Aura kneels beside her son, still shocked at how the twins resemble miniature versions of her husband with their mahogany locks and intense blue eyes. It is in their unique personalities that they differ.
“We use our words when we are upset, Ludo.”
Unlike any child she has encountered, Ludo is filled with a fire that never seems to extinguish. His body trembles with an energy that neither of his parents can comprehend.
He stomps back and forth, reminding her far too much of her father. Something Avina is quick to remind Aura when their only grandson comes to visit.
“Your Highnesses?” Serk shuffles forward on his staff, interrupting the family discipline. He is followed by a younger boy clutching a tray of freshly baked treats.
The tension among the children dissipates at the sight of Uncle Serk, the castle's Head Cook. Ludo rushes over to her old friend, who entertains him with a fantastical explanation of how he crafted each sweet on the tray.
“Papa, I go down?” Adelissa taps Calder’s cheek with the tiniest palm, barely big enough to cover his nose.
He presses a grizzly peck to her plump little cheek, eliciting the sweetest giggle before placing her bare feet back on the stone floor beside her brother. All frustrations with each other vanish as Uncle Serk offers each of them a small cake.
After Eivor chose to stay in Kaldrgataness to train as a Drengr with Thora, Serk temporarily opened a tavern in Toftlund and sold the homestead before accepting his position in the castle. With Thora and Gunni married and having no desire to bear children, Eivor has taken on the role of the future heir to Skalor.
“Can you explain again how Crystal’s fail-safe nightly tea resulted intwins?” Edmund collapses onto a bench behind one of the long tables, nicking a forgotten mug of ale.
Calder answers before she gets a chance. “We love the twins but are unsure how they came to be.” After three winters adhering to Crystal’s brewing instructions, the Wyvern announced that Aura’s runes indicated a pregnancy.
Edmund cracks his back with a dark chuckle. “Wouldn’t it be amusing if Volund orchestrated the situation just to call in his favor?”
Aura shares an uneasy glance with her husband. Two winters ago, they had another run-in with the Master of the Underworld during a detour to Steinland to assist Bjorn with his mission.
Could the King of the Gods have manipulated them with their children?
The twins will turn three winters old in just a few short months, and Volund has yet to show himself after Steinlund.
“Your Majesties.” Their butler, a middle-aged woman with a stern expression and a shaved head, bows before them. “A ragged courier is on the ramparts. He will only speak to the Queen and the Prince Consort.”
Edmund jumps to his feet. “That’s my cue.” He kneels to the twins. “Come on, younglings, let’s try to sleep... again."
He plucks them into his arms as they happily–and quietly–munch on Serk’s pastries. Edmund turns the corner and ascends the staircase toward the family suites with their little heads resting on his shoulders.
Calder takes her hand and guides her through the crowd of post-coronation revelers. Her parents and uncles had long since returned to their rooms, leaving only the younger folks and the Iss Drengr to finish out the evening.
They appear in the entryway where a younger man, looking uneasy, fidgets with a folded piece of parchment bearing Thora’s newly adjusted seal of Skalor: blades in the shape of a snowflake.
Her heart sinks at the sight. Her witch abilities allow her to sense news before it arrives.
The courier’s attention refocuses on their footsteps. He clumsily bows. With a shaky hand, he offers the note, which Aura accepts.
Calder assumes his protective stance, assessing him coldly.
Sister,
The Trees found the boy, and his sanctuary has fallen.
~Q.T.R.S.S
Aura crumbles the note, stumbling into Calder’s side as the words clarify in her mind.
The Manchineel family found Isabel Kilton’s son and murdered the family raising him. Signed Queen Thora Redwood-Sigvidsson of Skalor.
Despite his better judgment, Calder honored his blood oath to Rolf and allowed Isabel to spend her days in a dark, damp cell of Nightwall Keep. He was unaware that Aura had paid a substantial amount to ensure the Skalor guards fed and cared for her so her son would be born healthy.
Isabel’s final hours still haunt Aura.
