The Assassin and Her Prince

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter fifteen

By the time Callum saunters back to his quarters, dinner has been and gone, but he doesn't mind; he isn't hungry. He knows he won't get any sleep with his mind in turmoil and a broken heart so he lights the lamp resting on his solid oak desk and opens his sketchbook that's lying opposite. The first thing he notices is the tiny square of paper tucked inside the cover, the corner poking out, just a little, so he wouldn't miss it. When he illuminates the curly cursive writing, it reads:

Meet me in the gardens at ten o'clock.

He flips the card over, searching for more information, but the cryptic message is all he has to go on. Obviously, it's from Rayla, but the single line of text tells him nothing of how she feels. Why does she want to meet me? Is she mad? Did I hurt her? He starts to spiral before he catches sight of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room, telling him he has two minutes to rush all the way to the other side of the castle. The note flutters to the ground as Callum sprints out the door, towards the gardens, nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach.

-TDP-

After her discovery in the library, Rayla had wanted nothing more than to find Cal and tell him the good news, but, after searching every inch of the palace and not finding any sign of the oldest prince, Rayla realises that this is probably for the best. She had no idea what she was going to tell him, she needed time to think. She slipped the note inside his sketchbook, hoping that by the time they rendezvous at the bandstand she has a strong resolve and knows how to break this to Cal.

So now she sits at the meeting point, bathed in the pale moonlight, subconsciously digging her nails into the thick leather cover of the book Claudia found for her and anxiously awaiting his arrival. She's been planning what to say for hours, but none of that matters once she catches sight of Callum, rounding the corner, looking like he's just run a marathon and clearly as fretful about this as she is. Why was I so worried about this? She questions herself, It's Callum, I can talk to him about anything.

Cal is too out of breath to say anything, so she takes the opportunity to apologise for her actions that morning, knowing that she had definitely made matters worse.

"I'm sorry. For everything."

"Wait, what are you sorry for? I thought you were mad at me," he wheezes, still not completely recovered from his mad dash to get here on time.

Rayla shakes her head, "You've seen mad. We both know that wasn't it," she says, earning a small chuckle. The mood lifts slightly and Rayla closes the distance between them.

Confused he asks, "Then what?"

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what was wrong," she tells him, lacing their fingers together. With a deep breath, she steels her nerves; it's now or never.

"Elves can live for hundreds of years," she says bluntly. His face falls in comprehension, "So you can see why this morning, when you told me you wanted to grow old together, it was a wakeup call, reminding me that that wasn't going to happen."

Callum suddenly feels incredibly guilty for putting her through that alone, regardless of his obliviousness, "Rayla, I am so sorry. I had no idea."

"Don't be. Because I already have a solution. You probably won't like it, but keep an open mind. Please, for me."

Now for the hard part.

"I'm listening."

"Deep in The Enchanted Forests of Xadia, there's this magical tree, home to nature spirits who have the ability to tie souls together, sharing life between two people," she opens the book to the relevant pages depicting a giant sycamore tree, "Callum, I can give you half of my life," she summarises, studying his face hopefully.

"No," he isn't angry, just dismissive.

"This morning, you thought I had a sub-century life expectancy too! Why don't you want this?" Rayla didn't think he could be this dense.

His reply is intense, "I couldn't live with myself, knowing you'd made that sacrifice."

"And I couldn't live without you! Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't do the same for me," she retorts, passionately.

"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you," he admits, knowing his own argument would take a hit for his honesty.

"Then please, let me do this," she begs.

He pulls her into a tight cuddle that they both need.

"If this is what you really want, then I won't stop you. I will always stand by you."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed that chapter and if you did, don't be a silent reader! Thanks to my beta midnightpansy!

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