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Chapter Thirty-Eight

I t was that evening that everything fell apart. As they were leaving the dining hall, Grim stumbled, clutching at his head.

“Grim? Are you all right?” questioned Thea frantically.

“I’m fine,” he muttered, waving her away, but at that very moment he crumpled to the ground.

Everything happened all at once. Servants rushed forward, and guards hovered around the fallen prince. All the while, Thea barked out orders authoritatively.

Serena rushed forward, but Thea held out a hand and looked at her coldly.

“Please go back to your room,” she said coolly. “It is best that you let us take care of His Highness; you’ll only be in the way.”

She stood there, stricken, not even able to argue back.

That’s right, in this world she meant nothing to Grim.

Nothing more than a foundling he had found washed on the beach from a shipwreck.

She found herself jostled back as more people entered, and soon she lost sight of him completely.

He was carried out shortly after, and there was no way for her to ask where he was.

Even if she could, she had a feeling that Thea would find a way to block her nonetheless.

That night she lay in her bed, ill with worry. Even Molly’s chatter could not distract her from the pain in her heart. The girl seemed to notice her mood and was extra attentive to her until Serena dismissed her for the night.

I miss you, Grim, she thought, burying her face into her pillow, which was sodden with tears of her heartsickness.

The next day Grim was reported to be still abed, and much to her chagrin, Thea refused to let her anywhere near his chambers.

She heard whispers throughout the palace about how attentive Lady Thea was to the prince, how she was caring for him through this mysterious illness, how their engagement was a foregone conclusion, and would probably be announced at the Summer Solstice ball at the end of the week.

Trying her best to ignore the rumors she opted to spend her time in a way that was not a complete waste .

The castle was still unfamiliar to her, but she managed to find her way to the stables, wincing with every step. A heavy hand landed on her shoulder as she peeked inside, making her almost jump.

Bronson stood behind her, a confused smile on his weathered face. She perked up at the sigh of him and pushed the bottle she was holding at him.

“What’s this, milady?”

She rubbed her chest and mimed coughing, then pointed at him.

The other day, his cough had bothered her, and she spent a lot of time thinking of what exactly was troubling him.

Finally, she had landed on a chest cold as the most likely source.

With Molly’s help she had managed to procure some key ingredients such as thyme and rosemary, brewing a healing tonic with them.

Bronsons’s eyes widened as he realized what it was. “Thank you, ever so much milady. You did not have to go through this trouble.”

She shook her head and smiled at him and held up one finger, and made a drinking motion.

“Once a day?”

Clapping her hands to show that he was right, she gave him a cheery wave before sweeping out of the stables.

She spent the next day in bed, her legs choosing to hurt worse than they had before.

Curled up in the soft covers she tried not to spiral thinking of the time that was passing with no progress.

She had asked for a pen and paper but had quickly realized the curse made it impossible to write down anything related to her situation.

Instead she chose to sketch Grim instead, as that was the only thing on her mind these days.

The sketch was not very good, she had never been able to master drawing people, but it kept her thoughts occupied .

On the fifth day, when she was almost about to give up hope, she heard from Molly that the prince had awoken and had, in fact, asked for her. This time when she got up from bed, she embraced the subsequent pain, for it was a small price to pay for seeing Grim again.

She had expected him to be lying in bed when she entered his chamber and so was surprised to see him sitting on a desk writing something down. He looked up and gave her a welcoming smile.

“Hello, Selene, I see you got my message. Have you been doing well?”

She nodded, then gestured toward him, and he scowled.

“I’m completely fine, contrary to what the fussing hens around me might say. I woke up yesterday after my fever broke, but the doctor insisted I rest for a day.”

She crossed her arms and glared at the work on his table.

“Not you too,” he groaned. “Listen, I am working because I cannot just sit and do nothing!”

“Stars, Grim! We just got back from a tale and you want to train first thing in the morning?” complained Serena, as she held a cup of tea and rubbed her bleary eyes.

In contrast to her haggard appearance, Grim stood looking fresh faced, in his black leathers, as he swung his sword again, against an imaginary opponent.

“Forgive me, Princess,” he teased. “Some of us can’t just sit and do nothing! ”

“Selene,” said Grim in an alarmed voice. “Are you crying?”

Shaking her head, she tried to surreptitiously wipe her eyes, but he was in front of her offering a fancy silk handkerchief.

That made her tear up again, because the Grim she knew would never carry around such a thing.

She ached to be back in Primrose Cottage with him, as they sat in front of the fire with their shabby mugs of tea .

“Can I get you something?” he asked, his voice wavering slightly. “Here, come sit down. Were you that worried about me, then?”

She nodded, and his gaze warmed as he patted her head affectionately.

“I’m all better now, you silly goose. Would you like a cup of tea?”

