The prince stared at the little lord, as the latter ate his bread pudding, clearly thinking nothing in particular about what he had just said. He just took it for granted that his declaration had only to be spoken to be honored.

Prin knew that he had never been this way. Had he? Nah.

Mrs. Frances and the captain both stared at the red headed boy with apprehensive looks, their eyes darting from him to Prin as though asking for his help.

“What makes you say that?” The prince asked, making his tone sweet, but not too sweet, trying to be tactful.

“What makes me say what?” Valor passed a little bite of something to his cat friends, perhaps not realizing that they were obligate carnivores. One of them took the bite, perhaps out of politeness.

“Say that I’m staying here with you?” The prince said cautiously. The look on the faces of the adults in the room said that he should be treading with care.

“Because I want you to.” Valor said simply. “There is plenty of room.”

“Now, angel--” Mrs. Frances began.

At the same time Captain Thompson said heartily, “They will be back in the morning, not to worry! I gave them a good job that will last a while.”

Prin exchanged a look with Elwin, who sat haplessly scraping up the last dregs of food with his fork while watching the drama unfold. The way the captain had said that made Prin feel quite lured, and he wondered if Elwin was thinking the same thing.

“We haven’t had time enough to get to know each other yet.” Valor said. “Prin can stay at our house and save the money he may be spending to rent out a room elsewhere.” He said all this as though, of course, it was the most logical thing in the world.

It was fairly sound, if one didn’t take Aster into account. And the desire to stay here all night. Which Prin did not have.

“We’re staying with a friend.” Prin said. “And she’s expecting us back tonight. Otherwise I would take you up on your offer of hospitality. The meal was already kind enough.”

Elwin looked back and forth from Valor to Prin, while the others had their eyes firmly fixed on Valor.

“Do you not like me?” Valor asked.

“No! That’s not it.” The prince protested. “I enjoyed our time reading together very much. But as you say, we barely know each other . . .”

“Who would not like you!?” Mrs. Frances declared. “My own angel boy. What a ridiculous thing to say.”

“A lot of people don’t.” Valor said plainly.

“I have an idea.” Captain Thompson declared. “Boys, not only can you have free room and board but I will pay you extra to stay at night. You can read to Valor in the evening. It will be good for him to have the companionship of young men close to his age. What do you say?” He smiled encouragingly at Elwin and Prin, while casting apprehensive sideways glances at his own son.

The prince could tell that the young man had prepared his family to accept a reign of terror from him at a moments notice, and to school their words accordingly.

Prin would not be bullied.

“Thank you for the offer.” Prin said. “We do appreciate it, but we have made other arrangements.”

Valor took in a long shaky breath. A warning shot for whatever was about to come next.

“We can leave for tonight, but further discuss this between ourselves as far as tomorrow night goes.” Elwin said hurriedly. “It is a very generous offer you’re making, and as it is we’re imposing on our friend. We’ll be back in the morning to let you know our decision.”

Elwin, however, was an entirely different story.

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Prin shot him an exasperated look. He was willing to let the spoiled boy cry it out. Although he supposed if it got bad enough they may not have a job to come back to the next day.

Valor released the breath he was holding in a sigh. “Tomorrow for breakfast we should have apple tarts. Then, I will help Prin work on the library.” He turned his head towards the direction of Prin. “I have ideas about how the books should be arranged.”

“I’m sure you do.” Prin said.

*

Once they were finally outside, walking away rapidly lest they be called back, Elwin started to laugh. Then, he just couldn’t stop.

Prin took his hand and squeezed it, casting a concerned look at him. He clearly seemed hysterical.

“I’m not sure if the job is worth it.” Elwin finally said, once he had caught his breath.

This finally passed the contagion on to Prin and he began to laugh along with Elwin. “And you – You would have us there day and night!”

“It would be extra pay! To get us off the island sooner!” Elwin said.

