As well as the knowledge that if anything went wrong over the next few days, I was the only one of theValwainwho could simply fly away from their problems if Isopleased.
I huffed a small chuckle at the thought.
As if.
“Aviva, are you listening?” Caelia questioned sternly, forcing me back into the reality of the present moment.
“I believe you’d just begun listing the ninth generation of theRividianroyal line, no?” I responded with a sigh.
For over a week now, Caelia and Callum had been trying to drill into me everything Imightneed to know for what we were about to walk into.
Apparently, before the sun set today, we’d be greeted by King and Queen Rividian of the Ocrein Isles.
I just wished to the Stars above that they would warmly greet us.
All of us—the entirety of theValwain, along with Margo, Matea, and the royalOcreinsiblings—had set out on this journey to the Isles, leavingCairnylbehind about eleven days ago. Byn andI’s advisors had been anything but pleased, but once we, along with Teagan,gave them a vague rundown of why we needed to do this, theyseemed to finally understandwe were leaving, whether they liked it or not.
Byn had been hesitant to bring Margo along, but since hedidn’ttrust anybody outside of theValwainto care for her for an extended period,we’dhad no choice. She, too, had been getting lessons from Caelia and Callum on how things worked in the Isles.
Aside from that reasoning, Margo had also been drawn to Ezra’s side the way a bee was repeatedly drawn to spring flowers. Therehadn’tbeen a day since they reunited that Margodidn’tvisithim, ifshedidn’tspend her entire day with him. It was obvious she had desperately missed her friend and brother. I imagined that simplyseeinghim with her own eyes had helped ease her anxieties, too.
None of us dared to say it aloud, but Ezra was a large part of the reason as to why the journey had taken a day longer than it should have. He was doing much better than before, of course, but he was still healing and rebuilding the strengthhe’dlost.We’doften had to pause our efforts so he could rest, or so Chess could tend to him. His muscles seemed to lock up painfully when herode onhorseback for too long, meaning he and Chess would often have to ease the aches out of his muscles.
I knew he hated that he was slowing us down, but we all knewhe’dhate it more ifwe’dleft him behind. Plus, his vast knowledge could always come in handy.
Aside from that,I’dconsidered asking Aurora to join us.I’ddone so mostly so that shewouldn’thave to stay in our wing of the castle all by herself in our absence, butshe’dstill been cold toward me recently. It wasweighing onme more than I cared to admit. Icouldn’twrap my head around the switch that seemed to have been flipped inside of her. Instead of asking herto come with us,I’ddecided to take this journey as an opportunity to clear my head, so when we returned, I could approach the situation with a clear and calm mind. Beforewe’dleft The Haven,I’dsimply asked Aurora ifshe’dcheckin on Eden for me while I wasaway.She’dagreed, thankfully; I felt horrible having to leave my griffin behind, but Callum had warned me that in the Isles, a griffin was a symbol of death and destruction. And since Byn and Ididn’twant to overstep more than we already were,we’dhad no choice.
I had my father and ancestorsto thankfor that impression of the sweet creatures, I supposed.
“Thetenth, actually. Now pay attention—this is important,” Caelia corrected me with a scowl.
“Honestly, is knowing your entire generational line necessary? How bad can your parents be? I amQueenof the South, after all. Shouldn’t there already be some kind of mutual respect?” I groaned, feelingfrustratedand fed up.
I’dmemorized everything I could about the Isles in the past week and a half. That included each major city and town they had, and which of the three main islands each oneresidedon.I’dlearned the past four generations ofRividianroyals by heart, even goingso far aswhatziriliumeach of them had wielded.I’dpracticed the most common of the traditional Orcein Isle dances—just in case QueenRividiandecided to throw a last-minute surprise ball while we were present.
Now, with us already having left the Southern coastal town ofFallaine, sails high as we headed toward the largest of the Isles, Caelia and Callum were trying to force even more knowledge into my head.
“She’s right, Lia,” Callum finally chimed in, causing Caelia to spin around to face her brother—partially due to him disagreeing with her and partially for the use of the nickname, I assumed.
Throwing his hands up in a mock surrender, Callum added, “Aviva is going to have to earn Mother and Father’s trust in her own way. Plus,they’reout of touch—theydon’tknow the status of the war, or even if we won the battle that we originally came toassistin. Therewill be so much to catch up on when we arrive, my hope is thatthey’lloverlook what exactlywe’vebrought to their doorstep.”
A quick, nervous glance passed between Caelia and Callum, though Iwasn’tsure of the root of their anxiety.
A small tug in my chest had me looking around the dock for the origin of the feeling. Looking toward the front of the ship, my eyes first found Ezra and Quinn.They’dhad so little time for themselves since they got married in secret before the most recent battle.It appeared theywere trying to make the best use of their time now that they had each other again. They sat at the nose of the ship, a blanket under them and a bowl of fruit at their side. I watched as Ezra lifted some sort of berry to Quinn’s mouth, gently feeding her. Quinn, always one to take charge, looked up into her husband’s eyes, then fisted her hand in the front of his shirt and pulled him toward her. Their lips crashed together, and I looked away as the couple melted into the embrace.
My cheeks would surely begin to ache if I kept smiling the way I was.
It was so nice to see them both happy, despite everythingthey’dgone through.
Swiveling my head the opposite way, I caught sight of the warm chocolate head of hairI’dbeen searching for.
Byn sat with his sisters,withMargo placed between her two older siblings as Teagan read a story to her aloud. Icouldn’thear from my position what story was being told, but I could tell from Margo’s expression that she was thoroughly enjoying it. Atlas andLychen—who had been hesitant to board the ship in the first place—were staying near their respective bonded riders, the duoa few feet from the siblings. And while Margo and Teagan were focused on the book before them, Byn was looking right at me.
I could feel a small swell of his emotions rising in me, concern radiating from him.
In all honesty, Iwasnervous. All my life, I’d planned on Dimitri being the one taking the charge of a nation—notme, not in theSouth, and definitely not in any way that required me tosail to theOcreinIsles.
And yet, there I was.
