Page 29 of The Botanist and the Beast

Theo looked down, feeling dejected and stupid. "I told you, I raise my sisters. I know you can't understand, but since my parents died, I have a responsibility to them. I have to go back."

"My parents passed, too. Did you forget?"

"No, but—"

"I have a responsibility to my kingdom. If someone had wronged your sisters, would you not fight to make sure yoursisters were satisfied with the repercussions? My people have suffered countless deaths and endless injustices because of my father. Any time I can give them justice, I will. That includes holding you responsible for what happened."

"So, I suffer so your kingdom is sated? My sisters lose another family member in the name of morale? Do you really think that's fair?"

"No. But it is reality." He gripped Theo's arm and yanked him to his feet as if he was feather light and dragged him towards the castle. "The world is painfully unfair, isn't it?" he said with a dry laugh. "Everyone here will die before your sisters age too greatly. You will go home and forget my entire kingdom like it was simply a bad dream. You will live more of your life out of these walls than in them. I will be a mad beast hunted by someone that passes through, or a statue for another careless traveler to crush. Maybe you'll see my opal eyes sold at market in a few years by another human who travels through the veil."

"I get it," Theo said quietly.

"No, you don't, because you can't." He leaned in and spoke in a deadly tone. "Don't ever speak to me about fair or next time I will leave you chained in the darkest corner of my castle. Do you understand me?" He shoved Theo hard and sent him crashing through the castle doors.

Theo caught himself on his hands, but his knees clacked on the tile, and he yelped in pain.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" Oliver exclaimed in shock.

He and the rest of the guard were near the entrance. They had been chatting before, but now they stared in silence at their prince, lingering between man and beast, glaring down at Theo.

"I understand," Theo said in a barely audible voice. He had poked fun at the prince many times, but feeling his actual strength, Theo was reminded this ethereal being was choosingconstantly to not harm him. He had gotten too cocky here. "I'm sorry."

"Is everything alright?" Jacques asked, looking between the two of them. "Sebastian? Your teeth and—"

"I'm fine," he spat, stepping around Theo and walking onward. "Keep Theo with you. I don't want to see him today."

"Sure," Oliver said. His eyes drifted to Theo's shredded clothes, but he said nothing as he offered him a hand.

Once on his feet, Theo rushed to follow the prince, trying to think of what to say to truly convey how sorry he was, but Lyle stepped in his way.

"Take another step towards him and I'll make sure you regret it." He kept his eyes on Theo as he called to the prince. "Sebastian, can I join you?"

Sebastian glanced back. "You may. Just hurry up."

Theo was dumbfounded as Lyle smirked, patted his shoulder condescendingly, and followed Sebastian up the hall. He watched the way Lyle put a hand on his lower back and walked him up the hall, and there was a pull in his chest. He wanted to chase after him, but Jacques gripped his wrist.

"Come on, Theo," Jacques said, leading the way. "You can hang out in our room for the day. Following will give Lyle an excuse to harm you, and I don’t want that."

Silently he followed them to their room. The space reminded Theo of fall. It was dripping with lots of gold, warm browns, and splashes of color that mimicked autumn leaves. After giving him warm pajamas to change into, Jacques and Oliver disappeared off into their closet, leaving him with Henri in front of a fireplace that was roaring.

The fireplace was made of braided tree roots and its trunk stretched up and disappeared into the ceiling. Theo curled up in a chair while Henri sat close to the fire on the floor.

Theo watched as Henri stuck his stone hand into the flames and turned it over, letting the fire engulf it with no expression.

When he noticed Theo's staring from the chair, he chuckled. "When you're stone it's hard to get warm. I swear some days I want to roll in the flames, but the skin patches I have left won’t allow it.”

"I guess that makes sense," he said, watching the heat rise off his stone palm in awe when he finally pulled it out of the fireplace.

Oliver and Jacques came back in the room and tossed Theo a dark pansy purple knitted blanket. They settled in, cuddling on the couch under their own blanket.

"You sure you're not hungry?" Jacques asked for the second time today. "We can bring breakfast up."

"I don't have an appetite right now." Theo stared at the fire as Sebastian leaving with Lyle replayed in his mind over and over. "I need to apologize. Any tips on how to do that without getting attacked again?"

"So, he did attack you?" Henri asked, sitting back on his hands. "We saw your clothes but I had hoped we were wrong."

"He did," he admitted. "But he didn't bite me or anything."

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