Roots and Oxygen

Chapter 49 - Telling Truths

Sage tried to make a grand exit, but his father wasn't one to let the heat simmer, he always had to reach boiling point. "And what is it that you want?" Haliver shouted, also standing.

"Let him leave," Marigold said, and was ignored.

"I want to know what's going on with Patrick. Why is he a traitor?" Sage stood his ground, crossing his arms and standing straight, despite the headache mulling behind his eyes. "You said you were trying to protect me by not telling me. You said I'd only find out after the murderer is found. Why? I bet Oxley knows everything." Sage looked down to his younger brother who couldn't bring himself to connect their gaze. "What is it that you're all so fucking afraid of?" Sage's blood boiled. Pent up emotions were the last of his worries.

His mother calmly placed both palms on the table and rose to her feet. "You will not use that language in the presence of your family," she said deeply. "And you will stop pressing your father about Patrick."

"You told me to ask him, remember?" Sage argued.

"I did, you're right. But your father doesn't want to tell you, and not for selfish reasons. Sage, you have to accept that some things are kept secret for your benefit, not ours."

"I don't understand. What has this got to do with me?"

Marigold and Haliver shared a quick glance. "One day you will know," his mother said. "And if that makes you frustrated and angry in the meantime, then so be it."

Sage was more than frustrated. He felt as though he had been abandoned in the dark without a light to guide him in the right direction. "You would prefer for me to be angry than for me to know the truth about Patrick?" Sage shook his head in disbelief. "This family is ridiculous."

"Don't say that," Oxley mumbled, also standing up. "Just go and have a nap or something and you'll feel better."

"Have a nap and I'll feel better," Sage repeated. "Wow, if only my problems were that small."

"And what exactly are your problems?" Haliver snapped.

"You . . . all of you." Sage's eyes trailed the room. "These rules, these restrictions, this crown. You all keep me in the dark because I have a lot going on. You see that I'm struggling and instead of helping me, you tell me to have a fucking nap, or go help the gardener, or go stay at a castle until it all blows over. Nobody cares because if you did, you would press me as much as I'm pressing you for the truth. You just want to keep me sane enough for me to one day be king, but you know what? Maybe I don't want to be king." Sage's loose tongue could not be stopped. His last sentence rippled the room.

Shock was the only emotion staring back at him, especially from Taro who stood silently with the other guards.

Marigold stepped around the table. "Sage Green, tell me you did not mean that."

Sage's heart beat out of control. Don't take it back, not when you've finally said your truth. "I meant every word. What sort of King could I possibly be when the entire country hates me just for breathing? How can I expect to be in charge when you don't tell me anything? How can I be the next great Monarch when most of my own family don't even like me? I've done nothing wrong, and I'm hated for it. Oxley would be more loved." Sage looked to his younger brother, seeing the fear in his eyes. "It's a burden I don't feel strong enough to bear. The country decided that when my tears were posted all over the front page."

Sage stepped back, avoided Oxley's attempt at making him stay, and left the room with hands curled to trembling fists. Taro quickly followed his march down the corridor, around endless corners, and out onto the Palace grounds. Sage didn't slow down, not even when he was far enough away from the Palace that nobody could see his wet eyes.

He kept storming, out of breath with the wind whipping his skin. All the while, Taro followed in silence. His presence was enough comfort for Sage, enough to stop him from breaking down. He paused by a bench underneath one of the Hawthorn trees dotted around the Palace grounds.

Sage sat on the cold metal and stared glumly at his lap. Taro sat next to him, close enough for their arms to share the same company. "Are you okay?" Taro asked.

How could Sage answer such a vague question. "I don't know what I feel right now."

"Did you ever think you'd say that to your parents?"

"No." Sage chewed the inside of his lip. That scares me most of all. "They'll say I've changed."

"Good." Taro nudged him to encourage Sage's eyes to look up to his face. "You were so frightened of what they'd think of you before. You should be proud."

"Proud that I can now yell at my family?"

"No Sagerian," Taro said with a little smile. "You should be proud that you're not so terrified anymore. You'll be able to live on when they know who you really are, no matter what the outcome will be. Don't you see? You can tell them you're gay, one day. You have that strength in you."

The tree leaves rustled above them, the wind whistled between branches, and the wind swept Taro's blond hair into his green eyes. Sage reached up and moved it back. "You always have the right thing to say," he whispered.

Taro's hand curled around Sage's wrist as he travelled his fingers down the side of Taro's face. "Because I see you." His green eyes circled Sage's face. "I know exactly what you need."

"You do?" Sage asked, matching Taro's soft smile.

"I dress you each morning, I follow you around like I'm part of your own shadow, we basically sleep next to each other at night . . . of course I know what you need," Taro laughed with a big grin.

Sage scoffed and moved his hand from his shoulder. They sat side by side, grinning and nudging each other, until Sage saw a yellow dot far in the distance by the base of the Palace, moving towards them. "Oh god," he muttered and pushed Taro off the bench. "Stand over there," he hissed. "My mother is coming over."