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I opened the door to my bedroom, rushed inside, and shut it behind me. I couldn’t keep Tallin out, though—he was too fast, and he managed to slip through despite my best efforts. Ignoring him and shaking my head, I rushed over to my wardrobe, threw it open, and looked inside for something warm to wear.
“Amara!” Tallin said, after jumping on my bed. “Will you talk to me?”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I said.
“Ten minutes ago, we were enjoying a lovely night out on the balcony, and now all of a sudden, you’re leaving the castle. What happened?”
“My parents happened.”
“Again? What did they say to you now?”
“Not nearly enough, and that’s the problem.” I grabbed a furry white cloak and tossed it onto the bed.
Tallin struggled to get out from under it, but when he did, he spoke again. “I don’t know what they said to you, I wasn’t listening in. Whatever it was, it was bad enough to make you want to leave. If I’m going to follow you out there, I at least want to know why.”
I shot him a harsh look. “Follow me?”
“Did you think I was going to stay here?”
“No… I thought you were going to try to talk me out of leaving.”
“Since you mention it, this is aterribleidea, and you shouldn’t do it.”
I rolled my eyes. “There it is.”
“Amara, please, listen to me even if you won’t listen to your parents.”
I stopped what I was doing, turned around, and faced the little Winter Sprite. “Okay,” I said, “I’m listening.”
“Oh… I expected more resistance.” He paused. “I’m a little on the spot, here.”
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t leave this place tonight.”
Tallin sighed. “Your parents love you, Amara. You live in a palace, you are adored by the people of your kingdom—your life is wonderful.”
“My life isn’t mine, and I’m sick of it. I never thought my parents would force me to marry someone I didn’t want to marry, but they’re both in on it together, now. And they were being really weird about it, too.”
“Weird?” Tallin frowned, his furry eyebrows pinching above his nose. “What do you mean?”
“Cryptic. Withholding. There was something they didn’t want me to know.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I, which is why I’m going to leave. They can’t make me marry that man.”
Tallin shook his head. “Okay…yes,you are right. No one should make you marry someone, and I’m sure in your position your parents would also have rejected this idea if it had been forced upon them. The King is fiercely independent, and the Queen is simply fierce.”
“So, it stands to reason that theydon’tlove me, then, right? If they wouldn’t accept this themselves, but they’re forcing it upon me, that’s the message they’re sending me. I’m not as important as their Kingdom.”
“Amara…” Tallin paused, his expression softening. “I have watched your parents dote over you for a long time. Your mother has been singing your praises since before you were born, and your father has always put your needs before his own. They adore you.”
“People change, Tallin.”
He shook his head. “Not them. Not your parents. You said they were being cryptic… maybe there’s a reason why they’re pressuring you to go through with the Selection?”
“I don’t know. If they have one, they haven’t shared it with me. They just want me to trust them and marry that peacock, Lord Cyr. I won’t do it. They’ll have to find me first and bolt me down to a chair.”
“That sounds a bit extreme.”
