In The Name of Love

Minna dabs at her pickled herring with a crusty piece of bread, eyes fixed on Fifi’s empty chair across the table from her. What could she be doing in there? she wonders for the eighty-ninth time since she was finally left alone in their suite with the fabric from Vyrunia. Minna had expected her to emerge from the study once the ambassador and his entourage and their mother had gone, but the study door stayed locked, and Minna hasn’t seen or heard anything from her sister for hours. I really thought, when Lise called us for supper, that Fifi would come out. It’s not like her to miss a meal, Minna worries. Maybe she fell asleep? But it’s not like her to nap during the day, and their study is not well-suited for napping.

To Minna’s left, at the end of the table, Emrik is making faces at his plate and trying to remove the fried egg from his herring and potatoes without getting yolk on any of it. Normally, this would attract attention from Queen Ingrid, who has been trying for years to get Emrik to eat his eggs, but tonight she has more important things on her mind.

“I’m glad that plans with the Syazonians are going well, dearest,” she is saying to King Ansgar as Minna nibbles her bread without appetite, “and that they weren’t disturbed by the arrival of the Vyrunian ambassador with that wedding gift from Prince Didier. Have you seen the fabrics he sent Minna?”

“High quality. Our daughter deserves nothing less,” the king answers. His gruff voice and his focus on his plate tell Minna he does not want to discuss this here and now, but her mother is undeterred.

“Of course. I would never suggest otherwise. I’ve just never heard of a suitor in a Quest for Favor leaving the competition early, only to send an extravagant wedding gift—”

“Such a thing has not happened before, to my knowledge. But these are special circumstances.”

“In what way?”

“The Vyrunians are determined to form an alliance with us. As if the letters from King Edmond before Minna’s Quest for Favor were not enough, that prince’s performance should have made their goals clear.”

“Clear enough, until Prince Didier withdrew from the competition. The Vyrunians are still seeking an alliance, even though he gave up that chance?”

“It seems, from King Edmond’s most recent letter, that our younger daughter has made quite a favorable impression on his son.” King Ansgar’s iron gaze falls on Fifi’s empty chair for the first time since their meal began.

Bile rises in Minna’s throat. I can’t be here. I can’t be hearing this, she panics.

“Wilhelmina, where is your sister?” the king asks her.

“I…am not sure,” Minna answers carefully. “I lost track of her in the excitement about the textiles from Vyrunia….”

Queen Ingrid’s green eyes, wide with concern, meet Minna’s across the table for a moment before she turns back to her husband. “Dearest, should we really be entertaining the idea of such an alliance with Vyrunia? It cannot be good for our daughters, given the events of Minna’s Quest for Favor—”

“Time will tell,” King Ansgar interrupts. “I had thought they were all appearances with no real benefit, but it seems the Vyrunians are willing to deliver when it suits them. We will see how far they are willing to go to establish this alliance, and plan from there.”

“But Fifi will still get to choose—”

“We will discuss it later. The Quest for Favor is a great waste of time and resources, indeed, if the princess chooses poorly, or not to Aethyrozia’s best advantage.”

“Please excuse me,” Minna says, quiet but firm, before leaving the table without waiting for a response. Her feet carry her swiftly out of the dining room, down the corridor, and up one of the servants’ staircases. She almost never breaks protocol like this, but all she can think about is getting away as quickly as she can. No wonder Fifi left earlier, if this is how she was feeling, Minna realizes, blinking back tears. I hope she’s okay. It’s been so quiet in that study, before supper….

Minna flings open the door to the antechamber of her suite and finds herself face to face with her younger sister, who is holding a hunk of break in one hand and a piece of cheese in the other. Her eyes are a bit red and puffy, as though she was crying not too long ago.

“Fifi!” Minna exclaims. She’s relieved to see her sister, but angry at the same time. “What have you been doing in there? I’ve been so worried— And where did you get that food? We’ve been having supper—”

“I went to the kitchen, after you left,” Fifi interrupts. “I just couldn’t…. If our parents were discussing those gifts from…him…. Well, I couldn’t have kept quiet, and there would have been a huge argument, and—”

“There might be, anyway. Mother and Father were discussing exactly that, when I left.”

“Minna, I’m so sorry. I never intended—”

“I know, Fifi. You couldn’t have known how that prince, or any suitor, would react to either of us. I don’t blame you. And Chuezoh has a way of working things out for our benefit.”

Fifi’s jaw tightens at the mention of Chuezoh, but her shoulders relax a little. “Thank you. I’m glad…that you don’t blame me. And honestly, now…seeing what he’s like…. I’m glad you picked Adalberto. He’s a better man.”

Minna smiles a little bit. “That means a lot, coming from you.” Her voice sticks in her throat. Should I tell her what Father said? In her place, I would want to know what’s to come, so that I could prepare….

“Whatever Father said about Vyrunia, before you left, I don’t want to know,” Fifi tells her, as though sensing her thoughts. “I’m sure he’ll tell me himself at some point. And then….” Her face hardens, and there’s a glint in her eyes that Minna hasn’t seen before.

“You mean to win an argument with him?”

“We’ll find out which of us is more stubborn. That’s all.” Fifi takes another bite of bread and cheese. “Did you eat enough? Do you want some?”

“I’m fine, thank you.” Minna’s stomach is in knots, and she feels like she may never want to eat again.

“All right, well…. Before all this fabric showed up, you were going to play your harp, and I was going to draw. Do you still want to—”

“Yes, I’d love to.” Minna had wanted to play before supper, but all her instruments were locked in the study while Fifi was doing…whatever it was she was doing in there.

“Great!” Fifi’s whole face lights up with a genuine smile, which Minna returns, grateful for a chance to act and maybe even feel like things are normal between them, that her Quest for Favor didn’t change everything.

They’ve only just settled into their seats in the study when Greta comes in before Minna can even pluck a harp string to make sure it’s in tune. The maid holds a piece of parchment in one hand, sealed with wax imprinted with the royal seal of Syazonia.

“Sorry to interrupt, Your Highnesses. I just have a letter for you, Princess Wilhelmina,” she says with a curtsey.

“Oh!” Minna exclaims, rising quickly from her stool and crossing the room to meet Greta. Her proper name is written on the parchment in Prince Adalberto’s handwriting. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course, Your Highness.” Greta curtsies again and leaves. Minna returns to her harp while Fifi sighs.

“Go ahead. Read it,” she tells Minna, crossing the room herself to close and lock the study door. “I don’t mind. But after that, no more interruptions. The rest of the world can wait for a while.”

“So can the letter,” Minna decides. “It will still be there in the morning.” And I’ll have the rest of my life to spend with him, but I’m running out of time to spend with you, she adds silently.

“You mean it?” Fifi’s hopeful smile erases any lingering desire Minna has to open Adalberto’s letter right away.

“Yes, I mean it. What song should I start with?”

“Any song you want, as long as it’s a happy one.”

“Agreed. Only happy songs tonight.” At least for now, we can shut the problems out, Minna tells herself, and as she starts to play, her only regret is that she and Fifi didn’t make time for this sooner.