Possibilities

The king is dead. The heir is missing. All Ernest wants is to be left alone, but it looks as though instead he's going to be crowned king—and forced into a loveless marriage, to a person picked from a list of suitable candidates.

Drel is hoping for the life that being royal jester can offer—security, protection, even if that all comes with being at the sufferance of the king's pleasure. 

Winner of the John Preston Short Story Award (National Leather Association - International)