2. Chapter 2

G etting out of the palace had been a Herculean feat. It would have been difficult any time, but especially after the announcement that was made yesterday. I'd known it was coming, but now that it was here, I felt this weight pushing down on me. Though I'd spent my entire life preparing for this moment, it suddenly became real.

On top of the pressure I felt, there was something insidious lurking, too. At first, I thought it was simply anxiety over the changes ahead of me, but that anxiety started manifesting into situations that happened, and kept happening, that were out of my control. It wasn't only in my head, but if I tried to tell someone, it would sound superficial or ludicrous. Whatever was happening to me was getting worse. Finding someone to approach about it had been a conundrum.

One name surfaced, though. A name from my past. A name that brought longing and sadness. Florian . I'd heard the name mentioned in whispers as a healer who lived in the Purlieu region . Was it the same I'd known as a child? The same I'd played with and shared secrets with?

The name played through my head, the past tumbling along with it, bringing back the loss I felt when he disappeared from my life. He was the one thing I had that let me feel like a regular person. Someone who could laugh and have fun and share in the quiet of the dark with. And then he was gone, the light that shone from him ripped from my life. It left a hole that was never repaired.

One of my personal guards had become like a friend, but it wasn't the same. Oscar toed the line between his duty to protect me and trying to allow me some sort of autonomy, as much as an heir to a throne could have, which was almost none. I trusted him, though, and when I told him I had a confidential task, he made me wear a tracker, and promised to come after me with the full force of the guard if I wasn't back at a certain time. It was the best I could hope for. I knew there was a lot of risk in going out unprotected.

Not everyone loved the royal family. If I were to end up in the wrong person's sights, it could put the entire future of our rule in jeopardy. No pressure .

I wore plain clothes and a hooded coat, keeping my head down. I'd taken a taxi to the edge of the city and from there followed the directions to a local pub where I was told the healer frequented. At the pub, I was given directions to his cottage.

His location wasn't a secret, but everything on my phone was monitored, and I didn't want to invite any questions I preferred not to answer. I'd left my phone at home, too. The tracker in my pocket was the only thing I'd brought. That and some money in case I needed it. It felt strange to carry paper money. It wasn't something I ever had on me. Never had a need for it, really.

With years spent learning to speak in public or conversationally, I had prepared what I would say, but everything fell out of my head when I heard my nickname hiss out of him. I stared, eyes locked on a face that was familiar and not at the same time. Time and maturity had changed it, sharpening the features.

His green eyes were the same I remembered, but his cheeks thinner and jaw more square than the young, childlike face I'd shared a pillow with. His hair was long, hanging down past his shoulders. The light of the lamps in his cottage made the red strands glow against the brown, his hair a lovely contrast against his fair skin. He wore a braid wrapped around his crown, making him look more of a royal than I felt. And the feather in his hair was the perfect accent. I let my eyes slide down to see the cinched waist of the corset creating an enticing shape as it flared up to a flat chest. Crowns , he was gorgeous.

Florian's expression changed, a mask sliding into place. He coughed and cleared his throat before dipping his head. "How can I help you, Your Royal Highness ?"

I shook my head and forced words through my tight throat. "You don't have to do that. Please."

Taking careful steps, I closed the distance between us, as longing and pain filled me equally. I couldn't believe he was here, in front of me, after all these years. And damn, he grew up. I mean, of course he had, as did I, but I didn't expect to be faced with the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. That he was someone I once loved was hard to wrap my head around.

Florian's forced smile faltered. "What are you doing here?"

I reached out to touch his hand, but he pulled it back, making my heart twinge with pain. "Flor. Florian. I think someone might be trying to interfere with my coronation."

His eyes went wide. "Your coronation? What the fuck? When did that happen?"

"Well, it hasn't yet. But it was just announced…surely you've heard, it was all over the news yesterday."

"Ah. So that's what that was about. I, uh, stayed away from the news yesterday."

"Oh. Well, yes. My mother will be retiring, and I was announced officially as her successor, and the coronation ceremony will take place in a month."

Florian blew out a whistle as he folded his arms over his chest, his stance clearly guarded, reminding me that he may look like the boy I remembered, but I didn't know the man before me.

"And you think someone is after you? Isn't that what you have your guard for?" His tone had an edge to it, one I didn't understand.

I shook my head and rubbed at the scar on my wrist. When we were seven, Flor and I had been climbing trees on palace grounds. A squirrel surprised me and I fell and broke my wrist. Flor stayed with me, his hand in my unbroken one, a source of comfort and strength, until I was whisked away by royal guards. I had to have surgery to mend the bones, and pins had been inserted to stabilize them.

