A/N: Hey you guys! :)
For all of you Skye-Carter fans, iEmzy101 is in the midst of writing a short story on Skye and Carter. It's a sort of one-shot. It's pretty cool! So go check that out!
The story is called: "He's my Healer" and you can find it on her profile!
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---------- Chapter 55 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Skye, where did Haden disappear off to?” mum asks suddenly.
I stop teasing Connor and look up, slightly surprised Haden isn’t around. He was here just a little while ago, wasn’t he?
“I don’t know,” I admit getting up to go peek outside in the corridors.
To my astonishment, a guard stands outside the door to the room we are in.
“My lady,” he greets, the moment he sees me.
“Skye,” I correct him before fixing a polite smile on my face. “Have you seen Haden?”
“His highness left almost an hour ago, my lady,” the guard answers.
An hour ago?!
I walk back into the room, chewing on my bottom lip. Had I really ignored him for so long?
“What’s wrong sis?” Connor asks weakly.
“Apparently Haden left about an hour ago. I wonder what’s up,” I say, sitting back down on the chair.
“Are you going to go look for him?” dad asks, sitting on the edge of Connor’s bed, patting his leg.
“Nah. I want to be with you guys,” I murmur, smiling at Con.
“You can go see him,” Connor says gently.
“No. I want to be here with you,” I insist.
“You look troubled, honey. And if we’re being honest, so did he. Besides, it was kind of him to help Connor out. You should go to him,” mum encourages.
I smile and nod my head, getting up.
“Say thanks for me,” Connor croaks.
I nod my head and head to the corridor. “Umm, hey...” I say to the guard hoping he’d tell me his name.
“How may I help you, my lady?” he asks politely.
“Well, you could start by calling me Skye,” I joke. The guard doesn’t seem the least bit amused by this and I have a feeling he’s going to call me ‘my lady’ anyway. “Alright...umm, you could help me by telling me where Had- His Majesty is.”
“His Majesty or His Highness, my lady?”
Crap! Which one is Haden again?
“His...His...Haden,” I sigh.
I notice the guards lip twitch slightly, but he controls it well. I suppose guards aren’t supposed to laugh at others. Geez, this place is pretty stuffy!
“His Highness is in the stables, my lady,” he answers patiently. He predicts my next question and beats me to it. “The stables are at the bottommost floor, my lady. I could take you there if you please,” he offers.
“Thank you! I’d definitely get lost if I tried looking for it myself,” I admit sheepishly. “Oh! Wait a second! Are you supposed to be outside the door or something? Would showing me the way get you in trouble?”
“No, my lady, no trouble at all. His Highness has us stationed all over this wing of the palace to ensure that you and your family are safe, my lady. But he has made it clear that any of your requests be made our priority.”
I blush at that and drop my gaze.
“I’m sorry! Did I make you uncomfortable, my lady?” the guard demands earnestly.
“Oh! No! Not at all...it’s just His Highness is going out of his way for me.”
The guard remains silent and leads me down the corridors before we finally reach the ground floor. “The stables are on the right once you exit through the front door, my lady,” he says, turning back to the stairs.
“Thank you!” I call and I watch as he almost loses his footing. Is he really that shocked by a simple ‘thank you’?
Pushing the thought out of my head, I head towards the stables. What I didn’t expect was that the stables were a ten minute walk away from the front doors of the palace!
I finally get to a massive wooden structure which smells kind of funky. I’m assuming the smell must be how stables usually smell, not that I know though.
I push the wooden doors open and walk in, looking admiringly at the horses in their little....cubicle like things.
“Can I help you?” a gruff voice demands from behind me. I clutch my chest in shock. God damn it! I nearly had a heart attack!
I whirl around and come face to chest with a rough looking guy. He’s huge, has reddish-brown hair and reeks of booze; definitely not someone I’d want to mess with.
God, please don’t let this be his stable. Knowing my luck, I may have wondered out of the palace grounds and ended up in some other person’s stable. Crap!
“Are you lost, girly?” he asks, a lecherous smile on his face.
“I should go,” I whisper, side stepping him.
He stops me with a massive hand on my shoulder and I swear, I very nearly cry in fear.
“Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to trespass!” I squeak.
“Richard! Are you scaring someone again?”
That voice!
“Haden!” I call as confidently as I can.
A second passes and Haden pops his head out of one of the little cubicles at the end. His eyes widen when he sees me and his curious expression is immediately changed into one of pure fury.
He storms over to us and Richard cringes, releasing me and taking a step back. Haden interlaces our fingers and takes a step closer to Richard.
Haden is shorter than Richard but the way in which he carries himself obviously intimidates the hell out of this huge guy.
“This is my girlfriend,” Haden hisses gesturing to our interlocked fingers. “How dare you touch her?!”
“My apologies, my lord! I didn’t realise,” Richard says, bowing down low.
“Apologise to her. And you better pray you didn’t hurt her or scare her or so help me-”
“Haden! It’s alright,” I whisper. “He didn’t mean to, I’m sure.”
