Return to the Palace

The last time Henry had been in the palace and was forbidden from returning, he had believed every word. 

At that point, he had no leg to stand on in the argument. 

He didn't know about Polona or the king's special interest in him. Nor did he know about how deeply the princess cared to keep him at her side. 

If someone told him she was playing with him, he would have believed it and found a way to move on. 

Since the night they shared, he felt invigorated. All he wanted to do was prove himself and show his worth. 

He wanted to slap the smug look off of the Crown Prince's perfectly fair face but getting permission to go to the palace from the king was close enough. 

As he rode Melan through the gates of Hydrogia with Commander Lothian on his own horse next to him, he felt he had a right to hold his head high and face whatever was next.

He could take the peasant comments. It was nothing he hadn't heard his entire life.