"I love the name of honor, more than I fear death." -Julius Caesar
Misty's POV
"Are you sure you're alright dear? You seem pale," Queen Lorelle tells me as we sit for tea. It's more like brunch with the whole family but it has a tea party feel to it. We are sitting outside with the birds chirping and although most of the Fire Elemental kingdom I've seen has been covered in pavement or cobblestone, back here it's nothing but lush trees, brightly colored flowers, and the sounds of nature.
The table we are around is beautifully decorated with a crimson table cloth and a centerpiece of sunflowers that brings another element of simplicity to the air. There are an assortment of treats from finger sandwiches to cookies, cakes to small pies, tea to lemonade, and bacon to scrambled eggs. Everything tastes wonderful and everyone is dressed perfectly, but I still can't place a sincere smile on my face. Braeden is at this table and I'm forcing myself to avoid his every gaze.
I decided to sit next to Colin and the Queen but because of this round table, I feel like his eyes are always on me. I hate this feeling. I feel like screaming at Braeden. I want him to feel the pain I'm feeling but I can't do that while remaining polite. I am the representative of my people after all and I don't want the cause of war to be because of my behalf.
"I'm fine. I didn't sleep very well last night," I tell the Queen. She nods her head in understanding before taking another sip of her tea.
"How are you fairing Prince Colin? You are almost of age to be crowned King. Are there any things you are ready to do?" King Braeden asks.
I sneak my first glance at Braeden and he seems to be in pain. He should be after the way he treated me. Braeden deserves to be tortured and left out at sea for the sharks to devour. Maybe then he will think before he hurts someone. I still don't understand what that girl had that I don't. She was curvy with longer hair by an inch and she was shorter than me. Does Braeden like short girls? Does he like thick girls? If that's the case, why would he lead me on like that? I didn't think Braeden could be that heartless.
But we did have an agreement. Braeden would please me if I gave him answers about my kind while in my kingdom. He was so gentleman like before. He was someone I thought-. Never mind what I thought. I know exactly who he is now. Braeden didn't even come to apologize to me. He's probably just sad because I ruined his chances with that whore last night.
"Improve the educational resources for my people. I plan on building a library on the south end and east end of my kingdom. Of course my plan includes a few new schools and scholarship programs," Col says and although that's a great plan, it's not one of my priority. I've discussed that education plan with Col and together we are determining when would be the best time to propose this idea to our council. It's something that needs attention but but my main goal as Queen will be creating more jobs for my people.
Because we Water Elementals are so secluded, my people don't have the freedom to travel to other elemental kingdoms for better jobs. That has given owners the ability to have lower working prices and have a higher profit. My people will revolt at this rate and I can't have that. Instead of the standard fishing and trading skills for most of my people, I hope to encourage options to become Physicians, Educators, Scientists, Crafters, and Musicians. My people need to grow in ways that previous generations couldn't begin to imagine.
"That's sounds like a great plan Prince Colin," Princess Desiree says with a smile that Col returns and Col, Princess Desiree, and King Braeden dive into a conversation about plans and the future. It's moments like these when I get jealous of Col.
Colin can talk so easily with people and they're willing to talk to him since he's the heir. I'm just a little princess waiting to be beneficial to my people. I have to be perfectly poised and beautiful. I have to be kind and gentle even when around the crudest of men. It's not fair, but when I become the Queen it will all be worth it. That's what I continue to believe in order to help me sleep at night.
"So what are your plans today Princess Melrose?" Queen Lorelle asks me.
"Maybe I'll walk around the palace and go to my room for a nap. It's such a nice day," I tell her.
"Yes but a little chilly," she adds. I thought the maid said it was eighty six degrees out here. What's the average temperature around here?
"No father," Braeden says and I glance his way.
"All I'm saying is that you seem too quiet today. Usually you're going on and on about some nonsense," King Braeden says and I watch as Braeden takes a deep breath to calm down.
"Yes father," Braeden says before Queen Lorelle cuts in.
