The Dark Prince

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty
I woke up the next day much quicker than I was hoping. When I got up, my body slumped, as if preparing for today. I dragged my feet to the closet and grabbed a pair of clothes. I dragged my feet even more to the bathroom.

I took the longest shower of my life. Hopefully no one else needs to shower anytime soon, because there's no way there is any hot water left. I stared into the mirror as I slowly brushed out my hair. My eyes stared back at me, filled with fear.

I sighed and put the brush back down on the sink. I didn't even bother to do anything with my hair. Instead, I forced myself to take the steps to Rowan's room. I knocked once, but a part of me knew he wasn't in there. I didn't even bother trying again. I decided to follow my gut and walk aimlessly until I found him and Aiden in the work out room.

They were sparring, though this time with metal beams rather than their hands. Both of their shirts were off, sweat glistening down their body. The sound of the beams making contact caused a loud bang to occur, practically rocking me on my feet.

Aiden noticed me first. He turned to smile and wave. Rowan was about to swing the beam again, but stopped just before wacking Aiden in the head. Rowan turned to me too, a small smile on his face.

"Aiden and I were talking about tomorrow. We think you and I should meditate together, so we're at full strength for when the fae get here," Rowan stated, setting the beam down so that he could hop off the ring and walk toward me.

I nodded. That's probably a good idea. "Okay. But afterward, can we talk?"

Rowan raised his eyebrows. "About?"

"We can talk about it after the meditation."

Rowan eyed me for a few more moments before slowly nodding. He began to walk out of the room, expecting us to follow. Aiden grabbed my arm to hold me back.

Are you sure about this, Aiden murmured in my head.

I knew what he was referring to. I didn't respond, I didn't need to. He saw the answer in my eyes. He nodded his head and threw an arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer to him. I leaned into him gratefully.

We walked out of the room, following Rowan out of the mansion and to an empty spot in the woods. He sat cross legged on the ground, and I followed suit right in front of him. Aiden sat some distance away.

"Do you remember how to do this," Rowan questioned.

I nodded slowly.

He shifted a little closer so that our knees would be touching before he grabbed onto my hands. "The same rules apply. We have to open up to each other, but no snooping."

The ending was a warning, but not nearly as dire as it was the first time we did this. I took a deep breath and nodded. Then we both closed our eyes, clearing our minds and opening them to each other. I felt instantly when our minds connected. This time, it was almost different. The connection was much stronger.

Maybe it's because we've known each other longer, but this seems so much more intimate. I pushed the thoughts away and forced myself to relax, to even my breaths.

It was nice. I wasn't thinking, wasn't doing anything really. It felt very grounding. Until the blackness started to turn into a million noises at once, and the colors started to blur. I tried to pull out of the memory, not wanting to invade his privacy, but our minds were too connected and too distracted for me to fight it.

The colors started to blur together to form the throne room. The king stood there, much younger. It was shocking to see him look the way he did. His hair was much shorter, his features more chiseled. This had to have been a very long time ago. The way Rowan stood, almost eye to eye to him, showed that he was much older than the little boy that he was in the memory I saw of him last time.