My second carriage ride to Lumina was much better than the first. Instead of Kindle and I ignoring each other for the full two hours, we spent the whole trip talking and laughing.

As soon as we had both climbed into the carriage, Kindle had grabbed my hand and tugged me right up against him. He'd wrapped his arm around me and I'd let my head fall against his shoulder, careful not to disrupt Serpina's work on my hair and makeup.

"I like this," Kindle mused, his finger tracing the lace of my sleeve.

"Faye did an amazing job, as usual." I nodded. The dress she'd made me for the dinner was simple, empire-waisted, and made of bubble-gum pink silk. It had short sleeves, patterned in a floral lace.

"No, not the dress, this." Kindle pulled me closer to him, "Us. But the dress is nice too."

Kindle and I hadn't kissed in front of Faye like Carlyle had wanted us too, but just the sight of us holding hands was enough to get a reaction from Faye.

She'd tried to play it cool, but about half an hour into discussing the design of my new dress with me she erupted into a fit of giggles, a broad smile on her face.

"Is something wrong?" Kindle asked her, his tone overly casual.

Faye simply covered her bright red face with her hands as she continued to giggle, and whispered through her fingers, "Can I please plan your wedding?"

As the carriage grew closer to Lumina, I slid myself away from Kindle to stare out the window at the brightly lit skyline. "How does that work?" I asked, "The Abandoned Order's castle is lit with mostly torches, but the entire central city of Lumina is lit with bright electrical lights."

"Steam power," Kindle replied. "They have a giant steam-engine deep under the city. It powers all of Lumina, and even supplies a small amount if power to the outlying territories. That's why we have a refrigerator and some electric lights in our castle."

I nodded, taking in this new information. I had a feeling that part of Seraphim's plan for revenge on King Jareth involved taking out that engine. "Is that why all of those skyscrapers have chimneys?"

"Right, but it's not smoke coming from them, it's excess steam," Kindle nodded. "It must take a thousand workers for them to power that engine. Something that big would require a constant, powerful heat source."

"And you would be the expert on heat," I glanced over my shoulder at him. "Because of your fire thingy," I moved my hand around, wiggling my fingers like fire in an attempt to illustrate what I was talking about.

"Yeah, because of my 'fire thingy'," Kindle smirked. He mimicked my hand motion, only when he did it a tiny flame danced across his fingertips.

"Are you ever going to tell me what you are?" I asked, turning away from the window completely.

"Maybe," Kindle shrugged, "Is it really that important though?"

I laughed, "Yes, it's important! I mean, I sort of want to know what kind of inhuman creature I'm kissing."

After a moment, Kindle nodded. "I'll tell you, eventually... probably."

I rolled my eyes, "What, are you afraid I'll avoid you once I know?" I joked.

Kindle surprised me by nodding. "Yeah, kind of."

What exactly was he?

A stretch of silence passed and I returned to looking out the window. We were in the city now, so I could see all the beautiful gowns and suits the citizens of Lumina were wearing. Some of them were dressed fancier than others, and I even picked out a few people wearing jeans and sweaters.

"Are you excited to see Prince Casimir again?" Kindle asked. He said the word "prince" like it was an insult.

"Yes, I am." I replied honestly. "Cas is a wonderful person, and I doubt he's capable of the things his father did. He's too nice."

Kindle shook his head, "Royalty is Royalty. Either they are corrupted, or they are killed. There is no in between."

"You can't base an opinion like that on Seraphim and Lydia alone. They were corrupted, as was Jareth, but that doesn't mean Cas will be."

Kindle shrugged, "Then he's taking the other option, I guess."

I glared at him, "You're such a pessimist." 

"I don't know how it works in your realm, but here pessimism is synonymous with realism." Kindle replied, just as the carriage pulled up to the front of the palace. "Remember to find out more about Prince Casimir's future plans, I think that's what Seraphim wants most."

"Alright," I nodded, "See you."

There weren't as many carriages this time, so I assumed the dinner was a more private event than the ball had been. The same footman as at the ball opened my carriage door and extened a hand to help me out. "Welcome back, Miss," He said.

"Thank you," I smiled, allowing him to help me onto the street. The heels I wore this time were much shorter, which was a big relief. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to walk in normal shoes.

This time when I was lead into the ballroom, the dance floor was covered by long, marble tables. Along the walls of the room were table after table of all kinds of foods: meats, cheeses, breads of all shapes and sizes, and a very tempting pile of cream puffs.

"Introducing, Lady Jacintha of Gallifrey!" The herald at the top of the staircase announced. Just like during the ball, no one grew quiet or turned in my direction, but this time the prince was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me with a huge smile on his face.

"Hello," I smiled when I reached him, sinking into a quick curtsey.

