CHAPTER 43
“Where are you taking me?” I asked with a giggle. Below, the horse rocked with movement as I leaned back against Lukas’s warm chest. Everything around me was shrouded in darkness, but when I went to subtly tug down the rim of my satin blindfold, Lukas’s hand closed around mine.
“So impatient,” he teased, guiding my hand back to my lap, “though I promise you’ll find out soon enough. We’re almost there.”
I let out a mocking groan.“You said that half an hour ago.”
While the world around me remained a mystery, I was certain we were still travelling through the same forests we’d entered into this morning. It’d been weeks since the failed goblin invasion on Drothmore, and by now, the crisp autumn air had wrapped itself around us like a gentle chill. Tugging my cloak closer, the faint earthy smell of mushrooms hit my nose as leaves crunched beneath us.
Thankfully, despite all the chaos following the King’s passing, it hadn’t taken long for Lukas to settle into his father’s position. Since you can’t exactly run a kingdom from your bedchamber, the crown prince had already taken over most of the King’s duties long before his death. Still, ever since the day of his coronation, we’d hardly spent any time together at all. He’d been so busy with this one particular project. So many times I’d offered to help, or at least asked to know what he was working on, but each time I was given a different excuse for why I absolutely could not be involved. At first, it was because it was just a highly secret matter. Later, it was because it actually involved another kingdom entirely. So, this morning, when he’d arrived at my chambers to tell me that he was finally ready to share it, my heart almost burst from my chest.
“We’re here,” Lukas murmured into my ear. Tiny bumps formed on my skin as the autumn wind picked up. In the distance, I could hear faint laughter and chatter. We must’ve reached the edge of the forest. Perhaps we’d even gone as far as Dalking.
I went to slip off the blindfold, but Lukas did it for me. The second the fabric fell away from my face, I gasped, and my hands smacked over my wide-open mouth. We were certainly not in Dalking.
“Welcome home, Princess Naria.”
Stretching out to the horizon was a vast plain of ruins and half-crumbled buildings. In the distance, lavender spires punctured the skyline, while thick, destroyed walls and towers sprawled between them. In a cleared grassy patch before us, were several very familiar buildings and a scruffily built schoolhouse. Dozens of people ran in and out of the houses, gathering resources and supplies, all helping the fifty or so uniformed Drothmore soldiers who were reassembling other small homes. It almost looked just like it did in the forest, except it was here – in the plains of Corlixir.
Tears formed in the corners of my vision. “You moved my village,” I stuttered breathily.
“Soon, it’ll be much more than just a village,” Lukas added. Then, with a smile, he slipped out of the saddle and helped me down too, holding my waist to steady me as I felt my boots touch the soft grass. “All the Honeymeade buildings are due to be completed by the end of next week,” he explained, tilting his chin towards the village. “Then we will begin reconstructing the schools, libraries, research towers, and anything else your people need to thrive here.” His gaze returned to me as my heart thundered in my chest.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I stammered, wiping away a stray tear.
“Do not think you need to thank me.” He drew closer, taking my hands in his. “It may take time, and we may still need to seek the help of other rulers if we run out of funding, but I promise you this, Naria.” Our eyes met as his jaw tensed. “Even if it takes decades… Even if there is a war because the other rulers do not wish to see Corlixir rise again, or even if I have to personally scrape every gram of gold off of every damned gilded dresser in Drothmore to pay for it all, I am committed to restoring the kingdom that my father stole from you.”
My lower lip trembled. “From the hearts of all my people, thank you, Lukas.” The words came out barely louder than a whisper, but he still heard me, clutching my hands tightly in response. When my lips slipped apart to say more, a loud shout stole my attention away.
“Naria!” a girl screamed from the village. “You’re back!”
Whirling around, I was met head-on by a familiar, young, brown-haired woman – her arms outstretched, charging at full speed towards me.
“Ivy!” I squealed, throwing my arms around her as our bodies collided with a heavy thud. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” The moment her long hair brushed past my nose, the scent of medicinal herbs overwhelmed my senses. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell. It was so good to be home.
“You have to tell me everything,” Ivy said, beaming as she stepped out of the hug. “So much has happened since you’ve been gone. They finally let us start our research projects, Clare’s had her baby, and, oh! Terrence and Marius are a couple now!”
