by Cait Marie
They dispersed. Ada looked to her brother, grateful the men acknowledged him. An official coronation would be held, but for now, they were not alone. Watching him talk to them, the weight of all that had happened in the last few weeks came crashing down on her. She hadn’t seen him since before she overheard her father. There had been no goodbyes, and she had no way of knowing he was safe.
“Shane…” She stumbled toward her brother.
He turned and pulled her into his arms. “You’re home now. Everything is going to be fine. You did it.”
The door shut with a resounding thud before the lock clicked into place. Shane placed a hand on the cool wood. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh and shoved the key into his pocket.
“Nobody goes in or out of this room without Princess Adalina or me,” he told the two guards standing on either side of him.
“Yes, your Majesty,” they said in unison. That was going to take some getting used to.
Shane turned and headed down the hallway. He wandered past his bedroom and the others without a clear idea of where he was going. The guards spaced throughout the hall all stood at attention as he walked by, each loyal to him. There had been quite a commotion taking control and making sure the remaining men were not aligned with his father. It wasn’t over. He knew there was a lot to do before he could truly feel safe. Along with Phillip and some of the others, he would need to go through each guard and staff member thoroughly.
He found himself in the king’s study, mindlessly flipping through papers and books. “I don’t know where to begin,” he said as he heard someone enter and shut the door behind them.
A hand covered his, stilling his search that had become frantic. “Sit down,” Gwyn whispered.
“I need to find proof of everything,” he replied. “I need answers. I need—"
“You need rest,” she insisted with a firm tone.
Grasping his hand, she led him to a small couch along one of the walls. He sat and leaned his head against the back as she asked, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
He straightened to look at her. “When was I supposed to tell you? When you were in the dungeon because I couldn’t get you out of the castle safely? Or when we were fighting for our lives?”
“That night we were sneaking out, I thought something was wrong, but I thought it was just exhaustion and nerves.” She lifted the back of her hand to his brow and shook her head. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “You said you’d handle the doctor. You promised you would find a way out of getting the injection.”
Shane inhaled. He had no explanation or words of comfort. It hadn’t mattered what he told the doctor—the man had direct orders from the king that he would not disobey. Shane had hoped he was wrong and that it had truly been medicine. It wasn’t long before the fever started. If the king could infect his own son and send armed men after his daughter, he was capable of much worse to the people outside the castle walls. That was why he let Phillip place the crown on his head.
“Does anyone else know?” Gwyn asked.
“No.” He shook his head, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
She pulled back slightly. “You need to tell your sister.”
“I know. Just not yet. She’s been through enough the last few weeks.” Gwyn nodded, and he continued, “We do need to talk to all of them though.”
“I can’t believe she actually found them,” Gwyn said.
“I can,” Phillip replied with a laugh as he came into the study. “You don’t know how stubborn she is or how much she believed in that story.”
Shane grinned at that. “Her stubbornness is definitely to thank. Without it, she would’ve listened to me and left that story behind. I told her to grow up and stop believing in fairy tales.”
“You didn’t know.” Phillip tried comforting him.
Gwyn moved out from under Shane’s arm and stood. “You two should talk.”
Shane rose to his feet, watching his friend shift his weight from one foot to the other. Gwyn closed the door on her way out.
“Phillip…”
“I’m sorry,” Phillip blurted. “He had them, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Their eyes met, and Shane saw the guilt crushing his best friend. He shook his head.
“Please,” Phillip continued, taking a step closer. “You know I would never actually hurt Ada. I love her. I love you both. You have to believe me. Please forgive me.”
Shane pulled him into a hug. “There’s nothing to forgive.”
Phillip let out a breath. He held the prince a moment longer, then stepped back. Shane tilted slightly, and when Phillip met his gaze again, lines appeared in his forehead. “What’s wrong?”
With a sigh, Shane sat back down to his seat and told him what he missed. When he got to the part about the injection, he didn’t spare any details. He told him about his lack of appetite, the fever, and the exhaustion. Phillip’s face lost more and more color with each word, and he dropped to the couch beside him. It was quiet after he finished speaking. Neither seemed to know what to say.
“We need to find that cure,” Phillip finally said.
“We’ll look here in my father’s things, and we’ll look better in the lab. It will be easier now that I don’t need to sneak in and out of there in a hurry.”
“Lee had some medicines—tonics that he gave to a village with the Kald. He said it’s been hitting them for almost a year. Many have died, but there are more who are sick and still living. Perhaps whatever he is supplying is keeping it from the last stages.”
Shane nodded. “We need to talk to him.”
“We need to talk to all of them,” Phillip said, repeating Shane’s earlier words. He stood and held out a hand to help Shane to his feet. “There needs to be a plan. The ball needs to still happen so people don’t panic, and you need to announce your betrothal with the duchess.”
Shane’s brow wrinkled in the center. “Phillip—”
“You are the future king,” Phillip continued as if he hadn’t said anything. “This kingdom is depending on you, and right now it needs not only that alliance but the hope that a wedding will inevitably bring.”
