Her cousin’s brows furrowed. "Why do you look so sad?"
Vivienne swallowed hard. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "We need to have a… big conversation," she said, her voice tight.
Briar’s smile faltered.
Vivienne shifted uncomfortably, suddenly too aware of the fabric pressing against her skin, the weight in her chest. "You know how Mom and Dad have been traveling for a while?"
Briar nodded, slow and cautious.
"I got a letter," Vivienne continued, choosing each word with care. "They… they’ve been missing."
Briar’s eyes widened, tears already gathering at the edges.
Vivienne pressed on, ignoring the lump forming in her throat. "I talked to the King, and tomorrow, I’m leaving on a ship to find them."
A thick silence settled between them.
Her response was barely above a whisper, "Tomorrow?"
Vivienne winced.
"I just got back today," Briar said, pulling her hand away.
"I know. I’m so sorry?—"
"Why can’t you stay here?" Briar’s arms wrapped around her small frame. "Someone else can go. Someone else can bring them back."
Vivienne shook her head, voice wavering. "I have to go."
Briar’s tears spilled over. "Why?"
"The King said it has to be me."
Briar’s lips pulled into a frown. "What if you don’t come back? What if no one comes back?"
Vivienne opened her mouth, then closed it. It was a possibility neither of them were ready to face.
Briar jumped to her feet, anger flaring in her tear-filled eyes. "You’re going to leave me here? Alone?"
"Not alone," Vivienne countered. "Johanna will take care of you until I come back."
"When?" Briar’s voice cracked. “When will you come back?”
Vivienne stared at her, powerless. "I… I don’t know."
Briar’s tears fell freely now, her body trembling. "I don’t want to be an orphan again."
Vivienne sucked in a sharp breath as the words cut through her, lodging their blade in her heart.
"If Mom and Dad don’t come back…" Briar’s voice wavered. "What do we do?"
"You’d be with me," Vivienne whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "And we’d stay together."
What am I saying? I don’t know how to raise a child. I barely know how to take care of myself.
Briar’s lower lip quivered. "Please don’t go," she pleaded. "Tell the King to send someone else."
Vivienne’s chin trembled. "I can’t."
