Chapter 9:

Jaron's POV

I don't want to leave her. I want her by my side at all times. I want to take care of her. I want to love her. I have learned that I can't do those things all the time. I've learned how to let her go, but I haven't. I have to give her space. The stone walls beside me, cold and empty. I paused, and looked to the side. A mirror with a golden frame, rested on the wall. My reflection was ugly and tired. My hair was all over the place, not to mention how tangly it must be. I love Imogen so much, but I have to keep caring for my country. I can't fall apart because of one person, no matter how much I care for them. Roden and Fink were walking down the halls when they saw me.

"Oh my goodness!" Roden said while covering his mouth trying to cover a laugh. Fink didn't even bother trying to hide it. He was clutching his stomach, trying not to crash into the wall, while still breathing.

I stared at them with a blank face, "Is this how you treat your king?" That shut them up.

"Oh come on Jaron! Let us have a little fun! When was the last time we had time off?" Fink asked, elbowing me in the arm.

I sighed, "Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind."

"Let's go get you washed up and dressed like a king." Roden patted my back and gave me a reassuring smile. Fink just linked arms with me. He reminds me of myself, and not in a good way. The torches on the walls burned bright as we walked down the hall. We were almost to the destination before I realized what was happening.

"No nononononononononono!" I said while trying to turn the other way and run.

"What's wrong Jay-Jay?" Fink teased, "Afraid of getting fitted?"

"He only gets fitted by Imogen, and since she isn't here, you're gonna have to be fitted by George."

"Nonononono, Roden please no, god no!"

"You can't just be fitted by Imogen! Come on, let's get it over with."
"Nooooooooooooooooo-"
"Come on Jay-Jay, I'll get fitted with you, how about that?"

"Fink you can't be fitted with Jaron, this is a royal fitter. You are not allowed to have the same clothes out of the same material as the king."

"But I want to be fancy!"

"Fink, you can be fancy later." Fink frowned and so did I. Roden ended up pushing us both into the room. I slowly walked to the big wooded circle platform in the middle.
"Your highness, I was not aware you were going to arrive here." George said, waking up from his nap.

"Me either." He stretched out my arms and started to measure. "Roden you are going to be locked in a dungeon."
"How about the winner of a sword battle determines that, you know I'll win."
"That's what you said last time, and I won."

"Because you used the power of persuasion."
"Awww, thanks-OW!" A needle stabbed my arm.

"I'm sorry your majesty, you were moving a lot, so it was hard to not let it touch you."

"Yeah Jaron, stay still" Fink jumped in.

"I'd like to see you try to stay still." Roden rolled his eyes at my comment.

"Jaron you have to stop moving."
"I'm not, I'm just moving my mouth-OW!" I yanked my arm away from George, causing the fabric to fall off. "We are done here." George just bowed sadly, as an apology.

"Excuse the king for a moment, we have to have a talk." Roden said, pulling my arm behind him.

"What do you want Roden?"

"Jaron, would you have yelled or moved if Imogen was fitting you?"

"No, but-"

"Would you be stubborn if Imogen was here?"
"No, but-"

"Would you be making rude comments to a helpful craftsmen who was doing his best if Imogen were here?"

"No, but-"

"Jaron!" He shook my shoulders so I would look at him. "You have to stop revolving around Imogen! She has her own life and you want her with you all the time! Give her some space, and I think you need some space from her as well!"
"No, you're wrong-"
"Just because she isn't here, doesn't mean you get to act differently! You have to be responsible and reliable as a king! Just because someone isn't here doesn't mean you get to run off and be all stubborn. Does Tobias act differently when Amarinda isn't here?"

"No, but-"
"But what Jaron? You are turning into someone I've never seen before! Where did you go Jaron, what happened...what happened to the person who would risk his life for anyone, and not just one person? What happened to the person I could spend my free time with and have fun?"
"Roden, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying I think Imogen is distracting you from your duties. Not because she's distracting herself, but because you are making her distracting for yourself."
"Shut your mouth, you will not speak those words about her."

"This is what I mean Jaron. What happened to you, why do you not care for anyone but her? Why...why don't you care about me?" He looked into my eyes with great sadness. His hair was covering his face, so I moved it with my hand. His eyes had so much hurt, something I had never seen in him before.

"Roden. Do you...do you?"

He just gave me a quick pat on the back before leaving in the other direction.

Does Roden...have feelings for me?

*Sorry for not updating for a while. I got coronavirus, and am still sick with it. I hope you all watch the Grammys tonight. I got a question about when I update. It really is just random, so it's kinda just a surprise, I'm sorry about that. What do you guys think about Roden? I've wanted him to have a love interest for a while now, and I always thought that Roden and some stuff for Jaron. Does Jaron feel the same way? I think we all know that answer. Tell me what you think in the comments.

Lots of love, EntraptaTechSavvy*