Trendan looked at Abe, his expression was relaxed, and he didn’t appear to think this was a strange idea. How had he let Liri talk him into this? A break, yes, he needed one. The last few days had been one bizarre thing after the other and running around all over the place to get a long list of near-impossible things done. He had no issue spending some quiet time with Jerika and actually looked forward to it.
He blew out a breath and paced a few feet in the other direction. Where was Liri? She said she’d meet them here. Jerika would be coming out any moment now. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked at the pavement and blew out a breath.
“You’re overthinking it,” Abe said.
Trendan turned and looked at him. “Am I?”
Abe nodded a slight smile on his face. “The best thing in my entire life is Aliria.” He smiled at him, and the only thing Trendan could think was he was, did he have that sappy look on his face when he spoke of Jerika.
“It’s complicated…”
“Only if you let it be.” Abe shrugged and then turned and looked at the building. He jerked his head toward it.
Trendan looked over to see Jerika standing outside the door. She smiled at him, and he felt better. He didn’t understand it, but he’d take it. He walked toward her. She was dressed in a high-collared sweater. The deep blue color set off the shade of her hair and seemed to highlight her beautiful face at the same time.
She motioned down her body. “Is this warm enough?”
He nodded. He had no idea. He only repeated what Liri told him to say. “Did you rest?”
She nodded. “A lot longer than I should have.” She grinned. “I just got up before you messaged.”
“Good.” He hadn’t slept more than a few minutes. His mind wouldn’t settle, and he was too busy thinking of the things that could go wrong when his family announced the lies to the realm.
She looked at Abe and then gave him a nervous look. “So, what are we doing?”
He held his hand out to her. “Taking a few moments of quiet before things get chaotic again.”
She came toward him and reached for his hand. As soon as their skin touched, he was jolted. Her eyes went wide. “I forgot.” She reached under the collar of the sweater and pulled the chain out so she could undo it.
“My fault.” He shook his head. “I’m the one that told you to wear it here.”
“It’s a habit.” She tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.
Liri appeared on the other side of the alley. She was holding two large baskets and had what he thought looked like coats tucked under her arm. “Woo.” She grinned. “I wasn’t sure I’d get here with all of it.” She set the baskets down and held up a big white puffy jacket. “This should fit you, Jeri.”
Jerika gave Trendan a sideways glance as she went over to her. “We need winter coats?”
Liri bit her lip and nodded. “Yes.” She looked at Jerika’s feet. “I was told there were boots there.”
Slipping her arms into the coat, Jerika turned and looked over at Trendan and smiled.
“This one should fit you, Tre.”
Trendan went over and took the coat. He was starting to think this wasn’t the best plan now. It had sounded so good when Liri told him about it. He chanced a quick look at Jerika. She stood there grinning, holding one of the baskets.
“Ready?” Abe looked at him and held out his elbow. “I’ll land us somewhere spectacular.” He smiled at Liri. She moved closer and hugged him. Jerika stepped next to her and put a hand on Liri’s arm.
Trendan inhaled a deep breath and put his hand on Abe’s arm.
The first thing he noticed was the cold air going into his lungs. He blinked, trying to adjust his eyes to brightness, and looked around. His eyes widened. They were on top of a mountain. He looked over his shoulder. Or close to it. Below them, as far as he could see, was nature under a blanket of snow.
“Oh my gosh.” Jerika’s voice had him turn to look at her. She was smiling, her eyes rounded with excitement. “This is beautiful.” She nodded and looked around some more.
“Okay, we can’t linger too long, or Jeri’s feet are going to freeze.” Liri motioned to the left.
Trendan turned and saw a small cabin. It looked like it belonged on a seasonal card.
“We’ll have to get the fire going.” Abe started toward it. “This was Rena’s favorite place to come to when she needed to disappear for a while before moving to the next city.” He smiled at Trendan. “I won’t miss having to come up with a new identity every few years.”
It occurred to Trendan what it must have been like for Abe and his family to have to hide that they weren’t aging. It was something he’d never had to think about because people didn’t often see him over here, and if they did, they were close to their death.
“Thank you.” Jerika hurried to his side, hugged his arm, and leaned her head against his shoulder. She held the basket with her arms looped through it. “I’ve never seen snow like this. The city doesn’t get much, and if it does, it’s slushy and dirty.” She smiled up at him.
In that moment, he wanted to show her everything she had never seen but wished to. He wanted to give her whatever she had been missing in her life. He wanted her—there with him for the rest of however long his life was. His gut tightened. If she didn’t want the throne, then he was going to have to disappoint his family, his ancestors, and his realm.
“You’re not smiling.”
He blinked and looked at her. “Just deep in thought.”
She shook her head. “No. No deep thoughts here. This is for you to catch your breath because I know tomorrow is going to be a tense day.”
He scoffed. “Somewhat, yes.”
They followed Liri into the cabin. “Did you get all your running around done?”
He nodded. “The meeting with the guards from Alterealm, I handed off to Bastian, but we have located as many of the fathers as we could find.” He looked around and was happy to see it was as rustic inside as the outside looked. “The notices have been sent out for the announcement.” He blew out a breath and then took the basket out of her hand. “All that’s left is to go over the actual wording and order of information my father will tell everyone.”
“Which they can do without you.”
He nodded. “Yes.” He was thankful for that. How were they going to word it? He had no idea where to even begin.
“I can’t wait.” Liri leaned over and lit a lamp on the table. “To see the looks on all of the women’s faces when they realize their obligated duty is no longer a sentence they have to live with.”
