Donovan felt that, all things considered, telling his parents about his marriage had gone as well as he could have hoped. They were angry, but he expected that, but they seemed to take the matter with Kieran very seriously. It was about all that he could ask for.

He was very frustrated with his father for not having already punished Kieran for stealing the powers of his detainees. Telling Kieran to stop and not doing anything to make him stop was the same as not doing anything at all.

Donovan wondered if he should have said something to his father sooner. He wasn't sure it would have made a difference, but it might have. Perhaps some blame rested with him.

Donovan shook his head, placing the matter aside for the moment. He'd worry about Kieran's stollen powers another time.

He went back to his apartment after speaking with his parents, but he wasn't sure what to do. If they were moving outside of Court, there would be a great many things to do. If they weren't, there were still some things to do, but he couldn't do any of them without knowing what his parents were going to do with Kieran.

He supposed he could decide where they would live if they left Court, but was fairly sure it would be his property on the southern coast. And it was already one of the properties he transferred to Maren, so there wasn't much else to do to prepare to live there.

He considered going back to Worthingham to stay with Maren but decided he needed to be available to have an actual conversation with his parents if there were any more questions about Kieran's behavior.

He was considering walking out to the stables to see Maren's favorite horse in hopes the venture might make him miss her less (which he recognized was slightly ridiculous), when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?"

Donovan turned and saw Mrs. Whitley. He hadn't noticed, but while he had been aimlessly wandering around his apartment, he wandered to the door of the suite that had been Maren's and was just loitering in front of it. No wonder Mrs. Whitley thought something was wrong.

"I'm very well, thank you," he said, smiling.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but we all miss her too. I'm sure she'll be very happy at Worthingham," she said, and Donovan was touched that she cared.

"Ah, believe it or not, she's coming back, or we're both relocating, it hasn't been decided," he said and then added when he saw her look of bewilderment, "I'm just back from Worthingham myself. Maren and I got married."

He couldn't help but smile. He was so happy to call her his wife. For the moment, though, he decided to keep the news about the baby to himself.

"No!" Mrs. Whitley said in disbelief.

He laughed. "Yes, we did. She's still there, but we'll decide where to live soon."

"Oh, my most heartfelt congratulations, Your Highness! I'm terribly happy for you both."

"Thank you, Mrs. Whitley. And of course, should we relocate away from Court, we would be delighted for you to accompany us. I expect Maren will want to keep Lucy on as well," he said.

"Why would you be leaving Court?" she asked, concerned.

"Ah...the King and Queen were not altogether pleased and have not yet determined if they would prefer us to relocate for a time," Donovan said.

He couldn't give anyone the real reason for leaving Court, but he thought it likely his parents would want to make it look like a punishment for his disobedience. That was fine.

Mrs. Whitley nodded. "Oh, but you'll need new apartments even if you do stay!"

"Yes," he said with a smile. "Hard to believe I'll be leaving this one after ten years."

"Shall I make a list of what's available? I think there are perhaps two, maybe three apartments that would do."

"Perhaps later. I'll let you know what the King and Queen decide, and we'll go from there. I appreciate it, though," he said.

She nodded. "And I appreciate you marrying a woman who's kind to the staff," she said.

He smiled. Maren was unfailingly kind and respectful to all staff she encountered, and he had always liked that about her. He knew there was more than one person at Court who never bothered to learn the names of the servants.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," he said.

Donovan spent the rest of the day waiting without much patience for the decision to come from his parents about Kieran, but it finally came around tea time in the form of a note from his father.

Donovan,

As much as I am tempted to punish you for your disobedience by sending you away from Court, it is more beneficial to me that you remain here and continue your work.

I cannot, in good conscience, ask you to bring your wife to Court while your brother remains in residence. He will be relocating to a property in the East with your uncle and expected to stay there until further notice. He will be removed from his position as well. Neither your mother nor I are happy about this, but we cannot allow his behavior to go unpunished. He will be departing in a few days and your wife can return.

I expect I shall be rather angry at you for some time and will come up with some unpleasant tasks to delegate to you. However, upon reflection, I find that I am happy that my son has found love. I like Princess Maren very much and am glad to have her as part of our family. And you're right, a grandchild is some consolation.

Father

-

TELEGRAM

TO: AD, WORTHINGHAM

FROM: DM, PALACE

ACHIEVED SATISFACTORY RESULT. PLAN TO REMAIN AT COURT. I WILL SEND WORD IN A FEW DAYS WHEN YOU CAN DEPART.

Maren was extremely relieved to receive Donovan's telegram, even if it contained less information than she would have liked. She knew that Donovan would never ask her to come to Court if Kieran were remaining, so she had to assume he was being banished in some way. So much the better.

"Will you come to Court with me and Alec?" she asked her parents. They were all having a very pleasant afternoon tea on the terrace when she received the telegram.

