Chapter Eighteen
Jaki laid Jacqueline on the bed by Lumi, and her eyes stayed closed. She’d fed earlier, and Lumi had fallen asleep right after. She’d remained awake, so Jaki had taken her into the sitting room.
He had clumsily managed to change her nappy.
Dear Elira, he hoped it stayed on and contained the mess if she made one.
Changing babies certainly hadn’t been a part of his lessons in his youth.
He’d have to ask Lumi how to properly do it to make sure in the future.
He’d walked her around and rocked her only because he wasn’t sure what else to do.
He’d tried singing a little, and she hadn’t started wailing despite his lack of talent.
He was tired, but Jaki had a feeling he wouldn’t sleep if he lay down again. It was worth it. Lumi had to be far more tired.
It was past dawn, and he wondered if the courtiers were whispering about his absence. He wasn’t even sure if Father had attended dinner. Probably not. Jaki had slept in Lumi’s sitting room, unwilling to entirely leave him alone.
Father was awake and drinking tea in his sitting room when Jaki entered. He immediately looked away.
“Father, you didn’t know,” said Jaki. “I’m sure he doesn’t hold anything against you either, and Tivar’s had complete control of him for years.
Lumi was even afraid to leave when I got him because Tivar said he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.
Do you have any idea how beaten down a person must be if someone is there to take them away, and their first thought is to refuse? ”
Elswere took a deep breath. “You went into enemy territory by yourself to fetch him? You went into Tivar’s home alone?”
Jaki sat in the armchair across from Father. “Obviously. I took the risk, luck was on my side, and I got us both out.”
“Do you have any idea how stupid you were? You literally stepped foot into the enemy’s home and didn’t have a single other person with you? Any number of things could have gone wrong, and you wouldn’t be here now.”
“Yes, I’m aware of how stupid it was.”
“And you still did it!”
“I’m also aware I couldn’t tell you, and if I brought the whole army there, Tivar would have learned he was being invaded and killed Lumi. Lumi was more important, and I couldn’t let him stay there any longer. I hesitated long enough.”
Like Elswere had on things, but Jaki didn’t say so.
“I made my choice. Before that, I sent Lord Smith with a glamor to pretend to be his cousin who lives in West Iceland. He gave what information he could. The court’s now gone, and when I went, Tivar had gone out, and he’d left Lumi beaten bloody on the bed.
He also took away Jacqueline and gave her to a servant.
He wanted a boy, not a girl. He wanted someone to coronate. ”
He explained how he got in and out with Lumi and their baby.
“How do you know if that baby is really yours?” asked Elswere. “It wasn’t just us-”
“I fucked him once not long before he left. He hadn’t taken his herbs to keep from getting pregnant.
He always did before when he knew he’d likely be with anyone.
” Jaki pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know we spent years thinking it was just you and me left, and Tivar’s fake.
When Lumi first came here, I started to grow suspicious. ”
“Why on Ymir’s dirt would you suspect a pleasure slave?”
“Tivar waited for years and did nothing,” said Jaki. “It seemed a bit odd to start with.”
“So? I’ve held too.”
“Because you don’t want me to fight. Tivar has no one left he cares about. All he gives a shit about is himself.”
“A man can be a coward. Besides, if he’d gone to war with us and won, it’d be obvious he’s the false heir because Iceland would die. At least this way, he can pretend.”
Jaki nodded. “True.”
“His lie would be revealed, and no one would follow him anymore.”
“Yes. When Lumi came with his lie about being unable to get pregnant…you might not be able to see the fine details in a person’s face anymore, Father, but I can.
I know what I look like, and I’ve seen those little miniatures of the family you have tucked in your bedroom.
Yes, Lumi’s ears and tail were black, and a glamor soap was used to keep his hair grey, but he’s got Reesing’s eyes.
He has some of my features, and Aisi’s too.
Plus, he seemed off, and the more I looked at him, the more I kept thinking he was Edur. ”
“A body was found,” Elswere tried.
“It was ‘recognized’ by the tail, height, basic build, and the skull structure which showed the corpse was that of a cat fairy,” said Jaki.
“Aisi was just a cat fairy skeleton in the worst burned portion. East Forest soldiers would have been capable of being quite cruel, murdering them, and sending the place up in smoke. It’s also possible to do a controlled fire, set a corpse out that looks similar to someone else, and let the other side make their own conclusions.
