Page 45

REN

D awn’s pale light paints the room in shades of orange and gold. I stare at the ceiling, my mind churning as I think of Rapunzel. Sleeping without her these past few days has been agony.

Rowan shifts in the bed across the room, groaning as he awakens.

“You didn’t sleep either,” he mutters, rubbing his face.

I turn to face him. “I can’t leave her. I’m staying. I need to earn her forgiveness, Rowan. I have to fight for her… for us.”

Rowan props himself up on one elbow, studying me carefully. “What if she chooses Prince Theron? I overheard some of the guards speaking. They claim he’s on his way here even now.”

“Then I’ll fight even harder. I’ll do whatever it takes to convince her to choose me.”

“And if she still decides she wants him?” Rowan asks.

I clench my jaw. “Then I’ll accept it. But I’m not going to just give up and leave without trying.”

Rowan crosses the room and claps a hand on my shoulder. “Then I’ll stand by you, brother, no matter what happens. Whatever you decide, I’m with you.”

“Thank you, Rowan.” Gratitude swells my chest. “Now, let’s go find her.”

Determination steels me as I step out into the hallway. Rowan walks beside me as we make our way to the stairs. One of the servants told us the princess was having breakfast, and I’m hoping we’ll find her in the dining hall.

When we round the corner, I stop dead in my tracks when I see Rapunzel standing in the hallway. Intense longing fills me. Sunlight spears through the windows, casting her in a lovely golden glow. Gods, she’s the most beautiful female I’ve ever seen.

She’s speaking with a man with short, silver-white hair and piercing blue eyes, the same as hers. I recognize him from her drawings. He must be her older brother.

“Ren,” she calls me over, and it doesn’t escape my notice that she greets me the way she used to—without my title and full name. This is a good sign, I believe. “This is my brother, Tristan,” she says. “Tristan, this is Prince Ren and his brother, Prince Rowan of Cambryn.”

Tristan’s gaze sharpens with interest as he studies me, inclining his head respectfully. “Thank you for bringing my sister home, Prince Ren.” He turns to Rowan. “Our family is in your debt.”

“Our father has a saying.” Rowan steps forward. “There is no debt among friends.”

Tristan nods at him—one crown prince regarding another. “Wise words,” he replies.

Rowan engages him in conversation about our journey from Cambryn and when he glances over his shoulder at me, I realize he’s doing this to allow me a moment alone with Rapunzel.

I turn my attention to her. “May I speak with you?” Before she can reply, I add, “Privately.”

She nods.

Finik peeks his head out of her pocket, climbs onto her shoulder and then leaps to mine.

I stroke his fur as he nuzzles my cheek, making a small sound almost like a purr. “I missed you too my friend.” I chuckle as he makes a chirruping sound, as if telling me what he thinks about this new place.

“I think he wants to go outside,” Rapunzel says. “We can talk in the gardens if you’d like.”

Soft buttery morning light greets us as we walk outside. A cool breeze weaves through the trees, carrying the delicate scent of jasmine and roses.

Finik hops off my shoulder to go explore, and I turn to Rapunzel. I want so much to gather her in my arms, but I cannot. Not yet. There are things I must say. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Her blue eyes search mine. “What is it?”

Words of apology and love balance on the tip of my tongue, but before I can speak, one of the guards approaches. “Princess.” He bows low. “Forgive the interruption, but Prince Theron has arrived.”

Over her shoulder, I notice a male striding swiftly toward us. Her mouth falls open and my heart plummets as I recognize him immediately. He is just as she drew him in her sketchbook.

Prince Theron is striking. We are of similar height, but he seems much taller with the proud regal stag horns that crown his head. He has the typical lean muscular build of his people, with broad shoulders and sharply cut facial features.

Shoulder-length black hair, tipped with silver ends, falls around his face. Two pointed ears stick up from the silken strands. His vivid blue eyes are intense as they travel over my amira.

“Rapunzel!” He gathers her up in his arms, spinning her around. “Thank the gods. I knew it.” He cups her face with reverent hands. “I knew you were alive.”

Rapunzel’s stunned expression softens into something warm, undeniably moved by his statement.

Theron suddenly steps back, noticing me. “Who is this?”

“Theron,” she says, obviously flustered. “This is Prince Renard of Cambryn. He saved me and brought me home.”

Theron’s face breaks out into a smile as he clasps my forearm as if I were greeting one of his brother warriors. “Prince Renard, I cannot express enough gratitude for what you’ve done. I am in your debt.”

His sincerity catches me off guard, and despite the jealousy that burns in my veins, I cannot find it within myself to hate him. He clearly cares deeply for Rapunzel; it’s written across his face.

Theron is a good man, and that realization makes the ache in my heart even worse.

How can I possibly hope to convince her to choose me, when here is the male who searched for her these past three years? The one who never gave up hope when everyone else believed she was dead.

Rowan and Tristan walks toward us, and Rapunzel introduces my brother to the Stag prince.

When Theron thanks Rowan for escorting Rapunzel from Cambryn, his gratitude is once again genuine and unguarded, as if he were speaking to a long-time friend instead of someone he just met.

Stags are known to be rather vain creatures, and I’d hoped this would be the case for Prince Theron.

I wanted to find flaws in him that would prove I am the better male.

But now that we’ve met, my first impression is that he is kind and possesses the type of charm that I’d thought could only be found in one of my kin.

Theron turns back to Rapunzel, taking her hands in his own. “What happened, Zel? Where have you been these past three years?”

Zel? My heart slams in my throat. He has a nickname for her? I don’t stand a chance.

He starts to guide her away, but she turns back to me, her eyes meeting mine. “Ren, Rowan… could you please delay your departure? I’d like us to speak later.”

“Of course.” Rowan answers, dipping his chin in a subtle bow. “We’ll wait for you.”

Uncertainty tightens my chest as she darts another glance at me before walking away with Prince Theron. I long to go to her… to take her in my arms and never let go.

Ever since we met, I've tried so hard to prove myself worthy of her affection. And yet, as I watch her leave with the Stag Prince, it feels like I'm right back where I started: scarred, flawed, and not enough. Fate’s cruel joke.

“She still wants to talk,” Rowan says quietly beside me, probably sensing my unease. “That’s a good sign, Ren.”

I shake my head. “What if she regains her memories of him? What if she remembers”—my voice catches—“that she loves him?”

“That may happen.” Rowan grips my shoulder firmly. “And if it does, she will have to make a choice. Which is why you must let her know what’s in your heart. Hold nothing back. If you do, you will regret it.”

Determination burns deep within. I won’t surrender to ghosts of her past. If Prince Theron wants her, he'll have to fight harder than me.

Because I’m not letting her go. Not until she herself tells me I must.