A Kingdom of Tales (Kingdom of Avenlea #1)

Chapter 45

I stand outside the meeting room and smooth out the dress. Five guards stand behind me, as if I'd make a run for it. I take a deep breath and motion for them to open the doors.

"Princess Jasmine, your majesty." A guard announces.

All eyes turn to me. At the head of the table, the emperor sits with a hand under his chin, looking bored.

To his right is Yuri, and to his left is Kyoshi. General Darrow gives me a smirk from his seat at Yuri's side.

Five unfamiliar faces stare at me, taking in my appearance. They're the team the regent sent. Uneasiness creeps up my spine. They're studying me, like they're wondering how I could possibly be the heir of the phoenix.

After a few seconds of silence, I watch as four of them break into a hesitant smile that I don't return.

My gaze falls on the man who didn't smile. He's young—not much older than I. He has dirty blond hair and deep gray eyes, ones I could imagine myself getting lost in if I were in a different situation.

To his right is a woman that looks almost identical to him, except her eyes are golden. A Fox, then.

The three people on the other side of the table look like family. On the left is a young boy, no older than fourteen by the looks of it, and on the right is a girl who looks like an older version of him. Between them sits an older woman, their mother, I suppose.

I wonder which house they belong to. The three of them share white hair and the lightest blue eyes I've ever seen.

"Jasmine, darling. Take your seat." The emperor smiles at me and motions for me to sit next to Kyoshi.

I would rather bite my own tongue off, but I sit next to her without uttering a word. Yuri's concerned eyes take me in. 'Are you alright?' She mouths.

I lower my chin in an imperceptible nod.

"Well then. Now that we're all here, I would like to tell our guests here that Princess Jasmine will not be leaving Edessa. She loves it here, don't you, Jasmine?"

I freeze when all eyes fall on me once again.

"Where is Miles?" The words are out of my mouth before I can think to stop them.

I see the old Avenlean woman flinch out of the corner of my eye.

"He is well taken care of." The emperor replies with a forced smile. "Let's focus on the matter at hand, shall we?"

"I will not engage in this conversation until I see him." I reply, my face devoid of emotion.

"Very well then." Wariu's smile tightens. "Bring the boy." He orders one of the guards standing by the door, who then bows before leaving.

"I'm sorry. Are you alright, princess?" The old woman asks.

My head turns to her, and I blink slowly. I don't feel alright, but how does one tell the woman who journeyed all of this distance that the product she came for is faulty? How does one tell her that the girl she thinks is the bearer of the phoenix flame is scared of fire?

"No. You came on a fool's mission. I am not the heir of the fire phoenix. I'm sorry, but you were tricked."

Her face shifts into an expression that I do not understand. Confusion. Surprise. Fear.

My words attract the attention of the boy with the gray eyes, who hadn't so much looked at me after the first time. His eyes turn golden for a split second before they turn back gray. Now it's my turn to be surprised.

He's the other Fox?

It's the first emotion that I've felt in a month other than pain. I almost laugh at the thought. How far I've come! An emotion makes me happy.

The door opens with a loud creak, and the guard walks back in with Miles walking behind him. I jump out of my chair quickly and rush to him, even as my body aches.

"Miles." I sob, pulling his body to mine. I don't care that everyone in this room is watching the exchange. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I repeat it over and over again.

He pulls my body against his, sobbing too. "It's alright. I'm alright. We're alright."

He pulls his face away from my neck to study me. His eyes sweep over every inch of my body, and when he sees no visible wounds, a shudder of relief racks through his body.

I do the same for him, but even as I do it, I realise not all wounds are external; some are internal.

"Is your back—" I start.

"Healed. Fully. The healers here are excellent." He laughs.

"If you want me to—"

"Nothing matters other than that you're alive. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. I heard your screams sometimes."

My eyes widen. He heard me screaming.

"Better me than you." I whisper and lean my forehead against his.

I hear a pointed cough from behind me, and I remember that we have an audience. I pull my body away from his but stay near him. Seeing him safe made everything I went through worth it. I'd go through it a thousand times over for him.

It was the woman. She has tears in her eyes as she pulls Miles in for a hug. "My sweet boy. I'm glad you're safe. Did they mistreat you?"

"No, Eloise. They only put me in the dungeon." He laughs.

So this was the Eloise that the empress mentioned in her journal.

"Emperor. Why was Miles put in a dungeon?" She turns to the emperor. I would hate to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

"He was found in the gardens." He shrugs as if it's perfectly normal to throw people into cells.

"Don't risk my anger, emperor. My powers are weakened, but they are not gone. I will hurt you. Don't think for a second that I forgot what you did to my friend."

The emperor stiffens in his seat. "Do not threaten me in my own castle, Eloise. I will not hesitate to have you beheaded."

"As if you can." She scoffs. "I'll be leaving with both of them. Feel free to try to stop me, Wariu."