10. Unknown Allies
~ YILAN ~
I managed to get out to the cottage with only a handful of guards following at a distance.
I ordered them to stay outside, reminding them that there was a perimeter around this house.
No one would enter or leave without being challenged.
But when I reached the little house the back door was wide open, the late afternoon sun streamed in, and no one was inside.
I just stood there, breathing. Taking in silence and solitude.
And the bond throbbed.
I put my hand to that place at my chest that was Melek, and just held it there, feeling him. He was foggy and unclear, but… yearning.
“Oh, my mate…” I whispered.
Then I heard a laugh in the garden outside, and then Harris’s voice raised in caution.
Leaving my hand over that spot on my chest, I took a deep breath, raised my chin, and pasted on a smile as I walked out into the garden out back.
They weren’t far from the house. I found Harris first, standing aside, just watching. She glanced at me from the side when I stepped up next to her, and we shared a warm look. She nodded towards the trees.
What I saw made my smile genuine .
My sister, in a simple cotton housedress, crouched down to examine something on the ground.
Gall, still massive, and still in his fighting leathers, stood over her, his shadow shading her as much as the trees behind them.
He had the handle of a wide, flat basket over his arm, and he peered down at her, curious about whatever she was doing.
“…sleeproot can help you sleep if we make it into a tea. And it's safe to mix it with shadowleaf. That can make nightmares go away.”
Gall frowned, but then Istral straightened and placed something long and green in the basket he held, and for a moment both their heads were bent over his arm, and they seemed… together.
I blinked. “Harris—”
“Shhhhh, just watch.”
Istral had always done things very precisely. It took her a long time to learn new information or skills. She worked hard to do it. But once they were solid in her head, she did them exactly the same way every time.
Now, she put the plants she’d picked carefully in the basket and even though I was too far away to see, I knew she laid each of the stalks perfectly straight with its brothers.
If there was more than one plant in there as I suspected, she would very carefully separate the bunches so they touched as little as possible.
But the thing that stole my breath was Gall.
He stood over her, very patiently waiting while she arranged the plants as she wanted to. But it wasn’t the greenery that he looked at.
He was staring at Istral. As if she were the precious thing to be gathered.
“He isn’t sleeping well, Yilan,” Harris whispered.
“I’m a little bit worried about him, but we’ll wait and see if it’s just because he was kept unconscious for so long.
Still… he’s besotted with her. He can’t take his eyes off her.
He gets agitated when she leaves the room.
I awoke this morning to find him curled up on the floor outside her door like a giant dog. ”
I looked at Harris in alarm. “But… they’re children.”
Harris’s brows rose. “No. They are… unique. And they recognize something in each other. And neither of them denies it. You should have heard them talking as we ate last night—he told her that he’d never met anyone like her, and he didn’t want to ever be far from her.”
Oh, dear Lord. “What did she say? ”
Harris was clearly fighting laughter. “She told him she’d get your permission for him to stay. That if you said he could, no one could deny him.”
I blew out a breath. “I brought him here to stay but… I never imagined… Harris, do you think—”
“I think we have no idea how things like this work for people like them, so we should just watch and… help them whenever they need it.”
I looked back at the pair. Istral had finished arranging her stalks and was smiling up at Gall, who stared at her like the sun shone out of her eyes.
“But… I mean, they only just met! They’d never—surely there’s not a chance they would want… I mean, that they’d want each other?”
Harris snorted. “I would be very surprised if they didn’t at some point,” she said, shaking her head and smiling. “Particularly him. His body would drive him to it, if nothing else.”
I was aghast. “But she’s innocent! I’ve never spoken to her about—”
“She is pure, Yilan. But not entirely innocent, you know that.” Harris gave me a grim look that I wanted to ignore. “I know her desire to marry and be a mother has always been uneasy for you.”
“It’s not just uneasy—I don’t thinks she understands the slightest reality of marriage or intimacy with a man,” I hissed. “She’s a child!”
Harris turned to look at me then, some surprise on her face. “You’ve used that word in relation to her many times, but I didn’t think you meant it literally. You do know, don’t you, that she is much more than that?”
