A Game of Crowns

“The one who falls and gets up is stronger than the one who never tried.”

-Roy T. Bennett

“Rowan,” I breathed.

His celestial eyes gleamed playfully. He was really here.

“Penelope,” he grinned.

I squealed and ran to him.

He dropped his bag a second before I collided with his chest. My arms circled his neck as his wrapped around my waist. I blushed at the contact, remembering our last interaction, but I would not dwell on that right now.

Instead, I enjoyed the feel of his arms around me and the heat of his breath on my neck.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whimpered.

“Hey,” he said as he caressed my hair. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, Moonstone.”

“I’m glad.”

I slowly unwrapped my arms from around him.

“Come in.” I motioned for him to enter.

He picked up his one bag and entered my tiny living room. My eyes took in the room as a stranger would. It was a small space that held two mismatched couches and a coffee table.

The lack of luxury didn’t embarrass me though. Rowan wasn’t materialistic, and he wouldn’t judge. Even if he was, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. This was home.

“What are you doing here?” I questioned.

He raised a brow.

“I mean to say, I’m surprised you’re here. Isn’t the game still going on?”

He took a seat on the gray loveseat. “I’ll get to that. Right now, I want to hear from you. What have you been doing since you left?”

Left?

He patted the space next to him. I sat on the other couch instead. If I was honest with myself, I was nervous to be around him. The whole time in the game I thought I only had feelings for one person but somehow Rowan had managed to find his way into my heart.

I hadn’t had much time to contemplate my feelings towards him but every time I thought about it, my heart thumped erratically, and a stupid smile would be etched onto my face.

“Really, Moonstone? I thought we were past that stage,” he said getting up from his seat to sit next to me.

I smacked his thigh, immediately regretting the action. He didn’t miss the blush that crept up my neck. A small smirk had fallen over his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him but said nothing. Instead, I answered his question.

“I have been good. I’ve been helping my family out on the farm and hanging out with Thomas.”

“Thomas? Is he still here?” he asked.

He must have noticed the confusion on my face because he clarified his question. “Before you left, Thomas and I spoke a bit and he mentioned leaving for Clearwater to work with his uncle. I figured he’d have gone by now.”

“He left this morning. He prolonged his stay to...” I stopped, considering how to finish that sentence. Instead, I ended it. “He prolonged his stay.”

A knowing look crossed Rowan’s face. “He seemed like a good guy.”

“The best,” I stated.

“So, Moonstone, how about you tell me how things really went after you got sent home?”

He finally stopped beating around the bush and asked it straight.

I sighed and let my head fall back onto the couch cushion. I watched the ceiling unable to look at Rowan. He reached for my hand and held it in his, giving me the time I needed to gather my thoughts.

“It broke my heart, Rowan. I wasn’t ready to leave. I was supposed to help Iron Forge and instead, I ended up getting branded a whore and kicked out.”

“I’m sorry, Penelope. It’s my fault. I should have turned you away that night. I should have protected you from Thelonious. I should have done more.”

“I don’t blame you, Rowan. It was my choice to go to your room that night. The only thing I regret about that night was hurting you. I didn’t mean to say his name.”

Rowan stiffened beside me. He had stopped massaging small circles into the palm of my hand with his finger.

I had yet to look at him, but I wasn’t brave enough to gaze into the endless galaxies of his eyes. I was afraid of what I’d find there.

“It’s fine, Penelope. I’m not angry,” he said.

“I didn’t say angry, Rowan,” I said finally facing him.

For a second, his face held all the hurt I imagined and more before he wiped it away.

He quickly changed the subject. “Besides wanting to see you, the reason I came is that I’ve found the crossing point into the Hidden Realm.”

I exhaled. I guess we weren’t ready for that conversation.

I humored him and continued in the direction he had steered us. “The crossing? Why are you telling me this?” I asked. “I’m not even part of the game anymore. Xandra has no reason to want to possess me.”

“She may not know you’re out and the other two Priestesses chose to show you their location. You’re the logical choice. It has to be you.”

“I’m not sure I can find that place, Rowan.”

“I believe in you, Moonstone.”

“I can try.” I offered.

“That’s all I’m asking.”

“Will you cross with me?”

He massaged the back of his neck and avoided my gaze.

“Tobias will be crossing with you.”

Oh.

I guess he didn’t need Xandra interfering with his chance of becoming king.

“Okay, but why can’t you cross with me too?” I asked.

“I would if I could. All I want to do is protect you, but in this case, I can’t. My power was given to me by Xandra. It’s only a drop but it’s enough for her to sense. The power is essentially hers so my presence in the Realm would be a beacon, alerting her to your presence.”

Yeah, I guess I could understand that, even though I didn’t want to.

“So, where is the crossing?”

“Clearwater.”

“You have got to be kidding me?”

