Two
Lucent has never looked so foreign to me, and I’m a stranger to my homeland.
As Leif and I ride down the main road on the back of our horses, busy citizens go about their every day. They carry baskets of goods in and out of the wooden storefronts and the square bustles with the sounds of animals and hammers banging against metal. Most wear drab attire—brown trousers and shifts covered with aprons—clothing they don’t mind getting dirty with a hard day’s work.
Many of the shopkeepers look up from their tasks to nod or flirtatiously wink at my best friend, but they don’t spare me a second glance. No bows or even a shyly spokenYour Grace. The people of Lucent don’t recognize me. Perhaps it’s my appearance. After two days of occasional stops and sleeping on the ground, I must look like something a tornado tossed into town. My hair is matted, clothes rumpled, and my eyes are heavy with big dark bags. I look and feel anything but royal at the moment.
But isn’t that what I spent the last seven months doing, hiding what I’m anointed to be as I tried to find myself? I wanted a chance to catch my breath and know who I am before I’m fully dedicated to my calling. I learned to harness the Sacred Gift of the Statera, wield a sword to almost perfection, and met new people from the five kingdoms. Yet I still don’thave a firm grip on who I should be. Though my time away was cut short, I doubt I would have come to a definitive answer within the few months I had left. I lost a bit of who I was. I’m not as poised or as trusting. The part of me that held on to romantic dreams and smiled more than frowned is missing. I hope I can find her again and merge her with who I’ve become.
We round the last corner toward the palace, and my heart flutters like it has transformed into an enormous butterfly. I reach out and brush my fingers through Nortus’ black mane to hide their trembling. My horse snorts, and his stride switches to a trot.
“Are you happy to be home, big boy?” I ask, patting the side of his ebony neck.
“Statera, yes. I’m ready to sleep in a bed.”
I drag my eyes away from my horse to Leif and cock a brow.
“Oh, you were…” He points to Nortus.
I chuckle and shake my head.
Zek rode ahead of us early this morning to let Micah know we were on our way. I was relieved to be out from under his watchful eye and to spend time alone with Leif. During our journey home, we mostly focused on me and the things I did while away. Now that we are close to the palace and the demands that come with our status, I regret not inquiring more about him.
“We can talk about your bed if you like. Who’s warming it now?” I ask.
“The same bronzed, drill sergeant god who was warming it when you left.”
“Really? Wel is still putting up with you?”
Leif’s entire face lights up like the surface of the sun. “Yeah, Wel is still putting up with me. Is that so hard to believe?”
“No. I’ve put up with you my entire life. Some of us have stronger nerves than others.” I flash him a wide, mocking smile.
“Or some people are just a perfect fit.”
My mind races to the last conversation I had with the Sibyl archivist. “Is he your parah?”
“No, but he’s the one.”
The hope rising in me sinks to the pit of my stomach like a boulder in water. It would have been nice if our promise to wed didn’t shackle us both to this life. I could have found some peace in knowing Leif was freeto belong solely to the man he loves. But like so many things in my life, it’s not that simple.
We reach the palace gate, and the guards straighten their backs and lift their chins. The iron chest shield over their red tunics clanks against the spears in their hands as they stand at attention.
“Welcome back, Lord Stone,” one says.
My head jerks in Leif’s direction, but before I can open my mouth, the other guard speaks up.
“Your Grace?” he says, uncertainty lacing his tone. When I look at him, a smile pulls at his bearded face, and he bows. “It’s good to see you safely home, Your Grace.”
“Thank you,” I say, steering Nortus past them. I wait until we’re a few meters away from prying eyes and listening ears and ask, “Since when do the guards call you lord instead of captain?”
Leif focuses on the green grass and shrubs lining the roadway. “Since today. Retrieving you was my last mission for the army.”
This can’t be right. If he is no longer serving at Basecamp, then he won’t be near Wel. They’ll hardly ever see each other. I understand how suffocating these walls can be. I spent every day of my childhood within them, learning what would be demanded of me as a ruler. Leif was my reprieve. He ran wild, laughed, and played. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known anything about being a child. I can’t stand the thought of him bound within this place and away from someone he loves.
“I’ll talk to Micah and change his mind,” I say.
“Don’t waste your breath. I’ve been called to the palace to learn my place as king consort. I start my instruction with Borin in a few weeks. There’s no way you’re changing his mind. Besides, they say I’m needed alive for a greater purpose than that.”
