Green but for a Season (Captive Prince short stories #1) by C. S. Pacat

Green but for a Season is a Captive Prince short story about the relationship between Jord and Aimeric, set during the events of Prince’s Gambit. Or so the summary says, but it is actually mostly about Jord and less about Aimeric or their relationship, although that worked just as well for me.

Anyway, I had taken a glance at a few spoilers, so I thought I knew what to expect, but I wasn’t ready for this. So many Laurent feels!

Because, while Green but for a Season takes on Jord’s way into Prince’s Guard and his perception of the goings-on around him, we get to see the beginnings of Laurent’s struggle against the Regent. Through Jord’s eyes we witness the (re)formation of the Prince’s Guard and its struggles: Laurent gaining his men’s loyalty by first and foremost showing them his loyalty, the Regent’s attempts to sabotage him and nick his succession in the bud (and now we know why!), and Laurent’s perpetually astonishing foresight and character.

The red-line of the story, Jord’s and Aimeric’s relationship, falls from the forefront into the background while Jord reflects on the differences between aristocrats and commoners that make him wary of Aimeric interest. Thus, their relationship’s advancement is subtle, but fittingly so, and ends on a note where the reader can garner the rest from Prince’s Gambit, so Pacat does not need to repeat parts of the story, which is just another plus.

I feel like I shouldn’t write too long a review for such a short story, so I will stop here by saying that Green but for a Season is a delightful addition to the series and another gem in the already beloved world of the Captive Prince.