Paper Rings Part VII

11 March 2995

Walking through the village in the light of day rather than the dead of night, Caleb looked different, almost like another person entirely. It was the first time Marie had seen him in this light since the day they’d met, when she’d seen him struggling with his boat’s ropes on the dock. She hadn’t had a clue who he was then, or who he would become to her. Now, she couldn’t imagine her world without him in it, and she knew that day would remain engraved in her memory for as long as she lived, the emotion prevailing even if the images faded. 

He wasn’t alone as he approached her—General Vance Dove trailed behind him like a shadow, the deep purple of his armor glinting in the sunlight—yet, the look on his face was one of a man preparing to enter a battle with no one at his back. He had to be at least as nervous as she was, if not more so. What they were about to do was not the kind of thing one took lightly. At least, not if they cared.

His muscles were visibly tight as he took extra care to keep the hood of his cloak secure over his head. They were meeting at the fountain in the village market, just as they always did, but especially in the light of day, there was no telling what might or might not happen if someone recognized him. The day was busy enough that it wouldn’t be difficult for a determined person to overtake both him and Vance and get away with it.

“Hi,” Caleb said, slightly out of breath, as he stopped in front of her. His eyes were darting more than usual, from her to the fountain to all the spaces around her head. Anything to avoid direct eye contact and the vulnerability that came with it. 

“Hi.” Marie kissed his cheek and then turned her attention to Vance, whose eyes were focused on the sky. “Hi.”

He looked back down at her and smiled. “Hi,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to crash anything. I’ll just wait outside for you.”

“Of course.” Marie managed a slight smile, her throat twisting too much to grant them much else. Vance was there to protect Caleb, not to insult the integrity of her family, and truthfully, she was glad he was there. It meant everyone would be safer, not only Caleb but her and her entire family.

She took Caleb’s hand as they started to walk, leading him in the direction of her family’s home. Now that she had met his family, it was only fair that he met hers too.

The residential part of the village was quieter than the market, but still busy. Children played in the street, and dogs rolled in the grass. Smells of home-cooked meals drifted through open windows and into the brisk and free outdoor air. Groups of older kids huddled against trees and outside of houses, and adults made their way on foot down the street, some in a hurry, most not.

The Jonas family’s home was near the very edge of it all, neither large nor small by the village’s standards. It had two stories, including three bedrooms—one for her parents, one for her older brothers, and one for her and Archie. It was no palace, but it was more than enough. A space that was cramped at times would always be better than the cold, empty loneliness of a space as large as Martinez Palace.

As privileged as he was, there were times when she pitied Caleb for his situation. Seeing it up close had given her a new appreciation for everything she had—she would never dream of asking for anything more. She would rather live with less and get to see more, to experience more, and to love more. That was the trade-off. 

His hand was clammy in hers, more so than it had been even when they had been escorted into his father’s throne room days earlier. She didn’t blame him. With her own stomach twisting inside and out, it was difficult to keep moving without feeling queasy. 

This was a moment they had both been anticipating since she had spent the night with him at the palace. She knew her family had been too, even if they hadn’t known about it long. She remembered how they had reacted when she had come home and finally told them. They needed to see him to believe this was real.

That night, after she had met the king and queen, she had come home late—late enough that the sun had started to peek out over the roof of her family’s home. Already awake, her father’s head had snapped up from his book, his eyes as shocked as they were confused. He had no idea she hadn’t been safe at home, asleep in her own bed. 

Max had gotten to his feet, staring at the guard who had escorted Marie home, already turning to make their way back to the palace. He had never been one to raise his voice, but in his disorientation, he had half-shouted at her as she shut the door.

“Where have you been?!” he had asked.

She had frozen, knowing her face had to be as white as the petals on her mother’s lilies. There was movement upstairs, coming from either her parents’ room or her older brothers’, maybe both. Her secret wasn’t one that could be kept forever, not if her relationship with Caleb was going to have a real chance at working out. Now that his parents knew, their chances were better than ever. She couldn’t ruin it.

Then, Florian, followed by Theo and their mother, had appeared at the bottom of the steps, Flora pushing past her sons to get a closer look at her daughter. In the otherwise silent house, every movement, no matter how slight, sounded like an anvil slamming against the ground. 

