A Game of Crowns
Chapter 10- I don't need a man

“I like being a woman, even in a man’s world. After all, men can’t wear dresses, but we can wear the pants.”

-Whitney Houston

Lucas took me to the one place he felt comfortable; the palaces apple orchard. Row upon row of trees stood before us. The orchard stood on about two acres of land. I took in the beautiful sight of bushels on all the trees. The red of the apples stood out like little dots on a blanket of green. The ground was scattered with the ones that had fallen off their branches. I looked at Lucas surprised.

“What?” He asked. “I like coming here to walk and think.”

“It’s beautiful. I’m surprised I hadn’t found them myself.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

He started to walk ahead of me but I quickly caught up and matched my strides to his. We walked in silence for a few minutes when he abruptly stopped. He shuffled back and forth between his feet, refusing to look at me.

“You know, I’ve been meaning to get you alone.” He said as he examined an apple he plucked from a nearby tree.

I arched an eyebrow at him. Not that he’d notice since he still hadn’t glanced my way. “Is that so? Mind telling me why?”

He turned bright red. The color at odds with his hair once again. Why was he blushing? What was he trying to say?

His hazel eyes darted back and forth between me and the apple in his hand. “Yesterday when I was with Viktorya...”

Oh, so that’s what he wanted to talk about.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“That was the first time we’d kissed and the only time. We’re not a thing or anything. She asked if I wanted to have some fun and...”

I stopped him right there. “Lucas, you do not have to explain anything. You guys wanted to have fun and besides, why are you explaining it to me?”

He scratched the back of his neck and smiled. He was being rather shy today. “Just in case you were curious for any reason.”

“Okay...Thanks?” I said, still unsure of his reasoning.

He chuckled. “Right, okay. So, we’re stuck together for a week.” He said, changing the subject.

“I guess we are. You know, I’m surprised you won.” The hurt on his face made me backtrack. “I mean not that your idea wasn’t good or anything, but you have to admit there were better ideas there.”

His eyebrows smoothed out and a small smile replaced his frown. “Yeah, I know. The day of the mini-trial when you backed me it kind of woke me up. If you hadn’t chosen me I would have been sent home. So, from that day on I got close to the council and made sure I had some of them in my corner and since you back me... I was wondering if...”

He knew how to play the game. I needed to learn or I wouldn’t be able to help anyone. I wondered what Siobhan did to win the first trial.

He continued, “So, what do you say?”

Uh...what?

“I’m sorry, Lucas. I must have missed something. Can you please repeat what you just said?” I asked

He shuffled his feet again. “I was wondering if you would be my queen...”

What?

He must have noticed my face. I’m pretty sure it looked as shocked as I felt.

He rushed the next sentence out before I had a chance to reply. “I mean you don’t have to. Just forget I mentioned anything.”

“I’m sorry, Lucas. It’s just that you caught me by surprise.”

Hope flickered in his eyes.

I continued, “but I’ve already struck an alliance with someone.”

His eyes dimmed. “Yeah, I should have guessed. I’ve noticed you and Tobias have been inseparable lately. I guess I was late to the game.”

I didn’t know how to respond. We stood in awkward silence for a bit when suddenly, a bright smile lit up his face. “Who knows, maybe we’ll still get paired up. So, don’t count me out just yet.”

He kept leaving me speechless.

“Let’s forget about that for now and just do as we were told. Let’s get to know each other.” He said, grinning.

The shy guy was put away and his confident self was back on display.

“So, my lucky Penny. Tell me about yourself.”

And that was how the week was spent. We walked through the orchards, ate our meals together, and learned a little more about each other every day. He was the youngest of five, was learning to be a banker before he was drafted by the mandate, enjoyed vanilla popsicles, and loved spending time in front of a crackling fire.

Which was how we were spending our last night together. The ambiance lulled me into a cozy mood. The fire simmered at a low heat, the wood crackled as it burned and the flames danced in a hypnotizing rhythm.

We sat at the foot of a small fireplace in an out of the way lounge. We’d been here four times this week and it was always empty. We’d always leave a bit of a mess but every time we came back everything was where it belonged. So, obviously, someone knew we’d been in here.