“Terr and Marius are a couple?” I repeated, swinging up a hand to hide my grin.
“I know, it’s about time, isn’t it?” she giggled. “Really should’ve happened years ago. But enough about the village, I can’t believe you’re back!” She squeezed my arm. “You must tell me, how was Drothmore? Did you get to go to any balls? Did they give you a tiara? Did you meet any princes?” Her gaze then flew over my shoulder, landing on Lukas, who was still standing rather awkwardly behind me. “Oh, Naria…” She drew closer, dropping her voice to a low whisper. “Who is this handsome stranger you’ve brought with you? Please tell me you’ll be leaving him with us.”
Quickly, I stifled a giggle before stepping back to introduce the pair. With a smile, I turned to Lukas first. “Lukas, please allow me to introduce you to the lovely Ivanya Brightlock, one of my closest friends.”
Ivy dipped her head gracefully as Lukas took her hand and bowed in formal greeting. “It is delightful to meet you, Miss Brightlock.”
“Oh please,” she laughed, her voice like a bell, “just Ivy is fine.”
“And Ivy,” I addressed my friend, “this is Lukas. Or more specifically, His Royal Majesty King Lukas Forgeborn of Drothmore.”
Immediately, the colour in Ivy’s face drained to a pale cream as she doubled herself over into a panicked bow.
“Your Majesty?” she blurted out, her cheeks flushing pink. “Please forgive me for acting so informally, I did not realise—”
“It’s quite alright,” Lukas chuckled, gesturing for her to rise. “There’s no need for any formalities while I am here.” Then his voice took on a more lilting tone. “I’m just glad that I was able to meet the one friend that Naria has spoken so highly of.”
I shot Lukas a look, which he met with a subtle wink. Lying charmer.
“Spoken so highly of?” Ivy passed me a shy grin. “Oh, Naria, and here I was thinking Marius was your favourite.”
Innocently, I shrugged, “You’ve always been the best at medicine mixing.”
That was no lie. Ivy was one of the most talented medicine crafters in Honeymeade – possibly even the realm.
“You’re too flattering.” She swatted my arm playfully. With a quick glance back at the village, she added, “Shall we introduce your handsome royal friend to the rest of the group? Everyone is taking a break in the schoolhouse. If we leave now, we can catch them all together. They’ll all be so happy to see you.” She grinned, taking my hand again.
“If I may,” Lukas cut in before I could reply, “I’d quite like to steal Naria for just a minute. There is one small matter we must discuss, but then afterwards I’d be honoured to meet the rest of her Corlixin friends.”
Ivy blinked up at him. “Of course.” She smiled, before her gaze landed on me. “Enjoy your discussion.” With a playful wave of her fingers, she turned to hurry back towards the village.
The moment she was gone, I tilted my head towards Lukas. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
“It’s nothing to be concerned about,” he reassured me, “but first, let me show you something.”
Guiding me up a gentle slope, away from the village, he stopped us by a small section of grass, hidden partially by some trees. As I peeked around them, my breath caught. I could see it all from up here – my old dormitory, the herb supply, even Ivy running back to the schoolhouse. Nothing could have wiped the grin off my face. This was my home.
“Naria?”
My heart fluttered like a little butterfly at the sound of my name. Then, that butterfly bloomed into a thousand roses when I spun around and saw him.
Lukas was once again before me, but this time he was down on one knee. In his hands, he held a stunningly-crafted ring. The golden band glimmered in the light, while the precious stone centrepiece reflected a rainbow of glittering colours.
“Princess Naria,” he began softly, “I know that we are technically already engaged, but I wanted to do this properly and give you this ring with a promise.” He took a breath as my heart caught in my throat. “Like I said before, it might not happen overnight. We might run into problems. And it may even take years to find the funding, but, if you accept this ring and willingly become my wife, I assure you we will rebuild your kingdom. Together.”
Sunlight pierced through the thick clouds above, making his bronze skin appear to glow. I almost couldn’t breathe. This had to be a dream.
