I Knew Her As August

twenty-one: the forgotten flower

"You can't be fucking serious," Nicki whined from the passenger seat of Copenhagen's car. They were driving back up the mountain and were nearly to the entrance gates of the angel city. The closer they got, the more Nicki wanted to throw up.

"Why not? It's time we opened our doors to the world," Copenhagen said, his wild hair flying around him in the wind. He looked like he was on top of the world and nothing could bring him down.

"Well, you can't exactly be a gracious host when you can't even show your true identity," Nicki snapped. The wind felt nice on her face, the warm sunlight dancing on her freckled skin, but her head was too dense to really enjoy it.

"I still don't see why I can't just tell them I'm the king. Conrad knows and it didn't scare her off," he pressed.

"It's not scaring them that I'm afraid of. We can't just let anyone know or let them into the castle. Isn't that like our tradition?" Nicki thought it was so ridiculous that she was having to explain this to him — her perfect brother.

"Maybe it's time for tradition to change," Copenhagen stated firmly. Nicki felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach from his words. Surely, he wasn't serious; but what if he was?

The car was silent until they pulled into the front driveway of Rosewood Castle. Rocks crumbled under the wheels and kicked up clouds of dust. When it cleared, a cherry-red faced Tulip stood at the top of the stairs with her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Copenhagen parked the car and hopped out with a pep in his step. He bounded up the stairs until he was eye level with Tulip, Nicki trying to keep up behind him.

"Oh, Tulip, you wouldn't believe what happened," Copenhagen started to say, his eyes full of stars.

"Where have you been?" Tulip barked. Her once plump and joyous face had turned cold and was full of rage. Copenhagen was taken aback by her not sharing in his joy.

"We went up to the mountain to catch the sunrise..." Tulip turned on her heel and stomped back into the castle before he could finish explaining. Copenhagen stood on the steps, dumbfounded. Nicki patted him on the shoulder as she passed and followed inside and away from the sunlight.

The castle smelled different to her, like the air had changed. Several maids and servants whispered to each other as they all filed down the halls, but they quickly shuffled out a bow once Copenhagen passed.

"Tulip, wait!" Copenhagen finally called out. His voice echoed off the walls; the painted angels watching him with empty faces. Tulip finally froze in front of the throne room, the golden light beckoning her in like an angel to the gates of heaven. She tapped her foot on the tile floor until Copenhagen finally caught up. Nicki kept her distance in the shadows but pried her ears open, a fight between Tulip and Copenhagen was just too good to miss.

"I thought you were having a good time at the party?" Copenhagen asked her, confusion in his voice.

"A good time? Did you even notice that I left? Do you even care how I got home?" Tulip cried, her voice getting louder. Copenhagen's face fell for the first time that day, crashing down from the high he'd been riding.

"I—I mean, I assumed you were okay..." Copenhagen ran his fingers through his tangled locks. Tulip snatched at his hand and looked it over.

"Where is your ring?" she gasped, outraged. Copenhagen pulled his hand away with an unintentional force.

"I gave it to Conrad," he stated, his brow tight. Tulip looked like she was going to turn green.

"You gave the king's ring to that demon?" Tulip hissed like a serpent.

"She's not just a demon. She's my fiancée."

The whole world froze as his words filled the halls and set themselves into the paint. Tulip choked on her words, her hands fiddling together finicky.

"What did you say?" Tulip refused to accept what she had heard and had to give it the chance to change. Copenhagen was determined, though and held no fear.

"I'm going to marry Conrad." He said it slowly so it could sink in. It did, and Tulip's eyes welled with slow tears.

"Fine. Abandon your kingdom and your people for the exact person who destroyed them." Tulip walked right past Copenhagen and up the stairs, her desperate wails carried down the halls like a curse setting itself into the bones of the castle.

Copenhagen stood in place with his head bowed. Nicki could see the confusion and hurt rippling through his body from her hiding place. He turned around suddenly and was headed somewhere in a hurry, causing him to crash into the hidden Nicki.

"Oh, sorry. Have you been there the whole time?" he asked, clearing his throat. Nicki felt the urge to lie but she could see him sincerely suffering under his thick exterior.

"Yes," she sighed.

"So, you heard what Tulip said? What did she mean by that?" he begged. Nicki didn't want to say it, but he had to know the truth before he threw his whole life into the unknown.

"Do you know Conrad's last name?" Nicki asked with hesitation.

"Yeah, it's Hale," Copenhagen stated.

"No, her real last name," Nicki pressed. Copenhagen looked at her with a blank face.

"Conrad's last name is August. Her father is Lamar August." Her words echoed off the walls and groaned, even the name leaving a sour taste on their paint. Every pair of angel eyes seemed to turn and watch the two of them.

"Wait. You don't mean, like, the Lamar August. Not the man who killed our..." Copenhagen's voice trailed off. He tightened his brow like he was trying to do long division in his head. His blue eyes darkened from the storm rolling over his subconscious.

"You're lying," he jutted between his clenched teeth.

"What?" Nicki was taken aback.

"That's not true! Conrad's not — she couldn't be. She would have told me. You're just jealous of our love," he spat in a growing panic.

"She was my friend first." Nicki felt the anger rising into her face.

"Exactly. So how could you say such things about her?" He said, on the defense. Nicki choked and couldn't find the right words.

"I gotta get out of here. Stay here, okay? You can at least do that," he snapped at Nicki and turned on his heel, leaving her alone with only the judgement from the paintings on the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Copenhagen?" Nicki whispered into the still and lonely air.