It gives me time to visit my father.
I hoped he would grow stronger as the gold grew closer, but I don’t notice much change in him. When I visit, I notice his lips have lost any color they held, and his skin is nearly transparent. I can’t bear to stay long at his side, afraid his chest will cease moving entirely.
I always return to my body drained.
At least I’m sleeping through the night. I thought having the gold on board would be the cause of a lot of restless nights. But I barely even notice the aura anymore.
I do notice the looks Royce gives me, quick glances before looking away. We haven’t really spoken much since the battle. Since I kissed him.
I convince myself it’s for the best. After we make port, Royce will return to his life at sea, and I’ll go back to life in the palace. That will be that. Why fight the inevitable?
But Hettie doesn’t seem to share my feelings.
She bursts into the cabin one afternoon while I’m reading. “There’s going to be dancing tonight since we make port tomorrow,” she says, swaying about the room and rummaging through my trunk for something she can fit into. “You’re coming,” she continues, straightening and holding one of my dresses across her body. “You need to get out of this cabin. You’re starting to look pale . . . well, paler gold.” She drops the dress and begins rummaging again. She reemerges with a red dress. She tosses it at me. “Put it on.”
“I can’t . . .”
She crosses her arms and stares at me. “Don’t make me put it on you myself.”
I run my hands over the silky fabric, the feeling reminding me of my nearly forgotten days as a princess. I force myself to meet her gaze. “We’re not going to see them again. After tomorrow.” There’s no nice way of putting it.
Hettie acts as if I haven’t spoken. She pulls a blue dress with a flared skirt over her head. “If you’re not up there in ten minutes, I’m telling my father it was your idea to bring me on this trip.” She smirks and flounces out of the room before I can reply.
That was our biggest threat when we were younger, one of us telling Uncle Pheus on the other. My father let us have the run of the palace. It was Uncle Pheus we had to watch out for.
I can’t help but laugh.
Then I moan. My arm still hurts, but Royce wrapped it nicely after Hettie sewed it up. Who knew all those embroidery lessons about tiny stitches would actually be good for something someday?
I stare down at my arms, at the skin I always thought was ugly. But I’m not that same girl anymore. Royce helped me see past that.
And since I’m made of gold, I should start acting like it for once. I was made to shine. If I crawl back to the shadows now, I’ll never make it out again.
Part of me doesn’t care if Royce breaks my heart. I know I’ll regret it if I don’t see him tonight before I’m stuck inside the palace again.
I grab the dress and haul myself out of bed. After I’ve changed and pulled my hair loose from its braid, I stop in front of the mirror on the wall.
An unexpected face greets me. It’s been so long since I’ve seen anything other than the distorted reflection I’d catch in the palace windows or in the fountains. I look older, more like my mother does in her portrait. I run my bare hand over my cheek, then fan my hair out across my shoulders. It shimmers as it catches the light filtering in through the window.
I smile at myself before I make my way up to the deck.
Music drifts through the air, though there’s a distinct lack of accordion music. When I emerge into the twilight, Thipps’s accordion has been placed on a barrel between the other musicians. Phipps stands next to it.
The men cheer when they see me arrive. I smile and wave, but then look away before I notice all the missing crew members.
Phipps is the first to approach. He’s a little tipsy. “I’ve never danced with a princess before,” he says. “I’m thinking I’m never going to get another chance. Will you dance with me?” He bows and offers me his hand.
His eyes are full of hope. When he smiles, I notice one of his front teeth is missing, and I’m pretty sure it was there before the battle the other day. But it’s one of the nicest smiles I’ve ever seen.
I take his hand with a grand flourish, and he pulls me out onto the dance floor. His dancing style is more spinning in circles than anything formal. I find it’s much more fun than anything my tutors ever tried to teach me.
“Thank you for saving me during the fight,” I say.
“I had to.” Phipps hiccups. “I couldn’t let Thipps be the only one to do it, you know? Everyone would only remember his hero . . . heroics.” He hiccups out that last word.