Florian's features softened slightly as I played over the bumps where the pins had been, the same as I had after I had healed from that incident.

I straightened and put my hands at my side. "Well, the thing is, I can't prove anything. There hasn't been an outright attack, but weird things keep happening, and I think someone must be doing it to me."

One perfectly-shaped brow arched high on his beautiful face. "Weird how?"

I bit my lip, an action that had been trained out of me as ‘ unbecoming for a prince ,' but standing in front of my former best friend had all my old habits coming back. Florian's green eyes locked on to my mouth, making my body warm under the attention.

"This is going to sound ridiculous."

Florian uncrossed his arms and waved a hand around the room. "I'm a witch, Mal…Malachi, Prince Malachi, I can handle ridiculous."

"You're a witch? Really a witch?"

"Last I checked, yeah."

"Crowns! So the rumors are true?" I'd heard his name associated with the word, but I thought it was just one of those names people attributed to others.

"Depends on the rumors." Florian buffed his nails against his purple shirt in a nonchalant manner.

I blew out a breath. "Okay, then I came to the right person."

Curiosity and concern filled his eyes, and for a moment I caught a glimpse of the boy I'd shared everything with. Even our first kiss, because who better to practice with than your best friend. Thinking back at how naive and clueless I was, and how that kiss meant a lot more than I expected it to, I couldn't help the smile that stretched my lips.

Florian offered me a tentative smile in return. That simple action gave me a glimmer of hope. Maybe there was something that could be repaired or rebuilt, even if I didn't know why he'd left me and never looked back.

He squinted and stared, his gaze on my mouth no longer held the same hint of longing that had been there before. "Um, sorry, but it looks like you have something in your teeth."

I gasped and threw a hand up to cover my mouth. "Crowns! I, well, it's parsley."

The man across from me snorted with amusement. It was bad enough this had happened in front of dignitaries, but somehow even more mortifying with this beautiful man. "Do you need a toothpick?"

I sat on one of the wooden stools with a harrumph, still using my hand in front of my mouth. "No, it won't help. It's been weeks. Every time I smile…parsley. I don't even remember eating parsley."

Florian came around the bar and sat at the stool beside me. His nearness made my heart gallop in my chest. He looked like he wanted to touch me but folded his hands instead. "What are you saying, exactly?"

"I'm saying, I think someone did this to me somehow. It was a nuisance, at first, but now it's a real problem. Every public appearance, every meeting with an ambassador: parsley. How can I portray myself as a trustworthy leader if I'm always seen with flecks of green in my teeth? It's either that or never smile, but no one wants a leader who seems unaffected or above it all."

Florian's lips pursed before a laugh popped out of him. He laughed so hard, he snorted.

I narrowed my gaze at him. "This is serious."

"Well, I can see why you didn't go to your guard. I don't know if they've been trained to fight against garnishes."

I couldn't help but chuckle at how ridiculous it sounded. "Stop, it's not funny."

"Oh, come on, show me that royal smile."

I shook my head but did as he asked, giving him a big, toothy grin, to which he responded with another loud burst of laughter.

"I'm sorry, but that is funny. You look so ridiculous." Florian hooted.

Even if it was at my expense, I had to admit it felt good to laugh. Better still to hear Florian laugh. Beneath the deeper voice and richer sound was the same laugh I'd known as a kid. That and having someone who wasn't afraid to mock me.

Florian's laughter settled. "I gotta give them credit for creativity, at least."

"Well, it's a PR nightmare. The media has all had to be paid to do touch-ups on the photos before they could be released. But there's more to it than that."

That brow arched once more. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Just a feeling, I guess."

That made Florian sit up, his expression growing serious. "Feelings can be very telling and shouldn't be ignored."

"So…can you help me?"

He bobbed his head slowly. "It's possible. Give me your hands."

Florian held his hands out to me, and I placed mine on top of his. Static electricity sparked between us, visible arcs of light on our skin. Florian sucked in a sharp breath, and I resisted the urge to flinch back, letting my hands rest on his.

He closed his eyes in concentration, leaving me to stare at him, taking in every detail of his perfect face. Among the beauty of his pink lips and high cheekbones, there was a hint of pain etched into the corner of his eyes. Weariness, too. What had happened to him in all these years? What had his life been like? As hurt as I'd been that he left me, I hated the thought of him struggling.

"Relax your mind, Mal. I can feel your turmoil, and it's making it hard for me to focus."

I blew out a breath and closed my eyes, trying not to think about the man before me, which, with the acute awareness of his presence, was much harder than it should be. When I inhaled through my nose, trying to calm myself, it was his scent that filled me. A woodsy scent mixed with something light and citrusy. It made me think of the sun shining through the forest, a light in the dark. It had been the same when we were kids. He was the light in my isolated world.

