The next morning, Sage woke to a message on his phone from Taro. He peeled himself off the couch with a stiff neck and aching shoulders. His heart still bulged happily as he opened his phone with a tired smile.
'Morning Prince Sagerian. Gutted you'll have to dress yourself today. I hope you miss me a lot x'.
Sage grinned wide and replied, 'Morning! I think I'll survive. I do miss you. I hope you miss me too, but I hope you're having a nice time with your parents x'.
'Can I call you? x' was Taro's reply. Sage dialled his number as a response. His grin widened when Taro picked up on the first ring. "Hello," he said into Sage's ear.
"Hi," Sage answered.
"What are you doing?"
"Lying in bed," he lied, not wanting to tell him that he fell asleep on the couch after narrowly avoiding crying over his anxieties.
"Perfect," Taro said, and Sage could tell he was smiling too.
"What are you doing?"
"Talking to you, obviously."
Sage rolled his eyes, mimicking, "Obviously."
"What are you doing today?"
Sage told him how he planned to do gardening for most of the day and then he would track down his mother to argue. He got out of bed and listened to Taro talking about his plans as he brushed his teeth and rummaged his drawers to dress himself. "Are you coming back tomorrow?" Sage asked.
"I think so. But don't research about the prophecy thing until I'm back. I want to know everything too."
"Did you tell your parents about it?"
"Yeah, they were actually really excited because it means that our kind will rise up and have a King who will support them too."
Sage was silent for a moment. He paused to stare at himself in the mirror. "I'll talk to Oxley. I'll get the full truth out of him."
"I know he's your brother and all, but just be careful."
"I will."
"Good."
The call was coming to an end, and Sage wondered how to say goodbye. At first, he thought about those special words I love you, but he wasn't ready, and the thought of Taro saying them to him first filled his limbs with uneasy jitters.
But Taro wasn't ready either, and said, "Anyway, my mum is up now and pretending she's not listening." Sage heard her yell something in the background. "So, I'll leave you to have breakfast. Text me later though, okay?"
"Okay! Enjoy the rest of your day, Taro."
"You too, Sagerian. Bye."
"Bye." The call ended, and Sage smiled the rest of the way to breakfast. He was early, so he ate quickly and left before anyone could dampen his mood, which was a huge improvement from the night before. He spent the rest of the day in the garden, getting mud on his jeans and under his nails and on his skin. He was most relaxed when surrounded by earthy smells and nature. His father was right, he was good at gardening, and flowers did bloom when he planted them. He sat back, enjoying a well-deserved cider in the late afternoon. On this side of the Palace, rose bushes sat in multiple rows of pink and orange and red. Sage had planted the orange ones and they grew in abundance, while the pink ones were okay, and the red ones were a little floppy, and there were more gaps than preferred.
He tried to dismiss it as something normal, like pests or weather. But the more he looked around the garden, the more he noticed that the plants he had attended to were much bigger and blooming better than any of the others. Why? He thought, staring down at his hands. He messaged Taro and asked, 'Do you feel different now that you're away from me? x'.
'Yes,' he replied ten minutes later. 'My lips are cold x'.
Sage laughed out loud. 'You know what I mean x'.
'Well, I feel kind of . . . I don't really know how to describe it. I don't feel starved of oxygen, I just don't feel like I'm getting enough. It's weird x'.
'That is weird. How can I affect you like that? x'.
'I don't know, you're just special I guess :) x'.
Sage smiled at his phone. 'Or maybe it's you x'.
'Maybe. We all know how spectacular I am xx'.
Sage focused on the two kisses. He wanted to hug his phone like a kid with an overbearing crush. 'Anyway . . . I hope you've had a good day! xx'.
'I have. Though my mum will not stop talking about you. Have you had a good day? xx'.
'Yeah. I've been gardening. Bless your mum. Tell her that I think she's great. Are you sick of hearing about me? xx'
'Sage, I've been gushing about you all day too xx'.
Sage was grinning from ear to ear, but when he tried to reply, his smile faded. He wished that he could gush to his parents about his boyfriend. He wished that he could invade Oxley's room like he used to and talk about what he had been up to and what was bothering him. At least he had Taro to talk to, but he couldn't gush about Taro to Taro.
"What are you beaming at?" Mrs Beecham asked, pulling off her muddy gloves and tying ginger curls into a tighter ponytail.
Sage quickly sent a green heart emoji before closing his phone. "I'm just messaging Taro," he said, looking away to hide his blush. He offered her a cider and she sat next to him, leaning her back against the shed.
"Missing him?" she asked.
"Yeah."
Mrs Beecham smiled. "I visited them last night. The paparazzi were outside their house."
"Really?" Sage was suddenly frustrated that he had forgotten how Taro was now in the spotlight too. "Are there loads?"
"Yeah, but when I entered their house, they were all smiling and laughing like they usually do. Don't worry, they're totally unbothered. In fact, Nyerian rather likes the attention. He offered them homemade shortbread because he said it made him look more human. He said he could tell that they tasted good by the smell. Of course, I had to taste test for him."
Sage's smile returned. "They're a pretty resilient family, aren't they?"
