That evening, after Aster had departed for her own room (or wherever it was she wanted to go), and Dru had not yet returned, Prin stared at his own reflection in the darkened porthole.

  “This is quite a different ship then any we’ve been on before, isn’t it?” Elwin asked. The air felt heavy and he somehow did not think it was due to the cloyingly humid sea air.

  “Yes, very different.” Prin said, absently, his mind elsewhere.

  “Maybe tomorrow we could check out some of the activities on board?” Elwin suggested. “I haven’t managed to figure out how close we are to the nearest port, so we might only have a short stay on board. Might as well make the most of it! I doubt we’ll ever be on a boat like this one again.”

  “So many people.” Prin said.

  “Rich people.” Elwin made a face. “I hope Dru and Aster don’t get us in trouble somehow trying to take their money.”

  “I don’t think Aster would try to steal from anyone.” Prin said. “Elwin . . .”

  Elwin went to stand close beside him at the window. He still couldn’t see outside but now the image in the porthole had changed to the two of them. His own face looking quietly concerned, dark circles under his eyes. Prin’s face grim, eyes wide and dark with pupils dilated.

  “Oh.” Elwin said. He put his arm around Prin. “It’s that. Of course it is.”

  “I’m sorry.” Prin covered his face with his hands. “I try to hold it in but I can’t. I can’t stop thinking about being hungry . . .”

  “It’s not your fault!” Elwin hugged him from behind, feeling the warmth and solidness of his prince. He tried to frequently remind himself of what the curse had given them, not just what it had taken away . . . “We should be better prepared for this, at this point.”

  “We know it’s coming back.” Prin agreed. “It’s always coming.”

  “I don’t know how long we’ll be on this ship. How long do you think you can wait?” Elwin asked.

  “Not long.” Prin turned around in his arms to face him. Their faces now just a few inches apart. “Elwin, I don’t like this. I don’t like to have you involved in bad things. Even for me.”

  Elwin shook his head. “Stop. Whatever mess you’re in, I’m in. Always.”

  “Then I need you to do a few things for me. Keep Aster and Dru away from me. Or at least, you know, make sure we aren’t alone together, just in case. Poor Aster! Her arm, I just remembered.” Prin said.

  “It’ll be okay. And yes, of course.” Elwin said.

  “Not that I think I would. But, you know . . . I guess.” Prin said. He leaned forward so that their foreheads pressed together. “I love you.”

  “I love you too!” Elwin said. “You already know it.” He wanted to kiss him, his mouth was so close. But this didn’t seem like an appropriate moment.

  “The other thing I need you to do. . . Find me a bad person.” Prin said. He leaned away again, opening his eyes wide, as though the black vortex of his pupils wanted to suck Elwin into them. “Please, I’ve given it a lot of thought and this is the way to do it. We need to go shopping.”

  Elwin took his doctor kit, as well as Dru’s bag, to Aster’s room and knocked on the door. Getting her to agree to share a room with Dru was going to be a tough sell, but he could not allow Prin to just eat Dru. As annoying as she may be at times.

  “Come in!” Aster called.

  Elwin opened the door cautiously, not sure the state of dress she would be in and not wanting to expose her to anyone else who might be passing in the hallway.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  She was still dressed for the day after all, sitting cross legged on one of the matching twin beds, with a small gold case beside her. Enamel butterflies and flowers graced the buttery gleaming gold of it. Something designed to provoke fascination, more than for any utility. But, utilitarian it was, filled once with colorful silken threads and ribbons, miniature gold scissors, thimble, needle case of ivory inlaid with gemstone beetles, and a pin cushion shaped like a fat little bird catching a ribbon worm in its mouth. The items were now artfully spilled out on the bed cover as Aster mended a red stocking with careful stitches.

  “A gift from Cornelius.” Aster said, without looking up. “It gets the job done, even if it’s way over the top!” She chuckled. “That’s him all over the place, why do something at all if you can’t do it with panache.”

  “That also sounds like you.” Elwin stepped inside and shut the door behind him. “Sorry to intrude.”

  “You? Never.” Aster finally glanced in his direction with a wink. “He also gave me money. Although it seems to be in a form of currency that needs to be converted . . .”