He spins me around, nearly losing his grip on my hand before pulling me back in.
“You should really feel sorry for me,” Phipps says. “Thipps died a hero, and now I’ve got to spend every day trying to top that. I’m not certain he didn’t stab himself just so he could look like the better brother.”
I can’t help but offer him a small smile as we twirl around the cramped area circled in by sailors.
Phipps only steps on my foot once, which throws us off balance, though he doesn’t seem to notice. He just keeps spinning, but I’m not sure how much longer we’ll stay upright.
Then a hand clamps each of us on the shoulder. “Careful there,” Royce says. “We don’t want to have to tell the king his daughter survived the Temptresses of Triton and Captain Skulls only to be done in by your dancing.”
The crew laughs.
Phipps half laughs, half hiccups.
“Aye, Captain.” He spins off on his own, bragging about how he got to dance with a princess and how Thipps couldn’t say that.
I’m left staring at Royce.
“May I?” He offers me his hand as though we’re standing in the palace ballroom.
I swallow. There’s no way to back out now.
I take his hand, and he sweeps me into his arms, leading me into a dance that’s a mixture of formal steps and free spinning. It’s easy to catch on.
His touch is light but reassuring, and he’s careful not to put too much pressure on my injured arm.
I look up into his face, into the eyes I’d always thought held cruelty and deceit but were really hiding pain. They’re kinder now.
I’m hoping that means he’s not mad. “I’m sorry I turned you to gold,” I say softly. I stare squarely at his chest. “I know it’s a terrifying place to be. It was the only way I could think to protect you from Captain Skulls’s blade.”
“It wasn’t pleasant,” he admits. “But I think that the real reason I hated it so much was because it meant I couldn’t get to you. I couldn’t stop Skulls from hurting you.”
He gently sways against me, changing the direction we’re heading.
I forget a step because I’m replaying his words again. He cares more about me than being turned to gold.
“Looks like you’ve been drinking whatever Phipps has been drinking,” he jokes.
He twirls me out and then pulls me back in, catching me in his arms. “That was much better.”
I laugh.
I almost wish I could freeze us in this moment. I don’t want the sun to set. I don’t want the morning to come. I don’t want to say good-bye.
Because just like that, it’s over when Royce says, “I’ve got your father’s gold locked away in a large chest all ready for tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” I force myself to reply. “For everything.”
Around us, the sky has become a mix of pinks and oranges. There are even hints of gold tucked away behind some of the clouds. He notices me watching the sunset and angles us so I can see it better. But I can’t enjoy it. It only reminds me how little time I have left outside the palace, and I hate myself for thinking it. My father needs the gold back. I need to go back.
But I’m going to miss this. I’m going to miss him.
He smiles down at me. “You’ve given me my life back. I feel like you’ve given me the world.�
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It’s funny. I could say the same thing about him.
We become lost in the tempo of the music. It’s slower than when I danced with Phipps.
Royce draws me closer to his body, and I look up at him. He’s smiling softly, almost wistfully. I wonder how much he misses court life and dancing. I wonder if he’d ever come back to it. Come back with me.
I lower my gaze to his chest because I can’t ask that of him. Even if I could, the music stops before I can say the words.
We both hesitate a moment before dropping our arms.
“I’d ask for another dance, but I’m pretty sure my crew would mutiny if I kept you to myself all evening.” He bows low, kissing my hand. A tingle runs up my arm.
I curtsy, but the movement is clumsy. I want to make some joke about how at least he didn’t turn to gold that time when he kissed me. But by the time I straighten, he’s already striding across the deck, and I’m being swallowed by a circle of men all eager to dance with a princess. Even one made of gold.
I pick a random arm reaching out to me as the music starts up again and Hettie and Rhat go twirling past.
As I spin away, I see Royce watching me from the edge of the circle. His eyes never leave me.
