I'll Protect You

Ch. 22 -- Bet you really regret kidnapping me now, huh?

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

My grandmother's feather quill (yes, you read that right: a feather quill pen, as if we were at fucking Hogwarts) hovered above whatever paperwork she was signing, and she assessed me with a singular arched brow, her mouth set in a tight line.

Rolling my eyes, I repeated, "Pardon me, Your Majesty, can you repeat what you just said?"

She too rolled her eyes, which felt a thousand times more insulting coming from her. She set her quill into its ink pot and folded her hands on the table. "I said I would like for Alexander to go with you to Paradise."

"That's what I thought." My laugh was humorless. "Absolutely not."

Darkwood tilted his head. "What is Paradise?"

Clearing his throat, Logan decided to add, "Your Majesty, if I may, I don't believe this will be a good idea--"

"I have spent years crafting my reputation there; he is going to ruin it."

"That's the argument you're going with? Not that he's going to endanger your very existence?" hissed Logan. "Your Majesty, please, he'll just attract danger."

"Is Paradise a school?"

"She's just going to say 'you attract danger regardless, so what does it matter if he comes along?' Come on, Cross, think a little."

"Your reputation is already shit--"

"Did people really name a town Paradise?"

"Yes, and it needs to stay that way. Being associated with the Logan Cross has already ruined enough--"

"Ruined what?" interrupted Logan. "Your hermit-state-of-life?"

"Oh, that's rich coming from the dude who never even stepped foot in an afterschool event until three months ago," I shot back. "Mind you, my CW reruns are exactly what's been keeping me alive. Who's going to know I'm in the state of Montana if I'm not out and about?"

"So, Paradise is a town in Montana..." murmured Darkwood.

"What're you even trying to argue here, Sparrow?"

"I'm trying to say that I have kept a very low profile--"

Logan made a noise in the back of his throat.

"--and if you throw Darkwood into the mix, everyone's eyes will be on me."

"So, like I said," Logan translated. "You're going to be in danger."

"It'll be safe enough," said my grandmother in a voice firm enough that it killed any and all protest. "I've already investigated, at length, the logistics of such a decision."

"Not that it's to anyone's surprise, but I'm not that particularly concerned about safety." I crossed my arms. "I care about blowing my cover, especially if it means I'll have to transfer schools. Darkwood's been publicly linked with our family for month now. If he comes to Paradise, won't it automatically alert the world, including my peers, to the secret academy the princess of Cimeria has been attending?"

"Indeed, it would. Why ever would you think I'd send him as himself?"

Good point, Grandma.

 She scoffed under her breath. "Don't worry, little bird, your inane plan to reveal yourself at graduation remains intact. The royal crown can spare a bit of change to create a second fake identity -- one that won't link to you at all." Then, very casually, she slipped in, "Besides, with the Blackwell Guard there, safety won't even be an issue--"