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bymagajones“Wow,” Grace said. “It’s gone.”
Danny stood there for a moment, arms full of books, looking more lost and uncertain than Steve had ever seen him. Dropping his stuff, Steve pulled the books from Danny’s hands, shrugging, and explaining, “So you can give Grace a proper hello.”
Danny’s eyes brightened, and he dropped to his knees. “What are you doing here, Monkey?” He asked, giving her a big hug.
“Kamekono told me to come, said you needed my help.”
Danny looked up at the cloudless sky, silent for a moment, before saying, “I’m guessing that it’s about mid morning. Don’t you have lessons?”
Grace grinned. “I had to use the bathroom.”
“That’s my girl,” he said, hugging her again. He turned to face Steve. “Monkey, I’d like to introduce you to –”
“Prince Steven McGarrett of Hawaii,” Grace finished for him. “I remember.” She courtsied. “I’m Princess Grace of Jersey.”
“I think I’m supposed to be the one to introduce you,” Danny said.
Grace placed a hand on Danny’s cheek. “Mommy and the tutors explained it all to me, and it’s okay. I have lots of rules I have to follow, but you don’t, because you’re not a prince or a king. So I can introduce myself.”
Danny didn’t look very happy about that, but for the first time, Steve saw him hold himself back and refrain from commenting. Steve didn’t like the idea of Danny feeling substandard, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
“Your highness, Princess Grace, let me introduce you to my team, Chin, my master-at-arms, Kono, my mage, and JennaKaye, mage-in-training.”
Grace curtsied again, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet the people who helped free my Danno.” She turned to Steve. “It took a little time for Kamekona to work his magic, so I’ve been here for a little while.”
Danny, still on his knees, turned Grace back to him. “Gracie, my getting out of here doesn’t mean we won’t still get to see each other –”
“Kamekona explained it to me. I’ll just go wherever you are, so mom told me to tell you that you better not be in harm’s way when I arrive.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Of course she did.”
Grace turned back to Steve and looked him up and down. “Why’d you save Danno? I heard mommy talking to grandfather, and he said that the only reason someone would go through the trouble of rescuing someone from an invisible tower is because they wanted something.”
“Grace!” Danny chastised.
“We need help blowing up a dragon.” Steve explained.
“Slaying,” Danny, Chin, and Kono corrected, causing Grace to smile.
“Cool,” she said, turning to her dad. She gave Danny a hug, whispered something to him, and she stepped back, snapped her fingers, and disappeared.
Danny remained on his knees, staring at the space that Grace had inhabited, and Steve used the time to shove the books at JennaKaye while Chin and Kono picked up the stuff he’d dropped. “Really good work, guys.” Figuring he’d given Danny enough time, he hauled his friend off the ground. “Even though it’s probably not necessary, I guess I should take care of the formalities. Danny, meet Chin, Kono, and JennaKaye.”
“Finally! Faces to the snarky comments,” Danny said with a smile, shaking each person’s hand. “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”
“We’ll explain it all to you, brah,” Chin said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Steve saw the brief flare of uncertainty in Danny’s eyes as the man looked at Steve’s three compatriots, but he was impressed at how Danny’s smile and demeanor never changed, the others unaware of how strange it must feel to Danny. A little over a week ago, he was resigned to living out the rest of his life in a tower and had only spoken to his daughter for ten years. Now he was free and chatting with four adults. Danny seemed to be handling it better than Steve thought he himself would have.
“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” Kono asked.
“Boss,” Danny mouthed at him, smirking.
Steve ignored him. “It’s early enough that we could make some good time. We’ll head for Ambrosia.”
“Ambrosia?” Danny asked.
“It’s the closest town now that the dragon burned down the other two.”
Steve saw another look pass Danny’s face. Guilt. He knew Danny was going over his earlier words about not caring about the dragon’s victims, but he also knew that it was impossible for Danny not to care. That just wasn’t who Danny was.
“How much time do you need to get packed up?” He asked Chin.
“Only about ten minutes,” Chin grinned at Steve’s obvious surprise. “We had faith that the plan would work.”
“Yeah, Boss, you gotta have faith,” Kono added cheerfully.
“The horse is already cinched up to the wagon,” JennaKaye added.
Horse… Steve suddenly realized he didn’t have one for Danny. He’d figured he would find his damsel and let her ride with JennaKaye. He’d pictured a fair, long-haired, delicate creature who would stay at home while he ran around the country with Chin on their adventures. Instead he’d ended up with a man who’d never met a minute of silence while he was conscious.
That was when he realized he hadn’t heard that mouth in a few minutes. He looked around and found Danny standing in the middle of the field, his back to them, hands in his pockets, face tilted up toward the sun. “Finish packing up, and we’ll leave in ten,” he told them absently, his focus on Danny.
