Another day had passed, but all of the days spent at the castle wouldn't leave as big of a mark as this day would. This was a day that Sun would remember forever.
It was Crow's birthday, a fact she couldn't escape as her maids sang about it while dressing her in purple. Alma and Velda seemed cheery enough, but there was a hint of something just beneath the surface that Sun wanted to poke and prod at. When she asked, Alma simply shook her head. It was Velda who spoke first.
"Prince Crow's birthday isn't as widely celebrated as say, Princess Adel's or Prince Christian's."
"Why is that?" Sun asked, wondering if it had anything to do with the favoritism she was beginning to notice more and more.
"His mother died on his birthday," Velda explained, her voice grim.
Sun's heart had sunk inside of her chest. This was a fact she hadn't known. She could only imagine how she'd felt if her mother had passed away on her birthday. Every year, she'd be torn between celebrating and grieving. It would have been a hard thing to deal with.
"So he keeps to his personal training room for most of the day and no one celebrates. The maids still cheer in secret, but oh how we wish we could brighten his day, even just for one birthday."
"That's so tragic," Sun crooned, blinking away sympathetic tears. She knew the feeling of spending most of her birthdays alone, wishing her mother was there to sing to her once more.
She was no longer embarrassed about throwing up on him; she didn't even care about him catching her eavesdropping a day ago. All of the anger she normally felt toward him had vanished, and the only thing that satisfied her was the thought of cheering him up.
"Where is his training room?" Sun asked as she gazed at herself in the mirror. She was pleasantly surprised by her appearance, finding purple to be most suitable for her. She deemed it her new favorite color.
"On the other side of the castle. Why do you ask?" Alma peered over her shoulder with lowered eyes.
"I'd like to pay the prince a visit. Would either of you happen to know where I can find a gift?" Sun asked, and she almost smiled at the surprised amusement sparkling in Velda's eyes.
"Oh I know just the gift!" Velda sang as she jumped up and down. "A new dagger!"
"But I don't have the money for a new dagger."
"Don't worry yourself with gifts, you'll give him the wrong impression," Alma grunted as she began sweeping the floor. "I'm sure your presence will be enough."
"And purple suites you, well" Velda added, her smile wide and encouraging. "I'd be happy to show you where he is."
"Great," Sun smiled, standing up. "Let's go before I lose the nerve."
Ten minutes later, Sun stood outside of the training room. She turned to Velda and nodded a "Thank you."
Velda simply smiled and turned to leave. And as soon as she disappeared, Sun's heart started to race. What was she thinking going to his personal training room? What if he was in a bad mood and she'd only irritate him more? She'd already managed to throw up on him and be an inconvenience at every turn. Beauty apparently didn't come with good luck.
Before Sun could talk herself out of it, she opened the door and quietly stepped inside.
The room in front of her was a large open space with wooden floors. Along the flagstone walls hung luminous swords, sharp daggers, and shields of bronze and silver. Sun also noticed a fierce, three-headed longbow and a two-sided spear that was lethal enough to stab through three men. Even then, the deadliest thing in the room was standing in the center, stretched into a fighting position. His eyes were hidden behind a piece of black cloth that was tied behind the back of his head. The last time Sun saw him, he had been shirtless and sweating as he jousted with his brother.
Even now, he had been working up a sweat, and his dark, unruly hair stuck to his forehead. The rest of his body was dry, but he wouldn't remain that way if he continued maneuvering the daggers in his hands with extreme force.
Sun had to admit it to herself. This man had saved her life twice. She also couldn't escape the thoughts of how they'd danced under the castle. His body hard and muscled to perfection, and the way he moved his hips against hers...
No. She wouldn't think of it. Not when Prince Christian also occupied her mind. She was already trying to accept the picture the King had painted for her, one where she married Prince Christian and became queen. She bit her lips in contemplation as her eyes focused and found Prince Crow once again.
He had always been the one her eyes focused on the longest. He had made her feel wild and angry and alive...
Her cheeks were cherry red by the time he removed the fabric from his eyes and noticed her. Crow quickly stopping fighting, his dark eyes filled with question.
"Hello," was all Sun could mutter as she watched him lower the daggers in his hand. "I-I wanted to apologize for vomiting all over you."
Crow smirked and looked away, seemingly unimpressed. "Is that all?"
"And I wanted to thank you for helping me to my room the other night. Although I'm quite curious how I ended up in my night garments."
His eyes met with hers. His smirk turned into an outright grin. "You're welcome."
"How did I end up in my undergarments?" she asked.
"I left you fully clothed," Prince Crow winked. "I promise."
Sun's cheeked Byrnes even redder. "Well then. I also came to say happy birthday."
"Thank you." Crow turned away from her and headed to the wall where he placed both of his daggers on their hook. "If that is all, you may leave."
Crow removed a war hammer from its hook and examined it in his hand. It was a long wooden pole with jagged, sharp teeth, and looked to have weighed at least twenty pounds. But its heaviness seemed to not affect Crow in the slightest way.
Suddenly, he spun as he slashed through the air, creating a swooshing sound that echoed throughout the room. He was a blur as he moved, fighting whatever invisible force stood in front of him. He seemed to have forgotten Sun stood near. Either that, or he was purposefully ignoring her.
Sun frowned as she walked along the wall, watching him in silence. If she looked deep enough, she could see how each movement was laced with anger and pain. Every thrust was directed at something in his head and his eyes were fierce as he performed a dance of death.
