Chapter Ten
When the kingdom of Carroway came into view, Lina’s stomach tightened into knots.
This wasn’t the way she had intended to return home, without Elda and with Sebastian on her arm.
It was the way the realm wanted it to be, though.
She believed that. So much had happened in such a short time, and it felt like a whirlwind had picked her up and dropped her down.
However, once their group was spotted outside the castle and surrounded by guards who immediately pointed their swords at the two princes of Orious, she bit her lip in worry.
Perhaps, she should have gone in alone to explain.
It was too late now and as they were marched inside and she approached her very angry father, she felt her confidence drain.
Lina began to tell their story before they’d even reached the throne—how they’d been teleported to the middle of nowhere and traveled to the Blackfoot Mountains before finding Esmerelda and leaving her there to return to Carroway.
It was not well received.
“Outrageous!” Terrin roared. The entire hall stood in silence as the king bellowed his displeasure.
“It’s the truth, Father!” Lina implored but he ignored her. Her father was only focused on the Orious prince as he also attempted to explain the events after their disappearance.
“First, you come into our home,” Terrin continued, “intending to marry one of our daughters, then you disappear with the other and return with her on your arm as if she is already promised to you? And with some ridiculous story of trolls and dragons!”
“Gnomes and dragonites,” Lina corrected, though it fell on deaf ears.
“Maybe we should hear the story again,” Marigold said, stepping forward, but she was drowned out by her husband.
“I will not allow such lies to be spoken to me,” Terrin growled. “Right to my face.”
“They’re not lies,” Baz said, firmly.
They’d known this was a possibility. Lukas and Sage had warned them that the king was already convinced Nivea was responsible for the incident in the gardens and would be hard to sway.
“We really did find Elda,” Lina said, angry now. “We saw her with our own eyes and her new prince.”
“That’s preposterous!” Terrin barked. “Dragons are not real. This kingdom of Athera is not real. These are lies made up by two children who have spent time alone and have decided they want to marry, so the only way they can is to eliminate Esmerelda, the obstacle in their way.”
“Terrin!” Marigold scolded. “Angelina would not do—”
“Women will do anything when they fancy themselves in love, Mari.”
“Perhaps,” Baz began, “if you send someone trusted to Athera to confirm our story—”
“I am not a fool, Prince Sebastian. I will not send someone to the other side of the realm, giving you time to find a way to steal my daughter away. Again.”
“We were teleported against our will!” Lina cried. “You’re being unreasonable, Father. Both Elda and I are happy. Why are you going to ruin that by—”
“Esmerelda is not here to agree with you, is she?” Terrin turned back to the prince. “I want you, your brother, and your fairy out of my kingdom before sundown and I never want to see any of you here again.”
“Father!”
“As for you,” he said, turning back to his daughter. “Your mother is going to take you upstairs and lock you inside your chambers for the foreseeable future. I want you to think long and hard about what you’ve done to your kingdom and your sister.”
“And I want you to think about what you’re doing to both of your daughters,” Lina shouted, “by being so damn stubborn!”
Terrin started to move toward her, but Marigold stepped in, taking Lina’s arm and pulling her toward the back of the hall. Lina turned and caught one last glance of Baz, who was watching her with a stricken expression. This had gone entirely wrong.
Once in the hallway, Lina pulled her arm away and her mother allowed her to. However, on the way up the stairs, her mother grabbed her elbow and stopped her.
“Is what you told your father true? About Elda being engaged to a dragon prince?”
“Yes, Mother. I would never lie about something like this. You know that. I love Elda more than anything and—”
“I know. I do believe that, but we’ve never heard of Athera. How is it possible a kingdom exists that isn’t on any map?”
“It was cursed. Elda broke the curse. That’s why the gnomes took her, so she could help them.
After the curse was broken, the kingdom was revealed.
Well, part of it. The castle, at least. It’s magnificent, Mother.
An entire castle inside of a mountain. And Drake, her prince, is very protective over her.
He will be a wonderful husband. She’s in love with him.
That’s why she wouldn’t leave him to come home. That’s why she stayed.”
“I want to believe you, Lina, but this is so much.”
“I know. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I might not believe it either, but I can’t lie about what I saw. Or what I feel. I am in love with Sebastian, Mother.”
“In love or not,” her mother said, shaking her head, “there is not a single mysta in the realm who will marry you to him without your father’s blessing, Lina. It is an impossible situation.”
When Marigold continued up the stairs, Lina followed but desperately wished she could run back down to the hall and talk sense into her father.
