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Rian
In the ten years since I left home, I had never once felt compelled to mention my parents. It had happened so long ago, but speaking to Adrika about them brought back all the painfulness those events had caused.
It was much later before I realized she had not asked the one question I knew her father wanted her to. Whether I knew what my father’s plans consisted of. I had no idea what his plans were. Knowing what he had done to try and gain Aisling, I could only imagine.
I was the youngest of five boys. Dunbar was gone. Reagan was next, and at the time of Father’s death, he was thought to be dead as well. Even through torture, Garrett had never given up control. He would probably be dead if Father had not gone first. Then there was Terence, the most beloved of the family. He was eight years my senior but his mind did not match his age. Would Father have sacrificed him to place me as ruler?
Neither my father nor his tactics were mentioned again that week. Adrika seemed more open to me in the days that followed, and I found a physical comfort in being with my wife like I had never known before.
The king held court every day with Adrika sitting in her usual spot while I stood on the other side of her. From what I could tell, she was little more than a fixture there. She seemed content, or at least resolved, in this position. Much to the annoyance of King Farris, I sometimes interrupted the proceedings to ask questions of his subjects.
I began to notice that much more money came in than was being paid out. The castle, as well as what part I had seen of the kingdom, was falling to disrepair, and the king seemed to take no notice of it. Where was the money going?
My mind came back to the task at hand. A servant stood before the king complaining of a leak in the roof over the servants’ quarters. Farris then suggested he see the cook for a spare pot. I gritted my teeth at the stupidity of it all. I was on the very edge of questioning the king right there in front of all present, when a commotion coming from outside the throne room door spared him my inquisition.
A richly dressed man of apparent nobility pushed his way through the line of people waiting to state their cases. It would be interesting to see how Farris would respond to the request of a person of higher rank. Instead of veering toward the king, the man headed straight for me. My brain suddenly caught up to the fact that the one approaching was none other than my brother, Reagan.
My feet carried me from the dais by their own accord. I had wondered what Reagan’s reaction would be when we met again. Would he be as glad to see me as I would him, or was he still angry over my wrongful actions of so long ago? All my previous questions and fears flew away as he threw his arms around me and held on tightly.
“It really is you. You have come home. Gwen will be so happy.” His words sounded strained and broken. Normally such a show of affection would embarrass me, but I had missed him too much to care.
I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. I managed to keep myself in check. When I pulled back and looked into the face of the man who had been like a father to me, he seemed unabashed by the tears streaming down his own cheeks. He looked so much like Father, I was slammed with an instant longing for the man of my childhood but easily pushed it away. The brother before me was twice the man my father had been.
The only thing unchanged about Reagan’s appearance was the color of his eyes. They were the same light brown as my own, but his now had creases on the outside corners. His black hair was longer, reaching just above his shoulders now. His sideburns were sprinkled with gray. Oddly enough, I had been picturing him as the twenty-seven-year-old he had been at the time of my departure. What must he think of me? I had changed much from the gangly fifteen-year-old he had seen last.
He laughed as he touched my face. “You are taller than I am now.”
King Farris loudly cleared his throat, capturing our attention. “As sweet as it is that the two of you have been reunited, would you mind taking this elsewhere? You have interrupted my court.”
The look Reagan gave Farris was reminiscent of our father. He pointed at the king in a threatening manner. “You and I will talk later.” He then smiled at me as he grabbed my elbow and led me out the side door.
We began walking slowly down the hallway. I looked over at him and smiled, still amazed that he was here. “I am surprised you got here so soon. I only sent the message out a week ago. I figured it would take a couple of weeks before I heard anything, if at all.”
“What do you mean if at all?”
I looked down at my feet. “Well, given the way I left, I would not blame you if you never spoke to me again.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “You are my family, Rian, and I love you. Whatever happened all those years ago is forgotten. A lot has changed since you left, and to answer your question, travel is one of them—at least it has changed once you get outside of Dermot.”
