The Promised Prince: A YA Dystopian Romance

by Kortney Keisel

  72. I wish you had been here in New Hope this past month. You promised to show me around.

  73. I had a dream about you last night. You were swinging on a tree swing, which was weird since I’ve never seen you on a swing, and you’re not five years old, but I’m not complaining. You looked beautiful with your hair blowing back and forth. I can’t seem to get you out of my head.

  King Bryant poured Trev a drink as the two men sat in the king’s office. The room wasn’t anything extravagant. It was painted a light cream that almost looked yellow, and there were a few pieces of art hung on the walls. Two leather chairs sat in front of his wooden desk, and a black sofa leaned against the wall under a window. It was all very modest compared to King Carver’s office, which was now Trev’s office.

  The last official meeting for the Council of Essentials ended yesterday, and all the rulers were preparing to go home.

  “I’m glad I got you alone before you leave tomorrow,” Bryant said, handing him his glass.

  “Oh yeah?” Trev took a sip of the tangy liquid, letting it tingle down his throat.

  “I want to talk to you about Renna.” Bryant sat on the couch, his leg resting across his knee.

  Trev looked at his glass, not knowing what to say. He had almost made it an entire month in New Hope without having to talk to Bryant about her.

  “Mariele told me a few weeks ago about you and Renna, and I can only guess what you were going to say when you stopped the wedding ceremony.”

  If there ever was a man Trev didn’t want to disappoint, it was Bryant. Even more so than his own father.

  His eyes dropped to the floor. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for any of it to happen. Seran deserved better from me, and I let you both down. I’m so ashamed.” The weight of guilt dragged him down again. Would it ever go away? “I hope you can forgive me.”

  “I was angry at first. Livid, in fact. You’re right. My daughter deserved better than that.” Trev braced himself for the king’s wrath. “But my anger made me a hypocrite, and that realization was very confusing. I was enraged for Seran, but at the same time, I felt sorry for you.”

  Trev let out the breath he’d been holding, startled by the king’s words. “Why would you ever feel sorry for me? This was all my fault.”

  “For the last ten years, I’ve put politics over my daughter. I never should have made the marriage alliance.” Bryant shook his head with regret. “You might not know this, but many years ago I was in your same shoes. I loved a woman I wasn’t supposed to and was forced to marry another—a princess.”

  Trev eased back into his chair, listening intently, hoping King Bryant’s words could somehow make him feel better.

  “I know what Seran’s future with you would have looked like because I lived it with Queen Isadora. I was never able to love Isadora the way I loved Mariele, and it was an empty, sad marriage. I wouldn’t have wanted that kind of life for my daughter.”

  “I didn’t want that for Seran either.” Trev could feel the emotion rising in his chest.

  “I know.” King Bryant’s eyes were kind. “You made the choice that I myself was not brave enough to make so many years ago. And because of my own cowardice, I hurt the people closest to me.”

  Trev sat forward slightly. “But you chose your country. New Hope would have suffered if you hadn’t.”

  The king waved his hand. “New Hope would have been fine. My country didn’t need a marriage, it needed the benefits that the marriage provided. But we could have renegotiated our agreement with Northland and removed the wedding altogether. It might have been awkward, but with time I believe everything would have resolved itself.”

  “I just hate that the last words Seran heard were the beginnings of me breaking off the marriage.”

  “You need to forgive yourself for that. It takes a lot of courage to do what you were going to do, and it shows me that you’re strong and that you fight for what you believe in. Those are qualities a good king must have. I should have done what you were about to do. And now you have the chance to see it through to the end. “

  Trev shook his head. “I can’t. It wouldn’t be appropriate.”

  “Do you still love Renna?”

  Trev hadn’t told anyone out loud how he felt. There was a long list of people who could easily guess his feelings, but he had never said it out loud. He had been writing her that list for months, but that was something he did to make himself feel better. Those were words he never planned to send her.

  “I love her,” Trev finally admitted.

  King Bryant smiled. “Then there is nothing left to talk about.”

  “I’m not sure it’s that simple.”

  “Ezra, it’s within your power to love your country and to love Renna. A good king doesn’t need to choose. He can do both.” King Bryant stood, walking over to where he sat. He extended his hand to Trev. “Let everything else go.”

  King Bryant’s words attached themselves to Trev. He couldn’t shake them off even if he wanted to. They were exactly what he needed to hear—the final key that unlocked the floodgates. Trev shook King Bryant’s hand then pulled the man into a hug.

  60

  Renna

  It was unusually warm for the first of March, but Renna wasn’t complaining. The good weather made it easier to get things done around the farm. Today they were repairing the stone wall in front of the house. Mangum brought new rocks in by the wagon full. Renna sorted them, finding the perfect fit for the damaged areas. Preetis and Nellie worked to cement them into the wall. It was a job Renna had wanted to get done ever since she had arrived. The wall was the first thing people saw when they came to Wellenbreck Farm. Renna wanted to make a good impression.

  “What in the jimmy-dickens is that?” Preetis held the palm of his hand up to his eyes, shading the sun.