When I didn’t answer, he continued, his voice stuttering slightly, “I know this probably feels like a lot, and I’m not asking you to love me. This is really more so I can justify all the spending to the court council. We can keep our… relationship completely political. At least until you’re comfortable.” The tips of his ears flushed red. “I’ll never force you to do anything. We wouldn’t have to—”
“Oh hush,” I finally replied as the happy tears broke through. Falling to my knees, I collapsed onto the ground in front of him. “You have done so much for me. So much that I feel I can never say thank you enough.” I held his face with my hands. We were so close I could hear his breath shudder.
“You…” I wanted to say more, but then my gaze caught on the ring. Up close, it was even more impressive, with delicate engravings in swirling patterns etched around the band. I could’ve studied it for hours. “This ring is… I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.”
“Thank you.” Lukas grinned. “It wasn’t easy to make.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You made this?”
“Of course, metalwork is one of my many talents,” he said as his grin straightened into a proud smirk.
“I can’t believe it,” I breathed. “You’re so—”
“Talented?” he offered. “Charming? Any maiden would be lucky to have my heart?”
“Modest,” I decided with a laugh.
Our eyes locked, but only for a moment until my gaze found his lips. Then, that was all I could focus on as I felt myself being drawn slowly towards him, closer and closer before finally, without letting myself think anymore, I pulled his lips into mine.
He froze. A few heartbeats passed. And then my back was against the soft grass as he kissed me endlessly. With the two of us so close, all I could taste were summer fruits, salted caramel, and the sweetest daydreams. But if this was just a daydream, I never wanted it to end.
My fingers tangled in the soft waves of his hair as one of his hands slipped down my waist.
“Your Majesty?” someone, probably one of his soldiers, called abruptly from beyond the clearing.
Above me, Lukas growled. He kissed me once more in a parting way, then again, then again, and then again! Until I pushed him off me with a giggle.
“Do you need to deal with that, Your Majesty?” I teased.
“Probably,” he murmured, running his hand down my thigh, “but you never answered my question.”
“Hmm?” I answered dreamily.
He left a trail of soft kisses down my neck. “Do you accept my proposal?”
“Is this not enough of an answer for you?” I whispered back. “Yes, of course I accept!”
With a smile brighter than I’d ever seen before, he propped himself up with his hands in the grass. “You’re absolutely radiant,” he breathed. Then he kissed me one last time before finally pushing himself up and heading towards where the soldier called from.
Before he left the clearing, he called back to me over his shoulder. “You stay right there,” he commanded, pointing his finger at me. “We’re not finished.”
I laughed, letting myself flop back onto the grass. It was still slightly damp from last night’s rain, but I didn’t care. Everywhere he’d touched felt so warm, and everywhere he hadn’t only burned for him. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes to inhale in the cool autumn air. The scent of fresh leaves and wildflowers filled my nose. Even with him gone, I could still taste him on my lips, still feel his touch on my waist.
When I eventually opened my eyes, the smell of wildflowers growing oddly stronger, I almost jumped out of my skin as a large black cat stared down at me.
“Ancients!” I gasped before scrabbling to prop myself up onto my elbows. “What is a cat doing all the way out here? Do you belong to someone in the village?”
The animal meowed, then smoothly rubbed its side along my arm. A soft purr sounded from its belly, and as I lifted a hand to absentmindedly run my fingers through its thick dark fur, two amber irises blinked slowly up at me.
“Aren’t you a lovely thing?” I smiled. “If no one here claims you, I might have to take you back to the palace myself. Though Lukas might be a little jealous.” A light chuckle bounced from my throat.
The cat rubbed his fur along my arm again, then flopped onto his side. Without thinking, I went to stroke him again when my gaze caught something glittering behind his paw.
“What’s this?” I mused, gently lifting his front leg. He meowed in a long, lazy sort of way, and as I brushed the fur aside, my fingers caught on something cold.
Embedded in the cat’s fur, above its paw, were two tiny crystals, mirroring the ones in my own wrist. Instantly, my breath stilled. The similar smell, those familiar eyes… A shiver colder than winter rushed down my spine.
“Arenn…” The name spilled out of me with a jagged breath. I moved back, suddenly desperate to be as far away from this creature as possible.
The faery cat stretched lazily before rolling to his feet. His amber eyes met mine as one narrowed into a slow and deliberate wink. Then, he slinked back towards the treeline, as if nothing had ever happened, his tail swishing casually behind him.