Chapter Six
Mother said Edur would go nuts if he kept sitting by the window and watching.
All he wanted was for Father to return so they could go home to the Ice Court.
If Father came, life would soon go back to normal, and they wouldn’t be split up anymore.
It wasn’t fair that Tivar couldn’t stay with them, but as the main heir, Father had insisted on hiding him elsewhere. Keeping them apart was safer.
If the East Forest Kingdom found one, they wouldn’t find all of the family.
He tried to have Aisi go somewhere else to further break them up. Mother had put her foot down. Edur hadn’t quite been thirteen when the war broke out, and even though he wished he was old enough to fight, he was secretly glad to be with Mother and not alone with only guards.
Their current home had belonged to a lord who was probably dead now. Mother said they’d be safe, but they had received news of East Forest soldiers looting, burning, and pillaging. They had gotten around the defenses and pushed into Iceland despite Father’s initial advances and victories.
If they came too close, Aisi said they’d run, which was why they each had an emergency pack to grab if they had to leave in a hurry. The guards would help them get away if it came to that.
Edur had only gone upstairs for a few minutes before he heard the front door slam. He knew it was silly, but a part of him hoped it was Father returning to say the war was over and they could go home.
Of course, it wasn’t Father. A messenger with snow on his shoulders was standing in the sitting room when Edur darted in.
“I’m sorry…King Reesing was killed in battle near Jorven by King Revin and Queen Lareda. We were able to retrieve his body. We lost the battle, and most of our army is decimated now. East Forest is advancing.”
Mother’s face turned to stone as her knitting sat forgotten in her lap.
“I’m sorry, Queen Aisi.” The man ducked his head. “He fought like a beast. He did his best…”
Edur stared at the man’s red face and damp clothes as he tried to comprehend the words. Father was supposed to come back so they could all go home. Someone had made a horrible mistake and mistook another body for King Reesing. He’d promised to return, and Father always kept his promises.
Mother’s face crumpled as she started sobbing.
November 5th, 1645
Edur shivered on the boat as he stood by the railing.
Normally, he would have been interested in what the sailors behind him were doing, and he’d try to find one who didn’t look too busy so he could ask questions.
Instead, he stared at a spot in the distance beyond the shore and wished he could see Mother.
She had promised they’d see each other again shortly.
Father had said the same thing.
Tivar took his shoulder to lead him toward the captain’s cabin. “Come on. It’s cold. We’ll stay in here.”
“She promised we’ll see each other again…”
“And we will. She’s not going to fight, and she’ll be quite safe. This is temporary.”
“Where are we going?”
“To a different safe spot.”
Tivar had come before dawn and gotten Edur out of bed only to rush him out of the house in less than an hour.
All he had was his pack and the clothes he wore, the memory of Mother’s kiss on his forehead, and her promise that they’d be together in a little while.
Guards were going to take her to a different location.
“How close is the East Forest army?” Edur asked when they stepped inside a cabin.
“Too close for comfort. It’s best if we split up. We’ll reunite later when East Forest gets tired of harassing us.”
Edur dumped his pack in the corner and went to sit on the narrow bed built into the wall.
The cabin was a bit bare. It had the necessities, and a brazier gave off heat.
“They won and supposedly don't even want our throne. If we won't become a part of East Forest, why not leave? They beat back the invasion, and we can’t try again. Not like this.”
Tivar sighed. “Because it’s a way to rub the loss in our faces before they fuck off and leave us to deal with the mess. We started it, they won, and they can run around and kill and loot as they please until they're tired of it.”
The King and Queen of East Forest had died of yellowing shortly after Father’s defeat and death. Their deaths didn’t change the fact: Iceland had lost.
“I’d rather we run together.” Edur sniffled. “Better yet, I wish I’d been old enough to fight. Maybe I could have protected Father.”
Tivar cocked his ears as he sat next to him on the small bed. “Don’t be like that. Mother would have worried to no end if you’d gone to fight, and Father didn’t want us to. Separating now is safer. I doubt East Forest will hunt us down forever.”
Mother had refused to be separated from Edur before, but maybe she thought he’d be okay with Tivar.
After all, he was fourteen now, and he couldn’t have Mummy pasted to his side for life.
He needed to grow up and not cry even though the thought of Father dead was like a knife to his gut, and it made his throat ache.