"Leave my son alone, Brad. Don't you have a paper to read?" Queen Lorelle asks.
"More like a stack that a little someone felt the need to scatter just to bother me," King Braeden says and I can see Queen Lorelle smiling behind her tea cup.
"That seems very inconvenient. Maybe this party is just what you need," Queen Lorelle comments.
"What party, mother?" Princess Desiree questions and Queen Lorelle puts down her cup with a bright smile on her face.
"Your father and I are throwing a ball in honor of Prince Colin and Princess Melrose to show how glad we are to have the two," Queen Lorelle says and I mentally groan. I hate going to parties where I'm the center of attention. Most of the time I get stuck talking to boring people who want to hold boring conversations. At times, the women want me as matches for their sons and at other times I am wanted to be matches for their fathers. People will go to ridiculous measures for power.
"Mother you can't do that. You'll be risking Melrose's safety," Braeden says suddenly and I look up at him. I hold his gaze for a second and see the seriousness there.
"And I mean of course the Prince's safety," he adds and meets my gaze. I guess he doesn't want his people to kill me and risk this "peace" between our elementals.
"Nonsense! I've already hired a band. Prince Colin would you like me to cancel?" the Queen asks but there is something in her voice that indicates if a person defies her, the consequences are severe.
"Not after you've gone through so much trouble, Queen Lorelle. A party sounds wonderful," Col says and I clench my hands against my dress. That was my only chance to get out of this party.
"Well I'm glad that worked out. Kids enjoy the rest of your day. Honey I have work to attend to," King Braeden says before getting up and placing a kiss on his wife's cheek.
"Okay and I'll get your crown polished for tonight along with all the other party plans. All the invitations should have arrived by now. Am I forgetting something?" she asks.
"Your self defense class that has been moved up today," the king says. Queen Lorelle giggles at his words before waving the King away.
"Come on Colly. I want to buy a new dress," Princess Desiree says and those two leave immediately without any goodbyes. I am going to have to have a serious talk with Col soon. Doesn't he understand that we have to distance ourselves from these people?
"You know what deary? I've just had the most brilliant idea! How about you and I spend the morning together? We can both go to my self defense class and you can help with the party plans. That way I'll know exactly what you like," Queen Lorelle says and I smile at her offer. Like mother like son I guess.
"That sounds lovely Queen Lorelle. I'd be honored to go," I respond politely.
"In that case, just call me Lorelle out in public. Makes thing a lot easier. Now what will you be doing this morning, son?" Queen Lorelle asks as Braeden removes himself from the table.
"Train," he says and walks away.
I look away to keep my eyes from watering up and take a deep breath. I have to keep it together. If Braeden wants nothing to do with me, fine. I'm his loss. I deserve better than him anyway. He can just die thinking about what could have been for all I care. Why do I care?
**
Braeden's POV
I need more heat. I need more anger. I need more fuel. I need more answers. I need more time.
As I dodge a ball of fire coming my way, I realize that I've screwed up big time. Why I thought Melrose would sleep off the anger, I have no idea. I really want to apologize to her, but she doesn't want to listen. She didn't even want to look at me while we were sitting at the table. I wanted Melrose to sit next to me, not her brother or my mother.
I send a swirl of fire to burn down my three wooden attackers and keep running through my obstacle course. I have a friend who spends all the time in his day thinking about new battle tactics to test not only my strength or fire bending, but my mind. A knife shoots out toward my spin and I dodge it by the skin of my teeth. All this thinking about Melrose is going to get me killed. I came out here to escape the thoughts of her, especially her smiles and giggles. I know I've messed up but what can I do? What can I say to convince her that I care?
I shouldn't even care about a girl like Melrose. What is it about her that makes her so special to me? I have thousands of girls ready to throw themselves at my feet and satisfy my every physical need so why does my body still crave Melrose? Is it something about her flirtatious nature? Is it something about her exotic body?
I stop and let out a primitive scream to burn down everything around me. I can't handle all of this frustration! Why won't this pain go away? Why can't I just move on? What is Melrose doing to me?
