A Crown and A Curse

Chapter 26: To Put Up A Fight

Zora

Kian had told Hestia she could invite the seers to a small study in the same wing as my chambers. The sight was a gift of prophecy, an ability to see small pieces of a person's future. They filed in one-by-one, all familiar and friendly faces. Vick Hallows, a kind young man who was only a year older than me, clapped me on the shoulder as he walked in. Though Vick had never exhibited the seer's gift himself, most of his family had been extremely gifted. I had never gotten the pleasure of meeting them, due to the fact that he had been separated from them when fleeing Shornes. It was pure luck that he had wandered into Stockgrove.

"Vick, I'd like you to meet my friend Hestia," she curtsied in greeting. "Hestia, this is Vick Hallows."

"Nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine. So Zora tells me your mother had a relative with the gift of sight?"

"Yes, her uncle. I never met him, but she would tell us stories of his abilities on occasion. She died when I was very young, I scarcely remember most of the stories but I remember the feeling of being amazed by his abilities."

Vick looked her up and down, his eyes narrowing, "Where are you from?"

"Shornes."

A huge smile came across Vick's face. "Hestia Wynsley?" He asked. She nodded in confirmation with a face of confusion.

"Yes, how did you know?''

Vick Grinned, "My Grandmother's maiden name was Wynsley. My grandfather was a seer. Perhaps the same seer you speak of?" My mouth hung open in surprise. I ushered everyone else out the room, Hestia had unbelievably located a possible family member in her first introduction.

"The very same! The name alone proves it, we're family!" She said, with a broad grin.

"Cousins of some sort?" Vick's own expression mirrored hers. Both of them had lost so much from a young age. It was a miracle that they had found each other.

"I'll give you two some privacy, after all, this is a family matter,'' I said with a small smile, walking to the door. I had almost made it out when Hestia tackled me in a hug.

"Thank you, Zora!" She said, for once looking her age. She was only two years past thirteen and yet sometimes she seemed older than me.

I squeezed her shoulder, "No thanks needed, it was my pleasure.''

I opened the door to my room to find someone already waiting there.

"Hey," Kian said to me, from where he sat in an armchair. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. I sat down on the windowsill across from him.

"Hi."

He offered me a small smile, "So you kind of ran off and gave me a heart attack back there in that hallway."

I laughed, looking back on it, I hadn't made the most gracious exit. It was selfish to run from him when he had been just as surprised as me. "Sorry about that."

He cleared his throat. "I'm going to talk to my advisers in the morning and I think that you should be there."

"I don't think-" I tried to decline, but he cut me off.

"I know exactly what you're thinking and you can trust me when I say that there is no need to fear. No one will tell you who to marry and I don't have any intentions of either of us agreeing to this proposal. In fact, I think that's exactly what they expect. My council doesn't like you Zora. You are intimidating to them, a strong woman who has accomplished so much, and they hate it. They believe that you are influencing me to defy them so they were trying to find a way to scare you off."

I furrowed my brow, it made perfect sense actually. How had Kian been so level-headed when I had instantly panicked? "That is actually a wonderful explanation."

He chuckled, "Don't get me wrong, it took a few hours to think it over. At first I was shocked, then horrified because I thought you might want to leave. The being horrified eventually led to the common sense to see that this is exactly the reaction they wanted."

I smirked, ''Not the exact reaction. I'm still here, aren't I?"

Kian's face heated, "And thank Fate for that. I couldn't do this without you." He smiled, "The thought of you leaving, made me realize just how much that I need you here."

I couldn't help but smile, my own face a light shade of pink. I knew that the words were from one leader to another, a need to work together to rebuild a kingdom. But in that moment I couldn't help but wish that they were from just Kian, not Prince Kian with a whole world on his shoulders and a ruthless sort of ambition for justice but my Kian: the strong man with a lion heart and a beautiful mind. Words not spoken of an alliance of armies, but of two people who cared about each other more than they ever thought possible.

I swallowed, "I won't ever leave until we have done what we need to do. These people are as much mine as they are yours."

Kian's face dropped a bit, "I'm glad that you care about this cause as much as I do." He walked to the door. I wondered if I had said something wrong. "We'll have an ear;y start tomorrow. Best get some rest, goodnight Zora."

He had almost closed the door when I stopped him, "Kian?"

He poked his head back in, his eyebrows knit together. "Yes?"

"What if we get some revenge on your advisers?"

He smiled darkly, "That sounds like something worth losing sleep for."