The Reigning Star

by Catherine Wilson

  He turns on his heels, the weight of his surprise evident in the rise and fall of his chest. “I left a note.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I’ve never cared what you think.”

  A smile, and then, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

  “Well, good. At least we agree on something.”

  He staggers forward, a wandering man in the desert unsure of what he sees. My heart catches with every step, until he’s there, right in front of me, and everything else fades into oblivion. The horses. The stable. The palace at our back. Every piece, until there is nothing left but a princess and a guard and love so big they might break.

  “I care for you,” I blurt, the words leaking out of their own accord, as if my heart were worried I’d say the wrong thing, so my mind took control before I had the chance.

  Aras ducks his head, eyes glistening as he steps in front of me, our worn boots toe to toe. He reaches up, smooth fingers sliding against my cheek. Now, more than ever, I find myself longing for him to never let go. “And I care for you, Bravest. I care for you so much it hurts.”

  I catch his hand in my own, lowering his fingers until they’re flush with my heart. “Then take me; I’m yours for the keeping.”

  His blue eyes flash, a heated flame all of their own. The one person who has never needed any magic to rival my spark. Here he is, right in front of me. And I fear I may fall into him, melting into his fire, never to surface again.

  I’ve never wanted anything more.

  Aras smiles, dimple flashing as if he can read my mind. As if he feels the same. Slowly, he leans forward, only stopping when his lips rest against my ear. “I’m glad to hear it, Bravest Penelope, because I don’t ever plan on giving you back.”

  Then, as if that wasn’t enough, as if my knees weren’t about to fold in on themselves and my poor tongue wasn’t about to render me speechless forever, he kisses the spot beneath my ear. And then my jaw, followed by a long, agonizing line until he’s almost at my lips. I don’t breathe. I don’t open my eyes, because right now, it’s just us. It’s just us, and this empty stable, and this staring horse—

  “See, I told you they wouldn’t be gone yet.”

  And my dearest, sweetest little sister. Whom I love. To pieces.

  Aras leans back, mischief playing in his eyes as he takes me in, all splotchy, annoyingly sweaty, and decidedly shaken to my core… in the best of ways, of course. His teeth flash white as he peers over my shoulder, getting his first look at our unwelcome guests.

  Wait, no. Welcome. Slightly.

  “Would you look at my luck? Here I thought I was setting out to face Reeve’s sore feelings on my own, and now I’m gifted with not only a princess, but also a little princess and a shining prince as well.”

  “Amazing, right?” Vivi beams as she crosses the stable, completely unaware of her red-faced sister and sarcastic almost-brother. “And Queen Rosaline was quite understanding, though it was probably more of Ian’s words that convinced her than mine.”

  Aras laughs, the sound so foreign and strange that I jump, unaware of how much I missed it until now. “This was planned?” His eyes dance as he looks to my sister and back, and I have the funniest feeling I’ve deceived him, when I meant to give him nothing but the truth.

  “Possibly,” I admit, sneaking a peek at Ian as he readies his horse. Aras’ mirth only grows with my discomfort. “Actually, yes, it was very much planned. You know when you go to the market, and the shopkeeper flags you down, yelling some nonsense about the special of the day—buy one, get two free? Well, we’re kind of like that. Me and Vivi and Ian. So, I guess you’re right. It is your lucky day.”

  Aras touches a light finger to my wrinkled nose. “Just for the record, I would tell the shopkeeper that I only want the one. He can keep the rest—on me.”

  “How very generous of you,” I call as he backs away to his horse.

  He shrugs his shoulders, and his dimple begs my knees to falter all over again. “I aim to please.”

  Yes, I think, staring at this new Aras, back from the dead and walking anew. He most certainly does.

  ↄ

  “How do you think I should act when we first meet Reeve? Should I be nice? Ugly? Throw fire in his face? The possibilities seem endless.”

  My arms tighten around my sister’s waist, fingers tingling as I grip the reins harder than I should. Thankfully, our horse doesn’t seem to notice, content to follow alongside Ian’s as we wind through the trees. I sneak a peek ahead, watching Aras’ back for any signs he’s heard Vivi’s words, but his shoulders remain as relaxed as ever.

