The White Sheep's Disguise ✓

Chapter 25

Gudgeon Village isn't often visited by anyone prestigious enough to own or train a dragon. So when I hear the thundering beat of wings and a cry of warning from a beast descending on the land, I know that is my time to head towards the calls of the palace. Waiting underneath the crooked porch of an abandoned building, I emerge into the sun and head two streets over, to the cloud of dust rising into the air.

Leather straps slam against silver hoops and latches as the dragon shakes out the freezing air sticking to its scales. Sliding down from the saddle, laughing about words I cannot hear, Gustus and Theo offer a wave in my direction. My second rotation at the palace is about to begin—once I'm back in the clutches of royal ground, I won't escape for two weeks. Not until the queen allows me to go home.

I said my goodbyes nearly an hour ago. Chaska's glossed eyes, springing with tears, made me want to stay. Castiel's regretful silence shredded my heart to pieces, and it was only Theoden that helped me through. Hugging tight, he promised everything would go as it should. For me, that was better than hearing that everything would be perfect.

Theoden never bothered with false promises, and he isn't about to start now.

The closer I get, the more Gustus shivers. "How do you live in these conditions? I can't stand utterly still without freezing," he complains.

"Is that why your fur-lined coat is pulled up against your throat?" I mock, pointing at the button digging into his jaw. He frowns and earns a nudge in the arm from his husband.

"Marie!" I turn and scowl at the approaching figure through the fading cloud of dust. Rylan raises his hand in the air, bringing himself to a stop only feet away. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

I glance back at Gustus. He stares at my husband, studying him from head to toe in disgust. The clustered buildings scattering off into the clearing where they landed doesn't give Gudgeon Village the most notorious reputation—most of the cottages here are occupied by the twitching, mumbling type that wipes at their nose with the back of their hand and then reaches towards you to beg for scraps.

Theodas's red nose twitches in the cold and he jerks his chin towards Rylan, silently urging me to get on with it. Rylan takes me by the arm and leads me a few feet away, much too close for the two royal members to hear everything we say.

They wait, and I hear Gustus shifting on his feet, crossing his arms over his chest. The fur-lined coat reaching his thighs thickens around the abdomen, making it even more difficult to wrap his arms around himself.

"What do you need?" I question, also crossing my arms over my chest so Rylan doesn't think I'm in the mood for any sort of embrace. "I have to leave soon, I can't—"

"I want you to behave yourself at the palace," he threatens. My mind goes blank, first considering this to be a joke, then questioning why he's stating this, to begin with. Of course, I'll behave at the palace, there isn't another alternative. I open my mouth to speak, but the words tumble from his lips before I have the chance. "And I want you to return to me with open arms."

Loose rock scrapes together underneath one of the prince's boots. I stare at Rylan's tight frown, realizing this isn't a joke at all. He means for this to be serious.

"Two weeks is a long time, Marie," he goes on before my mind has the chance to catch up to his rapid pace. "Things can change, and you shan't forget my existence, or your family's. Trust that this is still your home, and I am still your husband."

He begins to back away, leaving me frozen in shock. A second later, Gustus's hand closes around my arm. "Come, Marie. We need to go."

Rylan never breaks his stare away from mine until the prince has to practically drag me towards the dragon. The threat in his eyes says it all—he means every single word. And to have the audacity to share that threat in front of the prince of Rivian...where did he gather the courage?

Theodas and Gustus don't ask me about Rylan on the way back to the palace. The chilled ride on the back of a dragon clusters with a wind-filled silence, and I appreciate the fact that there's something to block us from speaking to each other. Their lost stares never stray from the capital's direction, leaving the past behind as I should have done a long time ago.

Once we land, I scurry to my room before either of them can question Rylan's threat. Gustus begins to speak, raising his hand towards me in acknowledgment of what happened, but I'm still shaking. I am still your husband.

What does he believe me to do while I'm here? Find new love in the form of a prince or a nameless courtier? My anger boils over, and I'm thankful for the lock on my door. Huddled on my clean cot, the blankets folded towards the foot; I tuck my knees against my chest and lift the illusion. The pressure in my skull lightens. Leaning my head back against the stone wall, I close my eyes and breathe deeply. The memory of the wind continues to rip deep into my ears and that carries me into sleep, merely minutes after I've arrived. Another two weeks, and I'm already wasting valuable time.