She was due in six weeks, and this would be her first foal, sired by my prize stallion, Apollo.If everything went well, the offspring would have the perfect combination of speed and endurance that had taken me eight years to breed."If everything went well" being the key phrase in my life lately.
"Your Highness."
I turned to see Thomas, one of the palace footmen, standing at the barn entrance looking like he'd rather be mucking out stalls.Thomas had been delivering my mother's summons for the past fifteen years, and he'd perfected the art of looking apologetic while completely ruining my day.The man should win an award for his sympathetic eyebrows alone.
"Let me guess," I said, not moving away from Azzurra's stall."Her Majesty requires my immediate presence for something absolutely critical that could have waited until dinner."
"Her Majesty wishes to see you in her private study, sir.She said it was urgent."
Everything was urgent according to my mother.Last week's "urgent" meeting had been about updating the royal website.Apparently, our font choices were causing diplomatic concern.The week before that, it was choosing flowers for some diplomat's wife's birthday arrangement.Roses were deemed too romantic, lilies too funereal, and tulips somehow offensive to the Dutch.I still don't understand that one.
"Did she happen to mention what this urgent matter involves?"
Thomas shifted his weight from foot to foot."No, sir.But she did say to tell you it concerned your future."
That was new.And potentially ominous.The last time my mother mentioned my "future," I'd ended up spending three months learning ceremonial sword dancing for a festival that got rained out.
I gave Azzurra one last reassuring pat, running my fingers through her silky mane."I'll be back later, beautiful.Try not to worry yourself into early labor while I'm gone.One crisis at a time."
The walk from the barn to the palace took exactly twelve minutes.I'd timed it countless times over the years, not because I was obsessive, but because knowing exactly how long I had to mentally prepare for whatever fresh hell awaited me was genuinely useful information.Twelve minutes to transition from the person I actually was to the person everyone expected me to be.By the time I reached my mother's study, my posture was straight, my expression was neutral, and I was mentally prepared for whatever tedious royal obligation she was about to dump on my schedule.
I knocked twice and waited for permission to enter.
"Come."
