“
How about the black one?
”
She frowned.
“
There is no black one. There is to be no black in this wedding, Echo.
”
“
I like black;
my hair is black,
”
I said
hysterically
through the tears.
“
If I wear black it will only add to the oddity that is me. My skin is
even
darker than everyone else
’
s. I
’
m ridiculous because I want a
life
and crazy because I dare speak out about it!
”
I stood and shook my head at her. I threw my hands in the air and screamed.
“
I
’
m so damn tired of being
so damn
different!
”
She was taken aback and she
quickly
reached for me. I moved away
and watched her how one would look at a stranger
.
“
This is crazy, Echo! Who told you that you are different?
”
Her eyes glow
er
ed with that hidden secret again,
and
this time I was going to delve deeper for the truth.
“
I am not who you say I am, am I?
”
I snarled.
“
You called me Aleksandria, Mother! Who is this person? And I don
’
t even look anything like my own siblings, my father! What are you not telling me?
”
Mother gasped and tears fell to the ground where she stood. She shooed away the maids and we stood alone. Silence conquered all and I grew restless.
“
Your name,
”
she sobbed. She glanced up at me from her hands.
“
Your name is not Echo.
”
My breath left me in a rush. It was like someone telling you that you didn
’
t exist.
“
W-what do you mean?
”
“
You know what it
means! Your name is Aleksandria;
it is what he named you.
”
“
Who
named me, Mother! Who are you always talking about?
”
“
Your father, Aly!
”
Mother suddenly screamed. Her eyes had grown dark and a new woman stood in front of me then.
“
Your
real
father! He nam
ed you Aleksandria.
”
I took a step away from her as I cocked my head and tried to digest her words. They weren
’
t sitting well and I felt consciousness fighting for control again.
“
No,
”
I
whispered breathlessly. I glanced
around
the room and wanted to scream. Mother only wept. None of this—the palace, the money, the life—wasn
’
t even mine. Who was I?
“
No!
”
I screamed louder.
“
Who is he?
”
She shook her head and wiped the tears from her eyes.
“
Please, do not be mad, Aly.
”
“
My name is
Echo
!
”
I took another step further away from her and I hit the wall. I didn
’
t belong here. My hair, my skin, and everything
about me
was different because I truly did not belong. My whole life had been a lie and I was rapidly losing my grip of reality.
I ran for the door and looked back at my cowering mother.
“
Tell Everlae and Shadow I couldn
’
t do it.
”
“
Where are you going?
”
Mother cried out.
“
I don
’
t know! You did this!
”
“
Echo—
”
I walked out the door and closed it
shut
.
“
Goodbye
, Mother.
”
I told the maids to ignore everything they
’
d heard and ran down the stairs in a rush. I hadn
’
t even gotten a chance to talk to Isobeli since she returned. She was always so busy and never had time for me. Now would have been the perfect time, because as I pushed past the screaming guards and into the pouring rain, I could have used a friend.
Reality failed me as I ran
blindly
through the night. Escape was impossible, but I ran anyway.
I wandered aimlessly, crying until I couldn
’
t see and my muscles grew so
re
. I had no destination in mind, but I guess in some way I already knew where to go.
I found myself standing in front of the border and a guard quickly came to me, asking for a name. I barely registered what he said
after that
, but I screamed the one thing I was sure of,
“
I need Ayden Grey! I need him, can you help me find him?
”
I shivered as I glared up at him
and cold rain ran into my eyes
.
He sighed and yelled over the
storm
,
“
Are you Echo?
”
I nodded.
“
You
’
ve come a long way from home, Princess. Tell Ayden…tell him I said he
’
s fighting a brave battle. Go on.
”
He motioned to the guards hidden in the shadows and they raised the drawbridge.
“
Thank you,
”
I whispered. I wrapped my arms around my body and
sprinted
through the dusty pathways
. Coldness bit into my skin and my feet threatened to collapse underneath me, but I ran until I
found
the house I
’
d only seen once but had quickly deemed a true haven. Hope flickered within my chest at th
e sight of a light in a window and
I stared for a long time.
This is love. This is your life, Echo. Own it. Start over.
T W E N T Y-
T H R E
E
Ayden
S
he
’
s talking again
, I thought with a relieved sigh. Since giving her the medication, Mother was now able to do things on her own again. Though moving was difficult, with help she could make it around the house and back. Her green eyes blossomed from the stark imprisonment her ailment had locked them in and she smiled as if nothing had ever happened. That was my mother, the lioness that she was.
