A Game of Crowns

“Distance means so little, when someone means so much.”

-Tom McNeal

Lunch had gone well. It was the quickest two hours I’d had in the palace to date. The time with my family was splendidly spent. It saddened me to know they’d only be here for another day. My father was in awe of my accommodations; he no doubt noticed that our two-bedroom house was the size of my entire suite.

My mother was in a fit of giggles as she tried on different dresses for tomorrows ball. They were going to look fabulous. Papa cleaned up well. The classic black suit would look amazing on him. Georgiana scheduled him a visit with the royal barber. Papa wasn’t too keen on losing his facial hair but he did say, ‘anything for my Penelope.’

Thomas, on the other hand, didn’t need anything. He claimed to be set for the evening. Which led us to the conversation we were having now.

“I don’t know where to begin,” he said.

His pant legs were rolled up to just above the calf of each leg; both feet submerged in water. We sat on the small dock, side by side, enjoying the rays of the sun and the coolness of the water against our skin. My boots were haphazardly tossed over Thomas’s loafers behind us.

I swished my feet back and forth through the water watching as the ripples disappeared. “Start at the beginning, Thomas.”

He sighed and was just about to run a hand through his perfectly styled hair but let it fall instead.

I chuckled at his action. “Never did I think I’d see the day that you’d care about messing up your hair.”

The slight flush of his skin was adorable. I reached up and ruffled his hair with both of my hands. His breath hitched at my touch and his eyes pierced my own. I quickly removed my hands and looked away, blushing at the intensity of his gaze.

He ignored the moment. “Do you remember me telling you about my uncle Lucian?”

“Vaguely. It was a while back.”

“It was. Well, he was basically kicked out of my mom’s family at the age of fifteen. He traveled to Clear Water territory and became the wealthy owner of a small fleet of merchant ships. He came back to find my mother.” He swirled his right foot in the pattern of a figure eight, repeatedly. “He’s set up a trust fund for me and it’s what I’ve been living off. I’ve been invited to live with him and learn the secrets of his trade.”

His words hit me hard. “You’re moving?” I gasped.

“Yeah, I think so.”

My stomach fell. “If you think that’s best then I support your decision.”

The light in his eyes dimmed as my heart broke. Our friendship would never be the same.

He lifted his feet out of the water and stood. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.”

I took his offered hand and tucked his revelation away in a corner of my mind. I would not let it derail our time together. Who knew when I’d see him again?

The sun was quickly setting, giving way to night; a slight breeze fluttered the end of my dress. “We should go in.”

“Yeah, of course,” he said taking off his coat and holding it out for me to slip on.

I smiled gratefully. We walked in silence, enjoying each other’s company while we could.

I looked up at the stars and was filled with the memory of Rowan singing to me. The memory tinged my cheeks with a blush. The vague recollection of a shirtless Rowan holding me beneath the water surfaced to the front of my thoughts. I swallowed roughly as I covertly looked up at Thomas. He wasn’t looking at me and I was grateful for it. If my face didn’t give me away I was sure the heat radiating from my body would.

By the time we made it to my door, I had cooled down and my thoughts were nowhere near Rowan.

“Pen, I’m buying your parents land.”

Wait, what?

I must have said that aloud because he repeated himself.

“We made a deal. I paid off the debt to the original owners and your parents will be paying me back when they can. They refused to take my money but I did it anyway. I couldn’t see your home taken away, Pen. Your parents came around, eventually.”

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about that but thank you, Thomas. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to save it in time when I won.”

Thomas smirked. “Well look at you being cocky.”

I chuckled. “I feel like I’ve changed a lot over the course of these last couple of months.”

“It happens. There’s nothing we can do about it but roll with the changing tide.”

“Well look at you being all philosophical,” I grinned.

“It’s known to happen every now and then,” he chuckled.

I opened the door to an empty room. Georgiana must be with Killian. “Would you like to come in?”

Thomas entered and tossed himself onto my bed just like he used to do at home. He propped himself up on an elbow. His ruffled brown hair fell onto his face. I couldn’t help the giggle that erupted from my mouth.

His eyes widened. “It’s been a while since I’ve heard that.”

