Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 32 - Three-Sided Penny

Taro looked left and right down the dark pathway between neat pink rose bushes. He snuck to the closest bench. The moon was high, the temperature was cold, and he didn't have long until he could talk to a guard on the night's watch.

Taro sat very still for almost seven minutes. Nothing moved, not even a bird or a fly or the leaves in the nearby tree. Taro only had his thoughts for company, and his thoughts were full of Sage Green.

He had allowed someone other than his mother to repot him. Taro smiled at the memory of the Prince's gentle touch. Sage had been so careful and so quick. Taro had felt him pacing and heard him muttering after the repotting process. Sage had cared so deeply for him in that moment, and it meant a lot.

He's not a prince who cares about looking good in front of others. He'll do good in the shadows because it's what's right. Taro had judged him harshly; he had judged him unjustly.

The moon then drowned him in a silver light, and the rose bush next to him wobbled and transformed into a large man wearing a pink top. His black eyes fell on Taro immediately. "Can't talk long," he said, stretching his arms. "My shift starts in two minutes. What do you want?"

Taro looked around and crouched behind the bench along with the guard. His uniform was buried in a plastic bag behind a loose rock in the Palace wall. Taro waited until the man had changed before looking around again. "Prince Sage knows," he whispered.

The guard stopped adjusting his waistcoat. His dark eyes studied Taro's face. "Is this war?"

"No. He is an ally."

The guard unleashed a breath. "Did you finally get caught? I heard whispers about your carelessness."

"Yes, but this is a good thing."

"You're lucky, very lucky. Prince Sage doesn't strike me as someone who could accept our kind. I'm surprised he's not running to his parents about it."

Taro frowned. "He's very accepting, and he knows how dangerous this could be to our kind. He adjusted my Valet position to fit around what I need. Spread the word that he is in favour of us." Taro left with a ball of fire in his head. Mrs Beecham had also expected Sage to run to his parents and dump the secret onto someone else.

Nobody seemed to really know Sagerian Greenthenor, nobody seemed to believe in him as a person, and not just a Prince who was next in line to be King. The thought saddened Taro. He trailed his glumness back to Sage's room and slipped in without a sound.

"Your job doesn't mean you can sneak off in the night."

Taro froze in the darkness. "I'm a plant man, I needed air."

"You could have opened a window." Sage rolled over. "Where did you go?"

Don't lie to him. "I went to tell a guard that you knew about our kind, and that you're on our side."

Sage didn't move, but Taro sensed his eyes digging into his face. "Why?"

"We are drawn to the Royals because of some old deal. It's exciting that a Royal knows about us, especially to those who believe in the ancient bond."

"Why would me knowing about you make a difference? I can't offer anything."

"Only your support, and that means a lot. Some are sick of hiding. We could thrive in this Palace when you're king."

"That won't be for another forty years or quite possibly longer."

"Yeah, but support from a Prince is nice." Taro plopped onto the bed. "It felt good to tell the guards. They're here because they believe in the ancient agreement. News will spread and I guarantee they'll bow lower tomorrow."