Page 32 of A Filling of Fables and Firelight

“And when people find out that their ruler can’t read, I suppose they’ll just console themselves with the knowledge that at least I can deliver a well-timed joke at a party?”

Rana let out a long, slow exhale. He’s spent his whole life believing lies about himself, and it’s not going to change in just one conversation. She reached out, giving his forearm a comforting squeeze. “Anyone who knows you can see how intelligent you are. It was one of the things that annoyed me the most, because you were so smart and I couldn’t understand why you didn’t seem to care.” She paused for a moment as a thought struck her. “Did your father know?”

Kamaran stared at the place where her hand touched his arm. “He might have suspected something was wrong, but I never said anything. I didn’t want to give him any more of a reason to be disappointed in me.”

“Your father loved you, Kamaran. I think, if anything, he would have been happy to carry your burden with you.” She squeezed his arm again. “Thank you for trusting me with it.”

He lifted his head slowly and when his eyes finally met hers, they were dark and vulnerable. “You don’t think I’m a mistake? That someone else wouldn’t be a better choice for the throne?”

“I think Abba made you exactly as you were meant to be,” she said firmly. Then, wanting to bring the usual confidence and light back into his eyes, she lifted a teasing brow. “And really, it’s only fair. You needed at least one flaw to balance out your charm and good looks.”

Her words had the desired effect, and the hint of one of his devastating smirks pulled at the edges of his mouth. “You think I’m that good-looking, huh?”

Rana gave an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “You own a mirror, Kamaran. I think you’re already well-aware of what you look like.”

“Yes, but it’s much more satisfying to know that you’re also aware of it.” After a breath he added quietly, “Thanks, Rana.”

She returned his smile with a genuine one of her own, and in the moment of silence that followed, she registered for the first time that he was missing the fine, well-tailored clothes he normally favored, and was instead clad in a loose white tunic and linen trousers the color of sand dunes. His feet were bare, giving the moment an element of intimacy that felt both strange and yet perfectly natural.

Rana slid her hand down his arm to his fingers and pulled him into the room. “Now, as much as I would love to continue this conversation in the doorway, you did just get up for the first time after being skewered and you should probably sit down.”

“Why?” He followed her without resistance, though the slow, careful way that he lowered himself into the chair that she had already designated in her mind as “his” caused a pang of guilt in her chest for keeping him standing for so long.

“You mean you don’t want to hear what happens next?”

“I do,” he answered quickly. Zade jumped into his lap as soon as he was settled, and his hand immediately sank into the fox’s soft fur. “I just wasn’t sure if you would want to finish it.”

Rana scooped up her embroidery hoop as she took her own seat. “Are you kidding?” she asked, giving him a cheeky grin. “I’ve just realized that your sad deficiency in stories probably extended far back into your childhood, and you have a lot of catching up to do.”

“I suppose I’ll have to trust your expertise in this matter.” Kamaran gave her a soft, lazy smile as he leaned his head against the back of the chair. He looked so comfortable and cozy, with the flickering light from the fire dancing across his face and Zade curled up on his lap, and there was something about his presence that just felt right in a way that Rana wasn’t sure she was brave enough to think about too closely. Her heart felt settled for the first time since their argument over a week before.

She picked up her needle. “When the shock of the woman’s disappearance wore off, Prince Kamden looked around the garden to find that he was completely alone…”

Chapter Seventeen

KAMARAN

The tension from Kamaran’s shoulders lifted the closer he came to Rana’s room. Despite the fact that he knew they likely wouldn’t have time for their nightly story and conversation as they had had the past five days, he had purposefully put Rana last on his list of wedding planning meetings so that he would still have something to look forward to at the end of the challenge.

And while he would deny it if pressed, he was curious to see what Rana would come up with. He was sure, given her obvious love of fashion, that the dress would take precedence, but he had no doubt that even if she spent all the money on her dress, everything would come out tasteful and beautiful.

“Is there a reason you don’t want me to deliver these to the council of judges yet?”

Startled from his thoughts by the reminder that his page was still walking beside him, Kamaran stopped and turned. He held out his hands for the bundle of papers that he had slowly been adding to over the last three days.

Jasper looked at him dubiously. “You’re not supposed to be carrying anything for at least a month still.”

“The weight is hardly enough to even notice. Besides, I’m just walking down the next hall.” He wiggled his fingers.

“Then I’ll carry them down the next hall. And you didn’t answer my question.”

Kamaran sighed and started walking again. “I don’t have to. I’m your Sultan, not your charge.”

“Right. Sorry, Your Majesty. I was just going to say…oh, never mind.”

He looked over at the page from the corner of his eye. “What?”

“It’s nothing. Probably a silly suggestion, anyway. You wouldn’t want to hear it.”