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“Hey, look who’s here!” Leon called.
A general cheer rose from his brothers as Belle dragged me by the hand to the gardens. She’d arrived earlier in the morning, just in time to hear the tail end of my recounting of Chevalier’s late-night visit, which, of course, meant I had to tell it again, and then she had to tell us all about her blossoming romance with Rio. Now, with her pulling me from the front and Theresa pushing me from the back, I was breathless before we reached the tables of food and drinks positioned around the central courtyard in the gardens, and then Leon grabbed me by the waist and picked me up, spinning me around before he set me back on my feet.
“Are you all trying to put me back in a sickbed?” I asked, laughing.
“‘Course not,” Luke said, his large hand patting the top of my head. “We’re just glad to see ya up and about.”
“This calls for a toast,” Jin said, raising a glass.
“Wait, wait, the princess doesn’t have her drink yet,” Belle interrupted. “Champagne?” she asked, glancing back at me as she studied the assortment of bottles available.
I shrugged. “If that’s what you suggest.”
“Ah, that’s right, you’ve never had alcohol before, have you?” Clavis asked, his golden eyes glittering with mischief as he swirled his glass of orange juice. “This could be interesting.”
“Ignore him,” Yves said. He turned his bright blue eyes on me, his haughty, irritable expression softening immediately into a warm smile. “I hope you didn’t eat a big lunch.”
“Little Evie’s been cooking and baking all morning for you,” Nokto said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “He’ll be terribly disappointed if anything isn’t to your liking.”
“Did you make all of that yourself?” I asked, surveying the spread with amazement.
“Luke helped,” Yves said, blushing faintly but glaring daggers at Nokto. “And Licht taste-tested.”
“Here,” Belle said, shoving a glass of champagne into my hand. “Everybody have their drinks?”
“Wait, where is Licht?” I asked. “And Chevalier?”
“Forget about them,” Nokto said smoothly. “Licht doesn’t drink, and Chevalier got in late last night.”
“To Princess Ivetta!” Leon proclaimed, drowning out Theresa and Belle’s giggles.
“To Princess Ivetta!” everybody echoed, downing their glasses. I took a sip of the champagne and wrinkled my nose.
“What are you giggling about?” Rio asked, sliding his arm around Belle’s waist. Her cheeks flushed bright red.
“L-look at Ivetta’s face,” she said quickly as Theresa covered her mouth to stifle her giggles.
“Cute,” Nokto said, poking my nose.
I shrugged out from under his arm, blushing. “The bubbles tickle my nose.”
“So, what’s up with the dress?” Leon asked. “Not ready for the princess get up yet?”
“Maybe she just wanted to match with Belle,” Rio pointed out.
Theresa and I had decided on the dress with the green skirt. It was more comfortable and easier to manage than my new gowns, and, Theresa theorized, a favorite of Chevalier’s.
“I didn’t know what she would wear,” I replied, although the same dress with the red skirt was Belle’s favorite, and she was wearing it today. “The doctor suggested something simple, in case I need to rest.”
“This is easy to get out of,” Nokto commented with a sly smirk that made my blush spread to my ears.
“Nokto!”
“Oh? Is there a story we shouldn’t hear?” Clavis asked hopefully.
“Only that Nokto is a sleaze who will take any opportunity he can get,” Yves said bitingly.
“Alright, alright, calm down,” Jin said. “Try to behave in front of the kids.”
“Kids?” I asked. He nodded behind me, his smile reaching up to his burgundy eyes, and I turned just in time to see a blur of curly brown hair hurtling toward me.
“Ivy!”
Rachel’s squeal and tight hug around my legs brought a wide smile to my face. The entire Stotts family was coming down the cobblestone path, also smiling, and Mrs. Stotts was the next to wrap me in a bear hug.
“Oh, Ivetta, we’ve missed you,” she said, kissing my cheek. “Let me look at you.” She pushed me back by the shoulders, tears filling her dark chocolate eyes, and crushed me into another hug before I could respond. “Oh, I shouldn’t have let you stay home alone that night - and when we heard what happened to you-”
“Alright, Maria, let her breathe,” Mr. Stotts said, putting a meaty hand on her shoulder. She released me, wiping her eyes, and I did the same as I turned to see everybody.
“Let me introduce you to everybody. These are my neighbors, John and Maria Stotts, and Rachel, and Jason, Henry, Ron, Greg, and Fred,” I said, pointing at each boy. They were all in their Sunday best, their brown curls neatly combed, standing stiff and uncomfortable in a row. “And this is Belle, Rio, Theresa, and the princes, Jin, Clavis, Leon, Yves, Nokto, and Luke.”
