Page 46 of If The Crown Fits
“When we first met, you said that dagger was a gift.”
“Yes?”
“From whom?”
I chuckled. “It’s a peculiar story actually. It was the morning we crossed the border and we stumbled upon this strange old woman in the woods. She appeared to be selling little trinkets and she asked us for water. As a thanks, she gave me that dagger.”
“You’re right, that is fairly odd,” she said sarcastically.
“Mock me all you want, but there was something strange about her.”
“Something mystical?” she teased, eyebrows raised.
“Sort of. Regardless, it’s a very nice gift.”
“Is that story really true?”
I looked at her in confusion. “Yes, it’s true. Why would I make that up?”
“I don’t know. I just thought that a gift like that would be from a past lover or something.”
I snorted. “Delany wasn’t very fond of giving gifts.”
“Ah.” She smirked. “So there is a past lover?”
I sighed, looking towards her and away again. This question wasn’t a pretence.
I could tell from her face: she truly wanted to know.
“Loverwas hardly the word. She was the girl who had been promised to me since I was scarcely a child of four. We were to be married after I turned eighteen. Her family is one of the wealthiest in Norrandale and they had good relations with my family.”
“What happened?”
My grip tightened on the reins. “When the time came, she decided that she would rather marry someone else.” I remembered, as clear as daylight, when Delany had told me the truth.
“Who?”
“My cousin, the Duke of Orrington,” I admitted.
“She gave up being a future queen to be a duchess?”
“She married him because she loved him. I could hardly blame her for choosing love over a title.”
She tilted her head to the side. “But you loved her?”
“I used to think so. But I was too young and naive to know what love even meant. I was very fond of her, though. We got along really well.”
“And you didn’t take another for a wife?”
“The war with Argon happened so soon after. I had to train and leave to go and fight. And when I came back—” I couldn’t bring myself to remember. “Well, things were so different.”
I could see the manor, indicating that we were close to the gardens.
“Why did you agree to this union?”
No one had asked me that before. “Our kingdoms have been in each other’s bad graces for a very long time. As future king it is my job to create alliances and not enemies, so that I can protect my people.”
It didn’t appear to be the answer she was looking for. It was half of the truth anyway. I wasn’t sure if I could admit all of it to anyone.