“No, and we should leave for Clearwater in a week. The game of crowns will be taking the finalists through the different territories all this month and they will be reaching Clearwater next week. Tobias will be there at that time and both of you can cross then.”

Of all the places for the crossing to be. It ended up being in the one place where Thomas had gone. There was no way I’d be able to go and not see him. If he found out I was there and didn’t find him, he’d be hurt.

“Next week? You plan on staying here until then?” I asked with a raised brow.

He smirked. “Scared of being alone with me?”

I scoffed. “I’m not scared of you, Rowan.”

“Maybe,” he said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

A slow shiver worked its way down my body and into my core. I looked away and clenched my eyes shut. I quickly counted to ten before facing him again and moving on.

“What about my parents?”

I don’t know why I asked this question when I knew they’d be gone for a month.

He grinned. “Who do you think arranged their trip?”

My mouth had fallen open.

He shrugged his shoulders and winked. “You going to invite me to stay, Penelope?” The mischievous gleam in his eyes thrilled me.

For show, I rolled my eyes and sighed. “If I must.”

He chuckled. I wasn’t fooling anyone.

I showed him to my parent’s room, hoping he wouldn’t mind staying there.

He tossed his bag onto the floor and turned to face me again. “I was thinking we should train. I’m guessing you didn’t keep up with Trixie’s training?”

I shook my head. “We can train but I have to feed the animals first.”

It was quick work between Rowan and me. He surprisingly had an easy time. He had worked as a farmhand before being recruited for the Trinity. I fed the last chicken coop and shut them in their enclosure.

I had left him with our three remaining horses. He seemed to know what he was doing so I delegated and gave him the longest chore to complete.

I grinned, expecting to find him still cleaning the stalls but instead, I found him singing to Silver, our oldest mare. The sweet melodic tenor of his voice soothed her usual anxious behavior.

I halted just before entering the barn. I glanced around and noticed everything had been finished. I leaned on the barn door and allowed him to continue without my interference.

His back faced me and of course, the man had taken off his shirt. It seemed he couldn’t work with it on. I can’t say I wasn’t enjoying the view though. His back muscles clenched and rolled as he combed through Silver’s mane.

His singing pulled a muddled memory to the surface of my mind. Rowan had been singing softly in my ear as he held me under the shower. My face flat against his bare chest. Another occasion where he’d saved me, and I had yet to thank him for.

The pure sound of his voice resonated with something in my soul and healed another piece of my heart. I gasped at the feelings his voice induced in me.

My gasp had caught Rowan’s attention. His head tilted slightly to the left as he continued to brush Silver, waiting for my next move.

I picked up a dandy brush and moved to the Silver’s other side. Rowan smiled kindly.

“Rowan, I owe you so much. I’ve never thanked you for saving me that night you pulled me out of my head and for saving me from Thelonious. If you hadn’t known where to find me, I might have been taken.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Moonstone. I’d do it again,” he said warmly.

“Come on, let’s take a break,” I said as I set the dandy brush down and pulled Rowan out of Silver’s stall.

I picked up the small sack of food I’d brought with me and walked towards the only tree on our land. Its large leafy branches would offer a reprieve from the sun and a quiet place to rest.

The realization that I had yet to release Rowan’s hand burned me and my fingers quickly fell open, but Rowan held my hand firmly in his. His lopsided grin was adorably endearing.

As we sat down, I subtly pulled my hand away and laid out a blanket with food. I handed Rowan his container of water and quickly uncapped mine. A giant gulp of water later, I looked up at him watching me.

“It’s nice to see you’ve kept your ladylike ways. Madame Lorrelle would be proud,” he chuckled.

“Shut up,” I laughed as I wiped away water from my chin.

He snickered.

I set my container of water down. It was now or never. “Rowan,” I called for his attention.

He looked away from the pond and took a sandwich. “Hmm?”

“I’m sorry about the last time we saw each other.”

His eyes snapped up to meet mine. He placed his food back on the blanket. “We don’t need to discuss it, Penelope.”

“I know you don’t want to, but I’d like to. I’m sorry I hurt you,” I said repeating my earlier words.

He looked away.

He had yet to put on his shirt and it was a distraction, a delightful distraction, but a distraction nonetheless. I ripped my eyes away from his shaped abdomen.

I stood on my knees and moved closer to him. “Rowan.”

He refused to look at me. I took hold of his chin with my index and thumb and turned his face towards me. I needed him to know that I saw him for who he was, a kind and loving man, a pain in my side, but most of all as Rowan. I would never confuse the two men again. They were both so different.

The rolling emotions in his gaze took my breath away. He was so beautiful.

“I see you, Rowan. I see you.”

He slowly nodded, accepting my words.

His finger grazed my cheek in a quick and soft caress.

“And I see you,” he whispered back.