Birgit

  Birgit woke up with a headache, and it felt like the entire world was moving. As the fog of sleep began to clear, she realized she really was moving slowly up and down. Opening her eyes, she found she was lying on top of a bare chest that was rising and falling with steady breaths.

  “Good morning,” Niles said, as she scrambled to get off him. “We should probably start getting ready. It’s already pretty light out.”

  Looking out the window, Birgit confirmed the sun had fully risen. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  Niles shifted to sit up, the move completely exposing his bare torso. Birgit felt a surge of panic, remembering what she had done when they went to bed last night. Had they done more than she remembered? Her head was still so foggy.

  “We were up pretty late last night, and you had quite a bit to drink, so I figured you could use a little extra sleep before we head out on the hunt.” Niles answered. “How much of last night do you remember?”

  Niles got out of bed, and she saw he was wearing the loose pants he normally slept in. A quick check confirmed she was still completely dressed in her normal sleeping attire. Good, they must not have done anything she did not remember. Though she clearly remembered wanting to do more. She had wanted to quite badly. The way he had looked at her during that song had made her weak in the knees. She had needed a few drinks to steady her nerves after that, but she knew her limit and had been careful to eat with her wine. But it still might have lowered her inhibitions a bit. Well, maybe quite a bit, she thought as she remembered what she said and the position she had woken up in. But if Niles thought she was drunk, that was good.

  “I remember our song,” Birgit said. “You did such a wonderful job. But after that, things are a little hazy. Did I do anything embarrassing?”

  Niles rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Oh, no, not at all. But we should get ready quickly. We are probably already late for breakfast.”

  Birgit got out of bed, and on impulse, she stretched as she had seen Vedika do to attract Niles’ attention. Watching him in her full-length mirror, she saw him watching her. He turned away after a moment, and exited the room to get himself ready, but he had clearly looked at her. In that moment, she realized she wanted Niles, and not just as a familiar. It was better to have him all to herself than to have one-tenth of a prince. A sudden peace settled over her now that she had finally come to a decision. But now she had to hurry and get ready for their hunt. She could figure out how to present this to Niles later. Though maybe when they got back from the hunt, they would be ready to move their relationship to a new level. She smiled to herself as she imagined it.

  Her headache all but forgotten, Birgit felt like she was walking on air as she quickly got dressed. Niles was still ready before her, and after saying a quick goodbye to Susi, they set off for breakfast, hand in hand. They had just started down the hall outside her suite, though, when Princess Vedika emerged from the stairway.

  “Vedika, what are you doing here?” Birgit asked, surprised by her sudden appearance.

  “I came to make sure you were alright,” Vedika answered almost sternly. “You and Niles are usually the first to arrive, but everyone is almost finished with their breakfast already, and we have a hunt to get to.”

  “We overslept,” Niles said, gallantly sharing the blame, though it was not his fault. “Going out the night before a hunt may not have been the best idea.”

  “Well, it is not that late,” Vedika conceded. “Go run and get some breakfast, Niles. I know it always takes you a while to fill up. I need to talk to Birgit about something. We will catch up with you in the dining area.”

  Niles gave a puzzled look, but then shrugged and set off. The princess led Birgit back to her suite and asked Susi to give them some privacy. Her face was an expressionless mask.

  As soon as the door closed behind Susi, though, Vedika turned to glare at Birgit. “How could you? You promised not to talk about feelings and relationships with him.”

  Birgit felt momentarily guilty. She had not even thought about that promise this morning, and she had been planning to talk about just that. But she had not actually done so yet. So, she had no reason to feel guilty. If anyone had a reason to feel guilty, it should be Vedika.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Birgit returned Vedika’s glare defiantly. “I have kept my promise. We have not discussed our feelings or our relationship.”

  “I saw how you two looked at each other while you were singing last night,” Vedika accused. “And that was no spur-of-the-moment thing. You two must have been practicing that all week. I saw you on the way home, too. You were all over him, and your smile was so big this morning when I met you, I thought it would split your face. Did he even go back to his plane last night?”

  Birgit tossed the question back at her. “Me? What about you? Ever since you made me make that promise, you have been all over him. You practically mounted him on our last hunt, and you have been rubbing yourself all over him ever since.”

