Chapter 4
IANN
“Who here thought azaleas would be a good choice for tonight’s celebrations?
” my mother snaps, and there isn’t a soul that would dare interrupt the Queen while on a tangent.
“Tonight is to celebrate our freedom from the tyrannical reign Haymel held over us for decades. You think displaying their kingdom’s flower is what people want to see?
” She snatches a handful out of a vase. “I want every last one burned and replaced with the hydrangeas and long-stemmed black grass I requested.”
Scattering like ants, servants panic, dropping everything in hand to empty all the vases in the grand hall.
“Shame more people don’t think like the Queen,” I tease, approaching the table she’s examining swatches of fabric at.
“Would have saved you some energy from losing your temper if they all had a mind like yours.” I offer a bow once she sees me, before picking up an azalea that has yet to be sentenced to its fiery fate.
“Ha.” Her dour laugh makes no attempts at caring for my humor as she holds out a piece of sapphire blue fabric with a gold diamond pattern for her lady-in-waiting to take.
“I have yet to show them a memorable temper. I don’t think it’s difficult to select the right flower.
We filled the grounds with hydrangeas. One would think it would be a mindless task to clip them and put them in water.
” Done with the swatches, she gets up and starts inspecting the silverware.
“I think they’re quite pretty, if you ask me.” I twirl the stem, watching the white petals dance between my fingertips. “Some might say prettier than our kingdom’s flower.”
She cuts her eyes at me mischievously. “Don’t be a fool. Plus, I imagine you’ve seen prettier ones with all the places you’ve ventured to.” She waves her hand, releasing her lady-in-waiting. “Tell me, what did your father want?”
Growing up, I would have described my parents’ marriage as an envious one.
Never perfect, but always balanced. With the blazing temper my mother can carry and my father’s calming—sometimes almost too slackened—demeanor, their alliance was destined to be a testy one.
Sometimes there were days when they couldn’t stand the sight of each other, but it never once got in the way of the crown.
Even in their deepest anger, they have always remained loyal to each other.
“He’s heard whispers of great treasures in the south,” I answer, only excluding part of the truth. Unsure of how much he’s told people about this mythical flower, I try to keep most of the details to myself. “He just wants me to do a bit of research and find out how true some rumors are.”
“So, he hasn’t mentioned anything about me?” She examines my face like she’s waiting for any detection of a lie.
Chuckles release when I see the worry on her face. “No. Should he have told me something about you? Have you been up to no good?”
Worry melts away and her posture loosens. “I’m always up to no good. But I have something planned and I don’t need that big mouth father of yours to go spilling it.”
Footsteps trail in behind me.
“Your Majesty, and His Royal Highness.” Miriam, my mother’s head lady-in-waiting and first cousin, bows.
Her hair is graying and her skin has collected a few more wrinkles since I last saw her before my most recent exploration.
She smiles, rising from her curtsy. “Your request is complete, ma’am.
They…it awaits you in the greeting room. ”
My mother claps her hands, braids bouncing when she jumps with excitement.
“You”— she pushes me to the nearest exit—“go get ready for the party tonight. I must attend to prior commitments.” A sudden shouting travels in from beyond the garden windows.
“Before you do that, go check on your brother. I can’t imagine what he’s doing. ”
“Which one?”
She squints towards the window as we hear more shouting and we both know she is referring to Deean.
“I thought his antics would grow thinner with age, but that boy knows exactly how to do all the wrong things.” She gives my left shoulder a squeeze and then follows Miriam out of the room.
I’m tempted to leave Deean to his mischief, but no matter how hard I try to fight it, I always seem to do as I’m told. Even as a grown-ass man.
Warmth coats me once I pass through the wide doors that open into the great hall.
They lead me to the palace gardens. A trickling of water sounds in the distance providing extra serenity amongst the array of colors.
Once I hit the fountains, my inner calms disappear as my ears pound with more shouting.
The scent of rose infused with orange peel permeates the air, and I’m certain small notes of cinnamon and clove mix with it—a scent I’ve smelled a hundred times.
To the left, near one of the open fields, I spot Deean who carries a crossbow in his right hand and a glass containing a deep red liquid in the other. The drink is also the source of the smell. As usual, he entertains a couple women, both perking up with my approach.
“Ladies, let me introduce you to my younger brother and your Prince, Iann.” He leans in close to one of the women, hovering just above a deep slit of cleavage.
There are streaks of pink shimmering in her wavy brunette hair and her eyes appear cut with emeralds.
“The explorer I told you about.” She bites the corner of her lip and gives a slow bow, never breaking eye contact with me.
“Pleasure.” I force a half-hearted smile. “Would you both mind leaving us for a minute? There is something important I need to discuss with my brother?”