She agreed with her mother, though. It felt like an impossible situation, but she wouldn’t give up.
She would see her prince again, if fate was on her side.
~*~
Baz looked over when he heard his brother cursing at one of the king’s guards for getting too close to Sage. The three of them were being led to the docks with swords pointed at their backs and one had obviously come closer to the fairy than Lukas could allow.
“It’s fine,” Sage whispered.
“It’s not fine,” Lukas spat, glaring at the guard closest to her. “He almost sliced your hair off!”
“Keep walking,” the guard in charge ordered.
Baz had to grab his brother’s arm to force him to move forward. He then guided Sage further in front of him to prevent it from happening again, putting himself closest to the rear of their group as they were forced through the streets of Carroway.
If anyone was going to be run through with a sword, it should be him.
He was responsible for their being banished from the kingdom.
If he hadn’t been so insistent on sharing his relationship with Lina to her parents, in hopes of gaining their approval, this may not have been the outcome.
However, hiding his growing feelings for the princess felt wrong, as did this, being forced away from her.
When they reached the docks and their ship, the guards who had accompanied them to Carroway were already there, having been released from the dungeons.
Baz ignored the Carroway guard’s instructions to board the ship and instead walked over to check on his men.
They were dirty and missing their weapons but did seem to be healthy and have been regularly fed during their captivity.
Once everyone was practically pushed up the gangway, Baz stood near the helm and glanced up at the castle at the top of the hill.
He knew Lina was probably watching, since he was fairly sure her chambers were on the seaside of the castle.
Was she upset? Crying? He’d seen the panic in her eyes as her mother had led her away and he felt shame for having caused it.
Why couldn’t he have just brought himself to lie to the king?
Or at least waited to see how they handled the news about Elda before declaring his love for Lina?
He hadn’t even gotten far enough to ask for her hand in marriage before King Terrin had made it abundantly clear that he wouldn’t allow it.
He’d just been so blinded by his feelings for the princess that he hadn’t bothered to consider any other ending than happily ever after.
And to think, he’d come to Carroway dreading getting married.
After getting to know Angelina, he couldn’t wait to have her by his side every day. Something that seemed impossible now.
“What are we going to do?” Lukas asked, stepping up beside him.
“There’s nothing to be done,” Baz replied, frowning. “The king’s word is final.”
“Surely, you don’t intend to just go home and give up?”
“What would you have me do? Steal her away? If I show up in Orious with the princess, our mother will send her back to avoid a war. And there’s not a mysta alive who will marry royalty against their king’s wishes.”
“So? Don’t get married.”
“Are you prepared to take over Orious in my stead?” Baz asked, raising his brow. “Because if I don’t marry and produce heirs, the responsibility will fall to you.”
“Hell no. Not a damn chance,” Lukas balked.
“Well, that’s what will happen, whether you like it or not. We don’t get the same choices as everyone else.”
“You will just go back and be miserable then? Marry the first girl our mother throws at you and pretend to love her? We both know you’ve never fallen like this. You hardly look at women and this one had you wearing a damn scarf around your neck and prancing around on a stage like a complete loon—”
“I wouldn’t call it prancing,” he argued, but there was no force behind it.
“Maybe your mother can help,” Sage said, finally speaking up. “Talk some sense into this king or something?”
“I don’t know, Sage. Maybe.”
Baz watched the Carroway castle getting smaller as they sailed away and wondered how his mother would react when she learned about what had happened here. There was only one way to find out and he had to hold onto some sliver of hope. What else did he have?
~*~
King Terrin stepped into the dark and musty cell, looking the man over who was chained to the wall in front of him. “Has he given you anything useful?”
“No, Your Majesty,” the guard beside him replied. “We know he was sent by Nivea, but he won’t tell us why.”
“What are you looking for?” Terrin demanded, glaring at the spy who had been captured lurking outside the castle. “What were your orders? To murder me? My son? Steal my wife?”
“King Crusis only wants his son,” the spy snarled. “He knows you have him.”
“I do not have his spawn.” He spat on the dirt floor. “I would never again allow that filth into my kingdom.”
“He won’t rest until you return him.”
“I don’t have him! Crusis is the one who steals children. He took my daughter. He is the one in the wrong and I want her back!”
After a moment of silence, where the spy and king just stared at each other, the guard asked, “What do we do with him? Burn and bury?”
“No.” Terrin straightened. “Send him back to tell his king that his bastard isn’t in Carroway. We have nothing to hide. We aren’t the monsters here. Well… maybe a little. Cut off both of his hands first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the guard replied, pulling his sword as the king left the room.