Richard nods his head in agreement eagerly and Haden narrows his eyes at him. Haden takes a couple of deep breaths and nods his head.
“Don’t let it happen again,” he mutters, wrapping his arm around my waist.
He leads me to the cubicle he was in and I hang back a little, waiting for him to reprimand me. But he doesn’t.
Instead he walks over to the majestic looking black horse and pats its head affectionately.
“This is Prince. He’s my personal horse and I like to take care of him, though I’m not around very often. Richard is in charge of the stables and he takes care of Prince when I’m not around,” Haden volunteers.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
He turns to face me, raising an eyebrow.
“Aren’t you mad at me? You seemed kind of pissed off just now,” I mumble.
“I’m not mad at you, silly. I was mad at Richard for trying to be funny with you. Though...now that you’ve brought it up, can you do me a favour and not wonder around alone? Not even in the palace grounds. The men here may be loyal to me and all, but as soon as a pretty girl like you comes into the equation, most forget their place,” he explains.
I nod my head, dropping my gaze.
“Why are you down here, my love? Is Connor alright?” he continues, back to patting his horse.
“He’s still weak. But thank you for helping him out Haden. It means a lot to me,” I whisper.
“I know. I did it for you. Everything I do is for you,” he says softly. “Come here and meet Prince.”
I shake my head, taking a tiny step backwards.
Haden smirks and holds a hand out for me. “I promise he won’t hurt you.”
I take a deep breath and take Haden’s hand. He pulls me towards himself and takes my left hand, gently holding it to Prince’s body.
Prince neighs at my touch and gets all agitated, but Haden forces my hand to remain. And after a couple of minutes, the horse calms down.
“He likes you,” Haden whispers into my ear, making me shiver. “Do you want to ride him?”
I quickly shake my head, pulling my hand back. “Don’t you know what happened to the guy who played Superman? He fell off a horse and broke something and now he’s paralysed!”
Haden chuckles at my terrified expression and kisses my forehead. “Prince is gentle. He won’t hurt you. I promise. And riding is amazing! Besides, you look like you could use a distraction.”
“Will you be nearby?” I squeak.
“Yeah. I’ll ride one of the older, more aggressive ones. Prince will behave. He likes you,” he repeats.
I bite my lower lip but nod my head anyway. Haden’s face lights up in a beautiful grin as he takes my hand and leads me out of the stable.
“Richard, saddle Prince for me,” he orders.
Richard lumbers into the stable and returns a few minutes later with Prince.
“Skye is a first time rider. Help her up and hold on to Prince’s rein till I get back here with Storm, alright?” Haden instructs.
“Yes, my lord,” Richard answers, bowing his head. He nods for me to approach Prince and I can feel my legs beginning to shake.
“My lord,” Richard calls, sounding a little uncomfortable.
Haden walks back out of the stable towards us, his eyebrow raised. “What?”
“She’s too...” he trails off gesturing that I’m short. I narrow my eyes at him ready to tell him that I’m perfectly normal sized for a girl when I realise something; Prince is a lot bigger than any horse I’ve ever seen. Even climbing on him will be hard. I’m going to need Haden to give me a boost. Darn it!
Haden chuckles at my expression and walks over to me. “You know what, let me help her with Prince. You can continue tending to the horses, Richard,” he murmurs.
Richard bows his head and leaves us alone.
“Haden...are horses usually this big?” I ask.
“In Persephone, yes. On Earth, not so much,” he says, smiling evilly. “Right, let’s set you on him, midget!”
Before I can protest, Haden lifts me up. I self consciously wish for myself to be thinner but Haden doesn’t seem to be having a problem. He sets me on the horse, sitting me in a side-sitting position.
“Haden! I’ll fall off!” I hiss, not letting go of his hands.
“Relax. I won’t let you fall,” he insists, breaking out of my grasp. The next thing I know, he climbs onto Prince too, sitting behind me in a more conventional horse riding style. “Besides, you’re in a dress, my lady,” he chastises. “I’m protecting your modesty.”
I blush furiously as he chuckles at me. He holds on to the reins firmly, his arms forming a safe confine for me. Thank god!
He kisses my neck lightly and pulls on the reins. Prince neighs and begins trotting down the green grass.
“Where are we going?” I ask, leaning against his chest as he rests his jaw on my head.
“Let’s just keep going till Prince is tired,” he answers.
I nod my head, sighing in contentment, I could just stay like this forever; in Haden’s embrace.
Oh! But first, I have something that he and I need to discuss.
“Haden, we can be honest with each other, right?” I ask timidly.
He pauses for a moment and I see the tension in his hands. “Of course, Skye. What’s up?”
“I...don’t mean to sound self-righteous, but you’re kind of rude to the people that work in the palace. I know that they work for you and all, but they are still people. And they are doing things for you. The least you could do is say ‘thank you’ or ‘please’,” I mumble, worried he’ll take offense.
Haden doesn’t respond for the longest time and I mentally slap myself for bringing it up. Nobody wants to hear that they’re rude. What was I thinking? Maybe that’s how people are in Persephone!
