I knew all too well the innocents the group claimed. I’d lost two family members because of their selfish endeavors. “I’m sorry.” My voice was low; nothing I could say would bring back those killed or injured. My words were less than what was needed, but I had nothing else to offer.
Ryder winced as he touched his right hand to his left side. A moment later, he pulled his hand away and peered down at his blood-soaked palm. The blood glistened like the ocean reflecting the sun from its surface. Fresh blood. My mind made sense of what I was seeing just as he collapsed to the ground.
Several hours passedas I sat on my bed waiting to be notified of the prince’s condition. The carriage transported him back to the castle, and thank the Divine they allowed me to travel with him. I cradled his head in my lap and tried to keep pressure on the gaping wound in his side, but blood flowed freely. A robe-covered woman met the carriage before Ryder was carried inside. It all happened so quickly I didn’t even get a look at the people who whisked him away.
Fisher met me at the entry doors and guided me back to my room. He instructed me to leave my blood-covered dress in the hall for disposal and then bathe. Nodding, I closed my door andsank to the ground. Time slowed as I stared at the wall, covered and crusted in the prince’s blood.
Somehow I had found myself more concerned with the health of the prince instead of using the chaos to find the king. I wasn’t sure when my priorities had shifted, but the realization of it was jarring. My brother would’ve been horrified to see me distraught over the son of his condemner.
I pulled it together and stood, reminding myself why I was there. After some effort, I tugged the dress off and dropped it into the corridor before making my way to the porcelain tub. The water immediately tinged pink as I submerged myself, a reminder of how much blood Ryder had lost.
Using the new floral-scented soap, I lathered myself until thick suds formed over my pale skin. Even if I worked in the garden during the day rather than at night, I would never be the beautiful golden brown that wrapped around the prince. I was either pasty or the color of a lobster; there was nothing in between.
A knock on the door pulled me from my stupor. I didn't bother to dry before I tugged on a robe and sprinted through the room. The hasty dash unfortunately cost me my small toe when I struck it on the bed frame. Cursing under my breath, I hopped and avoided adding pressure on my little toe. I threw the door open to find Ryder standing in front of me. The sallowness of his skin had vanished, and he no longer wore blood-stained clothes.
“You’re okay!” I threw my arms around him. His laughter filled my ears in the sweetest way.
“I am.” He wrapped one arm around me and put a palm against the side of my head to pull me in close against his chest. “I hadn’t meant to worry you.”
“But you did,” I said, pulling back and looking at his freshly shaven face. “You scared me,” I whispered, as I tucked into him once more, too nervous to admit it any louder.
“I brought something for you.”
He stepped out of view, and into the corridor. A moment later he returned with a tray of food I didn’t recognize. One item was oblong, had short fuzz similar to a kiwi, but it was only in a singular line, leaving the rest of the skin shiny.
“Come,” Ryder said, moving to the sofa and patting the seat beside him. “These fruits are from the Oras. I requested them just after I’d met you at the ball.”
I eyed the second fruit; it was as tiny as a peanut. Its silky skin was black, and there were small orange speckles covering its outside. The last item was misshapen, not similar to any common shape I’d known to exist. It was bright pink with jagged, veiny lines throughout.
“Pretty presumptuous to think I was going to agree to come here, don’t you think?” I offered a wry smile to the man who’d somehow managed to steal my attention.
“Call it a hunch rather than a presumption.” He chuckled and picked up the peanut-sized fruit. “This is an Alarian fruit.” Ryder inspected the black piece of produce. “The witches say it is the fruit made for the fated, and I would like to hope that there is truth behind it. Though you can never truly trust a witch.” He held out the item. “You first.”
“Have you eaten any of these before?” I drew back with a frown, unsure I wanted to put unknown witch food into my body. We’d been told the witches were nothing but evil, yet he’d not only retrieved produce from their lands, but wanted me toconsumeit. Maybe he wanted me to eat it first just to make sure it wasn’t poisonous.
The prince chuckled. “Nervous, eh?” Slowly, he brought the item to his lips while keeping his eyes on me. His plump lips wrapped around the tiny fruit. As he bit into half of it, the juice dribbled out of his mouth and onto his lower lip.
I reached out and rubbed a thumb over his pink skin, wiped up the running liquid, and brought my finger to my mouth toshare the taste. The flavor had a floral note mixed with the sourness of a pineapple. He extended the other half to me. I accepted and popped it into my mouth. The skin seemed to melt, exposing the inner flesh on my tongue instantly. My eyes widened as the flavors mixed in my mouth, far more intense than I’d expected from the minuscule thing.
“Which one next?” Ryder eyed the two remaining items on the plate.
“Maybe we should save the others and have one each night?”
He drew back and tilted his head. “What’s the fun in waiting when you can have it all now? Would you save a tin of chocolates to eat later?”
“Of course! Otherwise, I’d only be left with a stomachache.” It shouldn’t have surprised me; royals were known for their overindulgence. From the rumors, he’d had a line of women at his disposal that he regularly gorged himself on.
“Let’s eat this one.” His hand moved to the yellow fruit that had a strip of kiwi fuzz. It was shaped like a yellow squash, but lacked a stem. He brushed a finger across the hair before picking it up into his hands.
“Sure.” I smiled as his eyes lit up.
The prince removed a dagger and frowned; dried blood and gore covered the blade. Re-sheathing the dagger, he shrugged and sunk his teeth into the long fruit. He winced, and I waited for him to fall over from whatever toxic juices it held. Instead of swallowing, he emptied his mouth into a nearby cloth napkin.
“That good, huh?” My lips pursed, imagining whatever taste the wretched item held. Extending the fruit to me, I scowled. “You expect me to try it after I just saw how muchyouliked it?”
“You may never have another chance in your life to experience the things native to the witch lands. Do you want to pass up the opportunity just because you may not like it? Is it not enough to experience something, even if in the end your experience didn’t match your expectation?”
I considered his words. He was right, and the fruit wasn't the only way he had taught me this lesson. Selecting the yellow fruit from his hand, I brought it to my nose and took a shallow inhale. It wasn’t sweet or tart; in fact, there wasn’t much of a smell at all. With something so mild, Ryder had likely overreacted to the flavor it possessed.
