Chapter 35
Sebastian: A Well-Earned Moment of Peace
Sebastian couldn’t take his eyes off of Lucy.
She’d been sleeping for what seemed like hours, ever since Avelar had arrived, and forced the healing potion down her throat.
He supposed he should be grateful for the healer, who had taken charge of the situation, forcing him to wash his hands, change into clean clothes, and take a dose of the antidote on his own to ensure the poison wouldn’t hurt him.
Still, Lucy was still asleep. He’d refused to leave her side, even when Robin returned to the palace to inform the emperor of the latest events and Lady Quinn had gone to dispose of Wilde’s body.
Even Tala had given the pair of them space, choosing to wander in the woods to ‘enjoy what little remained of the full moon.’ So he was here, waiting, alone, praying that she would awaken.
“It’ll be fine,” he told himself, speaking out loud to calm himself. “She got the antidote, and she’s had a barrage of healing spells. She’ll be fine.”
“You’re loud.” The weak, shaky voice startled him. He turned to the bed, where Lucy was blinking blearily at him. “You should keep quiet when people are trying to sleep.”
“You’re awake.” The words came out with a sigh of relief as he smoothed back her hair. “Thank the Starkind, you’re awake.”
“Barely,” Lucy mumbled, struggling to sit up. “Where are we? What happened to Thaddeus?”
“Shh, lie still,” Sebastian said, gently pressing her back against the pillows. “Avelar said you needed your rest. You’re safe. We’re in your grandmother’s cottage.”
“That explains the tacky decorations,” Lucy murmured. “What happened? Last thing I remember was Thaddeus—” Though he didn’t know how it was possible, Sebastian watched her already pale face go two more shades whiter. “He…he attacked me again, didn’t he?”
“Swallowed you whole, according to Lady Quinn,” Sebastian nodded. “And you, being the wonderfully overachieving person you are, poisoned him and yourself in retribution.”
“I don’t remember that part,” Lucy murmured. “If he swallowed me, how am I here? For that matter, how am I not poisoned?”
Sebastian shrugged with a nonchalance he didn’t feel.
“Robin and I got you out, and Avelar was able to give you the antidote before…” His voice trailed off, as he found himself unwilling to say the words.
Instead, he moved from the chair to the bed, pulling her into his arms. “Oh, Lucy, I almost lost you.”
“He kept saying…” His shirt muffled Lucy’s voice. “He kept saying he would kill you. I couldn’t…I knew I was going to die. I didn’t want you to die too.” Her voice broke at the last sentence. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Sebastian said into her hair.
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I knew he was after you and I let you go off into the forest alone.
Even after we fought, I kept thinking…what if those had been the last things we said to each other?
What if I hadn’t gotten there in time? What if you—” He stopped, feeling her body tense up.
For a moment, he just held her. “I’m sorry. You’re supposed to be resting.”
“Is Gran okay?” Lucy wondered. “Thaddeus said he’d…”
“Tala’s fine,” Sebastian assured her, drawing her into his lap. “She took a walk with Avelar while we were waiting for you to wake up. She should be back any moment.” He laughed bitterly. “She’s quite upset that Thaddeus got the drop on her. I think she’s worried about her reputation.”
Lucy snuggled against his chest. “She needn’t worry. Anyone in their right mind would think twice before taking her on.”
His lips quirked up in a smile. “You’re not wrong about that.”
They sat in silence for a moment, not willing to move and break whatever fragile spell had settled on them. At last, Lucy pushed back on Sebastian’s chest and wondered, “So, is Thaddeus really…”
“Dead?” Sebastian fairly spat out the word. “Yes. You took care of that, and I ensured he would stay that way when I sliced open his stomach to get you out.” He pulled her even closer. “Don’t you dare ever do that again. Promise me.”
“What, get eaten?” Lucy laughed bitterly. “Well, I was planning to try it again next week, but since you gave me an ultimatum—”
“I’m serious.” Sebastian pulled away from her. “When I thought I’d lost you, I wanted to die myself. I already lost you once, to my naivete and belief in other people’s lies. And then I almost lost you again when you had to get eaten by that blasted werewolf.”
“It wasn’t exactly my fault,” Lucy grumbled.
“No, it wasn’t, but in that moment, I would have burned down the world to get you back.” Sebastian kissed her forehead. “Fortunately, all I had to do was to cut open a dead body and let Avelar work his magic, but still…”
“You’re really hyper-focused on that dead body thing.” Lucy studied his face. “Was it really all that bad?”
“Was reaching into the recently deceased corpse of a man who had attacked, stalked, and ultimately, attempted to murder you that bad?” Sebastian blinked at her in disbelief. “Woman, if I wasn’t so grateful that you were alive, I would shake you right now.”
“Well, better not, then,” Lucy said, leaning against him and holding back a yawn. “I’m not sure I have the energy to be shaken.”
Sebastian felt his heart shatter at her words. “Well, in that case…” The silence grew between them. “Are you really feeling okay? Should I get Avelar?”
Lucy shook her head against his chest. “No. No, I’d rather just sit here and let you hold me for a bit, if that’s okay. I don’t know how much longer this is going to last, and I want to revel in the time together just a little longer.”
“Oh. Alright,” Sebastian said, though his heart had plummeted through the floor. “Are you sure? I could let you sleep. If the past couple of days have been any sign, you probably haven’t been getting enough of it.”
