Is it her strength?He thought.Her wit and sarcasm? In different circumstances, she and I could have a good laugh over plenty of things.
He suddenly began to wonder when the last time was, he laughed with Mierna, or if they’d ever teased each other. They’d always smiled a lot around each other, much in love and constantly affectionate, but now that was changing because the Princess was set on protecting her people.
Even if it meant sacrificing the love she and Arthur shared.
“Arthur,” she said softly as they made their way down the carpeted hallway. “Are you alright? You seem so far away.”
He pulled himself out of his thoughts as they stopped walking, his eyes taking in the semi-opaque walls behind which silhouettes of fishes swam and seaweed danced in the turquoise waters lit up faintly by the sun.
His smile was almost guilty. It was hard to lie to Mierna. “I’m fine, My Love.”
“Hmm.” She seemed unconvinced. “And what of the negotiations with King Travus? Did you manage an audience with him?”
Arthur could swear his heart would give way, and all courage left him as she turned to stare into his eyes with a hint of warning, as if she could sense his discomfort.
“So, you did?” she said.
“It didn’t…quite go as planned.”
“Arthur!”
Her brows furrowed in suspicion, and Arthur was beginning to falter. Hereallycouldn’t keep a secret from her. It was only then that he was beginning to realize thathe should’ve thought out his plans in great detail before implementing them, but he knew hiding from the Princess would do them both no good.
“My Love, you won’t be pleased with me, but I hope you understand.”
“Arthur, what have you done?” she muttered with barely restrained panic. “Don’t keep me guessing. Tell meimmediately.”
“I consulted the help of someone very capa–”
“Who?!”
“Aria Violetgrass.”
The silence was almost deafening, and Arthur could feel his ears begin to ring as Princess Mierna glared at him. She glanced at the large double doors of the Council Hall ahead. Her eyes were filled with betrayal as she spoke in an insulted tone.
“Someone capable, you say? A Fairy Sentinel, hardly a Queen or even an actual Princess of her land! As if I’m not in the position to take care of my own people, Arthur?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“No!” she hissed and grew closer to him to look up with large eyes pooling with frustration. “What you’ve done wasagainst orders. I can’t believe you’d take matters into your own hands like this, against my orders!”
He frowned at her as something ugly lit up in his stomach. “Against orders? Is a knight all I am to you, Mierna?” With a scoff, he looked away to compose his temper. “We’ve loved each other for years, albeit in secrecy. The kind of decision you’ll be agreeing to, one not yet even discussed, don’t you think we both ought to tackle ittogether?”
“You’re not the one with the weight of the whole kingdom on his shoulders,” she scolded, though he could tell she was trying her best to be gentle. “Arthur, I’m a Princess. Almost a Queen. You’re a knight. I’m required to protect my people, and you’re required to protectmeso I can do my duties!”
“And I am,” he snapped. “You may not agree, but unlike you, I like exhausting my options. I won’t allow you to walk into an agreement you don’t even want.”
“Who are you to decide what I want?”
“Oh, so you want to be the Elf King’s plaything?”
She gasped with wide eyes of disbelief as she stepped away from Arthur, and even he wondered if what he said was too inappropriate. Not because she was a Princess, no, but because he loved and respected her. Yet it was thereality of the situation that she didn’t fully grasp, and he wished to keep her far away from it.
“To keep my people from subjugation!” she snapped. “No matterwhathe makes of me, Arthur, there’s more at stake than my happiness.”
He glared at her. “Throwing yourself away for the sake of your kingdom, I understand. But did youoncestop to think about how I would end up in all of this?”
She paused as realization dawned upon her, and he realized the bitter truth of her position. If she wasn’t allowed to put herself first, how could he ever be as important? Both their existence was intertwined with each other. To discard herself meant discarding him as well. No wonder he felt so unimportant. The Princess had no ownership over herself. She belonged to the people of Nexis.
