Dani’s wrist hurt like hell, and her head hurt worse as she came to on the cold stone floor of Archmage Balariz’s chambers. The Archmage was already on the other side of the table, helping Wulfram sit up, his assistant hurrying to Dani’s side to help her back to her feet.

  “That worked wonderfully!” Archmage Balariz grinned, looking at the singed able, the crown sitting in the center of it in a circle of charred wood. “We really must try it again, after I’ve recorded all the information from this attempt. Better yet, if you two would like to activate the bracelets again where I can watch?”

  “No. I don’t believe that’s necessary.” Wulfram said firmly, standing unsteadily. “Dani, are you alright?”

  “I’m fine, I think.” She looked down at her wrist, not seeing a mark on it. Well, that was good at least. It hurt but apparently wasn’t damaged. The assistant helped her to her feet, and she looked warily at the crown. “I guess it worked.”

  “I guess so.” Wulfram reached over to pick up the crown, staring down at it for a moment. With a sigh, he placed it on his head, dark curls a stark contrast to the gold. He turned to Dani with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Are you sure you’re alright? My head is killing me.”

  Dani let out a soft laugh. “Mine too. Is it too early for a drink?”

  “In this case? I think society will forgive us. Do we need to do anything else here Archmage?” Wulfram didn’t even look at Balariz, instead moving over to offer Dani his arm.

  The Archmage almost seemed to pout, like a child whose toy was being taken away. “It would be preferable if you at least left the crown behind so that I could study it, and I would like to run some more tests on the pair of you.”

  “I think the tests can wait.” Wulfram removed the crown, setting it on the table. “But you can study the crown. I want to know more about what it does and how it does it myself. But I will be wanting it back.”

  “Of course your highness, I will get it back to you, undamaged.” Balariz cheered up a little bit, pulling out his notebook and beginning to scribble frantically. “Surely by tomorrow night, perhaps the day after.”

  “Good. You can have it delivered to my room. Lady Daniella, shall we go?” He raised an eyebrow, that smile growing just a little.

  “Only if you stop calling me Lady Daniella.” She sighed and looped her arm through his like she had seen ladies do in the marketplace. It felt like something was missing, now that she didn’t have the bracelet. A warmth that she hadn’t realized was there until it was gone. Was it the bracelet? Had she gotten so used to wearing it that she was already missing it?

  Wulfram laughed, guiding her to the door. “It’s a deal. Now, I believe once upon a time I promised you some wine.”

  “That you did. Are you finally going to pay up?” Dani looked up at him, wondering if he felt the loss as well.

  “Yes, I’m going to pay up. I suppose I’ll have to pay you half the crown as well.” Wulfram said thoughtfully. “Now that you aren’t wearing it. But we can discuss that later. Wine first, and then I’ll introduce you to the Hesiodos delegation and we can clear up another mystery.”

  Dani bit her lower lip, looking down at the steps as they passed by underfoot. If Reshi was right, then they were looking for her. After all this time, could she even call them family though? She knew nothing about Hesiodos or it’s people, and she already had a family! And there was no way she would even think of replacing them with some strangers that showed up years after she went missing. “What if I don’t want to meet with them?”

  Wulfram fell silent for a moment, frowning as he thought. “I don’t want to force you to if you don’t want to.”

  “But you will?” She pulled her arm from his, walking ahead of him down the stairs as anger boiled up in her. He didn’t want to, but he would, she was certain of it.

  “Dani, it’s more complicated than that.” Wulfram picked up his pace, waiting until they were on a landing to grab her arm and spin her around to face him. “I don’t want to, but I have a duty, and like it or not so do you.”

  “I don’t have any duty to them!” Dani said.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “You have a duty to your people, and to yourself.” The earlier humor was gone from Wulfram’s face, but he didn’t seem angry either, his voice calm, even and firm. “You have a right to know your past, and how it effects your future.”

  “How is it going to affect my future? I’m already a lady, I don’t want whatever added mess comes from being a princess too.” Gods only knew how much more complicated things would get! Or how much more dangerous.

  Surprisingly, Wulfram smiled, the humor tinged with sadness. “Unfortunately we don’t get to pick our past or birthright. Don’t make me carry you to them. It would look bad.”

  “You wouldn’t dare.” Dani narrowed her eyes, giving her arm a yank, trying to pull away from him with no success. Why was he so strong? It wasn’t like she was a weakling!

