She stood in front of him, her hood thrown back and her hands on his upper arms.
He stared at her for a long moment, taking in every detail he could to make up for not having turned around to see her one last time on the shore.
His eyes drifted over her light hair, braided back out of her face but still wildly untamed with a frizzy halo of loose tendrils. He wanted to get lost in her earnest eyes as they stared back at him with complete confidence, lit up by the soft smile on her lips. She appeared ready for action in her well-worn, ever-present trousers under her green cloak.
He had never been happier to see someone in his life.
He felt his entire body move toward her, every muscle screaming for her closeness.
Then she was in his arms.
“You are here,” he said, pressing his head into her neck as he crushed her body against his. He arched his back to protect her injured shoulder but pulled her waist against his.
She held him in return, her good arm wrapped around his back, her hand clinging to his shoulder just at the base of his neck. “I could not let you do this alone,” she said, her mouth at his ear. “I have spent years fighting for my people outside these walls. And it has never been enough. So I am here to try it your way, from the inside.” She tilted her face into the side of his head, pressing her forehead against the hair above his ear. “I let you walk away yesterday because Iseldis needs you.” She sighed, relaxing into his hold. “But I followed you here because I need you, too.”
Ian let the words wash over him. He would have melted into the ground if she were not holding him as tightly as he held her. “Good.” His voice was likely unintelligible because his mouth was still pressed against her neck. “Because I need you. And your best backup plan.”
Lane coughed loudly from behind Robin. “I hate to interrupt whatever is happening here,” he said. “But...there is someone else you might want to see.”
Ian felt a small bubble of laughter rise in Robin’s chest. “Right.” She squeezed him a fraction tighter—which he hadn’t thought was possible given how hard she was already holding him—and then she stepped back.
Ian looked over her shoulder.
Sol stood next to Lane and the horses.
“Brother.” Ian felt tears rush to his eyes. “You are alive.” He wanted to ask about Aizel, but he was so overwhelmed with emotion that his throat was closing up.
“As is Aizel,” Sol said, as though reading Ian’s mind.
Ian nodded in relief.
“They made it to the third ship and disarmed the taskers,” Robin explained. “They landed late last night.”
“Good,” Ian said, swallowing the tightness in his throat.
“He brought nearly forty Majis with him,” Robin continued.
“Wait.” Ian looked over Sol’s shoulder, confused. “Why?”
“To aid you,” Sol said, his face tilted forward in determination. “We met together last night, all of us. Lyra, the villagers from Lockwood, everyone from the ships who was well enough to stand. I told them everything we know. Every man and woman who joined me volunteered to come.”
“Why?” Ian repeated, stunned by this unexpected source of support.
“The fight against Gareth is their fight, too,” Robin said. “They saw what you did on the shore. They believe in Sol. And they believe that helping you is their best chance for freedom.”
Ian felt tears burn in his eyes as his lungs expanded. He lifted his shoulders, humbled and heartened by this show of trust. For the first time, the weight of his responsibility did not feel like it was choking him.
“I left them in the forest north of the castle,” Sol said. “Ulli, Jette, and the others are with me as well.” He turned to Robin. “We are in place.”
“In place for what?” Ian asked.
“For the plan to take back the castle,” Robin replied. She was grinning.
“So what is the plan?” Ian asked, knowing that she was already brewing up the answer.
“How many of the castle guard can we count on?” Robin asked.
Ian dropped his eyes, considering for a moment. The castle guard, under Onric’s leadership, operated separately from the Iseldan army. As part of daily life at the castle, they could be counted on to be more loyal to the royal family, but the answer still hinged on whether that loyalty would outweigh their fear of the Majis. But Ian’s family had not been sharing the truths they uncovered fast enough to lay the groundwork for such a decision.
