The False Prince

Sage is already in his bed when Tobias and Roden enter their shared bedroom. Tobias asks one of the servants to build a fire in their room so he can burn his notes from that day’s lessons, just in case Roden and Sage want to steal them. Sage irritably says that he does not wish to steal Tobias’s notes; he goes on to say that Conner will certainly choose Tobias because he is a “puppet master’s dream” (100).

The next morning, the boys’ lessons begin again. Master Graves teaches them more reading; Mistress Havala continues with her history lessons on Carthya. Horseback lessons with Cregan are tense due to the incident with Windstorm yesterday; Cregan informs the boys that he is being blamed for Sage losing Windstorm. In order to ensure that anything like this does not happen again, Cregan will give Sage the calmest horse going forward. Tobias takes issue with this because if Sage has the horse that is easiest to manage, it will appear as though Sage is the best rider. The lesson proceeds without incident.

The sword-fighting lesson, led by Mott in the courtyard where he and Sage sparred a few nights before, is next. As Mott is distributing wooden swords for mock fighting, Sage notices that the sword he had used the other night—the exact replica of Prince Jaron’s—has disappeared. Mott tells the boys that they must all go to Conner’s study at once, to report that the sword has gone missing.

Conner demands that the boys confess who did it. Tobias says that Sage must have taken it, but Mott gives Sage’s alibi. Since the sword was taken when Sage and Windstorm were missing, Sage could not have stolen it. Roden and Tobias, on the other hand, are both suspect.

The boys are dismissed from Conner’s office and return to the courtyard to continue their sword training. Roden proves that he is the best swordsman, with Sage second best and Tobias the worst. At the end of the lesson, Tobias stays in the courtyard to spend extra time practicing with Mott. Sage and Roden head back to the house, and Roden suggests that, for Carthya’s sake, if Tobias is chosen to be Prince Jaron, he and Sage should ally themselves to overthrow him.

Dinner that night is wracked with tension. When Sage is seated farthest from Conner, out of the regent’s vision, he moves to a section of the table where he can look directly at Conner. When Conner asks Sage why he changed seats, Sage says, “‘It was princelike [...] A prince would never let anyone determine his seat’” (111).

Over dinner, Conner lectures the boys about customs of castle life, things that Prince Jaron would need to know. When Imogen appears at the table to bring out the second course, Sage notices that she has a bruise on her cheek that she is attempting to hide behind her hair. Sage asks her what happened, but she looks away in fright; Conner replies on her behalf, saying, “‘She has a reputation for clumsiness. I suspect she ran into a cupboard door or a wall. Isn’t that right, Imogen?’” (113). Sage is upset, but Conner tells him not to concern himself with servants—his focus should be on learning everything he needs to learn in order to become Prince Jaron.

Conner then mentions that Prince Jaron is engaged to be wed. When Roden asks to whom the prince is engaged, Conner replies, “‘The betrothed princess Amarinda of Bultain was chosen at her birth for the crown prince Darius. She is the niece of the king of Bymar, and an alliance between Eckbert’s home and hers is necessary for continued peace in Carthya’” (114). Since Darius has been killed, the betrothal will pass to Prince Jaron. Sage asks what Amarinda looks like, and Conner informs him that he will be able to see for himself at the end of the week because Conner has invited Princess Amarinda to dinner at Farthenwood and that:

‘You three will be in disguise as servants amongst my staff. She is a betrothed princess and will hardly deign to look at any of you. But I want you to see her, to gain an understanding of her mannerisms and style. It will help you after you take the throne’ (115).

Roden and Tobias are somewhat excited to meet the princess, but Sage is saddened at how complicated Conner’s scheme is and how many people are involved.

The boys return to their room after dinner. Roden immediately goes to sleep, while Tobias reads his books and Sage stares out the window. Under his pillow, Sage feels the needle and thread he is hiding, not to stitch his torn shirt as he told Imogen, but to make pockets on the insides of his clothing as “a way to hide items in my clothes, where nobody would think to look” (116). Tobias approaches Sage to antagonize him and accuse him of daydreaming once again, like he always does. Tobias then accuses Sage of trying to catch a glimpse of his notes through the reflection in the window. Sage denies it; Tobias gathers his papers and announces that he is going to bed.

When he is sure that the others are fast asleep, Sage opens the window, “determined to get outside Farthenwood tonight” (118). Sage scales the building and lands on the grounds. He notices, in the distance, that the wild mare Windstorm has returned. At the sight of Windstorm, he is inspired to flee Farthenwood forever, but he resists. He walks through the archery courtyard, a vegetable garden, and the stables. When Sage returns, he climbs the wall only to find that the window has been closed tightly and he is unable to get back into the room. Tobias sits up in bed, stares directly out the window at Sage, and smirks. Sage makes a pleading motion for him to open the window, but Tobias returns to bed. Sage climbs down, knowing that sunrise will be soon and he will be in trouble if he is unable to get back into his room.

Stuck outside Farthenwood, Sage first attempts to re-enter through the servants’ windows, which are kept ajar. He decides against it because so many of the servants need to be awake soon to begin their morning routines. The next best option is to go through Conner’s bedroom, which will “at least get me on the right floor [...] As risky as it [is] to use his room, it [is] my best choice. Maybe my only choice” (122).

Sage enters Conner’s room and hears him snoring behind the curtains of his huge canopy bed—Sage is therefore reassured that it is safe. Because of all the times he has been forced to sneak, especially at the orphanage, he “[knows] how to open a door, a closet, or a drawer so that it [doesn’t] create a sense of movement in the room. And I [know] how to stay invisible” (123). Sage utilizes these skills to navigate Conner’s bedroom. Sage is about to traverse the room from Conner’s private balcony when he notices that one of the tapestries hanging on the bedroom wall is trapped partially behind a crease, indicating that it may be covering a hidden door. Sage makes his way cautiously and slowly over to the tapestry, passing by Conner sleeping in his bed. He feels around and quickly finds the mechanism that unlocks the hidden door, and suddenly Sage has access to a system of secret passageways in Farthenwood’s walls. The passageway is lit with oil lamps, so Sage believes it must be used regularly. He eventually finds his way to his room and silently slips back into bed. In the morning, Tobias is astounded to see Sage in bed, without anyone being the wiser.