Page 20 of Yellow Belly

Then he’d been chosen to be the prince’s companion and whipping boy—he’d never known why he, specifically, had been their choice—and he hadn’t questioned that either. Refusal wasn’t an option and, aside from the beatings, his new position was far grander than he could have dreamed of. Eventually, of course, he’d become more than what he’d been hired for. He’d become Stefano’s servant, friend, lover, protector. These were all roles he’d taken on willingly, joyfully. He hadn’t wanted any other destiny and so hadn’t considered alternatives.

But now, well, he still loved Stefano despite the curse. And he would still lay down his life to protect his prince. But what if he could be something more? What if Henry had a part of his own to play in the world? A small part, perhaps, but every community was built of people with small parts: farmers, smiths, craftspeople, bakers, healers, shop clerks, chimney sweeps, lawyers, teachers, artists…. If Henry’s emotions hadn’t been dulled, he might have become dizzy at all the possibilities.

He walked through a small hamlet, thoughts far away, until he noticed that people were staring at him. At first he thought it was because he was a road-worn stranger with a scraggly beard and dirty clothing. But when a small girl pointed at him and laughed, Henry remembered that Stefano was still on his shoulder. He hurried past the scattering of houses and, when he was safely away from prying eyes, knelt beside the road. “Time for the cage again, I’m afraid.”

Stefano made a sad little sound but hopped in obediently when Henry placed the open cage beside him. Henry poured in a little water from his flask to keep Stefano damp. “Are we in Fraysia now?” Henry waited for Stefano’s nod before continuing. “Innisbar was beautiful, I think. I couldn’t fully appreciate it, but I understand why you wouldn’t want it destroyed with mining.”

He covered the cage with the thin cloth and attached it to his bag. As he continued the journey, he spoke as he walked, knowing that Stefano would hear.

“It’s curious. There used to be guards posted at the border of Innisbar and Thanytsia. But now the border has shifted, yet there are no guards on the border between Innisbar and Fraysia. I’m sure this isn’t an oversight on the king’s part—your father does nothing by accident. He must have some reason for it, although I can’t fathom what. I would make a poor strategist, I suppose.”

Well, that was one thing he could cross off his prospective career list, should he survive the current adventure.

They passed through increasingly larger villages as the day went on. None of them displayed anything close to the wealth that was evident in parts of the Thanytsian capital, but there were also few signs of poverty. He vaguely remembered Stefano once explaining that there were no textile mills in Fraysia and no other major industry. It was a small country with a small population, and why King Cyrus wanted it so badly was a mystery to Henry. Maybe greed was all the rationale that some people needed.

Late in the afternoon Henry spied a walled city atop a hill. By this time the road had widened and there was some traffic, although not as much as in Thanytsia. He stopped an older couple who had, he thought, kind faces. “Pardon me, but is that the capital?”

They chuckled and shook their heads. “You’ve two days’ walk more,” said the woman. “Or since you’re young, maybe a bit less.”

That was longer than Stefano had indicated. The mistake could have been due to his usual difficulties with numbers and calculations—or it could be a sign that his human mind had begun to deteriorate.

“Don’t look so glum,” said the man, gesturing toward the hill. “Lonica is a nice place to pass a little time. It’s known to have the best ales in the country, and plenty of lively folks enjoying them.” He followed up with a wink.

“Thank you, but….” Henry gave up on offering an explanation. “Could you recommend an inn for the night? A quiet place, please, but comfortable.” He had definitely had his fill of sleeping on the ground.

The couple seemed to consider for a moment before the woman spoke. “The White Dog, I think. The tariff may be too dear for you, but if you can manage, it should suit you well.”

He gave them as deep a courtly bow as his burdens allowed. “My thanks to you.” And to hold off any questioning—he could see it looming in their faces—he hurried away.

