I deflate. "Come into power? Does Helomasi require their monarch to be wed?"That would be odd seeing as I have not seen the queen in the entirety of my time there, but maybe there is a reasoning behind that."If so, you could have married any girl for that once Sorin, Sam and I disappeared, why follow me?" My voice is filled with skepticism.
"No, I couldn't. He is not just going to give up the throne once I marry, he's…" he breathes. "It's complicated. Who you are plays a big part in everything, it had to be you."
"Who I am?" I give him a bewildered look. "Who am I that it would be important that you marry me? There are other princesses…"
"I cannot tell you who you are, Alaceandra. You need to decide that." He rubs his face. "That is all I can say."
"That is it?"
"Yes."
I think about this. "I do not know if I can live with just that answer forever."
He nods, tiredly. "I will tell you more when I can… if I can," he says almost under his breath.
I nod. "Okay."
He looks at me. "I do not believe this line of questioning has come out of the blue though. If you spoke to someone in your dream it is paramount that we know who it is. It could be nothing, but… there are those who walk through dreams as a means to control others and seeing as this is not your first nightmare, I am nervous of what these dreams could mean. I want to be sure you are not in danger."
"It definitely did not feel natural," I say, picking at my thumb.
The prince places a hand over mine to stop my picking. "That is what I assumed. You can keep your secrets for now, but if it happens again… we will have to inform the others."
A creak sounds at the door causing us both to look over. Baldar slinks inside and crawls onto the bed with us. Laying himself on our conjoined hands he speaks. "I felt a disturbance. Although I am trying to be considerate of Alaceandra's progress outside of training."He gives me a look. "I think it might be better for her safety if I was able to watch over her tonight."
The prince jerks his hand from mine and stares at the ferret. "So that is what you sound like." His voice is surprised.
"What kind of disturbance?" I ask Baldar.
"I am unsure of what exactly it is right now, but I will see if anything happens again. Please sleep, Alaceandra. I fear there is a long couple of days ahead of you."He runs over to the bottom of the bed and curls up.
I feel the tendrils of sleep reaching for me once again. "Okay." I curl back up under the covers. The prince follows, getting into bed behind me.
As I start to drift off, he pulls me close and whispers. "My plans will forever change when it comes to you, let's hope we both choose correctly when the time comes."
Before I can question those words, I am asleep.
Chapter forty-eight
Hand to Heart
Alaceandra
"No daggers today," Sam states as he throws the wooden weapons to the side.
"Why?" I ask, continuing my stretches.
"If something were to happen and you did not have a weapon. I want to make sure you could still get away."
"You talk as if you are preparing for an attack." I laugh, reaching for my toes. Baldar sits high in the tree watching us.
He is quiet for a moment, staring at me. "We have been gone for a long time, Alaceandra. We do not know who could be searching for us at this point. The solstice grows near, and you are out of the hands of Ptheryeth's rulers, they will want to find you."
I think back to my dream the night before. "I would hope if they do, they will treat it more as a rescue than a kidnapping. Although I am not sure what it would be like to find myself back in their hands now that I have learned all this." I motion around me.
"Understandable." I look up to see him smiling at me. "It is important for you to remember that not all who may be looking for you are allies, Parum Bellator. Even those who once were could be feeling more desperate as the solstice closes in. Not to mention those who had captured you when you first arrived might be still on the hunt for you now. We need to be prepared."
I stand. "I hate to think that my marriage would be so important to the rulers of the Ptheryeth."
