57. Rosalina
57
Rosalina
A roaring fire snaps and crackles, and the smell of sweet spices fills my nose. I roll over, curling deeper into the blankets, before slowly blinking my eyes open.
Dawn’s soft light fills the cavern, and Keldarion sits across from me. He’s a fae male again and dressed in what appears to be Ez’s extra clothes: a simple black tunic and pants. I also put on an extra set of clothes from last night after Kel left.
“Good morning, Rosalina.” Kel’s deep rasp breaks the silence.
“Good morning,” I answer, pushing myself up and trying to pat down my wayward hair.
Kel bends over the fire, stirring something in a metal pan, before taking it off the heat and dumping the contents onto a tin plate. Jeez, Ez really thought of everything here.
Kel sets the plate down before me. “This isn’t as good as what our chef makes, but it’ll give you the strength you need for the journey.”
“Thanks,” I mutter. It kind of looks like couscous with some vegetables and spices mixed in. I take a couple bites and let the rich flavors and warmth fill me.
I can’t help but awkwardly glance over at Keldarion, methodically packing up the camp. Are we going to talk about it? Are we going to talk about how I woke up naked in his arms and he looked at me like… I don’t even know how to describe that look because no one has ever looked at me that way before. Except maybe for Farron when he sent me through the portal, or Dayton when I was trembling in his arms. Or maybe the look is a feeling, because I swear Ezryn gazed at me that way when we were by the fountain.
“How are your wounds? Can you walk?” Keldarion plops a pair of boots down in front of me. “I stuffed the toes with socks. They should be adequate.”
I put down my empty plate and roll up my pants to see the gash on my leg. It’s shrunken down to nothing but a thin red line. “It won’t be a problem. What about you?”
“I’m fine.” With an almost somber smile, he says, “Maybe you should have become a veterinarian.”
I stick my feet into the boots. They won’t be the comfiest things, but at least they’ll do the job. Kel must notice my grimace because he says, “It’s not far.”
Maybe not far when you’re a beast or a fae prince. I know I ran a long time to get away from those goblins. “We’ll have to find a safe spot to cross the ice. Unless you know of a bridge.”
Kel ignores my comment, packing the supplies back into the crate. He’s in a strange mood. It could be many things: the disaster of last night’s ball, almost freezing on the ice, or how we’d awoken. I’m not sure he’s ready to talk about any of those things.
I’m not sure I am.
“Do you think the others will be impressed when I tell them I rescued you?” I smirk.
“They already worship you like a queen,” he says. “You’ll be a goddess to them.”
A warmth settles in my core as I hear him speak fondly of the other princes. “As it should be,” I say jokingly.
But Keldarion gives me a serious gaze. “You deserve nothing less, my rose.”
“I actually didn’t do it all on my own.”
He turns to me, the last of the camp packed up, and smothers the fire with his boot. “What do you mean?”
I swallow in a dry throat. “The thorns helped. It was like I could move them. They picked you up and lifted you out of the water. I mean, you’re a giant wolf, and even heavier all wet and—”
I trail off immediately, knowing I’ve said the wrong thing. Keldarion is still, except for the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the storm breaking across his gaze.
Slowly, I stand, determined not to cower under his anger. If I can hold my own against the Prince of Thorns, then I can with this icy bastard. “Look, I know the thorns are attacking Castletree. But what if they aren’t all evil?” I try to flesh out the reasoning that has been racing through my mind. “They listen to me when I need help. That’s how I got out of the dungeon my first day. They made a ladder to help me escape. And in the Briar, the thorns protected me from the goblins. I think they wanted to help the roses in High Tower too.”
Keldarion is still as the frozen world beyond us. Only the tightening of his fists lets me know he heard my words.
“Kel.” I move toward him.
He steps out of my way, snarling. “The Prince of Thorns is the only one that can control the thorns. Not even his mother can do that. The briars are his twisted torment alone.”
“Okay, but what if—”
“No, Rosalina.” He grips me by the shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “It means he’s been watching you all this time. It might have seemed like help, but it’s all a cruel game.”
My heart shudders in my throat. My first night here, the dark figure that had brought me to the castle… Had it been him?
“If that’s true, then he saved your life.” And mine.
Keldarion growls and runs his hands through his matted white hair. “He doesn’t want me dead. He wants me to watch as he takes the castle, takes our realms. Takes everything I hold dear.”
“I know you feel that way,” I say, not sure why I’m pushing it. “But I felt the briars, and they were—”
“Rosalina, listen carefully,” Kel says. “Every single part of the Briar is evil. Every single part of him is evil.”
I break away from Kel, anger rising. “Then why did you align with him? I heard the people in your realm. What happened with Caspian?”
It’s like I can see the fractures break apart in Kel’s face when I utter the Prince of Thorns’ name.
“It is none of your concern,” he says.
I storm over to him and pull up his sleeve. “What bargain did you make with the Below, Keldarion?”
There it is, clearly imprinted on his skin. A twisting mark along his arm.
He looks at me with sorrowful eyes. “One that has doomed all the Enchanted Vale.”
A silent gasp escapes my throat, and I try to back away, but Keldarion grips my face and pulls me toward him. What could he mean? All the Vale? Is it tied to the curse?
“Don’t you see, Rosalina?” Wild panic flares in his eyes. “I won’t let him take you.”
“He won’t,” I stutter. “You’re here. And Ez and Dayton and Farron. They’ll protect me.”
“Soon, they won’t even be able to protect themselves. You saw it yourself. Castletree is dying.”
Tears stream down my face, and I shake my head. “No, because we’re going to break the curse, and everything will be all right and—”
“He’s following you. He wants you.” Kel’s palms tremble. “And I will not let him have you. Don’t you see, Rose? This is why you must go home.”
“But there are thorns at home,” I start to say before it feels like ice has been poured down my veins. I’ve fallen back into the river. “Kel, no—”
“The decision is made. You’ve done more than enough for us.” He straightens. “You are free.”
Keldarion doesn’t mean to take me back to Castletree. He means to take me to the rosebush.
To take me back to my old life.