They stay silent, and even if they want to, they know they can’t refuse without repercussions. Both offer another bow before they leave us.
“So, what would you like to talk about?” Deean spins, chugging his wine.
“Nothing.” Heat seeps through my pants as I sit on the stone flower bed. “Mother was worried.”
He takes a seat next to me and hands me his drink. The blend smells too tempting not to try and even though it’s early in the morning, I take a sip of the mulled wine and enjoy the spice that burns my throat.
Breathing heavily, he looks out over the grounds. “Mother is always worried. Especially when you’re not here. She always expects the worst.” He takes back his cup and chugs some more. “Can I ask for a favor?”
I shrug. “Do you deserve one?”
“You’ve been gone for months and this is the attitude you return with.” A sly grin creeps across his face. “The place father is sending you, I want to come this time.”
My head cocks to the side as he holds the same sly grin, with two of the faintest dimples resting on either side of his cheeks. “Why do you think father is sending me somewhere? I just got back.”
He scoffs. “He always sends you on wild adventures, does he not? I want…No. I need to go on the next expedition. Being stuck here is driving me mad and I swear, if Mother tries to arrange another marriage for me I will disappear from this place forever.”
“Don’t be dramatic,” I say, spotting some workers carrying in decorations for tonight’s festivities.
Today marks the forty-fifth year since driving out the enemy kingdom of Haymel.
Though my family has ruled for hundreds of years, there was a moment when our monarchy nearly collapsed at the hands of our greatest rival.
My grandfather fell ill when my father was in his first year of life.
Once Haymel learned of his sickness, their king sent soldiers to infiltrate our kingdom and claimed the land as their own.
For a brief period of time, Saden fell to the hands of the enemy.
According to my grandmother, who I’m sure has fluffed the story over the years, she composed a secret group of loyalists determined to overthrow Haymel’s new king and queen at the time, and ultimately assassinate them.
It took nearly ten months to drive out all Hamelians, and then another year to restore Saden back to its original state prior to the invasion.
During Haymel’s short rule, several people had been sentenced to death, robbed of their land, and stripped of their titles.
Today is in remembrance of what we rightfully claimed back.
Deean snaps his fingers in my face. “You still listening?”
“I hear you.”
“So, what do you say then?”
I have no issue with Deean. Sure, he can be eccentric and self-centered, but overall, he’s good fun, and I have no doubt he would bring some lightheartedness to trips that can last months at a time.
But if I am honest with myself, there is a part of me that doesn’t want him stealing any attention that’s reserved for me.
Being the third son to a king means I am overlooked a lot and often forgotten by everyone around me.
These moments of exploration are my own and in some selfish way I want them to remain so.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” I finally muster up the courage to answer. “I think you would get bored after a few days, and Mother would have my head. You think she annoys you now, wait until you disappear for chunks at a time.”
His gaze deepens, and I swear he can detect the half-truths.
“Would you allow me to go if I found you more information about that precious flower of yours?” He smiles as my body stiffens. “I know a lot of things, a lot of people, and a lot of secret places.”
As soon as he mentions the flower, I know he’s been hiding in the tunnels connecting to Father’s study. As bored, energetic children growing up in a castle, we learned the ins and outs of everything. Especially the secret passageways.
“What could you possibly know about it?”
“Unlike you and our brother, I actually mingle with the people of our kingdom.”
“You mean drink and gossip with them in taverns?”
He can’t fight off his smile. “Drunk or sober, the people tell me things. I’ve heard many stories about that flower. Some utter nonsense but others are different, and I can feel a bit of truth in their stories. I might even have a lead on where you can get a map of the isle.”
“Impossible.”
“Is it? You think over the span of thousands of years, no one has ever ventured there or charted the land. I know you’re smart enough to know better.”
I release the tension in my jaw and let a hefty breath loose. “And where is this map?”
“You only get to know if I’m promised a spot on this expedition.” He holds out a hand for me to shake.
“And how do we know if this map is legit or not?”
He withdraws his hand and thinks it over before surrendering a shrug.
“We don’t. Just like our father has no clue if this man who brought him news of the flower is telling the truth.
We’re all going in blindly. But if the map turns out to be real, it would get us one step closer to finding the mystic flower.
” He holds his hand back out, “Come on, brother, it’s one trip.
Some brother bonding time will do us good. ”
I am really going to regret this, but if what he is saying is true, then the map could make everything easier. Putting my hand in his, we shake on it. “You better get that map. If I don’t see it by the time we board for Farella Isle, I will leave you at the port and wave goodbye.”
His eyes grow childlike, filling with utter delight. “We have a deal.”