Civil war 1

Civil war 1
2018, April 15th & 16th

Caines, Terres Somnia

(Bart)

How she convinced me to do this, I still wasn't sure. These were dark times. The last thing we needed was to be caught together. Her arms around my neck as I walked through the woods with her on my back made me feel like I could breathe again. When her engagement ended and she came back, we started seeing each other in secret, meeting at a cabin that belonged to her and her brothers. A place only the four of them and Emily Maine knew about.

“Are you sure Aaron won't be here today?” I asked.

“Don't you ever get tired of worrying?” CC asked, kissing my cheek.

“It's not like you're fooling anyone anyway,” said Aaron, standing in the doorway of the cabin, waiting on us.

I squatted to let CC down, and she reluctantly obliged.

“Condor,” I said, utter dislike surging through me.

Aaron rolled his eyes.

“We get it, Bart. You don't like me. But I'm willing to wager you're going to like it even less when Terres Somnia has a civil war on its hands. So, after you,” said Aaron, indicating for me to enter the cabin.

I gave CC a knowing look, realizing I was set up by the Condor siblings. CC beamed at me innocently, blowing me a kiss.

The last six months had been rough all around. Aaron and I had both been working tirelessly to stall our fathers, Duke Arden and King Henry, on our own. But now CC and Aaron had decided that it wasn't working and it was time to consort with the enemy, so to speak.

“Where did your dad dig this shit up from anyway?” Aaron asked.

“Does it matter? He's working day and night to get this genealogy validated, and there's only so much I can do to slow him down. If he pulls this off, we'll be right back where we started. With all of Terres Somnia at odds about who the real king is,” I answered.

“Not quite. The Condor name doesn't appear on this version of the genealogy. If this thing is validated, we won't have a leg to stand on,” said CC.

“Yeah? You want to be the one to tell Henry that?” Aaron sighed, slapping his cheeks. “Come on, Arden, where's that brilliant brain of yours at? What do you got, smartass?”

I looked between the two expectant siblings.

“There is something, but you're not going to like it,” I said.

“Dude, whatever it is, I'm sure I will like it a lot more than being shot at. Speak, Arden,” Aaron implored me.

I took my phone out and showed Aaron a photograph of a young blonde woman.

“She's hot. Who is she?” Aaron asked.

“My sister,” I growled, glaring at Aaron. “Forget it. There's no bloody way.”

“Since when do you have a sister?” CC asked, surprised.

“Half-sister. She's George's love child from before he married my mom. I just found out about her myself,” I answered.

“Brilliant. Let's do it,” said CC, clapping her hands together.

Aaron didn't understand. CC anr I exchanged a look.

“Do what?” Aaron asked.

“No,” I said dismissively. “Zoey is my sister and no sister of mine is going to marry Aaron Condor. I'd sooner go to war.”

Realization came over Aaron.

“Well, for once, we're in agreement, Arden. I'm not marrying her.”

(Aaron)

I thought of Adele. The sweet, feisty battle axe waiting for me on the other side of all this shit. For about a month, it was radio silence. But then the texts started. She still refused to talk to me over the phone, but I found for her I was a patient man. This was better than nothing. I would sooner go to war than give her up.

“This is the best possible out, Ronnie. You become crown prince, Zoey becomes crown princess. Everybody's happy,” said CC.

“Everybody except me!” I exclaimed.

Of course CC didn't know about Adele yet, but how could she ask this of me? After everything that happened with Troy.

“Find another way. This shit isn't happening.”

With this, I stormed out of the cabin. I took off running, not knowing where I was going, not caring. I knew this wouldn't be the end of it. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Bart and CC, the dynamic duo, were taking it to our fathers even as I ran. It was a valid option, and I was at my wit's end. But I didn't want to think about it anymore. I promised Adele I wouldn't try to call her, but just then I needed something to hold on to, desperately needed to hear her voice, to connect with her.

I was surprised to have her pick up almost immediately. She picked up, but there was radio silence on the other side of the line.

“Adele? Are you there?” I asked, breathless from my run.

“What are you doing?” she asked suspiciously.

I smiled so widely that my face hurt. That voice was everything that was right with the world.

“Why again haven't we been talking like this every day?”

“I don't quite know myself anymore. Aaron?” There was a quiver in her voice. She was trying to hide it, but Adele was scared.

“Yes, my dear captain.”

“Tell me again what we're doing when you come back.”

Whenever she asked me this, it was bittersweet. It had been too long. I was supposed to come back to Caines for a few days, maybe weeks. It was never supposed to be this long. I would have insisted on her coming if I knew things would drag on this long.

“Whatever you want to, Adele. I'll take you absolutely anywhere. Back to the castle we went to on our first date maybe or we'll go back to where we were last time we saw each other.”

She laughed. “So no clubbing or dinner dates or—”

“We can have dinner. I'll bring you back to my hotel room and we can get room service. Plus, bonus, I can keep you prisoner.”

She laughed again. “All these places sound like potential makeshift prisons.”

My heart opened up to the sound of her laughing. “You didn't think I intended to share you, did you? I mean, to keep you all to myself for at least… a month.”

“A month?! You'll get bored of me.”

I let myself laugh with her, the way we used to when it was just the two of us, the way we would again.