"Most greens are." Mrs Beecham drank her cider. "Though they've been talking about moving further up north for a while- Taro's parents. I think they'd like to get out of the city."
Sage gulped his cider too. "I've also been thinking about moving further up north."
The gardener raised a proud brow. "Oh yeah? Where to?"
"Blue-sow thistle cottage. I liked it up there, and residents there were supportive. The village was small and not smothering like this city. I just felt like I could exist a bit more freely." Sage often returned to the memory of him wandering the village and visiting small shops. "There's no point living here now. It'll be years until anything must happen about the crown. But I've not spoken to Taro about it yet, so we'll see."
"Well, if you move, I might brave the move too. You'll need a good gardener up in the mountains. My husband often talks about a simpler life." She looked up to the cloudy sky. "City life is exhausting."
"It can be great, but I need a break." They talked some more about gardening stuff and the latest gadgets the gardeners were getting. They talked a bit about Taro, but Sage blushed too much and kept changing the topic, not used to talking about someone he really liked. Soon, she left for home, and sage was left to sit alone. Though he felt less lonely when he saw a rose bush transform into a guard and start her evening shift.
Sage watched her walk until she was out of view. He wondered how many greens would follow him up north if that's where he and Taro decided to move. He looked around the grand corridors on his way to find his mother. He would miss the Palace, but not as much as he should. It never felt like home to him. The palace was home to those who wore the crown. The crown ruled all, the titles ruled all, the rules and the wealth ruled all. Underneath, Sage and his family were just people governed by tradition.
He disliked the Palace even more so now that his mother was making life difficult. He was on okay terms with his father again, but he was still a tough man to be around. His brother was a stranger to him, and half of the staff gossiped about him any chance they got.
He eyed two servants who were standing by the entrance to one of the fire exits. They glanced his way and leaned closer to whisper. Sage sighed and kept walking. Eventually he stopped at his mother's office. The golden doors were closed, meaning she was busy.
Sage knocked, then traced a finger down the ivy vine carved into the metal. "Come in," a voice said.
Sage entered, and his mother didn't look up from her papers. Her red glasses sat on the tip of her nose, but she still looked over them and held the letter far from her face. The Queen's secretary, Finley Wainhouse, cleared his throat. "Your Royal Highness," he said, and Sage noticed that he was balding when he bowed.
Marigold then looked up. She set her papers down and took off her glasses. "Sage darling, I'm a bit busy right now."
Sage sat on a dark green armchair in front of her desk. "I'll wait."
The Queen motioned for Finley to leave, and he did without hesitation, sensing the tension and wanting no part of it. "What is it, Sage?" she asked when he was gone.
He frowned. "I'm here to talk about what your problem is." He fidgeted with his sleeves. "Dad's being more accepting than you, and that surprises me. Are you being this way because of the prophecy? Or are you homophobic? Or you just really hate the greens? What's going? I can't deal with your silence."
"I knew there was something going on between you and Taro. I'm not angry at you because he's a man. In fact, I'm not angry at you at all. I'm disappointed in myself for not seeing that this prophecy was something that couldn't be stopped. I was so sure it wasn't you or your brother who would be burdened by this. But you choosing to date Taro . . . " she sighed heavily. "I'm angry that this has to happen to my boys. And now Oxley has gone to extreme lengths to stop it." She shook her head. "Patrick had taken it upon himself to find out about the prophecy. He was sickened by the thought. It got particularly dangerous when he discovered there were greens imbedded in your father's family tree."
Sage sat forwards. "Really?"
Marigold nodded. "We thought he wanted the throne. But now we see that he didn't want you on the throne, or anyone associated with greens."
"And dad- is he . . ."
"Not quite," Marigold said carefully. "His family blood is complicated. Greens are embedded with humans and half-greens are everywhere. Your grandmother isn't a full green, while your grandfather was only a human. Your father is, well- something or nothing. He doesn't often talk about it."
"But you don't like the greens."
"I don't dislike them. They're simply our protectors, not our lovers. I didn't know your father's family history until after I married him, and even then, it was years after we married because to his family, it wasn't something that had to be spoken about. But if you look back far enough in our family history, we have green blood too." Marigold sat back in her chair with perfect posture. "My father had the same opinions. But I see now that mine are hurting the ones I love." She tapped her pen against the mahogany desk. "I love you, and I love Oxley despite who he is becoming. I am a mother. Your father has reminded me of that today. He said I was starting to treat you as if you were a member of staff who wasn't obeying my orders. He was right, and I'm sorry." She looked away, blinking quickly. "I don't want this prophecy to happen. I want you to take my throne when I'm gone. I want Oxley to just enjoy being a prince. I want you to forget about Taro and follow tradition, but you're happier this way, and it puts you in such deep waters."
Sage watched her quickly wiping a tear. He was shocked into silence, though she had more to say.
"Taro is good for you, and I hate myself that it pains me to say it. Loving him makes your future uncertain and dangerous. But not just your future; Oxley's is uncertain now too. A large part of me loathes Taro for that." She frowned, and the deep scowl was for herself, so she could feel the resentment she had for thinking such awful thoughts. "The crown has poisoned me."
Sage clenched his jaw, staring with a wild storm contained only by thin hazel glass. "Then take it off," he said calmly, "and do better."