I woke up early in the morning and stretched my limbs. The warm rays of the sun were on my face and I smiled at the familiar comfort of being in my own bed. I turned, reaching out to the other side of the bed and frowned at the cool emptiness beneath my hand.
Why did it feel strange? I sat up in bed and looked around my room. Nothing seed missing or out of place but still, sothing was off. I reminded myself that I had been away for a year based on what everyone told , and whatever I did during that ti, my body had to get used to being back ho again.
My stomach growled and I hurried to get cleaned up and dressed for breakfast. Rushing into the dining room where the staff had already prepared my favorite foods, I felt myself frowning again as I sat at the empty table.
My father was usually a very early riser and I assud he must have already eaten and gone to catch up on business he missed with the elders. It was so quiet. At the palace, people seed to fuss over nonstop, which I hated. But, I didn’t like the feeling of sitting alone to eat either. There were so many things on my mind but no one to talk to.
I reminded myself that my forest friends would have missed and were eager to hear whatever I was thinking about.
After I hurried through breakfast, I wrapped a spare biscuit in a napkin, grabbed a pencil and sketchbook, threw a shawl over my shoulders and made my way from the house into the forest, enjoying the crisp morning air and warming sunshine.
Birds fluttered happily in the tree canopy and rabbits scampered along the path. It didn’t take long for to get to my favorite spot beneath a great oak tree.
“I can see that you all missed ,” I teased the animals that seed curious and shy about my return. “Apparently, I have been away for a year. But, I have lost my mory. Don’t be shy. It’s the sa old Ciana.”
I set my pencil and sketchbook down before unwrapping the biscuit and breaking off a piece. I crumpled the pieces between my fingers and sprinkled the crumbs on the ground. The birds dove in first and were joined by the squirrels and rabbits.
“Okay, so you rember now...” I giggled and smiled as they got comfortable gathering together for the crumbs I tossed on the forest floor.
When the biscuit was all finished I brushed my hands together and picked up the sketch pad.
“I have to say, I am so happy to be back ho. When I was in the palace, I really didn’t have anywhere to go or even any room to breathe. Everyone seed concerned because I was injured and I did lose my mory.”
A red robin landed on my shoulder and nudged my cheek while a squirrel took a mont to blink at sympathetically.
“Dottie, the healer, was very kind. Then there was Brook who felt like a sister. She was in love with the king’s beta,” I emphasized dramatically and they all rustled around excitedly. “Yes, he loves her too. His na was Jake and they are mates and getting married.”
Even more excitent rippled through them.
“There was Prince Warren who was polite and tender, he’s the king’s brother. And then King Theo. He has a zoo.”
They all looked stunned by the idea.
“Oh, he had all kinds of beautiful animals. All were very smart and clever...”
Theo’s eyes flashed in my mind and I put down the pencil I was sketching with.
“The king... He told to call him Theo... He knew how much I like animals and he bought a gift. It was a very sweet leopard. I nad her Neava. Warren and Jake were supposed to make it a surprise but I stumbled upon them with her.”
I laughed as I rembered the ti he and I were together in his garden. My fingers touched my lips as I rembered the kiss he gave when I first woke up.
When I ca out of my daydream the animals were looking at in anticipation.
“I... I think I might miss him... all of them,” I whispered,” They are not as free or as much fun as all of you but if they are that kind and caring after a few days, maybe I do have deep and significant mories of them that I should uncover.”
The animals looked at with sympathy.
I moved to pick up my pencil, I wanted to finish that last sketch before I left. When I was done, I let out a heavy sigh and tossed it aside.
On it was a handso man under a tree with a python and a leopard next to him.
I wrapped my arms around my knees and looked out at the horizon. “
Perhaps I should ask daddy to help recover my mories after all.
Just then, the sudden cracking of a twig startled . I turned to see what stepped on it but then felt strong slender arms holding tight.
A cloth ca over my mouth as I struggled to free myself. I quickly beca dizzy. The world spun around and I crumpled to the ground as all went dark.
***
*Theo*
I sat at my desk, slumped over the budget for the palace staff and soldiers. After staring at the file for five minutes straight, I tossed my pen down.
I was thinking about Ciana again.
That day, I had a long conversation with her father, and I was hopeful.
The portal, the Realm of Light and the White Queen. Everything seed to have co together, then she ran away.
Her father Soren didn’t deny my request of courting her, and at so point, I would. However, after following her all the way ho, after seeing how happy she was with her father and without , I couldn’t bring myself to force her back here anymore.
Her father was right. She was so free, energetic and joyful outside of the palace, why would I bring her back? She was safe and happy at ho, and that was all that mattered.
One day, if she could recover her mories and then... maybe...
I looked at my hands. Maybe what? Even if she rembered, we might get together, then I would brush against her, and it would happen all over again or worse.
