Chapter 19
Last night, August and I got back to the castle late, kissing goodbye and promising to see each other soon.
My kiss with Marik was nice and simple, but August’s kiss left me giddy and wanting more.
I fell asleep with a smile on my face as I thought about how the date went.
It was probably the best first date I’ve ever had, and I’m not sure how any of the princes can top it.
Elle kicked my ass today during training.
My magical training is moving along better than she, or even I, expected, but the physical training is still difficult for me.
During our training session today, we practiced using my elemental magic to manipulate the wind, which was also more difficult than I anticipated.
I was able to create a small rotation and move it across the training center floor, impressing Elle.
The movement zapped my magic quickly, but it was invigorating.
Elle has begun teaching me how to fend off an attacker by combining all the movements we’ve been working on, but I’m still slow fighting her off.
I wrote Cally a long-winded letter detailing everything that happened on the date last night. When I get back from my training with Elle, a letter from Cally has been slipped under my door. I grab it and open it immediately, walking toward my bedroom as I read.
Not surprisingly, her response is equally as long, asking for even more information on the date, specifically the kiss.
There’s a single line at the end of the letter mentioning how busy the bookstore has been since my coronation.
I smile at the thought. It was always our dream to have a bookstore so busy that we couldn’t keep books on the shelves.
I fold the letter and toss it onto my bedside table before sitting on the bed and removing my training shoes. The green book catches my eye as I look down, the corner peeking out from underneath the bed.
I quickly change out of my training clothes and head to the library. I turn the corner and slam straight into…Luca.
“Luca, h-hi!” I stammer. I already get the sense he’s unimpressed with me; this probably doesn’t help.
“Your Highness,” he greets me with a quick bow.
“Sorry. I didn’t see you there,” I say. “I’m just heading to the library. Do you happen to know if the librarian is there?”
“I believe I saw her in the garden earlier. If she’s not in the library, check the gardens.”
I thank him and speed-walk to the library, but it’s empty.
So is the rose garden. I keep walking, passing Etta’s garden, overflowing with hues of beautiful flowers.
I pass another garden, this one with rows of in-season vegetables of carrots, lettuce, and beets.
Just past the vegetable garden, I notice a small greenhouse that I haven’t seen before.
There’s a single figure inside, bent over a cane as she waters the plants.
I walk toward the greenhouse and see an elderly female inside, a white bun secured atop her head. “Excuse me,” I say quietly, hoping not to scare her.
She straightens, milky eyes scanning the space but moving right past me. “Who is that?” .
“My name is Mae. I’m so sorry if I scared you. Luca told me you might be out here.”
“Mae?” She gasps and dips into a curtsy. “My apologies, Your Highness. My eyesight disappeared years ago.”
I take a few steps closer to her. “Oh, no, that’s okay. You can just call me Mae,” I say, trying to make her feel comfortable. “I hope it’s okay that Luca told me where I could find you.”
“Yes, of course.” She sets the watering can on the ground and stands up straight. Well, as straight as she can, given her hunched figure. “What is it that I can do for you?”
I search for the right words. “I have some questions about the tale of the First Deer Queen, and I was hoping you could answer them for me.”
She smiles. “Ah, Wrena’s tale. How can I help?”
“Are you familiar with the whole story?” I ask, hoping she is. So far, I’ve only heard snippets of the tale. The written version was so much different.
She smirks. “Yes, I am a librarian, dear. As was my mother and her mother, and as was hers. Stories run in our blood. We are the gatekeepers of the stories of our world.”
I grimace. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. Someone recently told me the story in its entirety, and it was…it was a horrible story. When I originally heard about it, it sounded like a beautiful story. I assumed there would be a happy ending.”
She tilts her head. “What do you mean?”
“Wrena’s children were missing when she returned from the forest.”
She bends down to pick up the watering can, then tilts the can over a planter box full of cucumbers. “Yes, it is, isn’t it? Terrible tale.”
I move on, trying a different question. “Is it a true story?”
She doesn’t respond. I take a breath to repeat my question, convinced she didn’t hear me. Before I can, she turns to face me, her milky eyes somehow finding mine. A chill passes through me, and I check that my net is cast and alert for any signs of deception.
“Yes. It is,” is all she says. Truth.
