A Kingdom of Tales (Kingdom of Avenlea #1)

Chapter 17

I wake up covered in sweat. It's still dark outside; clearly, I hadn't slept for long. I roll out of bed, noticing that the other side is unslept in. Miles hasn't come back. He must be having fun, then.

I smooth out the bedsheet. It's obvious that I won't be getting any more sleep tonight, so I might as well do something useful.

I stretch and workout. Following the same routine that I have had for two years. I have a raging headache, probably from all the champagne I drank.

I take a quick shower. I sneak peaks at the door every so often, just to see if he comes back. But, alas, he did not.

My eyes look swollen in the mirror, even though I haven't cried. I splash my face with cold water, hoping to lessen the hangover look I had.

Back in the room, I ruffle through my bag, my hand catching on to the thing I'm looking for. The painting I drew the last day I saw them. The dust covering it fills me with guilt; I hadn't been taking good care of it at all. Looking at it reminds me of a better place—of home.

I caress the surface of the painting gently, removing the dust. How I long for Melody and Bastian. I suppose it's true what they say; you never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.

In that moment, Miles decides to grace me with his presence. He looks like he was running. I let my gaze fall on him and went back to the painting.

"Jasmine." He says breathlessly.

I choose to ignore him, never taking my gaze off of the painting.

"Jas, I'm sorry. I made a mistake." I continue ignoring him, pretending I never even saw him, even when my heart races with relief. I'm not mad at him for leaving me; he has every right to stay with a 'friend'. I'm angry because he risked our safety. He knows what could go wrong.

"He knows."

This makes me look at him. My eyes mirror his, widened with fear. I take in his disheveled appearance. He's clearly drunk. What was he doing?

"Explain." I order him, tight lipped.

"We were having a few drinks when he looked to be thinking. I had a bad feeling but stayed anyway when he ended up laughing. I thought it was because he was drunk. I'm sorry, Jasmine, so sorry."

He apologises a hundred more times. I shudder. We still had another day on this damned boat.

Why couldn't he have just listened?

I stand up from my kneeling position and walk over to him. I brush a few dark strands of hair from his eyes and stand on my toes to hug him.

We could play this blaming game all day and we wouldn't get anywhere.

Maybe if I'd been better company, he wouldn't have sought out Sage's. Maybe if he had lived with the loneliness for another day, we wouldn't be here.

Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

He hugs me back quickly and tightly. I let a sob rake through me. One I'd been holding since the party ended.

"It's alright. It's alright. We just need to get through today. One last day." I hug him tighter.

"He knows, Jas. He knows you're her. He'll report us. I know he will."

I say nothing to this. What can I possibly say to make it better? We'll run. We'll manage it. I pull away from him. His eyes are full of unshed tears. My heart squeezes at the sight.

"It's alright, Miles. They still have to catch us, won't they? He can't report us as long as we're on the cruise. Even if he tells the first guard he sees on land, we'll be long gone." I comfort him as best as I could. I smile as if that alone could save us.

Logically, I know they'll find us. Maybe I can save Miles. Turn myself in before we can be caught together. They'll probably execute him too for being my 'accomplice'. I won't let them do that.

I promise myself that the first opportunity I get, I'll turn myself in. He deserves to live. I hug him again with that final thought in mind.

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"Avenlea has the most beautiful castle. It's where the king lives. Some nobles live there as well, but the only permanent resident of the Castillo is the king."

"What about the queen, Melly?" I had asked from the comfort of my blanket.

"The queen has been dead for a few years now, darling." Bash said.

I saw Melly wipe a tear from her eyes. "Yes. We all loved her. She was beloved by the whole kingdom. She saved many lives."

"How did she die?" My eyes had started watering too when I saw Melly crying.

"She got the disease that had long plagued Avenlea. She was one of many that had died at its hands."

Bash had put an arm around Melody, pulling her close to his body. He took her face in his hands and pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

Had she truly loved the queen that much? What did the queen do to deserve such commitment? Even Bash looked emotional at the memory.

I press a gentle kiss on Miles' forehead, as I'd seen Bash do to Melody a million times to comfort her when she was distressed.

Miles had fallen asleep on my lap, the alcohol finally catching up to him. How could the king be so cruel as to assign him such a lonely task? My chest tightened. I continued playing with his hair. It was so long and silky—truly beautiful.

He let out quiet snores, making me laugh silently so as not to wake him. He looked peaceful—the opposite of when he'd burst into the room. I decided then that I would do anything for this boy, even at the risk of my own life.