Page 36 of Once Upon a Crown
“So why didn’t you just go into the forest and retrieve it yourself?”
He scoffed. “And get sucked in by a tree? No thank you.” It may have been a cowardly answer, but if what Lance said was true and one had to be deemed worthy to retrieve the key, then we both knew there was no way he was getting it. The question remained: who would be deemed worthy?
“So basically, you’ve been no help to me at all.”
“That’s not true,” Lance said. “I told you how to open the box.”
“Yes, with some fabled key in the deadliest place in the forest, where some old tree is going to try and murder us.”
“I never promised it would be easy.”
I wanted to shake my head and scream and cry all at once. Every time it felt like we were making a little progress, we were forced to take a few steps back.
“No, you never did,” I said truthfully, once again reminded why Lance didn’t want to be king in the first place.
“Have you been to see Eloisa?”
My brother looked surprised at the sudden change of topic.
“Yes, why?”
“No reason. I just heard she asked for you a lot.” I hadn’t been visiting Eloisa much. Not that she ever responded to me when I was there, and according to her physician, she wasn’t really getting better.
“Well, I’m just about the only family she knows.”
I wasn’t sure what Lance’s intentions were behind his words.
“Magnus wasn’t very fond of her, then?”
“I think it was easier for Father to pretend she didn’t exist.”
I wasn’t surprised by this, though Lance stepping up to take any care of her at all did always make me wonder. Even though we were related, he definitely wasn’t the most brotherly person I knew.
“Does she talk to you?” I ventured to ask, being at least a little curious as to exactly what kind of relationship he had with Eloisa.
“Not often,” Lance confirmed. “But she looks at me sometimes and I know she knows who I am, even if she can’t say it.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond. The topic had become rather personal, and at the risk of getting vulnerably intimate with the man who had bargained magic for information a few minutes ago, I took a step back.
“Well, I’d better get going, then. See what I can do about that key.” The stars knew we had to find it, one way or another.
Chapter 16
Cai
I began my ascent of the wide staircase, making the familiar journey to my chambers. Even though I didn’t have much of an appetite, I’d been hoping to join Elara for dinner, but I had found the dining room empty. I wanted to discuss what Alastor had told me and possible plans to take back Norrandale. I knew she would be happy, probably even eager, to talk about the topic considering my serious lack of interest in the past few months.
I wasn’t entirely sure of my motives yet. Did I actually believe we stood a chance of taking back Mistwood, or was I delusional? Or did I feel overwhelmingly guilty for not even trying before?
I had asked a passing servant where they’d last seen her and had been directed to the library. Once I was certain she wasn’t in the library either, I figured she’d probably gone to bed early and that I could join her for breakfast the next morning. Reluctantly, I had turned my steps towards my rooms.
I trudged over the carpet of the upper floors, walking past the many guest rooms. These hallways were filled with paintings, most of them depicting nature, especially the palace gardens and the wooded area surrounding it.
“Cai.” Her voice came from behind me, and I turned around.
“There you are,” I said as Elara hurried to catch up with me. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“You were?” She seemed pleased at the idea.
