Page 47 of Turret

I stared at my feet before looking up at Quinn with a giddy smile. He leaned against the tower wall, watching me with a rather soft look. His grin widened at the unladylike giggle that escaped my lips.

“Have you ever seen a more unroyal sight?” I motioned to bare feet. “Princesses are expected to wear shoes outdoors.”

“There’s never been a morelovelysight,” he corrected. “With the sunlight glistening off your hair, the way your smile lights up your eyes…it’s one I’ll remember forever.”

My smile faltered at the reminder that while I was seeing the world for the first time, Quinn was seeing it for one of his last.

He noticed my change in mood and approached to take my hands tenderly in his. “Please don’t worry about me, Gemma; I’ve already seen the world, whereas you haven’t. This is your time, so embrace it.”

I swallowed the lump filling my throat and nodded. Only the sincerity filling his expression gave me the strength to push away the tears burning my eyes in order to offer a wavering smile. If Quinn needed my happiness, then I’d do my best to feel it for his sake.

Quinn started to pull away but my grip tightened around his hand, keeping him with me. “I want you to be with me as I explore.” I could think of no better moment to share with him than this one.

“And I will be, but there’s someone else who deserves to be out here as well.”

Of course: Melina would be overjoyed to finally be out of the tower.

I remained outside while Quinn retrieved her, then took great pleasure in watching her burst from the tower in front of Quinn. For a moment she stood still in awe to be beyond the tower walls, but her fierce joy quickly overwhelmed her so fully she began to cry.

She lifted her face, tear-streaked but smiling. “I’m so happy to be free. Thank you for finding the door.” She gave me a quick hug before venturing off to explore, her look both wondrous and pensive; I could almost see her calculating the supplies we’d need for our journey home and hoped she’d forgive me when I confessed that I wasn’t ready to permanently leave the tower.

Quinn returned to my side and allowed me to lace our hands together. He followed as I gently tugged him along through my explorations. I had no specific destination in mind, I only wanted to savor the sunlight and fresh air. It was truly magical.

We stepped into the shade cast by the tower’s shadow and I paused to look up at the majestic structure towering above us, no longer enchanted to be invisible, another example of its fading magic. “It’s so strange to see it from the outside.” With its grey stone and rather formidable height, it almost looked like the turret of a prison.

Quinn glanced over but didn’t look for long before he turned away with a frustrated shake of his head. My stomach tightened. Could he…not see it, despite it being so large and close? “Quinn—” I began, but he talked over me.

“What would you like to do first?”

I frowned at his hasty change of subject but didn’t want the gloom of our previous topic to ruin our otherwise wonderful excursion. “You spent a lot of time encouraging me to leave the tower, so I trust you have the perfect adventure in mind.”

He smiled, dispelling the shadows that had filled his countenance. “Being out here is an adventure in and of itself. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“As long as I experience the world through your eyes.”

His previous gloom returned. “I’m afraid it’s not a very clear view anymore.”

My stomach tightened, but I did my best to keep my rising distress from my expression. “I still want to see the world through you all the same. What is your most treasured memory?”

He cast his gaze around, as if seeking inspiration. His eyes lit up as he took in the surrounding trees. “I have just the place.” And keeping a secure hold of my hand, he led me away from the tower’s shadow and into the forest.

My bare feet pattered against the soft grass and soon over the twisting dirt path leading to the trees. I wasn’t surprised by our destination considering the beautiful memory he’d once shared of his childhood spent within the woods. My breath caught as we stepped into the trees. I stilled, allowing myself to take in the surrounding beauty and majesty—I recognized the maple, oak, and pine trees from the view from my bedroom window back home, but didn’t know the names of the other varieties.

Quinn’s warm breath tickled my ear. “Look up, Gemma.”

I tipped my head back. Above me was a tapestry of branches laced together to form a woven canopy. Hints of blue sky and sunlight peeked through the autumn leaves. I extended my hand and watched its golden patterns dance against my skin and across the forest floor, carpeted in a sheen of colored leaves.

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured. “And so…secure, the branches creating the perfect cocoon.”

Though his eyes strained as he struggled to look up, his manner was reverent. “I’ve told you of the hours I spent in the woods as a boy. There is no place I find more peaceful.”

Itwaspeaceful, a feeling I’d never expected to feel outside my tower, proving that despite how long I’d spent believing otherwise, contentment and joy could truly be found outside the walls. For a long moment we stood still, basking in the surrounding senses—the scent of pine filling the air, the crackle of leaves, and especially the beauty surrounding us. I took a deep breath, appreciating the way my lungs filled with ease, no hint of a cough or breathlessness, even as I enjoyed the cool air against my skin without becoming chilled.

I crouched on my heels and touched the ground, marveling at the feel of dirt as I ran it through my fingers and the rough texture of the rocks. I picked up a maple leaf and twirled it by its stem. “It’s just like the leaf you carved for me.”

He gently took it from me and brushed my hair aside to tuck it behind my ear. “I hope it’s one of many treasures you’ll add to your collection.”

I smiled. “It will, for I believe the woods can become a new refuge for me…if I ever return to the palace.” It felt strange to speak of home when I still wasn’t sure whether it’d have a place in my future.

---