Kingdom Untold

by Brittni Chenelle

  “Charlotte,” he breathed. “I have to tell you something.” He turned to look at the row of soldiers that were no doubt gathered due to Garix, but they were now heading back to the city. I hadn’t seen Minseo order them away, but I was glad no one but Garix was here to witness my unexpected rejection.

  My mind raced through one horror after the other, the biggest coming to my lips first. “Morgana?”

  “She’s perfectly fine.”

  I swallowed a gulp of relief. His quick response, merciful.

  “Then whatever it is, we can get through it.” I reached for his hand but he pulled it away. “Minseo, you’re scaring me.” I looked into his eyes but didn’t see the glow of love or joy that had been present a moment ago. I saw only sadness and, when I looked a little closer, I saw I was wrong. It was not sadness but pain.

  “I want you to know,” he said, “that I meant everything I’ve ever said to you.” He walked towards me, his gaze lifting to mine. My heart collapsed as each word was one dagger after another. My head screamed, Why? I knew he loved me. I knew a few months apart wouldn’t change anything. But something had.

  Minseo’s voice snapped my attention back to him. “But I won’t hold you to anything that you said or did.”

  I shook my head. “Wh-what are you saying? I meant it, Minseo.” I choked, but his gaze had gone cold. Come back to me. “I love—”

  “Don’t,” he said. A fire lit in his eyes as he turned them on me.

  Anger tore through me. “You don’t. There’s nothing you could say that could—”

  “Young is alive.”

  Silence dragged as a sudden gust of wind whipped around us. Minseo studied me as those three miraculous words forged an invisible barrier between us, one we could never break. Locked in stasis between confused, overjoyed, and heartbroken, I stared blankly back at him, my rapid heartbeat a stark contrast to my frozen body.

  Young is alive. His words echoed inside me. It was impossible yet I had no reason to doubt him. It was the one and only possible explanation for Minseo’s change of heart. He stood in front of me, as immobile as I was, but his eyes betrayed him as a windfall of emotions flickered in them. He was moments from unraveling. My heart yearned to reach out and touch his face, to pull him in my arms and tell him that nothing had changed. But something had. My first love, the father of my child, my husband, the man who filled every inch of the world with gold, was alive.

  “Where is he?” I asked, my voice cracking with the emotion I desperately fought to suppress.

  Minseo’s exhale skipped. He tried again but that too caught in his throat. When his voice sounded again, it was as if it was spoken by someone else. “He’s at the castle. I’ll take you there.”

  I had so many questions. How had Young survived? Where had he been all this time? Did he know what I’d done? Had he changed? Did he know about Morgana?

  But those questions would all be lances at Minseo. Minseo who had brought me back to life, Minseo who, a moment ago, had been my home.

  Hungry. Garix whined an emotion that felt like the color yellow at the pit of my stomach.

  “Garix needs to eat. Do you have any livestock? He likes goats.”

  Minseo turned to look at Garix, his eyes widening as if he’d forgotten there was a dragon. I could hardly imagine there’d be a moment in my life when my presence would eclipse that of a dragon, but there we were.

  “Let’s take him to a farm for the night. He’ll be able to get a meal and rest without...” he scratched at the back of his head, “burning Vires to the ground.”

  I smiled, but it only reminded me of how sad I felt. Minseo must’ve noticed because after that he hardly looked at me. We’d gone to the closest farm and Minseo explained the dragon to its owner in Viran. The man seemed apprehensive to take Garix as any sane person would be, but Minseo was a prince of Vires and, therefore, pulled rank. I was surprised to see Minseo speak Viran. I liked the way his mouth moved when he spoke it. His voice seemed different somehow, but I was tired. I might’ve imagined it.

