Golden Prophecy

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"I THINK you're traveling too much. Let's just relax at school, okay? Give it a few weeks, and then you can go see Sivelle."

Andorra shook her head. As smart as Callum was, for him, finding the crown meant nothing. For him, whoever became Queen or King was out of his control. And for all Andorra knew, he could be secretly sabotaging her. His best friend was Anders, after all, despite what Win had said.

"This isn't some vacation. This is important. I need to go and I need to figure out where to find the crown." This conversation was futile anyway; he wasn't going to accompany her, so his opinion didn't really matter.

Callum stared at her, unblinking. "Fine. Then let me contact my father, so he can contact Sir Nohx."

Andorra put her hand up to stop all conversation. "No. Absolutely not. I will not be traveling with him." She was serious when she wrote that letter to Noah. She was saying goodbye, and she didn't want to think of him again. She closed that chapter of her life, and if she could help it, she never wanted to see him again. Unless it was absolutely necessary.

Callum pressed his palms to the library table loudly. He stood. "You're being impossible. It's unsafe for you to travel alone, and you have no clue how to even navigate the Woodland Forest, nevermind survive it. You need a guide, and Sivelle named her price: Sir Nohx."

"You won't convince me to recruit his help. Try as you might, but I want nothing to do with him." Andorra crossed her arms, jutting out her chin in defiance. She wasn't budging on this, not when it was Noah.

"It's cute you think you have a choice. The moment my father finds out what you're doing, he'll alert Sir Nohx, who will come. Even if you tell him to leave, he'll go with you."

Andorra stood too, causing a few students around them to look in rapt interest. She ignored the stares. "Do not tell your father. You want to be my friend, Callum? Let me make my own decisions."

Callum clenched his jaw. "Who said I wanted to be your friend?"

"Let's not dance around the fact that we will be friends in the future. I've embraced it, and it's time you do too. Let me make my own choices. Let me do this alone. I'm going to be Queen, and I'll be doing that alone. A trip to Sivelle won't kill me."

Callum's eyes danced around the library. "This isn't a conversation we should be having here," he hissed out. "Stop being difficult."

"Fine. Then the conversation is over. I will be going, and I will be going alone." With that, Andorra stepped back in the in-between, leaving Callum gaping in the library. She could practically feel his anger, but he deserved it.

What was it with Winter Fae thinking they could control her life?

Who cared if she traveled a lot? She felt an itch under her skin that made her antsy to find the Golden Crown, get her guards, and then take the throne. Or, at least, kick Anders out of the runner-up position.

So, she couldn't travel on Saturday due to the Cadmus game. But that didn't mean she couldn't go on Sunday.

"Do you think it'd be stupid to go to see Sivelle this weekend?" Andorra asked when she popped into her bedroom. Coralia was adjusting her outfit in the mirror, and when Andorra came out of nowhere, she jumped.

"Geez, Andy. Don't scare a girl like that." Coralia turned, giving Andorra an exasperated look. Then, she turned back to the mirror to fix her skirt. "Nah, I don't think it's stupid. As long as you're being safe. And I really don't think you should go alone."