Page 81 of A Kingdom's Heart
I walked faster down the hall, my skirts brushing against the marble. My pulse was still quick, anger threading through every step.A duty.That was what he’d called me. Nothing more, nothing less.
I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, holding back the
sting in my eyes. This was exactly why I hadn’t wanted to tell him the truth. Why I’d hesitated again and again. Because now that he knew who I was, that was all I could ever be to him. His duty. The princess. The king’s order.
I turned a corner, desperate to clear my head, when a faint sound caught my ear. It came from one of the open barracks down the hall. I stopped, glancing in, and froze.
Raven was there, curled up on one of the benches, her shoulders trembling. The sight made my heart drop.
“Raven,” I said quickly, hurrying to her side.
She looked up. Her grey eyes were red and swollen, her hands gripping the fabric of her skirt. I sat beside her without a second thought and pulled her close. “Oh God, Raven, what’s wrong?” She shook her head, wiping at her cheeks. “It’s nothing.”
“Clearly it’s not nothing,” I said softly. “Please, tell me.”
Her breath hitched. “I can’t.”
“Raven—”
“I saw him,” she whispered.
I stilled. “Who?”
She hesitated, her eyes darting to the floor. “My past lover. The one who broke my heart.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “He’s here, Iris. He’s living in the castle.”
My eyes widened. “What? Who is he?”
Raven shook her head again, pressing her palms to her eyes. “I
don’t want to tell you.”
I wanted to push, to ask more, but the look on her face stopped me. Whatever she’d seen had shaken her deeply. I just placed a hand on her arm. “You don’t have to,” I said quietly.
She nodded, though she didn’t look up.
I stayed beside her, my thoughts spinning. He must have been a servant, a knight, a lord. But it didn’t matter. All I knew was that Raven had just seen a ghost from a past that still haunted her. And for now, that was enough.
I stayed beside her and didn’t say a word. Sometimes silence was the only comfort that worked. Raven’s breathing came in short, uneven sounds, and every so often she pressed her sleeve to her face. I didn’t know how long we sat like that, but time seemed to stretch and fold in on itself.
At some point, servants passed by the open doorway. Their eyes lingered on us for a moment, but one look from me was enough
to make them look away. None of them said a word.
The light outside began to fade. The shadows lengthened across the floor until the room dimmed into a soft blue. Raven had been crying for hours. I had not moved. I just sat beside her, stroking her hair now and then, letting her lean against me when she needed to.
It was nearly dark when a servant finally appeared at the door. “There you are, Your Highness,” she said. “Dinner is ready in the
hall.”
I nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute.”
When she left, I turned to Raven and gently lifted her chin. “Join us for dinner?”
Raven shook her head immediately. “No. I can’t.”
“Oh, come on,” I said softly. “Some food might do you good.”
She gave a weak laugh that didn’t reach her eyes. “I’m not noble enough to sit with royals.”
