Page 41 of The Promise Born
“Mother.” I turned to greet her.
“You’re just as you were when you were a child, you know?” She smiled and glanced at the trays of desserts I’d already finished.
“In what way?”
“You pout when you can’t have your way.” She pointed at my bottom lip. “That lip was sticking out to the moons. It has been since you returned. I thought it was because you were worried about the decision your father and I would make. We’re not forcing you to be our next queen, and yet still you’re not happy. Do you not want to be home with us?”
“I’m fine with being back home.”
“Fine, but not happy.” She sighed. “Perhaps that is because your happiness doesn’t live here?”
“Mother,”
“I see it. You are my child, and I know you better than anyone else in the world. That brave face is just a mask. Your heart is broken, Kiala.”
“Is it?” I chuckled. “Mother, I’m fine.”
“Do you love Prince Asante?” She shocked me with her question.
Stunned, I just looked at her.
“I-,”
“Answer me honestly. There is no judgment here.” She reassured me. “This is a safe space, I promise.”
“I care for him.” I admitted. “But I wouldn’t go as far as calling it love. We didn’t get that far.”
“You care for him, so much that you shifted for the first time in years and risked your own life to save him.” She tapped the tabletop with her fingernail. “That sounds like a lot more than simply caring for someone. What do you want to happen?”
“It’s not something I’ve considered.” My eyes swelled with tears, but I blinked them away. “It doesn't matter. He has already made his choice. Asante hates me for lying to him, and I can’t blame him for feeling that way.”
“What if that’s not the way he feels? These things can be complicated.”
“It almost sounds like you’re encouraging something here.”
“I would never.” She picked up a pastry and bit it slowly. “Better than my mother’s.”
“Thank you.”
“Listen to your heart. You’re not bound to stay here forever. Just don’t run away without telling me where you are.” She kissed my cheek and left me alone in the kitchen.
“Is this a trap?” I raised a brow at her.
“A trap?” she placed her hand on her chest. “How could you ever think I would trap you?”
“Why are you suddenly so open to me coming and going as I please?”
“Kiala, I mourned you. For years. Though I knew in my heart you were still out there, I feared I would never see you again. Now, I can’t speak for your father, never could. And you heard him. He doesn’t agree with what you did, even though you say the relationship wasn’t real. But I will not fight you on the choices you make for your life.”
“Will you help me convince him to do the same?” I asked hopefully. I wasn’t planning on running back to Asante, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of going off to start a new life. It would be nice to do so without living in hiding.
“No child,” she pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re on your own with that one.”
A while later, the treats were done and packed in the airtight coolers to insure they would last the ride. I watched as my family flew off, part of me wishing I was going with them. But I understood why I could not. When they were out of view, I did the one thing I could think of to calm my mind. I headed to my kitchen. For hours I worked, baking my delights and when I was done, I stood in front of a large batch of the pastries that were Asante’s favorite.
I had intentionally left them out of the order I prepared at my mother’s request. What would it say to him if I send his favorites? Would he think I couldn’t get over him? Would he interpret it as some message to him? After passing out most of the goods to the aides who worked in the halls of our palace, I headed over to the courtyard. Underneath a blossoming fruit tree, I sat and watched the bird dance as I nibbled on the treats I’d kept for myself. The ones he loved so much. One question echoed in my mind. Asante was awake, but was he okay? I found a seat underneath a full tree and leaned my head against its massive trunk.
It wasn’t long before I drifted to sleep with thoughts of Asante as my lullaby. The sound of thunderous wings, the wings of a dragon overhead, woke me. My skin felt hot from the sun, but luckily the shade of the tree I sat beneath had kept my skin from burning.
