**This chapter is kind of short, to make up for Lyla's extra-long two-part chapter LOL. Also I have a job interview today that I'm really nervous about. Gahhh**

Chapter 27

Aveline felt a hundred times better after waking up that morning.

"You faced your fear," Ari had congratulated her when he'd walked out of his cabin looking as rested as she felt. "How do you feel?"

"Better," she'd replied. The ocean wasn't so frightening when she'd actually gone in the water the night before; she'd been fine the whole time. It had felt good, actually.

She still preferred the land, however, where the waves couldn't swallow her up and choke her, so she was grateful when Ari agreed to run down the beach with her. Aveline loved to run; past the point when her heart felt too big for her lungs and her legs ached from the movement. It made her feel in control, of the wind as it ripped into her hair and cooled her burning skin, of the ground as it fled underneath her feet.

There was something empowering about it, Aveline reflected happily as she and Ari found the others waiting for them by the ship.

She couldn't even feel nervous about the children being out in plain sight; Benodet had to be the safest village she'd ever visited. For the most part, everyone abided by the laws and took what they needed, nothing more. It was only the greed of a few that created farms such as the one they'd infiltrated last night.

Aveline had seen it a thousand times, a lot more frequently in more urbane kingdoms, where the ethics of industry could be a bit more troubling. If people had too much, they always wanted more.

"We have something to show you," Jamie declared now from where she sat on the docks, clasping her finger together around her bare knees. She nodded at Eli, who pulled out a book from next to him. Ari held out his hand to take it, puzzledly weighing the volume in his palm.

"Why are you handing me a book of kingdom history?"

"While you three were out playing around yesterday, Eli and I were actually doing something to further the investigation," said Jamie, sounding proud of herself. "Had any of you heard of the Hapsburg family before yesterday?"

Aveline hadn't, and judging from everyone else's blank expressions, they hadn't either.

"I wouldn't think so. They seem to have faded into insignificance. There isn't much on them, but there's an interesting passage in here." She stuck her finger on the cover of the book Ari held.
"Care to summarize?" Ari suggested.

"Lyla." Jamie turned to the blonde. "You were right; the Hapsburgs are royal, or at least they were. According to legend, nearly four hundred years ago, the Hapsburg monarchy ruled over a small island in the Eastern Detache."
Lyla frowned. "Which kingdom?"

"See, there's the catch," Jamie explained. "Officially, the entire kingdom doesn't exist."

"They lost it in an earthquake," Eli broke in excitedly, unable to let Jamie tell the whole story. "The ensuing tsunami sank the entire island. All of the citizens were forced to leave."

"It was during a time of war, so they received little to no assistance from neighboring islands. The remaining people integrated themselves into other kingdoms and that was the last anyone heard of them. At least, that's how the story goes."

Aveline's head cocked. "What about the royal family? Didn't any other monarchy take them in?"

"No- the Hapsburgs were forgotten about. Stripped of their title and land, they lost everything. The Hapsburg monarchy slipped into nonexistence." A grim shadow passed across Jamie's face for a moment, and she focused her attention on the book in her hands.
"I suppose what makes one royal is what they rule over," she murmured softly, "and they had nothing."

Ari folded his arms. "But obviously they didn't disappear completely; the bloodline still exists."

"I was getting to that," said Jamie. "About two hundred years ago, a few of their descendants found each other, banded together and started a tribe of some sort. They settled down in a poor kingdom to live together for the rest of time, forever mourning the loss of their eminence."

She paused, letting the tale sink in.

Finally Lyla grimaced. "That is an odd story. Is it true?"

"I'm not sure," Jamie replied. "The book presented it as an old wives' tale. But obviously some people believe it, because apparently there's a real group of people who call themselves true descendants of the Hapsburg bloodline." She lifted her eyes to the group. "And guess where they live?"

"Diviel?" Ari guessed.

Jamie nodded. "They've been written off as crazies; their main vocation is to try to get themselves reinstated as royals." She shrugged. "I suppose no one's listening, because they're still there, in relative poverty no less."

