The Second Son

Chapter 10

The storm slowed down and we quietly made our way out of the cave and back onto our horses. The rest of the ride back to the manor was silent. It seemed as if neither one us wanted to return to reality. Out here in the woods, we could be whoever we wanted to be. Titles didn't matter. We could also be together.

I knew I was falling for Henry. But now that I knew the feeling was mutual, it all became even more bittersweet. I've never been one to complain or be resentful towards my place in the world. I've always known I am luckier than most. But right now, I couldn't help thinking how unfair this whole situation was.

When we finally arrived back at the manor, there were several carriages surrounded by servants scrambling around. It was obvious that the king and queen had arrived. I glanced over at Henry and the expression on his face had hardened. He rode ahead leaving me behind.

I'd be lying if I said his behavior didn't bother me. It was as if he didn't want to be seen with me. I guess I expected more after what he said to me in the cave. I should have known better. We lived in a world where titles meant everything.

I turned my horse towards the stable. I was tired, wet, and dirty from riding most of the day. I was not in the mood to greet the royal family.

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After I cleaned myself up, I snuck some food from the kitchens and decided to hide in my surgery the rest of the night. My aunt and uncle were probably too consumed in their hosting duties to worry about where I was. I had so much going on in my head. After everything we learned from Catori and what Henry had said to me in the cave, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do next.

My scrambled thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. When I opened the door, there stood Henry casually leaning on the door frame. His appearance took my breath away. He had obviously bathed. His hair was still damp and he was now wearing a fresh set of clothes.

His eyes slowly looked me up and down. I had just left my damp hair down to dry because I didn't plan on seeing anyone. I was wearing a clean white frock and my feet were bare. I looked down in embarrassment at him finding me in such a state.

His hand moved under my chin and brought my face back up so I had to look into his eyes.
"You look like an angel, Little One," he whispered. I felt a shiver go up my spine at his voice. How did he have such an effect on me?

I momentarily forgot about his behavior earlier. His hand on my chin moved to the back of my neck and he slowly pulled me in for a gentle kiss. When he pulled away, I opened my eyes to find him staring intently into mine. It took my breath away.

And then I remembered. I quick pulled away from him and took a step backward. Henry had a look of confusion on his face.

"Emily, what's wrong? I thought after today....." He let his statement trail off. I started to shake my head back and forth to bring me back to reality.

"You just left me earlier without a word. I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me. You said one thing when we were alone in the cave earlier but your behavior said something else when you saw that your parents had arrived."

He took my hand and I didn't protest. His touch did something to me. I was starting to crave it.

"I'm sorry for leaving you behind. I should have handled that differently. But you don't know my mother. She would have made a scene if she saw me riding with you and I didn't want to put you through that. I need to find the right time to tell them about you. I just need some time." He looked at me pleadingly.

I guess I understood his point. The queen was known as a ruthless woman.

"I still think this is all a mistake. Do you understand the risk I'm taking. I could get into a lot of trouble for fraternizing with someone above my station." I explained to him.

He reassured me again that he would find a way for us to be together.

After a few more kisses, Henry left to go deal with his parents. I decided to use the rest of the evening to go through the bundle that Alva gave me earlier. I recognized almost all of the dried plants except for one. It was a long stem with dried leaves and what looked like some sort of black flower that was pressed and dried. I had never seen it before. It reminded me of a peony a little bit but much smaller. Also, I had never seen a peony this color before. In fact, I've never seen any flower this color before. It was as black as the night during a new moon. Just one more thing that made no sense today.

I started pulling out all the books I had on rare plants. After skimming through everything I had, I came up empty-handed. I let my head drop into my hands out of frustration. My uncle's house had a pretty large library and I had already snuck out every book I could find on plants, herbs, and healing. Maybe I missed something.

I grabbed the plant and started to make my way through the halls of this oversized house. My destination was all the way on the other side. I really hoped I didn't run into anyone. Especially now that the manor was full of guests of the royal persuasion. My prayers were answered and I soon found myself in front of the large wooden door of the library. I knew it would be deserted at this time of night.

I pushed the door open and was met by darkness and silence. A shiver ran down my spine. Even though I lived here my whole life, certain rooms still creeped me out at night. This was one of them. I could disappear in here and no one would know. The room was rarely used and only cleaned every so often.

I had thought ahead and brought a candle. It didn't give off much light in the vast room but thankfully I knew where I was going. I made a sharp right turn and walked as far as I could go and then turned left and walked all the way to the back along the stone wall. This far corner was reserved for books about nature. It was probably the smallest section of the whole library.

I held the candle up and started perusing the familiar books. I had looked through all of these already and I knew there wasn't anything about this strange plant in any of them. I knelt down to check the bottom shelf to see if there was anything I was missing. Again, I had already read all these titles as well. I was growing frustrated. There had to be something.

Just as I was about to stand back up, I noticed a thin dark blue portfolio that I had never noticed before. It was stuck in between the section on nature and the section on the supernatural that was next to it. When I pulled it out, I noticed that it was someone's notebook. It was filled with handwritten notes and drawings. There was no name or title on the cover. I started skimming through the pages and noticed that it was mainly about experiments done with plants and dead animals. The more I read into it, I came to the conclusion that this person was attempting witchcraft. I noticed my hands started to shake at this. Witchcraft scared me more than anything. I considered myself a woman of science and nature. There was nothing natural about witchcraft.

I flipped through the pages trying to find some answers about the plant Alva gave me. After a few minutes, I found a drawing that looked exactly like the strange flower. I read over the description and almost dropped the candle I was holding.

"The Midnight Bloom: the rarest flower known to man. Black flower with long leafy stem. Purpose: Can bring someone back from the dead. Untested."

A/N  Thank you for reading! Please comment! I love getting feedback. Hope you are staying safe and healthy and most importantly, staying home! 💙😷