“Of course!” I spluttered. “I just… I never imagined she’d… I mean, not an actual, long term, intimate relationship with a man.”
Harris’s brows rose. “Have we not already learned that the world will force adulthood on to her, whether she wants it or not? Respectfully, I think the Queen might need to give some thought to… reconsidering that position.” Her face softened. “Yilan, look at them. They’re perfect for each other.”
I turned with her, for the first time tensing with unease about Gall being here, my head spinning.
But of course, the two of them together were adorable.
Istral was smiling and sweet, and Gall was soft and patient, clearly swelling with pride when they started to walk and Istral took his arm as if it were simply natural .
If it were just their hearts, I would have cried with joy at the sight of them being so easy with one another and so in tune. I didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me that they might become attached to each other. But…
“Harris… he’s huge!”
She nodded, and the first flicker of unease crossed her face.
“It’s definitely going to be challenging for them if things go in that direction,” she said.
Then she turned to me again. “I don’t think you should worry too much, though.
Perhaps… perhaps past events could prove to be blessings in disguise? ”
When my eyes widened in horror, she rushed on.
“Please, don’t fret, Yilan. I suspect it will be some time before either of them is ready to… expand their relationship. I just wanted you to see them together. There’s something very special here. A gift. For both of them, I think.”
The bond thrummed in my chest, and I had to swallow back an intense ache for my mate.
But Istral caught sight of me then and squealed, letting go of Gall’s arm and running towards me for an exuberant hug.
Gall followed more slowly because he was holding the basket and was obviously worried he might spill the contents. But he was smiling as he strode up behind her to greet me.
And even though there was a twist of unease in my chest about where the future might go for these two, like Harris, I was overjoyed to see them both so happy and relaxed.
After Istral had told me about each of the herbs and plants they’d found, and what she wanted to do with them, I asked Gall how he was feeling.
“I’m good,” he said with a small smile, but I saw the uncertainty flicker in his eyes.
Of course, he was in an entirely new world, one he hadn’t anticipated or even been introduced to.
“Istral, I wonder if you could stay here with Harris. I need to speak with Gall alone for a few minutes.”
Istral looked disappointed but nodded. “Of course,” she replied, because she had manners.
Gall’s brows pinched, and he was reluctant to give the basket back, but he followed me obediently when I turned to walk back to the cottage.
Inside, I was reminded just how big he was, this wasn’t the Palace with vaulted ceilings and high, arched doors.
The cottage was a Shadekin home. Gall had to duck to get through the doorway, and even inside where the ceiling was above his head, he was close enough to be aware of it, so he hunched slightly.
I took a deep breath and put a hand on his arm. “I’m glad that you’ve been comfortable here. How are you feeling?”
He scratched the back of his neck. “It's been nice,” he said carefully.
“Is your head clear? Do you feel like you can think clearly? Is anything hurting?”
“I’m fine,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just a little bit strange.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said with a sigh. “Well, I want you to know that I’m glad you’re here and you can stay as long as you want to. Forever, if you want to. This can be your home if you want it, Gall. It’s why I brought you here. You’ll be much safer here than… back home.”
His eyes widened. “Truly?” he breathed.
I nodded and smiled. “As soon as I met you and saw what they were putting you through… well, I just want you to feel comfortable and to know that you’re welcome here. I’m sure there will be challenges, but we’ll face them as we have to. Anytime there’s a problem, you just come find me.”
“I will,” he said, a little breathless. He looked over his shoulder towards the door, and I knew he was thinking of his conversation with Istral.
Nerves and joy clanged together in my chest. This would be… interesting. I cleared my throat.
“There is one other reason I came this afternoon, Gall,” I said, touching his arm so he’d give me his attention again. “I came to see if you wanted to come with me… to see Melek? He’s eager to see how you’re—”
“No,” Gall said, his voice short and dark. His entire face clouded, and he even took a step back from me.
Oh dear. “Gall… Your father… he’s alone. I know he’d be very relieved to see you and know that you’re safe.”
But Gall was shaking his head like a resistant horse. “No. No. I remember… I don’t want to see him.”