"Very good Prince Braeden. This has been your best score all week," someone says through the microphones and I walk out of the maze without responding. Sometimes I review the tapes if there's a skill I use that I want to perfect but right now I just want to make things right with Melrose.
I walk into my palace and don't get too far before I see Prince Colin leaning against the hall with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Headaches are common after hours with my sister. I'm probably a sweaty mess so I decide to just walk past him. I still have plans to make and I'm pretty sure they sill involve flowers of some kind. Since we like sunflowers, maybe there is some kind of rain flower out there that Melrose will enjoy. I think I remember her talking about flowers before. Does she have a favorite one?
"Prince Braeden can I speak with you for a moment?" Prince Colin calls out. I look back and see him straightening his body's position. I know he has two years over my age since he's seventeen but that doesn't mean I've stopped seeing him as a pesky mosquito needing to be killed.
"Is something wrong?" I ask and I'm sure my lack of sleep is audible. I just rolled in my sleep all night because of the invisibly heavy weight on my chest.
Prince Colin walks my way as he says, "You already know what my problem is. Why are you making my sister unhappy?"
Anger begins to boil my blood and I say, "It wasn't my fault but I'm trying to fix it. Do you think I enjoy seeing her in pain?"
"I wouldn't know, fire boy. I just know that if my sister isn't smiling by the end of tonight's party, someone's going to be sleeping with the fishes." Prince Colin leaves me with my thoughts before I can tell him off, but I make sure to burn the bottom of his shoes. In less then five minutes, he'll be walking on our hard, hot floor without protection.
What was up with his threat anyway? Was it a serious one? Would Prince Colin really kill for his sister? I spend the rest of my time walking to my room thinking of Prince Colin's words and what I can do to make Melrose see that I am really sorry for hurting her. I'm going to make things right. I have to.
*
Melrose's POV
"Yes but I think a triple chocolate cake would be better than a smudge cake. We can have smaller smudge cakes around the main chocolate one," Queen Lorelle says and I mentally groan. I said sponge cake, not smudge cakes.
"That's fine," I tell her and continue looking through the cake book. Everything looks so delicious and detailed. How can these bakers perform such a magical act in such little time?
"And we'll place a few pieces of fresh strawberries on top of the sponge cake for decoration. We shall handle all the minor decorations Queen Lorelle with your wishes at heart," the chef says. Lorelle nods to the chef and begins to walk out of the store. I take this as my cue to leave and soon catch up to her side.
Today has been a busy one. True to her word, the queen and I went to a self defense class for half an hour.The instructor told me that my lack of upper arm strength is like nothing he's ever seen before. I know I'm weak but I really didn't need him to rub it in like that.
"Now we have to check on the flowers. I ordered four dozen sunflowers for tonight. Do you have a favorite flower?" she asks me.
"Our royal flower is a lotus," I reply and yes it's my favorite. They would always grow near the castle and as a little girl I always felt like this flower brought me closer to my people.
"Well than lotuses we shall have! The palace is being scrubbed to perfection, the food is being prepared, and they dress shops are full of impatient women! Isn't this wonderful?" the queen asks while full of excitement.
"Yes," I reply and think back to the dress I bought with the Queen just a little over an hour ago. I want to make Braeden jealous in my dress but as we continue to walk down the streets and pass up the brightly colored dress shops, I begin to loose confidence. What if there are prettier girls than me at the ball? I'm sure that's very likely to happen but will I be able to stay in control even if I see another girl flirting with Braeden? How will I respond if he flirts back?
"And there will be many a men who will want to dance with you as well. Don't let these men trick you into doing something you'll regret. Have I told you how much I hate my ex-husband?" she asks and I shake my head no. Queen Lorelle likes to ramble in a way my mom likes to ramble.
"No but now I know. What happened to your ex?" I ask so I can get an idea of exactly who raised Braeden.
"He's eight feet under and rests in peices as the fair one intended. I jumped on his casket so the bastard went down another foot. His funeral was really entertaining." I don't think I need to ask for the cause of death.