I try to keep his gaze, but I keep spinning around and around until he becomes a blur.
CHAPTER 32
A light wind blows freely across the deck as morning dawns and Lagonia comes into sight. The city rises above the sea, and sunrays fall around it, shrouding the palace in light. It’s unchanged from when I left, and yet everything feels different somehow.
The buildings stand tall, saluting me, their victorious princess. Except no one can ever know the real reason I left, if they know I left at all. That doesn’t mean things can’t be different, though. I know my father will see that when I give him the gold back.
I run my fingers across the necklace Royce gave me and take one last look around the deck of the Swanflight as we approach the entrance to the harbor. Hettie’s perched atop a barrel eating a pickle next to Rhat, and Phipps waves to me from his spot in the replaced rigging. I wave in return. Royce cuts a striking figure at the helm as the wind ruffles his hair. He looks so much more relaxed now. I wish I felt that relaxed.
He comes over carrying a long chest as we turn toward the opening of the harbor, and I don’t have to ask what’s in it. It’s got an inner glow that makes it look like he’s locked up the sun. At least to me.
“Ready?”
Before I can answer, Hettie does. “I’m not going.” She slides off the barrel and saunters over.
I sigh. I should’ve known she’d be nervous to see her father after running away.
“I’m sure your father missed you,” I say. “He’ll be so overjoyed to see you that he won’t punish you.”
Hettie shakes her head. “I don’t want to see him. I’ve never been as happy as I was these past few weeks on the Swanflight. He’ll take that away and never let me leave ever again.”
“You can’t hide on the ship forever,” I counter.
“I don’t know. I’ve gotten pretty good at hiding in barrels.”
“Come on.” I hold my hand out to her. “We’re in this together. Besides, I bet there’s bound to be a big feast tonight.”
Hettie stares at my outstretched hand. I always could tempt her with food. She’s about to take my hand, but before she does, cannon fire echoes across the harbor. A cannonball crashes into the water mere feet in front of the ship, sending up a plume of water.
Royce drops the chest and reaches out to steady me. Hettie falls to the deck. The ship descends into shouting and chaos.
“What was that?” Rhat calls as we sail into the harbor.
Inside the harbor, half the armada waits. The ship closest to us still has smoke floating away from one of its cannons.
“Why are they firing at us?” Hettie asks, climbing to her feet.
“Maybe they think we’re pirates,” I say. I run to the railing and wave my arms, hoping seeing a golden girl will stop them from firing instead of encouraging it.
“Stop,” I scream at the nearest ship. “Stop, I’m Princess Kora.” I know the men on the ship can hear me. They’re close enough that I can almost make out their faces.
A second shot rings out, landing several feet away again. I grab the railing to stay on my feet.
“Get away from there,” Royce pulls me back. “I don’t think they believe we’re pirates. I think they know exactly who we are.”
“But . . .” I trail off. Why would Uncle Pheus have the armada fire on us?
He wouldn’t. Which can only mean . . .
“Archduke Ralton,” I breathe. Just when I thought I was done with every connection to Aris, his uncle has to ruin everything.
“Do you want us to fire back?” Royce asks.
Numbly, I stare down the gauntlet the armada has created leading up to the dock. There’s no way our one ship can take out all of them. I can’t imagine the lives that would be lost. On both sides.
I shake my head.
Royce keeps his hands on my shoulders as he shouts, “Rhat, run up the white flag of surrender.”
“Do we have one of those, Captain?” Rhat asks.
“Make one,” Royce replies.
My stomach feels like a cannonball blasted right through it. If Archduke Ralton has command of the armada, he must be in control of the palace. I don’t know what this means for my father and Uncle Pheus. My father had been so weak when I’d last visited him. I can’t stop the tears that slip down my cheeks.
Royce wraps his arms around me, and I bury my face against his chest. His heart beats, strong and pure. It’s the most comforting sound in the world.
