“I go to thank you for doing so much, and you do it again.” She smiled at him in a half-deprecating kind of way. She knew there was no point in running away from things anymore. It only seemed to make them worse. Instead, she thought she would try a different approach and see if they could talk about them instead—to a point, anyway. There was no reason to go overboard and make things awkward again, but she could at least talk to him to try to keep things from going back and forth all the time.
“Look, Galdren, I know I seem really emotional, but please understand that even though you are so wonderful with me, this situation is still overwhelming at times. Plus, there have been things that have added some hardship.” She looked away from him when she said that. She hadn’t wanted to bring up the kiss or ensuing awkwardness, but she knew that she needed at least to get some things out in the open.
“I have had a difficult time dealing with all of this, and I apologize again, but I am trying, really trying, now. I value your friendship, and I don’t want you to think I am ungrateful. I am learning acceptance, and I want to make the most of this. Please know that if I do have a moment here or there, they will get fewer and farther between, I am sure. This outburst isn’t because I’m sad. I’m not. I’m only adjusting.” She finally managed to look up at his face and noticed that although his jaw was tight, his eyes were considering.
“Avila, you have nothing to apologize for. I know this is hard; it is something new for both of us, and I am learning too. I understand why you would be upset and need time to adjust; honestly, if the situations were reversed, I’m not sure I would have handled it nearly as well. Please forgive me for acting without thinking, and for uprooting your life. I know it can’t be easy, but I was not exaggerating when I said I believe it is for the best. Please, let us both take this one day at a time. I want you to be happy here, and if you can do that, then I am sure everything else will work the way it should.” He stepped forward and reached for her hand with a smile.
“Let’s go sit for a bit, and you can tell me about some of the things we have to look forward to tomorrow.” Avila was still overwhelmed by his impassioned speech, but allowed him to lead her to the chairs by the hand he still held. Once they were both seated, the sincerity in his eyes and his bright smile were enough for her to let go of her unease, even if she still wasn’t sure what to think about how he viewed her.
They spent the next couple of hours talking comfortably about the things she had learned. He updated her on the weather forecast: cold but clear. It was almost like the conversations they used to have before things got complicated, only better in a way. They both were a little more open. There was more laughter and teasing and less worry about what might slip. Although they both kept a few things to themselves, it wasn’t hard.
By the time Olva came with dinner, they were engrossed in the conversation. She carried meals for two; she really was a magnificent housekeeper. They would have missed her if she had not made a point of bringing the tray to them and letting Avila know that she would take care of putting the new things away, so they would be ready for the next day. Avila felt guilty about her picking up everything, but Olva waved away her protests before she could even begin.
It was a leisurely dinner since it was interrupted often by their continued conversation. By the time they were both done, it was later than either of them realized. “I’ve had a wonderful evening sharing conversation with you once again. It is, however, time for me to leave. We both have an early morning, and it is later than I had expected to stay.”
Galdren’s words sparked excitement anew in Avila. She wasn’t sure she would be able to sleep, but she knew she needed to try because they did plan to get an early start to make the most of the day. It was so much easier to see him leave knowing that things were finally starting to settle into a semblance of normalcy. “Good night, Galdren. I will see you in the morning.”
He returned her smile with a quick one of his own, only pausing before he slipped out the door to wish her good night as well. Then he was gone. When he left, Avila found that she still had too much energy to go to sleep even though she knew she should, so she decided to call Lissa and go over what was going on. She knew it might turn into a long conversation, and she wasn’t dreading it as much as she had been earlier in the week, but she also knew if she didn’t, she would never hear the end of it.
Lissa was thrilled with the news, and more than a little jealous, but didn’t try to keep her too late. She did, however, extract a promise from Avila for at least one good sketch. It was an easy promise for Avila to make.
Once she shut off the monitor, she stood with a yawn and went to see where her things had been taken. True to her word, Olva had taken care of all the boxes, and everything was laid out nice and neat in the bedroom, ready for her to slip into the next morning. She ran her hand over the sweater one more time, marveling again at its softness.
11. Beautiful Morning
It was Saturday morning, and Avila was up before the timeglass had even let her know she needed to be. Her sleep had been fitful at best, but she didn’t feel tired for it. She was too excited. She went ahead and got dressed, almost reverently putting on the sweater. The coat, scarf, cap, and gloves, she grabbed and put by the door so she would have them when she left.
She couldn’t sit still, so she was pacing when a knock came at the door. She was expecting Olva or maybe one of the rare others that Olva oversaw to be there with the breakfast tray, but when she opened the door, it was Galdren himself. He had breakfast for both of them.
“I was hoping you would be up, but I didn’t expect you to be ready and waiting.” He smiled at her as he came in and set the tray on the small table by the chairs.
