"Let's talk about this later. Right now, I have a room full of very important guests," Dalia said after the room settled into a very awkward silence. "I wanted you all here together, so you could get to know one another. I understand that Taro's parents are quite confused about the prophecy. And because this concerns your son, we will make sure you're told everything. But right now, lets celebrate that you're meeting because my grandson has found someone he truly likes."
Sage blushed when everyone looked at him. When his eyes met with Taro, he noticed his pale cheeks were a little pink too.
"Honestly, their relationship was a surprise," Jesse admitted. "I thought Sage was such a sweet lad and really kind. And Taro is not quite the opposite, but . . . " She paused and Taro raised a brow.
"Go on," he said.
"Well, you're just-"
"A little blunt," Nyerian interrupted, peering around Jesse with a grin.
Sage tried to conceal a smile, especially when Taro observed his reaction. "He can be kind," Sage offered. Taro rolled his jaw to keep down a smirk. "I was also surprised," he said to Jesse. "We didn't get on when we first met."
"I can imagine he had a lot of unwanted opinions."
"Oh, he did, a lot. But that's what I learned to like about Taro. He's honest with me when most people would prefer to lie."
"I don't see your titles first," Taro said. "People shit on you because you're a Prince. They forget you're still human."
Jesse nudged him, hissing, "Language."
"It's true though." Taro looked at Marigold and Haliver. "I bet all those Lords would have jumped at the opportunity to be paired with the man next in line to be King. Would you have chosen the most suitable person, or the most suitable title? You're angry that he's dating a green, but at least I care about him. I'm not bothered if he's King or if he abdicates or whatever this prophecy has in line for him . . . just as long as he gets to be happy. Do you think those Lords would have wanted the same?" Sage's parents didn't reply. "Hate me all you want, but your son's finally being himself."
Haliver sat up straighter, fiddling with a silver cufflink. "You're right, he is honest," he said in a lighter tone and Sage smiled. "You'll have to find a filter if you want to be a part of this family. There are things you just cannot say to the press."
"Yet they can say everything about Sage?" Taro challenged.
Haliver thoughtfully narrowed his cold blue eyes. "It's dangerous to mess with them. If they feel threatened, they'll turn you into a villain. What did you think of Sage before you knew him?"
"That he was a stuck-up snob who cared little about anyone other than himself. Obviously, they were lies, but said so often that people started to believe them. They started looking for the lies. Sage frowns because the suns in his eyes, and suddenly he's ungrateful." Taro slipped his hand into Sage's and squeezed tightly. "I'll work on having a filter. I don't want to make life hard for anyone."
Haliver nodded, smoothing the crease between his brows. He looked to Marigold and sighed with defeat when she refused to meet his gaze. Everyone talked for a little while longer, but the tension was suffocating because of Marigolds silence. She didn't speak again, and Sage felt Taro stiffen and talk a little quieter than usual. Marigold was a beacon of power. Her silence spoke louder than any noise. The hospitality from Dalia was crushed by her still lips.
"We should probably get going now," Jesse said, standing and pulling Nyerian up too. "We don't want to outstay our welcome."
"You're not at all!" Dalia declared, standing too. "But you are welcome back whenever you like! We can exchange contact details." She led them out of the room, and Taro got up too.
Everyone followed. Haliver chased after Marigold who mumbled a polite goodbye and left before anyone could bow. Taro pursed his lips and gently touched Sage's elbow. "I'm going home with my parents for a little while. It'll be for a few days only. I think I need to spend some time with them."
Sage swallowed his disappointment. "Okay," he said with a smile.
"Will you be alright? I know I'm leaving when things are tense but-"
"Taro, that's fine. Be with your family for a while. I know you've missed them." Sage accepted his embrace. Taro hugged him tightly and buried his face into Sage's shoulder. He smelled of the earth, and the cold, and the fire that had turned to ash in the room of truth.
"Your mum's so fucking intimidating," he whispered.
"She is." Sage felt the anger boiling deep inside. If she hadn't left so quickly, he might've dared to confront her about her rudeness. "I'm sorry she's acting this way."
"I'm sorry too. That wasn't pleasant for anyone." Taro pulled back but stayed close. "Shall we finally exchange numbers?"
Sage chuckled. "I think we should." They stared at each other, smiling with sad eyes. "I'll see you in a few days."