  When Garix was settled in with a trough of water and a fresh goat, we finally entered the city. Soldiers waited at the city line to welcome Minseo and finally solve the mystery of the dragon’s sudden appearance. Minseo waved them off and promised them answers in the morning. He ushered me into a carriage before I could get a decent glimpse of the Viran capital. My limbs and eyelids were heavy from both physical and emotional exhaustion. I wanted to call out to Minseo and ask how long the ride was to the castle, but I felt myself slip into a heavy sleep, my mind racing with thoughts of Young and my heart still beating for Minseo.

  16

  Young

  Considering there was a dragon attack happening, the city was unbearably quiet. I kept listening for something—anything. Any clue of what was happening outside the city. I paced the grounds of the castle, furious that I was forced to hide here, like a child, but my sense of duty wouldn’t allow me to disobey my father.

  The new age lines on my father’s face were beyond the five years I’d been held captive. My stomach tightened at the thought that I’d hurt him, that he’d suffered in my absence. But Minseo’s agreement threw me. I knew he cared, but once upon a time he understood and believed in me. I had to battle with my selfish thoughts as I waited for my moment to join the fight.

  I let out an exasperated sigh as I stomped toward my room. I couldn’t bear the silence for another moment. I slid open the door to my bedroom and lay down, my body stiffened with anticipation. A dragon? How had everything gotten so confusing?

  There was a time when the world made perfect sense. I longed for the days in my childhood when life was beautifully divided into black and white. Logic was the basis of everything, all with a reason and explanation. Now I was drowning in gray. It was no wonder humanity turned to the sky, to some distant god or power for the answers. It was unbearable to think that all of this was random. The world had changed to one where there were battle mages and dragons, but those things weren’t what confused me most. Adulthood was not, as I’d expected, a time of great wisdom and understanding. Adulthood was staring at your greatest fears day after day until you became numb to them.

  I sighed, exhaling my greatest fear—Charlotte falling in love with Minseo. I didn’t know the details of what happened during my capture, but as I’d come to fear the truth, I knew it would find me eventually. It was another dragon I couldn’t slay.

  “Young,” Minseo said from outside my door.

  I jackhammered up to a seated position. “Minseo? Are you okay?” I scrambled for the door.

  “It’s Charlotte,” he said.

  My pulse quickened. My voice barely a whisper as I slid open the door. “Is she oka—” I froze.

  Charlotte stood in front of me. Her curls a wild crown around her head. Her skin was sun-kissed, a few shades darker than it was when she lived in the castle, giving it a healthy glow complete with pink cheeks. My heart thrashed inside me as my gaze dragged down her new body and rose back to her face. Her bottom lip shook, and I noticed she was breathing more air out than what was coming in. Her eyes glossed over and she reached for me the same way Minseo had when I’d seen him for the first time after my capture. Afraid she’d faint, I pulled her to my body, supporting most of her weight as she wrapped her arms around me, her tears already seeping through my shirt. With my opposite hand, I reached for my door and began to slide it closed behind us. Just before the panes locked together, I caught a glimpse of Minseo, pain peering out through clenched teeth and wet eyes.

  I didn’t take any pleasure in witnessing the cracked and broken man outside my room. I didn’t have time to think about what the intensity of his gaze meant or how Charlotte must’ve been feeling. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for the brother I loved so much, except for one thing. I wouldn’t let him have her. Charlotte was mine.

  17

  Charlotte

  Young carried me to his bed. My heart raced at the intimacy of the moment as I caref
ully considered the man in front of me. He was a stranger, my mind unable to age him the five years he was gone. But his eyes held the same kindness and sincerity I’d missed. His hair was cut short, his muscles swollen and defined. I gulped. They certainly hadn’t been that way before. He lay down in front of me, the space and discomfort between us a sudden reminder of our wedding night.

  He brushed my cheek, his touch more gentle than I was used to. I swallowed a mouthful of nerves and guilt when I realized I was used to Minseo. My memory flashed to Minseo’s sadness and I found myself worried about what he might think about tonight.

  Young’s gaze dropped and I wondered if he knew what I was thinking about, or rather who.

  “You’re alive,” I said, trying to get a read.