“Can we eat now?” Henry asked, fidgeting in his dress shirt.
“You can eat. But!” Mrs. Stotts said, stopping the five boys in their tracks. “Mind your manners, stay clean, do not tear your clothes, and absolutely no swimming.”
“Yes, Mom,” they all muttered, dropping their eyes to the cobblestone. I suppressed a giggle at the familiar sight. She was only a little taller than me, significantly smaller than her husband, and Jason had already surpassed her in height, with Henry gaining on her quickly, but she was the authority in her household.
“Alright, go on,” she said.
The boys stampeded for the food, amidst much laughter from the princes, and Rachel tugged at my skirt.
“Hold me?”
I squatted down to smooth her curls. Explaining that I was out of bed for the first time in six weeks and probably too weak to pick her up was far too complicated for a five-year-old to understand, so instead I said, “You’re getting kind of big for me, Rachel.”
“But you’re not too big for me,” Leon volunteered. “Wanna sit on my shoulder?”
She nodded enthusiastically, and he picked her up, tossing her into the air and catching her again while she giggled.
“Oh, that girl is spoiled,” Mrs. Stotts sighed.
“She doesn’t know a stranger,” I agreed, standing up again. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Well, of course we were coming. We couldn’t refuse an invitation from the king, now, could we? I only wish it could have been sooner, but I didn’t think you could manage that bunch. Fred, use a fork!”
“Chevalier invited you?” I asked, feeling the blush creeping into my cheeks again.
“Evelyn was right. He’s very fond of you,” Mrs. Stotts said, putting a hand on the back of my head and running it down my hair like she always did, just like I was another one of her kids.
“Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” Mr. Stotts asked Leon. He was a bear of a man, somewhere between Yves and the twins in height but as broad and muscular as Jin, and he was the biggest pushover I’d ever met. Rachel had him wrapped around her little finger.
“Hm, maybe,” Leon said with a casual shrug, winking at me to keep quiet. I smiled and nodded, but I didn’t think it would be long before Mr. Stotts realized he’d seen Leon down in the city before. Leon was hard to confuse with somebody else.
“Where’s my Prince Charming?” Rachel asked.
“Well, you can take your pick,” Leon said, turning so she could see his brothers.
“That one,” she said, pointing at Nokto.
Leon laughed. “You’re a little young for him, but sure. Hey, Nokto, you’re up.”
Rachel scrambled out of Leon’s arms and into Nokto’s before he had time to do more than widen his crimson eyes in surprise. She studied his face intently and sighed in frustration.
“You look like him, but you’re not my Prince Charming,” she said, disappointed.
Nokto’s eyes narrowed again, and he grinned. “Hm. I might know who you’re looking for. Licht, someone wants to see you,” he called.
“What?” Licht grumbled, popping his head out from behind a rosebush next to the dessert table. His eyes widened when he saw Rachel.
“Put me down! Put me down!” she squealed, struggling in Nokto’s arms.
I put a hand over my mouth to hide my wide smile. Nokto set her down, and she bolted for Licht, hugging his legs tightly. “Pick me up! Pick me up!”
He sighed reluctantly and scooped her up, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“I missed you.”
Belle and Theresa let out a unanimous, “Aw.” All the princes were smiling, including Licht, that sweet, innocent smile I’d seen before when Rachel was sitting in his lap by the river. The Stotts boys, however, gave Licht and Rachel a single glance and went back to raiding the food.
“Why, Licht, you rascal,” Clavis commented.
Mr. Stotts walked over to Licht and Rachel, clearing his throat. “Young man, what are your intentions for my daughter?” he teased. Licht’s cheeks reddened further, and his eyes darted away.
“Daddy,” Rachel chided.
“Now, how did that happen?” Nokto asked, coming alongside me.
“Well, you see how she is. He escorted me home on my lunch break one day, and she just latched on to him,” I explained.
“I haven’t seen him smile like that since we were kids,” Nokto mused, sipping his champagne.
“Me, neither,” Yves said. “Have you eaten anything, Ivetta?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’ll get you something,” Theresa volunteered. “Would you like anything, Mrs. Stotts?”
“Please, call me Maria,” she said. “I’ll come with you. What is that? It looks delicious.”
The two of them walked off, with Yves following to tell them what each dish was, and as I surveyed the scene, it occurred to me that somebody was missing.
“Where’s Luke?” I asked. “And Henry?”
“Up a tree,” Jason said, coming over with a plate full of food. “You okay? We heard you got hurt really bad.” His eyes flicked over to Nokto, and the set of his jaw made it seem like he was accusing him somehow. I gave him what I hoped came across as a reassuring smile.
