Chapter Forty-Three

Entry:

Talon cares for me. My stomach eases when he holds my hand; my head clears when he sleeps nearby. 

I need to see Cole, but he said no. No, I won't talk to her. No, she is a monster. No, don't ask again. 

I must've done something terrible to deserve Cole's wrath. And something truly wonderful to deserve Talon's care. 

Phoenix.

--

The mission to retrieve the crown failed. 

"This is impossible!" the King screamed.

"Sir, the warehouse was definitely empty by the time we got there," Michael, Talon's cousin, explained. The meeting room weighed thick with anxiety. 

"It was like they knew we were coming," another remarked.

"There must be a mole in our ranks, someone working for the thieves," the King said. 

"When our men entered the warehouse, there was nothing," Michael pushed. "The thieves knew we were coming."

"Damn. We will start again. Michael," The King said, "you oversee investigating if this was an inside job. Everyone else will be heading back to the street for more rumors or gems popping up on the markets."

"Yes, your Majesty," the group collectively bowed. 

As the King stood to leave, Talon caught his gaze. The King's eyes widened in a moment of realization, and he smiled softly at Talon. 

"Follow me to my chambers," the King said.

What was wrong? Something must be wrong for the King to want to talk to Talon outside of meetings. For now, Talon nodded in understanding. 

The King turned to the others still stranded in the meeting. "I'll be giving out specific assignments later tonight. For now, you must excuse me. I need to… have a chat with my son."

Talon's eyebrows shot up in surprise. What had he done to get in trouble this time? The King nodded in finality and marched out of the room with his large hands swaying at his sides. Talon followed obediently.

What was this about? Even if he hadn't done anything, his father was in a bad mood after the meeting and could take out his frustration on Talon. 

The master suite was coming up; they would be there soon. Alone, with his father on a stressful night like tonight…

A set of double golden doors blocked this room from the outside world.

"After you, son," his father gestured.

Talon cautiously walked forward and pushed open the heavy door. Inside the suite sat his mother, reading by the lit fireplace, her red hair tied back into a tight braid, and lips painted to match. 

Talon stepped inside and waited for an invitation to sit with them. His father shut the door behind him and strolled up to the Queen. They greeted each other with a light kiss. Talon glanced away as a childhood habit. 

"Please, sit," his father said. 

Talon's hands felt the soft fabrics of the furniture as he sank into a chair across from his parents. The fire on his left burned his face. 

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Talon felt his words stumble over each other.

"Yes, but relax. There's no need to worry," his father said. 

His parents took a seat on the sofa across from Talon's. Their eyes never left their son, which meant there was definitely something to worry about. 

"It has come to our attention that you're spending a lot of time and effort with that girl we hired a while back," his father said. 

"Her name is Phoenix," Talon corrected.

"Right. I was just checking that you haven't gotten too close to her, because she will be leaving soon."

"What?" 

"Well, frankly, she serves us no purpose. She failed her mission, and is now, by reports, a mere ghost incapable of daily functions. She has overstayed her welcome and will be sent home, along with her brother."

Talon laughed, the nerves in his stomach bouncing out. 

"I'm not the joking type," his father reminded.

The fire crackled and popped; smoke drifted up the brick chimney. Then it hit Talon, his father was serious. 

"Father please, she lost her entire family in the ball, please let her stay a little longer," his voice cracked.

"As I feared—you've grown attached," his father sighed, making Talon feel like an annoyance. 

Talon looked to his mother for help, but she kept her chin high in support of her husband.

"This disaster could have been avoided if she just did her job," his father spat. 

Why did they have to talk about this after tonight's failing mission- why not when his father was in good spirits?

"Only because you told her it was about finding an assassin, not preventing a break-in. Why did you lie?" Talon asked. 

"I could not risk letting another person knowing of the crown. I hired her to catch whoever was trying to kill the Queen. That was not a lie! It just happens that killing the assassin would also stop the attempts at stealing the crown. Besides, if she was as good as her reports said then she would have had no issue with that."

"You just sent an entire unit of armed guards to recapture the crown and stop those murderers, and you failed! She was by herself and helped get us all out alive!" Talon jumped up from his chair.

"She's a liability," the King stated definitely, as though that was the end of the discussion. 

His father stepped toward the door to leave, but Talon blocked his father's path. He was done being the obedient Prince.

"I'm in love with her," Talon proclaimed.

For the first time ever, Talon saw his father's mouth drop open in shock. Speechless. And his father's eyes, wide, as though he never even considered that an option. As though Talon falling in love was a foreign idea to him. 

His mother broke the silence, "The day she joined the guard she was young, I remember seeing her briefly. She was a rare woman among a sea of men. I remember seeing her in the Tournament and how she fought." 

Both his father and Talon gingerly sat back down on the sofas to hear her words.

"I watched her," his mother recalled. "She was smart, too clever for her own good. But when I saw her in the Great Hall, when she won was promoted after the Tournament, she glared at me. She had such loathing in her eyes for me.

"I did some research with her family and realized that her mother had been enlisted illegally, joining the guard even though she was the caregiver of children. That only piqued my interest. It was my suggestion to hire her. We wanted to tighten security on the crown for a while, and Phoenix seemed skilled at keeping secrets and doing her job. I hadn't thought that your father would be so hard on her in the Throne Room, the same room her mother died," a quick glare to her husband.

The King had the decency to deflate in submission.

"Now whenever she sees me, when she walks or sits and I happen to be there, she looks right through me," his mom said. "No more loathing, no more hate, no more anything. How can you love that nothingness?" 

"I don't love that nothingness," Talon whispered. "I love what that nothingness can become." 

A rare and beautiful smile perked his mother's red lips. 

"Let the girl stay," she chirped, "I think she would make a great Queen one day."

Talon grinned like an idiot.

"But she's… she failed," his father stuttered. "And a Lowlander…" 

Talon and his mom waited patiently. 

"Fine," the King sighed in defeat. "She can stay. But only because I need to take another look at her. I have the right to kick her out. For now, let's just focus on the crown."

A win, an absolute win for Talon!

He sprang up and sprinted out of the suite.

"Talon!" his father's voice shout grew distant.

Talon ran through the halls, past confused servants, nearly crashing into one proper lady, until his heels slipped turning the corner to the library. His butt ached as he fell on it. Laughing, he stood back up and threw the library doors open. 

She was sitting in her chair. Talon stopped in front of her, out of breath.

Phoenix looked up curiously. She acknowledged him!

Talon was too happy to stop himself, so he placed both his hands on her cheeks. "You are remarkable, making him speechless like that! I won't give up, so hang in there. I'll help you!" Talon stood back and took a good look at her. 

She blinked and cocked her head to the side. 

"You can rely on me," he promised breathlessly.

It took a second for Talon to realize what he just did. What he proclaimed to his father- acted like a child running through the halls. 

Talon's face flushed and he scratched the back of his neck and walked away. How could he act like that in front of Phoenix? Saying such embarrassing things. He glanced behind his shoulder as he left the library. Even from a distance, Talon saw the smile that graced Phoenix's lips.

Talon already knew the answer. He acted like that, with no walls or boundaries because it was Phoenix. And Talon would do everything he could to be the hope in Phoenix's life.