For the briefest moments, I could have sworn that time had failed me, but as I watched her
singing
to the twins by the doorway, I felt assured that I had managed to at least fulfill one of my promises.
I was slowly picking up the broken pieces to my family and putting them back together again.
In the kitchen
,
Father sat at the table with a plate of food before him. He stared at it long and hard before finally pushing it away. I sighed and said,
“
She
’
s doing a lot better. You should be thankful.
”
“
I am.
”
He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. I would have presumed him drunk, but his eyes said he
’
d been sober for a while.
“
I
’
m very thankful. Giovanni stopped by today and made me realize what an idiot I
’
ve been, Ayden.
”
“
Why does it take him telling you? I
’
ve been trying to get you to understand since I was eleven.
”
I took the seat across from him, but kept my expression cold. I respected his weird way of apologizing for his own stupidity, but I wasn
’
t going to warm back up to him so easily.
“
I know, Ayden, I do.
It was just so tough after your mother fell ill. I couldn
’
t pay off debts. I
n order to bring in some kind of money, the twins had to stop schooling. I
’
ve regretted that decision for years.
”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“
And what about me? Forcing me to work for you, even going out of your way
to
teach me the necessary skills so that you can stay home and drink your problems away? When you had beer and alcohol to soothe your worries, we had nothing. I worked and worked until it was all I knew, Father. I
had no childhood;
you took that from me.
”
Father shook with ever
y
sob he released. I wanted to feel sorry for him, but I just couldn
’
t; I didn
’
t have it in me to let the past go. The past was all we had to
go
on after all,
all we had to remember. There was no future to look forward to.
“
You must hate me,
”
he finally murmured.
“
No,
”
I answered, meaning it.
“
I hate what you
’
ve done to yourself and this family. I hate New Haven for the position they
’
ve put our people in, but I don
’
t hate you.
”
“
You
’
ve gained some wisdom, son.
I wish I could have been as strong as you.
”
I shook my head and stood to my feet.
“
It
’
s not about
strength
. It
’
s about the motivation that carries you.
You lack self-will, not power. You are weak only because you allow your weakness to consume you.
”
I went for the door and pushed it open, saying nothing more to him as I left. There was nothing left to say, I had said my part and he had forgiven himself for deserting us. Whether he meant it or not was far beyond me, but Mother, the twins, and I wouldn
’
t be around to watch his relapse. That time, he
’
d know how it feels to truly be alone.
A watering can sat in the garden and
I
glanced over at the weeping bleeding hearts. Since Mother had been ill the garden had gone unattended
and I
’
d been too occupied to consider watching them
. I carried the can to the hose and filled it with water to the brim
.
It was raining pretty hard, but the roof of the house just above the garden forbade the flowers from what it needed, even sunlight.
I was only a gardener by nature, something Mother didn
’
t need to teach but simply show
ed
me. Carpentry was only a skill I had obtained through my father and I didn
’
t do much of it unless it was necessary for a job. Fighting was only mandatory growing up in Shadow Hills. I knew nothing about swords and daggers, but fighting with my hands was of no difference to me.
Survival was a skill I had only begun to learn. It wasn
’
t an easy one, but I had help. It took patience and a lot of strategizing. You had to know your destination before you
even began;
you had to be willing to lose and gain a lot. Overall, failure just wasn
’
t an option.
I sat the watering can off to the side and watched as the flowers regained most of its color. I smiled at them thoughtfully, thinking of one girl in particular. I left the garden behind and walked through the backyard to the cabin
, deciding I
’
d wait until morning to groom them better
.
But I barely took five steps before I spotted her standing in the rain outside of the cabin
door
. Her blue eyes shone like kaleidoscopes, and even from where I stood I could see the tears rolling down her cheeks.
“
Echo? Echo!
”
I ran to her and wrapped my arms around her shivering body
, soothing her with the first words
that came to mind
. She shook violently as I held her and my heart ached is if it knew the measure of pain she must
’
ve endured.
Why was she here?
I thought.
What had happened?
My jaw clenched and I had to bite back a growl.
I grew furious
a lot faster than I had expected
,
and I held her closer. Whoever had hurt her was going to suffer, I was sure.