I look up to the sky and realize that we've been out for longer than I thought. I'm starting to get dehydrated.
"Are you almost ready to head for the palace Lorelle? We should probably make sure everything's in order there," I tell her so the Queen can stop relishing in her memories.
"You're right. Knowing Brad, he's probably confused the poor people with his strange demands like orange barbecued duck or green mashed sweet potatoes," she says and with that being said, we head for the palace.
The fire kingdom is beautiful truly in its own way. I haven't seen any of the many dangers that Braeden took the time to warn me about. The sun is shining brightly and the sounds of child-like amusement are on full blast. Braeden was probably just trying to scare me as my brother used to scare me when we were kids. Of course Father would always come to my rescue. Those were the days when things were simpler. I had simple choices to make. Now, I'm not sure I'm in control of anything in my life.
"Mom! Come see the dress I bought with Prince Colin! You won't believe how little the shop owner charged me for it," Princess Desiree says from out of thin air once Queen Lorelle and I enter the palace. I look back with tired eyes and see Princess Desiree walking our way with a bright smile on her lips.
"Darling I have a terrible headache so inside voices would be best," Queen Lorelle says with a wave of her hand but I would have never guessed she has a headache. Lorelle must handle pain really well.
Princess Desiree walks toward her mother's side and begins, "Sorry to steal you away from Princess Melrose but the cook is having an emergency."
"Dad?" Queen Lorelle asks and Princess Desiree nods. Great! Now I can finally take a nap.
"But I was having such a good time with Melly," Queen Lorelle says and I know that I have to work my way out of this quickly.
"I've had a great time with you too Lorelle, but I think it'd be best for me to take a nap before the party," I reply. I don't just want this sleep, I need it. I feel like a puppet being forced to move around from one place to the next.
"Yes mother look at the poor girl. She looks absolutely bone dead," Princess Desiree says but it sounds more like a personal attack to me. I'm so glad Col has found something pleasant in her or else I would have hurt Princess Desiree a long time ago.
Queen Lorelle agrees with her daughter and I soon find myself walking toward my room. It's strangely quiet in the halls but there is a hint of fear in the air. I open my door and take a step back at the sight. On my dresser is a large vase of different flowers, including a pink lotus. Did the king deliver these to ease my shift into a new environment?
I walk toward the dresser and see a small handwritten note beside the vase. I pick it up carefully and see that it reads,
Melrose,
I am so sorry for hurting you last night. That girl was a mistake from my past and I don't want anything to do with her, ever. Can you please forgive me? It hurts me to see you so upset.
Your hot head,
Braeden
I smile at his words and wonder why my heart feels so light. I can't believe he did this for me. The flowers are fresh and colorful, and seem professionally put together. But at the same time, it looks like Braeden tweaked the design because some of the petals have turned brown. I can almost see the funny image of Braeden putting together flowers in my mind. I don't think he has the patience for the flower arranging talent.
Next to the flowers is a large bottle of water and a box of chocolates that smell heavenly with a golden bow at the top. This is a really sweet gesture, something no one has ever done for me before, but I can't accept this. I pick up the flowers and leave them outside of my door. I can't have Braeden thinking that I forgive him. I won't let him hurt me this way again. No matter how much money he spent on these flowers, it doesn't change the face that he hurt me.
I pick the lotus out of the bunch and close the door behind me. I'm going to enjoy these chocolates, drink my water, lay my lotus beside my pillow, and sleep with the comforting thoughts that I'm doing what is right. Braeden will see this soon enough.
***
Braeden's POV
I can hear Melrose walking down the hall and I haven't finished this stupid note I've written twenty times. My palms are sweaty, shaky and continue to ruin the paper. I hate the way the florist arranged these flowers also. It looks too pretty. I kind of wanted it to look like I did this without the terrible end result that I produced three times before.
