Of course, as she marched down the breezy, stone hallways and approached the library doors, Elora realized a fatal mistake in her plan: she had no reason to be in the library.
Back in Eynallore, she had never been much of a reader. Not the way Dinian was, anyway. They were always more of the seeker of knowledge than she was. Whereas Dinian was content to lose themselves in a book or scroll or document for hours, consuming the text as if it were water, Elora was much more content living and appreciating her life.
Still, she had come this far.
Before doubt could usher her back to the safety of her room, Elora shoved the double doors open and entered the dusty library.
Stopping just on the other side of the door though, Elora marveled at the space around her. Walls of books towered over her from all sides. Some so tall, they stretched up to a second floor. Elora couldn’t remember the last time she had even been surrounded by this many tomes, and her heart flared at the joy it would bring Dinian to be there with her.
Standing in the middle of the floor, she realized she should actually find something to browse through, otherwise when Kestrel arrived, she might wonder what Elora was even doing there.
Elora meandered to the nearest shelf when soft footsteps thudded near her.
“You’re early—” a young man’s voice, intelligent but whiny rang behind her. Elora spun around to face the prince she knew would be there. Upon seeing her grey skin, Prince Barnabus straightened. “Oh. I wasn’t expecting you.”
Elora felt herself retreating inward. She shouldn’t have come here. She wasn’t invited and therefore she was unwelcome, just like she was in almost every other space in the realm except home.
Her mouth flapped open, an instinctual apology on her tongue, but one she couldn’t bring herself to utter. Because what was she apologizing for? Existing?
Instead, she spun on her heels, aiming for the door.
But Barnabus side-stepped in front of her, blocking her path and nearly making her trample into him.
“That was rude of me to say.” He shook his head. “My apologies. I just meant,youweren’t who I was told would be visiting today. Leighton told me it would be?—”
“Kestrel,” Elora finished for him. “I know.”
“You do? Are you waiting for her too then?”
Elora didn’t know how to answer that. She hardly knew this prince, and the queen had waited until the other three had leftthe room before giving Elora the task of befriending the new princess. Something told her that this was meant to be kept a secret. If so, then already Elora was failing at maintaining it because she had no other reason of being there other than the obvious.
This had been a mistake. An utter waste of time. She would need to get Kestrel alone perhaps. Or at the very least, try to run into her in a more organic way.
“No, I just—” Elora sighed, glancing at the shelves of books surrounding them. “I was just looking for something to pass my time. Now that I…” She allowed her voice to trail off, not wanting to finish that particular sentence. Everyone already knew that her freedom was new. She didn’t need to tell him and remind him of that. But apparently Barnabus would do that for her.
“Now that you have the freedom to choose what you do with your time,” he said simply, and dare she say, without a hint of judgement. “I bet that is a strange transition, to go from being a prisoner to being able to roam freely again.”
Elora angled her head at him, unsure of what to make of such an obvious but empathetic remark. She settled on a simple, “Yes.”
“What sort of book were you hoping to find?”
“I’m not sure. I wasn’t much of a reader before… Before.”
Barnabus nodded as if he understood. But how could he? He was a prince. He’d grown up in this castle all his life, been sheltered from the horrors of the realm, and had likely never needed to fend for himself.
“Not much of a reader,” he repeated, worrying his lips as he scanned the shelves. “Maybe what you need is a hobby then. Come along.”
Barnabus motioned for her to follow. For a split moment, Elora considered running for the door instead. She didn’t reallywant a book anyway and she wanted to be long gone before Kestrel arrived so her appearance wouldn’t seem too suspicious. But leaving now without a book would likely be more so; she scurried after Barnabus instead.
He led her to the other side of the library, to a stack of dusty shelves that were tucked away in the back. “These books are all about learning and doing things—art, cooking, horseback riding.”
Elora angled a brow at him.
His shoulders rounded with a brief, embarrassed laugh. “Right. Maybe not horseback riding then. But there is something here for everyone. Take your pick.”
Not wanting to waste any more time, Elora stepped forward and began perusing the titles. Barnabus had been right, all the books here seemed useful or practical in some way. There were books on identifying plants and gemstones. Books on learning to sail and survive in the wilds.
Once she was about halfway down the shelf, she realized Barnabus was still there. Waiting. Not fleeing from her at the first chance he got. It was both comforting and unsettling. Elora wasn’t used to such sustained company. She couldn’t help but glance his way, curiously.
