Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
My one-on-one lessons were scheduled to begin that evening, just hours after my meeting with the king.
Sebastian walked me to my room so I could rest for a while, though Pia met me as soon as I got back.
We were sitting on the floor and I was in the process of knotting her hair into two long braids while I filled her in on my conversation with Sebastian from earlier.
I considered telling her about my meeting with King Hawthorne, but I was still trying to process the information, so instead I decided to tell her about the thoughts I'd been having about Sebastian.
“Pia,” I said her name to grab her attention.
She cocked her head to the side to try and see me, but I pushed her head back forward facing.
“Don't move, you'll mess up your hair,” I told her.
She sighed, but obliged. “What were you going to say?”
“It's going to sound foolish.” My cheeks began to burn, and I felt like a little girl with a crush.
“Oh, just spit it out,” Pia whined. “No judgment here.”
My fingers worked effortlessly through her hair. “I think I have feelings for Sebastian,” I said under my breath.
“What did you say?” Pia’s head shot around, ripping my hands free from her hair.
“Please don't make me say it again,” I complained through pouted lips.
“No, I really didn't hear you, you were mumbling.”
“I think I have feelings for Sebastian,” I repeated, only slightly louder.
She stared at me, fighting her smile as she waited for me to elaborate.
“I know it's silly seeing as I hardly even know him, and for most of the time I have known him we’ve been fighting with each other. But after you left this morning and we talked it was weird. There's something about him that I just can't shake,” I confessed.
She stayed silent for a moment, probably wishing that I hadn't said anything. Sebastian was her cousin, and I’m sure this was an uncomfortable topic for her. But then her face twisted into the biggest grin I'd ever seen on anyone.
“I knew it!” She pointed a finger at me and jumped to her feet, looking ridiculous with one side of her hair still hanging loosely down her back.
“I knew it the minute you told me how upset you were that he wasn't talking to you!” Her voice boomed through my room as she clapped her hands in excitement.
“How did you know it when I didn't even know myself?” I had only admitted my feelings to myself this morning.
“You've mentioned how attractive you find him, which I brushed off at first. But then I started to notice the way you look at him. I'd be surprised if he hasn't noticed, too.”
Her words made my heart stop. “Shit. Has it been that obvious?” I crossed my arms over myself, hugging my own body and chewing on one of my fingers.
Pia sensed my unease and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it's okay. I barely knew Kohen when he and I, you know.” She winked at me. “Seb is an amazing guy. I know you guys didn't have the best introduction, but that doesn't mean you can't—”
“We can't,'' I interrupted her.
“Of course you can.”
Shaking my head, I uncrossed my arms. Then the feelings that had built up inside of me released in an emotional outburst. “It would never work, not when he's basically my bodyguard.
King Hawthorne would never allow that. And besides, there's no chance that he will ever see me in the same way I see him.
There's way prettier girls here, and I'm the kind of girl who gets her ass handed to her on the very first day of combat training.
I'm the one who's panicking over something new every other day, and I'm the reason he has to deal with his jackass of a father even more than he used to,” I announced my insecurities, practically yelling them to her.
My eyes burned, but I refused to cry over this. I looked up at the ceiling and stared at it until the stinginess resolved. When my meltdown passed, I dropped my head to look at Pia despite the redness of my cheeks.
She gawked at me, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot on the ground. “Are you done?” she asked, her voice displaying a tone of fraudulent annoyance.
I stared at her blankly, her nonchalance helping bring me back to reality. “Yeah. Sorry that was pathetic.”
Smile lines appeared by her eyes as she tried not to laugh.
“Maeve, you are beautiful. Please don't think for a second that you're not.
And I promise you that Sebastian isn't the type of man to hold any of those things over someone's head.
If he has feelings for you as well, he wouldn't let his father of all people come between that.” She wrapped her arms around me in a hug.
I clenched my jaw and nodded in her embrace. I absorbed the comfort, hugging her back tightly.
“Can you please finish my hair? I look like an idiot.” She chuckled and released me to sit back down on the floor.
I waited on the front steps of the castle after I finished dinner with Pia and some of the other first years.
Most of the students in my class had warmed up to me, but I could tell that many of them still used caution around me.