  Elwin plopped Dru’s suitcase on the matching twin bed. He gave Aster an apologetic look.

  “Hey, what’s the meaning of this?” Aster asked. “Did she do something to piss you off too?”

  “Not exactly.” Elwin said. “How’s your arm?”

  Aster put down her stocking and flexed her injured arm, wincing as she did so. “It’s fine. No, to tell the truth it hurts like hell. But don’t tell Prin I said that.”

  “I know I’m not a real doctor, but I feel like it shouldn’t be hurting this bad at this point.” Elwin sat down beside Aster with his doctor bag, careful not to knock any of the sewing implements onto the floor. “Let me see.”

  “We just did this . . . Do I have to?” Aster whined.

  “We can wait until tomorrow I guess.” Elwin said.

  “No, no, you weren’t supposed to just give in! Do what you want.” Aster said. “I was—I was just kidding.”

  “Maybe we should see the doctor on board. I bet there is one. With this many people and a lot of them older.” Elwin said.

  “That won’t be necessary.” Aster said dismissively. “I’m fiiiiine, you know me.”

  “I’ll just take a peek.” Elwin said. He had not liked the way it looked last time and he wanted to see if the dark area was spreading.

  Elwin took her thin arm in his hands. It was worrying the way she winced before he even touched anything. Without even removing the bandage it was obvious that the discoloration was spreading, it had spread past the area covered by the bandage.

  Elwin unwrapped the bandage and applied fresh salve as carefully as he could manage. The stitches strained at the pale, freckled skin, as though something were inside Aster’s arm, pushing to get out. He replaced the cloth that covered the gnarly looking stitches, and rewrapping with fresh bandages, not knowing what else to do.

  “Notice how I made sure Cora was always walking on the other side of me? Took some dance moves to manage it.” Aster laughed, in a way that sounded like she was trying to laugh off the pain.

  “No, I mean it. We are finding the ship doctor tomorrow.” Elwin said.

  “They wont be very good!” Aster protested.

  “Better then me, I bet.” Elwin said. “But I’ll be with you the whole time.” He didn’t know if this was comforting or vaguely menacing. Like, I’ll be with you to make sure you go, kind of thing.

  “Fine whatever.” Aster made a face. “Now tell me what Dru did. That fiend.”

  Elwin laughed. “Nothing! Really! She hasn’t even shown back up yet.”

  “Well then why do I have to share a room with her? She wouldn’t like it either. She’s the one with something against me after all. Oh hey! Is it because you boys want your privacy? Is that it?” Aster leaned closer to Elwin in a conspiratorial manner. “You can tell me?”

  Elwin considered for a moment just lying, telling her ‘You’re right, you got me there’, but if he did that, then she would be sure to ask Prin about it the next day and the lie would be awkward. “No . . .”

  “Are you sure? At your age, I’m really surprised you two aren’t doing it.” Aster said. “Not that it’s any of my business anyway. But you know it is a perfectly natural and normal thing, to want to touch each other in private.”

  Elwin felt his cheeks heat up. “I wish it was something like that. Instead of what it is. The curse.”

  “The . . . Oh!” Aster’s face went pale.

  “No, it’s okay! It’s okay. You aren’t in any danger.” Elwin hastened to reassure. Although both of them knew it wasn’t much better than a bold faced lie.

  “I had wondered how often . . .” Aster said.

  “It varies, but over a week is pushing it. It varies depending if there is something that . . . provokes the hunger. We have to go find someone.”

  Aster’s hands shot up and covered her ears. “I don’t want to be involved in this!”

  “No, no don’t worry! Someone bad. We’re going to find someone bad. Surely on this big ship, it shouldn’t be. . . Don’t worry. I’m not trying to involve you or anything. All I need from you is to try and be accommodating to Dru. I guess that is a lot to ask after how she treated you, and you having done nothing to her.”

  “It’s okay, that’s okay, I’ve dealt with worse girls. Plenty. In my line of work, I mean former line of work.” Aster smiled at Elwin. “Hey, you didn’t hear it from me, but if you have to find someone bad . . . what about the gold digging fiancé? Won’t that girl, the heiress? Wouldn’t she be better off without him, don’t you think?” Behind the disarming sweetness of Aster’s face, lay a mind Elwin couldn’t begin to fathom.