  “I was just doing that for you.” Vedika said, looking away, her voice drained of its heat.

  The princess’s words surprised and confused Brigit. “What?”

  Vedika sighed. “I have seen the two of you together. The way you look at him and the way he looks at you. It was obvious that you were developing feelings for each other. It has been obvious for a while. So far, my brother has not noticed, but even he will eventually see it. He is willing to put up with you sleeping next to Niles on the hunts as long as you are just mage and familiar, but if he thought you were actually interested in each other, that would ruin your chances of ever becoming his consort. He and Niles are becoming good friends, and I think he would step aside rather than come between you two. That is why I have been trying to give Niles another target for his affections, to clear the way for you to become a royal consort.”

  “But what if I want to be a couple with Niles?” Birgit asked.

  Vedika turned to Birgit with wide eyes. “What? Do you realize what you would be giving up?”

  Birgit crossed her arms. “Yes, the chance to have one-tenth of your brother’s attention, at best.”

  Vedika huffed out a frustrated breath. “It is not just that. You would be giving up the next-to-highest social rank a woman in Deca can obtain, second only to the queen, and trust me, none of my kappa half-brothers have any chance of becoming king. So, there is no chance for you to be queen, but one of your children could well become king. I would be more than happy to have Niles build the magic potential of your children once you are my brother’s consort, and Niles is my familiar-husband.”

  “Is that what you want? To have Niles to yourself?” Birgit accused, suddenly furious.

  “I told you I was interested in marrying him,” Vedika answered calmly. “His powers are amazing. He will be an incredible asset for my brother’s reign, and he will also keep the constant string of suitors seeking my hand away.”

  “But do you love him?” Birgit asked, still glaring at the princess.

  Vedika sighed. “You are old enough to know that love has little to do with noble marriages. I like Niles, and I even find him somewhat attractive, so that is certainly a bonus, but that would not be why I would marry him. Do you love him?”

  “I…” Birgit was ready to say yes, but did she? Last night when he sang to her, she was sure she did, but had she just gotten caught up in the moment? And did he love her? Sure, he had glanced at her this morning, but she had all but thrown herself at him last night, and he had done nothing. Was that because he thought she was drunk and was being a gentleman, or was he not interested? “I think I am,” Birgit finally answered weakly.

  Vedika stepped up and gave her a hug. “You need to be certain if you are going to give up your social station for him. If you marry him, you will never be more than a mage, a powerful one, but still a mage and your children would be commoners. Is that what you want?”

  “I…I do not know,” Birgit sobbed, hugging Vedika back.

  “Well, first tell me, how far has this gone?” Vedika asked. “Did he go back to his plane last night?”

  In that moment, the weight of the secret she was keeping became too much for Birgit, and she told the princess all about how Niles could not go home. She confessed how afraid she had been of him and how angry he had been with her. Brigit told her how she had searched for information about Niles’ plane to no avail, and how Sinja had hinted to Niles that she might have more information. She also told Vedika about how their relationship had progressed and how her mother had convinced her to start sharing her bed with Niles. Vedika maneuvered them over to sit on the couch as her story progressed. It felt good to have all of this off her chest, but as her story concluded, she wondered how the princess would react. She could go right to the academy staff, or even her parents, and report this. That could result in Niles being taken away. Had she just made a huge mistake?

  There was silence between them for a long moment before the princess spoke. “I am glad you told me this, but we need to keep this a secret, and clearly one of us needs to marry him. We cannot trust the elves to find him a way home. They would certainly not do it for free, if they even could. If you want me to step back from Niles while you decide how you feel, I will do so, but you need to be careful. Even if Niles does not have feelings for you, it is amazing he has done nothing, with you sleeping alone with him. Be careful not to push his restraint beyond its limits until you are sure of what you want. It would be best to maintain the status quo until after the field study. But for now, I think we should continue to share him on hunts. If you started sleeping with him without me, you would be all but declaring your intentions to everyone. But I will be careful not to ‘mount’ him.”

  Brigit winced at what she had said to the princess. “Thank you for keeping this secret.”

  Vedika smiled. “That is what friends are for. I really do hope you reach a decision that will bring you a happy life. But right now, we had better hurry and get you some breakfast. Even Niles does not take this long to eat.”