I’m so sorry Ezra.Aulani gently stroked my arm, and her touch seemed to calm something inside of me. But the calm was quickly replaced by anger.
More anger.Cressida took over my kingdom…And all because I signed those betrothal papers.
You have to take back the throne,Aulani said.
“No, I have to get you to the ocean before it’s too late.”
She shook her head.Listen to yourself. Your father is gone. Your kingdom needs you. You need time to grieve and–
I turned to her, my voice raw with grief and anger. “I’ll grieve later. If you don’t get back to the ocean, you’ll die.”
Silence. All eyes watched Aulani as she stepped closer and gently took my hand.I care more about you than the sea right now.
I couldn’t help but catch her hand and press it to my cheek. My emotions were a storm right now, and she was the calm. I was terrified, angry, and alone… yet I wasn’t.
“Well, I care more about you living. We’ll figure everything else out after that.”
Kalei and Ho‘ohuli stood there, my mentor averting his eyes while Kalei watched with fascination. “You two are a mess,” she said, breaking the tension and I quickly let go of Aulani’s hand. She stepped away from me too. “But you’re perfect.”
“Kalei–”
She smiled, but there were tears in her eyes. “Whatever Aulani said, she’s right. You’re not getting anywhere until you’re ruler of Kaiora Kingdom again.”
“But you can’t just barge in,” Ho‘ohuli said. “We must be strategic.”
“We’ve already discussed the plans,” Kalei added. “Cressida is holding a masquerade ball and has invited the nobles from the kingdom, including myself, surprisingly. I think word has reached her ears that I do happen to know a little something about potion-making.”
My eyes narrowed. What was Kalei getting at?
“You’re going to go as my companion,” she said, then turned to Aulani. “And you can go as me. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ball more than I do anyways. I hate those sorts of things. Keoki knows. When you’re there, you can see how things are and have a grand reveal in front of everyone. There’s nothing she’ll be able to do about it!”
Aulani’s expression lightened up, but then she turned to me.What do you say, Ezra?
IpromiseI’ll take you to the sea, Aulani, as soon as we take the throne.
She winked, then nudged my arm.If not, I do hear foamy oblivion is lovely this time of year.
Aulani…The corner of my lip twitched anyway.
She squeezed my hand.I know Ezra. You keep your promises, don’t you?
I squeezed her hand back. I shouldn’t have, but I did. She had to know I was going to do this… all of this, not just for myself, my kingdom, Kalei, or Ho‘ohuli… but for her. I wasn’t going to let her month pass up and she turned to sea foam. I’d help her return to her realm, no matter the cost. I owed her my life, after all.Yes, I do. Always.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AULANI
Ilied awake on the settee, nestled in bundles of blankets, while Ezra slept on the ground. Ho‘ohuli left earlier that night and Kalei slept in her room. I listened to the prince’s soft and steady breathing, relishing every moment that day. So much had happened in such a short space of time, and I was exhausted.
Not too exhausted to think about my electric relationship with Ezra though. He was a perfect prince: kind, noble, gentle.
Gentle.I adored that about him. The way he spoke to me, the way his eyes sparkled when I made him laugh… I found myself smiling in the darkness, daydreaming of a future I knew could not be.
Get yourself together Aulani. You’re like a confused shrimp getting swallowed by a whale. Not only must you return to your realm, but you just met him.Right. I was supposed to get Prince Ryker to fall in love with and marry me, not Ezra.
And, right. What girl daydreamed about a life with a man she just met? That was the stuff of fairy tales, not my story. Ezra was distracting me from my mission, which was to win the heart of the right prince: Prince Ryker.
As soon as we get Ezra’s throne back, he’ll take me to the sea.And once we reached the sea, I’d be able to tell if it connected to my sea, a thought that filled me with dread and excitement.
