“In a crowd of a thousand boys claiming to be the prince, there would be only one with the same look of trouble in his eye.”

“This is for you." i pressed the stone in Kerwyn's hand.Kerwyn turned it over in his hands, unimpressed. "imatator's gold? It's worthless.""No, it's real gold. I am real Kerwyn."... He pulled a creased and worn paper from his pocket and unfolded it. His hands shook increasingly as he read it. Then he turned to the audience and said,"This note was given to me by King Eckbert ... to read it only if someone ever came forward claiming to be the prince. This is what it says." He read aloud,"'Many may one day claim to be the lost prince of Carthya. ...You will know the Prince Jaron by one sign alone. He will give you the humblest of rocks and tell you it's gold.'"..."Lords and ladies of Carthya, I present to you the son of King Eckbert and Queen Erin. He is the lost royal of Carthya, who lives and stands before you. Hail, Prince Jaron.”

“By now, Gregor had recovered. "Sage? Devlin, forgive my accusation, but you are a fool. Don't you know who this is?"Devlin didn't appear to forgive the accusation. With a sneer on his face, he folded his arms and said, "Enlighten me."Gregor looked at me and frowned. "He can perform the Avenian accent as well as his own Carthyan tongue. And although he has a reputation for being able to steal the white off snow if he chooses to, this boy is far from being a mere thief. Devlin, you are facing the boy who has haunted the pirates for the past four years. This is Jaron, the lost prince of Carthya.”

“Kneel, please," Connor said. "I wish to study you better."Come as close to me as you'd like," I answered. "Study me here, on my feet.""You won't kneel?""Would a prince?"Conner raised his voice. "You're not a prince until I say so.""I don't need you to say so, sir. As you see me standing here, I am the prince of Carthya.”

“This is real, then?" Jaron's heart pounded, though he couldn't tell whether it was from sadness or fear for his future. "When you leave, I'm no longer Prince Jaron. I'll be nothing but a commoner. An orphan.”

“You are the biggest fool of a boy I've ever known," Mott said. Then his tone softened. "But you will serve Carthya well.""I wish I felt ready to do this," I said. "The closer we come to the moment, the more I see every defect in my character that caused my parents to send me away in the first place.""From all I'm told, the prince they sent away was selfish, mischievous, and destructive. The king who returns is courageous, noble, and strong.""And a fool," I addedMott chuckled. "You are that too.”

“You should thank me for tolerating you. I had hoped that becoming a royal would cure your foul manners.""That's interesting. My father hoped that stripping me of royalty would do the same thing.”