Chapter 16 Malia
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MALIA
When Alaric returned from the woods with a beautiful bouquet of orange lilies, I thought I’d melt. It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me. I was so happy, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him.
And then he just held me.
Our hearts beat against one another, and he buried his face in my neck, inhaling like he didn’t want to forget this.
“I need to know the truth, Malia,” he said, voice low but urgent. “The poisoned apple. Did you make it?”
My throat tightened. This wasn’t what I expected him to ask or say at such a moment. The weight of that secret pressed heavier than ever. “Yes,” I whispered. “That’s why I’m running. Because of what I did… and what I was.”
His gaze softened, but there was something desperate in it. “Who are you really? Don’t hide it from me.”
I swallowed hard. “I have… connections to Sereth. To the queen. But I’m not who I once was.”
He touched my cheek, then rested his hand on my hip. “Then make it right. Come back with me to Moanalei Kingdom. I’ll protect you. I swear it.”
A breath escaped me. And just a tiny thread of courage wove through me again.
“You would?”
He nodded. “You can’t hide from this forever, Malia. Let’s face the past together. I paid my time for nearly killing Sereth.” He’d never told me this before. “I served the crown for a few years, and when I earned my freedom I held onto it like my life depended on it. And you can too.”
I pressed my head against his chest, grabbing his shirt and sighing. “I’m terrified, Alaric. She won’t give me time… she’ll just kill me. You don’t understand.”
“Then help me.”
He smelled so good, like the sea and fresh sandalwood.
I remained silent for a long moment. Then… “I need time,” I said quietly. “To think. To figure out who I am without all of it weighing me down.”
Alaric stroked my cheek. “What about tonight?” he asked. “My men need me, and the Crimson Wake will be ready to sail home soon.”
Then he paused. “My men did say Sereth is headed here, but maybe we can meet her halfway.”
Just the thought of seeing her beautiful snow white face again caused me to shudder.
“Yes please,” I whispered, “just a little time. I’ll make up my mind by tonight.”
The whaler squeezed my arm. “Thank you, Malia.”
Alaric stayed around the cottage, fixing things up. We didn’t talk for the rest of the day, and I was grateful for it.
Because I truly did need time to think.
With him, I felt hope.
What if… what if things truly could get resolved between Sereth and I? What if I was free of the burdened past I carried with me?
The sound of the hammer pounding nails, metal sawing through wood, and paper sanding planks filled the air. All of the cottage windows were open, and I did laundry outside, trying to scrub out my thoughts.
Go?
Stay?
His words on freedom resonated with me.
I want freedom so bad. Just the freedom to walk without people calling me names. Without my past haunting me.
As I washed clothes in the front of the house by the well, my mind deep in thoughts, I looked up.
A figure approached from the woods.
Alaric was in the back of the cottage, and I stood, ready to run to him for fear of who the person might be. Did Sereth send someone after me? Was it the assassin? The person seemed rather tall.
But as they got closer, the chestnut hair and shining crown on the head of the prince appeared. His guards were not far behind him, and I stood to greet him.
“Good afternoon Malia,” he said and did a little bow while I curtsied.
“Good afternoon Prince Elias.” Then my expression fell and my heart began to beat faster. Why was he here? Did he decide I needed to leave, after all? He had always been kind to me, but even he knew what I was capable of…
“I apologize for visiting so unexpectedly,” he said, then glanced at the cottage, noticing the pounding noise in the back.
A blush crept up my cheeks. Had Elias heard about Alaric?
Was that why he was here? To talk with the whaler that he and his father hated, because he killed so many whales?
Alaric was the reason they banned whaling off the Corallure shores.
Alaric’s power-hungry business killed hundreds, if not thousands, of whales around here. It was unsustainable.
“It’s alright,” I assured him. “You are most welcome. Can I get you something to drink or eat?”
He shook his head. “No thank you. This visit will be brief. I’ve just come to warn you Malia.”
“Warn me?”
“Sereth showed up at the port.”
I froze. Sereth? Here? Already? Every part of my frame trembled and I tensed to keep from shaking in front of the prince.
“It was unexpected, but she said she is looking for Alaric Galebourne. You know, the whaler–”
“Yes I know…” I bit my lower lip, knowing that Alaric might show up at any moment. He was busy working though.
“She said his ship was ambushed.” Elias shook his head.
“I mean. She’s blaming it on us, but that’s all political.
I’m here to tell you that she’s also looking for you.
You are a citizen here and I will do what I legally can to protect you, but I fear she is going to use one thing against you, and I cannot protect you against that act of treason.
It can only be resolved in Moanalei, with a fair trial and, hopefully, a fair pardoning. ”
My heart sank.
“I understand, thank you for letting me know Prince Elias.”
He tilted his head. “You can just call me Elias.”
I froze. That was much too informal. Much too intimate. “You’re a prince–” I began before he said, “And you’re a princess.”
It was then that Alaric showed up. At the absolute worst timing, when Elias sounded like he was flirting with me. My cheeks turned red as a blossomed hibiscus and I swallowed hard.
