Chapter 10
Several days have passed since I got released from the dungeon and my body is taking its sweet time healing.
Mother has confined me to either laying on my bed or sitting at the table, not to do much at all.
Though I can’t argue too much since I don’t really want to do anything right now.
With every single movement I make, my whole body aches with pain.
“Your face is looking a lot better. Did you put the salve on it this morning?” Mother asks as she walks into the kitchen, holding the baby.
“Yes, I did. I’m hoping I can go out soon and walk around to slowly get my body used to movement again,” I say.
“Why don’t you do that here where you’re safe?” Mother suggests. “I would hate for you to go out there and people whisper and come up with rumors about what happened to you.”
“I already told someone that I was mugged on my way back from Hellhollow,” I sigh. “I told the prince that I would come up with some believable excuse so that he wasn’t dragged into it.”
“Why would you do that?” Mother asks as she starts feeding the baby.
“Because it was the only way that I could come home without him… the only way I was able to come home at all. He wanted me to stay in the palace until I was fully healed, but I didn’t want to be there when Avira was there. She could come to me at any moment and hurt me.”
She could still come to me now with her powers and do anything she wanted. No one is safe from her.
“I guess coming up with a believable lie is better than getting stuck in the palace. He probably wouldn’t have let you go after you had stayed there for a while,” Mother points out.
I hum in agreement. “I was worried about that. I also didn’t know if they would do anything to prolong my healing so I was there longer. I knew if I came home that I would heal the best.”
I would also be at peace and not worry about what I say or do in the palace. I shudder at the thought of living there with the prince, never having a moment of peace and always having to be on guard. There is no way I would survive there.
With how Prince Archie is always acting around me, I wouldn’t put it past him to do something with my healing and have someone follow me around to spy on me. He’s paranoid, and not in a good way.
“We won’t let that happen.” Mother gently pats my hand. “You aren’t going to live there.”
Not with Prince Archie. But if Kieran and the Fae can break the curse then maybe some day I will live there, with him. But would he want to live there after everything that has happened?
“Do you think I would be able to go out and walk around today?” I ask.
I’m itching to go out into the forest and see Kieran. It’s been forever since I last saw him and the longer I go without it, the more I’m on edge.
Mother looks at my face for several seconds. “If you cover your face, then yes. I don’t have anything to cover up the bruises, though.”
I close my eyes and lean my head back, taking a deep breath. I don’t have anything either since I used it up the last time something like this happened.
“What if I put a scarf around my neck and keep my head tilted down?” I suggest after a couple of seconds.
“And look suspicious so people draw their attention to you?” Mother chuckles. “You would be better off just walking out there with nothing at all.”
“Then I will,” I declare.
Mother shakes her head. “Do you want the prince to know that you’re doing better?” she asks. “Do you want him to know that the wedding can still proceed like usual?”
“He told me that they are going to push the wedding back since he wants my scars to fully heal and the whole situation not be the talk of the town. The wedding dress is going to be super heavy and I won’t be able to wear it and walk down the aisle like he wants me to,” I explain.
“My whole body is weak and I can’t do much right now. ”
Prince Archie didn’t actually say they were going to push the wedding back, but he told me not to worry about it. Next time I see him I’m going to have to explain that it should be pushed back so people don’t get the wrong idea.
“Really?” Mother arches an eyebrow.
I nod. “It would only take one small rumor to turn the tide. The wedding will be too close to what happened to me and people might get the wrong idea about the prince. He wouldn’t want that.”
Mother shakes her head and starts burping the baby. “You have everything figured out.”
I shrug. “Not everything. There wasn’t much I could do when I was laying in my bed.”
But even if I didn’t spread the small rumor, I bet someone else in town would have the same idea as me.
Some of them already suspect that it’s the Prince and not the story I came up with.
If any of them were paying attention to what direction I was coming from, they would know that what I said was a lie.
I hadn’t thought of that small detail until it was too late. But there was no way for me to go around town and come from the direction of Hellhollow without being spotted by someone.
“I think I want to go outside and try to walk around,” I whisper.
“I can’t stop you from going out, but if you do, just be careful. Don’t overwork yourself and be safe,” she says. “And make sure to take a guard with you. Preferably Henry if he is still here.”
“I will.” I give her a small smile.
I don’t think I would want to walk outside of the house without Henry or a different guard with me. What if Avira shows up again and wants to take me back? At least if I have Henry with me he would help me stay away from her.
I push myself up from the chair, biting the inside of my cheeks as everything screams at me to sit back down and rest. But I can’t.