  Maybe over the years, he has become an expert at blocking her out.

  Ian, on the other hand, hasn’t mastered the same skill. “It’s probably best if you don’t say much at first, Viviana. Reeve is an interesting man, and interesting men must be approached with caution.”

  “Wow, Ian. You sound like a mother warning about the perils of courtship. You must have more experience than I thought.”

  Aras’ words break through the fragile space between us, the one where Ian and I dance on a careful line of unease. My eyes flick to the latter, hoping he doesn’t take offence. To my delight, Ian laughs, a response so welcome and needed that the building tension immediately leaves my body, flooding into the night air. “Careful, Aras. Between the two of us, I think we could write a book.”

  Aras turns at Ian’s words, halting his horse. I try to catch his eyes, but whatever he means to say next, it’s not for me. “I think you might be right. I’ll consider the idea, only if you’ll let me keep most of the profits.”

  Ian holds out his hand, smiling when Aras grasps it in return. “I think we have a deal, though to be fair, you’ve already won more than your fair share of profits. Promise me you’ll cherish them well.”

  Aras lips press into a firm line, not of anger, but of respect. He tips his head, a final move of agreeance. “With my life.”

  “Then it’s settled.” Ian drops his hand, picking up his reins with a quick flick. “We’re nearing The Lost’s territory, but it’s probably best if we set up camp for the night. It won’t be long before the trees are too dense for us to catch any of the sky’s light. I can collect wood if Penelope and Viviana would like to tend to the fire.” He turns his head, catching my eye with a smile. Then he sets forward, swallowed up by the dark trees.

  Aras reaches out, a warm hand barely brushing the back of my own, before he, too, disappears into the trees. Silence envelopes us in their absence, two shocked sisters stuck like frozen statues on their mount.

  “Is it me, or were they talking about more than just a book?”

  A deep breath awakens my lungs, and I rest my chin on Vivi’s shoulder as we stare out at the empty path before us. “No, my sister, it’s not you at all.”

  Twelve

  Much to our surprise, the rest of the evening feels carefree, friendly even. While Ian and Aras gathered wood, helping each other with an earnest kinship, Vivi and I tried to look unaffected by their sudden truce, tending the fire with more vigilance than we’ve ever given in our lives.

  Our mother would be proud, if she couldn’t hear the way Vivi giggles every time she watches them interact.

  “Vivi!” I hiss, drawing her attention away from the two boys as they hang out our tents for the night. “If you don’t stop laughing, they are liable to get angry with each other again.”

  Vivi sobers, her jaw clenched and eyes innocent. “It’s just strange to see them getting along. Especially since… you know… “

  I’m involved.

  “I know, and I can’t say I’m not having a tough time understanding it myself, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to laugh about it. We should at least try to ignore the blinding strangeness in our midst.”

  “But that’s the problem, Brave. Maybe you shouldn’t be ignoring it at all.”

  I scowl, if only to cover the wa
y her words push against my nerves. “Sometimes I don’t like it when you’re right.”

  Vivi’s chin jerks over to Aras where he stands alone, fiddling with the tent, while Ian tends to the horses. “Now you know how I feel. Get to it, missy.”

  How she feels, indeed.

  Rising to my feet with a lingering ache, I scruff a hand across my sister’s head, and slowly make my way over to where Aras works, mind all but closed off to the world. “Need some help?”

  He turns, dark curls sliding from his eyes, and my stomach tenses at the sight. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get used to him, this handsome boy with the wildest of grins. I’m not sure if I want to either. “I was hoping you’d come to see me. I’ve been waiting forever, you know.”

  “Oh? It wasn’t enough for me to run from the palace, practically screaming your name, while I turned from an entire kingdom and dragged a crown prince and my sister down your dangerous path?”

