32. Happy Chipmunk

Chapter 32

Happy Chipmunk

A Few Days Later…

The world fell into an odd routine for a while as news spread across Wolfrest, and eventually across the continent, that Prince Orian was alive. There was also sadder news that Prince Jandar and his mother, Consort Keya, had died in the battle to stop an assassin from finishing the attempt on Orian's life. It was only through the quick action of Prince Xeran, along with his companions, that Prince Orian was saved.

Yeah, that was some damn creative bullshit, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a government official. It wouldn't make the king look good if the world had proof that one of his sons, along with a consort, was trying to kill his siblings. They were supposed to be a sweet, happy family, a model for all the Wolfrest citizens.

The idea made me snort.

The world didn't want their leaders to be a model for them. They wanted entertainment to distract them from their lives. They wanted backstabbing intrigue, political plotting, and family scandals. And just maybe a happily ever after.

Mine was put on hold, though.

The days passed with me waking up in Nylian's arms. After breakfast and some kisses, the elf prince ran off to spend most of the day with his brother, whom he was catching up on all our adventures. Orian had recovered from his poisoning and seemed more than ready to be done with bedrest. However, the healers and his queen mother were being extra cautious and keeping him stuck in his room for now.

I'd joined in on one of their story sessions but declined any more invites. This felt too much like a private twins moment, and I was more than happy to leave Nylian to the brother he'd come so very close to losing.

As a result, I was left to my own devices for most of the day, allowed to wander where I wanted through the palace. Not that I wasn't aware that I was being watched by the servants, who would report back to the king and anyone else who didn't know how to feel about me. Yes, I'd saved the prince, but I was also Prince Victor, a royal from a kingdom who hadn't always been friendly with Wolfrest.

To lower everyone's stress levels, I restricted my wandering to the gardens or the library. After days on the road, sleeping on the ground in forests, and running for my life, it was nice to just stretch out on a comfortable sofa and lose myself in a book. That was where Jasper found me.

"Adam! Adam!" the young wizard shouted, pulling me out of a history of Nylian's great-great-great grandfather. I sat up as Jasper charged across the library and stopped in front of me with a spin. "What do you think? Do you like it? Isn't it amazing?"

It took me a second to realize he wanted me to check out his new wizard robes—regal shades of green and gold with an Elrich gold dragon emblazoned right over his heart. And they fit perfectly, as if a tailor had fashioned them for him alone.

This made it official. Jasper was a wizard in training at the Wolfrest Wizard Academy in West Vale.

"They look stunning on you. Clearly, you were always meant to attend this school rather than any of the others," I praised, as I set my book aside on a nearby table.

"Queen Yaereene oversaw them being made and demanded that I have five complete sets. Can you believe it? Five!" He thrust his hand in my face with all his fingers extended.

I chuckled and pushed his hand away. The royal family had taken good care of Jasper since he was the one who'd stolen the recipe books and made the antidote.

"Plus, she had a bunch of other everyday clothes made for me. Really high-quality stuff. My trunk for school is so full, I have to sit on it to close it."

My heart squeezed to see his joy. The boy who'd watched the murder of his entire village by orcs, traveled with his mercenary sister as they scraped by, and dreamed of becoming a wizard while meeting up with mentors who couldn't help him. He was on the right path at last.

"When will you be starting at the Academy?"

"Next week. I've been studying with Master Dexius and Mistress Loralei for the past several days, and they want me to stay here a little while longer so they can help me catch up with the rest of the students. But since I've begun working with them, I haven't had a single spell explode in my face or go horribly wrong. They're all going right!"

Which proved what I'd always suspected. Jasper was a talented wizard. It was only a matter of finding the right teacher to get through to him how he needed them to. They needed to teach to how his mind and skills worked. Not what worked for them.

Jasper plopped on the sofa next to me with a bounce and released a loud, heavy sigh. "I like it here. It's so peaceful."

"You mean because you're getting three excellent meals a day, sleeping in an enormous soft bed, and have a wardrobe to rival the son of a duke?"

Jasper choked on a laugh and gave my shoulder a shove. "No! Well…I mean, that's nice too, but I know that won't last. I was thinking of being in Wolfrest and the people here. They slow down and take their time with everything. The focus isn't so much on the finished product, but on the process."

"That life is about the journey, not the destination."

"Yes! And that everyone moves at their own pace. Apprenticeships are long here, and there's no pressure to have accomplished something by a certain age. You get it when you get it, and that's all there is to it."

Yep, Jasper was going to fit in here just fine, and I wasn't the only one who thought so.

