She regretted her choice almost as soon as she entered the dining hall, when she remembered with a flush of embarrassment that flattered her hair color that Jack, being a man, made a habit of staring at women's chests, and he made a particular habit of staring at hers whenever she wore a low neckline, purely to annoy her. In the past, Fiona had always brushed it off as teasing, but now with a marriage looming in deadly Damocles fashion above her head, she couldn't help gnawing on her lip as she wondered what such behavior would look like to the rest of the court, who'd surely notice.

    “Fiona,” Jack said suddenly from her side, and Fiona jumped a mile. He laughed. He took even more pleasure from appearing at her side from the shadows and scaring the wits out of her. Normally, Fiona only pretended to be frightened (most of the time), but tonight, well.

    She needed something to cover her cleavage with. Blue velvet curtains hung from the windows that flanked the royal table. Fiona lunged, tore one down, and threw it over her shoulders before Jack could give more than a passing glance to her chest.

    “Brr, isn't it cold in here?” she said, rubbing her arms.

    “It's summer,” Jack said, nonplussed.

    “It's also evening,” Fiona said, and hurried to sit in her seat before Jack could say anything more or, even worse, act gallant and pull out her chair for her. She tucked the velvet drape in as best as she could, ignoring the stares from the court and from her bewildered parents on her left. It was a little too warm in the curtain, but all the above was easier to deal with than juicy rumors that only fed the gossipy fire of a kingdom-uniting wedding.

    “Are you getting sick?” Jack asked as he took his seat on her right. “You're kind of acting weird, Fi.”

    “I'm fine,” Fiona said, a little too breezily. Hastily, she amended, “Well, I don't know, maybe I am getting sick? Or maybe it's the fumes from the hair dye?”

    “They are a little stronger than usual,” Jack said. “I wasn't going to mention it, but...”

    “Oh, quit complaining,” Fiona said. “It smells better than your alcohol breath after a night of cards.”

    “Which is better than your morning breath any day,” Jack retorted.

    Fiona stiffened as she realized her mother was staring at them and smiling fondly. “Which you only smelled once,” she added desperately, “when you caught me--”

    She clammed up. She couldn't finish that sentence, not in front of her mother, and especially not when it involved the baron's gorgeous son, a garden gnome, and some precarious balancing high in the tallest tree in the ornamental gardens. When Jack had heard the full story, he hadn't been able to stop laughing, but he had helped Fiona sneak back into her room as the sun was rising. The corners of Fiona's mouth twitched. There was the mark of a true friend.

    How could her parents expect her to marry him?

    “All right,” Jack said. “I'm dying here. Why were you avoiding me earlier?”

    “I had to dye my hair,” Fiona said automatically.

    “Your hair was already dyed when I arrived,” Jack said, amused.

    “I mean I had to finish,” Fiona said. “You know, wash out the excess dye so it doesn't stain my pillowcases at night, and it's not very proper for a man to see a lady in such a state.”

    “Like I haven't,” Jack said, “you contortionist fool. Don't you remember that first time when you couldn't figure out--”

    “I was just fourteen,” Fiona interrupted when she noticed her mother beaming. “That awkward girl stage, you know. Now I'm a lady, and I have certain, um...” She paused. She couldn't remember what it was a proper lady was supposed to have. Standards? Images? Too much makeup? Normal hair? Correct posture? Her mother had lectured her on all of them at one time or another, to Fiona's eternal dismay.

    “In any case,” Jack said, “we need to have our inaugural sword fight. The summer hasn't properly started until you've beaten me and are looking smug again. Although this time I swear--”

    King Frederick Montbriand stood, lifting his hands for silence from the court. “My friends, tonight is a special night. For years now, our kingdoms have been uniting in harmony every summer. Well, from this night hence, our kingdoms will be joined for more than one season out of the year.”

    Fiona seized Jack's hand. “Jack, get us out of here,” she hissed.