Chapter 10 Her Wish
Two Months of peace.
That's all we got.
We spent those days trying to laugh. We pretended nothing had happened. Every attempt at happiness felt thin. It could snap at any moment. Memories pressed down heavy, suffocating. I kept asking myself: Can wounds like ours really heal? Smiles took effort, more than I knew I had. Kael kept his distance. His silence was cold as stone, building a wall fashioned from the king’s offer.
My fingers hovered over my chest, restless with tension thick as rope. That knot of power pulsed beneath my skin. Was it truly mine, or was I clinging to something not meant for me, a desperate mask? If I faltered, would all the pieces of myself, fragile and scattered, just vanish? I asked myself, What of me is real now, and what is only survival?
But just as we thought we were settling into that routine, our peace ended abruptly. The next event would change everything, breaking the fragile normalcy we'd tried to pretend was real.
The change came swiftly the next morning. A new tension settled over us as an expected guest arrived, shattering our brief sense of security.
The crown prince at the Rusted Nail, unannounced.
He arrived alone. No guards, no advisors, no entourage. Dressed in plain clothes, he looked like any other city dweller. Yet when he walked in, he carried confidence, as if he owned the place. He glanced at the chaos with a hint of amusement, then found me in my usual corner.
"Hard to find," he said, sitting.
"I wasn't hiding."
"Saw you from the palace. The knife amused me, made me laugh."
"What do you want, Crown Prince?"
"Call me Aldric. No titles. Just Aldric."
"I'm sorry. I was cruel to Kael. Truth is, I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Losing everything. Kael's back. I doubt myself."
"Kael doesn't want the throne."
"I know. He said. But some at court prefer him, honesty, strength, goodness."
"And you want me to do what? Control him? Manipulate him?"
"No. Help me understand him. Help me be his brother. Or someone gets hurt."
Every instinct tensed. Could I trust Aldric, or was this another ploy? Why choose this moment to share his fear? Caution reminders of past betrayal pulled at me. But under all that suspicion, hope smoldered.
Do I want this feeling, this belonging, badly enough to risk everything?
But the ghost in my chest felt warm, not with warning, but with something gentler. It felt like hope.
He's telling the truth, Liana whispered. I can feel it.
"How do I know you're sincere?"
"You don’t. Trust is a leap. I’m at the palace all week. If Kael wants, come."
After Aldric left, the taproom felt strangely empty. My thoughts scattered, I slipped away to find Kael, ready to recount what had just happened and prepare for another pivotal conversation.
Kael took the news better than I expected.
"He's scared," Kael said slowly. "I can understand that."
"You're not angry?" "At tradition, yes. Not him. Maybe we can be brothers."
"I’ll talk to him. Not for titles, just to see if we can be brothers."
The next day arrived quickly. We set out for the palace. Nerves made the familiar path feel different, less intimidating, more welcoming.
Aldric met us at the gate, waved the guards away, and led us through unfamiliar hallways. We reached a small, hidden garden. Quiet anticipation lingered as we entered.
"My mother's garden," he explained. "She died when I was young. I always come here whenever I need time to think."
It was beautiful, wild, but not overgrown. Nothing like the manicured gardens elsewhere. Flowers grew where they pleased. Trees reached for the sky without constraint. In the corner, a small fountain murmured.
Kael looked around slowly. "It's perfect."
"She would've liked you," Aldric smiled. "She always wanted a big, chaotic family. Instead, she got a husband who was never home and me."
We sat on a stone bench, the three of us. Brothers and the woman caught between them.
"I don't know how to do this," Aldric admitted. "I've never been close to my sibling, Therion. Never had to share anything. I don't know how to be a brother."
"Neither do I." Kael's voice was quiet. "But I've learned something these past months. About family. About what matters." He glanced at me. "It's not blood. It's a choice. It's showing up, again and again, even when it's hard."
"So, we choose?"
"We try." Kael met his eyes. "We keep trying. That's what family does."
Aldric was quiet for a long moment. Then he reached out, hesitant, and clasped Kael's arm, the warrior's greeting, equal to equal.
"I'll try," he said. "If you will."
Kael clasped his arm in return. "I will."
We walked back in good silence. He touched my face. "That’s who you are."
"What?"
He kissed me. "I’m grateful."
But as dawn broke after that hopeful night, everything shifted again. An abrupt summons arrived from the king, forcing us to change our plans for the day.
This time, it wasn’t just Kael. I was summoned too, along with Elena, Pip, the Duke, and Seraphina. Our whole complicated group gathered in the throne room like actors in a play. The king looked older and weaker, his skin grayer than before.
"The healers give me months, maybe weeks. Before I go, there are things that need to be settled." He spoke gently. "I've had the documents drawn up. You'll be acknowledged as my son, given the name and title you deserve. You don't have to accept. I won't force you. But the offer stands, for the protection it gives us as a family."
The king smiled, a genuine smile, warm with relief. "Good. That's good."
"Aldric," the king said, "you'll be king soon. Are you ready?"
"No." Aldric's voice was steady. "But I'll learn."
"And you, Liana. Someone none of us expected: Someone who brings people together. You brought my son to me, tell me. What is it that I may grant you?"
Liana hesitated. She had never asked for anything for herself, and to have a King’s favor was a heavy burden. She thought of the cold nights in the trenches and the people who had lost everything to the Specter’s shadow.
"For those who suffered under Morwen," she said, her voice small but firm in the quiet room, "I want to build something that lasts."
The King nodded, a slow, heavy movement of a man finally at peace. "Then build it. With my blessing. Whatever you need."
By evening, the day’s decisions settled over us. The palace was filled with celebration. That night, a gathering erupted in the palace gardens. Food, drink, music, laughter, it all swirled around us. Rafe's children ran through flowers, shrieking with joy. Brick sat in a chair of honor and told his stories. Mira danced with Theron, of all people. Her healing hands finally found joy.
Mags drank the king's best wine and complained it wasn't strong enough.
Pip sat in Elena's lap, watching everything with those ancient eyes. But there was peace in them now. Contentment.
The Duke approached me hesitantly, Seraphina at his side.
"We can’t undo the past or earn forgiveness. But we want to try."
I looked at them, the man who had given up everything and the woman who fought her own battles quietly. The ghost in my chest felt warm and accepting. "Slowly. Carefully. But we'll try."
The Duke’s eyes filled with tears. Seraphina squeezed my hand once, then stepped back to give me space.
Later, as the evening’s revelry continued, Kael found me at the edge of the garden under the quiet stars.
“You did it again.”
"Did what?"
"You brought everyone together. Vex, royal, Nightshade, all of them are here because of you. What now?"
"Now we live. We love, we build. Together."
As night deepened and laughter faded, the cause of the interruption became clear: a messenger from the catacombs brought urgent news. Deep beneath the city, in its oldest chambers, something Morwen had hidden centuries ago was discovered, a secret that could change everything.