I blinked out of my daze and focused. Or tried to. “Huh?”
A hand waved before my face. “Sebastian?”
I looked up into the King's face. “Sorry. Did you say something?”
The Dragon King lifted a brow.
“DidIsay something?” I frowned, utterly baffled. “Someone said something, right?”
King Shaleros chuckled. “I was merely trying to get your attention. You looked as if you were going to faint.”
“Oh. Yeah, I feel a little woozy.”
His expression instantly went concerned. “Sit down.” He took me by the arm and led me to the steps. Then he sat down with me. “Humans are so fragile. You've overdone it with that tree.” He shook his head. “I'm not expecting you to finish this quickly. I know your limitations.”
“My limitations,” I muttered. “Yeah.” I looked away from him, not because I wanted to survey the garden but because seeing him there and talking to him after those days of nothing, was bittersweet. He was acting as if everything was fine between us, which was great, but he, like that tree, would take a lot of work to unearth unless he helped me dig.
“I don't think less of you because you're mortal and have no magic,” the Dragon King said softly.
“Gee, thanks.” I grimaced.
He chuckled again. Then he made an amazed sound. “Within minutes of being around you, I'm smiling again.”
“So why avoid me?” I finally looked back at him, but I kept my attention on his face. That chest would make me weep if I looked at it too long.
The King pressed his lips together but didn't drop his stare. He just looked at me. Finally, he said, “I don't know if I'm ready to be happy.”
“It's been over a century. Longer than I'll live. I think you've punished yourself enough.”
His expression went slack. “Punished myself?”
“You don't see it?” I stood up so he could deal with his shit without me so near. After I stepped down into the garden, I said over my shoulder, “I don't think you're the kind of man to give a fuck about what other people think of you, so you must be doing this for her, not to uphold your image. You survived when you shouldn't have. So you had to prove that even though you lived, it doesn't mean you loved her less than she loved you.”
I turned back around before he could react. I couldn't watch him process that shit. It would cut me and maybe even leave a scar. So, I picked up the ax and headed for the next tree. I was three swings in when he joined me.
“For a man who spends most of his time with plants, you have an incredible understanding of people,” the King said. “I didn't realize I was doing that, but I think you're right.”
I stopped, leaned my ax on the ground, and looked at the King. “I think you knew it, deep down. If you didn't, you wouldn't have said you weren't ready to be happy.”
King Shaleros nodded. “Perhaps.”
“A hundred years is a long time.” I waved at the tree. “Long enough for this to grow where it shouldn't be.”
“It's not the only thing growing where it shouldn't be,” he muttered.
“What was that, Your Majesty?”
“Stand back, Sebastian.” He waved me away from the tree. “I didn't remove my tunic just for you to gawk at me.”
“I, uh, I wasn't gawking,” I stammered. “I pushed myself too hard, remember?”
“Uh-huh.” The King went to the tree—one larger than the last, grabbed the trunk with both hands, and plucked it from the ground as if it were a flower.
“What the fuck?” I gaped at him.
It was quite the display. The tree was larger than the King. This meant he had to keep adjusting his grip, going lower and lower to pull it free of the soil. Roots emerged, spraying dirt and then raining it and leaves when he shook the tree. At last, he laid it down over the path and broke branches off the trunk to toss them onto the colonnade like a kid pulling petals off a dandelion.
“Holy shit,” I whispered and watched him.
