"Surely, we don't have to go to this. Let's just stay here."

"Maren, it's a party in your honor, we have to go," Donovan said, planting a series of kisses on the back of her neck. "But I do appreciate your willingness to stay in bed with me."

Maren sighed. "I've grown rather fond of being in bed with you, I like it much more than parties," Maren told him. "And it's not as though you are inspiring me to get out of bed."

They were curled together like spoons in Donovan's bed. He was tucked behind her and kept kissing her neck and caressing whatever part of her happened to be most convenient. It had been a fairly debaucherous day, what with the two of them retiring to bed shortly after luncheon, but Maren had no complaints.

As Maren's departure came closer, Donovan seemed to do less and less actual work and instead spent more and more time with her. She had no complaints about this either. She was glad for any of the seconds they had together. They all seemed like the best seconds of her life.

"But, parties are fun!" Donovan insisted.

Maren rolled her eyes. "I maintain this is a strange party. Everyone is going to pretend that I'm leaving under perfectly normal circumstances when the reality is that my contracted time as palace courtesan has run out, and I can now marry someone of a higher status thanks to my Crown-sponsored dowry," Maren said.

"Yes...that's true, but there will also be twinkling lights and the sparkling wine you like," he said.

"And besides," he added thoughtfully, "The Selection isn't all bad. I never would have found you otherwise."

He held her more tightly when he talked about finding her, and Maren's stomach felt like it was full of fluttery things. The way that Donovan made her feel special had been so unexpected. He made her feel even more than that, she felt treasured. 

"When you're king, please do away with it, though. It's really ridiculous," Maren said, choosing to ignore her very strong feelings for the moment.

"Hmmm...no, I'll keep it, but I'm going to change it. No one has to come or pay the tax ever again, but the Duchess of Worthingham is to be the King's permanent mistress," Donovan said loftily.

Maren laughed, "I don't think that's the Selection anymore, I think it's just an affair."

Donovan sighed, "Ah... I wish...but I would like to get rid of it. I'll admit, I didn't feel all that strongly about it before. I didn't like it, but didn't see a significant issue with it in general. But then after what happened to you and Lady Callista and even Caroline all those years ago...no good comes from it."

Maren nodded in approval. Perhaps more than one positive thing would come from her time at the palace.

"But in any case, everyone adores you and wants to wish you well, so the least we can do is show up, drink wine, and then leave early to go to bed together," Donovan said.

"All right, all right, I'll go get ready," Maren said, sitting up reluctantly. 

She turned around to look at him and put her hand on his chest, "But please, no toasts."

He laughed. "I make no promises," he said.

"Well, just expect there will be consequences if you do," she told him with a wink. And with that, she went to her rooms to make herself ready. 

She dressed in a sort of gauzy blue dress with a jeweled waistband. It was long and flowy, with fluttery sleeves that made her think of butterflies. She thought she had also worn it to the very first dinner she had had with the King and Queen. Truly, that seemed like a lifetime ago. 

She thought about having Lucy come fix her hair, but decided to do it herself instead. She knew it was silly, but she felt like bringing someone else into the apartment might somehow burst her bubble of happiness. So, she sat in front of the mirror at her vanity and pinned her hair up in something like an elegant updo.

When she had finished, she went out into the receiving room where Donovan was waiting for her dressed in a black suit and deep blue tie. Maren thought he was very handsome. Of course, he almost always wore black or dark grey suits, so she usually thought he was very handsome.

Donovan rose and smiled when he saw her. "I shall never tire of watching you walk out of that door. I swear you are lovelier each time," he said.

Maren blushed. She never knew quite how to respond to his compliments. They always seemed so lavish. This time she settled for a smile and said, "I thank you, Your Highness" in the slightly mocking tone she reserved for use of his proper form of address in private those days.

He came to her and kissed her firmly. He took her hands in his and looked her in the eyes. He looked very serious.

"I know I've said this before. But I have to say it again. You are far more than a courtesan," he said.

She smiled, "Oh, I know, I was mostly joking."

"I'm not." His voice was soft, but he spoke his words very firmly.

Gently, he cupped his hand to her face.

"I love you, Maren. And... I know there's no way...but I'd marry you tomorrow if I could."

"Donovan..."

"No, no, I know we just discussed this yesterday. But I don't know of any other way to tell you how much you mean to me," he said.

Maren couldn't help but smile. She still didn't think he truly wanted to marry her, but she knew he meant it and that she did mean a great deal to him.

"I'd say yes," she said.

There was no way for her to marry him, but it didn't stop her from wanting to.

