by S. K Munt
‘Because perfect grades equates with a perfect character?’ Finn guessed. ‘And lower grades go hand in hand with lowly types?’
The king lowered his eyes. ‘That assumption was wrong, and I admit that I handled that badly… but please understand: I had no reason to suspect that Liam needed to force himself on a girl, because they threw themselves at him! And I had good reason to suspect that you were lying, because you’d admitted to being behind it all! And frankly, I couldn’t help but wonder: what if she is lying, to save her reputation? How is Liam going to recover from first being preyed upon, and then falsely accused of being a predator himself?’
Finn thought that over, then heaved out an exhalation. ‘I can empathise with both of you, but I’m sorry your highness- I find it hard to believe that you’ve seen the error of both of your ways, while you’re asking me to help you sweep those errors under the rug. Besides- what if he hurts someone else?’
‘I’ve banished him from here already, and sent him back to the camp, where there are no vulnerable girls to hurt!’ The king’s forehead creased. ‘And I’m not asking you to spare his reputation by keeping what he did quiet Miss Monroe… I’m begging you to spare mine, okay?’ his Adam’s apple bobbed. ‘I have worked so hard to create this life for myself, and to share it with all of you…not just since The Strike, but even before then! But no matter what I do, there’s always someone waiting to take me down! And because I know you know what that’s like I’m begging you: help me with the damage control on my end, and I’ll help you with yours!’
Finn wiped away more tears. ‘How? If I can’t plead innocence-’
‘You can plead innocence all you want!’ Amory said, ‘and the way I plan on rewarding you will make it clear that you have my support- which will be enough for people to put two and two together, without either of us having to make an official statement on the matter! So not only will you be considered innocent by association, but you’ll get your dream job back, and anything else you want!’
‘Anything?’ Finn snorted. ‘Within reason, you mean?’
‘No, I’m pretty much willing to offer anything to salvage this… what did you call it?’ Amory tapped on her journal: ‘This charming spectacle I’ve made of myself?’
Finn groaned, sliding into the chair. ‘How much of those journals did you read?’
‘Cover to cover. I’m afraid…’ Amory said softly. ‘But I meant it when you said you’re quite the writer, Finn. In fact, I’d be most pleased if you’d go on keeping a thorough account of everything that goes on around here. Not all of it was flattering… but still, it’s nice to know that the Laidlaw name has made it back into a history book, you know? And that someone can see me so clearly- and choose to pledge their loyalty to me anyway. In fact…’ he slowly pushed his typewriter to her. ‘That, and the box of ribbons I have for it, are yours- if you’ll accept them. As is the library job, your place in the bridal party and… well, what else can I do for you, to convey my gratitude?’
Finn’s breath caught in her throat, as her hands reached out to tentatively touch the typewriter. She knew that she was being offered a bribe, and that it was wrong to take such a thing… but then again, what if she could do something truly right with it? Something that would make a real difference in the world? ‘If I agree to this…’ she swallowed hard, ‘I want ten guards patrolling the pen- day and night.’
‘Done,’ Amory said without hesitation, ‘what else?’
‘I want my mother’s vegetable garden restored, including a mature avocado tree… and I want you to keep her in a supply of fresh seedlings and cuttings year-round until my contract is up,’ Finn paused, before adding quickly: ‘Not just her, but the Pen’s farm too.’
‘Happily,’ Amory said, as Finn’s heart skipped a beat. ‘Next?’
‘I want Tim and Malry the Outsiders who help me the most to be given citizenship as soon as they’ve worked off their debt to society, and for Tim to be offered my job as Sanitation Supervisor. Oh, and I want Granger to be given something he wants too- whatever he wants!’ Finn paused then said: ‘And, well, I’m never going to get A’s in math or science, your highness... but I want combat lessons anyway! And more importantly, I want Georgia Janks to be stripped of hers- at least until she learns to control her temper!’
‘Miss Janks has already been dealt with, Finn,’ Amory said quickly, as he began stuffing her journals back into a fresh grey bag. ‘But yes, she’s lost that privilege too- along with several others.’