Florian took one look at her, his pale blue eyes thoughtful, and she sensed that somehow, he knew. He knew where she had been, who she had been there with, and why. As the only member of the family that had actually seen her interact with Caleb, he had an advantage. Yet, he remained silent, uncharacteristically so, as he slunk back and allowed their parents to bombard her with questions, interrupted only by Theo’s occasional unwelcome joking comments.

Finally, her parents stopped talking, giving her a chance to answer their many repeated variations of the exact same question: Where had she been? But she couldn’t open her mouth. It was as if she were standing alone against an army. All she could do was look past them, at Florian, hoping the look in her eyes was enough for him to understand she was asking for help.

He straightened from where he had leaned against the bannister at the bottom of the steps, and he said, “You’ve been seeing him, haven’t you?”

She relaxed slightly, although she was still unable to get herself to tell the truth. “Seeing who?” 

If she got her way, he would tell the story for her. She wouldn’t have to say the words.

Florian shook his head and rolled his eyes, although a slight grin had made its way onto his lips. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

Their father turned on him so quickly that Marie thought for a moment that he would surely trip over his own feet. Somehow, he managed to stay upright, his gestures sharp. “And who exactly are we talking about?”

Florian’s eyes flicked back to Marie, who opened her mouth only for nothing but a slight, strangled croak to come out. He looked back at Max, and then at Flora, as he said, “The Prince.”

Even as Marie nodded, nobody believed him. How would the two of them have even come to know each other?

It wasn’t something she could explain. She knew that, even if she told them the entire story, it all sounded too made up. As many times as she had been told how beautiful a girl she was, she was still nowhere close to a suitable match for the future king of an empire. 

But eventually, Flora sighed, her eyes firm on her daughter. “We need to meet him then,” she said, “prince or not.”

A few days later, here they were.

They had reached the house, and Marie’s hand trembled slightly as she drew her key from her pocket and brought it up to the door. Her parents’ approval wasn’t nearly as important as the king and queen’s, but that didn’t mean she didn’t value it. She wanted them to like him and to like her with him. What if they didn’t?

Caleb chuckled, but Marie could tell the humor in it was forced. “That’s not a good sign.”

She paused, looking up at him. The key lingered just in front of the doorknob. “What?”

“You seem just as nervous as I am.”

She couldn’t meet his eyes. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could hardly hear herself talk. “Because I’ve never brought anyone home before.”

At that, he raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“It’s not that surprising,” she said defensively. She turned back to the door. “Had you?”

“That’s different,” he said, suddenly quiet. “You know it’s different.”

Marie didn’t say anything as she placed the key in the lock and turned the doorknob. Slow and cautious, she pushed the door open. Anything else they might have had to say disappeared in the wind. They were entering new territory, and Marie felt as if every move she made sounded like a silence-rupturing scream. Still, she moved forward.

“I’ll be right outside,” Vance said to Caleb, patting him on the back as he followed Marie into the house. 

Caleb nodded and smiled back at him before he shut the door between them. They didn’t look anything alike, but if Marie hadn’t known better, she might have thought the two of them were brothers. Their relationship was not one of a prince and a general under his command. It was more than that, a friendship far stronger than anything purely professional could ever be.

Her own brothers were in the living space near the entryway, their voices jumbling together as they laughed. Florian’s face was bright as he sat on the couch beside Archie, holding the little boy close. Both of them were looking at Theo, standing near the fireplace across from them, positioned almost as if he were putting on a show for them. Most likely, he was retelling a dramatized version of something that had happened to him, and most likely, it was objectively inappropriate to be telling Archie.

The house was dim, lit only by the orange light of the fire blazing behind Theo and what remained of the daylight streaming in through the windows, but it was warm, and it smelled of fruits, spices, and freshly baked bread. She felt Caleb relax slightly behind her. There was nothing here to be afraid of, not like there was in his home.

Marie began to slip her shoes off, adding them to the collection of various sizes and styles of shoes lined up beside the door. Caleb didn’t question her, as she gestured for him to do the same, but his eyes narrowed, thoughtful. 