Cas surprised me by pulling me into a tight hug. "I was worried you wouldn't attend," He admitted, straightening up and separating us. He wrapped his arm around mine to lead me through the small crowd to the head table. Raini was already seated between Tobias and a heavily jewel-clad young man I assumed to be her fiancé. Next to them was a woman I guessed was Queen Amaranth. She looked almost identical to Raini, but her auburn hair was longer and her face was careworn with laugh lines.

When Cas and I approached, the four of them all rose to their feet. Raini smiled brightly and waved to me.

"Mother," Cas said to the queen, "I'd like to introduce to you Lady Jacintha of Gallifrey."

"Ah yes, the maiden you spoke of after the ball," The queen regarded me with a wary expression, "You're from Gallifrey, you say?"

"Yes," I nodded politely. I was unsure what to do. Should I curtsey? I opted for a sight head-bow "Your Majesty."

"I've never heard of it." Queen Amaranth said bluntly.

I was immediately filled with panic. Of course the queen would know Gallifrey was a made up location! "It's a... very small and relatively new territory," I said lamely, working to keep the nerves out of my voice.

The queen nodded, though she didn't seem convinced. "Clearly," she stated, before turning her attention back to her son. "Will you do the honors of beginning the meal, Dear?"

"Of course, Mother." Casimir said politely. He led me to the seat across the table from Raini, where he pulled the chair out for me. Once I was seated, Cas pulled out his own chair-- the one next to mine and across from Tobias's-- and remained standing in front of it. He lifted his water goblet, which I'm sure was made of crystal, and very lightly tapped his spoon against it.

Everyone fell silent, awaiting what the prince had to say, and the few people who remained standing quickly claimed seats.

"Dear friends, I'd like to thank you all for attending. We are ready to begin the meal now, so please, in an orderly fashion, help yourselves to the wide variety of food our skilled cooks have prepared for this occasion. Servers will be around with beverages. Enjoy!" Cas finished with a smile. It amazed me how eloquently he could speak when performing his princely duties, as compared to his nervous and bumbling speech when he carried on casual conversation.

Once he was finished, he sat down and immediately turned in my direction. "I apologize if my mother offended you, she is very untrusting of new people."

I smiled at him, "I'm not offended don't worry."

"Good," Cas sighed, "It's funny, actually. She's under the impression you're some sort of spy!" He shook his head, laughing.

I laughed too, and I had to stop myself before it began sounding hysterical. "Funny," I repeated. If Cas found out the truth, he'd probably never speak to me again. Or worse, he'd have me executed for conspiring with The Abandoned Order, a "terrorist organization."

"Anyway," Cas began, "What have you done in the week since we met?"

I was relieved with the change in subject. "Mostly I prepared to meet you again, as embarrassing as that sounds." I said, and it wasn't a lie. Kindle and I had gone over proper table manners so many times I had ended up seeing it in my dreams.

Cas smiled brightly, his face flushed. "That's um, very sweet, actually." He glanced away from me nervously.

"God, Cas you could at least try to hide it!" Raini cackled.

"H-hide what?" He asked his sister, his face rivaling the deep red of the table cloth.

"The fact that you're majorly crushing on Lady Jacintha, duh!" Raini rolled her eyes, before leaning across the table to stage-whisper to me, "He hasn't shut up about you since he met you! It's getting really annoying because he knows so little about you, he's mentioned the color of your eyes at least five times."

"Really?" I gasped. I glanced over at Casimir and saw he had his head down, like a toddler being tattled on.

"Rainette, Dearest, it's not lady-like to lean over the table." The jewel-clad young man sighed.

"Sorry my love," Raini replied, her voice oozing with fake sweetness. "I often forget my gender. Thank heavens I have you here to remind me." She smiled, patting his hand.

On the other side of Raini, Tobias rolled his eyes.

The sarcasm must have been lost on the young man, because he simply straightened up and nodded, a look of pride and superiority on his face.

"Anyway, Lady Jacintha, would you like to, um, like to go get food?" Casimir asked, his face slowly returning to a normal color.

"Yes please," I smiled.

Cas stood from his chair and held his hand out to me to help me up.

"Me too!" Raini exclaimed, jumping to her feet as well and circling around to our side of the table, "Come along, Tobi."

"Yes Princess," Tobias nodded.

The four of us got in line for the buffet, and though many people offered to let Cas and Raini in front of them, they both opted to stay at the end of the line.

I could never see either of them becoming corrupted, as Kindle had insisted. They were too good to become like their father.

At the thought of the king, I realized he once again wasn't present. I tapped Cas's shoulder to get his attention. "I don't mean to intrude, but why wasn't your father at the ball or at tonight's dinner? Does he not like making public appearances?" I asked.

Cas shook his head, "No, that's not it. He um... He..."

"He's sick." Raini cut in, casting her brother a glare.

"Right," Cas nodded. "He has been ill since the war, and so all public appearances and official duties have been left to our mother."

For some reason, I was not entirely convinced that was the truth.