Lumi looks enough like the family, including me and you, despite his coloring being changed.
He fooled everyone else who wouldn’t dream that a long-dead Prince was back. He didn’t fool me.”
“All right…”
“Since Lumi was an abundant male, I had a feeling he’d disappear if he became pregnant even though he claimed to be infertile thanks to grey fever.
If he were pregnant, the child would be a proper blood heir, and it would explain why Tivar was waiting.
I was right. He sent Lumi here not only to spy, but to possibly impregnate him.
Tivar may be infertile. Lumi didn’t want your baby or a courtier’s, so he took herbs. ”
“So how is it your baby?” demanded Elswere.
“I had him brought to my rooms one morning, and he wasn’t given time to take the herbs,” admitted Jaki.
“I didn’t want to say anything or reveal everything I knew.
You wouldn’t have believed me, so…I tried to torture him for information.
He kept pretending it was just a game and begging me to fuck him.
I tried truth serum on him one night before that, but he’s one of those who grow sick and completely unresponsive after a dose.
I wanted the truth from him, and pain didn’t work very well either. ”
Elswere squinted. “So you fucked him even though you were positive he was your half-brother and a spy committing treason?”
Jaki shifted in the armchair. “I couldn’t help but want him when he came here. He wanted me too. It was lust, and-”
“This makes no sense! You’re not supposed to feel that way about family. I’m utterly disgusted by what we did together. I treated him like a whore, and I let the court use him like a cum midden and enjoyed sharing him. I feel disgusting. How could you suspect he was your brother and feel lust?”
Jaki didn’t know how to answer. Maybe it was because they didn’t grow up together and never had any kind of sibling relationship. Even while at court and dancing around the truth of why Lumi was there, there had been no brotherly relationship.
It was something about Lumi that had stoked lust in him no matter how hard he’d tried denying it. After the day in the tower, and months apart, Jaki wanted to protect him. But he didn’t only want Lumi as his brother now.
He wanted him as his lover.
“He wanted me too,” said Jaki. “I don’t know why. It just…happened that way. We never saw each other before or looked at each other as family. I can’t explain it. I’ve never had feelings like this for anyone else.”
“Well…you can’t have those feelings,” blustered Elswere.
“I already do, and I’ll let Lumi decide what’s done. This is between us now.”
“But it’s wrong.”
“Elira doesn’t specifically forbid it.”
Elswere gripped the armrests. “Don’t you sit there and act like she’d be okay with this. Get Elira’s Book and point out one sibling relationship. Show me where incest is fine.”
“There isn’t one-”
“Exactly!”
“She never forbade genuine love and feelings at all,” snapped Jaki.
“Her only rules in that area was a person can’t rape another, only people who truly love each other should marry, and no one can break apart two who choose to marry because she put them together.
Those rules are broken all of the time when people marry for money or position.
She didn’t mention incest or forbid it.”
“It was typical common sense to not marry family members or breed with them.”
“Either way, it’s between us, and we’ll decide what to do or what not to do,” said Jaki.
“I think if Elira were here and saw how we feel and what’s already happened, she’d accept it.
We have a daughter, she’s not going anywhere, and we can’t undo her.
Lumi’s staying here, and he needs to be crowned once he’s feeling up to it. He is supposed to be the next King.”
Elswere stared at the fire for a moment and seemed to decide to ignore the bits he didn’t like. “His name is Edur.”
“He wants to go by Lumi,” said Jaki. “If he decides to be known as Edur again, or if he picks a new name, we’ll call him whatever he wants.
He’s been chained to a bed, repeatedly raped, and confined to a room for the most part since he was fourteen.
He’s had no control over life for years.
I think it’s time he decides things for himself again. ”
Elswere rubbed his face. “Fine. We should crown him. It’s only right, and Reesing would have wanted it. We need the real Crown.”
Jaki took a deep breath. “We have the Crown too. Tivar was a fool and left it in his sitting room like a damn trinket. Then again, it’s not like he was suspecting I’d sneak in.
I took it. Oh, and it reacts to Lumi in case you still doubt who he is.
If you think that’s a trick, remember he told you something only he could know. ”
Elswere’s mouth fell open. “You have it?!”