38. New Friends
38
NEW FRIENDS
*Raven*
The bed that was once so comfortable now feels as hard as a rock without Kieran there. I spend the entire night tossing and turning and unable to think of anything else but Kieran’s safety. It’s so quiet without his thoughts in my head. How strange when I’ve spent my entire life without them. Now the silence is deafening.
How far has he made it now? The trip here took days, but we took the long way, trying to avoid his father’s men. Maybe he’s closer to home already. Maybe he’s safe. Anyway, it’s not like his father would punish him for running after me. For all King Gavin knows, Kieran was trying to stop me, to bring me home. Even though he’s failed, he won’t suffer any significant punishment, and for that, at least, I can be grateful.
When I can’t take it anymore, I finally get up and get ready for the day. I have no idea what time it is; my internal clock is so out of whack underground. A clock on the fireplace tells me it’s nearly 6:00 AM. I get up and stretch my sore limbs, tired as I am from all of our work yesterday.
I make myself breakfast, though I’m feeling too nauseous to enjoy it. There are so many things that could go wrong while Kieran is away. While I’ve never seen King Gavin be cruel to him, the golden boy, things might change if he somehow figures out the truth. Will he be able to sense it somehow?
The thought alone puts me off my breakfast entirely. I quickly bathe and dress, hoping that today will offer me more work and distraction from my worries and fears. After all, there’s truly nothing I can do here. I’m safe, my people are safe, and I have to believe that soon Kieran will return with my father, and we can all be together again.
I walk to my mother’s home, knocking quietly in case she’s still sleeping. The last thing I would want to do is disturb her sleep. She is the pack Luna, after all. To my surprise, though, she answers the door almost immediately and is fully dressed herself.
“Good morning, my love,” she says warmly, reaching out to cup my face.
I lean into her touch, still so unused to this kind of affection. Until meeting her, I didn’t know that mothers could be like this. Sure, I’d seen Queen Rowena show some level of affection to her other daughters. Her real daughters. Yet even they didn’t receive the unconditional love that my true mother has shown to me.
“Have you eaten?” she asks, pulling me out of my revelry.
“I tried,” I answer honestly, wondering if she would be able to tell if I was lying. “I don’t have much appetite right now.”
She nods and grabs my hand, pulling me inside her home. She directs me toward the couch as she goes to her little kitchen and grabs a steaming mug before settling down next to me.
“When your father left, I couldn’t eat properly for weeks,” she tells me, a wistful look in her eyes. “It’s a horrible thing to be separated from your mate.”
I rub the spot on my chest, the pain suddenly in sharp focus. Mother grabs my hand and squeezes tight.
“They’ll both be home soon,” her voice is barely above a whisper, and there’s a hopeful spark in her eye. “And there’s much to do to prepare. We’ll keep ourselves busy until the moment they’re returned to our hearts.”
I lean into her and hug her tightly, realizing that she’s spent years assuming her love was gone for good. I’m lucky to not know that pain, and I hope I never do. Just the last 24 hours without Kieran have been nearly unbearable.
We sit together on the couch for a while, chatting away about nothing in particular. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want her to know anything about my childhood. I’d like us both to focus on the idea that if I hadn’t been taken, both of our lives would have been much happier and more fulfilled. She doesn’t need to be privy to the abuse I endured at the hands of King Gavin and Queen Rowena, all while I thought I was their daughter.
Later, we head down to the plaza so mother can address her people after the events of yesterday. I look around at the people assembled, their features so much more closely matched to mine. A wave of gratitude hits me out of nowhere as I realize that I’ve found the place where I truly belong. Finally.
“Our scouts have told me that there have been no sightings of the troops from Dun’s Crossing,” mother is saying, and I realize sheepishly that I haven’t been listening. “Still, we must remain cautious. I’d like to wait one more day before anyone else ventures outside.”
There’s grumbling from the same young men who wanted to fight yesterday, and I notice a young woman roll her eyes at them. She catches me watching her and blushes then shrugs at me. I smile back at her to assure her that I’m amused and not offended.
When mother dismisses the crowd, I approach her and introduce myself.
“Oh, I know all about you,” she says excitedly. “You probably didn’t see me, but I was at your wedding. I’m Melany.”
I expect her to hold out a hand for me to shake, but instead, she embraces me tightly. This amount of kindness and affection still overwhelms me, but I hug her back with limp arms. She invites me to her home, and I look over to mother to see her smiling her approval. Not that I think anyone here would try to hurt me, but it still helps to know that my mother is happy with my choice of companion.
Her home is a bit larger than mine, with two bedrooms rather than my one.
“I still live with my mother,” she explains to me, noticing me taking in the place. “I won’t be old enough to be considered mature until next month, so I haven’t had a chance to experience the Haze yet. Is it amazing?”
Melany is very chatty and easily excitable, though I can’t blame her. She’s spent her entire life underground, and I imagine I’m the first new person she’s met in ages. I appreciate her kindness and candor, even if I’m still not entirely used to someone being so friendly to me.
“I can hardly explain it,” I tell her truthfully, thinking back to the moment that changed my life forever. “It’s as if the Moon Goddess herself is inside of you, pulling you toward your mate.”
She sighs wistfully and collapses onto her sofa.
“I can’t wait to find my mate, even if it is one of these idiots I’ve known my entire life,” she giggles. “Maybe the Haze will mature them.”
I think about how drastically Kieran has changed since then and tell her that was certainly my experience. She tells me all about her family. She lost her father during the war, as did many in Escuro. Her father was a nobleman, one of my father’s closest confidants.
“If not for the war, I’d probably be one of your ladies in waiting,” she giggles, her spirit light and carefree, despite the pain she’s experienced in her life. “Can I be in your court when you become the queen?”
Her question rattles me, reminding me of when Kieran accused me of trying to take Dun’s Crossing away from him. Yet here I am, with my own kingdom promised to me one day.
“Of course you can be part of my court,” I tell her fondly. “And your future husband will be given a title too.” My declaration reminds me of our earlier conversation about the Haze, and I suddenly feel dumb for not wondering this before. “How exactly does the Haze work here?”
“Oh, it’s very contained,” she tells me. “Your mother sends out scouts days beforehand to ensure it will be safe. Unfortunately, some people still go out year after year without finding a mate. Until our kingdom is restored, we can’t exactly intermingle with others.”
I nod sadly, remembering how badly I wanted my mate to be someone from a distant kingdom who could take me far away from all of my problems. Interestingly, I got exactly what I wanted, though it was in no way how I expected.
“Everything is different now that you’re here,” she tells me happily. “You’re the key to our freedom! I bet the next time the Haze comes, everyone will find their mate because we’ll be able to travel again. You’ve set us free.”
A lump forms in my throat as I consider this. I was never important to anyone in Dun’s Crossing. Most of the time, I got the impression that my disappearance would be a welcome change, even though I had nowhere to go.
“We’re all free,” I whisper, the tears spilling over to my cheeks.