Vayu woke up in the morning. She woke up late, but she woke up. He had spent the night lying next to her, his hand on her waist to feel the rise and fall of her breathing. After confessing that she was fond of him just as he was, she’d fallen asleep in the few seconds it had taken for him to process what she said. He hadn’t been able to sleep even for a second, and he had been looking at her when she woke up, with a slight groan and wiping the sleep out of her eyes. When she did, Cheran moved closer to her and embraced her.

  Vayu was warm in his arms, and when she realized his arms were around her she didn’t pull away. Instead, she moved in closer.

  “Good morning,” she mumbled, her lips pressed against his collar. “I told you I’d be better in the morning.”

  The stain on her fingers was almost gone, and she looked fully recovered. There was a healthy redness to her cheeks that he hadn’t seen in weeks. Cheran called out to the guards at the door, and servants made their way in.

  “Let the emperor know that the crown princess is doing better. Call the physician to come examine her, and maids, for her morning bath.”

  “Do I smell?” she asked.

  “What? No, I only wanted you to be in more comfortable clothing. You’re in the same day dress from yesterday.”

  Some wall between them had collapsed with the new attempt on her life. She was less composed in front of him. Perhaps they both realized that they might not have the time to take smaller steps towards each other. So instead they were sprinting to each other, falling into a comfort and closeness they didn’t feel the need to acknowledge.

  He stepped out of bed and stretched. There was now more work to do. She might still not be out of the woods. It could be some slow-acting poison that would take her life silently and suddenly in a few hours or days. But for now, he had her.

  “I’m going to meet my father, explain the situation, do a few things, and come back quickly,” he promised her. He grabbed his jacket off a nearby chair and slipped on his boots. He looked at her maids who had just come in. “Take good care of her, and call me if anything happens.”

  Before he could second guess himself or over think it, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and left the room.

  Obal was outside. He was still nursing a bruised shoulder, but he was otherwise normal. Whatever had been targeted at Vayu, it was only meant for her. There were more than a few scholars working on finding out what had happened to her. Samples of her blood were being examined, but were yielding nothing. The substance, whatever it was, had dissipated like it had never existed. Oddly, even Vayu seemed fine.

  She had been in pain, appeared on the verge for a few hours, but all that was gone like it was a dream. She was laughing and smiling like everything was perfect. Excluding the doubt about her continued mortality, everything was perfect. She didn’t hate him for the emperor’s plan. In fact, she was a fan of the plan to take over her home country. She liked him too.

  She was sharing herself with him. He had thought her infinitely patient, forgiving, and kind. He would have loved her even if she was all of those things, but she was not so simple. She had a twisted sense of humor, was calculating, and had big plans like his father did. Cheran paused mid-step on his way to his father’s rooms. She was very much like the emperor. It was only that she had so far been given no power to make decisions, but despite her powerlessness she knew about her country’s economy, had plans on how to fix it. She did not let sentiment hold her back, or fear of her own reputation.

  Cheran chuckled to himself. It was true that people ended up marrying their parents. He had always imagined he would end up with someone like his mother, who had been sweet and amiable every day of her life. Instead, he was with someone who was seizing life’s every opportunity with both hands and digging in with her nails.

  The guards announced his arrival, and he entered his father’s chambers.

  “She’s doing well, for now,” he said.

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  “Good,” the emperor said. “I hope you can understand that both of you are forbidden from leaving the castle’s premises until further notice.”

  “Completely understood,” Cheran said. He wasn’t even planning on letting Vayu leave their manor until they knew what had happened, or found who was responsible. Now they had two crimes to solve, and absolutely no leads.

  “I have news that Lord Dhravan is recovering from his illness,” Emperor Avyan said. “We might have to move soon. I know the princess might be hesitant to go to war against her home, but if we wait we will only be giving Noumin time to recover. The power structure is unstable now, but it might not be for long.”

  “She’s in favor of your plan,” Cheran told his father.