  They all turned to look at the row of transporters headed toward them.

  “I suspect it’s the queen,” Nellie said.

  It wasn’t her mother. Renna recognized those transporters.

  “They’re from Albion.” Mangum’s eyebrows rose as he shot a glance at Renna.

  Renna’s breath caught in the back of her throat.

  The four of them watched in silence as the vehicles rolled to a stop. The door of the middle transporter opened, making Renna’s heart jump.

  Trev stood, his hands on the door, and his lips curled into a timid smile. She thought she had toughened up, had gotten over him, but it was amazing what the heart remembered. It was amazing how just one look at him could bring her right back to where she had been all those months ago. Actually, it wasn’t amazing. It was annoying what the heart remembered.

  Trev pushed the door closed and slowly walked toward her. His hair was long, and dark curls bounced freely with each of his footsteps. He had navy suit pants on, and a white button-up shirt, but the shirt gave his casualness away. It was rolled at the sleeves, the buttons loosened at the neck, the way it had always been in Albion at the end of the day.

  “Oh child, he’s handsome,” Nellie said under her breath.

  Renna swatted her hand in Nellie’s direction, shushing her.

  “I thought I had the entire walk up to the door to work out what I wanted to say.” Trev’s voice was deep and full of nervousness. “I guess I better think quick.”

  Renna couldn’t think of anything to say herself. All she could think about was how fast her heart was racing.

  “You look so beautiful.” Trev paused, smiling as he glanced over her. “And stronger. Farm life has been good to you.” He nodded at Preetis, Nellie, and Mangum. “Hello.”

  The trio returned the greeting in perfect unison.

  “We have work out back we need to get done,” Mangum said, shuffling Preetis and Nellie around the side of the house.

  That wasn’t obvious at all.

  “I’m sorry to stop your work,” Trev called after them. He looked around at the stone wall they were repairing, then at the house and the farm. “It’s incredible
, Renna. You’re incredible.”

  The line of transporters behind him was like a procession of black ants. “I see you brought everyone,” she said.

  He shrugged in his easy way. “They come with the job. Don’t worry, though. I told them all to stay in the transporters.”

  “Congratulations on being king.” Renna didn’t mean the words to sound so negative, but they did.

  He laughed it off. “There was no one else who wanted the job, so I got it by default . . . literally.”

  Renna bent down and started picking up rocks again. “Well, thanks for stopping by to say hi, but we’ve got to get back to work.”

  Trev shook his head, smiling, amusement in his eyes. “I didn’t come to just say hi, and I think you know that.”

  “I don’t know what you came for. I haven’t heard from you or seen you in months. Why would I have any clue what you are here for?” She tried to hide the bitterness she felt inside but was pretty confident she wasn’t doing a good job.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t write. Things were so crazy after the shooting, and I was just trying to figure everything out.”

  “It’s understandable. Your wife had just died and—”

  He sighed. “She wasn’t my wife. Not yet, at least.”

  “Well, she was about to be, but who needs to argue about a few minutes here or there?” Renna gave a tight smile.

  “I can see you’re upset with me, and rightfully so, but I’m just so happy to see you right now.”

  She didn’t want to be upset with him, but she couldn’t help it. Her anger was her only defense mechanism, a way to protect her heart from getting hurt again.

  She raised her chin. “So why did you come?”

  He took a step forward, obviously nervous. “To tell you I love you. To tell you that you belong with me. To tell you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. That you’re the only one for me.”

  “Well.” She raised her shoulders. “The only one for you now that Seran is gone.”

  Trev threw his head back in obvious frustration. “Why do you have to make everything so difficult?”

  “What did you expect me to say?” She folded her arms across her chest, standing her ground.

  “I don’t know, that you love me too?” He shrugged. “Would that be so hard?”

  “Now you love me? Now that you’re the king and your fiancée is dead, and no one can be mad at you for being with me? That’s when you decide you love me?”

  “I loved you all along. Ask anyone!” His toe kicked the dirt in front of him. “You seem to be the only person who didn’t know. And you weren’t at the wedding. You don’t know that I wasn’t going to marry Seran.”

  Renna straightened, trying to make sense of his words.

  “Before all the chaos happened, I was about to call it off. I was choosing you. I wanted to marry you.”

  Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes, but she blinked them back. Why hadn’t her mother told her that?

  “Not that you’ll believe me now.” Trev let out another frustrated breath.

  “If that’s true, why didn’t you write to me or come for me? It’s been almost six months.” She struggled to control her emotion, hoping he didn’t see how hurt she was.

  “I wanted to.” He bit his lip. There was a vulnerable honesty in his eyes that made her want to hug him. “I didn’t know how to balance my feelings for you with everything that happened with Seran. I felt like being with you would somehow betray her.”

  Renna sighed, knowing exactly how he felt. “Why now? What makes you think we can be together now?”

  “King Bryant. He’s the reason I’m here. His forgiveness and blessing were enough to make me realize we deserve to be happy.”