“Yes, except that arrogant boy will put me in a box and lock it so that I’ll never get off the island. The only thing I could do is read aloud, from a series of increasingly bizarre books. With a cat sitting on my head.” The prince said. “Actually on second thought, what’s so bad about that?”

“Stop, my stomach hurts!” Elwin clutched his belly. “Too much laughing after all that good food.”

“Seriously though, why would you say we would discuss it? I was satisfied with a firm refusal.” Prin said, sobering up.

“Don’t you feel for him, just a little?” Elwin wondered.

“Of course I do.” The prince said. “He can’t even read books! I don’t know what I would do . . .”

“I was thinking more along the lines of him being a lonely boy, kept in a tower. Even if it’s not a literal tower.” Elwin said thoughtfully. “Don’t you think his acting out is mainly frustration?”

Prin was silent for a long moment as they walked along toward Mama Kris’s. “He has a loving family, though. It seems like they would do anything for him, to make him happy. I’m not sure why he’s lonely.”

“They don’t understand him though.” Elwin said.

“That’s so insightful.” The prince said. “And empathetic. I love that about you.”

Elwin’s cheeks turned red. “I learned it from you.”

“Of course, you aren’t the one he wants to lock in a box and throw away the key.” Prin said.

“True enough!” Elwin said, laughing again. “That’s why it will have to be your decision if we take them up on their offer.”

Just as Prin was thinking he was already feeling comfortable here, not that he wanted to get too comfortable, they rounded the corner onto the main street and Mama Kris’s place came into view with its unmistakable pinkness. And a man ran towards them on a direct collision course.

The man had dark hair with a receding hairline and a narrow pinched little face, his eyes bulged out with terror as he ran. Prin could tell that the man was too far gone to even see them right in front of his face, so he pushed Elwin aside, the two of them practically falling over in an attempt to get out of the way.

Two large men followed him, one of them jabbing the prince out of the way with his elbow as he went past.

Elwin looked at Prin with wide eyes. Should they say something? Do something? Or just pretend nothing at all was happening?

Prin didn’t know how to respond to this, since he didn’t even know what was happening, and besides was still recovering from the scare of almost being run over and the elbow to the ribs. He could feel a firey lick of something rise through his body, but he tried to tamp it down. Not now, not here, this didn’t even involve him.

The first man caught up with the runner and grabbed him by the back of the shirt. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Nowhere!” the cowardly man said. “I just gotta go home to get my wallet!”

The second man stopped along side them and punched him in the stomach. “You don’t steal from Mama Kris. You got that? Is that what you’re trying to do? Steal from Mama Kris? Did you think that was a thing that was done? Huh?” He was a big bruiser of a man with a face like a slab of rock and fists to match. Perfect for his position in life, in other words.

“No! I wouldn’t do that! I got it. I got the money. I-I didn’t expect to lose that much, I got caught up in the game. I didn’t mean it!” The running man said, gasping for breath.

The large man punched him again. “Maybe she don’t care about your money anyway. It’s more the principle of the thing at this point. Right?”

The other big man, still holding onto his prey by the shirt, nodded solemnly.

“No one takes what belongs to Mama Kris.” The stone faced man said. “If you don’t have the money, we’ll take it out of your hide and call it even.”

“That was a lot of money.” The solemn man pointed out.

“Then we better get started.”

“No! No!” The running man, who would not be running again for a long time, if ever, cried and begged as they proceeded to take turns beating him into the cobblestone street.

Elwin clutched Prin to him and put his hand over his eyes.

The prince thought that was very quaint and sweet, if somewhat silly under the circumstances. He watched the man be pulverized just a few feet away from where they stood, through a gap in Elwin’s fingers. Prin wondered just how much money it had been.

The flames, the tendrils, in his stomach roiled and churned, stretching, straining, expanding. Chuckling, laughing, sighing, as they tasted the fine mist of blood that Prin breathed into his lungs. As they watched the man’s head split on the rocks. What a waste of good food.