Runaway Girl - The Secrets of Avelina Chronicles 1

Chapter 10

Kaitlin saw the curious stare radiating from her father yet again as she spoke with her cousin, Marie. She was enjoying the conversation, finding out that she had just married and that her husband was in the middle of building a house for them and that they wanted to have a family. The entire subject made her feel a little emotional and broody, as she wanted the same things for herself.

But did her father have to keep staring at her that way? The way that said he knew exactly what she was thinking. If she had listened to him and married that old pompous windbag Lord Henry when she was sixteen like he wanted, then she'd have those things. But didn't he understand? Didn't he know that she didn't just want to marry some random man that she didn't know? She could do that any place, at any time, but what she wanted was to meet someone and fall in love. She wanted to have a family with someone who would help her, love her and care for her. Didn't he understand that?

The problem was that King Malcolm felt that it was his fault that his daughter was so unhappy. When he crossed the room to talk to her near the end of the party, he wondered if there was anything he could do to make her smile again. She seemed so unhappy to be home. Secretly, he knew it was because it wasn't her home anymore and that she had grown to love her small apartment and her quaint shop in that sleepy town in her other world. He was sad to admit it, but she didn't belong in this world anymore. She was an entirely different girl than the one he had raised and protected. But she was happy with her new life and he couldn't deny her that.

"Kaitlin," he asked with a sigh, then sat down next to her. Marie left them alone to talk.

"Yes?" Kaitlin asked, as he placed his hand on top of hers with a thoughtful nod. It was all too suspicious for her liking and she didn't quite understand. She thought that he probably wanted to discuss the Alexander situation with her, hoping she'd marry him. On the other hand, he probably didn't like Alexander and didn't appreciate the attention he gave her. But whatever it was, she knew she was about to find out.

"Shouldn't you be going home, darling?" King Malcolm asked sadly, secretly hoping that she would never leave him again as he gently squeezed her hand.

"Don't you want me to stay?" she asked with a giggle, reminding him of when she was a little girl. Just thinking about how much he was going to miss her was enough for him to beg her to stay, but he knew it wouldn't be fair. He knew that Kaitlin didn't want to be a Princess. She never had. Now he was going to give her what she wanted. "Am I being thrown out or something?" she joked, glancing back at her mother curiously.

"You don't belong here, Kaitlin. Go home. Be happy," he gently explained. But it wasn't his words or the tone of his voice that made Kaitlin's smile fade. It was the obvious sadness and tears building up within his eyes that caught her attention. She knew he was finally letting her go.

"What are you saying?" Kaitlin asked, close to tears, knowing what he was doing. She had always wanted both her parents to fully understand why she had made the decision to leave home to build a life for herself, but now that it was happening, it was much harder to say goodbye than she'd ever imagined. And it was a feeling that her father shared.

"I'm saying that you belong in another world, darling. I'll find someone else to take over in my place," he promised her, knowing that it had never been a dream of hers to take over the rule of their province. She wasn't meant to deal with anything Walter or his son might throw at her throughout her reign. And she didn't want to spend her life chained to one place and to serve a kingdom. What Kaitlin wanted she got from working in her shop and owning her own apartment. All she ever wanted was freedom to go where she wanted and to be who she wanted to be.

So he was going to let her have her dreams and the freedom to follow them wherever they took her. "You should follow your heart and do what makes you happy. Be where you're happy. You belong in the life you left behind to come here. Now go home, princess. You're mother and I will be fine without you. We've managed all these years; I'm sure we can survive on these little random visits you spoil us with," he replied with a gentle smile, assuring her that everything would be taken care of in her absence. All her parents wanted for her was to be happy.