I remove some of the annoying flowers from the vase and switch around some of the others. I make sure to leave the lotus in the front and am careful to keep my hands under temperature control around the lotus. It's Melrose's favorite after all. I scribble my note as quickly and neatly as possible before running out of the room. I just barely slip inside of my room when I hear Melrose's footsteps turn the corner. Did I remember to put a bow on top of the box of chocolates? What if I knocked over the chocolates while trying to run out of the room? I'm such an idiot!
I press my ear against the wall and hear Melrose playing with the note. Does she like the flowers? What if she's allergic to chocolate? I don't think I can handle all this pressure. I hear Melrose's door open and I jump away from the wall. Is Melrose coming over here? Is she looking for me? I run toward my locked door and press my ear against the door.I hear Melrose walk back into her room slowly and the faint click of a locking door. That wasn't really the reaction I was hoping for.
I quietly open my door and look down the hall to find the flowers I gave Melrose sitting outside her door. Did she not like them? I look at the flowers for a flaw of some kind and only see the lotus missing. If I didn't know any better, I would think that Melrose is refusing my gifts. Maybe she's throwing the chocolate in the trash. Maybe she's ripping my note up to shreds. Maybe she's throwing the water out of the window. Maybe Melrose is mocking me.
I storm away from the hall with her flowers in hand at the thought. I don't know what I'm going to do with that girl. She locked herself in the room and is refusing to talk to me. I'm not a beggar. I am a Prince, the heir of my people. I refuse to be treated as if I'm some common house servant. My pride is on the line here. What is it about this one girl that makes my blood boil?
Melrose must think she can find someone better than me. She must think that someone else will come along and give her everything her little heart desires. Melrose must want a bendable excuse of a man who does everything she wishes without a second thought. I am not that kind of man and I'm not afraid to say that I've made a mistake, but damn it why wont she let me fix my mistakes?
"Whoa! Are you trying to burn down my palace?" someone asks and I look back with flames in my eyes.
"Do not bother me," I growl at my father. My father looks ready to say something but decides against it.
"Cool off before you do something you regret," my father says and continues walking in the opposite direction. There's something about my dad's presence that makes my eyes lock on the back of his frame. Why do I feel like a miracle is right in front of me?
"Wait dad!" I exclaim as an idea hits me suddenly. My mind hasn't even fully wrapped around it but I feel like its something worth trying.
My father looks back with raised eyebrows and I run to his side. "How much time do you have?" I ask.
My dad studies my features for a long time before his eyes soften slightly and he says, "Enough. What do you need?"
I smile brightly even though I have an ulterior motive and say, "I need to impress a girl very quickly, more like a matter of hours. I really screwed her over, not screwed her screwed her, but she's upset and won't let me apologize."
"Did you try the chocolate and flowers thing?" he asks immediately and I nod. At least I know I went in the right direction.
My father begins to walk as he always does while thinking and I follow him. "What's her favorite spot in my kingdom?"
"She doesn't have one," I reply and my father looks at me with a lot of curiosity in his eyes. "Who exactly are we talking about here son?"
"A girl I met in a bar a while back," I lie easily. I can't let daddy dearest know everything now can I? "And she's going to be leaving really soon. I just want her to know that I didn't mean to hurt her."
My dad folds his arms over his chest while being satisfied with my answer and asks, "Is forcing her to forgive you is out of the question?"
I nod quickly and shudder at the sight that would be. Melrose would try to drown me if I ever forced her into something like that.
"Burning her is also out of the question. She's too delicate," I tell him.
"Clothes?"
"She'd never wear them."
"Drinks?"
"She's a mess after four shots."
"Sex?"
"No," I reply and look very seriously at my father. I thought he could help me with this. This is what I get for thinking my dad is worth something. Maybe I should try going in another direction since we're both just getting frustrated.
"How did you get mom?" I ask. I'm not too interested in hearing the little details but maybe, just maybe, I can work with something.