‘Like…?’
‘Well, I made it clear to her and her mother, that another infraction will cost her her position here. Obviously, she’s worth a lot to me as a Potential, so I’m not in any hurry to tear up her contract, which I probably shouldn’t attempt to do anyway-’
‘Because you don’t have any actual proof that she got that Tutela to break into my house now that he’s gone?’ Finn asked, and Amory nodded. ‘Or any proof against her at all, save for my written word, about what she’s done and said?’
‘Exactly.’ Amory said. ‘I believe you beyond a shadow of a doubt, but diary entries are still hearsay and she denied every accusation I levelled against her vehemently, so the best I could do was strip her of her privileges, caution her to cease and desist talking to or about you, and force her into agreeing to do three months of voluntary community service over the summer, without pay. I know that’s not enough-’
‘No,’ Finn said sadly. ‘It’s really not. But it’s something so… if you can agree to my terms…’ she sighed, feeling like she was selling her soul as she said: ‘I can agree to most of yours.’
Amory’s hand halted over the bag. ‘What? Which-’
‘I don’t want to be in the wedding,’ Finn said quickly. ‘And-’
‘No! Please Finn… I beg you to reconsider!’ Amory leaned over and placed his hand on top of hers, looking desperate. ‘If not for me, then for Mimi! She’s so beside herself that she’s spent hours in bed crying all week, wondering if she’s part of a corrupted system… wondering if you all might be better off without us-’
‘It’s good that she’s questioning that, your highness, because it’s not healthy for anyone to assume that they’re entitled to the power that you have,’ Finn said softly, taking her hand out from under his. ‘And believe me- she’s not alone as far as crying a river goes either!’
‘Please!’ Amory raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Finn, I don’t want to press my suit, but if you don’t show up to stand by her, I don’t think she’ll show up to stand by me and-’
‘Okay! Okay fine!’ Finn exclaimed, holding up a hand and feeling a little bit panicky herself. Was Miriam really taking this that hard? Did Finn honestly have the power to stop a royal wedding right in its tracks? It didn’t seem right and yet, Amory looked more upset than she’d seen him look ever before, so she relented. ‘Look, if it means that much to her, I’ll do it! But I’ll be sneaking out as soon as the ceremony is over, got it?’
‘Got it! God… thank you!’ Amory wiped tears from his own eyes then, and Finn’s heart twisted, thinking of what a great king he’d be, if he were as protective of all of his people, as he was of those he loved! ‘Sorry. I’m trying to keep it together but she’s… she’s so pure, you know? I mean, she’s as ambitious as I am, which is why we’re such a good fit, but she’s so easily wounded by this life that sometimes, I think of her like the princess and the pea, you know?’
‘I know what you’re saying,’ Finn said softly. ‘But I don’t want to end up as fragile as she is emotionally by the time I’m her age... which is why I’m going to have to insist upon turning down the library position, and taking the one in Broadsound instead.’
Amory looked horrified. ‘What?!’ he spluttered. ‘Why? You were right when you said you don’t belong there-’
‘Yes you were, but I think it’ll be good for both of us if I just go anyway. Not only will it toughen me up, and keep me from moping about having no one to hang out with on the weeke
nds, but because I need the money too. And because honestly-’ Finn picked up the typewriter and cradled it lovingly in her arms ‘-I like the idea of you knowing I’m there because you made a snap-judgement that you shouldn’t have.’
The king’s face creased in multiple ways, finally making him look his age. ‘I…’ he drew back, looking perplexed. ‘I thought we’d made amends here, Miss Monroe?’
‘We have,’ Finn said softly. ‘But I’m sick of people telling me they’re sorry over and over again, but never doing a damned thing to change their ways. Because although a diary can be returned- a finger can’t be. Nor can a girl’s complete faith in her king. And that’s something I want you to remember every time you think of me out there, squandering my potential by polishing your ruins in service to your family name while my own is dragged through the mud!’