I shrugged and laid down next to him, tucking an arm beneath my head. He pulled me against his chest like he’d done plenty of times before. The heat of his breath on the nape of my neck warmed me. His even breathing calmed my unsteady heart. “I’ve missed you, Thomas. Besides Georgiana, you’re my only friend. You know the real me. Not the girl people know me as here, not the girl who wears dresses, and definitely not the type of girl who wants to be queen.”

A single tear fell down the side of my face, onto my arm, and finally disappearing into the material of the comforter.

“I’ve missed you too, Pen. There were days I thought I’d lost my best friend and that just about drove me crazy, but being here with you made me realize that I could never lose you. Distance will never truly separate us.”

He was right. Our friendship wasn’t about being inseparable but being separated and have nothing change between us.

***

“My lady, wake up,” whispered a gentle voice.

I peeked out from under heavy eyelids. “Georgiana? What time is it?”

“It’s nearly noon, my lady.”

“What?” I yelled, sitting up.

An arm was draped over my waist. My eyes widened; Thomas had fallen asleep in my bed. It wasn’t anything unusual but I could just imagine what would have happened if someone else had seen this; if Tobias had seen this.

Thomas muttered a good morning before rolling over and falling asleep again. I looked up at Georgiana; the lift of her brow and the smug grin plastered on her face was enough to make me want to hide under the covers.

I nudged Thomas with a kick of my foot. “Hey, wake up. You can’t be in here.”

“What?” he mumbled.

“Thomas, I’m serious. You need to go. It’s noon. We overslept.”

He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. His unruly hair refused to stay back with every swipe of his hand. He stood up and I swear I saw Georgiana force herself to look away.

His blue wrinkled pants hung low on his hips. The button-up shirt he wore no longer remained buttoned. A lean body peeked out from behind the material of his shirt. The grooves on his muscled abdomen were subtle and alluring.

“When did that happen?” I breathed.

The drowsiness disappeared from his eyes and was replaced with a roguish gleam.

Georgiana choked on a chuckle.

The right side of his mouth perked up into a smirk. “It happened while you weren’t looking.”

I cleared my throat. “You look good.”

It was okay to give my best friend a compliment, right?

Right.

“Thanks,” he grinned.

Georgiana coughed, getting our attention once again. “We need to get you dressed, my lady. Madame Lorrelle has called a meeting with the remaining female participants.”

“Of course,” I said shuffling to my feet. I walked Thomas to the door after he made himself appear more presentable; not that it helped much. His clothes were still wrinkled and his hair was obviously unkept. Anyone would know he hadn’t stayed in his own room if they were to see him.

“I’ll see you later tonight,” he promised.

“Bye, Thomas,” I laughed as I pushed him out the door.

I turned to face a grinning Georgiana. “What?” I asked innocently.

“Nothing, my lady. I do not judge,” she said laughing as she held her hands in the air.

Georgiana made quick work as she helped get me ready for the meeting. I wasn’t in the mood to wear a dress so I pulled out a pair of ivory, wide-leg, cotton pants and a white tank top. I wanted to wear flat sandals but Georgiana handed me a pair of wedge sandals instead. She claimed they were more appropriate for a meeting. I couldn’t blame her logic but I really wanted to be comfortable. I wasn’t in the mood to complain so I put them on quietly.

It felt like a no makeup type of morning so I pulled my hair into a messy bun and was ready to go.

“Georgiana, do you know what the meeting is about?”

“Yes, my lady. The pairing announcement will be made. You and your partner will be introduced as a couple at the ball tonight.”

I stopped in the middle of the hall. We were about to be told who we’d be possibly spending the rest of our life with. I gripped Georgiana’s arm for support; dark spots invaded my vision and my throat began to constrict.

“Breathe, my lady. It’s going to be okay,” Georgiana whispered.

The circular motions of her hand on my back alleviated my anxiety. “I’m okay, thank you.”

We walked into the small study as if nothing happened. The small room was just big enough to hold the remaining five female participants, our lady’s maids, and Madame Lorrelle.

The general air of the room was nervousness. I was glad I wasn’t the only one because I was nervous as heck. I took a hold of Georgiana’s hand and waited.

Madame Lorrelle’s heart-shaped face smiled delightfully. “Alright, ladies. It’s time.”