I need to see Kieran.
Please tell me you are free and can meet me in the forest, I mumble through the bond.
I don’t know what I’m going to do if he says he can’t see me.
Is everything okay? Kieran asks.
I just need to see you. I don’t think I can go another day without seeing you in person, I whisper, feeling absolutely pathetic.
Whenever he was locked away I never had these feelings. Sure, I wanted to see him and wanted to get him out, but this time is different.
Maybe it’s because I know who the witch is now and everything is becoming more dangerous. She can manipulate anyone into thinking anything and I can’t. She could turn everyone against me and there is nothing I would be able to do.
Tell me when you are in the forest and I will come and see you, Kieran replies.
My shoulders drop and I look over at Mother. “I’m going to go out now. There will be less people right now. I won’t be long, I promise.”
“Take your time.” She smiles. “I know he won’t let you do anything that will put too much strain on your body. He’ll have you sitting down before you even get to say hi to him.”
I chuckle. “He isn’t like that. He cares but he won’t make me sit before I can say hi.”
Mother smirks and waves her hand in the air, dismissing me. I slowly make my way to the front door, opening it and seeing Henry leaning up against the wall.
“I thought all guards were supposed to stand tall at all times, but I’ve caught you several times leaning against the wall. Doesn’t that make people less intimidated by you?” I ask as I step outside.
The weather is slowly getting warmer with each day passing. Winter is almost over and excitement bubbles inside me. Soon I will be able to go out and walk around without worrying about getting frostbite and almost dying.
“The other guards do, but I do not,” he replies. “Everyone knows who I am and are afraid of me.”
My eyebrows raise. “I don’t think that is the case.”
“Before I was assigned to guard you, I was out punishing people for wrongdoings. Everyone knows who I am and what I look like. Why do you think no one really comes close to you now?” Henry asks.
I mull over everything he says as we walk toward the forest, incredibly slow compared to all the other times.
“You probably figured it was because the guard activity also increased and rumors about you spread?” Henry continues to walk, matching my pace.
“That was part of the reason, but rumors die down after a while and they still don’t come close to you, do they?
And then once they figured out who you were to the Prince, it all changed again. ”
“Were you really killing people?” I ask, stopping and heaving in breaths.
At this rate we are never going to get to the forest to see Kieran. I scan around the town, my eyes stopping on where the Fae are. Several of them are watching me, worry written all over their faces.
Standing up straighter, I smile and turn to Henry. “Let’s get out of here before they say something to him.”
But I already know they are sending messages to Kieran to let him know how I look. Elias told me they like to keep Kieran informed when he is not close to the town where he can see me. Did they just randomly start doing it or did Kieran tell them to?
I push the thought to the back of my mind and start to walk once again.
“Is everything okay with you and them?” Henry asks.
“Why wouldn’t it be?” I ask instead of answering his question.
“Because you don’t want them to tell him anything. Are you trying to hide something?” Henry keeps prying.
I stop in my tracks and turn to Henry, annoyed. “I am not trying to hide anything.”
That is a lie. I don’t want the other Fae to tell Kieran how I am really doing. I want to pretend like I am better than I actually am so he doesn’t worry about me too much and doesn’t get so angry that he goes after the witch and dies.
No.
That can’t happen.
“Lies. Everyone knows what you are going to do,” Henry chuckles.
I glare at him before walking again. “They do not.”
“You are going to try and hide from Kieran that you’re in pain. You’re going to try and play it off like you aren’t hurt anymore,” Henry explains exactly what I was going to try and do.
“How did you know?” I mumble.
“Because anyone in your situation would do it for someone they love. You don’t want him to worry about you. The other Fae probably know that but they are going to tell him anyway. You are the High Lady and they care for you,” he replies.
Clenching my fists, I look ahead of me and stay silent. I thought I was going to be good at hiding it from everyone.
“There’s no hope that he doesn’t know about it, right?” I ask as we enter the forest.
“They probably already told him. And if he asks, don’t lie to him.” Henry gives me a pointed look.
I stay silent.
“I’m serious, Adeline. Don’t lie to him if he asks about it. Tell him the truth. He wants to know about everything just like you want to know about everything. Think of you being in his place and him lying to you about how he was truly feeling,” Henry continues.
“Okay. Okay. I get it,” I sigh.
Henry and I stop in the middle of the clearing, my breathing heavy. How was I able to do this before and not be out of breath? How did me getting beat for a couple of weeks change so much?
“Have a seat, Sweets.” Kieran appears right in front of me.