Stupid Skye! Stupid!
“I didn’t realise I was being rude,” Haden whispers, sounding genuinely surprised. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologise Haden. I just found it a bit distressing, that’s all. I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn. I know you’re the prince and I shouldn’t talk to you like that.”
Haden yanks on the reins and Prince comes to an abrupt stop. With one hand, Haden tilts my head up so he can look into my eyes. “Skylar, I may be the prince and all, but you must never feel like you can’t say something to me. I am, first and foremost, your boyfriend and only then am I a prince. Thank you for telling me this and if you notice me being rude again, please speak your mind. I want to be a good king one day, and I think the only way that will happen is if you continue to speak frankly with me.”
He leans in and kisses me tenderly. I smile against his lips, once again impressed by how mature and far-sighted he is.
He’ll make an amazing ruler.
***
Haden and I end up spending the day just riding through the kingdom, Haden pointing out everything to me, telling me stories of when he was younger.
By the time we get back to the palace, there’s no doubt in my mind that Haden’s first love isn’t me. His first love is his kingdom. He loves it like nothing else exists and it’s became so obvious as he was recounting his exploits as a child.
The people of Persephone will be very lucky indeed when Haden takes the throne.
But there was one other thing that I had learnt today; I can’t tell Haden about Betsy. He would sacrifice his kingdom for me. And he would be miserable.
And that’s why I’m now wondering the corridors of the palace, looking for Carter. The guards told me that he’s prowling around. I need his advice on what to do.
***
After an hour of searching, I give up. I trudge back the way I came and head to my room which is still under Haden’s.
I push the door open and walk in, not bothering with the lights. I’m about to flop onto the mattress when the rustling of clothes catches my ear. My heart beats frantically in my chest and I panic, wondering what to do.
“Relax Skye, it’s me.”
I exhale in relief wanting so badly to smash his face! You don’t hide in a girl’s room like that!
“I need to talk to you,” he says. I hear his heavy footsteps and then I hear the quiet creak of the bed.
Sighing to myself, I cross the room to turn the lights on.
Carter wears a confused look on his face, his blue eyes piercing mine.
“What’s up?” I ask.
“I don’t know what to do...Haden needs to know,” he sighs.
“I know. But you promised you wouldn’t tell him,” I remind him.
He ignores this statement and runs a hand through his hair, a very Haden-like gesture. “I was thinking...maybe I should take over the throne. That way whatever problem Betsy has, it will be with me and you and your family will be fine.”
“You can’t Carter. I only just found out how much Persephone means to Haden. It’s his life. He would never forgive you if you try to take it from him,” I warn him.
“I can live with that if it means that I end up doing the right thing. Besides, the throne should be mine! It’s my right!”
“You said you didn’t want it though!” I accuse. “You said you liked things the way they are; you getting all the respect but none of the responsibility!”
“Maybe I changed my mind. I love Persephone too! And I would make a good king. Persephone needs a healer as a king, not another Reaper. The people need someone who has the ability to look after them,” Carter insists, standing up.
“Haden would make a good king. He genuinely cares for his people. Do you Carter? Or is this you trying to get back at your uncle? Because if this is revenge, the people of Persephone do not deserve to be pulled into this,” I hiss.
“If Haden isn’t the crown prince, you and he could live happily ever after. You don’t have to worry about winning over an entire kingdom. You could marry him tomorrow and nothing would stand in your way,” he presses. “Don’t you want that? Haden being the prince has complicated what was already a complicated relationship. All you have to do is ask him. He’d step down for you.”
“I will not make him do that! Persephone needs Haden!”
“Don’t you?” he asks softly.
I clench my jaw, not knowing how to respond. Carter doesn’t know how tempting his offer sounds.
“Let me get this straight, you are willing to make Haden step down for Betsy, but not for me? Betsy would ruin Persephone and Haden would blame you! I, on the other hand, will lead Persephone into an era of glory it has yet to achieve!”
I’m about to cuss him out for being so power hungry when the door to my room swings open.
Haden stands in the doorway, wearing a happy smile and carrying a bouquet of white lilies before stopping dead in his track at the sight of Carter.
“Am I...missing something?” he asks, his jaw clenched. I can see the jealousy blazing in his eyes.
“No! We were just talking,” I insist, crossing the room to his side.
Haden wears an irritated frown and hands me the flowers. “Looks like a serious discussion. What is it about?”
“Nothing. I was just telling Skye the low down about Persephone,” Carter mumbles, side stepping Haden and walking out of the room.
“Things seemed a little intense Skye. Was he arguing with you?” Haden asks, cupping my jaw.
“Something like that. It was just a minor disagreement,” I lie, smiling up at him.
His eyes bore into mine and I can tell that he knows I’m lying. He doesn’t call me out though. No, instead he seems to jump to the worst conclusion ever; that I’m cheating on him.
“I am not cheating on you,” I whisper.
He ignores that, shaking his head lightly. “Umm...right. I was going to drop by to check on Connor. I figured you may want to tag along,” he mutters.
“Yeah,” I whisper, taking his hand.