Taking his time, he walked up and said quietly, “Everything okay?” He walked around Danny and found the man’s eyes closed.
“Yeah,” Danny said, more of a sigh than a word. He opened his eyes, looked around. “So this is where I’ve been living for the past ten years.” He paused. “It’s beautiful.”
Steve remained quiet, sensing that Danny was working some stuff out. He just wanted to be there in case he was needed. That, and he couldn’t seem to not want to be with Danny. It was as simple as that.
Danny looked down. “The grass is cooler than I imagined, being out here in the sun.” He wiggled his toes. “It’s soft, though.” Kneeling, he ran his fingers through the blades. “None of the books I read could really do this justice,” He dug deeper, filling his hand with dirt, rubbing it between his hands. “I’ve missed dirt.” He laughed a little, his voice catching at the end, and he kept his face focused on the ground.
“Danno,” Steve said, crouching beside him. “I know this must be overwhelming for you. I don’t claim to know what you’re going through, but I’m here if you need to talk – or not, although I’m gonna get worried if you suddenly go silent.”
Danny chuckled. “The only time I’ve ever been struck silent was when a certain obnoxious prince climbed through a window that hadn’t even existed until then.”
“You mean I wasn’t the only one who came through a window?” Steve faked surprise. “Obviously, you’re not talking about me, because I’m not obnoxious. And I don’t recall a moment of your being silent.”
Danny stood. “I’ll admit that was a blink-and-you-missed-it moment, but it was there.”
“I have a confession to make,” Steve said as they walked to the camp. “I’d been expecting a damsel, someone who would ride in the wagon with JennaKaye, so I don’t have an extra horse.” He saw Danny’s mulish look and added quickly, “however, if you don’t mind, you could ride with me on Goliath. He’s sturdy enough so he can hold us both without problem. And we’re not going to push that hard today.”
“That works for me,” Danny said.
Steve noticed that Danny was much more subdued than he’d been in the tower, and he figured it had more to do with being taken out of his comfort zone than anything else. He made a mental note to ask the others to help him keep an eye on Danny to let him know if they noticed his getting overwhelmed. Steve had known they would rescue Danny eventually; he just hadn’t realized that he would fall for the man or feel so protective of him. He looked around at the world with eyes that suddenly saw dangers for those unaware, and he wondered Danny felt as protective with Grace. If so, heaven help them both.
Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites
Danny stood there for a moment, arms full of books, looking more lost and uncertain than Steve had ever seen him. Dropping his stuff, Steve pulled the books from Danny’s hands, shrugging, and explaining, “So you can give Grace a proper hello.”
Danny’s eyes brightened, and he dropped to his knees. “What are you doing here, Monkey?” He asked, giving her a big hug.
“Kamekono told me to come, said you needed my help.”
Danny looked up at the cloudless sky, silent for a moment, before saying, “I’m guessing that it’s about mid morning. Don’t you have lessons?”
Grace grinned. “I had to use the bathroom.”
“That’s my girl,” he said, hugging her again. He turned to face Steve. “Monkey, I’d like to introduce you to –”
“Prince Steven McGarrett of Hawaii,” Grace finished for him. “I remember.” She courtsied. “I’m Princess Grace of Jersey.”
“I think I’m supposed to be the one to introduce you,” Danny said.
Grace placed a hand on Danny’s cheek. “Mommy and the tutors explained it all to me, and it’s okay. I have lots of rules I have to follow, but you don’t, because you’re not a prince or a king. So I can introduce myself.”
Danny didn’t look very happy about that, but for the first time, Steve saw him hold himself back and refrain from commenting. Steve didn’t like the idea of Danny feeling substandard, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment.
“Your highness, Princess Grace, let me introduce you to my team, Chin, my master-at-arms, Kono, my mage, and JennaKaye, mage-in-training.”
Grace curtsied again, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet the people who helped free my Danno.” She turned to Steve. “It took a little time for Kamekona to work his magic, so I’ve been here for a little while.”
Danny, still on his knees, turned Grace back to him. “Gracie, my getting out of here doesn’t mean we won’t still get to see each other –”
“Kamekona explained it to me. I’ll just go wherever you are, so mom told me to tell you that you better not be in harm’s way when I arrive.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “Of course she did.”
Grace turned back to Steve and looked him up and down. “Why’d you save Danno? I heard mommy talking to grandfather, and he said that the only reason someone would go through the trouble of rescuing someone from an invisible tower is because they wanted something.”
“Grace!” Danny chastised.
“We need help blowing up a dragon.” Steve explained.
“Slaying,” Danny, Chin, and Kono corrected, causing Grace to smile.
“Cool,” she said, turning to her dad. She gave Danny a hug, whispered something to him, and she stepped back, snapped her fingers, and disappeared.