The sounds of men shouting, unneeded cannonballs being dropped, and feet stomping across the deck blur to the background.
I’m not sure how long we stay that way. It doesn’t feel like very long before a man wearing the uniform of a Lagonian soldier rips us apart and shoves us toward a small boat. He makes Royce carry the gold since none of the soldiers want to touch it.
Hettie, Rhat, Royce, the gold, and I end up in one boat. Once we reach land, we’re herded into a cart, where one of the soldiers forces a cloak on me, pulling the hood low.
I don’t bother resisting.
No royal welcome awaits us at the palace. Only one of my father’s stewards and a group of soldiers standing in two lines down the steps greet us. The steward ushers us quickly up the steps. Guards fall in around us.
I’m not sure where they’ve taken the rest of the crew.
“Please,” I whisper to the steward, “is my father alive?”
He doesn’t answer. He continues leading the way deeper into the palace.
“Please, I just want to know . . .”
The steward stops in front of a large set of doors. They don’t lead to the main hall. They lead to the council room.
“You’re to go in alone,” the steward says.
“No.” Royce steps forward.
So do several armed guards.
“It’s all right.” I put my hand out to stop him. I have only one bargaining chip, and his life is something I’m going to be bargaining for. I need him alive.
I slide the chest of gold from his grip. It’s heavy, but I can manage until I can put it on the table inside.
With one final look around what’s left of our crew, I enter the room.
The musty scent of an unused room overwhelms me. Dust particles float around in the shafts of sunlight. Long tapestries cover the walls, and a thick red carpet muffles my steps as I venture farther inside. The fireplace nestled in the wall is unlit, and no speck of burnt ash indicates its usage. Large windows frame the door to the balcony at the far end of the room where my father used to give proclamations years ago. But the room and balcony have sat unused since The Touch came to my father.
I can’t imagine why Ralton wants to meet me here unless he wants me to make some proclamation from the balcony about h
ow weak my father is and how he’s handing over the throne. Or how cursed I am.
The door clicks shut behind me.
When my eyes adjust to the light, to my surprise, it’s not Ralton I see sitting at the far end of the long table that dominates the room.
It’s my father.
He sits in an ornate wooden chair, hunched forward, his crown barely stable on his head. The beard he’s grown in my absence looks even more unkempt than when I last saw it.
I drop the chest and rush forward.
“Father.” The word tastes foreign in my mouth. I hesitate only a moment before kneeling and reaching out to touch his arm. His head lifts slightly, looking for the source, but it rolls back down. He looks as though he’s aged decades.
I shake my head in disbelief. The gold is back. He’s supposed to be fine. He’s supposed to be better. I take solace in the fact that at least he was able to make it all the way here. Maybe he just needs more time close to the gold to regain his strength.
“Don’t worry,” I say. “I’ll find a way to fix this.” I rub his arm soothingly.
“You’ve done quite enough already,” a voice behind me says.
I whip around to find Uncle Pheus. I didn’t even hear him come in. For all I know, he could’ve been sitting in one of the chairs flanking the doors this whole time.
“Uncle Pheus,” I say, relief flooding through me. “You’re all right.”
“Indeed,” he says.
He doesn’t appear injured, but his hair looks grayer than I remember.
“We need to find a way out of here,” I say. “Captain Royce and his first mate are just outside. Together we might be able to overpower the guards before Archduke Ralton arrives.”
He shakes his head. “I’m afraid we’re not going anywhere.”
“We have to try. I don’t care about fighting for the throne. As long as we escape, that’s all that matters.”
Uncle Pheus sighs. It’s the same sigh he used when he had to explain something to me as a child. “I had my doubts you’d make it back alive, but you’re to be commended.” He picks up the chest, carrying it to the end of the table opposite me. The chest lands with a thud. He pockets the key sticking out of the lock. Then, he moves down the opposite side of the table. Closer to me. “And to think, none of this would have been possible if you hadn’t suffered part of your father’s curse.”
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