Page 76 of Kingdom of Crowns and Daggers

The only thing holding him back is his father. He will be so disappointed in him, and all he ever wanted was to make his father proud. A fresh wave of tears stings his eyes, and he feels as though the pressure is going to tear him apart.

Stay or go?

A whistle rings out, followed by shouts, and he can see one of the ships is about to leave. If he is going to go, now is the time. Taking a single step towards the dock, he prepares to make the run across the open space and hide aboard.

“Are you okay?” a soft voice calls out behind him.

Spinning around, the boy sees a young girl who is watching him intensely. Her hair is like a flame atop her head, and her eyes are wide with childlike concern. She must be a couple of years younger than he is, six or seven perhaps.

His chance to leave is about to disappear, but for some reason, he struggles to take his eyes off the girl in front of him.

“I cannot do it anymore,” he blurts out, shame and pride warring within him. He shouldn’t be speaking to her. He isn’t allowed to speak to anyone who has not been approved by his tutors, yet there is something about her that makes him feel better, and admitting it aloud feels like a band of pressure has been released from his chest.

Unaware of the turmoil in his mind, the girl tilts her head to one side. “Do what?”

“They want me to be king one day. It is too much responsibility.” Dropping his gaze to look at his shoes, he realises that he sounds selfish.

“Whoa. I would like to be king.” The girl takes a step closer, and the boy looks up in surprise. “I would make sure that everyone is safe and that no one goes without food. Have you seen the market in the Lowers?”

She speaks fast, as though she only has limited time to talk, so it takes a couple of moments for him to absorb it all. There is no condemnation in her voice, only childish innocence. He cannot help but think she is right though. He was told about the Lowers and poverty that runs rampant there, although he has never visited it.

“No, I have never been allowed to go to the Lowers,” he replies, internally questioning why he has not been allowed to visit when it will soon be part of his kingdom. “Besides, you can’t be a king. You’re a girl.”

“Oh.” She looks really sad at his comment, and he immediately wishes that he never said anything. “I think that being king must be hard, but an honour to dedicate yourself to the people. That must be great.”

She looks off into the distance, her eyes full of knowledge that one wouldn’t expect to see in a child. Something shifts inside the boy as he takes in her wistful expression. He knows that being king would be an honour, and the hard work he puts in now will contribute to how good of a ruler he will be in the future. He just needed this girl to help him put it into perspective.

“You are right.” Taking a deep breath, he wipes his cheeks of any residual tears and smiles at her with a cheeky wink. “Maybe one day you could marry a king, then you would be queen.”

She laughs, high-pitched and full of glee. “I could marry you! I think we would be a great team.”

The smile she gives him as she takes his hand causes his heart to flip in his chest.

This is it, he thinks to himself. She is the girl I will marry when I am king. I will see to it.

I wake with a start, the dream still fresh in my mind. No, not a dream, a memory.

I forgot my encounter with the little girl who stopped me from doing something stupid that day—the girl I have been looking for ever since, even if I didn’t realise it. My father and Queen Mother tried to set me up with many suitable women over the years, but none of them was ever right. What I didn’t realise was that it wasn’t because they were missing anything, but because they weren’t her.

It has to be her, right? The resemblance is uncanny, and now that I know she is of noble birth, there can be no mistaking it.

Alyx is the girl from my dream, the girl from my past, and she seems to have no idea. She was young at the time, so she probably forgot, much like I did. Will she remember and realise that boy was me?

Smiling up at the ceiling, I cannot quite believe my fortune. Fate has brought us back together and we didn’t even realise it.

Chapter

Forty-Three

ALYX

Amidst all the drama with the recent assassination attempt and the death of the so-called criminal “behind it,” we all seem to have forgotten about the impending holiday—Laurel’s Day. It’s an annual occurrence to welcome in the laurel crop, the flowers that are said to have saved many from the great wars after apothecaries and medics realised grinding them up produced a life-saving medicine. Ever since, they have become something to celebrate, and we use it as an excuse to get drunk, run rowdy, and basically do whatever we please for the day. Usually, I’m in the Lowers. Even assassins take Laurel’s Day off, and I usually spend time with Crux drinking and playing games, but it seems this year will be very different. As Joha’s future bride, I have duties and many stuffy celebrations and honours to attend.

I have been on edge, worried for Joha’s life as well as for Crux, who still hasn’t returned, and concerned about how Orion and Joha will treat me today after the bombshell I dropped last night.

They looked shocked, and then they demanded answers. They asked so many questions my head hurt, but I closed up, panic taking my voice at their insistent quizzing. I trust them or I wouldn’t have told the truth about my birth, but I cannot bring myself to tell them everything because I know it will change things between us, especially Joha.

No, I’ll keep it to myself, even if I know they will be eyeing me with those same questions.

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