Chapter Ten

Stefano had preferred Innisbar. While they were in the forest, he hadn’t been required to travel in the cage. And when they stopped for a rest or for the night, he’d always found creeks or small ponds to explore and plenty to eat. But poor Henry had to walk, and he’d had little food, plus he’d tossed and turned with nothing but the earth for a bed. So Stefano was happy for Henry’s sake that they were once again in a city.

Not that Stefano had the chance to see much of this city. Henry had kept him in the covered cage until they were inside a room at an inn, and there Stefano had only one small window. He was glad, though, to see Henry sprawled on a real bed, freshly bathed and shaved, and with a set of clean clothing waiting for him. He’d also apparently eaten well. He’d brought Stefano some bits of raw meat that weren’t really necessary, but Stefano ate them to be polite. He wished he had a better way to express gratitude for all that Henry continued to do for him.

But twisting his mouth to form words took a great deal of effort, and since he was also embarrassed by how awful he sounded, he remained silent.

And by the gods, he wished he had a human body so he could touch Henry again. Even a dream with both of them human would have sufficed, but for the past few nights dream-Stefano remained a frog, unable to find the water’s edge or Henry.

Even though Henry was right here and only a few feet away, Stefano feared that he’d lost him.

“I spoke with a few people in the common room.” Henry rolled onto his side to face the window where Stefano perched. “I had to be careful what and how I asked. I didn’t want to raise suspicion. But I was able to glean some information about the Fraysian royal family. You likely knew it already, but I didn’t.”

Stefano didn’t want to think about them—or about royal families in general, for that matter. But this was important, so he croaked softly to indicate he was paying attention.

Henry nodded as if he understood. “It’s just King Verzant and his daughter, Princess Dianora. The people here seem to like both of them very much. They say that they live very simply and rule fairly. They care about the welfare of their subjects. This sounds quite unlike… well, you know.”

Yes, Stefano did know what opinions Thanytsian citizens held about his family. The nobility and the wealthy liked them well enough, he supposed, but only because King Cyrus’s actions tended to favor them. Ordinary people, however, chafed at high taxes and resented the luxuries they were denied. Cyrus was cruel, they said, and Philip was a fool. Both of these were true. As far as he knew, they spoke very little of Louis, whose ways were mysterious and scary, and not at all of Stefano. He’d always considered the latter a great blessing.

Henry had paused, perhaps to give Stefano time for these ruminations. Now he spoke again. “Do you know if it’s true, Stef? Does King Verzant live much like a common man?”

Perhaps. Certainly Cyrus had expounded at great length about how Verzant was a fool, a weakling, and too old to rule. He’d made it sound as if overthrowing Verzant and taking over Fraysia was a wise and just thing to do. As if he’d be rescuing Fraysians from their ruler’s ineptitude. Stefano hadn’t believed those claims when he’d heard them. He still didn’t. But he honestly knew almost nothing about the woman he was supposed to marry or about her kingdom.

After a few moments of silence, Henry sighed and rolled onto his back. “I don’t know how we’re going to get you close to the princess, and I certainly don’t know how to persuade her to kiss you. And then I don’t know what to do after that. When I try to work it out, my head just spins.” He flung an arm over his eyes. “You’re the clever one. When you want to work out a problem, you sit quietly for ages, studying it. You observe and take notes, and then you bury yourself in books to make sense of what you observed. I know sometimes I’ve been impatient with you, urging you to move on and do something else. I’m sorry. I should have appreciated your strengths more fully.”

In Stefano’s opinion, Henry had nearly always been patient and had seen strengths in Stefano that nobody else did, not even Stefano himself. And while Stefano might have been skilled at understanding nature, he hadn’t come up with any solutions for protecting Henry from his father or thwarting his father’s plans that Stefano marry Princess Dianora.

Stefano looked out the window again, but it had grown dark and there was little to see. So he hopped onto the floor, up onto a small writing desk, and into a bowl that Henry had filled with water. He closed his eyes and tried his best to live up to Henry’s expectations. There had to be some way out of this mess.