“I hope he gets to marry her,” I said.
“Why?” Leoni asked.
Two little girls danced in front of us, both wearing flower crowns that they’d just bought from a little booth, giggling and flapping their wings.
“Because it sounds like he loves her,” I continued, “and I assume she loves him. They shouldn’t be forced apart just because others don’t approve of their relationship.”
I shivered at the chilly breeze, once again thankful for the warm clothes the prince had bought me.
Leoni squinted at the prince. “It’s not just that, though.”
“Sorry?” I asked.
“About the prince.” She nodded toward him, his gaze still fixed on the fight still happening between the two sky elementals. “He’s charming and handsome, yes. But that’s not why he’s so popular. He has this way of navigating conflict, easing tensions, forging alliances between unlikely parties. Gabrielle and their father used to fight constantly.”
“Used to?” I asked.
“Their father died recently,” Leoni said, sorrow in her eyes.
I hadn’t known that, and it made me sad for the prince. Losing a parent like that couldn’t be easy.
“What did they fight about?” I asked. “Gabrielle and her father?”
“Everything,” Leoni said. “But mainly the fact that Gabrielle didn’t want to do things the way their father insisted. He was strict. Pious. Serious. The opposite of Gabrielle. She was always getting in trouble, sneaking out and going on adventures. Prince Lochlan was the mediator, the one who was always getting them to put aside their differences. He does that a lot.” Her expression grew thoughtful. “I don’t think he likes conflict, so he avoids it. Makes things fun. When he was trapped on that island for the last year, his shadow taken from him?—”
“Trapped on what island?” I interrupted.
Leoni looked away. “Sorry, I forget you don’t know everything that’s been happening. Well, that’s his story to tell, I suppose. I just know thatthe prince has this way of making everyone around him feel good. In a world that’s not always filled with happiness and joy, that’s something.”
I stared at the prince as he and Driscoll now cheered for one of the sky elementals, who had the other one pinned to the ground, sword of lightning pressed to his throat. I mulled over her words, wondering exactly what island he’d been trapped on and why.
“It is,” I agreed. “So why hasn’t he settled down if he’s so amazing?”
Leoni barked out a laugh. “Prince Lochlan settle down? That is not something that interests him.”
She sounded so resolute in her words.
“What about if he falls in love?”
She choked, and I patted her back as she coughed and sputtered, then finally said, “Prince Lochlan does not fall in love. Women fall in love with him. He falls in... like? Easiness? Anything that doesn’t require much on his part.” She shook her head, opening and closing her mouth several times. “Like I said, he avoids conflict, complications, and there’s nothing more complicated than falling in love.”
So that’s where the constant flirting, teasing, the easy nature, came from. It was second nature to him. I stared at the back of his head and wondered if that was why he was helping me. He’d said it would give him closure, but maybe that’s just what he did: helped people. It sounded lonely, a life spent trying to make everyone around you happy. A blast of wind shook me from my thoughts. Spirits knew I had enough of my own problems to deal with, and I would not add Prince Lochlan and his commitment issues to the growing list.
Chapter Fifteen
POPPY
I’d thought our journey to Winded would be long and arduous. Technically it was both those things. But it had also been fascinating so far. Fun, even, as I traveled with this ragtag group.
Driscoll hummed as he walked next to me, all of us walking along the stone road, which wove alongside the cliff’s edge. The long golden bridge that connected Feathered to Winded was in the distance, and we were just a day away from arriving at the royal city.
We’d been traveling for weeks now. I’d spent the days gossiping with Driscoll, training with Leoni, and letting Prince Lochlan flirt with me while maintaining my distance, my conversation with Leoni during the Day of the Storms a constant in my mind. He flirted with everyone. Would probably flirt with the sheep that populated these highlands, given the chance. It didn’t mean he felt anything more for me than the friendship blossoming between us.
A gust of wind rammed into us, Driscoll losing his footing and stumbling slightly. I grabbed his arm to steady him. He shuddered. “I truly hate it up here.”
“Well, that makes sense. You are from the earth court. I expect you like to be more grounded,” I quipped, then snapped my fingers. “I have an idea.Why don’t you use your magic to produce something that would make you feel more at home? A small plant or a vine.” I gasped. “Or maybe a flower.”
I’d love to see earth magic, all the magic of the seven courts. I frowned. Well, six now, since the star court no longer existed.