Danny remained on his knees, staring at the space that Grace had inhabited, and Steve used the time to shove the books at JennaKaye while Chin and Kono picked up the stuff he’d dropped. “Really good work, guys.” Figuring he’d given Danny enough time, he hauled his friend off the ground. “Even though it’s probably not necessary, I guess I should take care of the formalities. Danny, meet Chin, Kono, and JennaKaye.”
“Finally! Faces to the snarky comments,” Danny said with a smile, shaking each person’s hand. “I don’t know how you did it, but thank you.”
“We’ll explain it all to you, brah,” Chin said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Steve saw the brief flare of uncertainty in Danny’s eyes as the man looked at Steve’s three compatriots, but he was impressed at how Danny’s smile and demeanor never changed, the others unaware of how strange it must feel to Danny. A little over a week ago, he was resigned to living out the rest of his life in a tower and had only spoken to his daughter for ten years. Now he was free and chatting with four adults. Danny seemed to be handling it better than Steve thought he himself would have.
“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” Kono asked.
“Boss,” Danny mouthed at him, smirking.
Steve ignored him. “It’s early enough that we could make some good time. We’ll head for Ambrosia.”
“Ambrosia?” Danny asked.
“It’s the closest town now that the dragon burned down the other two.”
Steve saw another look pass Danny’s face. Guilt. He knew Danny was going over his earlier words about not caring about the dragon’s victims, but he also knew that it was impossible for Danny not to care. That just wasn’t who Danny was.
“How much time do you need to get packed up?” He asked Chin.
“Only about ten minutes,” Chin grinned at Steve’s obvious surprise. “We had faith that the plan would work.”
“Yeah, Boss, you gotta have faith,” Kono added cheerfully.
“The horse is already cinched up to the wagon,” JennaKaye added.
Horse… Steve suddenly realized he didn’t have one for Danny. He’d figured he would find his damsel and let her ride with JennaKaye. He’d pictured a fair, long-haired, delicate creature who would stay at home while he ran around the country with Chin on their adventures. Instead he’d ended up with a man who’d never met a minute of silence while he was conscious.
That was when he realized he hadn’t heard that mouth in a few minutes. He looked around and found Danny standing in the middle of the field, his back to them, hands in his pockets, face tilted up toward the sun. “Finish packing up, and we’ll leave in ten,” he told them absently, his focus on Danny.
Taking his time, he walked up and said quietly, “Everything okay?” He walked around Danny and found the man’s eyes closed.
“Yeah,” Danny said, more of a sigh than a word. He opened his eyes, looked around. “So this is where I’ve been living for the past ten years.” He paused. “It’s beautiful.”
Steve remained quiet, sensing that Danny was working some stuff out. He just wanted to be there in case he was needed. That, and he couldn’t seem to not want to be with Danny. It was as simple as that.
Danny looked down. “The grass is cooler than I imagined, being out here in the sun.” He wiggled his toes. “It’s soft, though.” Kneeling, he ran his fingers through the blades. “None of the books I read could really do this justice,” He dug deeper, filling his hand with dirt, rubbing it between his hands. “I’ve missed dirt.” He laughed a little, his voice catching at the end, and he kept his face focused on the ground.
“Danno,” Steve said, crouching beside him. “I know this must be overwhelming for you. I don’t claim to know what you’re going through, but I’m here if you need to talk – or not, although I’m gonna get worried if you suddenly go silent.”
Danny chuckled. “The only time I’ve ever been struck silent was when a certain obnoxious prince climbed through a window that hadn’t even existed until then.”
“You mean I wasn’t the only one who came through a window?” Steve faked surprise. “Obviously, you’re not talking about me, because I’m not obnoxious. And I don’t recall a moment of your being silent.”
Danny stood. “I’ll admit that was a blink-and-you-missed-it moment, but it was there.”
“I have a confession to make,” Steve said as they walked to the camp. “I’d been expecting a damsel, someone who would ride in the wagon with JennaKaye, so I don’t have an extra horse.” He saw Danny’s mulish look and added quickly, “however, if you don’t mind, you could ride with me on Goliath. He’s sturdy enough so he can hold us both without problem. And we’re not going to push that hard today.”
“That works for me,” Danny said.
Steve noticed that Danny was much more subdued than he’d been in the tower, and he figured it had more to do with being taken out of his comfort zone than anything else. He made a mental note to ask the others to help him keep an eye on Danny to let him know if they noticed his getting overwhelmed. Steve had known they would rescue Danny eventually; he just hadn’t realized that he would fall for the man or feel so protective of him. He looked around at the world with eyes that suddenly saw dangers for those unaware, and he wondered Danny felt as protective with Grace. If so, heaven help them both.
Master post with chapter breakdown and links to other sites