Jerika stomped off her feet and looked around. “That’s right. They’ll have a choice now.”
“There are slippers in the closet.” Abe pointed to the small door beside them. “Leave your coats on until I get the fire going.” He looked around. “I was here a few months ago to check on it, so the dust is minimal.” He smiled at Liri. “Compared to my cabin.”
Liri gave him a playful smile. “I dusted it three days ago while you were out doing your guardian thing. Cleaning is exciting when it’s your place.” She grinned at Jerika. “I’ve never had to clean before.”
“Is that where you’ve been staying?” Trendan had wondered how they managed the fact that they were both from different realms.
Abe squatted down and started placing some wood in the fireplace. “We have my room at the underground chambers in Alterealm.”
“And after tomorrow, my quarters in Solrelm.” She had this mischievous look on her face. “But the cabin, it’s our safe space when neither of us is needed in one realm or another.” She squealed and looked at Trendan. “Could you have ever imagined it? Me, with an other that was from another realm?” She wiggled her whole body in excitement. “I love that we have three homes or places to call home.”
“Does your sister come here much?” Jerika had slippers on now and was exploring the kitchen area.
Abe glanced at her. “No. She refuses to come back to Interealm after what happened to her.” He sighed. “We can’t even get her to step outside the palace.”
Jerika nodded, an understanding look on her face. “It’s going to take time. How’s she doing since the birth?”
Abe turned back to light the kindling. “I haven’t seen her much.”
Liri went over and rested her hands on his shoulders. “She’s doing okay.” She nodded. “Autumn has brought Viola to her a few times, and she seems all right with being Auntie Ren and not Mom.”
Trendan didn’t want to speak and say something that would offend anyone, but he was more than a little lost in this conversation.
Jerika came over. “The island—I’m sure Bastain told you about it. The one they rescued women from.”
He nodded. He recalled something about it, but there were times when sorting through what Bas told him was a difficult task.
“Rena was one of those women being held there.” She looked over at Liri.
“They were impregnating them with men who had Alterealm DNA, Tre,” Liri stated and then knelt down beside Abe.
All the pieces clicked into place all at once. The child Princess Autumn and Prince Michael had was the result. “I am sure of two things–” He waited for Abe and Liri to look his way. “The first is that child will be very loved and likely be a lethal fighter.”
Abe grinned and nodded slowly.
“With the support your sister has around her, I’m sure she’s going to recover and live a long, happy life.”
Liri smiled at him. “She says she’s going back to work next week—full time.” Abe gave her an odd look. “She basically coordinates the entire realm now. Departments, the royal family offices,” Liri shrugged. “I don’t know how she does it, but she loves it.”
“Yes.” Abe looked at the fire again and then stood up. “Rena is very good at telling people what to do.”
Trendan grinned. “Some siblings always excel at that.”
Abe slapped his hand on his chest. “I like being in charge of nothing.” He hugged Liri to his side when she stood up. “I had to do enough of all that for years while we tried to survive and stay hidden.”
“Now you’re a royal guard and get to punish those that break the rules.”
He kissed the top of Liri’s head. “Much better than being in charge.” He glanced at Trendan and grimaced. “I guess you don’t have that option.”
Trendan reached down and pulled one of his boots off. “No. I don’t have the option of not being in charge.”
“You’re not yet.” Jerika went over and sat on the small sofa. “You may not be for years.”
Taking off his other boot, he picked up the basket and set it on the table and then went over and stood off to the side of the fireplace. “I am hoping for many decades, not just years.” He looked around. “I love the design of this place.”
“I’m sure Rena would sell it to you.” Abe shrugged and went into the kitchen and opened a tall cupboard. “There are candles around here somewhere.”
“You should get it, Tre.” Liri nodded and went over to look in the cupboards. “I’m sure Abe can get you a porter to get to and from here.” She stopped. “That reminds me.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a link bracelet, and started walking toward Jerika. “I got a link bracelet for Jeri.” She gave him an exaggerated grin. “I told Sigor that we couldn’t have the next queen of Solrelm without an emergency exit option.”
Jerika took it, turned it over in her hand, and looked at it.
“Sigor agreed?” Trendan wanted to skim over the next queen part. Jerika had never said one way or the other whether that was something she wanted.
“He did.” Liri pointed to Abe. “He didn’t need one because he can port and has his Alterealm porter. Sigor gave Bastain one, too, for Nova.”
Trendan blew out a breath and rubbed his hand over his jaw. “It’s really happening.” The others gave him a strange look. He shook his head. “The blending of realms. I never thought I’d see that in my life.”
“It was that way in the beginning,” Liri said softly. “It never should have been any other way.”
Abe pulled some candles out of a cupboard. “If it had been, we wouldn’t have met.” He gave her a lopsided look. “You wouldn’t have been hiding in Alterealm and Interealm to avoid home.”
“This is true.” She said slowly. “Okay, I wish all the evil things hadn’t happened, but the rest, I’m glad it did.” She went over and hugged him.
Trendan wondered why they had suggested this when they likely would have preferred to be alone somewhere to pause before their entire lives and realm changed. He looked at Jerika to see her smiling at them. He was glad they had brought them here and stayed. Things would have been awkward, and he wanted Jerika to remember her first time in real snow in a better way.
Liri went to the closet and looked around in it. She turned around with gloves in her hands and smiled at Abe. “I’m going to go play in the snow with my mate.” She giggled when Abe gave her a daring look.
“I’m good looking at it,” Jerika said.
Trendan nodded. “We’ll watch the fire.”