Right after supper, as the castle began to settle down for the night, Henry sneaked out into the garden. He sat down on the bench in front of the fountain and flicked his coin as he stared up at the starry sky. After a beat, he heard the soft brush of skirts against cobblestone and mentally prepared himself for company.
"Today sure turned out horribly," Ivy commented, coming into his view under the moonlight. She plopped down beside him and sighed.
Henry caught his coin and faced her. "On the bright side, you got yourself a new wardrobe."
"I loved borrowing Elouise's gowns, but it's nice to have my own now." Ivy giggled. Henry was relieved to hear that sound, especially after what she had gone through.
Henry looked in front of him and swallowed hard, an uneasiness creeping up on him.
It had happened here in this very same spot. An arrow had been coming for him. It should have struck him in the neck... or Elouise in the head. Neither happened, though.
Somehow, the arrow had stopped as soon as Elouise had lifted her hand. But that wasn't possible, was it? No one had the ability to suspend things in midair like that.
"Do you believe in miracles, Ivy?" he asked, stuffing his coin into his pocket and locking eyes with his cousin.
Ivy scrunched up her face and hummed thoughtfully. "I believe it was a miracle that we got here safely." She sounded exactly like her usual self. But then her expression turned grim, and she dropped her gaze to the ground.
Henry sat up straighter and anxiously waited for her to elaborate.
"I think it is a miracle that I'm still alive when those creatures were after me," she solemnly admitted. "Eldon's friend... Leanne... saved me." And the corners of her lips rose.
Henry exhaled slowly.
"What about you, Henry?" she asked, her tone brightening again. "Do you believe in miracles?"
Henry shifted his gaze to the stars once more. Well, if not a miracle, what else could explain what had occurred with Elouise today?
But as the memory replayed itself for the umpteenth time, he knew—deep down—what it really was. The bizarre word was on the tip of his tongue. He simply couldn't bear the thought of saying it, though.
A miracle, somehow, sounded safer. Still, he wasn't sure he could lie so boldly to himself about something so blatantly obvious.
"I'll let you know when I figure that out for myself," he murmured.
"Are you okay?" Ivy asked him.
"Why wouldn't I be? We're here and we're safe. That is what we wanted, isn't it?"
Ivy squinted at him, and he swallowed hard, hoping he appeared steady enough.
Then they both faced forward when another set of footsteps neared them. While Henry expected to see a guard doing one of their nightly rounds, he got Elouise instead. Her hair had been tied in a messy side ponytail, and she wore a gold and pink cloak over her beige nightgown.
"Is that you, Henry?" she called.
Ivy stood. "Yes!"
Elouise stopped. "... Ivy?"
"One of us should've brought a lantern," Ivy murmured to Henry.
Henry gave her a lopsided smile. "You should try getting some sleep."
She covered her mouth as she yawned. "I won't argue with that." Then she leaned down and placed a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Goodnight, big brother." With that, she turned away as Elouise reached them.
Ivy curtsied and wished her sweet dreams before hurrying off.
Elouise cautiously sat beside Henry. Underneath this low moonlight, he could barely make out the agitated expression she bore. But he understood why she was here. If he didn't want to talk about it, she certainly did.
"I've been thinking," she started. "It has prevented me from sleep tonight. I know you must be asking yourself the many ways there must be a logical explanation for it. And there is one. It's quite simple, really... or rather, it can be."
"El," he sighed.
"I am unsure how to begin," she whispered.
"Then don't." He turned his body more toward her, and she followed suit. "You don't need to explain anything to me. I promise you that I won't think any differently about you."
"Do you honestly mean that?" She gently grabbed his hand and held it between both of hers. They were burning compared to his, bringing him the comfort he'd desperately been seeking since he and Ivy left Caelum.
"Yes," he replied, nodding slowly. Then, more confidently. "Yes, of course!"
"But Henry... this means we are going to pretend nothing happened. I cannot decide if that is better or worse."
"Well, we always used to play pretend when we were children," he jested, shrugging his right shoulder.
Elouise laughed and shook her head. "When we were children, yes. But we are much older now, and this is far too important to ignore."
Henry briefly moved his gaze upwards again as he considered her words. "Then ask yourself right now: are you ready to tell me?"
She looked away, taking a shallow breath that already confirmed what he knew. The answer was uttered as she gave his hand a tighter squeeze and exhaled quietly. "No."
"Then you can tell me once you are," he assured her, nodding. "That can be days from now, or weeks or months—I don't mind. You need to be ready first."
"You..." Elouise trailed off, a grin slowly forming. "You have always been too good to me." She released his hand, and he felt the cold immediately return.
But then the corners of his mouth also rose as an idea started forming.
Another way to ease Elouise of her burdens was to deal with Aristol's debt. The plan she'd suggested to him was absurd and perilous. However, it could work given the right person was involved.
It had to be someone daring and too confident for their own good. Someone who inflicted fear or dread with their mere presence.
And he happened to know the perfect possible candidate.
"El," he addressed.
Elouise diverted her attention back to him, a curious glint in her pretty brown eyes. His pulse quickened. He wanted to explain every little detail to her, but he decided it was best if he handled most of the work. It would prove less risky for her if he or his accomplice were caught.
Therefore, he said instead, "I believe I know how to make your plan work. You'll simply have to do one thing for me."