  He nodded. I felt my heart melt as the memories of him flooded back. The silence between us familiar but lost. Gold. My heart beat. There, I felt it. It was buried, but Young was still there, hidden away in my heart.

  “W-we have a daughter,” I said.

  The brightness of his smile said he’d met her. It made my body weak. Those smiles were earned. Another pang of guilt cut through my stomach. My eyes pricked and a tear slid down the side of my face and onto my pillow.

  Young watched me carefully for a moment. I’d already started to adjust to the quiet that came with him when he surprised me and spoke. “You feel guilty about whatever happened when you thought...” His gaze lowered. “When you thought I was dead.”

  It wasn’t a question. My jaw was a dam, holding back the flood of emotions ready to spill out. I pressed my lips together and nodded.

  He took a deep breath and noticed it was to steady his own nerves. I was surprised to find I was better at reading him than I’d been when we were teenagers.

  He took my hand in his, pulling it to his chest. “You shouldn’t feel any guilt. But I have to ask...”

  His voice was low, a little different than I remembered. I shook, dread seeping in as I shuffled through the questions he might ask. Had Minseo and I slept together? Was I in love with him? He didn’t want to hear the true answers to those questions. But I had forgotten the kind of man he was, so I couldn’t anticipate what he’d say next.

  “Do you want me to let you go?”

  My heart raced. Never. Of course not. But the words didn’t make it to my lips.

  “Please. Charlotte,” he said. “If there’s no hope—”

  “There is.”

  He bit down on his bottom lip and my memory fluttered past a moment when I bit down on that lip. My face burned red and his followed. His eyebrows raised and the corners of his mouth peaked as if he easily accessed my thoughts from my expressions. I held my breath to pass the moment, and when I couldn’t any longer, I pushed it slowly through my teeth.

  He faked a laugh to break the tension. That was a new trick for him. “So, we’ll take it slow then and see if I can’t win you back.”

  Now I was the silent one. There was so much to say, so much to ask, but for the first time since I met him, we had time.

  “Get some rest,” he said. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  I closed my eyes and realized just how hard I’d been fighting my exhaustion. Still, my mind was a blur. How had Young forgiven me so quickly? How had I forgotten what he felt like? He planned to fight for my heart which meant two things: I needed to let myself fall back in love with him and I needed to stay the hell away from Minseo.

  I awoke without having remembered falling asleep. I turned to see Young sleeping soundly. His face was serene without his open eyes to give him away. I thought about waking him but it seemed cruel. I looked around the room, finding it peaceful with the simple clean lines and furnishings. The bed was much closer to the ground than I was used to, as was a small table with several mats laid neatly around it. It was such a stark contrast to the style of the western world. Curiosity about the rest of the castle clawed at me. I’d missed most of the view in the confines of the carriage and barely got a glance around before Minseo plopped me in front of Young’s room. He was a good man for that. A great man, but I was committed to Young and getting back what we had. I tried wrangling my hair into a hair tie, but it was no use without a mirror. Finally, when it was out of my face, I slid the door open and stepped out, carefully sliding the door closed as to not wake Young. I turned back to the morning and gasped at the painted wooden structures and elaborate curved gables, the clay-tiled roofs and brightly colored carvings that wove up each column and statue. Yellows, greens, blues, and reds in perfectly balanced harmony. The castle compound did not reflect it’s simple interior in the least. I stepped forward but tripped over a large mass on the ground.

  I wrenched my body to pull my feet under me before I hit the ground and spun to see a stunned Minseo sitting on the step. What the? The dark circles around his eyes answered each question as they popped into my head. Oh. Minseo… I exhaled my disbelief. “You slept here?”

  He stood and looked into my eyes. It was our usual distance but, suddenly, it felt too close. I stepped back, still waiting for a response.

