Listening to the leaders discuss the mission was difficult for Andrik. His thoughts kept drifting back to his encounter with Daelyn.

  Roland nudged him to pay attention.

  In response to his best friend's prompting, Andrik gave him a look. He knew Roland was looking out for him. With about thirty men gathered in King Lucas's conference room including his father Andrik was determined not to miss anything important.

  Dr. Warner Tate commanded the room's attention as he detailed who would accompany them on the mission. As lead doctor of the Genetic Engineering Program from Strayerfield, he was essentially the mastermind behind this operation. Working on an antidote had been his personal goal for the past decade.

  Andrik knew Dr. Tate better than most. Since the doctor had been brought in to help with the fertility problem, he and his family had been staying at Andrik's palace. His daughter, Solene Tate, the young woman who had secretly been dating Roland for some time now,

  was particularly well-regarded among the court.

  Also part of this treaty was Dr. Nicolai Archibald. Andrik recognized the name; he had known Nick briefly as a friend of Pilar's. When they were children, she had visited their orphanage at their father's insistence. King Claremont wanted her to know all possible ways of life, believing it essential to prepare his children for their future roles.

  Sipping his coffee, Andrik's eyes wandered across the polished conference table. He wondered if Daelyn ever came in here.

  Running a hand through his hair, he forced himself to concentrate on his father's commanding voice.

  King Lucas sat at one end of the long table with Andrik's father at the opposite end. Neither seemed to object to Dr. Tate's suggestions. Nick sat beside Lucas, waiting expectantly.

  "Has Strayerfield been contacted regarding our treaty agreements?" King Claremont asked, looking pointedly at one particular advisor.

  The man shuffled through the documents spread before him. After a moment of searching, he found what he sought and hand-delivered copies across the room to King Claremont, Nick, and King Lucas.

  All three men studied the papers in silence.

  The room waited, tension building with each passing second.

  Andrik hadn't heard the details of the treaty, and judging by the deepening lines on his father's face, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

  King Lucas coughed and sat up straighter. "If it is agreeable to you, King Claremont and Dr. Archibald, I'd like to discuss this treaty in private. Shall we adjourn for lunch?"

  Andrik's father barely lifted his eyes from the document as he nodded. "Yes, that would be good."

  "Alright, men. We'll reconvene after lunch," King Lucas announced.

  With that, the men gathered their things and filed into the hallway. The heavy doors slammed shut behind them, the sound echoed down the corridor: a sound that settled uneasily in Andrik's stomach.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Roland and Andrik walked side by side.

  "What's up with you, man?" Roland asked.

  They hadn't seen each other in a couple of days, and Andrik hadn't had the chance to tell him about Daelyn. Not that there was anything concrete to tell yet, but he needed to confide in someone and Roland was the only person he trusted.

  "Let's go outside," Andrik suggested, wary of the many ears in the palace hallways.

  He found a door leading to the gardens, with Roland following close behind. Once outside, Andrik spotted a gazebo and headed in that direction.

  "Are you okay? You've been out of it all morning," Roland observed as he leaned against the gazebo railing. "Is staying here starting to get to you? How many more weeks until the wedding?"

  Reaching up to grasp the top of the white frame, Andrik pulled himself up in a series of rapid chin-ups.

  "Now is probably not a good time or place for exercise, man," Roland commented wryly.

  Trying to burn off the adrenaline building inside him, Andrik continued.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

  "A month or so," he finally answered, dropping down when he noticed the security men eyeing him with disapproval.

  "That's not bad. You'll be back home before you know it, just in time for the mission," Roland said.

  Andrik stared at the ground, avoiding his friend's perceptive gaze.

  "That's not the issue," he paused, finally looking Roland in the eyes. "I can't stop thinking about Lucas's sister." He wiped his face with his hands, as if trying to erase the admission.

  Roland remained silent for a moment, looking toward the palace. He scratched the back of his head, considering his words carefully.

  "Well, I'm not one to talk about secret romances, but," he paused, his eyes serious. "You know her brother: the King of Wintergate and your future brother-in-law—would probably kill you, right? How are you going to stay here until Pilar's wedding with that kind of distraction? Is she even old enough—"

  "I know, I know," Andrik cut him off, shaking his head as if he could physically dislodge thoughts of Daelyn. "I don't even know if she feels the same way, and you're not asking anything I haven't already thought about myself. Her birthday is in a month, her brother can technically arrange a marriage for her at any time." He crossed his arms defensively. "I don't know what to do. You know how my father is. She's been helping me find passages and exits in the palace, but now it's... different."

  Roland nodded solemnly. "Let's say she returned these feelings... your father would definitely flip out. The thought of two marriages with one country? He'd be furious."

  They both knew Andrik's reputation, how he could have his pick of any eligible woman back home, how his affections had always changed with the wind. But this felt different in a way Andrik couldn't fully explain.

  "Please, tell me what you really think," Andrik joked, attempting to lighten the mood.

  "Sorry, man, you know I can't lie to you," Roland said. "Truthfully, though, if you can be with any woman, why choose one who's off-limits?"

  Andrik wasn't sure he knew the answer.

  Taking a deep breath, he confessed, "I don't think I chose this. Right now, I feel like I'm being tortured. I'm not sure you can choose who you love."

  He expected Roland to make a quick joke at his expense, but his friend remained serious.

  Instead, Roland stared at him thoughtfully before patting him on the back. "I think you're right."

  The two of them began walking back toward the palace.

  "So you think it will work out?" Andrik asked, surprising himself with the vulnerability in his voice.

  "Man, I think you're used to getting what you want," Roland said honestly. "But I'm not sure you'd listen even if I told you not to pursue this..."

  "Probably not," Andrik admitted.

  Roland held the door open for him. "Okay then, be careful."

  "Plan on it," Andrik replied, stepping back into the palace with his mind still full of Daelyn.