Chapter Sixteen
True to her word, they did not see Elodie again. There was no sign of her the next morning, and the mushroom on the tree hadn’t turned back into a doorknob. Florian looked forlornly at it for a moment, wishing they’d had a proper goodbye, but it couldn’t be helped. He could always come visit when everything was over.
After breakfast, the last of the packing was done, and they were ready to head back to the Winter Court.
“I think this’ll be the most guests we’ve had at the Winter Court in centuries,” Florian chuckled as they gathered together. Rune snorted, but Kade nodded seriously.
“I think you’re right,” he said.
“Hope this doesn’t stress Tatiana out too much,” Florian sighed as they clasped hands. He closed his eyes in concentration, and with a pop and a lurching sensation, the humidity around them vanished instantly. They were no longerin the swamp, but in the soft perpetual twilight of the Winter Court, the air now cool and crisp.
“Whoa,” Rune said, stepping back as she looked around. “I didn’t realize it was an actualcastle. Wow.”
They had arrived in the Moon Garden—they always ended up there, no matter how much Florian tried to make them appear somewhere else. He had been thinking of the courtyard that led to the main entrance. Hopefully, he’d have better aim with the Summer Court; but they were here to relax and prepare, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind for the time being.
“Yep,” Florian chuckled, stepping down the path that would lead them to a side entrance. “C’mon. Let’s head inside. I think we got here at a decent hour this time.”
He could tell it was early morning as they walked through the garden, but only behind by an hour or two compared to Elodie’s swamp. That would be a relief, especially after how brutal the jet lag had been when they got back from the dragon kingdom. And Tatiana was an early riser, so he was sure that she’d be up and about already.
“Let’s get some breakfast,” Florian said, as they entered the castle through the sunroom connected to the garden. “No offense, but I’m sick of porridge. Some coffee sounds amazing right now.”
Koji chuckled. “None taken. Coffee does sound great.”
“Is that you, Florian?” Tatiana’s voice called from the upper floor as they started up the stairs.
“I’m back!” he answered cheerfully, smiling at her voice. “We have guests again.”
He could hear Tatiana’s steps hurrying to the staircase a moment before she appeared at the top of the stairs, looking somehow entirely unhurried with a pleased smile on her face.
“I’m glad you’re home safe,” she said as he approached, then glanced behind him. “Oh, my, you did bring guests. Welcome back, Kade, Koji.”
“And this is Rune,” Florian said, gesturing to her. Rune waved with a smile, but looked a little uncomfortable, as if unsure how to react. Florian hesitated, remembering how she had bristled when he’d introduced her as a princess, so instead he simply said, “She’s from the kraken kingdom and came along with us to help out.”
“A pleasure,” Tatiana said, smiling at her. “Thank you for helping Florian. Forgive my assumption, but aren’t you Torsten’s niece?”
Rune paused, eyeing her suspiciously. “Yeah,” she replied simply, and Tatiana nodded.
“I thought so,” she said. “Jerah and I knew your parents. I’m not sure that you and I have met before, but if we did, you would have been very young. So, well, nice to meet you.”
“You knew my parents?” Rune repeated, surprised. For a moment, Florian was worried that she was going to be angry or annoyed—for all the time they had spent together, he still found her mostly unpredictable—but then she laughed. “Wow. Small world, huh?”
“It sure is,” Tatiana replied with a chuckle. “Why don’t you all go put your things down, then join me for breakfast? I was just about to head to the dining hall. I’ll have to let the kitchen know there’ll be more of us today. Koji, you can have the same room as last time. Rune, why don’t you take the room across from Koji’s?”
“I can show you,” Koji offered, and Rune nodded. “And I can show you to the dining hall, too. Meet you guys there?”
Florian nodded. “Sounds good.”
“I’ll see you there,” Tatiana said warmly, and they split up: Tatiana toward the dining hall, Koji and Rune toward the guestwing, and Florian and Kade to their chambers. The room was just as Florian had left it; though as he set down his backpack with a sigh, he could tell everything had been dusted and cleaned, and fresh sheets were on the bed too.
Kade gave him a questioning look as he flopped down onto the plush bed. “Everything alright?”
“Yeah,” Florian replied. “Just... It’s all a lot. I’ll be relieved when all this is over, you know?”
Kade was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, I know,” he finally answered, his voice soft. “I just... worry we won’t get to spend as much time together—when it’s over.”
Florian’s heart sank. He hadn’t thought much about that—had avoided thinking about it, really. But Kade was right. They were both kings now. Surely Kade wouldn’t be able to just stay in the Winter Court whenever he wanted anymore; getting away to see him in the wolf kingdom would be possible, but how often could he justify something like that?
“I’m... worried about that too,” Florian croaked, unsettled. They were both quiet for a moment, considering, then he offered nervously, “But, well, there’s a lot to do before we have to worry about it. We aren’t going to solve it before breakfast. Let’s try not to worry too much about it now. Okay?”
