“Quiet, boy.” The Faery King flashed him a glare. “The new King of Drothmore is being very generous to us. We should be grateful that this is all he wants.”
“But Father—” Arenn attempted to argue more, but was interrupted when Queen Amabel pushed up from her seat. Quickly, she hurried over to his side and tugged his ear towards her lips. She spoke to him for only a few moments, in a hushed whisper, until eventually, with a sweet smile, she pulled away and returned to her place at the table.
I didn’t hear what she’d whispered, but whatever it was, it must’ve been very convincing. Arenn scowled at Lukas before lowering his gaze to where I was still seated.
Leaning in close until his lips brushed my ear, he dropped his voice to a low whisper. “You can run back to Drothmore with your princeling. You can even run to the other side of the realm. But remember what I told you in my bedchamber, little human… Soon, you won’t be able to stay away.” Delicately, he scooped up my hand and planted a soft kiss onto my skin.
“Until we meet again, dear princess.” Then, with a reluctantsmile, he sauntered out of the dining room.
CHAPTER 43
“Where are you taking me?” I asked with a giggle. Below, the horse rocked with movement as I leaned back against Lukas’s warm chest. Everything around me was shrouded in darkness, but when I went to subtly tug down the rim of my satin blindfold, Lukas’s hand closed around mine.
“So impatient,” he teased, guiding my hand back to my lap, “though I promise you’ll find out soon enough. We’re almost there.”
I let out a mocking groan.“You said that half an hour ago.”
While the world around me remained a mystery, I was certain we were still travelling through the same forests we’d entered into this morning. It’d been weeks since the failed goblin invasion on Drothmore, and by now, the crisp autumn air had wrapped itself around us like a gentle chill. Tugging my cloak closer, the faint earthy smell of mushrooms hit my nose as leaves crunched beneath us.
Thankfully, despite all the chaos following the King’s passing, it hadn’t taken long for Lukas to settle into his father’s position. Since you can’t exactly run a kingdom from your bedchamber, the crown prince had already taken over most of the King’s duties long before his death. Still, ever since the day of his coronation, we’d hardly spent any time together at all. He’d been so busy with this one particular project. So many times I’d offered to help, or at least asked to know what he was working on, but each time I was given a different excuse for why I absolutely could not be involved. At first, it was because it was just a highly secret matter. Later, it was because it actually involved another kingdom entirely. So, this morning, when he’d arrived at my chambers to tell me that he was finally ready to share it, my heart almost burst from my chest.
“We’re here,” Lukas murmured into my ear. Tiny bumps formed on my skin as the autumn wind picked up. In the distance, I could hear faint laughter and chatter. We must’ve reached the edge of the forest. Perhaps we’d even gone as far as Dalking.
I went to slip off the blindfold, but Lukas did it for me. The second the fabric fell away from my face, I gasped, and my hands smacked over my wide-open mouth. We were certainly not in Dalking.
“Welcome home, Princess Naria.”
Stretching out to the horizon was a vast plain of ruins and half-crumbled buildings. In the distance, lavender spires punctured the skyline, while thick, destroyed walls and towers sprawled between them. In a cleared grassy patch before us, were several very familiar buildings and a scruffily built schoolhouse. Dozens of people ran in and out of the houses, gathering resources and supplies, all helping the fifty or so uniformed Drothmore soldiers who were reassembling other small homes. It almost looked just like it did in the forest, exceptit was here – in the plains of Corlixir.
Tears formed in the corners of my vision. “You moved my village,” I stuttered breathily.
“Soon, it’ll be much more than just a village,” Lukas added. Then, with a smile, he slipped out of the saddle and helped me down too, holding my waist to steady me as I felt my boots touch the soft grass. “All the Honeymeade buildings are due to be completed by the end of next week,” he explained, tilting his chin towards the village. “Then we will begin reconstructing the schools, libraries, research towers, and anything else your people need to thrive here.” His gaze returned to me as my heart thundered in my chest.
“I… I don’t know what to say,” I stammered, wiping away a stray tear.
“Do not think you need to thank me.” He drew closer, taking my hands in his. “It may take time, and we may still need to seek the help of other rulers if we run out of funding, but I promise you this, Naria.” Our eyes met as his jaw tensed. “Even if it takes decades… Even if there is a war because the other rulers do not wish to see Corlixir rise again, or even if I have to personally scrape every gram of gold off of every damned gilded dresser in Drothmore to pay for it all, I am committed to restoring the kingdom that my father stole from you.”
My lower lip trembled. “From the hearts of all my people, thank you, Lukas.” The words came out barely louder than a whisper, but he still heard me, clutching my hands tightly in response. When my lips slipped apart to say more, a loud shout stole my attention away.
“Naria!” a girl screamed from the village. “You’re back!”
Whirling around, I was met head-on by a familiar, young, brown-haired woman – her arms outstretched, charging at full speed towards me.
“Ivy!” I squealed, throwing my arms around her as ourbodies collided with a heavy thud. “Oh, how I’ve missed you!” The moment her long hair brushed past my nose, the scent of medicinal herbs overwhelmed my senses. I took a deep breath, inhaling the smell. It was so good to be home.
“You have to tell me everything,” Ivy said, beaming as she stepped out of the hug. “So much has happened since you’ve been gone. They finally let us start our research projects, Clare’s had her baby, and, oh! Terrence and Marius are a couple now!”
“Terr and Marius are a couple?” I repeated, swinging up a hand to hide my grin.
“I know, it’s about time, isn’t it?” she giggled. “Really should’ve happened years ago. But enough about the village, I can’t believe you’re back!” She squeezed my arm. “You must tell me, how was Drothmore? Did you get to go to any balls? Did they give you a tiara? Did you meet any princes?” Her gaze then flew over my shoulder, landing on Lukas, who was still standing rather awkwardly behind me. “Oh, Naria…” She drew closer, dropping her voice to a low whisper. “Who is this handsome stranger you’ve brought with you? Please tell me you’ll be leaving him with us.”
Quickly, I stifled a giggle before stepping back to introduce the pair. With a smile, I turned to Lukas first. “Lukas, please allow me to introduce you to the lovely Ivanya Brightlock, one of my closest friends.”
Ivy dipped her head gracefully as Lukas took her hand and bowed in formal greeting. “It is delightful to meet you, Miss Brightlock.”
“Oh please,” she laughed, her voice like a bell, “just Ivy is fine.”
“And Ivy,” I addressed my friend, “this is Lukas. Or more specifically, His Royal Majesty King Lukas Forgeborn of Drothmore.”
