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Inside, the palace was just as deserted as the rest of the kingdom. Dust motes danced in the shafts of light that streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting eerie patterns on the dark stone walls.
He crept up the grand staircase, his boots silent on the thick carpets. The usually bustling corridors were now silent as the grave, save for the occasional creak of an ancient floorboard or the distant echo of his own breathing.
He reached the topmost tower, his steps quickening with a sense of urgency he couldn't name. The door to the giant's chambers was ajar, and he cautiously peered inside.
The room was as he'd left it—the four-poster bed unmade, the feather-stuffed comforter in disarray, as if the occupant had simply vanished into thin air.
Relieved, Jackson slumped onto the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. "No one's been here?" he asked the empty room. "It really is just safe?"
Only the echo of his words filled the room, bouncing off the towering walls and tall tapestries that adorned them
No one came to Jackson. He waited hours, watching through the windows, listening for any sound. The wind blew outside, sending chills down his spine as it howled through the abandoned kingdom.
A sense of loneliness coiled in his gut, but he would not leave without waiting to make sure no one came to the kingdom before he reported it as safe. He took slow deliberate steps back down the stairs and out of the castle, his heart already knowing there was nothing coming.
“And will you come back up here with him? Will you leave behind the farm that means everything to you? Or will you ask Barrett to leave the father he’d only just found. Jackson’s farm was too far from the motel to make regular visits, and they couldn’t just come and go through the giant’s kingdom.
The thoughts plagued him as they were all he had for the company.
Only when fatigue began to overtake him did Jackson decide it was time to return to Barrett. The motel's bed called to him nearly as much as the man he loved.
The sky was safe again.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
Barrett kept his gaze high above the earth on the massive beanstalk. He'd stared at it for so long Barrett worried he would someone get stolen inside the giant vines of the plant.
Vines that twisted and coiled around themselves in a seemingly impossible feat of growth. At the base of this colossal shaft, Barrett waited, a flash of anticipation in his eyes as he scanned the heights.
His jaw remained set in a determined grin, and his posture radiated an air of regal confidence. Though he wore simple human attire, Barrett's true nature as a Prince couldn't truly be concealed.
"My nephew has not returned?" Jackson's Aunt stepped up beside Barrett. She'd insisted on coming when she learned what her nephew would do … again.
"Not yet, but it's only been three hours since I watched him disappear into the clouds themselves."
"You're going to fall down from fatigue if you don't come inside soon."
Barrett heard the woman but refused to take his gaze from the stalk.
"He'd better be up there," Barrett muttered under his breath, his voice a low growl that carried a hint of both impatience and concern. "I can't believe I let him do this."
He paced back and forth, his keen senses attuned to any sign of movement or distress. Barrett could sense Jackson's footsteps above him but tried not to think about what danger lurked up there or how fragile their connection truly was.
As if sensing Barrett's nervous energy, a cool breeze swept through the clearing, carrying with it a sweet scent of celestial flowers that grew only in this realm above.
Sleep threatened to close his eyes, but Barrett ignored it, knowing that Jackson had been awake just as long. They would rest together when he returned.
Eventually, the distinct sound of rustling leaves and shifting branches filled the air. Barrett turned, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he tried to visualize Jackson's location on the beanstalk. The vine shook and swayed, its leaves glistening in the pale light.
Then, finally, there he was.
A muscular figure appeared just beneath the clouds on the spiraling stalk, descending slowly but surely. The young farmer's hands gripped tightly onto roots and vines as he climbed down towards them, his feet finding solid ground with each step.
"Jackson!" Barrett gasped, stumbling over his feet as he rushed to move closer. "Father, Jackson is back. We will have our answer."
However, Barrett did not care about what the Realm Above held. He only cared that Jackson returned and appeared to be in as perfect of a condition as when he left.