Taking off her shoes when she entered her house was entirely natural to Marie, a routine thing she had done since she had first learned to walk. But somehow, Caleb managed to make it look like an odd, almost awkward practice, fumbling with the laces on his boots and, once he got them off, accidentally knocking them against the wall as he went to place them beside hers. This, she knew, wasn’t something he’d ever been asked to do.

When they both straightened again, Marie realized the boys’ childish chatter had ceased, and, aside from the sound of her parents moving around and bickering in the kitchen, the room was silent. No longer distracted with each other, all three of her brothers were staring at them: Florian serene, Archie curious, and Theo with a large, unapologetic smirk on his face.

She felt Caleb straighten behind her as he moved to her side. He was a prince—meeting new people was something he was familiar with—but this situation was different from the ones he typically found himself in. He was in someone else’s home. For once, he wasn’t the one in a position of power, regardless of his title.

Flora came around the corner, straight from the kitchen, with Max trailing close behind her. The smile on her face sparkled as she approached Caleb with open arms, not seeming to think about any typical gesture of respect for a prince.

When she took hold of him, he froze. It may only have been an instant, but to Marie, it felt like an eternal instant, and she knew it must have to him too. Flora had met him with the same warmth she would give to any of her children, but his response to it was delayed, like a baby standing and gathering the strength to take its first step.

His eyes somewhere between wide and questioning, he returned the embrace. Whether or not it was a welcome gesture, Marie couldn’t tell. He had never reacted this way to a hug from her, but maybe she was the only one he was familiar with in that way. Maybe he hadn’t had much practice with reacting to warm greetings from others.

It was a strange thing to think about. Both of her parents had always shown their affection this way, holding their children and each other whenever they could. Marie knew Caleb’s parents were more distant, but she hadn’t even considered that they might be cold.

When Flora broke the embrace, she stepped back. “I’m sorry,” she said, her pale cheeks taking on a pink tone. “I shouldn’t have—”

“No.” The look of uncertainty on Caleb’s face was gone, replaced by a smile to match the one on Flora’s face when she had first approached him. “It’s okay,” he said, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I don’t… I don’t want you to treat me any differently than you would anyone else.”

Flora’s shoulders relaxed. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Okay. We can do that.”

Marie couldn’t imagine a world in which she had never been greeted by someone in that way, but that was Caleb’s reality. He was a prince, and that made people awkward and overly respectful around him. But she had to wonder again if his family was cold enough that he had never been hugged that way at all, even by someone he knew. For his sake, she hoped not. A life without the warmth of affection was no life at all.

“I’m Flora,” Flora said, and stepped back so she was no longer blocking Max, “and this is my husband—”

“Max.” Max reached out and shook Caleb’s hand, the gesture firm. He made eye contact as he did it, some message Marie couldn’t quite decipher passing between the two of them in the split second before they stepped back from each other.

Caleb smiled at him, as he had smiled at her mother. “And I’m Caleb,” he said, as if he could possibly need an introduction. 

Watching them was strange. It was like watching two worlds collide, two worlds that she had never imagined would touch. And as she watched, she was held at a distance. Watching, waiting, holding her breath. 

“Here, come.” Flora reached out and took Caleb’s hand. He welcomed it, following like a lost puppy as she turned and dragged him with her into the kitchen.

Marie glanced over at her father. A smirk had come across his face, and when he looked at her, she could see something like pride in his eyes.

“She likes him,” he said.

“She doesn’t even know him yet.” Her parents’ approval was all she wanted, but she couldn’t get past the fear that this was all going to be for nothing. It could never work. And her mother’s love wasn’t something to be taken lightly. If her heart broke, she didn’t want her mother’s to break with it.

“She doesn’t,” Max said, “but she knows things. You know how she can read people. If she likes him already, that means the feeling she gets from him is a good one.” He squeezed her shoulder and then gestured for his sons to follow them into the kitchen. “If she thinks he’s worth giving a chance to, so do I. Take the win, sweetheart.”