“I’ve been up for a little bit. I guess I’m excited.” She could barely force herself to sit down long enough to eat the breakfast he had brought up.
While he sat down to join her, he took the opportunity to take a look at her in the clothes he had bought for her. “That color looks great on you. I hope you like them as well now that you’ve had the opportunity to try them on?”
Avila paused with a bite halfway to her mouth and blushed at his compliment. She put the food back on the tray and took the time to clear her embarrassment, at least to the point where it didn’t show on her face anymore. “Thank you, and yes, I do love it. I love all of it. Not only are they some of my favorite colors, but everything fits so well. How is that, by the way? How did you know my exact size in everything?”
He grinned at her for a moment and let her wonder, but when she gave him a look that clearly showed her frustration, he relented. “It isn’t that big of a secret if you think about it. I had Olva check for me. She is amazing.”
Avila realized that made a lot of sense, and since it was no longer a mystery, it was soon gone from her thoughts. She had too many other things to think about. It wasn’t long until they had both finished breakfast. Galdren picked up their trays and nodded to her. “Grab your stuff, and I’ll take this to the kitchens on our way out. I’ll call for the cars downstairs.”
This was it. The first time Avila had been out of these rooms since her accident. She was elated when she passed through the doorway. Even though the trip would not take them more than a couple of hours away, just the thought of finally getting out made it seem like a grand adventure. Though, with where they were going, that wasn’t too much of a stretch. Being away from her suite was a strange feeling after so long, but one she hoped to get used to again.
In the hallway, she noted that her set of rooms were closest to the stairs, but farther in, there were several other sets of doors. She wondered how large these “apartments” were, but let the thought pass quickly. It wasn’t important. He was the prince after all, so having a lot of space wasn’t surprising.
She followed him down the stairs and into the foyer, where he asked her to wait. It was a grand area that extended through both sto
ries with rooms going off all sides and under the stairs, where Galdren had disappeared. She was sure that this was not nearly as impressive as, say, the castle, but it was the grandest, most opulent place she had ever been. The fact that he called the building an apartment blew her mind. Although, with how many suites there were, it made sense if she stretched the logic a bit.
Galdren returned in a few moments without the tray. She assumed that meant the kitchens were somewhere behind the stairs. “I have already called for the cars, so they should be here in just a few minutes.”
As he told her this, he gently took her coat, scarf, and cap from her. “Here, let me help you put these on.” She did not remember ever having someone else help her get her coat on, so the idea of him doing it seemed somewhat strange. Still, when he wrapped the scarf around her neck and knotted it loosely before gently tugging her hair loose, she instantly forgot any hesitations she might have had. It felt nice to have him help her into the coat and fasten it up for her. When he snugged the cap on and tucked her hair behind her ears, so it would be out of the way, she gave him a radiant smile.
―
Galdren wasn’t sure why he had offered to help with her gear, but seeing her smile like that gave him a clue. It didn’t matter that brushing her neck and touching her hair were agonizingly sweet tortures. He would have done it a thousand times more to see her smile like that again. He did have to remind himself that they had something to do other than stand there smiling at each other. The hovercars would be there shortly if they weren’t already waiting outside.
He had a small com device in his pocket that was one of a set. Each person on the team he had assembled would be carrying one. He went ahead and turned his on. If they were within range, he should be able to communicate with them and know when they could both leave safely. He always had at least two people with him at all times when he was outside. However, since he was not traveling alone, he’d decided to take a whole team. There would be six other people joining them on their trip.
He had not said anything to Avila about it, but word of her staying in his private apartments had gotten out. Once that happened, they had to change the level of security and a full detail was in or around the building around the clock. It made no difference if potential intruders wished them harm or were just looking for a story. The assigned team took their job of ensuring that the place was always well guarded against intrusion seriously.
Avila didn’t know it, but the only other people to live in the area were councilors and their families. The part of the park that she could see was kept private for the use of the landowners in that part of the city to preserve their privacy and protection. The only time it was open to everyone else was during the gala, and security for the event was always a nightmare.
The security of the apartment notwithstanding, he wanted to make sure all was safe on their trip, and that there were no mishaps. The longer she went without having to deal with rumors, the better.
A voice came over the com device he held. “Your Highness, this is transport one. We and transport two are outside and ready.” The voice was brisk and to the point.
Galdren took Avila’s hand, and they stepped outside. He stood and watched her as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. It didn’t matter that they needed to hurry and get into a vehicle; he couldn’t bring himself to rush her. He felt a twinge of guilt again at her obvious pleasure when he thought about how long she had been stuck inside that room, but he pushed it aside. He didn’t want anything to mar the day.