A chirp came from his robes, and I lifted my eyebrows. That sounded like Master Binx, but it shouldn't have.

Jasper sat up from his slouch and reached into a hidden pocket in his robes, scooping out the chipmunk along with a couple of seeds. He placed them all on the table and I watched as the chipmunk stretched his front and hind legs before giving a full body shake, as if he'd woken from a nap.

"I don't understand," I whispered as I leaned toward Jasper. "I thought you and the Wolfrest wizards were going to change him back to an elf."

"We tried! Master Dexius, Mistress Loralei, and the other wizards all tried. We got the spell right, but they said he's not changing because he doesn't want to."

"Really?" I stared at the chipmunk who sat in the center of the coffee table, munching on a selection of seeds and nuts. It wasn't a bad life he was living. He was being cared for by a thoughtful young wizard, getting all the food he could want, and was getting to see the world.

Jasper nodded. "Master Dexius reassured him that he wouldn't be in any trouble by being in Wolfrest since he was technically a Galinaes elf, but he still won't change. Mistress Loralei thinks he's happy the way he is."

"He probably is."

"They told me to try the spell every few months, and if Master Binx is ready to change, then he will."

"Is he going to the Academy with you?"

"Yep. I'll take good care of him there, and Mistress Loralei has already spoken with the headmaster about it."

And a wizard chipmunk was likely to be a hit with the other students.

"How's your sister taking the news about you beginning school soon?" I inquired.

"She's excited and relieved not to have me following behind her."

I opened my mouth to argue that Adeline would most definitely miss her little brother, but another thought occurred to me. "Where is your sister? I think I've only seen her once since we cured Prince Orian."

Jasper's hand leaped to his mouth, smothering giggles, as he rose to his feet and waved for me to follow him. We walked across the library to one of the large oval windows that looked down on the many flower gardens that existed within the castle's walls. It took me a few seconds of searching to spot Adeline, and she wasn't alone.

The mercenary was walking shockingly close to Princess Saida, their heads bent together in low conversation. Every once in a while, laughter would trickle out from one or the other as they strolled the garden, not seeming to see any of the beautiful flowers around them. No, they had eyes only for each other.

"They've been inseparable since that day," Jasper said, sounding utterly disgusted by his sister's defection from being a hard, badass mercenary to a smitten young woman who simply wanted to be near the owner of her heart.

It was something I understood all too well.

"I take it she's going to be staying in West Vale for now," I observed, trying to keep the laughter out of my voice and failing.

Jasper grunted. "Yeah. It doesn't bother her at all that I'm staying here, because she's not leaving. I think she might try to join the royal guard or something. Like become Princess Saida's personal bodyguard."

"Sounds like a good plan."

"Princess Saida says she's got at least three more years of training as a healer here in West Vale, and then there's another healer that she wants to study under, but she's a hermit who lives on the easternmost coast. I'm sure Addie will follow her to that healer when it's time."

We stood at the window watching them for another minute, and my mind drifted away to another elf with laughing eyes and a sweet smile that I hadn't seen in too many hours. I missed him. Since he'd been welcomed home, we'd not had many opportunities to talk about what came next. That night in the garden at his secret residence, we talked about silly dreams of marriage and adventure. But dreams were easy under the soft, forgiving light of the stars.

It was a different matter when they were hauled out under the harsh glare of day and had to be put into a workable plan. I wasn't a fool. Nylian had an obligation to his family and his kingdom. It wasn't like he could toss all of that aside.

What was the ultimate end to this story? Would Prince Victor be sent home to Edros while the king named Prince Xeran the crown prince of Wolfrest?

For once, I couldn't guess what came next. I didn't dare touch the coin that was buried in my old sack, which was now stuffed in the bottom of a bureau drawer. If I touched it, I could be sent home, and I didn't want that to happen. Not until I was sure there was no shot of being with Nylian.

As those dark thoughts were swirling through my brain, a soft chime echoed throughout the palace, almost like tiny bells stirred by a gentle breeze. It was a spell that announced the hour within the palace.

"Oh, no! I'm supposed to be meeting Mistress Loralei for a lesson! I'll see you later!" Jasper darted for the door, but only made it halfway across the library before he backtracked to the sofa where we'd been sitting. He scooped up Master Binx, stuffed him into the hidden pocket, gave me a final wave, and ran out the door.

Life at the Academy was going to be an adventure for him.

I almost felt sorry for his new teachers. They were going to have their hands full.

In the meantime, maybe I should go hunt down my prince. This longing wasn't going away, and I needed to steal as much time with him as I could.