Fairy Whim (Immortal Souls: Book 3)

Maddoc

Amatus forced his friends back into his room soon after Arabella left. He figured it was impolite to stay in her room while she wasn't there, after all. As usual, the three fell asleep in his bed. Having them nearby while he slept helped keep nightmares at bay, so he couldn't bring himself to suggest they return home.

Arabella must have returned to her room at some point in the night because he found her waiting outside her door before breakfast.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"Very well." She wore a giddy smile that helped him relax as they made their way down to breakfast with the two people who hated him most in the world.

They were nearly done with their uncomfortable meal when a servant entered and held a thin envelope out to Amatus, saying, "This came for you."

He accepted it, fully aware that all eyes were on him. Had it been Cadeyrn's mail, the staff would likely have waited to give it to him in private. Of course, they had no such concerns for the prince.

Amatus opened it to find a letter from Theo. This wasn't terribly unusual, but the content was.

"Is everything okay?" Arabella asked.

He folded the letter and slipped it back in the envelope. "I'll tell you about it later."

She didn't question him further and he tucked the letter away, continuing the meal as normal. No one else asked him questions. He figured they weren't particularly interested. After all, if it didn't affect the king or their mother, neither of them would likely be concerned.

After breakfast, Cadeyrn headed to his office, where he was set to meet Carwen and Raya to continue their discussions.

Amatus figured he'd try to distract Arabella for the day as the discussions would likely take a while and it wouldn't do to have her waiting around outside the king's office. He was going to suggest they walk to town when his mother approached.

"May I have a word with you?" For once, she was looking at him and her tone was polite. "It will only take a moment."

How could he refuse? He stepped away from Arabella and followed his mother across the foyer to a spot where they could have some privacy. He could feel his fiancée's gaze on him, but figured that was fine.

"We haven't talked much since you've been back," the queen said. "I suppose I have my anger to blame for that. It's been difficult since my husband was killed. While I know you didn't do anything intentionally, I still..."

Amatus couldn't look at her. "I'm sorry. I would give anything to bring him back."

"Unfortunately, that's just not possible." She paused for a moment before gently lifting his chin so she could look him in the eye. "We may be able to reconcile, though. I would like that."

His heart pounded at her words, scarcely believing them. "I want that, too."

She offered him a slight smile. "Perhaps we can spend some time together this week, just the two of us. It would be good to catch up."

"I'll make myself available whenever you'd like," he promised without hesitation.

She gave his arm a light squeeze. "You were always such a sweet boy."

Amatus wasn't naive. He knew she was likely going to ask him for something soon. Even so, he found himself smiling at the compliment.

The queen released his arm and glanced towards the stairs. "Your friends are still hanging around, I assume."

"Probably," he admitted. "They've been staying out of trouble, though."

He told himself that was true. What happened with Raya could hardly be considered trouble, after all.