Cursed by Bandits (Once Upon A Curse)

19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

T he weeks before the tournament passed in a blink of an eye. I was constantly moving from one character to the next; Lady Rowan with my uncle, Sir Robin during my training, and plain old me when I was with Jane, Milo, and the rest of my friends. Some days I felt lost and constantly on edge, afraid that I would slip into the wrong persona in front of the wrong person, but most days I was just exhausted.

Which was why Jane found me at my desk, head resting on the flat surface with papers filled with notes on the competitors all around me .

“You’re supposed to be studying, not sleeping.” Jane rushed into the room, picking up parchment as she came to them, destroying my organized chaos.

My head snapped up off the desk, a page of notes stuck to my cheek. I looked at her, eyes wide. “Don’t pick those up. I have a system.” I threw my hand up, gesturing for her to halt. But it was already too late. She had cleaned up my room.

Her empty hand flew to her mouth. “I did it again. Oh Rowan, I’m sorry. It’s so hard for me to see things scattered about and not tidy. Sometimes it even makes my eye twitch, but I really am trying to stop myself.” She handed me the stack of papers. “Um, Rowan, you might want to peel off the one stuck to your cheek.”

“What?” My hands flew to my face, the crinkling of the paper loud next to my ear as I touched it. “Ugh, I can’t believe that was there this entire time.”

Jane’s laughter bounced off the walls as I peeled the paper off my cheek. The ink was ever so slightly smudged but still legible. “I can’t hold it in anymore,” she said between giggles. “It’s just . . . you look so serious with notes stuck to your face.”

I couldn’t help but laugh too, the tension easing from my neck and shoulders. “I have to say laughing feels really good. Everything has been so intense lately.” I shrugged. “It’s been a lot.”

Jane’s smile softened as she reached over and squeezed my shoulder. “I know. Saving a town is a lot, but you’re not alone. We’re all here to support you, remember?”

I nodded as I fought the overwhelming urge to cry, taking a deep breath. “I know. Thank you.” I looked at the mess in front of me. “I just need to win this tournament. Once I do, everything will start to fall into place.”

Jane nodded. “I almost forgot why I actually came to see you. Connor is here for the tournament. He requested to see you.”

The mention of Prince Connor brought me back to the present, instead of the future where my thoughts had been drifting off to once again, bringing with it the crushing weight of my own expectations, not to mention those of others. “Connor? He’s here? And he’s entering the tournament. I haven’t seen any notes on him. Why would he do this to me?”

Jane nodded. “Yes, he arrived this morning. Your uncle tried to brush him off, but you know Connor. He’s persistent. As for why he’s entering the tournament . . . He likes you. I believe he’s trying to pursue you. But you are oblivious and your uncle doesn’t want you to have more power than him. ”

A smile tugged at my lips. Prince Connor had been a friend since I had come back home, even though he was . . . officious at times. But it’s hard to turn off the need to be a hero when it’s so deeply ingrained in who you are as a person, so I couldn’t hold it against him too much. His arrival was a welcome surprise. I didn’t like that he was also joining the competition, but I assumed it was a way he felt that he could save me from my situation here.

“I should go down and welcome him to the keep and the tournament,” I said, standing up and smoothing out my dress. “We haven’t seen each other since our shopping excursion.”

Jane nearly shoved me out of the room. “I’ll organize the notes so you can study them. Say hi to the prince for me.”

I threw my arms around her in a tight hug. Words weren’t enough to express how much I appreciated her and all that she did for me. I left her to it, feeling somewhat lighter than I had felt in days. I navigated the familiar halls of the castle, my feet carrying me to the green where Connor was waiting.

As I stepped outside, the cool breeze ruffled my bangs, which tickled my nose, causing me to sneeze almost immediately. Wiping my eyes caused my vision to blur momentarily, but when it cleared, I spotted Connor leaning against a rock wall of the keep, his princely bearing and golden hair unmistakable. He looked up as I approached, a wide grin spreading across his face, causing wrinkles by his honey-colored eyes. I waited for my stomach to flip-flop like it did around Milo, but it didn’t.

“Lady Rowan! It’s so good to see you.” He stopped in front of me with his hands clasped behind his back and bowed his head.

A wave of guilt washed over me as I watched his courtier manner. “There is no need for such formality.” I looped my arm through his. “After all, we have gone shopping together.”

“Right you are. It’s a hard habit to break after spending the last few weeks in foreign courts.” He placed his hand over mine. “Being here is a welcome change.”

“It’s good to see you, Connor,” I said, smiling up at him. “I’m surprised you’re here. How did you manage to get past my uncle?”

Connor’s laugh seemed to echo off the stone walls surrounding us before it drifted off with the breeze. “I have my ways. Besides, I couldn’t miss the chance to compete in the tournament. I wouldn’t want you to be forced to marry anyone, not even me if I won. Which seems unlikely based on the rumors of someone training extensively in Lockersley. ”

Panic coursed through my body, telling me I should run. Did he know I was entering the tournament? My cheeks warmed as I tried to decipher at what he was hinting. “Oh really? I haven’t heard about anyone local entering other than the sheriff.”

“You know that isn’t true. I believe the scientist is entering, and so is this mysterious lad who’s been training night and day.”

Milo had entered? I would potentially compete against him. Why would he do such a thing?

Connor stopped as the view of the ocean stretched before us. “We should stop here. It’s a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the view.”

Connor and I spent the next hour catching up. He expounded on his travels, telling me all about each court he visited in astounding detail. While I tried to tell him how I had spent my time the last few weeks, I couldn’t because it would mean divulging my entire plan to him.

“I do so enjoy hearing about your travels, Connor,” I said, trying to steer the conversation away from my secret activities. “I’ve only ever been here and the nunnery.”

He smiled as he leaned onto his forearm, more than a hint of wistfulness in his eyes. “I have, but none of it compares to our land, whether it’s Lockersley or the country I will one day rule over. There’s something about it that calls to me. Every time I leave, my father is desperate for me to find a match outside of our boundaries. All I want to do is come home. I want to marry someone who feels that as deeply as I do.” His eyes searched mine before turning to look at the sea.

His words touched me because I understood the way he felt about his homeland, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for not being entirely honest with him. Connor had become a good friend, but my heart was entangled in the complexities of my mission and my feelings for Milo.

I wanted to tell him that the person he was looking for wasn’t me. But I couldn’t, not yet. I still needed him to be an option. I was determined to win the tournament, but what if I didn’t? I needed another suitable candidate for a husband. Someone other than Montfort. My uncle would want to deny a marriage to the prince, but he never would. Connor could be the only way for me to save my town.

I followed his gaze, watching the waves come in one after another. It was selfish of me to even contemplate using this man that cared so deeply for everyone. But I had to leave it open as an option. I wasn’t sure I was going to be enough to accomplish what needed to be done. I wasn’t even confident winning the tournament would be enough. Maybe the masked bandit needed to ride again during the tournament, while my uncle was distracted with all the incoming visitors.