Page 38
Her deep green eyes remain my only grace,
Like whispering forests in a desolate place.
I never wished for any eyes to see,
But by her gaze, I long to be.
His left hand stops writing, trembling with held-back insecurity and ache. Ink splatters across the page, the fragile paper giving way beneath the heavy dark liquid and the sheer force of his grip. Forcing his spine straight, he begins another line.
My trembling hands and aching fingers strain,
To shape the heavy words that mask my pain.
I curl upon this cold, relentless space,
Neglecting all my comfort for her grace.
A deep devotion torn of old memories,
Replaying childhood shadows through trees.
I long to see that vanished girl remain,
And pray she notices my heart again.
His fingers release the quill as Cael presses his right cheek on his folded forearm on the desk. His breathing quickens before he forces it to stabilize. Another poem is written, then another, until the crickets chirp to indicate the deepening night. Below, the chattering and plates clattering echo from the dining hall while the scent of food leaves his stomach rumbling. His hands aching and his back deeply strained.
Squeezing his eyes shut as a burning sensation spreads, a breath of exhaustion escapes his mouth. He looks down at the last two sentences he wrote in his new poem.
I write these hidden verses where no other eye can see,
A silent monster longing for her gentle light to set me free.
Cael buries his face into the thick booklet, the scent of old paper filling his lungs. Bringing his hands to his hair, stroking and pulling the exhaustion away, he remains unsatisfied with his pouring of emotions.
He is overwhelmed by these sudden, growing feelings, having never experienced anything like this in his life. It was possible his father’s failing health caused the behavior. Alternatively, he did not want Elara to look at him the same way his people did.
He is afraid. So afraid.
“Have you seen His Highness? His Majesty and the rest are asking about his presence,” one of the male guards asks, his voice muffled.
“No, I have not,” Elias answers, releasing a breath. “I have been waiting for him. Usually, every middle of the week, he would come by and find time to read with me.”
“Have you seen His Highness? His Majesty and the rest are asking about his presence,” one of the guards asks, his voice muffled by the wood.
Cael forces his head up, his right arm aching from the uncomfortable position it held for hours, his focus sharpening as the voices leak through the entrance of the archives.
“No, I have not,” Elias answers. “I have been waiting for him. Usually, every middle of the week, he would come by and find time to read with me.”
Setting his quill aside, Cael leans forward and blows the candle out. The sudden darkness returning to the windowless sanctuary creates a clean, sensory ending to his night, shrouding him within the space.
“His Majesty has fallen ill. His wish is to see His Highness, since he has already interacted with Princess Kaera,” the guard says.
His heart skips a beat. The guard’s words slice through the dark, a brutal reminder that the fragile layout of his life can fracture at any second. His body starts to shake violently as the terrifying reality sinks in. His father never falls ill, never retreats from the burdens of the throne, and never asks for help unless the strain is truly life-threatening.
Frantic and disoriented from the endless hours of writing, Cael pushes himself away from the desk so quickly that his knees buckle beneath his weight. He forgets the heavy black coat resting on the chaise, he ignores his aching back, and more than anything, he forgets to pull his thick black leather gloves back onto his hands. He leaves his raw, split knuckles and the sticky crimson stains exposed, his only focus the terrifying panic driving his feet toward the door.
Hearing the guard’s footsteps pass and Elias entering the library, evident from the click of the door, Cael quickly exits his private chamber. He rushes down the hallway and stairs with his buckling knees, pressing a hand along the wall to steady himself.
