Chapter Twenty-Four #2
Just then, a whistling tune could be heard approaching from behind a closed door on the other side of the room.
Through it came Lord Geoff, also adorned in a flour-spotted apron, holding what I could only imagine were the dessert croissants.
Somehow, he’d even managed to get just a bit of flour in his chocolate-colored hair, too.
When he saw the three of us standing near the entryway, he paused, his whistling coming to a halt.
The silence stretched on as his guarded brown eyes settled on me. His expression shifted through different emotions, ranging from regret to relief.
“Well, what are you ladies waiting for?” he asked as he placed the dish on the table, breaking the silence heartbeats later. “Let’s eat!”
Matea, who hadn’t left my side, lead me to the table and gently motioned to where I should sit, taking up her spot to the right of me, with Lady Billie on my left and Lord Geoff directly across. I watched as Lady Billie and Matea both prepared to serve the food, but I acted before they could.
Standing, I grabbed for the utensil Lady Billie had been reaching for.
“It’d be my honor to serve you all tonight, if you’ll allow me,” I offered, though my tone was firm. Confident.
“Oh no, please, allow me,” Lady Billie gasped, standing from her chair and holding her hand out, waiting for me to pass her the serving spoon.
I smiled at her softly and instead placed my hand in hers.
“If we were under normal circumstances, I would be considered your youngest grandchild. It’s tradition for the youngest of the family to serve the others when they’re old enough—at least in the North.” I squeezed her hand. “Please, let me.”
The older female hesitated for a moment, but slowly withdrew her hand from mine and returned to her chair.
The next few moments were full of light chatter as I took each plate, starting with Lady Billie’s to my left and making my way around the table, filling each one with a little bit of everything.
When I wasn’t sure what something was, or what a specific ingredient was, Lady Billie or Matea were quick to fill me in.
They didn’t laugh that I didn’t know—they just filled in the gaps.
The venison had been glazed with something that had a pink tint to it. When I asked what it was as I served a large piece to Lord Geoff, he was the one to explain that it was a mixture of honey and pinkthumb—a type of flower native to the South, and one that was often used to spice up a meal.
That was the first time he’d spoken since he sat, and I made sure to respond positively. It appeared he would take a longer time to come around and warm up to me, but I had a feeling it’d be worth the extra effort.
Now, we all had plates full of a variety of delicious foods.
Having served myself last, I sat toward the edge of the chair, trying to keep my wings from pressing against the back of it too much.
Matea looked my way as I shifted for the third time in a matter of a few minutes, and the realization of my discomfort flickered across her features.
Though before she could do or say anything, Lady Billie chimed in.
“So, Aviva,” she started, trying out my name on her tongue. “What is it like up there? In the North?”
I chewed thoroughly, buying myself another moment to think before responding.
“If you had asked me that before the past few months’ recent events, I’d have said it was a lovely place. Cold most of the time, but bursting at the seams with music and food and life.”
“And now?” Lady Billie inquired after a beat of silence.
“Now that I’ve seen more of the world than just the inside of Gatlyn Castle? Than just Hollis?” I sighed. “I’d say it’s all fake. They all put up a good front, but nobody seems to know true happiness there. Not to the extent the people of the South do, anyway.”
Lord Geoff nodded slightly, as if silently agreeing with me.
Lady Billie hummed at my response, then clarified her question. “What was your experience like? Were you happy?”
I refrained from letting a scowl pass over my face, thinking back to my life in the North.
They don’t know, Viva, I thought to myself.
“Up until recent events, I believed my entire life that I killed my own mother as a child in a crazy accident. My father neglected me because I was something my twin, his favorite, was not. Father did not permit me to leave the castle grounds but a handful of times in my life—though I learned to escape sometimes, anyway.” I took a deep breath, willing my emotions to subside and for my zirilium to remain leashed.
“But I did have my brother, and my best friend, and my griffin. I still had meaningful relationships, even if they were few and far between. So while I had been caged like an animal since birth, I still managed to learn how to fly.”
I watched their eyes widen as I spoke, especially when I mentioned Mother. I supposed without much context, I likely sounded insane. But where could I even begin?
Matea, to my surprise, cleared her throat to break the deafening silence.