  Wulfram chuckled and in one swift movement had her scooped up in his arms, holding her against his chest. He started back down the stairs, taking advantage of her stunned silence to talk. “I don’t know what you’re so afraid of, is it the responsibility? You wouldn’t have to face that alone. You would have allies, assistants and servants to help you do what needs to be done. You wouldn’t ever have to worry about going hungry again, or sleep in a crypt, and you would be protected.”

  “P-put me down!” Dani finally found her voice, slapping Wulfram’s chest. Although from the angle she was in, it was hard to get any force going.

  “No.” Wulfram said with a smile. “Not yet, not until you tell me what you’re so afraid of.”

  “I’m not afraid of anything!” She shifted in his arms, his grip tightening slightly.

  “That’s a lie, and we both know it. You never dreamed of being a princess? I thought most little girls enjoyed those fairy tales.”

  Dani let out a frustrated growl and crossed her arms. “I was too busy to dream of being a princess.”

  “No? You must have dreamt about being something. Will you tell me if I say please?” His eyes sparkled with humor as he looked at her, a charming smile on his dark face. “Or what if I told you what I dreamt of being?”

  “You mean you didn’t always dream of being a prince?” Dani’s eyebrows rose, what could he possibly have dreamt of being? He was a prince, he had anything he could ever want!

  “Of course not. But since I know you’ll laugh, I want your word that you will share what you dreamt of being. A fair trade, don’t you think?”

  It was a fair trade she supposed, and she was curious. She looked away from him, her cheeks turning red as she mumbled. “A pirate princess.”

  “A what?” Wulfram’s eyebrows shot up, eyes widening.

  Dani cleared her throat and tried again, a little louder this time. “A pirate princess. Now tell me what you dreamt of being. Fair trade, remember?”

  “Fair trade.” Wulfram said with a soft chuckle. “But you’re going to have to explain what a pirate princess is at some point. The two don’t exactly go together.”

  “You’re stalling.”

  The chuckle turned into a full laugh, the sound vibrating through his chest. At the foot of the stairs, he set her down gently and leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I used to dream of being a deckhand.”

  “A deckhand?” Dani’s voice rose a little, and she stared at him as he straightened. “Why would you want to be a deckhand?”

  “Freedom, exploration, adventure, why wouldn’t I want to be a deckhand?” Wulfram chuckled and started walking again, Dani falling into step beside him in the wide hall.

  “It’s one of the lowest positions on a ship! And you’re a prince. Don’t you already have freedom? Can’t you already do all that exploration and adventure stuff? After all, who is going to tell you no?” Dani let out a snort. “And would you listen if they did?”

  “Well, my father and mother would tell me no right now. It is in their power as king and queen, and the council of course would have their own opinions on the matter. But also, I have responsibilities here, responsibilities as the crown prince. I’m next in line for the throne, so it would be irresponsible to run off and have adventures like that.” He smiled wistfully though, staring off into space. “Still, I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading books, researching ships, and dreaming. It’s a nice escape sometimes. Tell me more about this pirate princess dream of yours.”

  Dani frowned, she hadn’t realized that there might be people even a prince would have to answer to. It seemed strange, she had always assumed that they could do whatever they wanted. But if something happened to him, who would get the throne? “Oh, well, a pirate princess is a, a princess of pirates. You’ve heard of pirate kings, haven’t you? They rule over the other pirates? Well, a pirate princess would do the same type of thing. Only, you know, as a girl.”

  “Wouldn’t that be a pirate queen?” Wulfram asked with a chuckle.

  “Nah, queens have too much responsibility, princesses have more freedom, and all the boys fight over her. They don’t want a woman with power.”

  “I disagree.” Wulfram turned down a wide, open-air corridor, folding his hands behind his back as he strolled beneath the arched roof. “Personally, I prefer a woman who has some power for herself, and knows what to do with it. A strong woman, who knows when to be meek.” He gave her a wolfish grin, ruining the look by wiggling his eyebrows.

  Dani let out a snort of laughter. “Knows when to be meek? I have to say I didn’t expect to hear something like that from you.”

  “No? Well it’s good to know that I can surprise you then. Ah, I thought they may be enjoying the fresh air.” Wulfram raised an arm, waving to a group of light-skinned people gathered in the grass. Two of the men lounged against the stone railing that circled their little section of garden, one of them a short, stocky dwarf, his face covered with tattoos. They were watching the other two in their party spar: a giant of a man, and an equally giant woman. Dani stared at the pair, mouth opening slightly as the woman dove beneath the mans arm, her fist flying into his stomach with a force that she could hear.

  She had heard enough stories of Hesiodos warriors to recognize them, and shock gave way to irritation. “You damn sneak.”