The smile that answered him was shy and amused and eager all at once. “Yeah,” Kade agreed with a nod, and he leaned forward to press their lips together once more.
For all his bravado out in the field when they had been alone, over the course of the next several days Florian tried to back off a bit, and Kade seemed content to let him. So while Kade taught him how to shoot a bow and arrow—touching him in a way that was more intimate and more often than necessary—and they often ended their afternoon with a walk hand-in-hand through the quiet, empty parts of the garden, he did not try to kiss Kade again. Kade, for his part, didn't press any further either.
Hehadasked to take it slow, Florian told himself. It wouldn't hurt for him to have some small measure of self control. So he was patient, trying to enjoy the little shared moments that they had whenever they had them. Besides, the last thing he wanted was for Jerah to know they were... whatever they were; and it would be a lot harder to hide if they were making out in every dark corner they could get themselves into. But Jerah only occasionally went out into the gardens from what Florian could tell, spending most of his time in the library, or the study, or elsewhere in the castle—so his and Kade's early evening walks went on uninterrupted.
It was around a week later that a knock came at his door after dinner. Florian was sitting at his writing table, flipping through one of the books that Jerah had given to him. When he got up to open the door, he was surprised to see Tatiana standing there.
“Good evening, Florian,” she said with a pleasant grin, and Florian blinked in surprise, before smiling nervously in return. Of late, he had only really seen her at breakfast, so for her to come to his room was unusual.
“Oh, uh, hi,” he answered, opening the door a little wider, but she didn't move to come in. “What's up?”
“King Jerah asked me to let you know that he's planning on having the two of you and Kade set out on your first expedition in three days,” she said. “Jerah wants to have something of a feast the night before with the townsfolk. Is there anything specific you'd like to eat or drink at the feast?”
“Oh,” Florian stammered. This was all news to him, and he took a moment to process before speaking again. “I didn't realize we'd be going so soon. Um, I don't really know about the feast or food or whatever... I'm not picky, so anything is fine.”
“Great,” Tatiana said with a nod. “I'm surprised Jerah hadn't told you, although sometimes he can be impulsive. He very well may have just decided on his own today.”
“I guess I'll ask him about it,” Florian sighed. “And I'll start packing, too.”
“That's a good idea,” Tatiana agreed with another nod. “If you need help, feel free to ask. Even the spectral servants should be able to help you, but I'd be happy to help you pack, too.”
“Oh, I don't think I'll have that much, but thank you,” he stammered, shaking his head. He watched her go until she had turned down the far hallway and disappeared around the corner, before closing the door behind him with an embarrassed groan. He had not seen Tatiana often, but still—why was it so awkward to talk to her?
He planned to ask Jerah about their departure the next morning, but the man beat him to it when he sat down to breakfast.
“Ah, there you are!” he heard Jerah's voice calling from the doorway, just as he'd started to eat. “I'm glad I caught you, Florian. I wanted to let you know that we're going to be heading out in three days' time.”
“I know,” Florian replied flatly, glancing up at him. “Tatiana told me last night.”
“She did?” Jerah asked, the admission taking him by surprise. “Well... Drat. I thought I had asked her not to mention anything until today. Well, ah, surprise!” He chuckled as he sat down across from Florian. “I take it she told you about the little feast I'm planning, too?”
“Yeah, she asked me if there was anything specific I wanted to eat,” he replied, stifling a laugh as he said it. “I couldn't name half the stuff I've eaten here, but it's pretty much all been good, so I just told her anything is fine.”
“I wanted to give you a little bit of a heads up before the feast,” Jerah said, barely seeming to hear Florian's words as he continued to speak in a rush. “Well, most of the fae folk won't really know who you are. That you're my son.”
An unsettled feeling started to come over Florian at his words, and he set down the mug he'd been about to take a sip of coffee from. “What does that mean?”
“Well,” he started, then sighed, rapping his knuckles nervously on the table. “Back then, when I had sent you away to August's, I... Well, I thought it was best if no one knew where you had gone. So I... I let the populace believe you had died.”
A long moment of silence stretched between them. An icy chill spread from Florian's fingers up to his chest, and he couldn't speak for the ringing in his ears.
“You faked my death?” he finally managed to say. The cold sinking feeling in his stomach was quickly replaced with hot anger. “Is that what you're telling me?”
“No, no,” Jerah said, shaking his head. “No, I... I didn't fake anything. I let them assume, and I didn't do anything to... correct it when the rumor spread.”
“You faked my death,” Florian breathed, pressing his face to his hands. “Oh my god. That's why the people in town—I thought they were looking at me weird because they thought I was a prince, but they have no idea who the fuck I am at all, do they?”
“You went to town?” Jerah asked, suddenly looking confused.
“That's not the point!” Florian exclaimed. “Jesus. Why didn't you tell me this sooner?”
“I didn't know how,” he admitted, and in that moment his tone sounded absolutely anguished. “There's no good way to bring it up, Florian, but I'm sorry. I didn't know how to say it, so I'm saying it now. And I had hoped that at the feast, I could make an announcement that youaremy son, the prince. The Changeling prince.”
Florian shook his head, at an utter loss for words. What could he possibly say to that? How was he supposed to react? He wasn't even sure what exactly he was feeling, though it certainly wasn't good.
The sound of someone clearing their throat in the doorway snapped him from his thoughts, and he and Jerah both looked up to see Kade standing awkwardly in the doorframe. Even with his expressionless face, it was obvious to Florian that he could tell something was going on between them.
“Good morning, Kade,” Jerah said briskly, gesturing to the table. “Come, join us for breakfast?”