―
Finally, Avila opened her eyes and looked at Galdren sheepishly. She realized they were all waiting to get in the hovercars, and it seemed as if they were all standing there staring at her breathing in the autumn air. “Sorry, it’s just—it’s a gorgeous day.” She smiled at him and waved him forward to let him know she was ready to go.
He pulled her closer to the first hovercar. “Avila, this is Randy and Baxter. These two go with me wherever I go.”
There was a double chorus of “ma’am,” one from each of them. One of the voices was the voice she had heard on the com; Randy, she thought, but she wasn’t sure. Once the introductions were done, Galdren continued, “We will be riding with these two. The other four are a team that Randy picked out to help with anything that might come up while we’re at the park, not that there should be anything.” He added the last when she gave him a look of concern.
“They will be riding in the other hovercar. We can make introductions to everyone else once we are more secure. Everyone have their coms on and fully functioning?” There was a quick chorus of “yes, sir” before he continued, “Each of these will also function as a locator back to mine if the need arises. All right, let’s go; anything else can be discussed on the way.”
Galdren still had Avila’s hand in his, so as soon as one of the guards opened the door of the first hovercar, he pulled her forward and had her in it. He quickly followed, and the door was shut as soon as he cleared it. One of the guards stood outside the prince’s door until the other was in the hovercar behind the wheel, then got into the passenger seat.
“Wow, that was efficient. Do you go through that every day?” Avila said it in a whisper; it was a little scary. She knew who he was, and she did think about what it meant sometimes, but it was easy to forget that there was so much more to his world than what she was aware of.
He smiled at her. “No, actually most of the time, it is a much smaller hovercar since it is just the three of us. I even get to drive sometimes, although I’m not sure I should tell anyone that.”
She laughed at his quip, but still felt a little unsettled. He seemed to notice, as he continued, “The only reason security is by the book today is because there is a new element: you. I told you it’s all new, remember? We are all learning. It could be that it isn’t necessary, but to be on the safe side at least this first time, we do it by the book.” She relaxed at his reference to their conversation the night before and gave him a more genuine smile.
The trip would take a little less than an hour, so they settled into a quiet conversation, with the only input from the men up front being when Galdren asked for the names of the other four people. One of the names sounded vaguely familiar to Avila, but she couldn’t think of why. The actual introductions would wait until they got to where they were going, so she guessed she would find out then.
The mountain range where the park was located was barely visible from the outskirts of the city. Avila had never thought much of them beyond research, since she had never had the opportunity to travel far. The closer they got to the peaks, the larger they loomed on the horizon. Avila found that no matter how much she had thought she was prepared for this, seeing everything up close was going to be something else entirely.
The conversation in the vehicle all but stopped as they got closer, and Avila was drawn more and more to the sights outside the windows. As they floated closer to their destination, Galdren watched Avila as she watched everything pass. They had passed the entrance several minutes earlier, so they were well into the range, and she was staring in wonder at the peaks rising high all around her.
The hovercars pulled into a small side road that was almost hidden and, after only a couple of minutes, came to a stop in a clearing in front of a small building. Soon, all eight of them were inside the tiny structure, where they found a park ranger and a lot of communication equipment. “Hello Darek, I spoke with you yesterday about bringing a party of eight to the reserve today for some general exploration.” Avila had been looking around at everything, but when Galdren started talking, she walked over to where he was standing. The man behind the small desk stood up, bowed, and brought out what looked like a ledger.
“Of course, Your Highness. If you could please have everyone sign into this passbook; it’s really just a formality.” He handed the ledger over to the prince along with a pen. Galdren qu
ickly signed his own name and handed the pen over to Avila so she could do the same.
However, when she signed her name, the man standing behind the desk must have caught a glimpse of it when she set it down. She watched as his eyes widened when he read it, but thought nothing of it. She was across the room by the time he looked up again. Darek looked like he was still debating saying something, but he kept looking over at the prince and seemed to change his mind.
The last person to sign in was the woman from the group of four that had been in the other vehicle. When she passed Avila, she realized that she did indeed recognize the woman. She was one of the people she had spoken with many years ago to get information about the logistics and probable locations for the small preserves. They had worked together several times back then. The woman, Jessica was her name, had been back and forth between the reserve and the capital in her position as a ranger at the time.
“Jessica, Jessica Lyons, that’s your name, right?” Avila had walked up to her before she even finished writing. “I don’t know why I didn’t recognize your name earlier. I guess I was preoccupied, but I remember you, although you may not remember me. Didn’t you used to work as a ranger?”
The woman turned and smiled at her. “I understand you probably had other things on your mind earlier, but I do remember you quite well, as a matter of fact. That and the fact that I am still a ranger and know this place as well as just about anyone are the main reasons Randy picked me for this team.” She tilted her head to the back a little to indicate the man behind the desk. “I bet you ten to one that Darek remembers you too.”
Shattered Dreams Page 10
