Chapter Twenty-Two #2
“Hmm, well that is interesting to me considering the fact that Draven is in Faeria and you are… here in his bedroom.” He raises his hand up, emphasizing where we are.
Heat starts to creep up my neck. I do not reply.
“The last I heard from him he was planning to take you with him. He looked rather overjoyed at the thought of it. Possibly the most joy I have seen from him in a while actually.”
His words fill me with regret and shame.
I clear my throat. “Actually, I told him I could not make it because I have been feeling very under the weather lately. My head is still not all there from the attack.”
He nods with a knowing smirk on his face. “I can imagine it is not. All the way there, I mean.”
I smile through gritted teeth. “What can I do for you, King Vesper?”
His eyes flick behind me once again, this time staying there longer.
He looks back at me. “As I was saying, I received word you refused my messenger elf. So, here I am, giving you the message myself.”
Mental note for next time, just take the damn message from the elf.
He continues, “There will be a betrothal ball I am hosting for you and Draven in four days.”
My mouth opens and then closes. “Four days? But the wedding is not for another few weeks,” I say, trying to casually laugh off my nerves.
“Yes, I am aware of the timing considering the fact that I am the one who arranged the times.”
He takes a deep breath.
“Anyways, the Briars of Faeria will be attending the event, along with some of their trusted advisors. I received word that Draven will be arriving back here the day of the ball.”
He will be gone for over a week then.
“He will be traveling back with their party from Faeria. If you are interested at all in that information,” he says.
Actually, I am. At least this conversation is good for something.
He continues, “The Briars will be staying in Faeria until the wedding and possibly longer. They are to assist me in arranging Draven’s transition to becoming king.”
I suddenly feel a hot flashing coming over me. I slouch back in my chair and wave my face with my hand as I smile and nod.
“You must have come to the realization that you…” He gives me a pointed look. “Will be a queen.”
He yet again, looks me up and down. “I cannot receive word from workers that you are manic out in the hallway. Please choose to stay in your chambers those days you feel that way.”
My hand stops fanning me and instead I use it to cover my mouth. I rest my elbow on the arm of the chair and leave my hand over my mouth.
I will need it covered for this conversation.
“In summary of this meeting, I want you to understand that I am coming here today to speak with you for two reasons. The first reason, I am delivering you the information of the ball. The second reason, I am delivering you a warning and threat. Combined.”
How lovely.
He continues, “You will behave during this ball and you will not do anything to embarrass me, my son, or this crown.”
“Okay,” I say plainly.
“I think daily of my decision of bringing you back here. I hope following my own gut has not led me astray, but I will say it never has. Do not be the first mistake I have ever made,” he says.
I could have gone my whole life without knowing that information but if he is anything, he is honest.
His eyes travel back behind me once more.
“Lastly, take care of my son. Please.” His eyes soften for a fraction of a second at his own words.
The king stands up, not waiting for a response. His eyes travel behind me one last time, then he turns and moves to walk out of the room.
He pauses at the door, his hand hoovering above the handle. “Oh and Solene, you do not need guards while you are in Draven’s room. Nothing will be able to get you in here. I made sure of that a long time ago.”
I nod my head at him, unsure of what his words mean.
After the door shuts behind him, I immediately turn around to see what he could have possibly been staring at.
Sitting directly behind me is the portrait of Lilith Silver, the king’s late wife.
I almost pity him for a second, but then the feeling is gone.
King Vesper just came here to give me a warning not to hurt his son. He knows what has been happening between Draven and I. He made it obvious that he can tell by the way his son is acting.
What he does not know is, I have already hurt him.
My head falls into my hands with a groan from my lips. I need some fresh air, and I need to get out of this castle for a while.
I quickly change into a gown and walk over to the door, grabbing my cloak off the rack. I lace up my riding boots and pull the door open.
“Good evening, gentlemen. I would like to leave the castle,” I say.
The guards look at one another.
“Can she do that?” one guard asks the other.
“I don’t know, I guess,” he responds with a shrug.
“It does not matter, because I am. So, you can either come along with me or stay,” I say with my chin up.
I swear I see one of them roll their eyes, but they follow me as I walk down the hallway.
“She is not the one who has to deal with Prince Draven,” one of them mutters.
My mouth pulls up into a grin as I continue walking.
When we reach the front of the castle, we walk right out the gate. I immediately miss the way Draven and I used to sneak out instead.