"And Ayka's one of them," Lyla concluded, seeming perplexed. "I still don't understand what this has to do with the princesses."

Ari lifted his head, his expression suddenly diverting from its usual annoyance. "Jamie, didn't you say the Tarrah is family-owned?"

"Not officially- the Kibetian monarchy owns it. But yes, a lot of the workers are related."

"Right. And we already know at least one of their barmaids- Ayka- is of Hapsburg lineage." Realization began to dawn on Aveline as he spoke. "So, let's just say for argument's sake that some of the Hapsburg family descendants work at the Tarrah. It would make sense; Diviel is right next to Kibet. Where the little princess is supposed to have seen her missing brother," Ari continued. "Isn't is a rather odd coincidence how the missing royals keep appearing where the Hapsburgs have been?"

Lyla's lips thinned. "Are you suggesting the Hapsburgs kidnapped the royals?"

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting."

"But why would they do something like that?" she demanded. "For revenge?"

"Perhaps," Jamie toed the water beneath her, looking down to hide the evident tightness in her jaw. "It must have made them very angry that their ancestors lost their kingdom and received no aid from the other royal families."

Aveline's stomach clenched. Why did children so often have to pay for their parents mistakes?

She and Ari both reflexively glanced at the 'littles', as Aveline liked to call the young ones on the ship, who were happily dunking each other under the ocean. Ari shifted to his other foot and Aveline sought for a way to change the subject.

"We'll find out when go to Diviel," Aveline hastily broke into the musing silence, pushing her own worries aside. "Eli, you look a bit overheated. Are you alright?" She cleared her throat and turned to Eli, placing a hand on the blonde's forehead. Aveline let her hand slowly slide down his cheek before he could respond, watching his stunned expression grow as her fingers lingered near his jaw while her other arm crept towards his waist.

Then, before anyone could register what was happening, Aveline pushed Eli as hard as she could off the docks. She grinned triumphantly as he flailed backwards and fell with a huge splash into the ocean, joining Inez and the children who were screaming with laughter.

Eli resurfaced with a string of indignant curses and little Imani attached firmly to his shoulders. Then Lyla was jumping off the docks, and Aveline let Ari and Jamie fight over who was going to push the other in while she took a breath, closed her eyes, and plunged into the glistening cerulean pool.

Coolness spread throughout her body, tingling her limbs and refreshing her after her hot morning run, and Aveline let out an invigorated sigh as she came back up.

"Avie!" Nikolai approached her immediately, shoving the boys aside to leap into her arms. Aveline twirled the little boy around in the air as crystalline droplets swirled around them, only for Ari to appear out of nowhere to intercept the boy, plucking him easily out of the air.

"That's mine!" Aveline made for a grab for the giggling child, but Ari had him in his grasp, something like humor crinkling the corners of his eyes.

For a moment everyone drifted in the sea together, splashing each other enough that Aveline could almost forget who they were. Even the familiar murmuring of the tide and stroke of seaweed against her hips wasn't enough to evoke the painful reminder of her past.

She was about to try again to steal Nikolai from Ari before a hand caught hold of her ankle, pulling her deeper into the swell. A moment later Eli came up for air next to her. He glared, his fake pout scrunching up as she promptly flicked water at his face.

"Behave," he mocked, slapping a wave in her direction. Aveline closed her eyes as the salty spray hit her cheeks.

"Or what?"

Aveline had meant it as a challenge, but Eli's gaze sobered somewhat as it steadily roved over her hair, her face, and she wondered what he could be thinking.

She surprised herself by feeling flustered under his sudden scrutiny and felt her face heat up.

Before Eli could speak, Aveline abruptly sent another surge of water at his face. He spluttered in indignation, rubbing at his eyes, and Aveline wished she wasn't grinning like an idiot even when Eli grabbed her waist and pulled her down under the water.

**SOOO everyone seems kind of carefree for the moment! We'll see how long that lasts... ALSO it looks like the gang might have just ID'd the royal kidnappers!! Any theories on the motive?? Either Jamie is right and the Hapsburgs are out for revenge, or maybe there's something even more sinister going on...

see y'all on Tuesday!**