The room was cozy and warm. The beige walls and deep brown curtains matched the furniture perfectly. The light hardwood floor wasn’t comfortable to sit on so Lucas laid out a blanket for us. It didn’t make much of a difference but it was a nice gesture.

His deep chuckles were happy and real. We rolled around the floor laughing at my terrible impressions of Sir Hawthorne and Madame Lorrelle. It was exactly what I needed after what I experienced at the hand of The Trinity. Lucas was sweet not to mention what happened, but a part of me needed to talk about it.

I hoped to speak with Tobias since he was such a reassuring presence that day but we could never seem to find time for each other this week. Tobias assured me things would go back to normal soon and we’d talk then. I hoped he was right. I’d never admit it to his face but I missed him. I didn’t want to miss him, but it was inevitable.

“You okay?” Lucas’s question reminded me I was with him and not alone. I didn’t need to be thinking about Tobias right now.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about how it was nice to get some free time from lessons this week,” I said, lying through my teeth.

It was half a lie. I wasn’t thinking about it at that moment but it was also true. It was nice to get some time off from lessons. We only had one this week and it was surprisingly useful. It was on trade agreements between the territories.

He propped himself up on an elbow while remaining in a lying position. I sat up and tucked my feet underneath me and faced him. His eyes crinkled as he kindly smiled up at me. He had gotten a haircut and it made him look very handsome.

“You’re staring, Penny.” He said grinning.

A wave of warmth flooded my face. I looked away quickly. “Sorry,” I mumbled.

He turned my face towards him. “Don’t be.”

A patch of darker colored skin, near the top of his cheekbone, caught my attention. It was probably just the fireplace creating shadows but I was still tempted to touch it.

I raised my hand and was about to wipe my thumb across his face when the lounge door creaked open. There stood Tobias with wide eyes. A second later his face was wiped clean of emotion. A dark expression took place on his handsome features. I let my hand fall.

He left without saying a word and softly shut the door. I looked back at Lucas. The slight lift of his lips made me think he was happy with what just happened.

What had just happened? What did Tobias think was going on here? He must have thought I was having a fling with Lucas. The setting seemed romantic and my hand placement at the time of his arrival gave him the wrong impression.

I jumped up, startling Lucas in the process.

“Where are you going?” He asked quickly.

“I need to go after him,” I said as I dusted off my pants. “I’m sorry, Lucas. Maybe I’ll see you around tomorrow.”

I darted out of the room in chase of Tobias. Where would he go? I needed to explain what he walked in on. I didn’t want him to think I was a liar. I told him I wasn’t seeing anyone and that I would keep it that way until we figured out what was going on with us. He had to know I wouldn’t do that.

I checked the throne room, the glass room, several verandas, and I even knocked on his door but no one answered.

I decided to check our study room. It was the last place I could think of. I prayed to the Priestess that he’d be in that room. I needed to see him tonight before his thoughts festered and ruined our friendship.

I opened the study door and found it dark. I turned the lights on and quickly scanned the room. I sighed. He wasn’t in here either. Where else could I possibly look? I was about to leave when I heard a light giggle and a sshing sound from beneath the mahogany desk. My stomach fell.

He wouldn’t.

A head with light brown curls popped up from behind the desk. Viktorya’s smug face watched as my face fell. She wore a black, long-sleeved, button-up shirt. That shirt wasn’t hers. She wrapped her arms around her waist.

Tobias stood up from behind the desk as if he did nothing. His upper body was well defined and beautifully sculptured. His pants hung low on his hips, showing off the angular lines of his torso. I might have ogled more if I wasn’t so upset.

“You idiot,” I stated simply.

He walked around Viktorya, who still wore her stupid smirk. He walked up to me and stopped two inches away. “I’m the idiot. What about you?” He seethed. The hurt and anger on his face broke my heart. The anger I felt at the sight of them together seeped out of my body only leaving the hurt.

“You’re still the idiot,” I whispered. “Nothing happened, Tobias. Nothing.”

His mouth opened and closed without saying a word.

I left the room unsure of where we stood. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to be his partner. Hell, I didn’t need him to be queen. I had other options and I didn’t need a man to raise me up. I could do that all on my own.

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