And then Finn hefted up her bag with the other hand and awkwardly turned and unlocked the door before walking out of it. Maybe she wasn’t strong enough to carry that much weight with any grace yet, but if she kept trying she knew that sooner or later, she would be. Just like she’d finally developed the strength to start standing up for herself!
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It couldn’t be said that no expense had been spared for the royal wedding, but it certainly looked like it hadn’t been, and though Finn’s stomach had been full of hornets for days by then, she felt something sweet inside her shiver as she navigated her way through the crowded foyer early on Saturday afternoon to see that Miriam and Amory had taken a page out of her mother’s book by polishing their ruins too.
‘These are exquisite!’ someone whispered, motioning to a star that had been crafted out of old paper and strung from the ceiling with hundreds of others at staggered heights, until they’d filled the stairwell like a starry sky. ‘Did Lady Miriam manifest them?’
‘Actually no, the princess folded them all by hand!’ her companion replied. ‘She’s shy, but evidently excels in music and art.’
Wow, Abigail made these? Finn thought, passing the two women as she ascended the stairs. That’s- Finn almost thought the word ‘Suave’ out of habit, but that was one of the many habits she was determined to break, so she amended it with: That’s manic!
‘Have you heard that the princess is a tad… affected?’ the first woman asked the other more quietly. Finn had paused to admire a flower arrangement full of exotic blooms on the railing, trying to discover if they were real or manifested, but she froze then, listening.
‘Oh she’s definitely on the spectrum,’ her friend whispered as Finn wrinkled her nose and withdrew from the flowers, which were so unnaturally scented that they’d already given her a headache, reminding her more of new car smell than of a garden. ‘In fact, I heard that Amory originally bought this land to build her a ranch retreat, so she’d be less overwhelmed by how hectic his life was when she and her brother visited him.’
Finn worried her bottom lip with her top teeth and cupped her rolling stomach and hurried up the rest of the stairs, remembering that first conversation she’d ever had with Reeve, when he’d said that he’d heard that someone was building a mental asylum there, rather than a spa. Finn had corrected him because she’d heard otherwise from quite a few people... but what if he’d been onto something after all?
Truthfully, Finn had always thought there was something a bit off about Abigail and Lachlan Laidlaw because they were both so darned quiet- at least compared to their bombastic father and the Wiley women. But she’d also kind of assumed that that was just because they were probably more like their mother than their father, who had perished during the Strike. She’d certainly never heard that Abigail suffered from a mental disability before though, and although it was possible, she refused to give it any weight right then on what was supposed to be a magical day. Besides, what did it matter if the princess had a mental disability or not? What would change if that were true, but her label?
Finn followed the reek of manifested magnolias until it led her to the open parlour room door that she was expected to go through to get ready in; a room that just happened to be next to the very spot where she’d first seen Reeve at the gala, calling out her name.
Ugh… Finn thought as she drifted closer to the railing, raising her hand from her stomach to her heart as it sounded a miserable thunk against her ribs. I know he said he was done with me, and I know I should believe him because he wouldn’t have said that lightly… Finn slowed her steps so she could peek over the edge of the overlook and to the busy floor below. But he said so many other things too- beautiful things! So what am I supposed to do with those? Try to forget them? Or fight to make him remember how he felt when he said them?
Finn rubbed her chest, like there was a knot in her heart that she needed to work out of it. She knew there was a good chance she’d see Reeve that day, which meant she’d have the chance to corner him somewhere and force him to hear her out, but she dreaded seeing him more than she anticipated it, because not only would he be there as someone else’s date, but because he’d likely be there with Aaron and Bailey too, who’d probably go out of their way to agitate the situation further. Part of her knew she could handle them both, because she’d already slayed bigger dragons that week… but handling someone she loved while they were furious with her was another thing entirely. In fact, just remembering the way Reeve had spoken to her the Sunday before- even for a second- was traumatic enough to make her chest constrict more tightly around her aching heart.
I could push through that pain, if I thought there was even the slightest chance of winning him back! Finn stepped back from the railing. But what if there’s not? What if we’ve already made the most beautiful memories that we’re capable of making together? And what if, by fighting for him, all I manage to do is create more painful ones, until there’s nothing left worth remembering about us at all?
