Cold feet. I’m allowed to be nervous before my wedding.
They entered a small building frequented by guards supervising the harbor. The main room had a heavy wooden desk and a large table. Maps, logbooks, and dirty coffee mugs littered the space. A soaking wet uniform hung over the back of a chair, like a guard had fallen in the ocean and changed clothes in a hurry. A short hallway led to three smaller rooms: a bathroom, a storage room full of crates, and a casual break room.
Leo brought Evelyn into the last room. There was a well-worn couch along one wall. A square table sat in a corner, with playing cards splayed out on top as if guards had left mid-game. A lopsided bookshelf held exactly one book and twelve bottles of liquor. The door to a closet was slightly ajar.
“Where did she go?” Leo muttered.
“Who?” Evelyn asked. “A guard? There’s no one here.”
“Mrrow!”
An orange striped tabby cat darted out of the closet. Evelyn jumped at the sudden movement. The animal leapt onto the arm of the couch and trilled at Leo.
“There you are, beautiful.” Leo scratched the cat’s head and under her chin.
“I’ve never heard a cat purr that loudly,” Evelyn noted.
“Her name is Daffodil.”
“Aren’t daffodils toxic to cats?”
“That hasn’t stopped this one. I don’t think she ever swallowed them, but she liked to chew on daffodil petals and leave a mess. Mother finally removed all the daffodils from the garden.”
Evelyn laughed. “What a strange little predator!”
“I’ve wondered sometimes if she’s not a particularly dumb Shapeshifter from Trasmyr who got stuck in her cat form.”
As if detecting the insult, Daffodil swatted at Leo’s hand and darted over to Evelyn. The cat rubbed against Evelyn’s legs, leaving plenty of hair on her dress.
“This is who you wanted me to meet?”
“I hope you’re not jealous of the other female in my life,” Leo teased.
“So she’s yours? Why is she in the dock office?”
“This is her favorite spot. The guards give her lots of attention and extra treats. I tried moving her into the palace a couple times, but she kept running away.”
“Daffodil likes her freedom. Smart cat.”
Some of the light left Leo’s eyes. “Is the palace such a bad place to live?”
Dammit. That’s not what I meant. Except… maybe it is.
“Only for a wild beast like Daffodil,” Evelyn said. “Look at the fierce creature!”
Daffodil had one leg in the air as she licked herself in private areas.
“Oh, yes. She’s fearsome,” Leo said sarcastically. He stepped forward and took Evelyn’s hands. “Do you like it here? In Gryon and in the palace? You will be happy here, right?”
“Of course,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “Gryon is beautiful. It’s just that I barely had time to learn my way around the castle in Carrowmore, and now there’s a whole new kingdom to get used to.”
“I know you never expected to be a princess. I certainly never expected to be a king.”
“I’m sorry about your brother. I don’t think I ever told you that.”
“Christopher was meant to be a king, by birthright and because of who he was as a person. He never even took the throne and I feel like I have to live up to him.”
“Rowan vomited all over the terrace when he realized he was in line for the throne of Carrowmore.”
