The King's Bride

You're Free

Jensen walks through the, mostly empty, corridors, kicking himself for not realizing that he had made Everleigh upset, having heard an earful from Mackenzie when he eventually went looking for her. Now, as he heads to the gardens, he hopes he can make things right between them once again.

He finds her standing by her orchids, the moonlight giving her an eerie appearance, a fearful shiver running down his spine. Jensen knows she heard him arrive, the way her back straightens a dead giveaway, but remains with her back to him.

-"When you brought me here and showed me the orchids, for a second I thought we had a chance. And for the first time since I arrived at Court, I felt like we could actually make this work. But... Seeing you talk with Lady Laila made me realize that I was wrong." - She turns to him. -"I don't belong here. I know it and deep down, so do you. I wasn't raised to be a Queen like Lady Laila clearly was and you deserve someone who knows how to look after you and your Kingdom."

-"What are you trying to tell me, Everleigh?" - He is taken aback by her words, as he sees her standing taller than ever, determination in her voice when she answers him.

-"I'm freeing you from our marriage agreement. I don't have anyone to do this on my behalf, so I'm doing it myself. We're done. You're free from the commitment our fathers have forced upon us. Our fathers clearly didn't think this through. I'll be leaving tonight, so feel free to tell people whatever you want, I don't care."

-"And where will you go? What will you do?" - Jensen never thought it would come to this.

-"Home. Luckily for me, my father always made sure that, if anything happened, I would be able to fend for myself and wouldn't be dependent on others' charity. I'll be fine." - There's a soft smile on her lips when she speaks of her father.

-"Don't do this, Everleigh. Please stay. I'm sure we can figure something out. You don't need to leave. We can find a solution for this."

-"There's nothing to figure out, Jensen. Lady Laila is a much better match to you than I ever was and she already has the Private Council's blessing. You'll be fine. I'm sure that Lady Laila will make you very happy. And who knows? Maybe one day our paths might cross again. Be happy and stay safe."

Everleigh kisses him softly on the cheek before walking away, tears in her eyes, leaving Jensen to sort through his own emotions all alone in the garden where he had planted her favorite flower. He should've said something, he knows he should've, but if he is being honest with himself and Everleigh, and despite how much he already loves her and hates what he is thinking, he has to agree with her.

However, that is not what his heart is yelling at him.