Flora had already sat Caleb down at the kitchen table by the time they rounded the corner. Marie claimed the seat at his side, Theo and Archie taking seats across from them as Florian and her parents grabbed dishes of food and placed them in the center of the table. 

There was a fair amount of food, nothing compared to the palace, but copious for a home in the village. They were fortunate. The jewelry business did well enough that they could afford to eat well most days and even splurge every once in a while, as her parents clearly had for this meal. 

“Florian, right?” Caleb asked, as Florian ruffled Archie’s hair and sat down beside him.

Florian looked up at him, almost amused. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you again.”

Marie couldn’t say she wasn’t just as surprised as she knew Florian was. He and Caleb had met once, barely, on New Year’s Eve. Caleb had probably met hundreds of people that night, but he hadn’t forgotten her brother. 

“And this is Theo and Archie,” Marie added, gesturing to each of them in turn. 

Theo smiled back at Caleb, for once keeping his mouth shut. No sarcastic remarks, stupid comments, or borderline distasteful jokes. Marie hoped it was more because he was meeting him for the first time than because he was a prince. She wanted her family to know him beyond that, and she knew he did too. He was just a normal person, nothing special about him. 

Luckily for them, children never knew the difference.

“Do you live in the palace?” Between Florian and Theo, Archie was sitting up on his knees in his chair. He knew not to do that—their mother inevitably scolded him every time—but his siblings knew he liked that it made him taller, allowing him to be on the same level as the rest of the family.

Caleb chuckled. “I do.”

“Are there ponies there?” Archie’s voice was high with childish excitement. “Can you buy me a pony?”

“There are horses, yes,” Caleb said. Marie placed her hand on his knee beneath the table, hoping it conveyed the message she wanted it to. If he wanted Archie to stop questioning him, they could make him stop. But he didn’t seem to mind. “There are a lot of them already; I don’t think we’ll need to buy a new one.”

“But I can have one though?”

Placing a basket of bread down on the table, Max laughed. Flora glared at him, muttering something about encouraging rude behavior under her breath as they took seats at either of the small table’s ends.

“I’m sure you can,” Caleb said. “But I don’t make those rules yet.”

Archie frowned. “Who does?”

“My father.”

“The King?”

“Yes.” Caleb bit his lip. It was subtle enough that Marie doubted anyone else even noticed it, but she did. Leo was far from Caleb’s favorite topic of conversation.

“But when he dies, you’ll be king.”

“Archie,” Florian said sharply, beating their mother to the punch.

“Sorry,” Archie said, but he didn’t sound sorry. His attention was still focused almost entirely on Caleb. “Are you going to marry my sister?”

“I—” A red flush spread across Caleb’s cheeks, and Marie felt the same on her own face as her stomach flipped. Nobody scolded Archie this time. They all wanted the answer to this question. “Maybe,” he said, and glanced over at her, the green of his eyes deep and intense. “I hope so.”

For a second that felt like an hour, the room was silent. They stared at each other, and Marie wished that her entire family wasn’t sitting right there, watching them. But she knew just as well as Caleb did that they couldn’t get ahead of themselves. Now that both of their parents knew, the certainty of their relationship was growing, but it still wasn’t solidified.

Archie was unfazed, still with the energy of a bouncy puppy. “If you marry her, can I be a prince too?” He kept going, barely pausing for a breath. “Do you have to wear a crown? Is it heavy? What if it falls off your head in front of everyone? Will your kids wear crowns? Even when they’re babies? Do you have a sword? Can I see it?”

Theo gave the little boy a light whack over the head. “You’re taking up all the time and attention,” he said, as he took a plate from the center of the table and started to pile it with food. “Let the rest of us talk to him too.”

Archie giggled.

“So,” Theo said to Caleb, his gaze sharp, “what’s it like being a prince?”

Marie glared at him, kicking his shin not-so-softly under the table.

He flinched. “What?”

“You’re an idiot is what,” Florian said.

Caleb grinned and placed his hand over hers. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “They need to get it out of their systems. I can handle it.”

“If you say so,” she said, but the smile tugging at her mouth betrayed the hope that had started to take root in her chest. Maybe this really could work—Caleb with her family and Caleb with her.

TO BE CONTINUED