“That’s awful,” I say, meaning it. “I knew that witches existed, but I didn’t know they were that powerful.”
She nods. “They’re rare in our kingdom. They practice dark magic, and they’re not welcome around here. Yet, they do walk among us. They hide their true appearance though with powerful glamours.”
I want to get through all my questions, so I change gears again and ask, “What happened to the two daughters?”
She shrugs. “Nobody knows. Some say they also walk among us. Some say they died long ago,” she responds in a melodical voice before slowly shuffling to another planter box.
I step forward, pebbles shifting under my feet. “Why did my friends tell me that this story also said Wrena’s daughter would ascend to the throne, escorted by a great stag?”
“There is a prophecy that states this,” she says simply.
“Can I read the prophecy?”
She focuses her attention on a planter box of red peppers, carefully watering each one before moving on to the next. “It’s an oral prophecy, passed down from generation to generation,” she says, her back turned to me.
I step toward her, eying the precision in which she pours the water over each plant. “Where did the prophecy come from?”
She takes another step away, her gaze fixated on each red pepper as she waters it. “An oracle told of the prophecy nearly one hundred years ago.”
Something is off. Wrena was alive long before the oracle’s prophecy.
“How could the queen be Wrena’s daughter? Surely, she’s dead by now. If she’s not, we can assume she’s not interested in ruling. It’s been a thousand years,” I say.
“Perhaps you could assume those things.” I want to pull my hair out at her vague answers. “But your friends got the prophecy wrong, my dear.”
This startles me. Several people told me similar versions. How could it be wrong?
She continues, “Wrena’s daughter will not ascend the throne. Her granddaughter will. And her granddaughter will see the beginning of the end. She will rebirth the kingdom, for better or for worse.”
I don’t move. Her words chill me as much as they confuse me. Her granddaughter? I still don’t see how she could still be alive over a thousand years after her grandmother ruled.
“How will we know when her granddaughter is on the throne?”
“It will all change.”
“What will?”
She smiles but doesn’t answer my question. Instead, she asks, “How is your search for your High King going?”
I tilt my head, confused at the sudden change in conversation. I still haven’t noticed any deception, so I’m assuming she’s been truthful with me so far. But why not answer that question?
“It’s going well,” I say intentionally vaguely. “Thank you for your help.” I turn to leave.
As I exit the greenhouse, she clears her throat and says, “Be careful, Your Highness. Wicked things are afoot. Evil is coming.”
My hackles raise with her warning. That’s the third warning I’ve been given about being careful. First Koa. Then August. Now, the librarian? I exit the greenhouse, trying to shake off the sense of unease that came with her warning. Too late, I realize I didn’t even ask for her name.
I did learn some important things. Most importantly, she confirmed that the tale of the First Deer Queen is true. I also learned the true prophecy—if she’s to be believed. I’m still puzzling over her morbid warning when a shout rings out across the lawn, sending my thoughts scattering.
“Heads up!” A ball is flying directly toward me. I could have used my wind to knock it out of my path, but I catch it and look around. August, Barrett, and Koa are standing in the open green space, staring at me. Koa is grimacing. I guess that he’s the one who threw the ball, then.
My gaze catches on August, his sandy blond hair falling in locks across his forehead. He winks at me as I walk closer, a grin spreading across his face.
“Hey, guys. I didn’t realize you were friends,” I say as I approach, handing Koa the ball.
He takes it and tosses it in the air, a charming smile on his face. “We all are. Kind of. It’s hard being the darling princes of the kingdom, so we’ve always banded together,” Koa says, green eyes sparkling. “Call it a support group.”
I note that the Serpent Princes aren’t here, but I don’t point it out. “I guess it’s also kind of boring being stuck here. I’m sorry about that.”
“It’s like a sleep-away camp. We’re having a blast,” Barrett says enthusiastically.
I laugh. “Whatever you say.”
August walks over and wraps me in a tight hug. I wrap my arms around him, my face burrowing in his chest. “Hi,” he says. I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Hi,” I say, returning the smile and looking up at him.
He reaches down and places a soft kiss on my lips. “I had so much fun last night, Mae.”
“Me too,” I say, meaning it. I look around and say, “But isn’t this weird, with them right behind us?”
“Yeah, but let it be known that I’m willing to do all manners of weird things for you,” he says with a wink as he lets me go.