Okay, so I'm going to my cottage for a while, dunno when the next upload will be, but I thought I'd leave you guys with this for now. By the way, this chapter marks the end of Part II
And Part III is shorter than the other two parts (which both coincidentally worked out to be 16 chapters. How weird is that? :P) so we're almost at the end of the story! Which is super exciting XD
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Chapter 31 - Love's To Blame
“There’s got to be something we missed” Jay muttered for what seemed like the thousandth time, but in reality was probably only the hundredth. “There’s nothing. We’ve been over this, time and again. We didn’t miss anything,” I snapped in reply.
My words were harsh, but I was exhausted, and desperate, and afraid. We’d camped out near Saríon, and had remained there for two days so far, trying to decide what to do next. The feeling of utter failure hung over all of our heads, but we couldn’t face going home yet. I didn’t want to see the eyes of my grandmother or our people when we told them there was no hope.
“Well, there’s no point in sitting around here for any longer. We know there’s nothing to be found here.” Jay insisted, refusing to be put down by my angry words.
“There’s nothing to be found anywhere, Blue Jay,” Lisimi pointed out, looking up from the fire she had been tending. “The Sword and Staff are gone. And we don’t know where the key is.”
“Well, then why don’t we try and find the men that Adelle saw in her vision; the ones who took the Sword.”
“Wow, what a fantastic plan!” Daniel put in sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “And where do you suggest we find them, or brilliant Blue Jay?” He glared skeptically at Jay, as though he expected the other boy to have no answer. But Jay looked him back in the eyes, fierce pride flaming in his own. “Knoxlan,” he stated simply.
I stared at him, feeling stupid for not having thought of that. Knoxlan was our kingdom’s badlands. Located in the north-eastern part of the kingdom, it was where criminals and those who had been banished lived. Rumor had it that Knoxlan was where Kamen was sealed as well, but nobody had any proof, and the so few had ever been there that it was hard to confirm the story.
It was the perfect place to look for the thieves, though. The only people who would want to do harm to our kingdom lived in Knoxlan, and I had no doubt that whoever had taken the Sword and Staff would be found there.
“No. Absolutely not,” Daniel practically snarled, glaring at Jay.
“What? Why not?”
“There is no way in hell we’re going to Knoxlan. Might as well knock on the bad guys’ door and say ‘hey, we’re here to deliver Princess Adelle to you!’ Do you have any idea how incredibly dangerous Knoxlan is? In case you don’t remember, or are just too stupid to realize, it’s where criminals live. They would eat her alive!” I gasped and glared at Daniel, opening my mouth to make an angry retort, but he ignored me. “So no. We’re not going there.”
“You do realize it’s probably our only shot at saving this kingdom, right?” Jay asked scathingly, undeterred by Daniel’s blatant refusal.
“I don’t care, Blue Jay. You will take her there over my dead body,” he snapped. “I won’t allow it, and don’t you even open your mouth Addie, you’re not going,” he added, turning to give me a hard look. I frowned, trying hard not to pout.
“Now, it’s late. So here’s what is going to happen. We are going to go to sleep. And tomorrow, we’re going to go back to the castle, tell the Queen what we found out, and help to prepare for whatever’s coming.”
I rolled my eyes, got up and walked a few feet over to where my stuff was. I kept my back turned to the others, trying not to let them see my disappointment and hurt. I knew that Knoxlan was dangerous, but I wasn’t a porcelain doll that would shatter when touched. I could handle myself, and Daniel knew it. Whether or not it was his job to protect me, he wasn’t being fair. Besides, we Knoxlan could be our only chance to save the kingdom, now that the Sword and Staff were gone.
I lay down and listened as the others got ready for bed. The sky above me was dark, but I could still make out the thick clouds that billowed. The smell of a storm was in the air, and I vaguely wondered if I should move under the cover of the trees in case I got soaked.
“Addie?” Jay’s voice startled me and made me squeak as I shot up in surprise. “Shhhhh!” he whispered, putting a hand over my mouth. “It’s just me,” he soothed.
“I know. You scared me,” I replied, glaring. He chuckled, unabashed, and mumbled an apology. “What do you want?” I asked, curious. He glanced back over his shoulder at the others.
“Daniel and Lis are asleep. Wanna come watch the storm with me?” I thought about it for a minute, trying to decide if I would be able to sleep through the storm when it hit. Probably not.
“Alright then,” I whispered, getting up. A flash of lightning illuminated the sky, and I saw Jay smile up at me. I briefly wondered if Daniel would be mad at this, but disregarded the thought. Let him be mad. It would serve him right, for treating me like such a little kid earlier.
“Come on,” Jay said, taking my hand and leading me away from the campsite. He pulled me over to the trees a few meters away, and lifted me into his arms without warning. I gasped as he unfurled his wings and pushed us upwards, landing lithely on a branch that jutted out at the top of the tree.
