"You are dismissed, Griswold."
He bowed his head, “Yes, sir.” Then he scampered off down the hallway before I culd question him further.
I reached for the doorknob. Another ear-splitting growl echoed through the corridor. I cringed as I ran through my mother’s story again. The one of nightmares. The one she tossed on me, then asked me to stand by and do nothing.
Forget this. I couldn’t sit and listen to this all night, not knowing what to do. I let go of the doorknob and raced out of the castle into the night.
Empty seats filled the tavern. Most of the regulars already gone home, and those that remained sat lost in silence entertaining their ghosts. Without the royal tab, the party must’ve shut down, or maybe just moved elsewhere with closing time looming soon.
I stood in the doorway half considering roaming the streets until I found Kalmin and Harding, but the heaviness growing in my limbs won out.
I pulled up to the bar on my regular stool and motioned to Mr. Takka.
"Graced by his highness twice in one day, to what do I owe this honor?"
"To a rough night and a cloudy head."
He nodded, the lines around his eyes crinkling in a knowing way. "Well let's see what we can do about that then."
I ran my fingernail through the wood grain of the bar top as Mr. Takka poured a drink and set it down in front of me. "On the house, Your Majesty."
"Thank you. You’re a good man."
He retreated to the far side of the bar stacking glasses and wiping down counters, either avoiding the potential of me telling him my problems or maybe knowing better and simply leaving me to my thoughts.
I wrapped my hand around the glass, the cool condensation doing nothing to ease the burn in my flesh.
My father, a beast? Why had no one bothered to tell me? And what did it all mean? My father ruled with a strong fist but with a kindness the people adored. I sometimes wished I’d turned out more like him, but being king always seemed like a lot of hard work.
"Excuse me, Your Highness." A voice, familiar but lacking a certain disdainful vigor, interrupted my wallowing.
I glanced over my shoulder, my body disinterested in fully turning around. The mountain girl in her sloppy, grey tunic.
I sighed, my shoulders collapsing into my chest, with zero energy to deal with her drama right now. "If you have any more concerns might I suggest sending a letter to the castle, or attending a session of court. I'm not sure how much more I can help you without a formal complaint."
Her face scrunched up like one does when they've bitten a sour grape but haven’t thought to spit it out yet.
"Actually, Your Highness," she gave the slightest nod of her head and bend of her knee. "I wanted to apologize."
I swirled the ale around in my glass stamping a wet circle across the bar top. "Everyone is entitled to their opinion."
"True. But I didn't have the right to air it out like that. You are the Crown Prince of Aboria after all. My mouth tends to run away on me sometimes and if I forget to catch it, it gets me into trouble."
No surprise there. I let go of the glass and rubbed my damp palm across my thigh, then spun on the stool to face her. If she had the decency to apologize, I could at least meet her eyes. Not many would have the courage to admit they’d wronged royalty, but yet, not many people had the fire to stand up to a royal in such a public way either. A slight shadow of a girl like her would normally fade into the background, but something about the way she stood, her hip jut sharp to the left and the weight of a thousand lifetimes balanced on her proud shoulders sparked an odd challenge in my gut, both terrifying and strangely invigorating.
"Well, again, I'm very sorry.” She fidgeted with her hands before narrowing her stare and pointing to the table in the corner. "I better get back. Please forgive me for my lack of decorum.”
"I appreciate the apology miss…"
"Veda, Your Highness. Veda Macario.”
I extended my hand, but she shook her head.
“I've interrupted enough of your evening. I'll leave you alone."
My right leg twitched as a restless electric buzz pulsed through my limbs. Alone. The word fell from her lips and detonated like a bomb at my feet--each syllable hollow, empty, and terrifying.
"No rush. Why don't you take a seat and tell me a little more about yourself Miss Macario?"
A bewildered frown etched across her face and she cast her eyes to the floor as a tinge of pink blossomed along her cheeks. She had so much to say, but when she wasn't the one leading the charge her instincts seemed to fail her. The glimpse of vulnerability actually seemed somewhat charming.
She slipped onto the barstool at my left, her elbows on the wooden top and her fingers gently pulling at her frizzy strands of hair tucked behind her ear.
"What would you like to know? I'm sure my quiet life is dreadfully boring compared to living in the castle.”
"Maybe. But the castle is all I've ever known.” Even if everything I’ve ever known might be hiding a massive secret. A mystery I didn’t have the brainpower, or maybe just the courage to face right now. “Indulge me."
“I’m amazed. For someone who hasn’t been outside of Aboria, you sure know a lot about the world.”
I scratched the back of my head and gazed over at Veda bathed in the light of her enigmatic glory. She’d done as I asked, spilling her stories with flare and taking me away from this tiny tavern and my own head. But she’d also