“You should tell them everything. Tell them your story, Viva,” she encouraged me.
Not even Matea knew all the details, but she knew more than her—our—grandparents did. I supposed this was part of coming to know them—even if it was painful to recall.
“We’re all ears,” Lord Geoff said, his voice the most tender toward me I’d heard it thus far.
“Well…” I began after a beat of hesitation.
And the rest poured out of me, like a dam had been broken within.
I began with a story involving a flash of blue light from a decade and a half ago—one I’d tried to forget for so long. About how I’d killed Mother—or so I had thought. Because despite what Matea believed, we still didn’t know anything for sure.
I spoke of how Father treated Mother that day, and how he’d never laid a hand on his children, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t hurt us in other ways.
Leading from that, I recalled how I’d been forced to take elixirs each day of my life, and what we had discovered they were suppressing in not only me—but in Dimitri, too.
I told them about how what I had known all my life had been uprooted so quickly after that first time I’d met Teagan, and the love that had blossomed because of it. Not just with Byn, but with each member of the Valwain, in one way or another.
I explained, from my perspective, what had happened since I’d arrived in the South. Discovering all of my zirilium, Aurora showing up, the battle that followed, and what I did during said battle.
I ended it all by summarizing what had happened since the battle, including the scouting missions.
I made sure to refrain from telling them exactly what we had found during our time sneaking around in the North lately, and when Matea and I shared a look as I spoke, I knew she was grateful I’d done so.
I assumed she didn’t want to worry them even more than they likely already were.
“That’s as simple as I can make it, I think,” I finished. Our stomachs were all full at this point, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever enjoyed food before the way I had tonight.
“That is…” Lady Billie trailed off.
“A lot to digest,” Lord Geoff finished for his wife, the double meaning not lost on me after such a satisfying meal. Lady Billie cast her husband an appreciative look, their gazes full of love for each other.
“I know this is more than you asked for, and I apologize. I just—”
“Aviva,” Lady Billie interrupted, though her voice was soft and steady as she spoke. “You forget—our family has served the Thorntier line for generations. We are accustomed to war and loss and tragedy. We are just sorry that all of this has happened to you. And in such a short period of time, too!”
I dipped my head slightly so they couldn’t see me blinking back the stray tear attempting to make its escape.
“So…” Matea cleared her throat. “What’s next for us, Viva?”
I lifted my gaze to look her way. “Us?”
“I’ve gone this far. I’m with you ’til the Stars fall from the sky, sister.” Matea smiled slightly, her hesitation obvious, but it was apparent that she was trying.
My chest ached with gratitude for her.
Sitting straighter in my chair, I carried on. “Right. Well, we plan to seek allies next.”
Lord Geoff’s eyebrows furrowed. “What allies?”
“The Ocrein Isles.”
His eyebrows shot up, and I watched as he and Lady Billie shared a look of genuine concern.
“Are you all sure that’s the best idea?” Lady Billie asked.
“It’s our only option, I can assure you,” I responded.
“The Isles haven’t been out of this war for very long, in the grand scheme of things. They may not want to be looped back into all of this so soon, if ever again,” Lord Geoff warned gently.
“We know, Pops.” Matea nodded.
“Trust me, if you’d seen what we’ve seen”—I glanced at Matea as I spoke—“you’d understand why it’s necessary. We’ve weighed our options, and this is the best path forward. Plus, we have the Ocrein heir on our side—as well as one of their princesses.”
When the two older fae still didn’t look completely convinced, I added quietly, “We’ve got this. I promise.”
Lady Billie slowly released a breath she seemed to have been holding in, then looked towards her husband. A silent sort of understanding seemed to pass between them before she focused back on me and nodded.
“We trust you. Not only as our queen, but as our granddaughter… if you’ll allow us the honor, that is.”
My heart raced at the thought. I’d only ever known Dimitri and Father as my family, yet in such a short amount of time, I’d lost a father and gained a sister. Now I was to gain a set of grandparents, too?
It was almost overwhelming, the thought of allowing the Ashfords officially into my life. There was already so much riding on me and the Valwain when it came to the war—would the offer before me only add unnecessary weight?