He didn’t wait for a response. He turned and walked out, leaving the door ajar behind him. Shane rubbed at his temples as he followed.
Ada had insisted Phillip’s mother and sister stay in a room down the hall, where they would have clothes, food, and whatever else they needed brought to them. Lee had been shown to another spare room to change out of his bloody, borrowed uniform and wash up while she went into her own.
Nothing had changed other than the bed was made. After weeks out at sea, a hot bath had sounded wonderful. It took a lot of scrubbing, but eventually she felt clean. There were fresh bruises and her side had opened up a little again. Overall, she was relieved to find that she felt fine.
Standing in her undergarments by her bed, she was attempting to bandage her side herself when a soft knock sounded at the door. It opened, and she quickly grabbed a nearby blanket to cover herself. Lee popped his head in, making sure it was all right to enter. Her laugh cut off when he came in and closed the door behind him.
Her breath caught at the sight of him casually striding toward her. Before, the cocky walk would have annoyed her, but now, butterflies filled her stomach as she took in his bare torso. He dried his hair with a towel in one hand, a shirt hanging from the other at his side. She gulped as he stopped in front of her and tossed both on the bed.
“Adalina.” He gave her a crooked grin as he reached for the blanket.
She didn’t refuse when he took it and laid it aside. “Loxley.”
He let out a laugh and closed the difference between them. Her wince at his touch made him freeze, and she showed him her side.
“Help me wrap it?” she asked.
Lee kissed her cheek. He guided her to sit on the bed, then said, “The witch wasn’t able to remove the curse because there was more to the prophecy than we were aware of, and she could not sol
ely remove it.”
She stared up at him, wondering why he was finally explaining. As he finished tending her wound, she asked, “What did the prophecy say? How do you remove the curse?”
With a sad smile, he recited, “When the cursed become mere legend, a true believer will present the key to their freedom, which may only be gained where it all began.”
Ada whispered, “I was part of the prophecy?”
Lee looked away but nodded. When he wouldn’t meet her gaze, she ran a hand up his chest and over his shoulder. She pulled him closer, so he stood against the bed between her legs.
She tilted his chin to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry it didn’t work as you thought… except I’m not. If you had succeeded, you’d be dead right now. I know that’s selfish, but—“
He covered her mouth with his. She twisted her arms up around his neck closer. He held the back of her head as the kiss deepened. With reluctance, Ada pulled back. Lee tilted his head forward, breathing heavy, with their brows touching.
“How long?” she asked, knowing she didn’t need to elaborate.
“Ada…” When she leaned farther back to look at him, he sighed. “The plan was to leave as soon as you were safe.”
“So soon?”
“Perhaps when we’ve figured everything out…” His words trailed off with an unasked question. She heard the hope in his voice that mirrored her own.
Another knock on the door startled them apart. He draped the blanket around her shoulders before pulling on his shirt. The door opened and her lady’s maid walked in with a garment bag draped over one arm and a tray of food balanced in the other. Ada stood and ran to hug the woman.
“Melanie!”
The maid placed everything on the table, then turned with open arms. Careful to keep the blanket around her, Ada lifted one arm over the top to embrace her.
“Princess Adalina,” she replied, squeezing her back. “I am so happy you’ve safely returned. We were all so worried!”
Ada’s eyes stung. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed her home and the people in it. Melanie eased her back and took in her appearance, then glanced at Lee and back with a raised brow. Before she could be scolded, Ada looked to Lee.
When he nodded, she said, “Melanie, may I introduce Loxley of the Nihryst.”
The maid covered her mouth in shock. “Truly?”
Lee stepped forward and inclined his head in greeting. They briefly told her about their travels as Ada dressed behind the screen. She shared the food with him as Melanie explained that the garment bag was her dress for the ball.
She left them when Shane, Phillip, and Gwyn joined.
Phillip immediately moved to the princess while the others sat at her table. “Ada, I… I am so sorry.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug, and he held her back. After they’d separated, she’d thought about it and knew his words on the ship were true. He cared for her just as he always had. “They’re you’re family, Phillip.”
“You’re my family too,” he whispered against her neck before leaning back.
“I know.” Ada smiled up at him as she let him go. “Just tell me next time, and we will figure it out together.”
“Always.”
He took a seat beside Shane as Brienne and Ren entered her rooms. They confirmed Lady Saundra was safe and delivered to her own her room. They’d told the duchess the potential threat was cleared without going into detail. Michel was safe in his rooms, meeting with some of his delegates to ensure everything was fine between their two kingdoms. Together, everyone worked to keep the truth of what happened and what the king had planned from reaching the people. The last thing they needed was a mass panic.
Ada told her brother about Tugora, Cyfrin, the Kald in the small village, and their sailing adventures, then let the others pick up with the Sannwyn Isles and the curse. When they were through, Shane explained what they had learned about the Kald.
“We have the scientist in custody, but he’s not saying much,” Gwyn said. “The only thing he did tell us was that there isn’t a cure.”
