Princess Elowyn's Arc

Chapter 4 of 7

The morning after the balcony, a knock woke Elowyn. Servants carried in a large box and a stack of books tied with bows. She sat up and smiled. She knew who had sent them. Everest had listened. He had heard every word about the books and the animals she loved. The books came first. She ran her hand over the covers, then set them aside when the box moved. She lifted the lid. Inside sat a puppy, black and white with a soft, fluffy coat and bright, curious eyes. It pushed its nose toward her. Elowyn reached in and pulled the small dog against her chest. It licked her chin. She laughed, a real laugh, and did not care who heard. She found Everest waiting in the corridor. His black cloak with gold trim hung to the floor. He watched her hold the puppy and something in his face softened. "You remembered," she said. "You told me what mattered," Everest said. "I only listened." They walked together, and Elowyn asked the question that had followed her all week. "If my father chose you, where would you take me? I know nothing of your home." Everest slowed. "Moonspire," he said. "My kingdom sits far from here. Two weeks of hard riding. It is larger than yours. There are mountains, and the towers catch the moon." He spoke plainly, without pride. "I rule it now. My mother and I, alone." "Alone?" she asked. "My father died years ago. A sickness took him slowly." He looked away. "I was young. I learned to rule before I was ready." For the first time he seemed not like a king, but like a man who had lost something. Elowyn saw him clearly then. Not the suitor with the chest of gold. A son who had buried his father and carried a whole kingdom since. The distance no longer frightened her. She understood it. But his face changed. The warmth pulled back, replaced by something heavier. "There is a thing I must tell you." The puppy squirmed. She held it tighter. "Tell me." "I received word this morning," he said. "My mother needs me. The kingdom cannot run without its king for long. I must return home." The corridor felt colder. "When?" "Soon." He met her eyes. "Duty does not wait, even for this. Even for you." Elowyn's stomach dropped. She had spent a month fearing her father's choice. Now the one suitor she wanted was leaving before the month even ended. If he rode home, her father would choose another man from the ones who never asked her a single question. The silence held between them. Elowyn looked down at the puppy in her arms, the gift of a man about to disappear. The spark she had finally found now had a clock ticking against it. She had until he rode out to decide what she would risk to keep him.