‘Finn?’ a soft voice said then, and Finn stiffened when she recognised it without having to turn first. ‘Can we talk for a minute?’
‘Absolutely not,’ Finn said coolly. She had no choice but to walk Jade’s way because Jade was standing between her and the parlour now, but she kept her eyes on a table that had been piled high with bouquets with that same overpowering stench by the door and off of Jade as she attempted to breeze past, clutching her purse tightly. It had once occurred to her that being friends with Jade was like being friends with a wave, and now that that wave had proven to be a dumper, Finn was in no hurry to get sucked back out to sea!
‘Please Finny?’ Jade demanded, side-stepping to block her path. She was wearing the exact same dress she’d worn to the Gala only without the flower crown, and Finn’s teeth ground at the idea of Reeve admiring her lithe build while so much of it was on display. She was, however, pleased to see that Jade had foolishly opted to wear white to someone else’s wedding, and prayed to the gods of justice that Jade would find herself on the receiving end of a lot of dirty looks for the faux pas. ‘You have to hear me out, okay? You have to understand: I never meant to hook up with Reeve-’
‘But you did!’ Finn croaked, vision blurring at the very idea of Reeve and Jade ‘hooking up.’ ‘So-’
‘Actually I haven’t even kissed him!’ Jade cried, and Finn’s step faltered. Was that true? Had she been having nightmares about them wound around one another for three days for nothing? ‘Well, not yet.’ Jade amended quickly, taking a tiny bit of her tornado-potato off of the stick and popping it into her mouth, making Finn realise that Jade’s appetite was as insatiable as Finn’s was fragile. ‘I mean, he’s still coming today so we probably will kiss after-’
‘Gah!’ Finn cupped her heaving stomach as she recoiled, scared that she was going to puke all over Jade’s dress if she had to listen to that while she choked on the stench of those flowers at the same time! ‘What’s the matter with you? I don’t want to hear this, Jade!’
‘Well I’m sorry- but you have to!’ Jade side-stepped when Finn tried to skirt around her, forcing Finn to step out on
to the smoker’s balcony. ‘Look, I know you say you’re heartbroken but at the end of the day, you’re fifteen! And you were with the guy for what, two weeks?!’ She waved her potato like a wand, like she could evaporate Finn’s torment with some hard truths. ‘You barely knew him, and you were on the rebound! So you can’t blame some of us for finding it hard to believe that you were already in love with him, can you?’
‘Yes, because I am in love with him!’ Finn snarled, doing an about face so she could glare Jade down. She kept moving though, circling the other girl so she’d be able to pop straight back in the door she’d just exited. ‘And he was in love with me! And probably still would be, if he knew the truth about what happened that night!’
‘I know!’ Jade held up her free hand, looking forlorn. ‘Hadley already said as much, okay? Paige too.’ She rolled her eyes when Finn blinked. ‘They both told me I’d been stupid to follow him there, and that he wouldn’t actually get over you for ages-’
‘Hadley actually said that?’ Finn demanded, shocked to a standstill. Since when had Hadley ever had a kind word to say about her?
‘Yes!’ Jade’s bottom lip folded. ‘She was so mean, Finny! You have no idea what I’ve gone through, to get a date to this wedding!’
A harsh sound rasped out of Finn’s parted lips. ‘You don’t honestly expect me to feel sorry for you, do you?’
‘A true friend would!’ Jade cried, wiping a solitary tear out from under her eye. ‘Besides, why is me stealing him from you after you’d already broken up, worse than you stealing him from me after you’d promised to set us up?! Or him stealing you from Bailey?’
‘It just is!’ the words exploded out of Finn from a place of frustration and rage, as it hit her just how many people in the world were apparently incapable of differentiating between right and wrong. ‘He was just a name to you until a week ago, but he was my everything so yes, it’s different, and yes it’s wrong! And the fact that you tried to hide it from me tells me that you know it too!’
