**Hiii everyone!! For those of you who were expecting Saturday's chapter, sorry I was in LA. But I'm back and totally on schedule! (sort of). It is so late here but I had to get this up. So I'm going to sleep now lol. Ily**

Chapter 6

After the Queen gave them their assignment, the days passed quickly.

Ari was keyed up; itching to get out of Apreuna and do something. He hadn't really sailed in weeks. They made little day trips to the isles sometimes, but Ari longed to be on the open sea, with miles and miles of nothing around but the fathomless mysteries of the ocean.

Aveline would say he was being ridiculous- that the ocean wasn't a mystery; it was only gloomy and dark and frigid. Then Ari would ask her why she lived on a pirate ship if she hated the water so much, and then she would probably insult his intellect, or something, and then Lyla would interrupt to ask when they were having lunch.

At least, that seemed the most likely scenario, based on their past conversations. But that wasn't even the point— Ari was ready to leave. Bottom line.

So much so, in fact, that he'd almost forgotten about the horse race debacle (almost). Ari had been to the stables every morning to check in on the mounts; they seemed to be getting better every day, no further issues. Ari suspected Henry was getting attached; he fed them apples when he thought no one else was looking.

They were set to leave during the full moon the following week, after Prince Tristran's prodigal son party, or whatever. Queen Rowena was throwing a ball. Which Ari was not looking forward to- Tristran wasn't even that great. He complained about everything, first of all... Ari had no idea how Ben put up with him.

"The same way we put up with you," Aveline had teased when he'd mentioned this to her.

Ari refused to let himself think about the other reason he wanted to leave.

It wasn't any secret that Jamie would be returning with her brother. It didn't matter, anyway, Ari had more important things to worry about. Like the Verignes assignment— whatever was going on there.

Or the fact that Ari's white cravat was itching him terribly, and that he wasn't in the mood for another ball.

He'd tried to sleep before Prince Tristran's homecoming celebration tonight. Ari didn't sleep well at night here. He never felt quite safe in the palace (really, the only place he really felt safe was his ship). The beds here were so plush and squishy, Ari always thought the mattress was going to swallow him whole.

"Would you stop primping?" Aveline's amused voice floated towards him from the doorway. "You have to escort us to the ballroom."

Ari turned around. Aveline and Lyla were both wearing evening gowns- Aveline in cream silk edged in lace, and Lyla in a pale green, like rosebud leaves- and had their arms linked together.

"Lovely," Ari commented blankly- whether in automatic regards to their dresses or as a sarcastic response to Aveline, he wasn't even sure. They could take it whichever way they wanted. Truth be told, he was feeling a little disoriented. He'd spent most of the day in the kitchen, conversing with the old server women and eating. (The nobles thought it was strange that he didn't particularly like socializing with them at events. But Ari had discovered quickly from living in Apreuna that instead turning his attention to befriending the palace cooks earned him unlimited amounts of extra food, whenever he wanted. So who was the real winner here?)

Ari wedged himself in between Aveline and Lyla and they both fastened their hands around his biceps as they left Ari's room.

"We're supposed to meet Inez and Henry before the ball," Aveline reminded them as they walked. She'd threaded ivory ribbons through her ringlets, and kept pulling on them to keep her hand busy.

Inez had spent most of the week preparing Ari's ship. (Queen Rowena had been kind enough to pay to repair it after Silver had plowed her way through it a few months ago, which was good, because it would have costed them a fortune to get fixed). Ari knew Inez was content to get out of the palace, finally.

Henry was another story. It was obvious that he had rather taken to living with the royals. He was getting older, and Aveline used to always bug Ari about Henry needing to socialize with others his age- there were plenty of nobles for that here.

But Henry wasn't like them, and Ari knew it. It wasn't even just about Henry. His whole crew could strut around the palace, wear expensive fabrics, even take tea and socialize with the royals. But they wouldn't ever be like them. They would always- always- be different. And they'd be treated so.

The nobles, in Ari's opinion, liked to have them around sometimes for curious entertainment to temporarily relieve themselves of the boredom that was their lives. Sometimes Ari worried that the others would mistake this for genuine admiration.

Lyla obviously did. She fawned under all of the new attention that she was getting, but Ari often wondered how long it would last. She didn't quite belong here. None of them did.

Ari's head was going in a bunch of different directions. He couldn't even remember what his first train of thought had been.

Oh, God, when would he just admit to himself that he was nervous?

He practically pounced on Inez when they met her outside the palace, grateful for the distraction. She and Henry had spent the day gathering information on the Verignes scandal from less-than-reputable sources, not that they would ever admit this to Lyla.

