Elven Legacy

Chapter 136

Matt

Empress Imxi's servants ushered them into twin bedchambers, with a décor of cherry wood furnishings, heavily-textured rugs, ornately-framed mirrors, and paintings of demons and dark mages. The one that instantly captured Matt's attention depicted a massive but lean black wolf who looked exactly like Sunyi.

It made him long to tell Jaden about everything. With Tessa gone, keeping it all to himself felt increasingly lonely.

But first, baths were drawn and fresh clothes provided – simple black trousers and a loose linen shirt. Accompanying the tray of towel and soap, a shaving blade, bowl of water and smaller towel were deposited on a table below a mirror. Matt eagerly made good use of it, though in his apprehension at finally being alone with Jaden he did nick himself a few times. The hair would have to wait for a real barber, so for now Matt just scraped it back with water.

Staring at his reflection in the mirror splashed cold shivers down his spine. He couldn't blame Jaden for freaking out earlier.

Blue eyes speckled with black. From a distance, they looked dark blue, but from up close, they were sort of creepy. He shook it off; he'd get used to it eventually.

Hopefully.

Jitters swarmed Matt as he went to knock at the delicately carved door that connected their two rooms.

"Can I come in?"

Jaden's voice answered, "Yes."

Matt's heart hammered against his chest as he pushed the door, unwittingly holding his breath.

For a moment, Matt just looked at him.

Jaden stood by the high-arching window, his hip leaned against the corner of the cherry wood windowsill, his long musician's fingers tracing the patterns of the gold latticework on the side windowpane. It seemed he was observing the gardens that spread out below – a maze of interconnected white stone footpaths, shaded ponds and little bridges, swathes of flowerbeds and rich green shrubs, sinuous lines of hedges and variegated trees towering over it all.

Earlier, Matt too had admired the gardens from his window. He'd never traveled much in his life, so these orchards and miniature forests beckoned like something mysterious and enchanting right out of a Felleran storybook for children. These were trees and flowers he'd never laid eyes on before, and they must also be teeming with birds and other small creatures he'd never even known existed.

So Matt said, "Maybe we can go visit them later."

Without breaking his quiet contemplation, Jaden nodded.

He still had the two tight braids above his left ear, which bore a silver hoop piercing that might've glinted had there been any sunlight. The rest of his hair spilled over his right shoulder, where it dripped down the side of his linen shirt.

Everything else about him was exactly the same as Matt remembered – perfect blend of slender and athletic, heartbreakingly lovely features, eyes like the clouds before a storm. Matt stepped closer until he stood by the window beside him, and all he needed to do to touch him was reach out with his right hand.

Come to think of it, Matt had never seen him so utterly lost. Not even when they'd found out that Jaden's father really was the King of Fellera, and that his life had been a lie up until that point.

Jaden seemed more distraught now as he stared down at the lush expanse of calculated flora, but without really seeing it, if Matt was to guess. And he was probably right, after all he knew Jaden pretty well. They fell in love so young. And now here they were, five years later.