That made her give him a watery smile and nod, and she saw his features melt into relief as he rang a bell and asked a servant to get her some tea. She had just taken her first sip when Thea entered, and her gaze zeroed in on Grim.

“Your Highness!” she cried, her voice quite unlike her usual monotone. “You mustn’t be up yet! The doctor said you should rest.”

“I’m quite all right, Thea,” said Grim gently, although she heard a tinge of irritation in his voice that gave her some amount of petty satisfaction. “Besides, I’m entertaining a guest right now.”

Thea’s eyes fell on her then, and the cold gaze of the woman who had barred her from entering Grim’s room, returned for a minute before it was quickly replaced by her usual blank politeness.

“Miss Selene,” she said dipping her head, “it is lovely to see you, but I think His Highness needs his rest so—”

“Thea,” said Grim in a hard voice, “you are overstepping.”

A pink splotch of color swept across her high cheekbones, and for a minute, Serena almost felt sorry for her. Except the next moment, she looked at Grim with such naked adoration that she wanted to throw something at her head. Stars, how had the man not noticed her feelings yet?

“I am only trying to help,” she murmured. “Do not be angry at me.”

He inclined his head and gave her a small smile.

“It’s all right,” he said. “And thank you. I heard you had a hand in my speedy recovery.”

“Of course,” she said brightly, placing a slim hand on his arm .

Serena wanted to take that hand and shove it up her—

“—Selene won’t mind, will you, Selene?”

She blinked and looked at the two figures staring at her expectantly.

“Thea has a friend who would like to join us for dinner tonight,” said Grim. “I wanted to make sure you were comfortable, as you have not met many strangers over here. Will you be fine?”

She nodded, her heart fluttering at the realization that he was already on his way to caring enough that he worried about strangers upsetting her.

“Perfect,” said Thea, with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “If you will excuse me, I have some things I need to do.”

After she left, Grim took a seat next to her.

“I dreamt of her again,” he said quietly, and Serena had a sinking suspicion she would not like this conversation.

“The girl in my dreams, she was calling my name. But this time, there was more. I think…I think I knew her in a past life or something. The things she said…the way I felt. I have never felt that way about anyone. Do you know what I mean?”

She had no choice but to nod, her fists clenched in her lap.

“I need to find her, Selene,” he said earnestly. “It feels like my heart is missing a piece, and I think I need to find her to feel whole again.”

There was nothing she could say to that, so she simply reached out and squeezed his hand, praying that there was some way to show him she was the girl he was looking for.

“How did you keep yourself occupied in my absence?”

She smiled at him then, and fished out the piece of paper she had been working on from her dress, handing it to him.

His eyes widened. “This is…me.”

He held the sketch she had made of him up in the light, a smile quirking the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you. I shall treasure it always.”

She was called to dinner again that night, and she wondered who their mysterious guest was.

Her question had an unfortunate answer, as she entered to see Lore smirking at her from the table.

Thea gave her the same cool nod, while Grim smiled and helped her into her chair as always.

She felt raw and exposed—Lore witnessing Grim not knowing her made everything feel so much worse.

“Selene, this is Lord Lore, a friend of Thea’s.”

“A pleasure,” murmured Lore, his eyes scanning her. “Selene, was it? What a pretty name. Although you look more like a Serena to me.”

“Selene is Grim’s fanciful name for her,” said Thea with a brittle smile. “We don’t know her real name.”

“How unfortunate,” he replied, “to not know oneself; what a pity.”

He and Thea exchanged a glance, which made Serena’s hair stand on their end. She suddenly had a bad feeling about all this.

“Your Highness,” began Thea in a practiced sweet tone, “I don’t know if you know, but my friend here possesses some magic, and I wondered. Would you like to know the identity of the girl in your dreams?”

Grim blanched. “How do you know about that?” he snarled.

“Oh, please do not be angry!” she cried. “I just heard you talk about it in your sleep so many times. It pains me to see you suffer so.”

“I won’t do much,” promised Lore. “I just need a quick peek into your mind.”

Darkness clouded the edge of her vision as Serena struggled to keep her breathing normal. This was a trap. There was no way Lore would show up to help Grim remember his memories. She reached out and grabbed Grim’s arm and shook her head slightly. He frowned and faced the two people opposite him.

“No thank you,” he said politely. “I don’t need to know anything.”

“If you’re sure,” said Lore slyly. “But you would be missing out on the chance to find your true love.”

Serena saw the moment he caved, and she could do nothing about it.

“Very well,” said Grim. “But you get one chance.”

“That is all I need, Your Highness. If you would close your eyes?”

Lore’s fingers flexed slightly, and she saw wisps of green circle Grim’s temple.

For a minute, nothing happened, and then Grim opened his eyes.

“It’s you,” he said.