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Prince Noah wanted to have fun, and after being locked up, I wasn’t about to turn it down.
I grasped his arm and bowed extra gracefully as I stifled a laugh. “We shall. Onward to mischief.”
“Perfect.” Noah’s eyes gleamed and he grabbed my hand, pulling me down a path in the garden. “We’ll have to be quick so the guards don’t see. Keep up.”
After running and dodging down pathways, we came to a hedge much farther away from the castle doors. Noah ducked his head and ran his hands along the hedge, shoving his arm through the branches.
“Almost,” he grunted. A click sounded and he pushed forward. Part of the hedge swung back and he pulled me through the hidden door, shutting it swiftly behind him.
I walked out and realized we were outside the castle property, on one of the roads that looked more like what I’d come in on than anything I’d seen in the castle.
“Town?” I asked.
He nodded. “There’s a bar we have to stop in at. Amazing food, and I can get you anything you’d like. My treat.”
“Oh, I don’t—” I held up my hands, protesting, and Noah swatted them down.
“No arguing.” He turned and faced the road as he stood next to me. “Over this hill here and we’ll be right inside the village. You must have come through it on your way.”
I grunted. “Yeah, something like that.”
His brow creased, but the look didn’t last long. He tilted his head onward and we started walking.
“The town here on the outskirts of the castle is called Rosefeather. A bit silly, but I think you saw why back in the garden.” He looked down at me, waiting for an answer. When I didn’t give one he continued. “The soil is rich and nutrients in the ground have made it perfect for certain plants and flora to grow, which in turn feeds the fauna. The garden is so beautiful not just because we tend it diligently, but because the soil provides an incredible resource. Unseelie used to gain their energy from the earth. Earth and Fire are our elements. So budding gardens were easy enough to master. Roses were the first flower thought to have been grown here, hence—”
“Rosefeather,” I finished. I smiled at the little tangent of history and knowledge. “It doesn’t look rosy though.” I wrinkled my nose, remembering the dingy town I’d first seen upon my arrival and immediately froze, wondering if my words would offend the prince.
He shrugged. “There are parts of the village that are beautiful. We’ve had a bit of an energy crisis lately and are still learning to balance resources in the best way. The people are resilient, and I’d like to spend more time with them as king.”
Noah seemed to have caught himself and shook his head. “My apologies, what boring topics of conversation for a birthday.”
Realization came crashing into me as I watched how Noah nervously pushed aside the excitement he’d had when discussing this. Swallowing it. I knew that feeling. I did it all the time. Not wanting to show my true colors.
I tentatively reached for his arm. “I grew up pretty lonely and was nervous to share what made me, me. Things that got me excited. I'd imagine being a prince limits what you can say.”
His face changed and he donned a fake smile at me, one I didn’t like. “There is nothing I can’t say,” he added with a wink.
I chewed my lip. “Then a birthday request from me,” I started. He raised an eyebrow. “Please do me the honor of not hiding what makes you excited. I’m just a feeder after all. You can be who you are with me. What can I do?” I tried to smile, somehow feeling it was important to provide Noah an outlet. If he wasn’t actually feeding from me, perhaps I could give him a different sort of gift.
He stopped walking and stared at me, taking me in. “I’ll keep that in mind, Cora Fray.”
I nodded and shuffled forward, continuing our walk. We breeched the hill and the town sprawled out below us, busy and just as strange-looking as I remembered.
Noah pulled a hood up around his head and reached down to the grass next to the road. He picked up some clumps of dirt and rubbed them over his clothes.
“What are you doing?” I asked, surprised by his actions.
He chuckled. “I can’t walk through town as Prince Noah. We’ll be accosted and it wouldn’t really be a you day then, would it?”
He rose, this time wiping his hands on his face instead of his clothes. The disheveled look of dirt actually did hide his appearance, along with the hood he pulled far enough over his head to hide his locks of hair.
“What do you think?” He put his hands on his hips and I snorted.
“A regular nobody.”
“Perfect. The bar’s half a mile down the main street. Let’s move.”
I followed and obeyed, but I was already having a good time.