“There are some medicines we’ve found that slow down the progress of the sickness, but we haven’t been able to find a cure either. Although, I didn’t know that’s what we were fighting,” Lee said.
“Most of our supplies went to a small village on one of the southern islands, Obaith” Brienne continued from her spot on the end of the bed near Ada. “We have a little left, which is yours for whomever, but it’s not near enough for an entire kingdom.”
“Do you think you could acquire more?” Gwyn asked.
“I’d pay you,” Shane added. “I’ll pay for your travels, supplies, anything you need, but could you bring more for my people?”
“Legally,” Ada coughed out.
With a sly grin and a wink toward her, Lee told the prince he would try to find more. Ada’s heart fluttered in her chest. She knew what it meant that he was agreeing to help their kingdom, especially when they were still cursed. Her eyes misted over, and she looked away.
“Thank you,” Shane said. “The harvest celebration ball will still be held tonight. We don’t want to raise suspicion. Prince Michel is willing to keep up appearances to avoid war.”
“Are you still announcing your engagement tonight?” Ada asked.
“If she’ll still have me after all this.”
She saw Phillip’s eyes flicker over before he looked down at his hands and began picking at the wood of the table.
Shane looked guilty and hesitated before asking, “What should we tell Michel?”
She knew it needed to be addressed, but she still didn’t have an answer. What she truly wanted seemed like an impossibility. Avoiding the gaze burning into her, Ada pulled a pillow onto her lap and hugged it to her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before finally looking up to the green eyes that waited for her.
Swallowing past the fear, she kept her eyes on Lee as she answered her brother. “I need more time… I can’t marry him right now.”
The corner of Lee’s mouth twitched, as if holding back a grin.
“I will speak to him and ask him to postpone any proposal ideas while we get things under control and back to normal,” Shane said as he stood.
The others followed suit, except for Brienne, who remained lounging on the bed.
“We should let you get ready,” Shane said.
Ada looked out the window at the setting sun, then to the clock on her mantel. So much time had passed while they talked. She slowly stood as they began heading for the door.
“Stay,” she blurted.
“Ada—“
“No,” she said, looking to Lee. “I just mean tonight. Stay for the ball.”
“It would be easier to leave at dawn,” Brienne suggested. She finally got to her feet and moved around the bed to drape an arm over the princess’s shoulders.
Ren quickly agreed from his place near the door. Lee shook his head but smiled. “You two are incorrigible.”
Ada bit her bottom lip, waiting.
“Fine, we’ll stay for the ball.” As her face lit up, he quickly added, “But we’re leaving at first light.”
Ada was already running to him. As she flung her arms around his neck, he lifted her off the ground and held her against him. He sat her down, and, after another quick kiss to her brow, he followed Shane, Phillip, and Ren out to the hall. Gwyn left as well, claiming to need to get back to the church. Ada heard Shane insisting she return for the ball as the door shut behind them.
Brienne stayed, and Ada insisted on loaning her a gown when Melanie returned to help. Brienne was given a dark maroon dress that Ada said was payback what she had to wear in Tugora. With much more confidence than Ada possessed, Brienne didn’t seem to mind the low-cut, form-fitting bodice. In fact, she stood in front of the mirror, turning from side to side and admired herself.
Ada’s lavender gown was as magnificent as she remembered. It fit perfectly. The girls co
ntinued to talk and laugh as they finished their hair and cosmetics. Melanie and Brienne pestered her about Lee, but all she could do was grin and try to hide the inevitable blush. When the clock chimed the hour the ball was to begin, Ada looped an arm through Brienne’s and they made their way to the grand ballroom.
It felt like a dream. In fact, Ada had dreamed of that same ball for years. The sparkling lights. The musicians in the corner. Long buffets of food set up along the wall, with tables to sit at below the raised area for the royal family and their honored guests. Dozens of people already danced, swirling around in a sea of color and happiness. No one suspected that tonight could have ended in such tragedy were it not for the man standing at the bottom of the stairs.
She met his sea green eyes—the eyes that searched for her through dreams—and took a deep breath. Brienne nudged her in the side with an elbow. When Ada looked to her friend, Brienne grinned with a wink and led her down the stairs. Lee held out a hand as they reached the last step. She placed her palm in his, and he brought it to his lips without breaking eye contact.
“Princess Adalina.”
“Captain Lee,” she replied.
They’d decided that the Nihryst would be introduced as sailors, part of a private crew outside the royal navy. Word had spread about Ada’s absence, so the story was that she had gone with them in search of a cure for the secretly ill king. After all, they needed an excuse for him to not be attending the ball. They’d let the rumor spread that the king was incapacitated and that Shane was anointed regent until a proper coronation could be held.
“And I’ve become invisible.” They could practically hear Brienne’s eye roll before she muttered something about finding the others and walked away.
As Lee tucked Ada’s hand into the crook of his arm, she stepped down onto the marble floor. They headed toward her table, and he laughed under his breath. At her confusion, he said, “You made it down all the stairs without tripping.”
She stuck out her tongue, which only made him laugh harder. “How princess-like of you.”