He nodded. "And now I can pardon them."
"Wow, Luke. You don't do anything half-assed, do you?"
"What do you mean?" He frowned. "There's no reason to uphold their banishment."
"The entire kingdom hates those people. That idol was important around here." She gave a little shrug. "Damned if I know why, but it was a big deal. You're going to have to appease an entire generation of people."
"Even if her father did it, which if you remember, was never completely official because the man was killed after supposedly stealing the idol, yet it wasn't found on his body even though they followed him from the museum, his children had nothing to do with it."
"You're going to have trouble selling that after so many years of our illustrious father keeping the tale alive."
"I love her, Larisa. I would do anything for her. Hell, I'd even give up the throne for Sarah."
"Too late for that," she scoffed.
"I'd move to Colorado to be with her and just never come back here."
She put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's not be rash. If you love her that much, and she feels the same about you, things will work out. But you can't just walk away from your birthright."
"I know." He did, but he would still give it all up.
They headed back toward the castle. "I'm going to give it one more shot before I officially say I can't figure out what the poison is."
Luke sighed. "At least you were able to rule out the normal stuff."
"Yeah, but that actually makes it worse." She disappeared down the corridor.
Luke felt better about telling her about Sarah. What he hadn't told her was that he was leaving to go get her.There or here, we're going to be together. Finally.
Chapter Eleven: Seeking Confirmation
Sarah Hale
When she woke, Sarah was lying on the couch in her mother's sitting room. Gentle hands pushed her back against the pillows when she tried to sit up. Wren sat next to her while Drake hovered in the background.
"Are you feeling okay?"
Sarah rubbed her face. "Did I pass out?" She tried to keep Luke out of her mind, but another wave of pain passed through her heart.
"Yeah, you passed out," Drake answered. "Scared the hell out of us is what you did."
Vinia slapped at him as she came into view with a glass of water. "I don't know what happened. One minute you were talking, the next minute you checked out. Here, drink this." She handed the glass to Sarah.
She focused on the water. She knew if she wasn't careful, she was going to break down completely in front of everyone, and that would require a lot more explanation than she was willing to give.
Instead, she forced a smile and sat back. "I'm feeling better. I think I just got too hot sitting there chatting."
Vinia bought the story. "When I was pregnant with you, I had the same thing happen. Sometimes I think it's just the hormones."
Wren took the glass. "Is there anything else we can do for you?"
"No," Sarah answered. "Go on and do whatever you were doing. I'm just going to sit here for a minute. I'll be fine."
Ezra thanked Vinia for dinner, and he and the rest of his siblings headed to their cabins. Wren waved as she closed the door behind her.
Colton leaned down and kissed the top of Sarah's head. "We're all going to take off, too. You need to get some rest. This baby making thing is wearing you out."
After putting a hand to Sarah's forehead to check for a temperature, Vinia went about cleaning up the kitchen, leaving only Drake in the room with Sarah.