I had no idea what he meant, but it did not seem important. “I kept hoping you would hear about me and come sooner. I guess gossip is not what it used to be either.”
Reagan turned to look at me. “I heard that you were here, but there have been so many reports of people spotting you over the years, that we have learned to ignore those rumors. Is it true you were held prisoner here and were forced into marrying the princess?”
The way he said it made it sound so much worse than it was. Well, the prison part was pretty harsh, but my marriage to Adrika was a different matter. “It is true that I languished in one of Dermot’s outside prisons for over a month, but it is more accurate to say that I was persuaded into marrying the princess.”
“He kept you in one of the outside prisons for over a month and in the wintertime to boot?” His voice rose with each word. It was uncanny to see my father’s glare on Reagan’s face.
“In all fairness, he did not know who I was at the time.” I led him into the library and closed the door behind us. “We will have more privacy in here.”
Stopping just inside the room, Reagan took a moment to look around as he turned in a circle. “I broke Gwen’s heart once, right here in this very room.”
Adrika had her heart broken in the room as well, but it was not by me. I could still see the hurt look in her eyes when she realized what her father had planned. I moved through the room looking behind each drape covering the windows to make sure we were alone.
We sat down across from each other in two of the wingback chairs, and I briefly touched on all that had happened since leaving Gilvary. Strangely, my description of the first ten years went by much more quickly than the last couple of months. I had been a soldier in Rivania. Other than the events of my last year there, nothing else was of consequence.
Reagan listened patiently, asking very few questions, but when I got to the proceedings leading up to my wedding, he leaned towards me with his elbows on his knees and his fingers steepled in front of his mouth.
“I am not so sure your marriage is legal. I mean, besides the fact that you were practically forced into it, just because this uncle of hers has authority to perform a ceremony in Cordelia, does not necessarily hold merit in Kearnley.”
“Regardless of the law, Adrika and I are married in the eyes of God. We are committed to each other and to the vows we made. I believe it was God’s will for us to be together. If that had not been the case, I would have figured a way out before it even happened.”
He held both palms out toward me. “You are right. I was just making sure everything was covered before I spoke to King Farris. I can see that you have matured into a man who can handle himself. But I am a king and he is a king—both on the same level. He has reminded me of this regularly in the past when it was to his advantage. I know it will do nothing to change what has transpired since your arrival, but I think he needs a reminder. He still has me and Garrett to contend with, and you are our brother.”
“Are you sure Garrett feels the same?”
Reagan’s gaze jerked toward me. “Have you not heard from him? His letter to me caught up to me on the way here. He said he sent you an invitation to come a month early to Aisling for Session. My family is going then. It is one of the reasons Gwen did not come, as anxious as she is to see you again. I will be meeting her there when I leave here.”
Twice a year in June and December, the three kingdoms came together to discuss things that affected the whole country. The kingdoms took turns hosting these events. It was also a time of celebration with a ball held at the start of each meeting. I remembered how our families had begun coming together during the weeks before everyone else arrived when Session was held in either Gilvary or Aisling. It was exciting to think I would be able to see everyone at once within a month’s time.
Reagan regaled me with stories to catch me up on everything I had missed while away. When I had left the country, Reagan and Gwen had two children—a son fathered by Dunbar that they were raising as their own, and one daughter. They now had five children. Garrett and Brianna had only the one girl then, but they had an addition of two boys now.
My brothers had been living good, wholesome lives and growing their families while I had nothing to show for my ten years away but a tattoo on my arm that would forever mark me as a deserter of my country. That was not entirely true. I also had a wife I did not know, and my inheritance as future ruler of a kingdom that was falling apart.
I shook off my melancholy thoughts and said a silent prayer of thanksgiving as I listened to Reagan speak. For the most part, I had been content before he showed up. There was no reason to think worse of my situation just because he had better.
We had missed dinner and it was edging closer to the supper hour when Reagan and I finally left the library. He went in search of the king so they could have their talk, and I headed toward my chambers hoping to find my wife there.