Inez looked uncomfortable to have to have been forced into a ball gown, and Henry's hair looked.. slightly less mussed than usual.

"How was your day?" Aveline greeted them politely.

"Wonderful. The ship looks just the way we left it," Henry reported, beaming. "Besides Silver ripping it apart, of course... I meant before that."

Ari suppressed a smile, falling into step with Inez as she walked with them back towards the front of the palace. The sun had set, washing the island in the dim purple glow of evening. Now was about the time when the stupid desert gnats came out and ruined everyone's night- Ari grimaced, slapping one that had just landed on his forearm. "So what have you found out so far?"

"Careful," Aveline warned, giving her chin a subtle dip towards the open gates where the guards stood boredly, awaiting the the guests that were already pulling up in their gaudy filigree carriages. "We do have another engagement this evening."

As if Ari needed another reminder.

"Let's go in, shall we?" said Lyla, brushing past them to lead the way- she'd be expected to greet the guests, anyway. Ari sometimes wondered if, since the only Apreuna princess was off and married, her would-be responsibilities were sometimes expected to be taken up by Lyla.

The ballroom had been decorated in blue and gold, Tristran's favored colors. Glittering beads were strung along the golden walls, replacing the tapestries. Flames winked cheerily in candles that dripped thick, cream wax and smelled of pine and bark. And they'd actually dusted the crystal chandeliers, Ari was wondering when someone was going to get around to doing that-

"Look who it is," an achingly familiar voice echoed behind them.

Ari made a face.

"Try to behave yourselves," said Lyla under her breath, before whirling around with a practiced smile. "Lord Guernot! You came!"

"Yes, well, I knew you'd be here," Lyla's unfortunate suitor simpered. "The Queen invited me very specifically, as you must know..."
Ari quickly tuned out Guernot's droning. He suddenly remembered how much he disliked most of the men Lyla's mother shoved at her.

Aveline mimed sticking a finger down her throat, and Ari was too late to stifle his chuckle.

Guernot sneered over his pale nose at him. "Is something funny, Carondolet?"

"Yes-" Ari started to retort before Lyla interrupted with some hasty comment about the tournament the week before.

"Yes, well, it was quite unlucky about the horse race," said the lord, swirling with great haughtiness the flushed liquid in his wine glass. "Verignes was going for a win, surely."

Ari tried to conceal his expression. Lyla's eyes widened visibly.
How could he have forgotten that Lord Guernot was from Verignes?

"Oh!" Guernot exclaimed. "Speaking of, I heard you three have plans to travel there soon. Isn't that just wonderful?"

Ari's eyebrows creased in a way he hoped was imperceptible.
"Wonderful," Aveline echoed blandly, the tone of her voice making it sound like some sort of venereal disease.

"You'll give the king my best, won't you?" The Lord paused. "Not that you'd ever be permitted an audience with him. The Eastern monarchs are less... forgiving towards peasant crime. And it's not as if you can blame him," he sighed, sliding a long, pointed finger down the crystal rim of his glass.

"Whatever," Ari scoffed. "You look like an aardvark."

Lyla hurried to jump in. "And on that note, we really must be going." Her dimples couldn't have been more forced as she hastily tugged Ari and Aveline away from the pompous lord.

"I didn't know he was from Verignes," murmured Aveline. "Did you?"
Ari shook his head.

"I must have forgotten," Lyla said in wonder. "I never thought I'd regret not paying enough attention to that fool."

"If you lot are done arguing with Lyla's suitors, we have some things to discuss," said Inez from behind them. Ari turned around. Inez was standing next to someone Ari instantly recognized. "I lost Henry by the champagne," she shrugged, "but then I found this brat, who insisted on coming with me to see you."

"Simon!" Ari grinned broadly, clapping the tall brunette on the shoulder.

"Hello, everyone." Simon greeted. "Ari, I see your insults haven't improved much since the last time I saw you."

"Simon has information," Inez pressed, reminding them of the issue at hand. "About the case."

Ari's eyebrows lifted.

"Well, don't leave us in suspense," said Aveline. "Let's sit down so you can tell us what you know, and then we can finally eat something. I haven't had anything in two hours, you know."

They found a secluded, circular wooden table halfway hidden by the gauzy curtains on the other side of the room. Ari reached for a bunch of grapes as he listened to Inez and Simon's story.

"What Henry and I been able to piece together so far seem to be rumors, mostly, but Simon's story matched up with ours," she explained.

Ari popped a grape into his mouth. "How do you know about what's happening in Verignes?"

"Eli told me, in his letter," said Simon, seeming almost surprised as if this should have been obvious.