As I step into the barn, my eyes instantly land on my horse I usually ride. He already has a saddle on. Grabbing the rope, I lead him out of the barn and we step out into the grass. It is warm out tonight, so I shrug off my cloak and let it fall to the ground.
I take a deep breath and shake my hands out at my side. My knees bend and I jump up to mount my horse. I don’t make it very high.
One of the guards dismounts their horse and approaches me.
I raise my hand to stop his approach. “I can do it.”
I don’t want anyone but Draven touching my waist.
I immediately regret my decision when I try again and fail. My body hits the side of my horse and I slide down him and land on the ground, hard.
A groan slips from my lips and in response, my horse drops his front leg. He is probably just as tired of my attempts and does not appreciate me slamming into his side. His body lowers just enough that I can grab the saddle and pull myself over.
It was probably the most hideous, unladylike mount to ever exist, but I do not care.
I stroke my hand along the horse’s neck. “Thank you,” I say quietly.
He turns his head slightly toward me.
“You probably already have a name, but I am going to call you Shadow.”
I swear he huffs in response. I tap his side lightly and pick up the rein as he starts moving forward.
We trot through the field slowly at first, the grass swaying with the breeze beneath us.
Wildflowers have started to poke out of the ground, settling between the blades of grass.
The bugs chirp into the warm night air, drowning out the sound of the guards talking behind me about the various ladies of the court they are interested in.
A gust of wind brushes my face and my hair floats up behind me. An overwhelming urge hits me to want to feel that again.
I tap the side of Shadow, a little harder this time and pull on the rein.
It’s all he needs before he takes off.
I lean forward as we pick up speed, hearing the guards let out a string of curses behind me. The wind hits my face even harder, my hair billowing out behind me as a hint of jasmine stirs in the air.
We start moving at the speed of light as I watch the ground blur beneath us.
I tip my head back into the sky and laugh.
It is a raw laugh that comes deep from within my chest, filling my constricted lungs with air.
I throw my hands up as the wind rushes past, laughter continuing to spill out of me.
The stars move past us in streaks of silver as if they are shooting across the sky.
The moon sits in the middle, unmoving in its steady presence, but I swear I can see the face within it watching me.
Shadow slows down as we approach the scattered trees ahead.
I stroke my hand down his neck again. “Well, that was fun.”
I look over my shoulder and see my two guards closing in behind me. If they are angry, they say nothing about it.
We weave between trees until I see a familiar spot up ahead. I am able to see through the trees much clearer this time.
We pass the final tree and approach the bank of the pond that Draven brought me to. It still glows, brighter tonight than before.
I am going to do what I should have done the first time we came here. I am going to get into that pond and I am going to swim.
Getting off Shadow is a lot easier than getting on him, that is for sure. My feet hit the ground and my knees brace against the impact. I face the two guards and make a motion for them to turn around. They nod and put their backs to me.
After kicking off my boots, I grab the hem of my dress and pull it over my head, leaving behind my slip. I walk to the edge of the pond, letting the warm water hit my feet.
I do not have time to worry about what lies beneath the water of this pond. I will take Draven’s word. He told me it was safe to swim in, but I did not believe him then.
I walk right into the water, swimming out until my feet can no longer touch the ground. My slip starts to pile around my waist, but I pull it down and swim out further toward the middle of the pond.
I dunk my head under and then break back through the surface. My hair is glowing with star algae as it fans out in the water. I smile to myself, flipping over onto my back so I can float.
I deepen my breathing, feeling calmer than I have in a while. I have always loved the water so I do not know why I thought that this was a bad idea.
Maybe it was because it felt too intimate to me. I was too scared. We had shared so much that night, that swimming with him with nothing but thin wet clothes between us, felt like too much for me.
What a fool I was.
Looking up at the stars, I name each one inside of my head. The guards quietly continue their conversation, but I dip my head further back, so the water covers my ears. I pause when I hear nothing but the soft sound of the waterfall, then continue to trace each constellation in the sky.
I stay out in the water for at least another hour. Long enough for my fingers and toes to shrivel before I decide to come back to shore.
As I step onto the bank, I glance down at my skin and see the silver that glows across it. I smile to myself and turn my head, spinning in a circle so I can try and see my whole body.
I grab my dress from the ground, deciding to keep it off. My slip is opaque, and I don’t want to cover up the glow on my skin.
Shadow crouches, and I mount him with ease this time. The guards follow suit and we make our way back to the castle.
I take the long way back, riding slow as I admire the interesting world around me. Riding until I begin to see things differently than I did before.
Until the warm wind has dried all the water from my skin and the glow fades away.