“Emotions only confuse things, and besides, as you know, this arrangement is only temporary,” I reminded her.
I’d confided in Anika on that point too. There were few secrets between us.
“Well, just remember,Lord Vasil, he’s a royal in his own right. Whatever demands you make are going to be an adjustment for him. Don’t expect too much too soon.”
She was right, of course. I hadn’t been patient or thoughtful enough. I was angry at myself, some of which bled into my irritation with her.
“Thank you for your unsolicited advice, Commander. If you’re quite done, I’m sure you have more important things to do rather than counsel me on matters of the heart. Perhaps you could task a few members of the guard to discreetly follow me at a distance should I need to leave my fortress.”
“You’re my friend and my only family, Mercier, in addition to my lord. I am possibly the only person who will give you the unvarnished truth.”
“And you want me to thank you for that service?”
She flashed me another saucy grin. “What, and ruin your reputation? Good luck catching your charming prince.”
“Be gone, wench.”
She left with a chuckle, and I took to pacing the length of my chambers while keeping an ear out for Cedrych’s movements. My hearing, like my other senses, was exceptional. There was the sound of Cedrych’s door opening and the scrape of his metal tray as he dragged it inside. The guards conversed openly about their shift change, and soon after came their footfalls retreatingdown the corridor, followed by the quiet snick of Cedrych’s door opening again.
I would not confront him there in the hallway but wait to see where he was headed. He had nothing but his sword with him, so perhaps he only wanted to stretch his legs. I gave him a head start, then trailed after on silent feet as he took a lesser-known route through the fortress. He must have mapped out the various pathways in order to move around unnoticed by my servants and guards, just as any good soldier and battle strategist would do. Perhaps he was gathering intel for a siege by the fae forces. Could I be certain he wasn’t a spy? Alas, only time would tell.
I followed him down a hidden staircase, seldom used, to the ground floor, then watched as he felt his way along the shadowed stone until he came to the southern wall of my fortress. Glancing up at the ramparts, he rearranged his cloak so that his wings might unfurl. I suppressed a soft gasp at how beautifully they glowed in the moonlight, a translucent light green trimmed in indigo, similar to that of a lunar moth. Then they were beating faster than I could see, even with my advanced vision, as he flew over the rampart and out of sight. The fact that he could so easily evade me made me want to chain his ankles to the ground.
I’d not be able to catch him on foot, so I took an alternate route that led me directly to the merchants’ harbor, where I suspected he’d try to find a sea captain willing to give him passage back to Emrallt Valley. Though I didn’t see my guards trailing me, I sensed their presence in the quiet night.
Blending in with the shadows, I watched as Cedrych entered into the quay and strolled onto the docks with his wings now tucked away, wearing the attire of a common elvish laborer. He must have traded out his clothing while en route. If I hadn’tknown his stride and the precise set of his shoulders, I may have overlooked him altogether.
What should I do? I couldn’t force him to stay, not physically or otherwise. I would have to do my best to convince him. Present my most compelling argument.
“Cedrych,” I said, stepping out of the shadows to confront him directly there on the docks. I wore a long cloak that mostly hid my face. I didn’t want to be recognized amidst the bustling crowd.
“Vasil,” he said with obvious alarm and glanced around to see if my guards were present. Thankfully, they’d followed my instructions and kept their distance.
“We’re alone and you’re safe,” I told him. I didn’t wish to scare him or risk him running yet again. “You’re free to leave whenever you want, but I was hoping we could talk first.”
His shoulders slumped in defeat and he nodded with reluctance. “All right.”
“The merchant ships will not leave for another hour or so, and I can make sure you get safe passage if that’s what you want, but in the meantime, might I buy you a cup of hot cider? The elvish recipe is one of our best-kept secrets.”
“I suppose a mug of cider would be fine, so long as it’s not drugged,” he said, still with caution.
“Didn’t we agree that poisoning is for cowards?” I asked.
He glanced at his feet, perhaps embarrassed by his suspicion. “Yes, we did. I’m sorry for that. I didn’t mean to imply–”
“I know you didn’t. Come along,” I said briskly.
This relationship would never work if we were continually distrusting each other. Cedrych wasn’t a spy, he was simply a skittish young man who didn’t know how to deal with his own latent urges. My spirit settled on that as I guided him into the tavern with a firm hand at the base of his back, just below where his wings joined with flesh. A few minutes later, we weresitting across from each other in the back corner of a pub, each with a steaming cup of cider to warm our hands. As Cedrych peered up at me with wariness in his blue eyes, I knew that any reconciliation would need to start with me.
“I’ve enjoyed having you here, Cedrych, and I’d be disappointed if you left. I thought we were getting along quite well,” I said.
“We were.” His gaze dropped to stare intently at the mug in his big hands.
“Have you grown weary of this betrothal?” I asked.
“That’s not it, and you know it.” He glanced up at me sharply.
“Then would you care to tell me what I’ve done to upset you?”
