“Basically,” he says shortly.
“So then this whole journey is good for you?” I ask gently, noticing we are delving into much deeper waters.
“In a way,” is all he offers to me.
“You don’t have to explain,” I say, letting the topic go.
Alexander turns from the side of the boat to face its front. I turn to face him, and he says, “I want to tell you.”
“You can tell me if you want,” I reassure him.
He pauses for a minute and places his arm around my back, and I let my head rest on his shoulder. The wind picks up a bit, and Alexander loosens his muscles against me. Whatever he wants to tell me he doesn’t want the others on the boat to overhear, and the wind will cover his words. “My current mother and father, the one who traveled to Libertas with your father and worked with me in the prison, aren’t my real parents,” he says, his voice breaking as he speaks, and my heart hurts for him. I take my hand and grab his.
“Do you know who your real parents are?” I ask softly, my eyes dancing along the stars glistening in the water, not wanting to meet his eyes. I know this is hard for him, and he doesn’t want me to see him upset. He’s always tried to be strong and not let me see a weak side to him.
“Yeah, I do,” he says and pauses, taking in a deep breath. “I’m King Renon’s brother.”
“What?” I whisper, shock running through me. I lift my head off his shoulder and look at him. “You’re what?”
“I’m Renon’s brother. When I was just a baby, Renon took me from the castle and left me in the woods to die. He didn’t like the idea of sharing the royal title, so he got rid of me. My now mother and father found me wrapped in a blanket that was embroidered with my name and the royal family’s markings. They brought me back with them and raised me as their own. When I was ten years old, and I went to work for Renon, my father told me the truth, and then my memories were blocked from me and your mother made me believe I was your childhood friend.”
“So when we restored your memories, that was the last real thing you had from your life?” I whisper.
“Yeah, that’s why I was in so much shock. I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never had the time to process this because the moment I learned the truth, it was taken from me.” He pauses and then continues, “So when you ask me if I think this journey is good for me, it really isn’t me living a new life. Yes, meeting these new people is good for me, you are good for me, but I’m still Renon’s brother on a journey where I am running for my life. Nothing about that is new for me.”
“Does he know you’re his brother?” I ask suddenly.
“I don’t think so. There’s no way he could know. I just think he wants me dead because I’m one of his guards and I betrayed him,” he says. I know Alexander is right. They don’t resemble each other in the slightest. Tears brim in his eyes and his hands shake.
“What is it?” I ask him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this right away. I’m sorry I had such a hard time getting myself to tell you this. You think of me as this good guy who is just as innocent as you in all this mess, but I’m not. I come from such a dark and evil family,” he says, tears running down his cheeks
I reach up and place a hand on his cheek, “Your family doesn’t define you, Alexander. You are still a good person.” I rest my forehead against his as he cries. “You are a good person.”
When his tears have stopped coming, I move my head on his shoulder again. “I won’t tell anyone. We can keep this between us.”
“We need it to stay that way,” he says, his voice broken.
Then after a long moment of silence, I finally say, “Alexander, can I ask you something?”
“I guess,” Alexander replies, his voice a little hoarse.
“What’s going on between us?” I ask, simply too tired to care anymore.
“What do you mean?” he asks.
“You know what I mean,” I mutter, looking up into the sea of stars above us.
“Not really,” Alexander pushes.
“All right, let me put it like this,” I say. “I’ve never known who you were before this trip and now, suddenly you’re with me every day, and while I still have the feeling we are strangers, there is something else here. Let’s call it the endless feeling of butterflies I have when I’m with you.”
I pause for a second before finishing, “I don’t know Alexander. I feel like I like you more than just a friend or companion, but I don’t know how you feel. I know you told me you feel protective over me, but I don’t need another older brother,” I say, glancing down at Cooper, still fast asleep. “And you told me that before you had your real memories back.” I wait for Alexander to respond, but he doesn’t so I push, “Can you please just tell me how you honestly feel about me?”
He’s quiet for a moment longer. He rests his head onto mine and grabs my hand in his. “Let me put it this way,” he starts, “Once upon a time, I was supposedly best friends with this girl when we were little. One day she gets thrown in prison, and me being the hero of the story, I go to her rescue to break her out of the prison. My plan to do
