“So, you’re eighteen now,” Anna said, quickly changing the subject. “Are you ready to go back to Grale and claim your land?”
“I guess so. I don’t even remember what it was like living there. What if no one remembers me? Or worse, what if they dislike me?”
“You are the son of Arland Cole, one of the most respected counts in history. I’m sure the people will serve you just as honorably as they did your father. You are brave and you have the skills of a warrior and the knowledge a leader should have,” said Anna.
“But I’ve never actually been in a war or a battle,” Indrid reminded her. “How about you? Are you returning to Mern?”
The thought of leaving Ikarus made her anxious. “I’ve actually been thinking a lot about it lately, and honestly as much as I missed my home when I left, life here is much better than what I knew then. I don’t want to abandon my new family that we have made here. I was only eight. You were nine. And Rayne was born that year. I worry that he will be lost and vulnerable without us,” Anna said.
“Why? Have you seen him lately?” Indrid smiled.
Anna knew he was referring to Rayne’s stature.
“He is the leader of Men. And when he gets older, he will become the acting king of Ikarus. He’ll probably be as tall as a castle by then. How vulnerable could the most protected man in the world be?” Indrid asked.
At The Ponds, the water was cool and clear. There were others there near the swamp tree at the water’s edge, swinging in from ropes attached to thick moss-smothered branches. Since it was now safe to walk through the land without the worry of getting stuck in the mud, many others took advantage of the much-needed drought as well.
Within the overgrown border of cattail and lily pads, the king stopped. “I think we should settle here with Apollo,” he said.
Anna knew Rayne didn’t want to be seen. Not only did she bring Apollo to relax him, she thought it would be an excuse for them to stay secluded. The king felt more comfortable at the opposite end of the pond where there were no people.
“You’re staying here?” Indrid asked, looking at Anna.
“Yes, we’ll stay here with Apollo,” she said. “If anyone else sees her they’ll panic.”
“Come on!” Indrid begged. “Just for a little while. Apollo will stay here with Rayne. Come with me to the ropes. It’s fun! The water isn’t deep. You can stand.”
After almost drowning when she was a child, Anna was terrified of water. Indrid knew this. “I’m going to stay here,” she said.
Indrid grimaced. “Fine,” he said, walking away.
Anna laid out a large blanket on the damp grass at the corner of the pool where she and Rayne found privacy in the overgrowth. The petals of the slimy lily pads brushed across her feet as she dunked them in the shallow end of the pond.
“Why don’t you ever go in?” Rayne asked.
“You know why,” she replied.
“But I’m right here. I would never let you drown—ever!”
“So you would jump in after me?”
Rayne smiled. “Without question,” he said. “But you’re from Mern. Your people are surrounded by water. Doesn’t it remind you of home?”
“Except it’s no longer my home. This is my home—Ikarus. You are my home,” she said. “All of you.”
Looking back to her childhood, before coming to Ikarus, there was an emptiness that she could never explain. Even at her hut, where she had eaten and slept every night for nearly nine years, she never felt home. Her uncle William had only shown her strict, tough love. She had had a schedule to follow. The cleanliness and upkeep of not only their hut, but their entire island—half a square mile of forest land capped with seaweed beaches—was her responsibility. She had never been respected nor thanked for her duties; they were expected of her. If she didn’t sweep the docks or re-thatch their palm-leaved roof after storms, William would lock her out of the house, unfed, for the night. And she had never been allowed to leave their little island. But as a girl, she had never desired to have visitors, not if others treated her like her uncle did.
It hadn’t been until she met Montague and Gretchen did she feel wanted. They actually cared for her. They listened to her when she spoke, like she was important. They gave her the experience of having parents and the perks that come with having a family: the company, the laughs, and the love.
“I’m going to be lost without you and Indrid,” Rayne said. “I mean I love Monte and Greta, but I will have no one else to talk to. Everyone is afraid of me.”
Anna realized how much the inevitable fact that the king’s stepsister and stepbrother would be leaving him soon would hurt. When she said it, she saw a deep sadness bloom within him.
Rayne continued. “My father is gone most of the time. The little he is home he doesn’t even know I exist, or even bother to know. To be honest, I don’t really know him either.”
“I pray to Gabriel and the angels that we will all stay together, but sometimes I question if there is a god or any gods at all,” Anna said.
“Look,” said Rayne. He pointed to the fish.
Gently swaying her feet back and forth, Anna watched the bright red, white, and black spotted koi fish swim around.
