“Can I see it?”

“Oh… sure, I guess it won’t hurt.” She turned, her tail drooping even as she led him to the ballroom. “My parents didn’t seem to mind,” she said with a vague hand motion to the basketball court that had been set up there. “They aren’t too big on parties.”

“This place is huge,” Alex said as he looked around. “Is basketball the only game you play?”

“Of course not. I like football, soccer, baseball, volleyball, not tennis so much, but—well, most sports, really,” she admitted, cheering up at the subject. “I also always wanted to try canoeing. I was going to ask for a river to be built for my next birthday. It wouldn’t have to be a big one, of course, but something I can try on.”

“There’s a river not too far from here.”

“But it’s not on my property.”

“I doubt people will mind if you use it,” he said, shaking his head slightly at the thought of building a river just for that one reason. “Just because you’re a princess doesn’t mean you can’t deal with the rest of the world.”

“Oh really?”

“Really,” he said. “These are the people you’re supposed to be ruling over, right? That means you have a vested interest in how they live. Or you should have.”

“Huh. Well I’ll have to try it sometime,” she said finally. “And thanks for this,” she added, lifting the bag slightly before she walked away.

He watched her for a moment, his hands shoved in his pockets, a thoughtful look on his face. Then he shook his head and walked away. He had a shift to pull.

***