Since he was in no rush to return to his parents and especially not to that volatile Princess, Orion held Shade at an easy trot, before switching to walking.  Eventually, however, he made it back to the stables.  As Shade was tended to by one of the stable boys, he stroked her mane and rolled his eyes.  She snorted and bobbed her head, as if understanding.  She probably did.<br/><br/>He immediately sought out Bernard.  Insisting on a stroll through the gardens, the valet had no other choice but to join his Prince.  He did so with a most curious veneer.  Admittedly, Bernard was just dying to know what was so important that it couldn’t be discussed inside, even in private chambers.  As is custom of any valet worth his salt, he held his inquisitive tongue until the Prince was ready.<br/><br/>Strolling amongst the roses of varying vibrant colors, Orion said in a hushed tone, “Little did we know, but our Cassiopeia is quite the barrel of explosives.”  A puzzled expression from Bernard drew a princely spat of, “Oh for the love of, the woman has a temper, Bernard!  A temper, and an impressive vocabulary of colorful expletives, I might add, that would shame the regulars at the local pubs.”<br/><br/>Bernard’s bewilderment gradually shifted to one of skepticism.  Orion picked up on the change instantly, saying, “Oh, believe it.  I saw and heard it all for myself.”  He then remained silent, allowing him some time to process this new information.  Now in the midst of tulips of almost every shade of the rainbow, Bernard finally inquired, “So what are you going to do?  Are you planning to let your parents in on this vital insight?”<br/><br/>With no hesitation, the Prince responded, “Oh, hell no!  They more than likely wouldn’t believe me anyway.  Probably accuse me of making this shit up or something.”  Left brow raised in astonishment, Bernard couldn’t recall the last time (if ever) he’d heard him curse.  “C’mon, we’d best be getting back,” Orion said.  “And not a word of this to anyone, Bernard.  Understood?”  A dubious nod was his response, as if to say,<i>You really need to ask me that?</i>