"Of course!" her mother said.

Maren smiled. She was glad to have more time with her parents.

"You'll love the gardens, Mother, they're beautiful," Maren told her.

She found she was happy to be returning to Court. She was also a bit nervous and apprehensive about what everyone would be saying about her once it all came out, but she'd manage. Court felt rather like home in a way she had never expected it to.

And she would get to see Snowdrop again too. That was something.

"Father, I'll have to introduce you to my favorite horse. Her name is Snowdrop. She's dappled gray and an excellent mount, you'll love her," she said.

"No riding, Maren!" Alec called from across the table.

She looked at him as though he had spoken backward.

"Excuse me?"

"I mean it," he said, "It isn't safe for the baby."

"You cannot be serious!" She could not imagine going without riding a horse for nine more months. That sounded like an eternity.

"It'd be one thing if you had to ride a horse to get somewhere, then I'd tell you not to fall off. But as an optional recreational activity, it's far too dangerous. Especially the way you ride-it's not as though you go for leisurely strolls," Alec said.

She muttered about it being nonsense but had to admit he had a point.

"Trust me, Maren," her mother said. "In a few months nothing will sound less appealing than riding a horse, and by the end even getting on one will close to impossible."

Maren huffed, but she thought that was likely right too. It was hard to imagine what it would be like to have a considerable bump where her baby was growing. She supposed she'd need a whole new wardrobe. Then she realized she wouldn't be able to wear a corset. She wasn't sure what she'd do about that. One did not simply go parading around the Court with one's breasts unsupported.

Her mother was sitting next to her, and she whispered to her so no one else could hear, "What do you wear instead of a corset when the baby gets large?

Her mother smiled and whispered back, "They make ones that expand around the middle. I'm sure you'll be able to get what you need in the Capitol."

Maren nodded, satisfied. She thought it likely that was something she should have known, and probably most women her age did know that. But after turning thirteen, Maren made a conscious effort to learn as little about pregnancy as she could. Now, she felt very unprepared.

"Will you come back when the baby is coming?" she asked her mother.

Suddenly, it seemed essential to Maren that her mother be with her during that time.

Her mother patted Maren's hand and said, "Of course, dear."

"I think we'll stay at Court for a week or so and then go home, but we'll come back when the baby's due. I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to stop your mother anyway," her father said.

Maren smiled, glad to hear that.

"You know, depending upon how things went with the King and Queen, they may want to throw a ball or banquet or something to celebrate your marriage," Jonathan said. "You'd likely want to stay for that," he added to her father.

"Oh, I hadn't thought of that," Maren said.

"A public celebration makes it look like they approved of what he did, and not that the Crown Prince did something disobedient. I expect they'll want to save face, especially if they're sending Kieran away, which I assume they are from the telegram," Jonathan said.

Maren nodded. She hoped that whatever was happening to Kieran was significant enough to keep him away from her. She assumed that Donovan was waiting for Kieran to leave Court before sending due her, and she hoped that happened sooner as opposed to later. It had been less than two days since he left, but it already felt like far too long.

--

After Donovan sent the telegram to Alec, he informed Mrs. Whitley they'd be staying at Court (she was delighted) and then spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the available apartments that might work for them.

Donovan was very pleased they'd be staying at Court. He and Maren had been so happy together there. He was excited to bring her back and finally be free to be together. And he liked the idea of keeping Maren close to Alec while she was pregnant, even if he would probably drive her mad with his fussing.

He wondered how much the baby played into his parents' decision to have them stay at Court. He thought it was at least part of it but Donovan was also pleased to hear that his father valued his work. The King was not the sort of man to make idle compliments.

After dinner, Donovan retired to his sitting room with a glass of brandy and thought about how nice it would be to have a late night brandy with Maren. He had thought he would never be able to again. He just couldn't believe how lucky he was.

While he was marveling at his new life, a messenger arrived with a note from his mother.

Donavan,

Please come to the apartment as soon as possible. Your father and I would like to speak to you.

Mother

It was far later than he had ever been summoned to his parents' apartment, but it had been a day with more than one unprecedented occurrence. He yawned and stretched and made his way to his parents' apartment. Donovan wasn't sure what they wanted to talk to him about but assumed it was related to Kieran.

The palace guards nodded and admitted him to the apartment. He didn't recognize them, but they were always bringing on new people.

Donovan was surprised to find his parents' butler absent but thought perhaps that was normal for the time of day, so he went back to his parent's sitting room where he thought they were most likely to be.

They were there, sitting in their usual chairs. He said hello and came into the room.

Donovan didn't see that his mother's eyes were wide with panic until after he felt the wall of Darkness slam into place behind him. He was trapped.

"Hello, brother," Kieran said.

——

A/N: sorry, not sorry. :D Buckle up kids, it's going to be a bumpy ride.