"You've been corresponding with Eli?"
Ari shot a subtle glance at his first mate; her chin had lifted the tiniest bit.

Simon looked between the two of them, confused. "What, you haven't?"

"So," Lyla interjected quickly, "what's the news?"

"Not much, but something." Inez drew a breath, her face turning serious (well, more serious. Serious-er).

"Apparently it started happening about a year and a half ago. A peasant boy was the first to be afflicted. At first it wasn't anything; a mere fever, pale coloring, weariness. After a few days with some medicine, he seemed better and seemed healthier; more lively even than before." She averted her eyes. "It mustn't have been the case, I suppose, because he tried to stab his sister to death that evening."

Lyla gasped.

"He was shrieking and kicking, and they had to tie him down in shackles. He must have strangled himself with the chains, because he was dead by the next morning."

"Are they sure that the death was by strangulation?" Aveline cut in politely, and Inez nodded.

"It's been occurring more often lately," Simon added. "The fever is always first, and then the victim either hurts themselves or someone else."

Ari frowned. The more he learned about this case, the stranger it appeared to be.  "And is this... illness exclusive to Verignes?"

"So it seems." Their friend took a swift bite of boiled potato, chewing around his words. "People think it's some sort of mischief. The King's already begun arresting suspects. That's all Eli said."

There was a brief silence as everyone took this in.

"Well, maybe that's a good thing," said Lyla tentatively. "Surely, the King must be trying to solve the quandaries of his own kingdom, if he's ordered arrests."

Ari leaned back, lazily hooking his legs on the chair in front of him. "Whenever a figure of authority condemns the actions of another, their own usually prove to be equally reprehensible. It's the hypocrisy of rule."

"No, that's just a bad leader," said Lyla, wrinkling her nose.

Ari dragged his empty gaze to her. "All leaders are bad. The only good ones die trying."

Aveline set her fork down. "Oh, would you quit it with the 'enlightened cynic' talk?" she complained. "It makes you sound like an ass."

Ari laughed.

"Anyway," Inez cleared her throat. "All of the suspects have something in common-"

"Welcome!" The Queen's booming voice cut into Inez's whisper. Ari snapped his attention back to the bustle of the ballroom; he'd almost forgotten where he was.

All of the guests seemed to have arrived, thronging together in their glimmering silks and jewels. Queen Rowena, outfitted in a gown of rich gold, stood at the front of the room with her fingers gracefully laced together.

"The monarchy cannot thank you all enough for coming to celebrate the return of my son." Her words were clear and practiced, but unmistakable pride shone through Rowena's eyes, and Ari nearly smiled. "As many of you know, he has been travelling with his new husband, Benjamin, and his little sister Jamie," Ari shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "who we welcome joyously into our family. And now that they have returned, we greet them back with open arms."

The room erupted into cheers as Prince Tristran emerged from the crowd to stand next to his mother. He'd cut his hair, and he looked taller. More sure of himself.

Beside Tristran was Ben, his quiet confidence visible as he stood in his soft brown overcoat. Tristran and Ben were like opposite sides of beautiful; Tristran was all sharp, dark angles; high cheekbones, pretty features. Ben was more rugged; born to a lower working class, but he'd always seemed softer, somehow; his waving hair gently brushing the laugh lines at the corner of his eyes.

They both looked happy. Roses in their cheeks. Ari felt Aveline's hand hovering at his elbow, and then he didn't have to look to know that Jamie would be standing silently next to her brother.

Ari's stomach clenched. His palms felt like sandpaper as he woodenly clapped them together, mimicking the applause of the people around him.

Everyone was staring at her, no doubt wondering who she was. She looked beautiful. Nothing like the girl he'd kissed on his ship just a few months ago, but familiar all the same.

Her hair had been tied up, and her skin was a few shades darker from the sun. Her sparkling gown vacillated somewhere between beige and pink, the sleeves drooping just below her shoulders and tied in shimmering bows. She looked like a lady- no, like a princess.

But Jamie's blue-green eyes hadn't changed, Ari was convinced of it. He sat still as death, watching them rove over the crowd as if searching for someone...

They landed on him, and suddenly the room was quiet.

How much time passed, Ari had no idea. It must have only been a second, but it felt like several minutes that Jamie's gaze lay suspended over at him, and in her expression was...
Nothing.

Then Jamie glanced away, and all of the sounds of the ballroom returned.

Ari unclenched his fingers with an effort; they had curled tightly together in his palms.
He felt Lyla and Aveline staring at him in concern, and he knew Aveline had softly said his name, but Ari waited a moment for his heartbeat to catch up to him before responding.

They were back- and nothing would ever be the same.

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