“Elias.” Alaric folded his arms and stood next to me. He was slightly taller than the prince and much larger and muscular too.
Wait… how did Alaric know Elias? Then it dawned on me.
Of course he knew Elias! Alaric had saved Sereth’s life and she, no doubt, invited him to the wedding.
Elias also lived in Moanalei for at least a year, so they must’ve gotten to know each other while Alaric served his time for nearly killing Sereth.
“Alaric.” Elias’s eyes narrowed at him, then he looked from the whaler to me. “What is he doing here?”
I opened my mouth to speak when the prince shook his head. “Nevermind. It’s none of my business.”
“It’s really not what you think,” I quickly defended myself. “He washed up on our shores and I’ve been caring for him.”
“You ambushed my ship,” Alaric said, tense. “You killed some of my men. And you have the audacity to claim it wasn’t your ship.”
Some of Alaric’s men were killed? He didn’t tell me that. My heart sank. This was worse than I imagined.
Elias frowned. “We don’t attack ships off our coast unless they’re doing something illegal.
” He folded his arms too. “Furthermore, we haven’t had problems in the last couple of months so we haven’t sent out patrol ships since then.
I don’t question my men, but I question your integrity.
You and Sereth are blaming us, but have you ever thought of your own feud? ”
Integrity. That was a crossed line with Alaric. He stepped forward, fists clenched, and Elias’s guards quickly stepped forward too, the air thick with tension. “I would never lie–you are the coward. You fled the kingdom when it most needed you. I picked up the slack and did what you never could.”
Elias raised a brow. “Did you care for Sereth… or did she care for you?”
Jealousy bloomed in me like a bitter root, unexpected and sharp. I knew they had a history. Same kingdom. She probably watched him like a hawk, powerful as he was. But hearing it aloud was something else.
“Sereth fears me,” Alaric said. “Just like you do. I’ve done more for Moanalei than she ever could. Our people looked to you for hope… and you left.”
Elias’s jaw tightened. His fists curled like strips of koa bark. “You don’t know everything, Alaric. You never did. You blame my family, my crown, but your misfortunes belong to you. We’re not your enemy. You’ve made enough of those on your own.”
He took a slow breath, then looked at me. “You have to believe me,” he said quietly. “And from what I’ve heard, she’s not happy.”
“I believe you,” I said, dipping into a curtsy, watching as he turned and motioned his men away.
Alaric’s gaze didn’t follow them. It burned into me. “Who’s she? And why did he call you princess?” His voice was all steel and sea wind. “You said there was nothing between you—”
“There’s not.” I shoved my hair from my face, heat rising to my cheeks.
“Then why would he—”
“It’s none of your business!” I snapped, exasperated.
But Sereth was here. She’d come looking for her whaler, only to find out, from Lilo and Niko, no doubt, that I was alive. Now, she would come for me.
If she hadn’t already.
I looked toward the cottage, calculating. I couldn’t hide for long. Not from her.
“If there’s something between you—”
“There’s nothing, Alaric. I promise.”
“Then why did he call you princess?”
Silence. I closed my eyes, not sure if I could share the truth. “I once was…” I licked my lips before continuing. “I once was of the status that Elias was… but… I think I’ve since realized I did not belong in that world. Never did. Perhaps my parents weren’t even my parents.”
“What do you mean?” Alaric frowned.
“I don’t think I belong anywhere,” I said quietly. “Not to my parents. Not to this place. Not to… anyone.”
Alaric’s gaze softened, and the roughness in his expression eased into something achingly gentle. “You belong with me.”
The words stole my breath. They were said so simply, as if the truth had always been waiting there between us.
I shook my head, not to disagree but to keep myself from falling into that truth. “I’m tired of hiding,” I murmured. “I’m ready to face Sereth. To go with you. To… stop running from what happened.”
Something in his shoulders shifted. Relief, maybe, or the weight of years easing just a little. But I didn’t say I was going with him for him. And he knew it.
I stepped back before he could close the space between us. “I should pack my things.”
For a moment, he only looked at me, like he was memorizing every line, every shadow of my face. Then he moved closer, his hand brushing my cheek. His thumb traced the curve of my jaw with a tenderness that made my throat ache.
“I’ll be with you every step of the way,” he said.
“I know.” My voice was soft as seafoam. “Thank you.” I squeezed his hand.
And then, before I could move away, he kissed me.
It wasn’t wild or desperate. It was slow. Anchored. A promise without words. His lips moved over mine with reverence, as though I were something rare, something worth keeping. I kissed him back, my hands sliding into his hair, and for a moment I let myself believe in a world where I could stay.
When we broke apart, our foreheads rested together. My breath trembled against his skin.
“Don’t leave,” I whispered.
His voice was hoarse when he answered. “Not even the sea could drag me.”
And yet we both knew… when I turned to pack my bags, I wasn’t really asking him to stay. I was just asking him to help me get through this next trial with Sereth.