“Our legacy will continue,” Jasyn promised his brother and sister. “Even in death, I feel your presence, and I will not let this family down.”
Now, with only a few weeks left, he needed to prove he deserved to be king.
Five
With his parents gone, Jasyn considered cancelling on Esi. He had to protect the castle, he would tell her. He couldn’t leave the premises empty. When Mych heard his poor excuses, he told the entire guard unit to be on extra alert as Prince Jasyn left the grounds for a few hours.
Jasyn wanted to shake his friend, but as soon as Esi stepped into the courtyard, that anger dissolved.
She looked like a queen. The simple linen dress was tight on her chest but flared outwards, reaching below her knees. The navy color accentuated the tan of her skin, and in the sun, he noticed the freckles along her cheeks. She swiped back her wavy tresses half up while the rest flowed across her back. The dark color was like an inky sea, enticing him to touch it.
Jasyn’s heart stalled at the sight. He clearly was staring, because he saw the faint blush beginning to form beneath her freckles.
“What?” she asked, patting her face as if something was on it.
He shook himself out of it. “Nothing.” His morning voice was scratchy. “You look beautiful.”
If he planned on winning the court over, he might as well practice his charm—or lack thereof—on Esi. So far, he noticed he needed to expand his compliment vocabulary. She was beyond beautiful. She was like stepping into a meadow of sundrops in the morning, just as the sun peeked over the horizon and the flowers bloomed.
Wiping at her skirt, she looked down at herself. “Thank you. The material is perfect for this warm day.”
“Every day is warm here.” He cringed. He should have kept that to himself.
But she laughed, and the sound hit something deep within him. “I suppose you’re right.”
He extended his arm, offering it to her. “Ready?”
She turned to look behind her, where Bron and Mych both stood, prepared to follow them into town. Bron nodded, and she breathed deeply before linking her arm with Jaysn’s.
As they walked, Esi informed him there was no plan. When he looked at her with concern, she squeezed his arm.
“Your goal should be to be spontaneous with your people. They should not feel like a duty you must fulfill, but rather like they are an extension of you. They support this court, allowing it to thrive. Now, it's up to you to show your thanks and care.”
Jasyn cocked his head as they passed by shops, the owners flipping their signs over to ‘open.’ He rarely ventured out to town this early, preferring to spend his morning tending to the gardens.
He allowed Esi’s words to burrow into his mind. She had a point. The royal family didn’t matter if the people were not there to support this court. It was important to build a strong bond with them, especially because there had been court members who entered the Undertaking with the goal of helping his father win. They loved King Aleks and Queen Kait and wanted their rulership to continue. That was loyalty his parents had createdthrough their years as monarchs, something Jasyn wanted to emulate if he became king.
They neared the town square where there was a large fountain. The sun reflected a rainbow against the water, and children ran in and out of the cascade. Then, there were adults roaming the streets, bouncing from one shop to another, carrying baskets of dirty clothes to the nearby lake to clean. Jasyn tried not thinking about the sun that beat down, or the loud noises, or the fact that people were looking at him as he walked with Esi.
He knew Esi was waving. She even let go of him to crouch down to a child’s height, accepting a dandelion from a small boy, who gave her a toothy smile. He smiled back at the child, but it must have not come off kindly, because the boy began to cry. He ran off, and Jasyn swallowed, trying not to be hurt by it.
“It’s because you’re so tall,” Esi joked from beside him as she walked up to a fruit stand.
Jasyn chuckled, but it was a forced sound. He let Esi speak with the fruit seller, as words were failing him right now. Everything around him was moving too quickly and too slowly at the same time. A blur and a standstill. He tried moving forward, but his legs felt glued to the ground. When he tried taking a deep breath, it was like his chest was locked up, unable to take any air.
“Are you okay?”
He knew those were words directed at him. He recognized the female voice. He liked who it belonged to, but his body refused to respond. Warmth touched his arm gently, and he gazed down at the tan hand. The contrast of Esi’s flesh against his golden brown skin reminded him of why he was here.
“I’m fine,” he finally managed to say, or at least he thought he did. His mouth felt disconnected from his body.
“Let’s go in there.” She gestured her head toward a shop, but he didn’t care where they went as long as it was away from the crowd.
He heard two sets of footsteps following them, but right before they entered the building, Esi turned.
“Maybe it's best if it's just us.” She smiled at Bron and Mych.
Mych opened his mouth, ready to stop them, but Jasyn was able to jerk his head to indicate his guard didn’t need to follow. Jasyn knew Mych would not be happy leaving Jasyn alone. Esi didn’t give them another moment to protest before she took Jasyn’s hand and led him inside.