Dad leans back against the wall and sighs before saying, "Well it was freezing cold that day. Sixty degrees I believe with a strong wind and no sunshine. I was walking down the street with a few of my buddies and we just left the local pub. I remember really wanting a chick that night. I was King after all so I figured 'What the hell?' My friends and I continued to walk and there she was, your mother leaning against a brick wall and sipping on a martini. Of course she gave me the up and down and after that, it was pretty much just a game of cat and mouse."
"Dad I've already got the girl! I'm trying to keep the girl," I say after listening to dad's pointless story and he rolls his eyes.
"Excuse me but I don't get to tell this story very often. Your mother has twisted it around so much for her benefit that there isn't any other man alive that knows what really happened. Now this is how I kept Lolly."
"Hey little lady. Do you know the time of night?" I asked her with my four buddies around me. It was pretty clear who I was based on the royal ring on my finger but that didn't stop your mother from rolling her eyes at me.
"The time when little boys like you get off the street," she told me with a voice as smooth as velvet. It was then, along with the view of her gorgeous body hidden under a tight yellow dress, that I knew I wanted this woman to be mine sexually at the very least.
My friends laughed of course but I personally burned all of them so they'd get the hint to leave. None of them died but that wasn't my concern at that moment. Her eyes didn't look for the source of screams my friends emitted. She was staring into my eyes as I was beginning to get lost in hers.
"Do you realize that you're talking to your King, pretty lady?" I asked her while placing one of my hands by her head. I was pretty cocky as a young man, but the only change of expression your mother gave me was that wonderful smile of hers.
"No of course not. That royal ring of yours and the fire dancing in your eyes must have slipped past me," she said. I remember her running a finger down my chest and I watched with wide eyes as her fingers continued to roam south.
"Well since you obviously know my name, can I know yours?" I asked.
Your mother smiled before whispering in my ear, "Katherine."
"Dad...." I trail off to see if he isn't confusing is story with his story on how he met one of his mistresses. I don't know how many he has at the moment but I don't really want to know about them.
Dad waves his hand at my interruption and says, "Yes your mother lied to me. I figured it out a month later along with her ex-husband and Desiree. Your mother was obsessed with privacy." How in the world is that supposed to help me now? Maybe I should just leave and ask mom for advice. At least mom can stay on topic for most of a conversation.
"Father please continue," I beg and Dad waves his hand before jumping back into his story. I'll give this another minute or two for Melrose's sake.
"Okay, it went like this. I must warn you though, your mother had quite the temper back in the day," Dad says before beginning his story.
"Move into the palace with you? I don't know Brad. Desiree just started school and I got a new job. Why can't we just take things slower?" she asked me.
I slammed my hands on the table and said, "You're a stripper for hell's sake Lolly! I don't want you taking your clothes off for anyone but me!"
I remember Lolly throwing all kinds of dishes and plates at me while screaming that I had no right to judge her. I really wasn't trying to do that. I just wanted her to come home with me and stay there. Lolly never understood how fast or how hard I fell in love with her.
Lolly ran out of the house and picked Desiree up from school before I had the great idea to look for her there. I cried for days after I sent my guards to find them and they kept returning empty handed. Then I became very angry. I wanted her for myself and she had the nerve to run away. I thought of her being with another man and I didn't like it. Sharing was never an option in my life due ti me being an only child.
One day I was walking down the hall where I had a room specially designed for Desiree. I didn't know why I walked that way but when I did, I heard the most amazing sound. It was laughter. I immediately burst down the door and saw your mother tickling Desiree on the teddy bear rug I bought for Desiree. There were packed bags along the wall and I remember your mother looked back at me with tears threatening to spill from her face.
I pulled her into a hug immediately as she said, "You need to hire better guards."
"And that my dear boy is how everything happened. Your mother came running back to me as I knew she would," my dad says over confidently and I just roll my eyes.
"Of course you did, dad." That wasn't a waste of any of my time.
"Point of the story is, try your hardest to win her back. Don't ever stop making her feel good and maybe, maybe by the skin of your teeth, she'll see something in you that makes you worth sticking around for. This whole love thing is a big game of chance," my father says and I'm about to agree with everything he says until I let his words sink in.
