3. Izzy #2
Harris not only knew how to remain calm when Istral was agitated, but understood what would trigger her fear or disquiet.
She was strong, decisive, opinionated and took no shit. But she was kind and extremely protective of anyone she deemed weaker than her, no matter their standing, level of wealth, or nobility.
Even a Queen, on occasion.
“Harris!” I exclaimed with genuine fondness. She hurried forward to curtsey, but I gathered her into a hug and reminded her again that she was family and to ignore etiquette with me in my personal quarters .
“It’s wonderful to see you, Your Majesty,” she murmured, glancing to the side towards the servants lined up along the wall. She always worried about being too familiar with me in front of others.
“Leave us,” I said to the servants quickly. “Wait in the corridor. I’ll send Berne if you’re needed.”
The servants all bobbed and bowed, then filed off the balcony and back through my rooms.
“Better?” I asked Harris with a smile.
She shook her head, but she was smiling too. “You indulge me.”
“You’re worth it,” I said sincerely. “Now, join us for breakfast?”
The three of us settled down in the chairs at the round table, Istral babbling about the new foal born out of season, the barn cat who’d had kittens not out of season, her schooling, and anything else she could think of.
Letting my sister’s words wash over me was a balm to my aching heart, and I almost cried just out of sheer relief to see her so healthy and happy even though I’d been gone.
When Berne returned with the hot chocolate—and three cups, because he had eyes in the walls—he greeted Istral and listened, nodding solemnly to her lengthy story about the last time she’d had chocolate.
While Istral was distracted, I leaned into Harris’s ear. “Did you hear that I brought visitors home with me?”
Harris nodded slowly. “I’m surprised Istral didn’t launch into it immediately. She’s very nervous about them. She’s expecting monsters.”
I snorted. “They are rather large, but they won’t hurt her, I promise.”
Harris eyed me from the side. “You seem very confident. That is… not the word amongst the soldiers and servants.”
Harris wasn’t just an excellent caretaker and guard for my sister.
She was a damned fine spy within the royal household as well.
She was loyal as the day is long and very insightful when it came to which of the servants' gossip should be listened to, and which could be thrown out with the bathwater.
“I would say there are very few Nephilim that could be trusted, but the two we have are among them. And one… one I will need your help with.”
Her brows rose. “Mine?! ”
I nodded. “His name is Gall. He’s still asleep, but we’ll be waking him this afternoon and I’d like you to be there. I’d also like your advice on whether Istral should be.”
“You’d put Istral in the same room with a Neph?” She stared at me like she wondered if I’d taken a blow to the head while I was gone.
“Trust me, when you meet him, you’ll understand,” I said with a smile, my heart both warmed and gripped by thoughts of Gall.
I wasn’t sure how his mind would process such a sudden and dramatic jump in both time and environment, which was why I wanted Harris’s input.
Harris stared at me thoughtfully. “He’s like Istral?” she asked quietly.
I nodded. “But he’s had a very different life.
And he was extremely stressed and overstimulated before we knocked him out.
I’m not sure what he’ll remember or how he’ll feel when we wake him.
He knows me and trusts me. But… it would be good to have you there to offer any thoughts on the best care,” I said carefully.
Her brows pinched. “And Istral?”
“I think they’ll adore each other,” I admitted, taking the first sip of my chocolate and almost weeping with the pleasure of it.
“But I’m not quite sure how she’ll react at first. I can’t decide if they would help each other calm faster or whether all the disruption would be too much for both of them. ”
Harris frowned, clearly considering the question. “If I could meet him first, I’m sure I could make a judgment quickly.”
“Let’s think on that. He’s down in the old, unused barracks, because I wanted him somewhere quiet where it wouldn’t matter if he woke early and did damage. But I’d like to bring him to the Palace as soon as we’re sure he’s calm.”
“And he’s like Istral? You’re certain?” she pressed, clearly shocked.
I nodded. “I recognized it in him the first moment we met. They are twin hearts. Or perhaps their twin minds have molded their hearts. Either way, they’re alike.”
“A Neph?”
“I know. It surprised me too. He’s even royal blood,” I said, unable to resist the little seed of gossip.
Her brows shot up to meet her hairline. “He’s royal?”
“Well, their version of it,” I said with a shrug. “But he will never lead, I assure you. ”
“Who?” Istral piped up as Berne turned away, murmuring that he would get our breakfast.
I blinked. “A visitor. I brought some home with me,” I said quickly.
“Oh, those awful Nephilim?” Istral asked, her pretty brow furrowed in fear.
I took a deep breath. If Melek was the man I thought him to be, the man I prayed he could be, then Istral would need to get used to having him around. And Gall as well.
“They are Nephilim,” I said carefully. “But they aren’t awful, Izzy.”
Her eyes went wide. “The rumors are true?”
I nodded and reached for her hand. “You have no need to be afraid. Truly. It may take some time for them to settle in, but I think you’ll enjoy them once you see…”
Harris distracted Istral quickly, reminding her that she had a story to tell me about puppies due to one of the cattle dogs, and a funny moment when one of the footmen had tripped on the stairs. Soon Istral was babbling stories again. But her voice was a little higher, a little tighter.
By the time we’d eaten my sister was more relaxed. But that line in her brow hadn’t disappeared entirely.
Berne announced a messenger for me, and I told him I needed one more minute. I wanted to hug Istral before I went back to tasks.
When I stood up from the table and opened my arms, Istral leaped out of her chair and into my chest, hugging me with abandon and sighing into my hair.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she whispered in my ear.
“I am,” I whispered back, stroking her hair. “And I’m so, so relieved that you’re well, too.”
Then she stood back and looked at me. “Why did you bring such fearsome creatures into our home?” she asked in a small voice. “I think I’ll have nightmares tonight, knowing they’re here.”
Oh dear. I shook my head. “Istral… remember how we’ve spoken about how… people are different? And in every family, or every race, there are some who are good and some who are not?”
“Yes, but Nephilim, Lani!” she protested.
I held her shoulders and made her look at me. “This is me, Izzy. Do you believe I would put you in danger?”
“No,” she said quickly, licking her lips. “But Nephilim? ”
“I know it sounds scary. And I promise, if you don’t like them, you don’t have to be close to them. But when the time is right—when Harris and I both feel like it’s safe—I’d just like you to meet them. So you can judge for yourself and not on what others think.”
That hit home for her. She’d been a victim of rumor and gossip since she was a child. Her forehead lines grew deeper as her mind tried to work through how some terrifying creature could be a victim of such normal circumstances.
“I… very well,” she said, still frowning.
Harris nodded to me with a pointed look, then took Istral’s arm and they turned to leave together.
I sighed, wondering if I’d done the wrong thing telling her. It was never clear whether she would fixate on something and become anxious, or just let it fall aside and not think of it again. But I suspected from her reaction that this would weigh heavily on her.
I needed to get Gall awake, let Harris meet him, and see if she thought Istral would help or hinder his transition here.
Because, if there was one thing I was certain of, it was that no matter what Melek decided, his son was staying here for the rest of his days.
That precious boy was never going to be put in a position that required violence from him, ever again.