King Tebald’s daughter? How many children did he have? Would another one appear?
At the awkward stretch of silence, I realized she was waiting for my introduction. “Oh. Hello. I’m Luna.”
“I know. I’ve heard all about you. You were traveling with Prince Fowler. How exciting! Tell me of your travels together.”
I blinked at the strangeness of that. Only someone who had little to no exposure to the Outside would say such a thing.
“You’ve heard all about me?” I echoed.
“Yes.”
I nodded, wondering what all she could have heard about me since there was essentially nothing any of them knew about me. Who had she been talking to? Chasan? What had he told her?
“You must tell me everything.” She plopped down on the bench next to me, crushing my skirts beneath her.
I tugged them out from under her. “About what?”
“Fowler, of course.”
“Fowler?” I repeated dumbly as one of the women behind me began snipping at my hair, evening out the ragged and jagged ends.
“Yes, silly. Is he as handsome as rumored?” She giggled as though we were lifelong friends. An unusual sensation. I’d never had a friend—especially of the female variety. “Father won’t permit me to visit him yet, but I will, never fear. Later this evening I intend to see him, in fact.”
“I-I’m sure,” I answered, still feeling slightly bewildered by her interest in Fowler. I didn’t feel sure of anything about this girl . . . except that she reminded me a great deal of her arrogant brother.
She leaned forward, bringing her voice closer and crushing my skirts again. “I need to know something, anything about him. I’ve waited all my life to meet him.”
“Fowler?”
“Yes,” she retorted, and this time she sounded exasperated. “We’ve only been betrothed since my birth.”
My stomach bottomed out at her words. It was a casual utterance for her, but it cut me like a blade. I pressed a hand against my diving stomach.
She must have read some of my reaction. “Are you . . . what’s wrong? Did I say something? You look pale.”
I shook my head and ducked, averting my face as a lump rose up in my throat. “No. I’m fine.”
The surge of emotion I felt wasn’t right. Even if I hadn’t been running from Fowler and racing headlong into a fate that did not include him, he had turned his back on this shining world—on this girl. He had turned his back on his father and whatever betrothal had been arranged for him. Except he was here now. Because of me. I squashed the niggle of guilt. I might be the reason he was here, but he could have died out there.
“Well, come now, then. Don’t be so reticent. Tell me about Fowler.”
I cleared my throat. She pressed closer on the bench, the soft linen of her gown brushing my arm.
I shouldn’t feel this awful swell of heat in my face. It shouldn’t hurt to realize this girl sitting beside me was his fate—even if he had walked away from it. She was the fate he was running from . . . and I was beginning to realize that it was impossible to run from your fate.
My whole life I had been hiding from Cullan, avoiding the death intended for me. I should have died that day alongside my parents. Sivo and Perla had stolen me from that fate, but now I would embrace it for the survival of others, for the good of the kingdom that I had been born to rule.
The princess sitting next to me was still talking, but I didn’t hear her—not the actual words coming out of her. I understood her perfectly. She wanted Fowler. Without even knowing him, without even meeting him or seeing him, she wanted him. And she would have him.
She was still talking beside me, her words falling into place. “How did you come to be together? Was he journeying here to finally meet me?” As if a journey across two countries in this day and age was a simple matter? As if the eclipse had never happened and the world wasn’t doused in dark brutality. “Has he spoken of me at all?”
I snorted. No. He had conveniently left out any mention of a betrothed.
“I only recently learned that he was a prince.” That much was the truth at least. “I don’t believe he wanted it common knowledge that he was the prince of Relhok.”
“Why ever not?” She tsked. “It’s his right. His due.”
The girl was na?ve. Did she think a royal prince should announce his identity? Especially on the Outside, where enemies could hunt him for ransom? I was still not convinced that these Lagonians knowing the truth of his identity was a good thing.
The woman working on my hair began pinning and twisting the mass atop my head. The bottom strands were too short to be pinned, so they fell loose to curl against the nape of my neck.
“You’ll have to ask him.” I shrugged as if what he was to me was of little consequence. “When he wakes, I’m sure you will have much to discuss.”
Princess Maris sighed happily. “Indeed. I cannot wait for that moment.” She leaned forward and began rifling through one of the serving women’s baskets. “Here, put the pearl drops in her hair.”