“You can’t honestly tell me that my kiss is no better than that of a servant!”
“Guards!” Theo yelled. He’d had enough of her games. More than anything he’d had enough of standing around. He needed to do something.
The moment the door opened, he ordered, “Escort Delilah to her room to pack her things. Then escort her to the docks to await further instructions on when she may return to the mainland.”
“You can’t be serious!” Delilah screamed but before she could say more the guards hooked their arms through hers and began to escort her from the room.
“Also, have a messenger sent to the stables to have my Pegasus saddled!” he called after them. He had restrained himself long enough.
Chapter 16 - Fleur
The next day the docks couldn’t have looked more different than they had the morning before. The nearest tavern with any rooms available had been quite some distance away yet Fleur had insisted that her driver take her down to the docks first thing. She needed to see for herself whether ships were being released from the docks or not.
If not, she would return to the tavern and try again tomorrow, and the next, and the next, until she finally managed to see herself away from the Summer Isle.
But unlike the day before, the place was a ghost-town. There was no queue of angry people, carts and wagons trying to enter on the road, no ship workers or fishermen unmooring their boats and ships, not even a fisherwoman selling her wares by the water’s edge. All was quiet, peaceful even. Yet the quiet uneased Fleur. Docks were usually the liveliest of places and she couldn’t help but feel that she was having a very negative effect on the lives of the people who depended on this dock to keep money in their pockets.
She was just about to tell her driver to turn the carriage back and return to the tavern when she spotted a single man out on the end of one of the docks. It appeared he hadn’t gotten the same memo that everyone else appeared to have. He appeared to be busy making repairs to one of the smaller boats in the harbor.
“Miss Fleur?” her driver said questioningly as she threw herself from the carriage but she did not answer him. Instead, she stormed forward, right out onto the dock where the man barely seemed to notice her until she cleared her throat.
“Can I help you, Miss?” he asked, looking only half interested.
“Can you tell me why the palace has ordered all boats to remain harbored?” Fleur asked. A dock worker of all people must know something. But the man looked her up and down, obviously seeing the fineness of her robe and assuming that she was from the palace herself.
“Your guess is as good as mine, love.”
He began to turn away from her but then his eyes lit up on something behind her shoulder and the man suddenly dropped down on bended knee.
Fleur’s stomach filled with dread. There was only one person who could inflict such fear and instant respect upon a man like that. When she heard the beating of many wings, she turned, not surprised to find five Pegasi flying down to land behind her.
With a groan, she recognized the king at the head of the patrol. He stood out from his guards, his pale green clothing contrasting with their dark forest green uniform. Fleur could see why the man had looked so terrified, why he had dropped down onto his knees rather than stood in the king’s presence. He was a force to be reckoned with, a beautifully wondrous force that Fleur struggled not to rush toward.
Forcing a curtsey, she remained planted in place, her head bowed as she heard more than saw the king dismount his Pegasus. Surprise hit her when he walked directly to her and a moment later her hands were in his.
Still, she could not bring herself to look at him, even as he said, “I am sorry, my love, but I cannot allow you to leave.”
Fleur cringed at the gasp of shock the king’s words elicited from the common man behind her. It was too late to run and hide now. One man had heard the king call her his love, soon the entire docks would know.
Trying to ignore the man, she shook her head and insisted, “I must go. A king cannot get involved with a commoner like me.”
Another gasp from the man behind her. Another cringe from her.
A noise, something akin to a growl, erupted Theo’s throat and he released one of her hands to grip her chin. His fingers forced her face up and she could do nothing but blink up at him.
“Who is to tell me that I cannot get involved with a commoner? Who would tell a king what he can and can’t do?” he demanded, glaring back at her with such emotion in his eyes that she felt as though his gaze would sting her. “Besides, I do not see a commoner standing before me.”
Fleur’s heart pounded. She opened her mouth to speak but really had no idea of what to say.
“Fleur, you are the most beautiful, kind hearted, gracious woman I have ever met and if you are not a noble lady then nobody ever could be,” he insisted and his gaze became sad, almost as if he didn’t think she would believe a word that came from his lips.
“Theo, why have you come here?” Fleur whispered under her breath. Her body trembled so badly that she felt as though the only thing holding her up was him.
“I have come to demand that you stay,” he responded. “I will not allow a single boat to leave the docks until you agree to stay.”
He lingered on the last word, his voice pleading.
What kind of King pleads? Fleur thought grimly but then the answer hit her, A king in love.