"In a few days," Taro confirmed, and kissed him.
Sage's hands squeezed his waist, but the kiss was over too soon, and Taro was getting in the car with his parents and driving off into the distance to where Sage could no longer see him. He watched until he could no longer hear the car, then turned towards his own, and almost walked into his father. "I thought you'd gone," Sage said with surprise.
"Seems I'm in a bit of trouble with my mother. Something about Oxley."
Sage tapped the ends of his fingers together. "I thought gran knew. I didn't mean to get you into trouble with her."
"Seems I'm also in a spot of bother with your mother too." Haliver tugged at the bottom of his waistcoat. "For what it's worth, your mother loves you, she's just trying to accept that she can no longer control you. Her sons are both adults and can make their own decisions, but that terrifies her."
"So why is she pushing me away?"
"That's her default response to those who don't listen to her. Being Queen has hardened her heart. Her father was a great King, and she's trying to be a perfect Queen. The role has consumed her a little bit, and she's put it above anything else." Haliver shook his head. "I wish her father was still alive. I wish Patrick had been older, so the crown went to him. I wish Oxley was older than you, so you didn't have this burden."
Sage felt tears pricking his eyes. "I'm jealous of Taro and the relationship he has with his parents."
Haliver uncrossed his arms and grabbed Sage's shoulder. He pulled him into his chest and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry we've let this drive a wedge between us."
"Sorry is not good enough," Sage whispered, letting his tears soak into his father's shoulder. He cherished the hug; they didn't happen often.
"I know." Haliver rubbed his back for a rigid moment, then pulled away and cleared his throat. "Also, I think Taro and I could learn to get along. He's not tripping over himself to get on my good side, and I like that."
Sage rubbed his face dry with a small smile. "I'll tell him you said that. He'll probably start challenging your patience."
"Well, I do like a good argument." Haliver then pointed to his car. "Ride back with me?"
Sage shared the backseats with his father, and for the first time in his life, he was pleased to see paparazzi at the bottom of his grandmother's driveway. They took pictures of the car, and they would have noticed that the Queen left by herself. He dreaded seeing what the tabloids would say about her come dawn. She's choosing this path, he reminded himself. She can deal with the consequences.
The drive home was a little awkward. His father sat in silence, instead of grumbling about the state of the streets, or the traffic, or the paparazzi like he usually did. But once they were back at the Palace, they smiled at each other before walking in opposite directions.
Sage felt a cold loneliness wash over him when he got to his room. He wondered how he had coped before meeting Taro, then concluded that he didn't cope, he had just suffered in a miserable silence. Soon, he couldn't handle the silence and was thankful that he was summoned for dinner. He had braved going to the dining room, but he was faced with more silence from his mother, so he left and decided to eat on a bench in the garden, surrounded by sweet smelling roses. The birds and the wind in the leaves were enough company for him.
He sat there until the sun swelled at the edge of the sky, covering his side of the world in pretty pinks, and reds, and purples, until the mood replaced it, and glittering stars decorated his view. He wrote a note about solar powered lights for the garden and left it in Mrs Beecham's shed before he changed into some running gear. Sage took his frustration out on the treadmill in their lush gym in the basement, where it was cold enough to enjoy in summer, but freezing in winter.
He had a hot shower and a cup of tea before bed, but when he was lying in the darkness with no potted plant on the bedside table, or Taro to lie next to him while he fell asleep, his mind wouldn't switch off.
He thought about the prophecy, about his future with Taro, and about his parents. He thought about Oxley and whether he was pushing him not to abdicate because he didn't want the prophecy to come true. I wonder what he really thinks about Taro and I, then. He rolled onto his side and scrunched his eyes shut, hoping sleep would take him before his thoughts spiralled.
What if Oxley hates me? What if mum hates me too, and we never mend our relationship, and I'm pushed out, and there really is a war between the humans and the greens. Sage sat up when his heart started to thump. What if Taro is scared off, and he doesn't know how to tell me? Sage covered his face with his hands. Stop thinking. Stop thinking. Stop thinking.
Eventually, he got out of bed when his chest was too tight to rest. He tried to read a book. He lit a fire in the fireplace and listened to the crackling of the wood. The light from the flames was bright enough for him to focus on things in his room when the darkness created fear out of blankness.
Sage soon fell asleep sitting upright on the couch and had nightmares about Oxley snapping Taro's vines.