They kissed again, this time with great passion. Maren wrapped her arms around Donovan's head and dug her fingers into his hair, trying to pull him close to her. He held her firmly around the waist at first, but then his hands began to roam her body. She felt Donovan begin to stir against her and began to think she might convince him to skip the party after all.

"My lady," he said, pulling back slightly. "I do believe you're trying to make me forget my other obligations."

She laughed. "Well, you can't blame me for trying."

"Hmmm, well, I applaud your efforts," he told her with a grin. "But let's go before you miss your own party."

He held out his harm to her. "Shall we, my lady?"

She couldn't help but smile at their little joke.

"As you like, Your Highness."

—

It actually was a nice party. Donovan had been right, and there were twinkling lights and the sparkling wine Maren liked. The hors d'oeuvres were excellent and so was the music. Maren thought it was close to perfect. The only thing she would change would be to have everyone who wasn't Donovan and her to leave. Well, she supposed Alec could have stayed, at least for a bit.

After they arrived, Maren and Donovan paid their respects to the King and Queen—Maren was rather touched they came—and then began moving through the crowd. Maren tried to at least say hello to everyone, which did get rather tiresome as almost every conversation was nearly identical.

First, they all said some variation of: "I cannot believe it's been nearly a year since you arrived, Lady Maren!"

"It has gone by quickly," she would tell them.

Then they would offer some delicate congratulations on her engagement. The content of this tended to vary depending upon if it was a man or woman she was speaking to. The women usually said something like, "And what a very fine match you have made. I congratulate you!"  While the men said something about how they themselves were familiar with the Duke: "The Duke of Worthingham and I have been acquainted for many years. He is a fine man indeed. I wish you well."

Either way, Maren said more or less the same thing:
"Thank you, I'm very much looking forward to the wedding," Maren said. Strictly speaking, it wasn't true, but it was what they expected to hear.

And then she would murmur her excuses and move on to the next person and have the same conversation again and again and again.

After the hundredth or maybe thousandth time, she found herself with no one immediately before her to speak to, and amused herself at the idea of speaking truthfully to someone. She could only imagine the face of some poor courtier if she said instead, "Oh, thank you for your congratulations, but as it turns out I'd really rather stay at the palace with the Prince but unfortunately, the other Prince wants to arrest me and that would be rather awkward so instead, I'm marrying a good friend's father and becoming a step-grandmother overnight."

Probably something she'd best keep to herself.

"And what are you smirking about?"

Alec had come to stand by her, and, most fortunately, came bearing a glass of wine for her.

"Ah, nothing really," she said, taking the glass and nodding her thanks to Alec. "Just sometimes it amuses me to imagine what would happen if I said something completely inappropriate."

"Ah, perish the thought. Surely, the kingdom would crumble without propriety!" Alec said dramatically.

She laughed.

"You don't seem to be hating this quite as much as your birthday, though," he observed.

"No, it's really lovely," Maren said. "Perhaps not my first choice of activities, but it is very kind of everyone."

"And are you doing all right otherwise?" he asked.

"You mean, am I going to be able to leave the palace in a week and get married in three? Yes, I'll do what needs doing."

"Maren," he sighed. "I know you'll do it. I want to know if you're all right with it."

She shrugged. "I'm both very happy and very devastated. It's confusing."

"You two appear to be having a discussion that is entirely too serious for a party," Donovan said, approaching them.

Maren couldn't help but smile and leaned into him as he put his hand on the small of her back.

"Well, not anymore," Maren said.

Alec shook his head, "You two slay me. Enjoy yourselves."

Maren and Donovan both shrugged, and Alec shook his head again before leaving to speak to someone else. She didn't mind the extra bit of privacy.

Now that it was just the two of them, they bent their heads together so no one else could hear them.

"Are you having a good time? This isn't like your birthday where I'll find out when it's over you hate going away parties, is it?" he asked.

Maren laughed. "No, it isn't. Although that did end up being a good party."

"I liked the after-party," Donovan said.

Maren looked at him skeptically. "You mean the part where I cried hysterically and then fell asleep on you?"

"Well, not exactly...but it was the night I began to realize I was madly in love with you," he explained.

"Oh... I didn't know that," Maren said, her heart beginning to thump rather strongly at his words.

For a moment, they just looked at each other, and Maren let herself feel nothing but the joy of being in love and having that love returned.

"Well," she said when the moment had passed, "I think tonight's after-party will be a lot more fun."

He smiled at her, "I'll hold you to that."