“Besides, I have a plan so no one looks for you,” said Tivar. “You’re my little brother, and I’ll protect you.”
“What’s the plan?”
“On the way to get you, we found a village had been attacked. The East Forest soldiers are quite savage, and unfortunately, we saw a dead boy whose face had been bashed in beyond recognition. He was a cat fairy with the same-colored tail, ears, and hair. He was the right size too. The woman who must have been his Mother wasn’t far, and she was dead. ”
Edur flinched and looked up at his older brother who had white hair too, although it wasn’t quite as bright. His eyes were dark green while Edur had pale ones like the green sea ice farther north.
Tivar shook his head. “It was a terrible shame they died like that. We took the bodies.”
Edur stared at him. “Why? They should be buried in Ymir’s dirt.”
“I know, and they will later. We didn’t disturb anyone who had already been buried, and the Goddess will know. She'll also know it's to protect a living person.”
“Why take their bodies?”
“Once Mother is away, some men will place the corpses in the house and make a controlled fire. They will have to be careful to make sure it’s not all destroyed.
Just one side is enough. When the East Forest men come to kill you and Mother, they’ll find a half-destroyed house and a partially burned cat fairy boy with a white tail just like you.
The Mother’s body will be in the burned portion and destroyed beyond recognition, but they’ll think Aisi is dead too because who else would it be? What a dreadful accident, right?”
Edur could see the sense in case East Forest was bent on erasing them all for the sake of it. Iceland had invaded East Forest and started the trouble. If the little Prince and Queen were dead, they wouldn’t look for them anymore.
“But what about you? They'll think you're alive."
“Everything is taken care of,” Tivar said in a firm voice. “I have questions for you. I’m not only your brother, I’m your King now since Father is dead. You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”
Edur shook his head. “No, never.”
“Has Mother ever spoken of putting you on the throne?”
“No. That’s your position.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. Everyone knows it’s yours. We-” Edur cut off.
“What?” Tivar narrowed his eyes.
“We didn’t think it’d be so soon. Father was supposed to return.” Edur’s eyes stung. A future without him seemed impossible.
“Listen to me. Has Mother ever mentioned me not being her son?”
“Why would she ever say such a thing?”
Tivar rubbed his chin. “The Crown is at the Castle near Lilling. I know where it’s hidden. Elswere wrote to me, and he swore that I couldn’t take it. He said I’m not the real heir. You are.”
Edur’s mouth opened slightly as he struggled to take that in. How could Tivar not be the real heir? He was older.
“Elswere says I’m not even a bastard. I share no blood with the family, I’m adopted, and I must give up the throne. If I take it, the lands will die.”
Edur knew that just like any other fairy, but Elswere had made a ridiculous claim. Tivar wasn't adopted. None of it made any sense whatsoever, and how would his Uncle write to Tivar when he was in prison? Father said he had committed treason, and Edur didn’t understand how.
He swallowed. “Elswere’s in prison. How could he even wri-”
“He’s not. He escaped, and he sent me a dove.” Tivar shook his head as he looked away.
“How-”
“According to Elswere, Father kept this a secret from everyone else. Mother gave birth to a boy who was dead, and she passed out from blood loss. Father had the baby’s body hidden, and he took me from a homeless lady as a replacement so Mother wouldn’t be sad.
I'm a cat fairy and look close enough…This whole time…” Tivar covered his face with one hand.
“Maybe he told her later, and she hid it from us. I’m not sure. ”
He stood to pace in the tiny cabin while Edur gaped at him, trying to absorb the revelation. “You have to be King. Father said-”
Tivar whirled on him. “Not only do I have no relation to the male line, I don’t even share blood with you through Mother. I’m not a Cleel at all! I’ve spent my whole life thinking I was, and imagining I’d have the throne one day, and now Uncle says this.”
Edur struggled to comprehend everything while Tivar paced. “But…can’t you still be my brother?”
Tivar rushed to sit next to Edur. “Of course, I’ll still be your brother. You trust me, right?”
“Y-yes.”
“Elswere wrote that we should put you on the throne, and he’ll do the main work of ruling while you grow older.
I know he wants to take it for himself, and he was already in prison for treason.
I don’t know how it happened or who helped him to escape.
It means he has others on his side who will help him take everything. ”