"— right, that's right, I got my magic! In the forest! I tried really hard and I looked at a stick and it moved!" 

She does a big smile. She hopes it looks right.

"...princess, that's wonderful, your parents will be so happy to hear — I think they're in the throne room — they'll want to know right away —"

He grabs Saphanore's hand and leads her a little thronewards before remembering that he has a job to do, upon which he congratulates her and reluctantly returns to his post.

Saphanore drops the smile when she's alone again. She keeps walking toward the throne room, but more slowly than when the guard was with her.

It feels like there's something heavy in her stomach. It didn't feel nice lying to Cav like that, and soon she'll have to do it to mom and dad too.

Kid's moping again. It's a ridiculuous world where his best strategy is to depend on a stupid child. But that's part of what he's going to fix, in a few decades. He can be patient. He has forever.

Something bothering you, child?