Page 37 of The Promise Born
I nodded.
“Take him to the infirmary. Carefully!” He directed the others, then turned to me, took off the long jacket he wore and laid it on the ground in front of me before turning and walking away to give me privacy to return to my form.
I hadn’t even considered my clothing when I shifted. If I turned back, I would be exposed to the world. I picked up the coat, moved behind the trees nearby, and completed the painful shift back. It always hurt to shift after avoiding it for so long.
“Ah!” I cried out as I tried to pull the jacket over my arm. My muscles were on fire.
“Let me help.”
I looked over my shoulder to find Uradis standing there.
“Thank you.”
Regardless of my trepidation, I allowed Uradis to help me. Once the jacket was around me, she handed me a pair of soft slippers. “Figured you might want these.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked.
“Bringing our people together. Remember? She pushed the slippers toward me and I took them as she lowered her voice to continue. “The prince threw his weight around. That’s not your fault.”
“Thank you, Uradis.”
“Now, come with me. I’ll bring you to Asante. His uncle wants to talk to you.”
“Oh, okay. Whatever he needs.”
Uradis led me to the healer's building. Instead of the small room where they kept me, Asante was in a large space. Three guards stood outside the door and to the left of them were four empty chairs.
“Sit here.” Uradis told me before leaving. A few moments later, she returned, gave a small nod to the guards, and sat next to me. “They’ll let us know when you can go inside.”
I said nothing, though her words sparked new concern. Should I even be there at all? Would he want me with him?
That was when time slowed down. Sitting there wondering about what would happen. Each moment stretched on infinitely as my mind created countless variations of what would come. I pictured Asante coming out of the room on his own and telling me to leave. I imagined his uncle telling me he didn’t make it. There were even thoughts of the queen, who I couldn’t believe wasn’t already there waiting to see her son. Just as I was about to ask Uradis about the queen, the door opened and a woman I didn’t recognize walked out into the hall.
“You can come in now,” she said.
Uradis touched my hand. “Go ahead, I’ll wait here.”
I entered the room, painted red with gold drapes over the windows. In the middle of the room was a bed and on the bed was Asante. The swelling that covered his face and body had gone down, but in its place were fresh bruises. I tiptoed closer to him, but he wasn’t conscious. I could have screamed his name, but he wouldn’t have responded.
Next to his bed was a plush chair. I crossed the room, carefully scanning his body as I did and sat by his side. What else was I supposed to do? After a while, I couldn’t take the silence anymore. So, instead of watching him breathe, I talked to him. I told him all the things I wanted to say before my secret was revealed.
“Asante, I know you likely can’t hear me right now.” I reached for his hand then hesitated, folding my hands together in my lap. “And I know that you never wanted to see me again. I just had to make sure you were okay. So, as soon as I know that you're okay, I will leave. You have my word, though I doubt that means much to you now. I wish you could hear me. Because I plan to tell you everything.”
I glanced around the room. Though we were alone, I knew the walls had ears. There were guards outside the door and aides that were never too far away. Could any of them be listening?. It didn’t matter if they knew the truth or not. The rumors would be louder than any truth I told.
“After the night we spent together,” I continued talking to Asante. “I had made my mind up that you deserve to know the truth. And yes, you should have known everything about me before that happened. But you were never supposed to find your way into my heart. But you did. And as much as it hurts, I knew I had to tell you.
You asked me how I could leave and let everyone think the worst had happened to me. Leaving home was the hardest decision I ever had to make. But I made that decision because the future that was given to me was not the one I wanted. I made that choice not just because I didn't want to be there, but because our people deserved someone who did.” I paused.
“I worried about my sister, but deep down, I think she would make a better ruler than me. She never outright said it, but I know Leah dreamed of being queen. She would talk so proudly about how she wanted to care for our people and elevate our status in the world. It was her passion and though they tried to teach me to love it, she came to it naturally. When I realized what our futures looked like. Two sisters denied what they wanted for themselves. I stepped out of the way.” The smile lifted the corner of my lips when I thought of my sister. I had spent so much time worrying about my parents that I often forgot to consider her. “There’s no doubt in my mind that she will do a wonderful job as queen. Though I still wonder if I should have asked her what she wanted. I guess, in a way, I’m just like my parents. I assumed she wanted the path I did not. Asante, I will leave your home. But I will not return to my own. That isn’t fair to my sister or my people.
If I go back home, my parents will push me back into that role without a second thought, and that is not fair to Leah. My people deserve a queen who wants to be their queen, and that is not me. It never was. Yes, I care for them, but that's not the person I am. I watched my mother closely. For years, I saw how she gave up what she really wanted for herself in order to rule. And I realize how selfless of an act that is. The truth is, I am not that selfless.” I dropped my head as if he could witness my shame.
“I wanted to live my life like my father. Full of passion and happiness and laughs that made his entire body shake. So yes, I left. Maybe I could have done it in a better way, but you know how this is. There's no way to walk away from the life we were born into. I had to make them think there was no way I could ever come back. So, I came up with a plan to fake an accident. As far as they knew, I fell off a cliff and into the ocean.
Once I knew they believed it, I came here. My mother would search for me, but Starwell would be the last place my mother, the King and Queen of the Ice Dragons, would ever think of finding their daughter.” A soft chuckle escaped my lips. “The funny thing is that I didn't plan on staying here much longer. I was counting down until I had enough money saved to flee the island for good. Then you came into my shop, and everything changed.”
I paused my confession and wondered how much more to tell him. Did it even make sense to keep going? Asante made it clear he didn’t want me in his life anymore. As I looked at him, I realized I didn’t want to change his mind. I only wanted him to understand me. And that was a selfish thing.
