59. Epilogue #1 The Mysterious Brother
fifty-nine
Epilogue #1 The Mysterious Brother
*FLINN*
M y mother makes sure everyone has something hot to drink while we settle in a huge tent we prepared earlier today. We are used to the cold, but none of us likes to spend a whole evening outside, freezing.
Everyone is chatting and talking, while I just have eyes for one person. My mother was very adamant that Endellion and Azadeh should pick a Beta outside of the family. Now her words make more sense.
Kiyan looks pissed off, he always does, I guess that’s his usual expression though. He has dark-brown almost black hair, and a wild beard. He looks deliciously hot and dangerous. Exactly my type.
“Oh, so that’s how it is,” I say, amused.
“Hm?” Alana turns to look at me. “Is something wrong?”
“Not at all,” I smirk. “I’ve always liked a good challenge.” I get up, strolling towards Kiyan. “I’m Flinn,” I introduce myself. “Endellion’s brother. We are triplets.”
“Very funny,” Kiyan grumbles.
I got the one with the attitude, and without any humor, it seems. “Well,” I grin. “I’m just glad it stays in the family.”
“What do you mean?” Kiyan demands to know.
“Oh nothing, just that you are Azadeh’s brother, and it’s nice that you are,” I say lazily.
Flinn, Endellion links Caelan and me at the same time. What are you doing?
It’s good that we still can do that, Caelan says. Talk just the three of us.
I assume Ende can do that with everyone now, I point out. As the king. That said, I pause, wasn’t it part of the peace treaty that King Naseem of the Everlasting Desert sent his daughter here?
Yes, Endellion says, warily. Why?
I was just thinking. Shouldn’t it go both ways? How about an exchange student for the Desert, just to learn from each other? I grin. I don’t trust King Naseem at all, so I don’t need to be sent there as a gift, but for research… I wouldn’t mind at all! You know, deepen our connection.
Endellion stares at me. He is your….
Yep. I got the cranky sibling. I hope you consider yourself lucky. I grin. So, what do you think, King Endellion? How about we get the exchange program going again?
We don’t have an exchange program, Caelan points out.
Duh, that’s the point, I smirk.
Actually, I think that’s not a bad idea, Endellion says. An exchange program…
See, you need me and my awesome ideas.
Don’t act like you thought this through, Caelan points out.
The best plans are spontaneous, I say. But, we can agree to disagree.
I shift my attention back to the man sitting next to me. The way he treats Aza shows his kind side. He is just hiding everything behind his gruff looks and attitude. I think it’s worth trying to get a glimpse behind the facade.
I don’t mind it being a bit of work. The others might not understand, but I’m sure Caelan and Endellion do. We have spent the first twenty years of our life not feeling a bond outside of our family ones. No one can understand the void we felt where the mate bond was supposed to be. All three of us came to terms with taking a chosen mate, since we never had a choice. Now things have changed. We have developed mate bonds. However, unlike my other siblings, I’m not obsessed over it. I’m willing to try it, to win Kiyan over, but if things don’t work out, it won’t kill me to look for a mate on my terms.
“How do you like it here, Kiyan?” I ask.
Well aware of what’s going on, my siblings handed me the task of showing Kiyan around. He has been staying for a few days now, and I’m proud to say that he stopped grunting at me, and instead talks… sometimes. He has some hard walls to crack, but every journey starts with a first step.
“Not bad,” he mutters. “Just cold.”
“It is cold,” I chuckle.
We walk by the huge riding hall where Alana is currently training with our new queen, Azadeh. Kiyan halts in his steps, watching his sister, and for a moment I can see gentleness and vulnerability in his eyes. “You were all very kind to my sister,” he says.
“She was kind to us,” I tell him. “She arrived, was open to change, and ready to let all prejudice go.
She is an incredibly intelligent and kind person.”
Kiyan’s expression darkens. “I know,” he says. “I can’t believe Father got rid of her like that,” he spits. “She could have been sold into slavery.”
“You had no idea, did you?” I ask.
“None. I was on a long and draining mission, and when I returned, she was gone months already.” The tone of his voice is bitter and full of hatred and guilt. It makes my heart ache, realizing how he must feel. I don’t know how he grew up, I don’t know of his relationship to his siblings aside from Azadeh. But I don’t think his life is all that great.
“So, Kiyan,” I say. I dropped the formalities on the first day, much to Kiyan’s annoyance, but he’s stopped correcting me by now. I call this my first win. “My brother, the king, will soon approach you with this offer, but he told me to tell you about it in advance.” I pause. “To further strengthen the peace treaty, we thought we should establish an exchange program. To learn more from each other.”
“An exchange program?”
“Yes, we are connected now, through my brother’s and your sister’s marriage.” I smile brightly. “We are an extended family now.”
I’m more than aware that this thought never struck Kiyan. To my amusement, he stares at me through wide eyes, obviously completely flabbergasted by my words.
“I knew you would agree,” I say, smiling brightly.
“And how is that exchange program supposed to work?” he asks.
“Oh, we start with sending someone from our kingdom to yours, and we, of course, extend the invitation to have one of the members of your royal family or higher ranks come here,” I say. It’s a bluff. King Naseem is known to not have any relations with anyone. But I also know that, while being an utter asshole, he isn’t stupid. He won’t be able to say no to one of us visiting.
“And, who would be the person to visit us?” Kiyan asks.
I put up my most charming smile. “Yours truly, Prince Flinn!”