  “I… uh… wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  I was irritated, not by his absurd actions but mostly by his handsome face and how much I wanted to touch him. “Minseo…”

  “Did something happen?” he blurted. His eyes widened. He bowed a frantic apology, a gesture that struck me and I wasn’t sure if it was one that came from Vires or from royalty. I wasn’t used to either.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said. “Don’t answer that.” He huffed. “I’ll do better. I just,” he ran his hand through his hair, sending chills through my whole body, “I just need a second to get used to it.”

  I swallowed my tongue. Yes. Get used to it, leave me alone, please, because I’ll never be able to resist you on my own. But I said, “Maybe we should talk through things.”

  He shook his head. “Better not.”

  Silence hung between us, but unlike with Young, it wasn’t comfortable. It wasn’t a warm, peaceful feeling of home but torment.

  Minseo cleared his throat. “I thought you’d like to see Morgana and then maybe go see your dragon before he eats everyone in town.”

  “Yes! Perfect,” I said, excitement surging through me.

  He looked down at his feet. “Maybe you could,” he shrugged, “not tell Young about the whole sleeping outside thing.”

  I shook my head. “Huh?”

  He lifted his shoulders. “Just don’t tell him.”

  Right on cue, I felt the door behind me slide open and Young step to my side. Panic flooded my veins. I wanted to blurt that it wasn’t what he thought, but something bigger took precedence. It was the first time the three of us were together in five years and I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. If Young made a show of this, I’m not sure how well Minseo would handle it. Please don’t kiss me. Please don’t be possessive.

  Minseo spoke first. “Uh, I was going to take Charlotte to Morgana and then her dragon. Are you ready to go?”

  Young stepped off the platform. “I need to set up a meeting with the council. If Charlotte escaped Camelot, they might come after her. And if this dragon of hers is as Jay Hyun described last night, we might have the chance we’ve been waiting for.”

  His gaze moved to me and he offered a one-sided smile. “Minseo will show you around. I’ll meet up with you later.” He turned but quickly turned back. “Ah, you forgot this.” He reached in his scabbard and pulled out my dagger, the red stones aflame in the sunlight. I took it, hoping that our hands would touch but they didn’t and he walked away. In a few steps and without a glance back, he disappeared behind a room identical to his a few yards away.

  I wasn’t sure who was more stunned, me or Minseo.

  That wasn’t possessive at all. That was borderline indifferent. I mean, he could’ve acted a little like he liked me. Still, his confidence was attractive, an obvious contrast to that possessive alpha male act I was getting from Minseo. I had to admit, he was a little too cava
lier about the situation. I made a mental note to ask him about it later and was ready to let it go when Minseo spoke again.

  “What the hell was that?”

  “What?” I said, not exactly sure where his anger was coming from.

  “He doesn’t even consider me a threat.”

  I spat laughter.

  “No, seriously. Doesn’t he know what could happen if we’re alone?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Nothing will happen Minseo.”

  Ignoring me, he said, “Does he know what I want to do to you? What I have done to you?”

  “Okay, so we do need to talk about this,” I said. “Look, this wasn’t the plan, but Young is back and I owe it to him to give this a real chance.”

  “Wow, that sounds romantic,” he said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

  “Minseo,” I said. “I don’t know what else to do. This is hard and confusing already.” My voice caught. “Please just...”

  The teasing smile dropped from his cheeks and he nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry. I’m off my game today.”

  I felt it coming, so I looked away and only caught him run his hand through his hair, out of the corner of my eye. Unfortunately, it was just as effective.

  He looked me up and down and I suddenly became aware that I was wearing my crusty five-day-old training suit. It was caked in dirt and grime, each brown particle magnetized to the animal hide garment that hugged me like a second skin.

  “Shall we get you cleaned up?”

  I nodded and promised myself I’d see Morgana the moment I was clean.

  18

  Arthur

  “Prepare for war,” I said, feeling the pulse of exhilaration as the words echoed through my throne room.

  “Yes, Your Majesty,” Galahad said with a bow. He turned and hurried out, but the thrill of what I’d just set into motion remained.