“Sebastian,” Lucy murmured. “If you try to get up right about now, I will knee you so hard that you’ll be able to sing soprano. And don’t think I won’t, because I did it once when—” She cut herself off abruptly.
Sebastian pulled away from her. “When?” His voice got lower. “What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Lucy whispered. “He’s gone now. The nightmare is over. Please, let’s just rest.”
Sebastian nodded, though rage was now coursing through his veins. If it had been possible, he’d bring Wilde back to life just to make him suffer the way he’d made Lucy suffer.
“Seba, let it go.” Her voice cut through his vengeful fantasies. “It’s over now. He can’t hurt me or anyone else. You made sure of it.”
Sebastian shook his head. “No, you made sure of it. I just made sure it took.”
“Alright, if that’s how you want to put it,” Lucy said. “One way or another, though, what he did is in the past. It’s time to let it go.”
Sebastian made a grumbling noise, but he didn’t argue with her. Instead, he focused on the rightness of her being in his arms, letting her stroke her fingers across his callouses as she stayed lost in her thoughts.
After a moment of silence, she asked, “So, what did the emperor decide to do about the third round of the competition?”
Sebastian shrugged, running his fingers through her hair. “Don’t know. Don’t particularly want to know. He can wear what I made yesterday or re-wear the starry night ensemble, for all I care.”
“Sebastian!” She pulled away and hit his chest with her fist.
“Ow!” The interjection was more from the shock than of pain. Still, he couldn’t help but rub his chest. “What was that for?”
She glared at him. “To knock some sense into you, you blithering neanderthal.”
“Blithering neanderthal?” Sebastian winced at the epithet. “What did I do to earn that moniker?”
“I did not come to the empire, spend time with a thief masquerading as a prince, and almost get eaten by a stalker for you to give up on the last day of the competition,” Lucy hissed.
“Robin isn’t exactly a thie—”
“That’s what you took from that?” Lucy screeched.
“Sebastian, you need to prove to yourself that you can make a go of this thing, because, Starkind help us, your father will not give you another chance and you’re the only one who hasn’t gotten it through your thick skull yet.
If you don’t get your rear down to the palace and finish today’s entry, so help me, I’ll—”
“Get yourself so wound up you end up relapsing?” Both Sebastian and Lucy looked up at Robin’s words. He approached with a smile on his face, strolling into the room as if he were just there on a casual visit. Behind him, Oliver followed, his eyes wide with anxiety. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Oliver nodded. “You’ll give poor Sebastian here a heart attack, and when Avelar takes care of that, he’ll turn right around and take his vengeance on him for putting you in the situation.”
“She won’t give me a heart attack,” Sebastian muttered. Robin merely rolled his eyes. They both knew he was lying through his teeth. “What are you doing here, Olly?”
“I was here in an official capacity, you clod,” Oliver smirked. “The emperor invited all the leaders of the nearby lands, which includes Uncle Alistair and me. But when I heard about your adventures this week, I had to come and see for myself that the pair of you were alright.”
Sebastian nodded his thanks before his eyes flicked to Robin. “How’s the emperor?”
“Thankful to be alive. Tom and Emil have been talking. A great deal. Truly, it’s nearly impossible to get them to shut up at this point.
The result is that the plot to kill the emperor not only involved them and the despicable Mr. Wilde but also the woman running the competition.
” He arched an eyebrow. “I assume you remember Lady Soto?”
“Wow. I was not expecting that,” Lucy murmured.
Robin shrugged. “Nor was I, but it makes sense. After all, why else would the emperor decide on wearing the one outfit that didn’t even exist for the parade?
The mind boggles. Lady Soto was going to nudge him into choosing their third outfit, which would have meant that he’d have definitely been alone with all three of them, so he’s quite grateful we could uncover the plot.
So grateful, in fact, that he’s giving you more time. ”
Sebastian felt his heart leap. “More time?”
Robin nodded. “He’s got to find someone who can contact Mai and Aiako and bring them back for the third task, anyway.
The ball isn’t until tomorrow night, so he figured we could wait until tomorrow morning to start.
He’s very insistent that both of you come back, though.
” His eyes flicked to Lucy, who had the grace to blush.
“He’d be very unhappy if one of you, say, decided that their very presence put someone in danger and they had to leave town. ”
Lucy wouldn’t meet the prince’s eyes. “Well, there goes that plan.”
“Were you still planning to leave?” Sebastian wondered, anxiety clawing its way up his chest. “Thaddeus is gone. There’s no reason you should have to leave.”
“Well, I gave up the secrets of the company,” Lucy muttered, still, pointedly, not looking at Robin. “I thought if I told anyone, they’d punish me and my family.”
“What a load of rubbish,” Robin groaned. “There’s no way in Afeyra that I’d ever do that to anyone, most certainly not my—” He stopped short, realizing what he was about to say. Now it was his turn for his face to grow red.
Lucy stared at him, curious. “Your…what?” she asked quietly.
Robin sighed. “My sister…well, my half-sister. Your mother was one of my father’s consorts for a time, but she didn’t tell him about you until after you were born.” He shook his head. “She’s quite secretive, you know.”
“I am, so I’ll thank you to stop telling my secrets to everyone you meet,” Lady Quinn said, striding into the cottage, hands on her hips. Her eyes softened as they studied Lucy. “Though, I suppose, telling this one was long overdue.”