“Isn’t this dangerous?” I asked skeptically, raising an eyebrow towards the fast approaching storm. He laughed and shook his head mischievously.
“We both have an affinity for Fire. Even if the lightning were to hit us, we wouldn’t be hurt. Don’t you trust me, Princess?” he asked lightly, but I could see real curiosity burning in his eyes.
“I do trust you, Blue Jay. Of course I do,” I told him honestly, and he smiled brilliantly.
“Good,” he whispered, then leaned in and kissed me, his lips lingering on mine as the lightning flashed above us. I lost track of how long we sat there, kissing in the thunder and the rain. When we finally pulled apart and he wrapped his arms around me, I felt blissfully happy, despite being absolutely drenched with rain.
“Jay?” I asked, breaking the peaceful silence that enveloped us. I turned my head to look at him, only to find him staring at me, just inches away from my face.
“Mmm?” he hummed, smiling at me and raising his brows questioningly. I blushed and hesitated, looking away from his intense gaze. He untangled and arm from behind me and pressed it to my cheek, lifting my face back to his. “What is it, Princess?” he crooned softly. I took inhaled slowly, and then breathed out the words in a gush.
“I love you.”
He stared at me for a minute, his body utterly still alongside mine. He didn’t even breathe, he just sat there for long enough to make me worry that I had been wrong to tell him. Then he laughed the happiest, most triumphant sounding laugh I had ever heard. He pulled me tight against his chest, and I could feel his heart pounding beneath my cheek.
“Gods of Light, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear you say that,” he breathed, burying his face in my hair. “Addie,” he whispered, inhaling deeply, “I love you. More than anything I’ve ever known in this world. It would tear me apart to be away from you. And if anything ever happened to you…” he paused, a pained look crossing his face. “I don’t even know what I would do. I won’t ever let anything hurt you. You know that, right?” he tilted his head to the side, regarding me solemnly.
“I know, Jay.” I replied softly, and leaned forward to kiss him again. He kissed me back, and I closed my eyes against the darkness of the night, savoring the feel of his body against mine. It had taken me a long time to realize the way I felt about Jay.
And even though I was still confused and conflicted about my feelings; and even though I knew that things were not perfect, and that we were in danger from an enemy that we had no idea how to fight; even though we were both broken and hurting from wounds that ran deeper than our bruised skin showed…
Still, for this one moment, on top of a tree in the middle of a thunderstorm, I was happy. And that was enough for me.
~♥~
I watched her sleeping; watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. Her expression was peaceful; happier than I had seen it in weeks. My heart swelled as I wondered – hoped – that her serenity was due to me. I leaned down and pulled up the blanket that she had kicked off, tucking it in around her. Reaching up, I brushed her hair out of her face, and kissed her forehead softly.
“I love you, Addie,” I breathed, and she mumbled in her sleep, rolling over until she was on her side, facing me. Her hand lay open on the ground, her fingers almost brushing mine, and I felt my resolve wavering.
“Stop it, Blue Jay. You know you have to do this,” I told myself severely, and wrenched my hand away from hers, standing and turning away swiftly. I walked over to where I had left my things, packed and ready to go.
It would tear me apart to be away from you. My own words rang through my head, mocking me. I hadn’t lied. Already I felt sick to my stomach, disgusted with myself. I didn’t want to leave. Every step I took farther away from her was killing me, but I kept going nonetheless.
A wolf howled in the night, and I almost turned back – what if it was close to her, what if it attacked? But I was being ridiculous, I knew that. Besides, she had Daniel; he wouldn’t let anything touch her.
“She’s safe with him,” I though bitterly. Then I sighed, letting the bitterness slip away. I had brought this on myself, and now it was time to take responsibility. I remembered Evreth’s words to me, that night when Adelle’s full power had shown for the first time. “Blue Jay, you are the son of Lady Kierra and Lord Orion. You are the youngest knight-in-training to ever be considered for the position of guarding direct royalty. I know exactly who you are, and what you are capable of… You alone can help her.” And somehow, I had. And it had felt so good, to know that I was the one who had been there for her; who had saved her.
But I wasn’t the person that Evreth thought I was. Sometimes, I wondered if my parents would even recognize me now. I’m not sure that they would be proud of who I had become. Either way, I wasn’t the guy who could be there for Adelle anymore. I should have left a long time ago, only selfishness had kept me where I was. But know that I knew that she… it just wasn’t possible anymore. I wondered vaguely if she would miss me, then caught myself and pushed the thought away. Thinking like that would do me no good.
It was better not to think; not to feel. Less painful. Knowing it was the only way I could get through this, I shut down my emotions, and did my best to block my thoughts of her sleeping face. I sighed, resigned to the fate I had made for myself. Then I unfurled my wings, and took off into the night.
End of Part II – The Quest
~♥~
Thoughts? Theories? Lemme know ;)