chapter fourteen
I spent the entire day pondering his words and warning, along with the wisdom of continuing to care for him. There were so many reasons why I should simply abandon all thoughts of him and focus my attention on getting home, yet... I didn’t want to leave him. Aside from being alone, sick, and injured, a deeper part of me wanted to talk with him, and learn more about why he held such reluctance.He had said I could trust him... but that it was also a mistake.He had openly admitted to trusting me, and even disclosed a piece of personal information.What kind of father taught his children not to trust?It was no wonder he never wanted to listen to others; he had been taught to fear them.
Or... had he been taught to make them fear him?
My mind flew back to our conversation about his craft. If he had been designing weapons, who had they been for? Did he sell them to the rebels? That would certainly explain why he was lingering outside their camp when we first met. It definitely seemed like a shady business to be in, but I didn’t have much room to judge. I’d been robbing wagons since I was a child, so it was foolish of me to be hypocritical.Maybe it would be wise to avoid him?He had never seemed dangerous before, but the mysteries revolving around him were signaling all sorts of warnings. The lack of answers drove my curiosity wild, so against my better judgment, I returned the next day, and the following... and the day after that.
For another week I spent my mornings with Kian, my afternoons visiting Mr. Nevio, and my evenings with Minerva. Each day Kian grew stronger, but he had once again closed up about his origins. To be fair, I had told him that he was allowed to keep his secrets, but I quickly regretted that statement. Despite not sharing any further information about our pasts, we still found plenty of things to talk about. Most days, I mainly badgered him for trying to move around too much or not drinking all of his tea, and he would usually fight me with some sort of witty retort and try to change the subject.
I typically won the argument... well, most of the time. He was nearly as stubborn as I was.
It was refreshing to meet someone who wasn’t afraid to say what was on their mind. Mother had always warned me that my fiery tongue would leave me scaring off every man I met, but for some reason, this man was a different breed of human. He seemed fueled by my wit and even took pleasure in firing back his own snide replies. He was absolutely infuriating, but I had always been one for a challenge. If he thought he could out-stubborn me, then we were both in for it.
In the meantime, Minerva had remained entirely oblivious to my morning strolls and the slow disappearance of her medical supplies. Each time I borrowed something from her stash, I made a mental note to replace it someday. It wasn’t fair of me to steal from such a kind hostess, but I took peace knowing she likely would have willingly offered the supplies if she knew about Kian. Minerva had been in too good of a mood to notice anything outside her rose-colored glasses, anyway. For some reason, she had been delighted by our increased visits to Mr. Nevio. I couldn’t imagine why; the gentleman was as dull as ever. He had recently become more talkative with me upon our visits, but the conversations were usually focused around fascinating minerals he’d collected and the proper way to support a tunnel. They weren’t exactly engaging topics, but I remained polite and feigned interest upon each visit. The least I could do was entertain Minerva’s friends, especially after I’d taken so much from her.
On a dark, dewy morning, I arrived at Kian’s campsite to find him still sound asleep on his birch pallet. I was glad to see he was getting some proper rest, so I decided to approach quietly in an effort not to rouse him. As he slept, I silently tended the fire and listened to the gentle sound of his peaceful breathing. After brewing his usual cup of medicinal tea, I waited for a few more minutes to see if he was going to awaken.
As he slept, I found myself imagining what my life would have been like if we had never crossed paths. I would still be home if the rebels had never kidnapped me, but then I would have never met Kian. For the first time, I found myself feeling thankful that my life had been uprooted. Over the last few days, Kian had become a true friend to me. It was an atypical friendship, of course, considering the fact that we knew very little about each other and had a very shaky level of trust. But none of that seemed to faze either of us. When we were alone, we were just Nixie and Kian. We laughed and poked at each other, but at the end of the day, I still looked forward to seeing him again.I wonder what Mother would say about him?
Once it became clear that he had no intentions of joining the land of the living anytime soon, I decided to leave out the bread and berries I had brought him for breakfast and return to the cottage. Maybe I could sneak out in the evening and spend some time with him. He would probably be lonely if he never got a chance to speak with anyone all day.
However, the moment I rose from the ground, Kian rolled over in his sleep, his closed eyes now directed at the overhang’s ceiling. As he slept, his lips parted and moved lazily. “Y-you can’t do this...”
I pressed my hand to my mouth, suppressing a snicker.He talks in his sleep?This was the first time I had actually seen him sleep, but it would seem I had been missing out on some quality entertainment. My mischievous side convinced me to stay a moment longer and at least get a little amusement out of the visit. I kneeled next to his pallet and bit back a giggle as I noticed the trail of drool streaming from his perfect lips.Wait a moment, when had I decided they were perfect?
A quiet groan rose in his throat. “Stay back, Miron... Don’t touch her...” His voice was deep and garbled from his sleeping state, but I could still make out each word.
A giddy smile spread over my lips as I observed his goofy mumbles. He was kind of cute when he was sleeping, although I wasn’t quite sure what he was mumbling about.Miron? Who was that?I placed a thoughtful hand upon my chin, wondering who this mysterious Miron could be.Perhaps he was a friend of his? Or a family member?Kian had never shared the names of anyone from his past, so it was difficult to be certain. However, Miron was an unusual name... The only other person I’d heard with that name was...
“I’m not coming back to Ashbourne with nothing... I have her,” he mumbled, rolling over again in his sleep.
Ashbourne...
Time froze. My breathing, heart, and mind stopped working entirely as I stared down at the sleeping man. Why was he dreaming about returning to Ashbourne? He couldn’t possibly be...
My heart restarted, pounding so loudly in my chest that I feared it would wake the man before me.
Miron...
The name felt like poison as I sounded it out in my mind. The only Miron I was aware of was the third prince of Ashbourne. Was that who he was dreaming about? What would Kian have done to cross paths with the prince of Ashbourne? My hands shook as a sudden realization crept into my frenzied thoughts.
Miron is the youngest, Prince Conan is the eldest, and the middle son’s name is...
He stirred once more, stretching his arms out as he yawned one final thought before blinking open his eyes. “I’m a prince too, brother...” The words were muffled under his tired yawn, but they pierced my ears clearer than crystal.
I gasped, sliding backward across the muddy ground to put space between me and him. Fury and betrayal burned inside me as a rush of hot tears poured down my face.
“I have her...”
No...No, no, no. He had known everything about me; he knew I might be the princess. He had rescued me from the rebels... or had he?
I watched in terror as his sleepy eyes peeled open with another stretch. Entirely unaware of my new revelation, he sat up with ease and blinked around the space. My chest felt like it was going to collapse in on itself when he finally caught sight of me. At first, he smiled, but as he noticed my betrayed face and broken tears, his face shifted into grievous concern.
He rushed off the pallet and tried to approach me, but I scooted back another foot, signaling to him that I didn’t want him near. “Nixie...? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” He sounded so genuinely worried that it only shattered my heart further.How much of our time together had been an act?
I opened my mouth to speak, but only a small sob came out. He tried to move forward to comfort me, but I held up my hand in protest. “Y-you, were talking to someone in your sleep,” I mumbled between sobs. His face twisted into confusion, then his eyes widened. He must have recalled his dream, because all the color drained from his face, and he sank down onto his knees.
Despair filled his eyes, and he looked at me with desperation. “Nixie, I can explain—”