---
Haven turned away as her chuckle grew into a full laughter. Henry leaned forward on the wooden fence, narrowing his eyes at her.
It was the morning after, and they were standing in the middle of her farm. Considering how unbelievable her story about her mother had sounded, he took the chance of coming to pay her a visit at her little sheep farm near the docks.
He applauded her for at least not lying about that. She looked the part too—with her long and thin brown skirt covered by a green apron, and a white flowy shirt tucked in. Her red hair was held back in a neat bun, and really, it wasn't a terrible look for her.
Finally regaining herself, she looked back at him. "You want me to steal from the royal family, sell what I take, and then give you back the gold? Why would I do such a thing?"
"Because you are ruthless," he snapped.
Haven grinned. "You've met me once. How could you have possibly concluded that?"
"The way you smile. That smile of yours tells me you are playing a game that no one else knows about. Thus, you are winning by default." Henry waved his arms, gesturing to their surroundings. "And this? Living here? This is merely part of your façade, isn't it?"
"This is my home."
"Being a sheepherder is not who you truly are."
"Why would it not be?" Haven walked over to a sheep grazing the grass nearby. She crouched down and gently scratched behind its ears, whispering to it.
"They are cute, aren't they?" she asked him.
Henry ran his fingers through his hair, aggravation creeping up on him. "Yes," he answered with a sigh. But that was beside the point. "Are you willing to help or not?"
She stood and eyed him curiously. "I don't know if I should be offended or flattered that you assume I'm a criminal."
"Even if you aren't, I know this is a task you could handle."
"In that case, I'm flattered." Haven moved up and stood in front of him. Then she put her hands on top of the fence and her fingers skimmed the side of his, making him retract. She either didn't notice or simply didn't care.
"If I do this, I want some of the profit."
"Yes, I was aware you wouldn't do this for free. However, we'll have to wait to discuss profit once I see how much gold you receive."
"What is the gold needed for, anyway? Isn't the royal family supposed to be filthy rich?"
Henry refused to answer that. He crossed his arms and bit down on the inside of the cheek.
Haven laughed again. "Sworn to secrecy, then? Fair enough, but I want to secure my part of the profit now."
"No."
Haven feigned a pout. Henry tapped his foot impatiently. He'd never felt such antipathy toward a person he hardly knew. Yet he supposed there was a first for everything.
"Well, I guess we don't have a deal, then," she said, turning away. "I suggest you leave before I get annoyed."
Henry groaned. There was no one else who could do this. Or rather, there was no one else he would risk getting caught and punished.
"Fine." He returned to the horse he'd borrowed from the royal stables and retrieved his empty satchel. "How much would you like?"
Haven glanced back at him with a smirk painted on her sun-kissed face. "A wise decision. Although, since you originally refused to negotiate with me, I will take what I feel I deserve."
Henry widened his eyes. "What? No, you are ridiculous!"
"Don't push me, Hank," she spoke through gritted teeth. "Do you want this done or not?"
Henry clutched the satchel tightly in his now trembling hands. "H-how can I trust that you will not take most of it?" Haven walked back up to the fence, staring intensely at him. He was relieved for the distance between them.
"I said I will take what I feel I deserve," she firmly stated. "My intention is not to cheat you on a job you are hiring me for." Then she smiled—a smile that completely contradicted the intimidation she had been succeeding with. "Besides, you may be the only person who has ever hired me that I don't completely despise."
"Then why work for the others?"
"A job is a job. And not all of us are fortunate royals."
Fortunate? Henry wanted to snort and roll his eyes at the word.
There was still time to get on the horse and leave. And he was terribly tempted to do so. Except Elouise was already depending on him, and he refused to let her down. He figured that he could, perhaps, sell the gold himself. He had no idea who he could sell it to... or if the buyer would take advantage of him without him realizing it.
Henry hated admitting it, but hiring Haven was the best and quickest option.
"Alright, then." He tossed the satchel over at her and watched as she caught it with ease. "The jewels for you to steal are in my guest chamber at the castle. I will leave the window open for you to sneak in tonight. You shouldn't miss it as long as you come in through the back, because I will leave a lit candle near the window."
"And you want me to sneak everything in here?" She held up the bag.
"Everything you can fit. Burn it afterwards and return the gold in something else. And... do you..." He paused and took a deep breath. "D-do you think you could... get this done within the next week?"
Haven raised her eyebrows incredulously. He worried she would tell him she would need more time than that. Elouise couldn't afford waiting much longer if she wanted to ensure that the next payment reached Arendice in time.
"That's asking a lot out of me," Haven voiced, drawling out her words as if she was hoping Henry would offer her something else for her troubles. When he stayed silent, though, she chuckled. "Fine. For you, I suppose I can manage it. But only this one time."
Henry relaxed. "Thank you."
She waved him off. "Where do I drop off the gold once I have it?"
"Send me a sign once you have it and I will come by to retrieve it myself." Henry turned to the stallion and climbed onto his back.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Hank," she sweetly told him.
Henry truly rolled his eyes this time. "Don't call me that."
"Very well, Harry."
Henry said nothing more as he pressed his heel into the horse's side and turned him around. He glanced back once more at her, and she waved goodbye. He prayed to the Goddesses that he hadn't just made the worst mistake of his life.