  The edges of the tent drop from his hands, and he steps forward, eyes as serious as the night he took me to his home and sat beside me underneath a blanket of a thousand stars. “I’ll never have enough of you, Bravest.” He takes my hand, placing my palm above his heart, a mirror to my action before we left. The steady beat pounds against my skin, singing a song of lazy summer days spent by a quiet pond and tall grasses that sway in the wind. It’s the story of my heart. My future. “Even when I have everything, I’ll still want more. Need more. And while that thought used to scare me, I know now it’s the only one that kept me alive. So give me all you’ve got—your fire, your spark, your love. And in return, I promise to cherish it, keep it safe, and help it grow.”

  “Aras,” I whisper, the name alone giving strength to my soul. I bring my hand to his cheek, willing his eyes to see the future I desperately want to live. “Why are you so…”

  “Handsome? Devastatingly perfect?”

  My hand moves with his smile, that blasted dimple teasing my palm. “I was going to say nice, but now I want to say arrogant.”

  He takes my hand from his cheek, cradling it between us before gently dropping it down to my side. He turns, grabbing the tent to busy his mind, uncomfortable it seems, by the words he needs to say next. “It’s because I already know how it feels to lose you. To have my world broken into tiny pieces and tossed into the wind. I don’t want to go back there, Bravest. I won’t survive it, but more importantly, I want to be the man you deserve to have standing by your side.”

  Latching onto his elbow, I tug until his eyes find mine again. “Do you want to know something, Aras Renn of Orien? You’re nice. You’re handsome. And even though it burns me up to say it, you’re devastatingly perfect, too. I better not hear you mention another word about needing to be more deserving to stand by my side. The way I see it, life isn’t about what we deserve, but what’s meant to be. And you and me? We’re as meant to be as they come.”

  He looks down, dark lashes against olive skin, and my heart threatens to break anew. “Even if it’s not written in the stars?”

  I rise on my tiptoes, resting my chin on his shoulder as I whisper the truest words I’ll ever utter into his ear. The words I’ve been aching to say since he promised himself away to madman, determined to help me live out my destiny, even if it wasn’t with him. Tonight, he learns of my real destiny. The one that was already in place, just waiting for me to step my foot in the right direction. Waiting for me to make the choice. “I’ve come to understand that there are many paths in the stars—it’s simply up to us to choose the right one. I choose you, Aras, and I’ll make that same decision every day for the rest of my life.”

  Finally, those dark lashes lift, a ghost of belief hovering in his gaze. “And I suppose it’s up to me to keep you from regretting it.”

  I pull away, my hand sliding back to his chest. The constant beat echoes against my palm. A reminder of my decision. A new promise. A new future. “If this is your way of asking if you still need to be nice, then yes, I suppose you should.”

  ↄ

  Dawn settles through the trees with a heavy mist, fog so dense it’s hard to see the smoldering flames of our dying fire, not more than ten steps from where we break down our tents. Though we took turns standing guard during the night, I still awoke hard, the edges of sleep blurring my vision like a fog of its own. Vivi yawns against the silence, loud and heavy, like a bear waking from months of slumber. Ian’s gaze catches my own, a dusting of a smile poised on his lips.

  Vivi didn’t have to take watch during the night.

  “The weather may make finding Reeve and his men more difficult,” Ian says, closing his pack. “We should probably ride close, in case Reeve’s harboring any ill feelings.”

  I snort, certain Reeve is harboring a variety of feelings—none of which bode well for us. “At least he should recognize your crest.” I point to Ian’s wrinkled tunic, worn from the night, but still a shining symbol of power in any dark. It was a move he made on purpose, determined to keep us safe, even if it meant marking him as a prince—a dangerous role in a dangerous wood. “Surely he wouldn’t attack the one person he worked so hard to please.”

  My words are without venom, a simple statement based on the cousin I know, but I still catch the way Ian furrows his brow, blinking a little too hard before facing me again. “He is one of the hardest-working men I’ve met, but in the little time I’ve known him, I find myself apologizing for him more often than not.”

  “You shouldn’t apologize for his behavior; I’ve never apologized for my father, and I never intend to either. We’re all burdened with hardships in life, Ian, but it’s up to us to decide how we survive them.”