I shook my head. There was no “maybe” until we could find the portal to the Realm of Light and get her the blessing from the White Queen again.
A quick knock at the door let know that Warren was about to enter. I picked up the pen again and looked up as he brought yet another stack of papers for to review.
“Hey Theo.” Warren scanned my desk for an empty space. “The census results have co back in for each of the packs. You promised to send aid as needed. These are the figures for the assistance they are asking for.”
“Of course.” I shifted papers to clear a spot for him to place his papers then went back to work on the budget. Warren put the papers down but remained in the room... hovering.
I knew he was going to try, yet again, to bring up Ciana. I kept my eyes on the numbers hoping he would get the hint and leave.
He didn’t.
“I think that it is ti for the palace and its new King to host a Moon Ball,” he said.
I put the pen down as a million reasons why that was a bad idea ran through my head.
“Warren, it will be a miracle if we have two coins to rub together after all the aid and repair we have to pay for. The country is just getting up and running. No one will have the ti or the energy for a dance.”
“I forget how antisocial you’ve always been, A Moon Ball is about more than dancing, Theo. mothers and fathers bring their best and brightest, coming-of-age children to et and match with their potential mates. Nothing is more imperative to the future of this kingdom than seeing that the packs remain amicable and form friendly and familial alliances.”
“Those are a lot of words...”
“I rehearsed them.”
“Of course you did. Fine. Sure, let’s throw a Moon Ball, for the best and brightest...”
“..ing of age children,” he recited again. “I knew you would say that.” He reached into his lapel and extracted a folded piece of paper. “Here is the start of the invitation list. Do you want to look it over?”
“Put it down there. I’ll look it over later.”
Warren huffed and sighed with frustration.
“What now?” I asked.
“Theo, you have been working night and day nonstop. You can’t keep this up.”
“I’m fine.”
“Bro, if you miss her so much, why didn’t you go get her and bring her back?”
“She is happy now and she is living the life she has always wanted. Besides, do you not rember what happened the last ti I touched her?”
“How many tis do you have to be reminded, it was an accident, and especially now we know it’s much more manageable? Besides, that didn’t stop you from pursuing her before you knew you could touch her.”
“I wasn’t pursuing her, I was protecting her,” I reminded him.
“Yeah, from the competition of another man,” he muttered.
“Warren—”
“All right, my point is, if you love her, then do sothing! Not just sitting here, burying yourself in work and slowly killing yourself.”
I stared at Warren. The determination on his face told that if I tried to blow him off one more ti, he would make the rest of my night a living hell.
“You don’t understand. I haven’t seen that kind of pure, simple and content smile on her face for a long ti, even before she lost her mory. I sotis wonder whether she is better off without all together.”
“You’re wrong,” he comnted. “Because you both love each other too much.”
“Yes, I’ll love her the sa, but loving her doesn’t an restraining her freedom. She isn’t here because she doesn’t want to be.”
“Well, then I guess you’ll just have to find a reason to invite her here, and make her want to be here. Sothing fun... Like a Moon Ball.”
He placed the guest list on top of the budget I was working on. My eyes scanned over Ciana’s na at the top.
“Any more excuses?” he asked.
When he saw that I had no more rebuttals he smirked and turned on his heel to leave. I decided then that it was ti for to take a break. I didn’t want to go to my room. There was no torture like the mories of having Ciana there in my room, in my bed, in my arms, beneath my touch.
Her fading scent of fresh water lily was faint but still there. mories chased my footsteps out into the garden and along the path through the zoo and to the pavilion.
I shook my head as I rembered our first interactions, how she’d bravely spoken back to when I was rude and the impressive way she handled feeding my animals that would have frightened almost anyone else.
The first ti I’d kissed her, the taste of her mouth mixed with her blood and the dreamberry.
Sothing cool was rubbing against my leg. I looked down and there was Perceval. He found in the pavilion and wrapped himself around my ankle.
“Yeah, I miss her, too,” I told him as I took a seat and he raised his head to be eye level with . “I could’ve been nicer to her. I could have treated her better and had more respect for her. But, the mont I realized I could touch her I just... I just took what I wanted.”
Perceval cocked his head to the side as if he was puzzled by what I was saying.
“I just should have asked her if she wanted to be my mate. I claid her without even taking into consideration that she might not be my mate in the long run. I don’t know how she felt about that. I’m just selfish and I’m not good enough for her. I never will be. You know, perhaps she’s better off just forgetting about .”
Perceval rested his head on my shoulder in sympathy and I sat quietly with my thoughts for a while. In the distance, I could hear rapid footsteps and knew that soone was running and tugging on the mindlink.
‘Alpha!’ Jake’s voice called to anxiously in my head.
‘Yes, Jake. What is it?’ I asked, standing on alert and ready to shift as Perceval found a safe place to retreat.
‘It’s Ciana. She’s missing!’
#
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