“Yes, but everybody’s been taking good care of me, and I’m feeling much better now. Have you gotten taller? Something seems different about you.”
“I’ve been helping Dad at the shop,” he said, straightening up proudly.
“Ah, that would be it. You’re getting some muscle,“ I said. Then, to Nokto, I added, “Mr. Stotts is a blacksmith.”
“I see,” Nokto said. “But what I don’t see is how you were always in trouble with them for neighbors.”
“‘Cause she’s stubborn and won’t ask for help,” Jason supplied, his grin mirroring Nokto’s.
“I asked for help plenty of times,” I defended myself. “Jason was very helpful when I started working at the palace, running errands for me all the time. I still have that blanket you got for Mother.”
“Well,” he said, dropping his gaze shyly and shrugging.
Nokto chuckled. “You’re cruel, Ivetta.”
“What?” I asked, surprised.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Let me get you a refill,” he said, reaching out for my glass, and then arms wrapped around my waist from behind and pulled me flush against a very familiar form.
“No need,” Chevalier replied for me. I blushed and smiled up at him.
“Hello, Chevalier.”
“How long have you been standing?” he asked, his crystal blue eyes as soft as his smile.
“I should probably sit down,” I conceded.
“Now, there’s a smile I’ve never seen,” Nokto mused, lifting his champagne glass to his lips again.
I suddenly realized everybody was looking at us, and my cheeks flushed warmer. Chevalier removed one hand from around me and slid the other to my hip, guiding me toward a table Theresa had set with plenty of food.
“Your highness,” she said, smirking. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her in public. Chevalier pulled a chair out for me, and I sat down, my stomach too full of butterflies to care much about the food in front of me.
“Just get up, Chev?” Clavis asked.
“‘Course he just got up,” Jin said. “What’s your poison, Chevalier?”
“Champagne,” Chevalier replied from his seat beside me.
“Theresa, this is a lot of food,” I commented.
“Well, it’s not just for you,” she replied, gesturing to the other empty chairs around the table. “I thought you’d have company.”
“Hey, Theresa, help me round up these kids and we’ll give them a tour of the palace,” Leon said. “Licht, you’re coming, too, since that one’s stuck to you.”
Rachel was, indeed, still in Licht’s arms, and it didn’t look like she’d be letting go of him anytime soon. Luke hopped down from a tree, followed by Henry, whose hair was now mussed with leaves sticking out of it.
“Same rules,” Mrs. Stotts declared. “Leave your plates here and don’t get lost.”
“How are we supposed to go swimming inside?” Greg pointed out.
“You aren’t,” she said, plucking the leaves from Henry’s hair.
“Show them my room, too,” I told Leon. “No hanging off the balcony.”
“There’s a balcony?” Ron asked excitedly.
“Yeah, there’s a balcony,” Leon said. “Right up there. You can wave to your parents when we get there. Alright, everybody ready? Let’s go.”
The noisy bunch of children left, led by Leon in the front and herded from the back by Theresa, Luke, and Licht, and the gardens suddenly fell silent. Yves looked aghast at the table that used to be set with all the food he made.
“I thought I made enough…”
“With five growing boys, there is never enough,” Mrs. Stotts said, patting his shoulder sympathetically. “Mind if we join you?” she asked me.
I glanced over at Chevalier. “No, not at all.”
It was strange, talking to Mr. and Mrs. Stotts in the palace gardens, sitting next to the king, with commentary provided by the princes. Belle and Rio wandered off to be alone, and without the kids around to provide a distraction, I was the center of attention. Questions about what happened to me predominated, which I answered as evasively as possible, preferring to redirect the conversation to news from the village, what I was learning from Sariel in my lessons, even Mother’s funeral - anything other than those miserable two days in that dungeon and the lasting damage I was still recovering from. It was almost a relief when the kids came back and the Stotts announced they had to go.
“Take care,” Mrs. Stotts said, engulfing me in another crushing hug. “And don’t be a stranger. You can come back and visit anytime.”
“I will. Thank you for coming.”
Chevalier took my hand as they left, tugging me in the opposite direction. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Belle and Rio are in the gazebo at the back of the gardens,” Clavis supplied, his golden eyes as mischievous as his smirk. “But there are other romantic spots available. If I may suggest-”
“Thank you, Clavis. I think we can figure it out,” I said, blushing furiously.
“Careful with her, Chev. She’s still fragile,” he called after us.
To my surprise, Chevalier chuckled. I peeked up at him shyly, my cheeks burning hotter when I saw the sparkle in his crystal blue eyes.
“You’re still too easily embarrassed."
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