Page 81 of The Promised Prince
“I shouldn’t have spoken that way to Mom. I feel terrible about it, but Dad, what were you thinking? How could you agree to marry someone that was in love with someone else?” She hung her head. “You really were the most honorable man, weren’t you?” Memories of her parents’ strained relationship filled her mind. The knowledge that her mother never loved her father weighed heavily in her chest. “How could Mom do that to you?” Renna whispered out loud. “I’d never do that to anyone.” Tears burned at the corner of her eyes. “I was stupid to hold on to some make-believe relationship with Trev.” She bit the side of her cheek, trying to keep her emotions under control. “He’s just so...” she let out a breath, “...great. He’s fun, happy, kind, smart, witty, caring.” Her words quieted. “And so unavailable.”
The moon’s light glowed more powerfully, illuminating the sky as the last bits of sunlight faded behind the mountains. Faint stars appeared against the navy night sky. If she tried hard, she could almost feel her father’s presence.
“Please help me, Dad. Help me find a way to forgive Mom and help me get over Trev.”
The sound of crickets mixed with the trickling of water from a nearby fountain lulled her into a comfortable silence. She sat listening, letting the calmness wash over her.
“Well, aren’t you a nice surprise?” Trev’s voice startled her.
The outline of his body walked toward her until he came close enough for her to make out the features of his face. His tie was undone, lazily slung around his neck, and the top buttons of his plaid shirt were loosened.
“How did you find me?” she asked.
Mirth filled his eyes. “I wasn’t looking for you.”
She was glad he couldn’t see her blush. “Of course not. I just—”
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy to stumble upon you, but I was really just taking a walk. I do that sometimes when I need to think.” He gracefully lifted his body next to hers on the ledge. “What about you? What brings you out here?”
“I was just missing my dad and wanted to talk to him.” She smirked. “He’s a great listener.”
“I bet he is.” Trev’s expression was kind. “What was he like?”
She found herself wanting Trev to understand who her father was. “He was the best. Hardworking, honest, loyal, funny—he would do anything to make me laugh.” Her mood lightened as she spoke about him. “I used to love the silly things he did. He would take a bite out of a banana when it wasn’t even peeled yet. When he cooked spaghetti squash, he put the vegetable strands on top of his head like it was his hair. He had a ridiculous song for every occasion, and he told the same stupid jokes over and over, but I loved it. He used to dance with me in the kitchen. Read me fairytales late into the night. Explore Desolation ruins with me. He was my best friend.”
“He sounds pretty amazing.”
“He was.” Renna looked into Trev’s eyes, and it suddenly hit her why her heart hung on to him so tightly. “You’re a lot like him.”
“Me?” He shook his head. “Probably not, but I’ll take the compliment.” His mouth raised into a half-smile. “How did he die?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “He just got sick. It happened so fast that I barely noticed I was losing him, and then he was gone.”
“I bet you miss him a lot.”
Renna looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. “At first, the pain was suffocating, but I guess after so many years, I’ve just gotten used to it. Grief sticks with you—it changes and shifts as you grow, but it never leaves you.”
He nodded his head slowly. “I like that description.”
“Do you ever miss your mother?”
“I never knew her, but I miss the idea of her.”
“What about Queen Avina? She died when you were young, right?”
“Yeah, I was only seven. I don’t remember much. Sometimes I think I remember things, or maybe that’s just my mind playing tricks on me because how could I really remember? I was so little when she died.”
“What do you remember?”
Trev looked past her, as if far away for a moment. “Flying a kite in the palace courtyard. Sitting with her on a horse. Her tousling my hair. Simple things. Flashes of memories. But mostly, I just remember the feeling of being loved and how happy that made me. I haven’t felt loved since the day Queen Avina died.”
Renna’s heart broke for him, and without thinking, she placed her hand over his. His face turned to hers, his blue eyes looking deep into her soul. They sat there silently—the air circulating so much between them.
Trev broke the silence. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said...about the purpose of being the king if I can’t help anybody.”
Renna sighed. “I shouldn’t have said that. I was frustrated about Colter and his family. I’m sure you’ll help a lot of people.”
“No, you were right. I want to help people like Colter. I want to be better than my father. You make me want to be better. Sometimes...” He paused as if he was unsure of what he was about to say. “Sometimes I think about how things might have been different between us if I wasn’t the prince.”
