“You can, you just won’t,” I corrected. “As far as I’m concerned, Fletcher was the only one who came for me during the ritual. I’ve chosen him. And I trustonlyhim.”
With my confession, I could feel Fletcher’s aura surround me with love and affection and pride. My heart gave one profound beat that sent up the dust of love for him that I had stored away.
The queen’s eyes widened in surprise, but her voice grew low and calm. “Ripley, your other three suitors have been waiting for you since the day of the ritual. You do not need to go with whom your magic calls to. I guarantee these men are far more worthy than this low-life, orphanedscum.”
I had heard those words before. Fletcher had said them about himself in the hills two months ago. But orphaned. He was orphaned? How had I not knownthat? “Fletcher is worthy. He’s the only one who knew the difference between me and a fucking hologram—”
Fletcher’s hands released my shoulders, and I turned to see him loosening his rigid stance as he let his head fall back before rolling his shoulders. “Don’t try to change their minds, Ripley. I’ve tried my whole life. Apparently, what we do at the age of nine can never be forgiven.” His hand curled around my forearm. “Not reaching your hologram in time was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Even if you had, Fletcher Darkly, how you came to be would have disqualified you anyway.”
Fletcher’s hand untangled from me as I watched him turn his back and stalk off into the forest.
I pivoted toward the king and queen. “How could you?”
Without Fletcher’s presence, the queen’s entire demeanor shifted. Her brows pulled up and her hands finally relaxed. “Please, Ripley, come with us. Leave him behind. Webegyou. That man is no good. He has no moral compass.”
“I will not return without him. So give him his magic back so that we can both rejoin our rightful kingdom.”
Her thin lips pressed together. “He is not welcome here. He is a menace to our kingdom.”
“Then it looks like I am low-life, orphan scum as well.”
I turned and followed Fletcher’s footprints in the soft soil. I heard my parents calling my name, but I ignored them as I continued to the man I now admitted to trusting whole-heartedly.
He hadn’t gone far. Just beyond the tree line was a small lake where the still surface reflected the evening sun. The silhouette of Fletcher bending to the ground, picking up a rock, and skipping it across the water stole my attention. Where the rock disturbed the liquid glass, ripples expanded with patter in the crisp air. A horde of luminous fish swarmed toward the spot where the rock sank, fighting over it. The places where the wet scales touched the air, a gilded flurry of sparkling wisps glittered upward for several seconds before winking out.
I cautiously walked up behind him.
Without so much as a courteous glance, he said, “Why are you here? Your suitors are waiting.”
That bite in his tone was new. I had seen Fletcher be angry before, but not at me. “You don’t have to treat me like that. I’m here with you, aren’t I?”
As I sidled up to him, he bent, grabbed another rock, and threw it into the water. “You’re making a mistake.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, watching the splash in the distance and the fish bubbling at the surface. The sparkles shedding from the fish reflected off the surface like a splash of pure gold.
“You are not a mistake,” I corrected.
“I am.” He crouched, searched for another rock, grabbed one, and stood. “You just don’t know it yet.”
“Then enlighten me.”
He squeezed the rock in his hand. “I am nobody, Ripley. I was left to die by my parents after a year. My magic was the only thing that kept me alive. Magic and stealing supplies and food from Elizy. I’m a thief. I come from nothing. I am nothing. And I certainly have nothing to offer you and your family like I’m sure those other men do. Fuck, I can’t even do a decent job at protecting you!”
I took a hard gulp, feeling his rage building in my own chest. In a quiet whisper that I hoped would soothe his unease, I dropped my arms to my sides and echoed, “You’re nothing…”
His face hardened. “Exactly.”
I gently placed a hand on his shoulder and rounded him so that we faced each other. “To them.” I cupped his face in one hand. “But, Fletcher,” I gave a tearful smile, “you areeverythingto me.”
His deep eyes latched onto mine, tears building between his lids.
“Is that what you were too embarrassed to tell me?”
He sniffed and wiped the tears from his vision. “Ripley, Elizians love their children fiercely. It’s unheard of for a parent, let alone two, to up and abandon a child. That means there has to be something gravely wrong with me where they thought it was bestthat I die. Most Elizians are afraid of me, they don’t want me around, and they certainly don’t want their princess associated with me. And it didn’t help when I had to steal from people to survive. I was—IamElizy’s tumor they can’t get rid of.”
My eyes darted between both of his rapidly, trying to gather some string of words that could put an end to his ongoing heartbreak. “What are you talking about? My parents didn’t even bother to come looking for me. How is that fierce love on their part?”