She and Donovan were still leaning close together when they heard a very unwelcome voice nearby.

"Lady Maren, I believe I have yet to offer my congratulations on your engagement," Kieran said.

They turned towards him, but Donovan kept his arm protectively on her back. Donovan plastered a smile on his face, so their conversation did not appear to be an argument to anyone who might be watching.

"No one wants your congratulations, Kieran."

Maren tried to glare at Kieran defiantly, but wasn't sure she was successful.

"I just wanted to remind you that, no matter what you think, this still isn't over," Kieran sneered.

And then he turned to Maren and said, "This only ends with you in chains."

Maren hoped her face was impassive and did not reflect the terror she felt.

"But goodbye, for now, I'm sure I'll be seeing you before too long," he said with a sickening grin.

Maren began to tremble as he walked away.

"Wait just a few minutes and then we'll leave," Donovan said quietly to her.

He took her wine glass, presumably, so it was not as obvious how much she was shaking.

--

The after-party following her going away party was not very fun. Maren was a bit too shaken and Donovan a bit too angry for them to do much of anything. So, they held each other tightly and tried to sleep soundly.

The next morning, Donovan had to go to the council meeting that morning, so Maren took out some of her frustrations with a hard, galloping ride on Snowdrop. It was satisfying, even if it didn't actually help anything. It would likely be her last ride with the very fine horse, and it had been a good one. She was glad to have a pleasant farewell with her.

She was disappointed that Mr. Gregory was not in the stables when she returned with Snowdrop; she had wanted to wish him farewell. But she decided she would come back another day for that. There was still time.

The assistant grooms were also nowhere to be found, and Maren was alarmed. Normally, she would have taken care of the tack and brushing down Snowdrop, but she did not think it wise to be in the stables alone.

"Sorry, girl. I'll get you in your stall, and then I have to go," she said to the horse.

Snowdrop was an amiable creature and did not seem to mind. Maren closed the stall behind her and rushed out of the stables.

Everything seemed to be all right until she saw two palace guards standing outside the door she normally took to go back into the palace. She glanced around and saw two more nearby on the grounds.

She tried to tell herself they were just regular palace guards. Except she had never seen them outside that particular door, and she knew at least some guards were Kieran's people.

Her heart began to race, but there was nothing she could do. If she ran, they'd catch her, and she thought it would look too suspicious if she did. So, she walked to the guards at the door with as much dignity as possible.

"My lady, Prince Donovan asked us to retrieve you. There's been a threat, and he wanted us to take you to a safe place," the guard said.

Maren did not believe that for a second. If Donovan had thought she was in danger, he would have come himself.

"Very well, I thank you. Please — lead the way," she said.

She knew it was very likely they were taking her to Kieran. She tried not to tremble.

One guard lead and the other walked very close to Maren, close enough that he would have been able to stop her if she tried to run.

She tried to think through her options. She didn't have many, but she thought the best thing she could do was play along, pretend to be nothing more than a normal courtier, and get away if she could.

She hoped someone would see the guards leading her away, but the only people they passed in the halls were more guards. They seemed to be taking her on an indirect route; perhaps they had made sure the halls were clear.

Maren tried to think. There was very little she could do, but she could drop something. Her watch? Maybe, possibly, someone would see it.

She took it off as quickly and stealthily as possible. It did not appear the guard beside her noticed.

She thought they were taking her into the oldest part of the palace. There was a sort of threshold where the newer sections met the older sections. She dropped the watch towards the end of the newer section. It was the best she could do.

It made a soft thud on the carpet and fortunately, neither guard noticed as they crossed over the threshold.

The oldest part of the palace allegedly went back to the founding of the kingdom. Maren had only been there once before, it was mostly unoccupied. Most of the palace had been built and rebuilt through the centuries, but the temple to Malen was mostly untouched.

Worshipping the gods had gone out of fashion centuries ago; apart from some linguistic remnants, no one believed the gods had any impact on them anymore. The general consensus was that if they ever existed, they had left the world to its own devices long ago.

But the Minister of Culture still insisted that the temple in the palace be preserved. It was unnaturally cold in the room, and Maren shivered when the guards brought her in. The walls were stone bricks and not plastered over or decorated in any way. There was very little inside the room, just a few wooden benches and a stone statue of what was supposed to be Malen.

"You'll need to stay here, my lady," one of the guards said. "We'll be posted outside the door."

She nodded. "Thank you," she said as they left.

It seemed odd thanking the men who had more or less kidnapped her, but, she knew she needed to keep playing along.

