Xaydin gave Gisela a smirk. “Don’t think he cares.”
“I care. If he abdicates the Cosarian throne, it falls to me, and I don’t want it.”
“That I understand.”
“What do I do, X?” Mischief asked.
“Support your brother. Hopefully, he’ll be able to do his duties, and you won’t ever have to worry about being queen.”
That seemed to cheer her.
Gisela squeezed her hand. Unlike Xaydin and the others, she understood Mischief’s fears. As the illegitimate daughter of the king and one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting, Mischief had spent her youngest years avoiding a queen out to kill her.
So much so that she’d been taken aboard a ship with her mother’s brother who’d trained her in piracy, not court graces. It was the life Mischief preferred over anything else.
And why she denied her royal heritage. Why she’d been the one chosen to go to Meara’s court.
Gisela couldn’t blame her. She well understood hating the life she’d been born into, too.
The doors to the inn opened slowly. Xaydin had paid for the innkeeper to close his establishment to the public so that they could have their meeting without any disturbances or curious onlookers and gossips.
Mardyth walked in with Ronan and Masakage. He looked less than pleased, though she wasn’t sure if it was from being human or being here.
Although, given the confidence the king showed in his stride and demeanor, she suspected this wasn’t the first time he’d become human.
Either way, he made his way slowly to the table in back where his son sat with Evar.
And with every step that took him closer, he looked less and less pleased.
More like he had a bowel obstruction and was about to spew bile.
Marstyn rose to his feet and cut his father off before he could reach Evar. “Thank you for agreeing to this. I know how much you hate the land.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Biting his lip, he turned to look at Evar. “Because I have no choice. I love him, Father.”
“Love is fleeting. You will regret this decision.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Just as you don’t have to be stubborn.”
His father’s nostrils flared. “I’m stubborn? You understand that you will no longer be my heir?”
“I don’t care about that. I just want to be your son. The throne has never mattered to me. All I want is for you to be king into eternity.”
Those words seemed to work magic on the older fish. Before she realized what he was doing, he jerked his son into his arms and held him close. “I don’t want you harmed. You know how land-dwellers are. I can’t protect you here.”
“But I can.” Evar finally approached them. “I’ll make sure no harm ever comes to him.”
The king’s eyes turned dark and determined as he stared at Marstyn. “You can always come home…and feel free to bring Evar with you. That was what I wanted you to know. You didn’t have to flee like a criminal. You did us both a horrible disservice by assuming you understood my objections to this. As I said, love is fleeting, but you will always be my son, and I will never forsake you.” And with that, he handed over the underwater breathers to them.
Marstyn hugged his father close. “Thank you.”
His father stepped back and cleared his throat. “Visit when you can.”
And with that, he came over to them and inclined his head to Xaydin.
“Thank you for finding him.” He handed Xaydin another underwater breather. “I’ll uphold my bargain. You’ll now be free to travel over my kingdom.”