"I'm not in love with her. I just care about her." My father erupts into loud laughter and the fireplaces along the wall burn brighter. I was being serious!
"Okay son," my father begins before patting my back. "You never ask me about anything and yet you asked me for advice on this girl, a girl you've kept secretive until now. Of course I'm just your old man. What do I know?"
My dad walks away before I can make him regret his words and I storm away even more frustrated than before. I am not in love with Melrose or any other girl for that matter. Is it a crime that I don't like seeing girls upset? Everyone I know can just go to the coldest parts of hell for all I care. I'll show them. Melrose is going to to be smiling by the end of the night and it's going to be all thanks to me.
*
Melrose's POV
"Melrose get up," someone tells me and I groan before rolling over.
"Not now Blaze," I mumble and try to regain my sleep. I was having a wonderful dream with Braeden being all tied up and begging for my forgiveness.
"Who in the great sea is Blaze?" the person says and my eyes snap open. I turn around quickly and see Col looking at me with suspicion in his eyes.
"Blaze? As in the guy from my dreams? How do you know him?" I say and hope Col buys into my confusion.
Col puts a hand and says, "Forget about it. Listen, we have a problem."
"Tell me about it," I mumble before sitting up. I hate being awakened. I'm always cranky and then I feel bad for who I yell at later.
Col sits on one of the chairs near my bed before leaning forward. "Did you hear anything about Prince Braeden?" Col asks and I shake my head no.
"I don't care to know anything about that little boy either. Why don't you ask his sister?" I reply easily. Speaking of easy-.
"I thought you might like to know since Braeden screamed your name before burning himself alive."
"He did what?" I scream and pull back the covers quickly. Where is Braeden now?
Col puts a hand on my shoulder and says seriously, "It's too late Mel. The guards only found ashes and even then...well...we couldn't even be sure it's him. There was just so much blood and the screams were ear curling. I-I just wanted to be the one to tell you first." The tears threaten to spill from my eyes and I feel ashamed. Why didn't I feel something was wrong as I slept? Why would Braeden do that to himself? He's was so close to being a great king to his people.
"I-I've got to see him. I-I have to...," I trail off. I have to apologize Braeden. I need some kind of closure. I can't believe he would do this to me.
"Yeah but I also have some good news," Col says.
"What is it?" I ask without really thinking.
"It turns out that Braeden is fine. The guy who burned up was just a gardner who had suicidal tendencies. Great right?" I push myself out of Col's arms and am shocked to see that he's serious. I run out of the room despite Col calling after me and run through the halls. I don't know what to believe and I have always had a hard time believing what I can't see.
"Braeden!" I exclaim to catch his attention. Is that him or his ghost walking away from me. I push my legs faster and see Braeden look back as I jump on him.
"Is it really you?" I ask while running my hands down his body. He seems normal to me but what are ghosts supposed to feel like?
"Melrose what's wrong? Are you hurt?" he asks and I realize that I still have a tears falling from my face.
Braeden sets me down so my toes can touch the ground but I wrap my arms tightly around his neck. I don't want him to go away.Braeden rubs his warm hands over my back to soothe me and I let my head rest on his chest as the tears turn into sobs.
"Tell me who I have to kill Melrose. I don't like seeing you like this," Braeden says.
I look up to him and say, "You did this now shut up and just hold me hot head." Braeden looks ready to say something but instead he kisses my forehead before pulling me closer to him.
I close my eyes tightly and continue to cry. Heart, I thought we were on the same page for once.
***
I liked writing this chapter. What do you guys think? Smooth sailing from now on? Will everything work out? (MUHAHAHAHA!!! Long time fans of mine know why I'm laughing).
But seriously though, please comment and vote. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If not, tell me what you'd like me to improve. As some of you may know, a dear current teacher of mine died this weekend. It hit me really hard because she is the heart of the school. I'm hoping this chapter didn't seem too sad although I tried to pour some of those emotions int my words.
Okay. Nap time