Her situation was not good. She was in a windowless room with a guarded door. Escape was not possible. Not only that, but no one knew where she was. Donovan would likely notice she was missing, but possibly not for a few hours. It was extremely frustrating, but there was nothing she could do but wait.

She knew Kieran would arrive eventually. She hoped the worst he would do was say something cruel and then let her go.

It didn't seem very likely, though.

She remembered what he said to her the night before: "This only ends with you in chains."

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the fear that was rising in her. She could not let Kieran terrify her before he even saw her. She would not do what he wanted for him.

Instead, she sat down on one of the benches and adopted an attitude of irritated impatience while she waited.

--

"Your Highness?"

Donovan looked up to see his clerk at the door to his office.

"Lady Maren sent word that she'll be staying out with the horses the rest of the morning," he said.

Donovan nodded. "Thank you."

He was surprised, but he couldn't complain. As much as he wanted to spend time with her, he really needed to catch up on some correspondence. Even after working for an hour, he still had a stack of important items to deal with.

He sighed. It didn't really seem significant, not compared to her.

He was trying very hard not to count the days that Maren had left at the palace, but he did. There were six.

He was determined to enjoy them to the fullest extent possible, even if it was also deeply painful. He had promised her he wouldn't mope, and he intended to stand by that promise.

He would mope plenty when she was gone.

But, she deserved to take the time she wanted with the horses, particularly after the unpleasantness with Kieran the night before.

He growled involuntarily at the memory. As much as he hated to admit it, he would feel better when Maren was away and safe from his brother.

The morning passed slowly and in something of a dreary haze, but finally, it was time for him to leave to go to luncheon. Seeing Maren would substantially improve things, and he had some pleasant aspirations for how they might spend the afternoon together.

"Oh, Your Highness, I forgot to tell you, the guard said you shouldn't expect Lady Maren until after luncheon," Mr. Morano said.

Donovan was instantly alarmed. "The guard?"

His clerk nodded. "It was a guard who brought word."

Donovan nodded curtly and rushed out.

He had assumed it was a groom who brought the message to Donovan. He knew Maren wouldn't tell a guard anything; they didn't know who belonged to Kieran and who didn't.

He rushed to the stables. It was possible a groom had given the message to a guard.

He knew he was wrong when he saw Snowdrop in her stall.

"How long ago did Lady Maren leave?" he asked a very startled Mr. Gregory.

"Ah, I'm not sure, Your Highness. At least two hours ago, but we didn't see. The guards said they needed to inspect the stables, and we all had to leave. Snowdrop was in her stall when we came back," he said.

Donovan's heart nearly stopped. Two hours. Maren had not been out with the horses all morning.

He didn't even stop to answer Mr. Gregory's question asking if everything was all right. Instead, he ran back to the palace. He'd check his apartment and if she wasn't there...

He hoped she'd be there.

There might have been some sort of miscommunication. Someone misheard or something. She might have been in his apartment waiting for him.

She wasn't.

He burst into her rooms and his rooms calling her name but no one was there. He stood frozen for a moment, hardly able to breathe.

His thoughts, what thoughts he did have, were choppy and fragmented.

She was missing.

The guards were involved.

Kieran had her.

He had to find her.

Where was she?

He needed help.

Alec. Alec was help.

He ran out of his apartment and straight to Alex's office. He burst in without knocking.

Alec was examining the throat of a little girl while her mother stood beside her and gave Donovan a very annoyed look.

"It's an emergency! She's missing," Donovan cried.

Alec nodded curtly. "One minute," he said, and then motioned for Donovan to wait outside the office.

It felt like the longest minute of Donovan's life. He was trying very hard to stay calm, but doing a terrible job of it.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. Alec ushered out the mother and little girl and held the door open for Donovan. He quickly told Alec how long Maren had been missing and how he knew.

"Kieran?" Alec asked.

"Has to be," Donovan said. "Guards are involved."

"Where do you think he'd take her?"

Donovan shook his head. "I don't know. Gods, he can make himself invisible. He might have taken her anywhere. It's been two hours!"

He felt frantic. How could he have let this happen? He should have never let her out of his sight.

Alec put his hands on Donovan's shoulders.

"Breathe, man," Alec said. "You can't help her if you're not thinking straight."

Donovan nodded and tried to shove aside his panic. He needed to focus.

"Let's assume she's still in the palace," Alec said. 

Donovan nodded. That made sense. Kieran may not want to take the risk of moving her somewhere if he already had her.

"We'll find her," Alec said. "We just need to think it through."

Donovan closed his eyes and nodded.

They would find her because they had to.