  His eyes, as green and familiar as my own, churn with tension. He steps forward, the pack bunching in his fingers, losing its fight with the worry he holds close. Vivi senses his distress. Without a sound, she makes her way to Aras’ side. Aras, well aware of the changes brewing in the air, accepts Vivi’s silent plea. Together, they move toward our horses, packs in one hand and fingers clenched together in the other. For a moment, I watch them, a tiny blip of happiness in an otherwise-churning sea. But then Ian is upon me, skin paler than usual, lids lowered with lack of sleep.

  And I know what ever he has to say, it doesn’t involve my cranky cousin of the woods.

  “Then how should we survive this, Penelope? How do we rush toward this path of destruction and both protect the ones we love?” His fingers entwine with my own, cool against the heat. Words so honest I couldn’t have spoken them better myself.

  How do we turn to the woods, gathering every innocent we know in hopes of saving every innocent we love? Mother. Papa. Vivi and Aras. Sireen. And that doesn’t even cover the people in Ashen, nor the others on Ian’s growing list.

  “With strength,” I say, squeezing his hand when the fear threatens to take my words. “As well as courage and little bit of crazy thrown in between.”

  A quick laugh leaves his lips, and a surprised one of my own leaps into the air when he pulls me in for a hug. “In other words, with everything we’ve got and more.”

  “Yes, emphasis on the more, in particular. I have a feeling we are all going to be pushed in ways we never imagined.”

  Ian’s cheek twitches with a grin, arms linked tighter around my back as he eyes the hazy trees around us, soaking in the moment as if he knows it will be the last. And it will—this space between Ian and me. The one where he navigated from friendship to lust and back again, a constant battle I was all too willing to fight. Because he sees it now, feels it even. The soothing relief when we speak. The unyielding support that will never fade.

  The mark of a friendship born from the stars.

  “When I first met Aras, I couldn’t understand what you had ever seen in him. All I saw were his rude remarks, his careless actions meant to leave you undone. The awful hurt that clouded you on even the sunniest of days.” He pulls away, fingers tugging on my chin to make sure I hear his words. Eyes bright and earnest. Everything I’ve come to expect f
rom the selfless prince who reigns through the trees. “But now that he’s back—the true Aras who you knew was there all along—I get it. I see the way he looks at you, anticipating your every need before I could even think it. The way he lights your cheeks with a crimson blush by simply walking into the room. The joy that still flashes in your eyes even after your heart has seen too much. I see it all, Penelope, and I’m jealous. Not because I want you, but because I want what you have. And after all this is over, I fully intend on finding it for myself.”

  “Ian…” I stumble, stuck between feeling thrilled and feeling torn apart. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for ever dragging you into this mess… for allowing my life to dictate your future. Your choices. I never meant to hurt you. All I wanted was your—”

  “Happiness.” He stops my words with a gentle finger to my lips. I frown, remorse heavier than the mist in the air, drowning me beside the boy with the golden hair. I curse myself for ever speaking of courage or strength, for how could I, when all I’ve ever done is hurt him with the very things I lack. “Just as I want yours. And I should have seen to it earlier, made the right decision before we were forced down a path we weren’t supposed to take. Our mothers may have pushed us together in hopes of keeping our kingdoms from falling apart, but they neglected to see the importance of how it was done. So, I’m going to do something, Penelope. I’m going to do exactly what I should have stood in front of my city and done for us both very long ago.”

  My hand slides to his shoulder, the single grip all that holds me up. I risk a glance across the small encampment, Vivi and Aras barely visible as they ready our mounts. As if on cue, Aras turns my way, his expression hidden by the fog that winds through the trees. A slow hand rises to his chest, taking rest above his heart, and I realize then I’d know this boy’s wishes even in the dark. Looking away, I set my sights on Ian, the perfect prince who will one day find the perfect princess.

  “And what’s that?” I ask, knowing the words he must say. Words I used to think I didn’t deserve to hear, but now I know better. They are the words Ian deserves to say as well.