A buzz hummed beneath my skin, like something reaching into me. It should have been alarming, but what I felt was comforting and warm. Florian's hands squeezed mine for a moment, before he suddenly dropped them, breaking the connection.

My eyes flew open, and I saw him scooting as far back as he could on the stool, a confused, hurt expression on his face. Florian wiped his hands over his pants. My stomach sank at the change in him, already missing the light-hearted moment a few minutes ago, or the calm I felt at his touch.

"What's wrong?"

He shook his head and stood up, walking around the bar, as if he needed it to act as a barrier between us. "I, um, I think I found it."

"Found what, exactly?"

"I believe it's a charm, perhaps. It's definitely an outside influence."

My lips turned down at the thought. So I wasn't being paranoid. Someone was doing this to me. "Is there anything you can do?"

Florian drew in a long, slow breath, and I noticed the knuckles on his hands looked white as he braced himself on the counter. Was my presence really that upsetting to him? Or was it what he found?

"I did it."

"Wait. What?"

Florian turned away from me and straightened a few jars in the cabinet behind him. Not looking at me, he said, "I was able to undo the charm. You should be parsley-free."

The tracker buzzed in my pocket, a reminder that my time would be up soon, and if I didn't return to the palace immediately, every guard in the region would crash down on my location to ensure my safety. I couldn't have them do that to Florian's place.

"You're sure?"

He glanced over his shoulder at me, a solemn look in his eyes. "Yes."

"Okay, that's great! Thank you. I don't know how to show you how grateful I am." I stood, putting my hands in my pockets, unsure of what to do, or where things went wrong.

Florian faced me once more, arms crossed over his chest, guarding himself once more. He offered me a rueful smile. "Just be careful. There's something that remains, a tether that I can't reach."

"If anything else happens, can I contact you?" Hope and dread swirled around within me. I wanted to go to him and hug him, touch him, something, to feel the man who grew out of the boy I once loved. There had been a glimpse of the past between us, the laughing and teasing, but it had vanished all too quickly, just as he had. After twenty years, I finally stood before him again, and I hated to think it would be the last time.

He bobbed his head once, as though he didn't want to speak.

Throwing my coat's hood back over my head, I looked at him from beneath it, trying to memorize every feature. "Thank you…friend. It was really good to see you again."

I wasn't sure if he was going to reply, but then he croaked out, "You, too, Mal."

My heart clenched tight as I hurried to return to the palace as quickly as possible. I didn't understand what just happened or why he grew distant once more. Was it something I did? Something I said? I replayed the entire encounter in my head, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong. The last thing I felt with him was the warmth that seeped into me and the peace that came with it. Surely, he must have sensed it, too? It seemed too big for it to have affected only me. But then…I had a charm on me, maybe I couldn't trust my feelings. A charm. That should be the more concerning part of the evening, not the strangeness with Florian.

Someone had placed a charm on me, albeit a quirky one, but a charm nonetheless. Something that was beyond my control. If they could do that to me without me noticing, what else might happen?

These thoughts plagued me on my way home. I made it back through the gate as the tracker started buzzing wildly in my pocket. Oscar was at the gate, looking at his phone, when he glanced up and saw me. He tsked and shook his head when I approached.

"Cutting it close, aren't you?"

"More so than I meant to, but I'm back, and everything is fine." It wasn't, but fine enough.

"Did you get what you needed?" Oscar asked, assessing me for any damage.

"Mostly." I had gone without any expectations for Florian, but now I was left with this ache at having left him. He said he'd been able to undo the parsley curse, but I hadn't checked yet. Pushing the weird feelings over my former friend down, I put on my prince mask and forced a smile. "How do I look?"

Oscar shrugged, not sure how to answer. "You look…handsome?"

"Anything in my teeth?" I stretched my lips as wide as they would go and leaned my head toward him.

"No, sir. Not that I can see."

Relief poured through me, well, at least that was one less thing to worry about. "Perfect. Thank you. And thanks for your help tonight, I know you went out on a limb for me."

"Not sure it will happen again, Your Royal Highness ." He emphasized my title to show me he was speaking to me as my position dictated, no longer as a friend. "The risk is too great, especially now."

I nodded, feeling the walls of the palace closing in on me once more. "Understood. I'll be retiring for the night. Thank you."

He dipped his head, but instead of leaving me, he escorted me to my room. The momentary freedom I felt tonight was gone. I was back, a prisoner in my own life. Surrounded but alone.