"-brother and sister," Halika finished. "Yeah, I know. Isn't it sickening?"
Saviar found himself more jealous than appalled. He had always known he did not fit the criteria necessary to marry a princess of Bearn. Nevertheless, perhaps because she was "safe" or the first girl with whom he had established a friendship, Marisole had occasionally figured in his dreams of the future. The realization surprised and embarrassed him. "Sickening? No. I think it's… it's… nice."
"You would." Halika stuck her tongue out at Saviar.
Servants circulated, bringing soup to every member of the group, including the guardian Renshai, who sat together at the opposite end of the table. A thick, cream smell filled Saviar's nostrils, along with a tempting array of unfamiliar spices. His gut growled loudly. Ignoring the food, Saviar finally looked directly at Barrindar. "I'm so sorry about what happened."
Barrindar waved away the apology good-naturedly. "Think nothing more of it, good friend." His spoon seemed to disappear into his massive hand, and he tended to his soup.
Saviar let out a pent-up breath, then took up his own spoon and ladled a hefty scoop into his mouth. Hotter than he expected, it burned his tongue, yet the magnificent flavor of spiced potatoes still came through. He gulped down half a mug of mulled cider, then several more spoonfuls of soup.
"So," said eleven-year-old Eldorin around a mouthful of food, "are you a knight or a Renshai?"
Saviar swallowed, the hot soup drawing a fiery line all the way to his stomach. "Renshai."
"Then why're you wearing knight's colors?"
It was the first time anyone had noticed. Even off-duty, the Knights of Erythane wore clothing in blue, gold, black, and orange, in a tasteful array that never clashed. Saviar had taken to emulating his father's colors in childhood, and the habit stuck. "My papa and grandpapa are knights," he explained. "That's what tends to fill our wardrobe."
"Oh." Apparently satisfied, Eldorin returned to her soup.
Saviar wanted to turn the conversation onto anything but himself, but bringing up Arturo's death too quickly seemed heartless at best. He tried to ease into the topic. "Um… how are… all of you?"
Replies of "good," "fine," and "well enough" came from every corner of the table. Then, Ivana let out a bray that startled Saviar. He barely managed to divert his spilling spoonful of soup into the bowl instead of his lap.
"I was aggrieved to hear about Arturo." Saviar addressed Marisole directly. "How… are you? In that regard?"
Halika interrupted before her sister could reply. "Don't ask her!" She tugged on Saviar's arm, and he released his spoon to avoid another near spill. "Her song about that is beautiful, but totally depressing."
Nods swept the group, even one from Marisole.
"They're all totally sad," Halika continued, "but getting past it little by little, day by day."
Again, the others nodded, more vigorously now.
Halika finished with something unexpected, "But I'm not sad at all."
Saviar blinked, then stared. "You're not sad about your brother dying?"
Calitha rolled her eyes, Eldorin shook her head, and Marisole and Barrindar gave each other knowing glances. Apparently oblivious, Ivana continued to eat her soup with noisy slurping that everyone politely ignored.
"He isn't dead," Halika said firmly.
Barrindar explained what Marisole could not, except in song. "Halika didn't see the body. Ergo, as far as she's concerned, he's not really dead."
Eldorin added, "She doesn't get the part about the sharks."
"I get it," Halika defended. "I just don't believe it. I think he sneaked onto a pirate ship. Or got rescued by a friendly one. He's just waiting for his chance to come back."
Marisole gave Saviar a look that told a story. She had clearly tried to explain the facts to her sister, but Halika would have none of it.
Directly beside Saviar, Halika read the glance as well. "What? It's not so far-fetched. No one thought Papa was alive either; and he became king."
Barrindar corrected, "No one knew Papa existed. He didn't come back from the dead."
"King Sterrane did. And he was probably the greatest king ever."
Barrindar clearly knew his history, "Sterrane wasn't dead either. He got spirited away by a wizard because he was the true heir. With magic. There aren't any wizards anymore, and not even Arturo believed himself the one the test would choose."
Halika refused to accept Barrindar's point. "There are elves. They have magic."
Eldorin snorted.
Calitha finished her soup and leaped into the conversation. "The pirates are not elves. And elves didn't spirit Arturo away. Sharks did."
"My brother's not dead." Halika folded her arms across her chest, mouth clamped. It did not matter what anyone else said on the subject; she was no longer listening.
Saviar was no stranger to denial. "If Halika wants to believe Arturo is alive, who is it hurting? No one really knows." He added softly, for Halika, "Perhaps she's even right."
Halika's arms sagged slightly, and she managed a smile.
One thing seemed certain to Saviar: the heirs did not need his comforting. They had a castle full of parents, nursemaids, courtiers, and servants as well as one another with whom to discuss the matter and any deep feelings of grief. He helped them best as a simple distraction.
"So," Barrindar said. "How about that Renshai battle?"
"Incredible!" Eldorin jockeyed around Halika to meet Saviar's gaze. "The way you handled them all… it was… awesome."
Saviar felt his cheeks flame. "I didn't… I mean I can't really…" Though he would have preferred the conversation go anywhere else, he put up with the subject to keep their minds off Arturo for a while. "It was all strategic positioning. If they'd caught me before I made the stairs, I would have gotten clobbered…" The last thing Saviar needed was for the other Renshai to get wind that he had boasted about his achievements in the practice courtyard. He would find himself attacked at every opportunity, assaulted by Renshai wishing to show him a true, one-on-one comeuppance.
"But they didn't," Halika finished. "And I thought you looked amazing."
Eldorin added, "Saviar always looks amazing. He's gorgeous."
The flush spread to Saviar's entire face. Unable to look at anyone, he developed a sudden, inordinate interest in his soup.
Apparently responding to something unspoken, Eldorin said, "What? Well, it's true. All the men in his family are. Everyone says so."
Saviar wished he could disappear.
"But not right in front of him," Calitha hissed.
The youngest of the group, Eldorin seemed incapable of understanding the problem. "But Mama says it's rude to talk about people behind their backs. And I'm not saying anything bad or untrue. And I like when people call me pretty."
With the patience of a big sister accustomed to being embarrassed, Calitha said, "I'll explain later." She gave Saviar's leg a sympathetic squeeze beneath the table.
The sudden, female contact on his thigh startled Saviar, and it took great effort to suppress the urge to leap to his feet. His soup finished, he placed the spoon beside his bowl. Looking up proved nearly as difficult, but he finally met Marisole's gaze. She was smiling. "I appreciate all your hospitality, but I really do need to get some sleep."
Disappointment flickered through Marisole's dark eyes. "Can't you at least stay for the main course?"
Saviar would have loved that. The soup helped, but he had worked up a tremendous appetite. "I… I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow."
"Saviar…" Marisole started, then stopped in evident frustration. She clearly wanted to tell him something, but the bardic curse restricted her to song.
Saviar dropped all pretenses. She deserved the truth. "I threw a prince on the floor. I charged into a delicate topic and reignited a family argument-"
Barrindar interrupted. "-and my little sister mortified you. So what? She does that all the time. And I've spent more than my share of time on my butt, thank you. Once more doesn't bother me. That's what family does."