Tales of the Pearly Kingdom (Pearly Tales Vol. 2)

42. Selene's Lost Love

The pink petals of cherry blossoms blew on the breeze through the city. Gracefully lighting everything in sight with a pink hue against the lantern light. The lively glow from the city's celebration painted the night sky as many color as could be imagined.

Shayley was worried about Cal, she had never seen him so shaken but as soon as he was able to cuddle with Ophelia the life seemed to return to him and Shayley calmed down enough to enjoy the city. She had been to other Elven cities in the past, but none was as beautiful and colorful as this one.

This view could give the Pearly City a run for it's money. Something sugary, and sulfur hung in the air as people in the city set off fireworks. It had gotten out that the Prince had returned after cleansing the cursed sea.

Shayley laced her fingers and rested her elbows on the balcony as she stared out at the prosperous kingdom of Dragoonia. Who would have imagined there would still be such beautiful life out here after all this time?

Cal was catching up with his parents while Ophelia was taking a nap after her grandmother tired her out. Seriously, that woman was something else.

With nothing better to do Shayley decided to investigate the lush gardens around the castle. If Cal had his way, they'd already be gone. This may be her only opportunity. Such a beautiful nation, why couldn't they stay longer?

She sighed, Cal was not-so-secretly a workaholic and had no tact when it came to his personal life. She knew that adding his parents into the cauldron of worries was a bad idea, but she wished that she could do more for him. She knew that he relied on her now, but he was still trying to carry the world on his shoulders, he was going to burn himself out at this rate, she'd already seen the signs. He'd never admit it, but he was about to snap. And when he revealed just how many dark plans he'd had for the cities protection she thought he might have too.

Relationships were hard. How was she supposed to help him if he couldn't be more honest with her? If only she could be around more. Being a princess with a secret lover was a pain in the butt. But Cal had assured her that after all the invasion he'd come out as Calloway after he'd established a position of sufficient influence. Otherwise people wouldn't believe him.

She might have wished for a normal relationship, but she cherished every quirk Cal and her shared. He was precious to her in ways that she couldn't describe. There was a certain romance in sneaking around and accidently meeting his parents like she did.

If she were honest she was glad that he wasn't perfect in every way. For so long she'd been around people that claimed he was perfect, even though they had never met him. But he was goofy and sweet, he was as exceptionally brilliant as he was pathetic.

She left the balcony to wander. It was a beautiful night, she wished she could have shared it with Cal, but he claimed that he was going to help Seamus after dealing with his parents. Although, by the not so subtle gleam in his eye he was more likely to be watching his cabin boy suffer. It had become his mission to pull the stick out of Seamus's butt.

He was oddly formal for an ex-assassin zealot. And Cal worked hard at breaking his formal outer shell. Around Cal, Seamus was vibrant, and slowly he was opening up to the world. As much as it looked like he hated Cal, he was unfathomably loyal to him. Never once did he threaten to leave and anytime he was asked to do anything he acted.

He said something to her once about Seamus. "He has the dedication of a mountain range, and the passion of a rock."

Cal the Shit shiner. No matter how messed up his personal life was, he always saw the boundless potential in everything.