She could almost feel his pain clouding the room with shadows. Pain from his past, pain for what never was, pain for what was to come. He seemed to be dealing with it the only way he knew how, which was by fighting it.
Sun imagined him slamming through each vile memory, hammering shut the escaped memories that only tormented him at night. And each time he swung at them, they returned, never really leaving. Always lingering nearby.
"You don't have to fight, Prince Crow." Her voice was low, but somehow her words had reached his ear. Crow instantly stopped and spun around. His eyes were dark. He was offended.
"Excuse me?" He took a step toward her then stopped as if second guessing himself.
"Sometimes, it's okay to surrender," Sun continued, unafraid. "The only way we can heal from pain is when we face it, not fight it."
"What do you know about pain?" His voice was low and raspy.
Sun allowed herself the courage to meet his intense gaze. To remember that under the hard exterior was a boy who was hurting.
"I know the pain of losing my mother," she began, her voice soft and reassuring. "I also know the pain of unrelenting loneliness, the kind that makes you go crazy. I think I can relate to you more than you know. I was also thirteen when it happened and not a day goes by without my thoughts of her.
"It never gets easier, does it? You just find ways to filter your thoughts. You learn how to compartmentalize your emotions, and the bad thoughts get shoved into a corner in the back of your mind. Eventually, you begin putting everything in that corner, even happy thoughts. Soon, you care about nothing because it all gets closed up."
Crow tilted his head back, he seemed exasperated. "Why are you here?"
"Well," Sun smiled. "You saved me from myself twice now. It's time I repay you for your kindness. I've come to cheer you up."
"Insufferable," Crow replied, but he'd visibly softened. With a sigh, he placed the war hammer back on the wall and met Sun where she stood. He leaned against the wall with a raised eyebrow. "Well?"
Sun smiled up at him. "It's wise to remember the good things about her on the saddest days you face. Tell me what your mother was like."
It took Crow a while to answer, but eventually he said, "She was beautiful, with blonde hair and the sweetest smile. You remind me of her in ways, although she was much more tolerable."
Sun smacked his arm and laughed. The sight of it made Crow smile. "You even laugh like her."
"Well, she sounds like she was a lovely queen. My mother was also lovely, though she was a quiet, modest woman. But she loved in a fierce way. Her beauty lessened as she grew sick, but even then, my father's eyes never wavered." Sun met Crow's unfaltering stare, a gaze that reminded her of how her father stated at her mother. She looked away, sadness beginning to overwhelme her. "Oh, I haven't talked this much about her with an actual human being since she died.
"Once she was gone, my father took me to the woods to live alone. I had no one." Sun clutched her heart, feeling pain and abandonment rip through her chest. "I was utterly alone. I'm still alone."
Prince Crow lifted her chin so that her eyes met his. She hadn't even remembered looking away from him. "I'm sorry," she said, wiping away a tear. "I didn't mean to make this about me."
"No, I'm glad you did," Crow admitted, even though it seemed visibly hard for him. "Thank you."
"You know," Sun teased, feeling her sadness dissipate. "For a kidnapper, you aren't as horrible as I'd once thought. Misunderstood, perhaps. But not horrible."
"You know," Crow mocked, his lips curving into a flirtatious grin. "You look absolutely edible in purple."
"And there goes that." Sun rolled her eyes as she began walking away, but Prince Crow quickly reached out and took her arm. He pulled her close.
"Let me teach you how to defend yourself."
"What?" She wasn't excepting the sudden topic change.
"You should know how to protect yourself, you never know who might try to harm you, Sun."
"I saw how brutal you were while practicing with Prince Christian. I think I will decline."
Crow's eyes lowered. "Practice with me."
"No," Sun spat, her defiance delighting her. Crow growled, and the sound make her shiver in pleasure. What was he doing to her? Why did she like telling him no?
"We'll see about that." His smile was feline, but he let go of her. "Thanks for the birthday gift."
"But I didn't get you anything."
"You're smile was enough."
"I think I may puke on you, again," Sun teased.
"But I'm being very serious," Crow pouted, and the sight of his upturned lips made her heart ache. "I knew you'd be hell the moment I saw you."
Sun thought back to the prophesy and almost shuttered. Crow was right, hell marched behind her, an explosion waiting to happen. If he was smart, he'd run from her; if she was wise, she'd flee from the castle to never again emerge from the woods.
With a sigh, Sun backed away from Crow and bowed respectfully. "I believe it's time for me to go, now. Happy birthday, again."
She didn't wait for his response as she darted for the door.
Once she was in the hallway, she sighed heavily. Her experiences with Crow was always so intense and she needed a second to readjust before she went back to her room.
After several minutes of leaning against the wall, Sun made her way through the passageways. As she turned the corner, she ran into a figure and almost fell.
"Ah," a feminine voice chimed. "Just the person I was looking for."
"Princess Adel," Sun smiled, straightening her dress.
"Being a princess can be quite a bore. Lessons and lessons on so many unimportant things like, how to serve a dinner table. Would you like to know my answer? I told my advisor that the best way to set a dinner table is to politely demand the maids to do it. Can you believe that was the wrong answer?" Adel hissed. "To rid me of such misery, I thought how perfect it would be to invite you to tea." Adel's smile was stunning as she held a hand out for Sun. "Join me? I have lavander tea on the kettle and it's always so delightful in spring. I think you'd love it!"
"Sure," Sun smiled, wrapping her arm around Adel's. Anything to take her mind off of Crow. "Tea it is!"