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the others perished along the way."
    "Ah!" The king nodded. "From my experience, warm climate creatures don't fair too well in our cold weather. They either die or run away. I'm afraid this will happen again." The king sounded sure of this, and by the dismissive look he was giving me, I suspected that his remark was about me and not my horses.
    "These will not leave, Your Majesty. They are well-mannered, loyal companions. They will stay put. You have my word on this. They won't run away." And neither will I, I thought.
    The king smiled. The gesture brought some warmth to his otherwise cold expression. "Please go on, Prince Amir. I'm assuming . . . and also hoping that there are more gifts to come."
    The court laughed at the king's good word. Almost instantly the atmosphere in the throne room lightened, and with it some of the tension gripping my chest relaxed a little too. My breathing became easier. I gestured for Milo to advance. He immediately joined me carrying a silver platter. On it were five gold boxes, each one decorated with different colored gems.
    "These are for your daughters, the princesses." I took the first box. Rubies formed a rose pattern on its top. "This one is for Princess Eva."
    I opened the box. Nestled on a white satin pillow inside the box was a magnificent ruby necklace. To my surprise, Eva rose from her seat and came to fetch her present herself. In Telfar, a valet or a page would have brought it to her. Then again, I wasn't in Telfar.
    "It is spectacular," Eva told the assembly.
    A hush of approval echoed from the crowd.
    "Thank you. This truly is a royal gift, Prince Amir." Her eyes met mine. "You're doing well," she whispered before returning to her seat. It was only then that I saw Thalia standing beside me with her hands clutched under her round chin and her eyes sparkling with impatience.
    "Princess Thalia, this one is yours," I said, offering her the box decorated in a sapphire forget-me-not. When I opened the box she let out a shriek of joy so piercing it damn well startled me.
    "Heee! Sapphire earrings!"
    "Actually, Princess Thalia, these are blue diamonds. They are much rarer than sapphires." I hadn't finished my sentence, yet the twin princesses, Olga and Mesa, were pushing Thalia aside and demanding to receive their gifts. Their effrontery made the entire court laugh. Regardless of their evident disregard toward etiquette, I found these princesses delightful and would've liked to kiss their cheeks for having brought this mirthful interlude to this otherwise nerve-wracking ceremony. But instead I hurried to give them their gifts. Olga received the emerald shamrock box containing a diamond bracelet and Mesa the diamond daisy box with its emerald brooch. As the contented twins returned to their seat, the room became dreadfully silent.
    I glanced at the royal family. All joy had left their faces. The king's stare was heavy with sorrow. Why this sudden gloom, I wondered. Seeking an answer amid the crowd, I saw that all eyes were fixed on the last box, decorated with pearl snowdrops, resting on Milo's platter. This was Princess Aurora's gift . . . and also a painful reminder of her absence. How could I have made such a stupid mistake? And how could I fix it? At that instant, my nerves got the best of me and my mind went blank. I didn't know what to do. I froze.
    A spot of red amid the crowd captured my attention. I recognized Prince Diego's companion, the kind lady who had smiled at me before. She was gesturing for me to continue, and so was Prince Diego at her side.
    Filling my lungs in one long breath, I faced the royal family. "Your Majesty, this box will be added to the other gifts I brought for the queen: bails of fine linen, rolls of silk, rich damask, and silverware of all kinds. A detailed list of it has been made for you."
    Milo handed me a roll of velum, which I placed beside the box.
    I looked at Milo.
    "It's ready, my lord," he murmured, through scarcely moving lips.
    I nodded.