  Renna wanted to be happy with Trev, but she’d spent the last six months convincing herself of why they could never be together. “Even if we put everything with Seran aside, we still would never work. I can’t be the queen of Albion, and you can’t be a farmer. I would never fit in your world, and you would always be trying to get me to. It just wouldn’t work.”

  “You’d be a great queen of Albion,” he said, the sincerity in his voice saying he really believed it.

  “I don’t know the first thing about being queen.”

  “Yes, you do! You’re strong. You don’t let people get away with things just because that’s how it’s always been done. You fight for what you believe in, even if it isn’t popular. You care about the working-class people and bring so much perspective to those who don’t understand what it’s really like out there. You’re kind, compassionate, and full of ideas. I would be proud to have you by my side.”

  Renna couldn’t believe he saw all that in her.

  “Besides,” he gestured to all the transporters behind him, “there are a thousand people who will happily tell you what to do and say every minute of your life.”

  She shook her head, not knowing how to get past her insecurities, doubts, and fears.

  “Can we just start over?” Trev asked, throwing his hands out to the side.

  “It’s a little too late to pretend like we’re just meeting for the first time.”

  “No, just start this conversation over. I’m going to go back to the transporter and get out again, and you’re going to respond differently this time. You’re going to tell me how you really feel.”

  “This is how I really feel.” At least a part of it, anyway. She was upset with him, but underneath it all, of course she loved him.

  “No, it’s not.” He called her bluff.

  “Yes, it is.” She meant to hold her ground.

  “That was the anger and logic talking. It’s good we got it off your chest.” He smiled. “Did it feel good to say all those things to me?”

  She bit back her own smile. “Yes.”

  “Are there any other angry things you want to say to me?” He stood tall like he could take whatever beating she wanted to give him.

  Renna opened her mouth to speak then shut it dramatically. She didn’t want to rehash all the pain and heartache. Trev was here, and he wanted to build a future with her. It was her turn to let go of the past. “I guess not.”

  “Okay, then.” He took a quick breath. “I’m going back to the transporter, and we’ll redo the entire conversation—with you being happy to hear that I love you and excited that the love of your life has arrived.” He started jogging back to the vehicle. “And depending on how you respond,” he turned, walking backward so she could easily see his adorable face, “we’ll see if I get enough courage to ask you to marry me. Okay?”

  The butterflies were back, stirring inside her. “Okay.”

  “All right, Trev loves Renna, take two,” he said as he opened the transporter door, ducking inside, then shutting the door.

  Trev

  Trev sat against the black leather seat of the transporter and took a deep breath.

  “How’s it going out there?” Drake asked from across the seat.

  Trev looked at his friend. “It could be going better.”

  “That’s what I gathered.” Drake laughed.

  “Okay.” Trev pumped himself up. “Here I go again.” He swung the door open and stood like he had when he’d first arrived. She took his breath away again, just like she had the first time he saw her. She wore gray pants, but they actually fit her this time, making her long legs look incredible. Her shirt was loose, but every once in a while, the breeze would push it against her torso, chest, and arms in the best way. Her hair was coiled around the top of her head into a loose bun, and her skin was a golden color that accentuated the light color of her hair. He smiled again, just looking at her.

  Trev slammed the door behind him and walked toward her with purpose so she was only an arm’s length away. She didn’t seem as stunned as the first time or as angry. That was a good sign.

  “It’s so good to see you.” He smiled as he looked into her green eyes. “I’ve missed you in every way possible, every single day.”
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br />   She raised her eyebrows at the ridiculousness of it all.

  He cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered to her, “Take two. Remember?”

  Her head shook. “It’s good to see you too.” She half mumbled the words, but it was better than nothing.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. I was scared, but now the only thing I’m scared of is losing you. I’ve been miserable without you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded paper. “I even started keeping a list of things I wished I could talk to you about.” He smiled big at her. “Proof that I was thinking about you.” He unwrapped the paper and began reading from its lines. “Tybolt shaved his beard. I beat Drake in a fight.” His eyes scanned down the page. “I got a new suit. King Ezra sounds weird.” He tugged at his hair. “I’m growing my hair out. I saw a cactus. Drake loves Lizanne.” He looked up at Renna to see her reaction on that one. Then he suddenly felt self-conscious and tucked the paper back in his pocket. “Well, it’s all there. You can read it later if you want.”

  Her brows furrowed. “Did Tybolt really shave his beard?”

  Trev knew she’d love that one. “Yeah, right off. Somehow, he looked uglier without it.”

  She laughed, and he felt whole again.

  For months he had been empty; even just her laugh was enough to put his heart back together.

  His voice grew soft and serious. “Renna, I love you. I should have told you that the day we sat on the edge of the dock at Wellenbreck Pond because somehow, I knew it then. Or when we were in the artifact room or shooting guns or dancing or when we kissed. I should have told you I loved you when we kissed.

  “We spend so much time thinking about and deciding what is essential. The last two months, that’s all I’ve done. I’ve spent all my time worrying about what is essential for everyone else. You . . .” He took a step closer, his hand reaching out to touch her face. Her skin was warm and smooth, and just like he knew it would, a surge of energy flew through his body.