“We just have to help her.” Prin said.

Elwin and Prin had stretched out on their blanket bed on the floor, but unlike the previous night, sleep wouldn’t come. They held onto each other, wide eyed in the dark. The prince’s eyes in particular picked up the sheen of every little scrap of light from under the shed’s door, through its slats, as wet blue as a watery grave. All night.

The beating they had witnessed had, of course, put an extra fine point on everything Jules had said. Leading Elwin’s take on the situation to be that they should have as little to do with Mama Kris, her establishment, and Aster as humanly possible. Which he thought was a common sense take, although he wasn’t all that surprised when Prin disagreed. There was nothing that could be said or done to get him to abandon his friend.

“We have to keep each other safe.” Elwin said softly. I have to keep you safe. “We can’t help others if it means we’ve put ourselves in that level of danger. You saw what happened to that guy . . .”

“Oh, Elwin, we can’t be that way.” Prin said. “I can’t live with it.”

Elwin was silent. He hugged the prince close and patted his back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. Would he have to go counterproductive to Prin’s wishes if it meant protecting his life?

Finally, Aster returned. Elwin supposed it was just regular working hours for someone in that industry to stay out until three or four in the morning.

“Shhh, go back to sleep.” Aster said, stepping over them with her dainty red shoes.

“Aster!” the prince hopped up, evading Elwin’s grasp, and ran to Aster. He gave her a big hug. “I’m sorry.”

Aster reached up and patted his head. “What’s all this about, bunny?” She cooed. “Come talk to me while I get undressed. It’s been a long day.” She took his hand in hers and walked over to the vanity to start her nightly ritual of un-becoming.

“I was worried about you.” Prin said sheepishly. He sat down on the bottom edge of the bed. “Is everything alright?”

“Come back to bed. Leave her alone.” Elwin said.

“Oh! You’re awake too? No, it’s alright. I like the company.” Aster said. “You two seem to be in a state. I take it things didn’t go well with my captain? What a shame.” She sighed, leaning her head on her hand, while removing ornaments from her hair with the other.

“No, that went okay.” Prin said. “We got the job. And I think his son really likes me.” He made a face. “Or really hates me. Who can tell.”

Aster laughed. “I have never met the son. Only the daughter. Of course she didn’t know of my connection to her father but still. Isn’t it too bad how the nicest people have the worst time with their children? Or maybe they ruin them with the niceness. I could never be a parent.”

“He offered us a place to stay in his home and I think we should take it.” Elwin hated to put Prin on the spot but he was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to mention it at all.

“Oh? So the captain must have really taken to you. That’s great!” Aster said.

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

“No, but, I don’t want. . .” Prin said. “I don’t want to leave you here.” Prin said. “It’s not safe for you here.”

“You silly, what are you talking about?” Aster placed all her jewelry in the vanity drawer and washed her face. Completing each step in order, by rote. “What did happen today? If it wasn’t about Captain Thompson, what was it?”

Prin exchanged a look with Elwin, before telling Aster all about the beating they had witnessed, and a little about the encounter with Jules.

Elwin wondered if Aster had ever met the captain’s niece, the one family member he was really and truly curious about, but it didn’t seem like the right time to interject with the question.

“The things he was saying about you, I wanted to kill him.” Prin said. “Would that be so bad if I did? Kill him?”

“Who? Jules?” Aster stopped fixing her hair mid braid to stare at Prin in shocked confusion. “Oh no, bunny! Don’t say a thing like that. You aren’t that kind of person, I know you don’t really mean it. Did he scare you that bad?” She reached out to put her hand on Prin’s.

“He called you a dog.” Prin said. “A dog on a leash.”

Aster laughed. “Like I haven’t been called worse. Jules is all bark, don’t mind him.”

“How could you say that?” Prin asked.

“They did kill a man right in front of our faces.” Elwin said.

“But that was just business.” Aster said. She went back to braiding her hair. Just as though this conversation were completely common place and ordinary, nothing to get worked up over.

“Jules was abandoned in the woods by his parents as a young child. And eventually sold to a brothel. He is starved for affection. All you have to do is show him some love and he will eat out of the palm of your hand like a little bird.” Aster held out her open palm in demonstration. She dug around in the vanity drawer and came out with a handful of brightly wrapped sweets. “Candy?” She offered.

Prin took one, but clutched it in his palm, too agitated to eat. “He basically said if you step out of line you will be killed.”

Elwin shook his head no when offered the candy. “Indirectly threatening us at the same time.” He said. “We can’t stay here any more after tonight.”

“I don’t blame you.” Aster said. “I’m sure Captain Thompson has nicer accommodations anyway. What did you expect him to say though? It all comes from Mama Kris, who is his adopted mother. Not him.”

Elwin was doubtful. It had certainly sounded personal.

“Where was she tonight?” Prin wondered. “Anyway?”

“He wanted to meet her.” Elwin said. But not Elwin, he imagined her being like Jules but ten times worse, being the big boss in charge.

“Just if the opportunity came up!” Prin protested. “I’m not going to seek her out or anything.”

“She would be at the fortune tellers, probably.” Aster said. “That witch I was telling you about when we first met?” She stood up from the vanity and shimmied out of her dress, moving past Prin to put it away in the wardrobe.

“Is she far from here?” Prin wondered.

“Well, on the other side of the island, but not that fair really. Especially if you have a horse to carry you. She lives on the wealthy part of the island in a big house, the oldest one on the island, I think. And she works out of her home. Doing, you know, all the witchy things. Fortune telling, curses and blessings, fertility treatments, love spells, communicating with the dead. All the usual racket.” Aster put on her robe and sat down on the bed beside Prin, leaning sweetly against him.

“Mama Kris sees her for, what? Fortunes?” Prin asked.

“Yeah, sure, a lot of the elite of the island do. In fact people come from a lot farther than this little island to consult with Freya.” Aster said. “They can’t get enough of her . . . advice? I am guessing it must be good advice based on the important people who see her regularly.”

The prince put his arm around Aster.

Elwin was not sure what to think about the fascination that Prin had with Aster, or rather, he didn’t think much of it, and was beginning to feel even worse now that the element of danger was invoked. The way that Prin looked at Aster, like something that had stepped out of one of his stories. Like, simultaneously the fairest in the land, the smartest person in the room, and also, somehow, a kitten. Elwin almost made himself laugh with this, and he did wonder if he was over thinking it by a mile.

“So, Mama Kris goes there a lot.” Prin said, contemplative.

“She eats all that stuff up with a spoon.” Aster said. “It’s her one weakness, well, that and maybe Jules.”

“Weakness?” Prin asked.

“You would think she would be too smart for it, but no, when it comes to this witchy stuff she is completely gullible.”