“
My father…
”
she mumbled.
“
Ayden
…
My father…not real.
”
I kissed her lips just to quiet
her and lifted her off her feet and into the cabin. She clung to me as I made my way through the living room and the kitchen.
Glancing down at her, I realized
that I would have done anything for her. Jumping blindly off a bridge was only the beginning. I couldn
’
t explain the feeling that stormed through me, they were only feelings Echo could evoke. She
’
d become a part who I was, stitched perfectly into the fabric of my soul. There wasn
’
t a doubt about her anymore—she
’
d become my reason to fight for survival, to strive.
Five weeks. Five weeks and I
’
d fallen in love with a Warrior.
I pushed through my bedroom door and
I sat her on my bed
. She cried so much I wondered if she even knew where she was. How
’
d she even remember the way he
re? I pulled her out of her shaw
l and left her gown on. She was still wet from the rain, but I had no clothing to give her
.
I sat next to her and pulled her close, kissing every tear away that spilled from her yes.
She
needs to know how I feel.
“
Echo, tell me what happened.
”
“
No,
”
she cried, wrapping her hands around my torso and pulling me impossibly closer. I kissed the top of her head and sighed.
“
It hurts too much, Ayden. I try, I really do. When I work so hard to piece every broken thing back
together
, it just crumbles to my feet again. I no longer have the strength to do it.
”
She sobbed into my chest and I held her until she quieted. Her burdens became my own then, two broken hearts with nowhere to go. And that
’
s when it hit me. She
’
d really run away again.
I was dead.
No,
we
were dead.
“
How
’
d you make it past the border?
”
I asked her. She leaned back and looked me in the eyes.
“
Your friend. He told me to tell you that you fight a brave battle.
”
I clung to her ever word.
“
He did?
”
“
Yes, but Ayden, this is urgent. You must know.
”
She held her breath as I held my own. She took my hand in hers and said,
“
My mother has been keeping a secret from me, from everyone. It is the reason I am so different—my hair,
my
eyes, my skin.
I
’
ve questioned my lineage before, but I just couldn
’
t believe it.
Ayden, I am not the King
’
s daughter.
”
I held my breath a moment longer, waiting for her to smile and say that she was joking. But the moment never came and unspoken tears continued to fall from her eyes. I reached out and wiped them away and waited for the right words to come to me. They also never came and I resulted in pulling her into me as she wept. I brushed the wet hairs from her face
and grabbed
a blanket from the bed to wrap around her. She shivered despite the extra layer.
“
Don
’
t let them take this freedom from me, Ayden,
”
she whispered
through hiccups and sobs
.
Just when I thought I had had a handle on things, Echo g
ave
me news like this and I fe
lt
like I
’
d
just plummeted to the starting point all over again.
“
Echo, what are you thinking,
”
I asked her sincerely.
She looked up at me from my chest and she ran her fingers through my hair. I sighed and watched her.
“
Don
’
t make me go back this time,
please
. I
’
m so broken without you, Ayden.
I
’
m literally falling apart.
And I guess that
’
s why we fit so much? You
’
re broken, too. I can see it.
”
She moved her hand back to my chest and closed her eyes as if listening for something.
“
You
’
re broken right here.
”
“
Echo—
”
“
I
’
m through trying to please everyone else! All I want is time with you.
Please, tell me that is okay with you.
”
I covered her hand with mine and she shuddered. Her words were nothing but the truth, but they still stung nonetheless. I needed this girl, I realized.
“
I am broken.
”
I whispered.
“
But
this is crazy. Do you know what you
risk
being here with me right now?
Your life, Echo.
”
She shrugged and shook her head.
“
I don
’
t care, really. My m
other made her choice, and so did my father. I just made mine. I want
to stay here and live with you.
Forever.
”
I touched her lips and frowned. When I leaned forward and kissed her lips, it was a kiss of a thousand words I couldn
’
t say. Three words in particular.
“
You are something else,
”
I whispered. She smiled and
her lips met mine again
. The moment was bliss. If I could have made it last forever, I would have. I would
have
frame
d
it, show
n
it off to the world as I would her. It didn
’
t matter to me if she was no longer a princess, she was one to me. If I had the money, I knew I woul
d have treated her as s
uch. She wouldn
’
t shed another unhappy tear; I
’
d make sure of that. Beautiful in every way, she would be
mine
.