  The emperor was looking over the massive map of Fessia, drawing a long stick along possible routes they could take to the border for their initial attack. He dropped the stick on hearing Cheran’s words.

  “She knows that it will be better for Noumin to be under different leadership,” Cheran said with a smile.

  “Smart girl,” the emperor said, picking up the stick and dusting it off.

  “She wants to help however she can,” Cheran continued. “I think she knows more about Noumin, as an insider, than we do.”

  “I’ll visit her tomorrow then, and see how she might be able to help.”

  Cheran had nearly become engaged to other women before. Some of the daughters of lords in Daivia were equal to princesses of other nations in status and beauty. His father had approved of some of the young women, tolerated some others. Cheran and the young women were in brief, chaste relationships before breaking it off. They were not relationships at all, but courtships so prim and proper there was no scope of possibility for them to find out the other’s true selves. They spoke about the least controversial things, went to whatever plays were popular in the capital, attended parties together. It was always in public, and Cheran hadn’t realized how important mutual solitude was in getting to know a person.

  Vayu was talkative now, but it had taken her weeks to show herself. Before, they’d sat in the library or in their rooms with books as their companions. He noticed the small things about her, her habit of wetting her finger before flipping a page from time to time. He knew that she took off her shoes when she settled down to read and tucked her feet under her legs for warmth. He knew that she liked to sleep on the side of the bed closer to the window, and that she liked to open the window during the night sometimes, even if it was winter, because she ran hot. He knew she had a birthmark at the nape of her neck, and that was something even she might not know.

  They were such small things, such simple things, but so intimate. Maybe that was what love was. It was shared secrets and shared time. Suddenly, he wanted to go back to her. His father was busy planning out more routes they could take for the vanguard to reach the border. A few seasoned soldiers— he guessed they were generals, walked in, and Cheran used their presence as an excuse to leave.

  When he returned to their manor, Vayu was sitting in the parlor. She was bathed and dressed in a sage green day dress. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, falling in damp waves all the way to her waist. The physician was collecting another vial of blood, and she winced as he removed the needle from her arm.

  “You’re back!” she said. She smiled wider now. It was not the restrained smiles she used to give him, the kind of smiles women gave when they were afraid their true smiles and true laughter detracted from their beauty.

  “I’m back,” he agreed, taking a seat on the sofa next to her. Maids came into the room with towels and started to dry her hair. Vayu leaned against the back of the sofa.

  “I still feel better,” she said. She looked better too. She had lost weight after the poisoning, but today it was almost easy to forget how long she’d been bedridden, how difficult it had been for her to even walk short distances just a few days before.

  “My father will be visiting us tomorrow,” Cheran said.

  “Regarding the—”

  “Regarding your health,” Cheran finished. It was true that the castle was the safest place possible, but one couldn’t be too careful when it came to secrets. Somehow someone had found out about their whereabouts twice. He didn’t need that person knowing their future plans of war.

  “Of course,” Vayu said, understanding. “We could go to him if he would prefer that. I think I’m up to the task.”

  “I’m sure you are,” Cheran said. “But there’s no need. It’s only a short walk from the main building to here. I believe my father hasn’t seen this manor either, after the renovations.”

  His father did not care for renovations. Something was either good enough or it wasn’t, and considering he doled out both prizes and punishments with equal generosity, the work done for the royals tended to exceed expectations more often than not. They had lunch in the parlor, and afterward they made their way to Vayu’s chambers. The servants waited outside.

  Cheran fell onto her bed, and motioned for her to lie down next to him.

  “I’m not very tired or sleepy now,” Vayu said.

  He gave her a look. “I am. Just lie down next to me. If you feel tired, or feel like anything is wrong, wake me up.”

  She looked like she had a retort, but held her tongue. Instead, she followed his instructions and laid down on her side next to him. He wanted to stay awake for a few moments, to have a few snippets of conversation, but the tiredness caught up with him and he succumbed to sleep, the last thing he felt being fingertips against his hair.