"I see," I nodded. We reached the food then, and all conversation was halted as the four of us loaded our plates. I only grabbed the foods that were familiar to me, as I wasn't entirely sure what some of the Shadow Realm's food tasted like. I especially avoided the substance that looked like purple mashed potatoes.

"What's this?" I asked, pointing to one of the meats. It looked similar to beef, but the color was lighter, and it looked almost iridescent when it caught the light at a certain angle.

"Unicorn," Cas replied calmly, loading a few slices onto his plate.

I'd always wished to see a unicorn. I never imagined I'd get that wish, and the unicorn would be on a plate with parsley. I had to hold the table to keep myself from fainting.

"Is she okay?" Raini giggled to Cas, also spearing a slice of unicorn meat. She tilted her head, looking at me with a smile, "You look pale, Jacintha."

"I um... Sorry..." I collected myself and smiled back thinly, "It's just that I'm a vegetarian."

Raini nodded before turning her attention back to the spread of food and engaging in idle chitchat with Tobias.

"I wish I'd known you were a vegetarian," Cas said, his expression nervous. "I would have made sure we had more non-meat options."

"It's fine," I replied, "I'm good with pasta... and cream puffs." I force myself to walk past the steaks I'd been waiting to eat. I should have come up with some other excuse.

The evening passed quickly and I learned as much information about Cas as I could, trying my best to ignore the suspicious stares I received from the queen. Soon the ornate clock above the staircase chimed eleven o'clock.

Raini yawned, stretching dramatically. "I'm full and tired. Goodnight everyone!" She chirped, pushing away from the table. "Goodnight mother," she said sweetly, placing a kiss on the queen's cheek.

"Goodnight, angel." The queen smiled.

"Tobi," Raini called, gesturing for him to join her.

"Yes Princess," He said, as usual. Honestly, I hadn't ever heard him say more than that. He left the table and followed her from the ballroom. I watched as they disappeared around a corner, Raini nudging Tobias's shoulder playfully.

"Those two seem close," I noted quietly to Cas.

He nodded, "He's her body guard, it's his duty to remain at her side always."

"How old is your sister?" I asked.

"Fifteen," Cas replied quickly. 

"And Tobias?" I continued.

"Sixteen, he's only a few months younger than me."

"And if Raini decided she wanted to marry Tobias instead of her fiancé... That would be frowned upon, correct?" I pressed, a theory coming together in my mind.

Cas nodded fervently, "Raini knows she can only marry royalty; Tobias is a knight. Besides, she seems to be quite enamored with her betrothed." But from the way he stared at the corridor the two had disappeared down, I could tell my theory was correct.

Princess Rainette did not love her fiancé and she never would. Her heart belonged to Tobias.

Cas and I continued conversing until the clock tolled midnight. At that time, Cas stood and clanged his glass again. "This concludes our banquet." He announced over the hush. "I would once again like to thank you all for attending, and I hope to see you again soon. Have a safe trip home!"

The crowd murmured their thanks and praise before slowly dispersing.

Cas smiled sadly at me and took my hand.

I rose to my feet, tilting my head slightly upwards so that I could catch his eyes. It amazed me that a sixteen year old could be that tall.

"Again I say goodbye to you, dearest Jacintha," he sighed with a pained expression. "You came into my life so suddenly, and just as suddenly I find myself unwilling to let you go. Please say you will attend the next ball, I will beg on my knees if necessary," Casimir insisted.

"You might have to," I joked, "If only so we're eye-level."

Cas smiled, "The next ball is three days from now, please attend."

Three days. I would most likely still be here three days from now. In fact, I was sure I would be. I sighed teasingly, "So soon? Is hosting balls and banquets all you royal folk do?" 

Cas escorted me from the ballroom and outside, where my carriage stood waiting. "Joking aside, dear Lady, it would please me greatly if you attended." His ocean eyes looked on the verge of tears and I was reminded how much he resembled a baby giraffe.

"I will be there, Cas, so please don't cry," I insisted, smiling brightly at him. "Why is it that our goodbyes seem to turn into invitations?"

"Because we are meant to be?" Cas guessed, his tone hopeful as he kissed my hand. "This shall be the longest three days of my life," he sighed, opening the carriage door for me.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow," I added dramatically, before realizing that they didn't have Shakespeare in this realm and so Cas wouldn't get the reference.

I climbed into the carriage, waving to Cas as it sped away.

"He really seems to like you," Kindle noted, a twinge of sourness in his tone.

"He likes Jacintha," I corrected. "In fact, I think he's in love with her."

Kindle nodded in agreement, reaching a hand out for me. I took it, sliding close to him. "Did you learn anything?" He asked.

"Some," I replied, "and there's another ball in three days."

Kindle considered this, then said, "I think that will be the last of them. Seraphim's plan-- whatever that is-- will be going into effect soon."

I nodded, leaning my head on Kindle's shoulder and closing my eyes.

Three days.

I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that those three days would be the beginning and the end of everything.