Bonded

Chapter Forty Three

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India

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"Well, that was refreshing!" The way that Jian giggles as he says the words somehow brings even more joy to our little grouping after we all decide its best to go together to return our now mostly empty picnic basket back to the kitchens... The slow way we are walking back towards the library purposeful and filled with sweet smiles and hidden tender moments between my suitors and I... The 3 of us daring to hold each other's hands while walking...

"Indeed it was..." Ronin responds to my dear friend with a grin on his face so animated and happy that my serious and stern-looking future husband almost looks unrecognizable... My eyes so amazed by the beautiful way the skin at the outer corner of his eyes wrinkle with the stretching of his smile... His tone of voice warm and just as happy as I hope he actually feels.

"I'm happy you all have been enjoying the gardens."

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Kavya

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"Your Highness!" India's shocked voice sheds light on how taken aback we are by the sudden appearance of the elusive Prince Emrys... The one and only son of King Xiang... The voice of the Prince is surely a surprise to hear in such a random hall when he is so known for keeping to himself and staying elusive unless he is needed to counterbalance his father's cruelty... One that makes us all jump apart from our cluster so that we might turn around and bow to him properly and deeply until he clears his throat and motions for us to stand.

His presence is so much different than his father's... But even still... It is alarming to have him speak to us so casually as he is... His eyes drifting from us so that he might stare out into one of the gardens through the breezy doorway that leads to it... The faraway look he captures somehow making my heart ache for the man... Because I understand the look of loneliness when I see it...

"No need to bow... I simply thought I might tell you all that I have enjoyed hearing your laughter on my daily walks these last 2 days...  I found it very soothing." The look on his face as he speaks....It is the same look I used to have... And the same one I saw on Ronin's face for so long before we realized that we belong together... And it causes a fracture to form in my heart seeing that the Prince wears the expression so well...

It is one that had been too familiar to me... And it is haunting to see it on the face of the next leader of this kingdom... Because he wears it so well I am not sure it shall ever disappear from him as it did for both me and my husband...

I wish the young Prince was freer to smile and laugh like the rest of us... And instead he bears the weight of his father's legacy...

A legacy that seems to get more and more graphic with each and every passing fortnight... The way King Xiang has seemed unsettled lately causing his usual restlessness to present itself by lashing out at those of us unlucky enough to be around him... Whether it be to protect him or protect him...

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Ronin

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"I apologize if we disrupted your walk with our chatter, Your Highness!" The words leave Jian's mouth so quickly that I am almost not sure who is speaking between him and India, his voice higher than normal and strained as his cheeks flush to life... All of us likely thinking about the jokes we had made earlier today and how some of them were not ever meant to be said in such high-born company...

"Not at all, scholar... Not in the slightest..." The Prince lets his eyes wander back over to us, his face warming slightly as a small smile works its way onto his cheeks... "It was nice... It is not often that we hear laughter in the palace... And it is such a shame... For it is such a lovely sound..."

With the way Prince Emrys's expression changes, all of us hesitate to speak as he seems to reflect upon his own words before he continues to speak, "I hope to hear more laughter more often... Please continue to enjoy the sunny weather amongst the blooms... It brings me a small bit of peace to know at least you all are happy."

And just as quickly as he came up behind us... The Prince departs, his robes trailing behind him as he lets himself flow through the doorway to the garden... All of us staring after him, amazed that he stopped us the way he did... And all of us sad over his parting words...