Princess Willowyn's Arc

Chapter 38 of 70

The guard led Willowyn into a warm hall of golden stone. The king and queen took their seats. King Aurelius signaled for Willowyn to sit, and she did. Kai sat across from her, the minx curled in his lap. He kept his eyes on the floor. Silence filled the room for a long while. "You're the girl from the battlefield," King Aurelius said at last. "I saw a glimpse of you from the distance. You have great power. I want to thank you for what you did." Willowyn gave a soft smile that did not reach her eyes. She said nothing. Her hands stayed folded in her lap. Queen Shuri watched her daughter-in-law of no bond, her dark braid coiled beneath her crown. She saw the cold set of Willowyn's mouth. "You are angry with my son," she said. It was not a question. "He let me believe he was a soldier," Willowyn said. "For a full month I made sure him and his men watered. I gave him a sword. I crossed an ocean." She looked at Kai. "You never once told me the truth." Kai lifted his head. "Because you would have looked at me the way you look at me now." His voice cracked. "Everyone in my life wanted the prince. The alliance. The blood. I wanted one person who wanted just me. When I met you, I finally had that. I could not risk losing it." King Aurelius leaned forward. "We sent him to the coast in secret. A prince cannot travel free. The fault lies in me." Willowyn stared at Kai. She thought of the vines on the coast. The minx he had rescued. The confession before his ship sailed. None of it had been a lie. He had hidden a crown, not a heart. "You could have trusted me," she said, softer now. "I know." Kai set the minx on the table between them. It padded across the wood to her. "I am trusting you now. All of it. My name, my house, my parents." He spread his hands. "There is nothing left to hide." Willowyn reached out and touched the minx's soft fur. The animal pressed into her palm. She felt the anger drain out of her chest. In its place came something heavier. He was a prince. She was a princess. Two crowns, two kingdoms across an ocean. "I forgive you," she said. She met Queen Shuri's eyes. Queen Shuri smiled. “Now then, please son properly introduce us to your girlfriend” Kai blushed and turned red, Willowyn laughed hard “Uh I am Princess Willowyn”