Why wouldn't they? The king had them all terrified that they would be executed if they mis-stepped.
Sebastian’s figure sauntered through the castle doors. He wore his steel chest plate, which concerned and intrigued me at the same time.
“Hey,” he said, bounding down the steps.
I smiled, returning the greeting. “Hey.”
We made our way across the courtyard. It was completely empty aside from the statues of the gods, their figures glimmering in the moonlight and casting shadows on the patio. Light danced off of Blythe’s crystalline body, illuminating our skin as we walked by her.
I reached a hand to my cheekbone, making contact with my constellastones. For the first time since I'd been gifted by the goddess, I felt a sense of ease that there was a piece of the world's most powerful individual inside of me.
Sebastian seemed quiet this evening, but I couldn't say I blamed him after the information we received earlier. I didn't feel much like talking, either.
We walked down past the dormitories, continuing until we reached the academy. We entered the brick building and wandered through the hallways, passing empty classrooms as we went. I skated by Professor Stoll’s classroom—the only one that still had a dim light emitting from it.
Sebastian stopped walking and pulled a book from his rucksack. “I borrowed this from Stoll. I’m gonna give it back to him since he's still here. I’ll meet you in the arena. He likes to chat.”
I nodded and advanced through the academy, untying the ribbons of my cloak as I entered the arena. It tumbled from my neck, falling into a pile of cloth at my feet and revealing my training uniform underneath.
Tossing my rucksack down, I dropped to a crouch to tighten the laces on my boots. My heart skipped a beat when I stood up, finding myself face to face with Sawyer.
“Ready for round two, Willawood?” he asked smugly, the corner of his lip curving up.
I glanced towards the entrance of the arena, hoping to see Sebastian close behind me, but he was nowhere in sight.
My airway tightened as I looked back at Sawyer and became all too aware that it was just us here. I'd really solidified some of my fighting skills in the past few weeks, so maybe I’d stand a chance if he tried to kick my ass again.
Standing tall, I puffed my chest out. “Sure. But unlike last time, I have powers now and can turn you into a puppet if I so please, so you may want to rethink that.”
He scowled at me for a brief moment, but then his expression warmed. “I'm just kidding.” He grinned, moving to the center of the mat where his belongings were.
“Why are you here?” Please tell me he's not training with us.
“Just getting an extra workout in,” he called over his shoulder. “While I have you alone…”
Oh gods.
“For what it's worth, I'm sorry about what I did to you in combat training. That was pretty fucked up of me, if I’m being honest,” he apologized as he gathered his bag.
My mouth fell open. “Am I hearing this right?” I scoffed.
Sawyer walked back towards me. “Seb is my best friend, has been pretty much my whole life.” He rubbed his hand over his face, stopping the sweat from dripping into his eyes. “When he told me how you were giving him a hard time, I got defensive.”
I gawked at him, speechless. I’d never expected to even have a real exchange of words with Sawyer, let alone an apology.
“Seb is like a brother to me. He's my family, and I get protective over my family.”
“Do you think that giving me a reason behind your motives means that I'll suddenly be okay with how you used me as a lesson for the rest of my class?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest.
Sawyer shrugged. “No, but regardless, there's no excuse for what I did, and I truly am sorry.”
“Uh. Thanks, I guess.”
He nodded, then with his bag tucked under his arm, marched towards the exit. Sebastian made his entrance at the same time, stopping to chat with Sawyer for a few minutes. They glanced over at me in the middle of the conversation, then pulled the other into a one-armed hug before parting ways.
I was completely dumbfounded. I didn't completely forgive Sawyer—how could I after what he did?
But he was important to Sebastian, so all I could do was try to put the matter behind me.
It helped knowing that he got a taste of his own medicine after the fact.
He and Sebastian truly must be close if a black eye didn't come between them.
A hand appeared in front of my face, waving back and forth.
The motion made my eyes flutter. “Sorry I—” I raised an eyebrow. “Sawyer just apologized to me.”
“Yeah, he told me,” Sebastian replied as he walked to the edge of the mat and placed his rucksack down. He released the knot of his cloak and folded it neatly, placing it on the ground next to his bag. “Sawyer means well, but has the oddest ways of showing it.”
“I’ll say,” I muttered.
“You ready?”