The False Prince

The wagon finally reaches its destination, which is Conner’s palatial home on an estate called Farthenwood, just a few miles outside Tithe, a city in the northern part of Carthya. Conner’s home is lavish, underscoring his wealth and power: “The building [is] made of thick tan bricks and cut stone. This alone [is] impressive, since it [doesn’t] look like there [are] any quarries in this region of Carthya, meaning the rocks would have to come from some distance away” (40). Conner tells the boys that this will be their home for the next two weeks and that they have much to do. A team of servants rushes to the parked wagon, and each boy is assigned a servant who will show him to the living quarters. The boys are instructed to take baths, and Conner adds, “‘Once you are presentable, you may join me for a hot supper that I suspect will be the finest meal any of you have ever eaten’” (41).

Sage’s servant, Errol, guides him inside Farthenwood, and Sage tries to covertly press him for information. He asks Errol if Conner is married (no, is the answer) and if Errol knows anything about why Conner gathered the orphan boys. Errol says that he and the other servants have heard rumblings, but he does not know any details. Errol informs Sage that the boys will share a room, but each will have his own bathroom.

Errol leads Sage to his bathroom, which is large and spacious and contains a marble tub. Errol has been instructed to ensure that Sage gets clean before bringing him down to dinner. Closing the door to the bathroom, Sage says it will take him a while and that Errol should wait outside because he wants privacy. Errol is hesitant to leave Sage alone but finally acquiesces. As soon as he does, Sage races to the bathroom window and “[swings] my body onto the balustrade, balancing myself against the outside wall. Bracing my foot against the angled curve of rock, I [dig] my fingers into the crevice of another rock and [climb]” (45).

Sage ducks out of the window, clinging to the building, in an attempt to survey Conner’s grounds. He is not gone long, but when he returns to the bathroom, Errol is pounding on the door. Errol is surprised to see that, though the water has gone cold, it is completely clean and Sage is still filthy. Irritated, he instructs Sage to get back into the bath and assists in scrubbing Sage clean. Sage asks what happened to his old clothes; Errol informs him that they will likely be thrown away. Sage offers Errol a reward if he can covertly return his clothes exactly as they are.

Sage goes downstairs to join Conner and the other boys for supper in an ornate dining room. Plate after plate of food arrives in front of the boys—various cheeses, fruits, and meats—but the boys follow Conner’s example and do not begin eating right away, trying to display manners that were never required of them in the orphanages. As the meal continues, Conner gives the boys instructions on mealtime manners (that a spoon should be held just so, etc.) Once dessert has been served and the meal is concluded, Conner says he is ready to reveal his plan to the boys.

The servants file out of the room so that the boys and Conner are alone—the plan must be kept completely secret.

Conner begins by saying that Carthya is on the verge of civil war, though very few of Carthya’s citizens are cognizant of it. Soon, a change will come to Carthya that will affect everything. In two weeks, civil war will erupt, and Veldergrath and other power-hungry regents will rush to take the throne and ascend to power. If Carthya is in disarray and warring, there is a strong chance that the neighboring country of Avenia will strike, to pillage Carthya in its weakened state. Conner’s plan will prevent this from happening, hopefully.

As further context to his plan, Conner explains that Prince Jaron, the son of King Eckbert, has been missing for the past four years. Prince Jaron was a wily boy, known for his sharp tongue and irascible behavior, so he was sent away to Bymar, a nearby country, for education. During the journey to Bymar, Prince Jaron’s ship was pillaged, and Prince Jaron was never heard from again; even though his body was never found, Jaron is presumed dead.

Tobias asks why it matters if Prince Jaron is alive or not—King Eckbert and Queen Erin rule now, and their son Darius is in line to take the throne next. Conner reveals that King Eckbert, Queen Erin, and Prince Darius are all dead. The boys “[sit] there, beyond shock and too horrified to breathe. The news that not just one but all three royals [are] dead [is] too much too bear” (57). The royal family was murdered, poisoned at supper, though no one knows who is responsible. The regents have kept this secret from the general public, to prevent total lawlessness and chaos. Conner believes a noble, likely Veldergrath, administered the poison so that he could clear the way to ascend to power. However, instead of that, Conner has devised another plan, which is where the boys come in. In Conner’s words: “‘My plan is simple, really. I intend to convince the court that Prince Jaron is one of you’” (58). 

The boys are stunned by Conner’s announcement that he intends to groom one of them to impersonate Prince Jaron. The way Sage sees it, “at best, the plan [is] lunacy, and at least, it [is] treason, no matter how forcibly Conner denie[s] it” (59). Conner explains that, in order to make this plan work, he must find the right boy.

Conner then recites how each boys is like Prince Jaron and, therefore, a good candidate for the plan. Tobias has the right shade of hair, and his education and intellect make him princely. Roden’s ambition and determination, combined with his physical prowess, make him a worthy candidate. Sage is “here because despite a few physical setbacks, you have seeds of the personality I might expect for Prince Jaron. If we can weed out your bad manners and defiant nature, I suspect you could convince the nobles that you are him” (61). Sage becomes incensed that Conner is going to use him like a puppet master—that one of the boys will take the throne, but Conner will rule from behind the scenes. Conner tries to convince him of the honorable nature of this mission, saying that they will save Carthya, but Sage still feels as though the whole thing is a farce.