Crowns and Pastries

Chapter Sixteen | Pretty Boy

{ A/N} | I was not planning for it to go this way at all... Well anyway, I'm sorry and happy reading!

~E~

Breathe in.

The muscles in my arm flexed, my eyes closed and I let go.

I felt at peace. It was just me, alone, at this moment far away from reality.

Breathe out.

I opened my eyes and eyed the arrow that had lodged deep within the heart of the target.

I loved moments like these. Archery allowed me to escape. I only had to focus on the arrow and the target.

I lowered my bow and grabbed another arrow from the quiver on my back. I placed it on my bow and fixed my gaze on the target. Raise, aim, breathe, let go. I was familiar with the cycle. It was calming in a way. I was in control. Sometimes it seemed like that was the only thing I had control over.

I repeated this until I was out of arrows. Then I dropped my bow next to me and made my way through the courtyard to retrieve the arrows. They'd lodged deep within the target but they came out with ease.

It was quiet here in the courtyard. Normally there'd be staff around, guards standing post when a member of my family was outside but today it was just me. It was nice and I needed it. I'd come outside to escape life within the castle.

Lukas and Emily were both here at Dawnton Keep, mum and dad were here as well with Keynan. It'd become too much for me to handle. They'd dote over me, smothering me with questions. Dad was pressuring me about Kathlyn.

I needed to clear my head.

I didn't know how long I was out here. I kept shooting my arrows, retrieving them and starting over again until my arms were sore and I felt out of breath. My lungs ached as the air became thicker and my leg protested from standing to long but I couldn't be bothered. I barely even noticed.

I kept playing the events of the last few days over in my head. I meant what I said to Corey. I was going to come out to my parents soon. I didn't want to hide anymore and if I ever wanted to pursue something more with Corey then I needed to face my fears. I just didn't know how to do it. Or when.

And then there was this Kathlyn business. Dad had told me I'd needed to "date" her for at least a few months. We needed to keep the public satisfied, he'd said. I didn't understand why it had to be my love life when there was a perfectly happy, about to be married, couple within the family. I knew Alexandra was itching for their engagement to become public knowledge.

Corey had been texting me, asking me to meet with him but I never replied to those messages. We talked but I avoided those sentences like the plague. I was scared. Scared of losing him because of the mess I was in. I knew that he could easily just date someone else who wasn't in the eye of the media. It'd be much easier.

Of course, I didn't want him to, I couldn't stand the thought of him with someone else, but I also just wanted him to be happy. He would never admit it to me but it pained him to have to hide our relationship. I could see it on his face whenever we talked about it via facetime.

The last arrow slipped through my fingers, soaring through the air and lodging within the target. I breathed out and lowered the bow. My senses returned and I felt a soft breeze flow past my body.

"Are you done now, pretty boy?"

I looked to my left quickly at the unfamiliar voice.

A man in his late forties stood at the edge of the training grounds, his hands placed in the pockets of his dark denim jacket. His hair was starting to turn grey by his temples but I could see it used to be a dark colour.