Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
R ose took a needed moment to herself as she returned to Norden grounds. She agonized over their next steps. Was she just supposed to wait for Arie and Aaron? Or try again? The invisibility Aurora’s dagger offered had given them free rein, but so long as Luc and Aterra remained in cells next to each other, Rose didn’t see another attempt going differently—not that she would stop trying if that were her only option.
Rose felt untethered. Before becoming a Compass Point, Rose found her center in forging. Her skills had come so far, especially on their recent trek around the continent. She’d evaluated not one but three Compass Points. Each one’s magic was complex and wholly unique. As she walked Norden property, her fingers twitched for her forging hammer.
The Norden forge was hers. She hadn’t been there since she’d returned, avoiding it like she had avoided the cottage. It, too, was a place so filled with memories of her family. Confronting those memories seemed like a small matter in the face of…everything else. But if Rose had learned one thing from evaluating the Compass Point’s magic, it was that small things carried heavy weight. Ignoring them, especially thorny emotional areas, might be more convenient, but it could ultimately impact her magic. Juliette had been a prime example of that on their trip. Luc proved this point many times during his childhood.
Rose would take the time she’d been granted to at least face the memories.
“I’ll confront them with you if you want me to.” Luc’s voice slid into her mind. She hadn’t realized she’d reached out to him, but she wasn’t surprised. Her thoughts were scattered.
She appreciated the company. Not just anyone could be with her for this, she wanted it to be him. Sharing memories of her past with him was the only way to move forward.
The forge was just how she remembered it. The building that housed it was far enough away from the cottage that it didn’t burn down with the fire that took her family. Tools hung neatly on the wall by the prominent forge, just like how Mom had always organized them. Finished weapons were on the opposite wall. A thin layer of dust covered the work tables. Rose suspected no one used the forge regularly. Mom had been training her to take over. With both of them out of the picture, it would have taken the Norden Point time to find a new weapons-master with the appropriate talents. Rose was sure it hadn’t been high on Aterra’s priority list.
She pulled a blade off the in-progress shelf. It was better than starting from scratch, but not by much. The blade was dull, but at least the shape was there. She lit the fire and waited for it to heat the old-fashioned way—without magical intervention. Her gaze roamed the room as the heat built. Part of her just needed to be here. To remember being here with Mom.
“Tell me about her,” Luc said.
Rose didn’t have his power to share memories, but she described some of her favorite moments here, the corner of her lip twitching as she told him about the first time she admitted she had stronger water magic than Aiden. The look on her mother’s face was priceless. First—the complete acknowledgment that she was correct. Then, the quiet conversation about why she might not want to say that directly in front of Aiden’s parents. Now that Rose thought about the scene, she could see the smile on Mom’s face. She was always proud when Rose owned her talents.
“Mom was a talented weapons master, and she knew it,” Rose said.
“ Sounds like someone else I know,” he replied.
Everything Rose knew, she learned from her mom. She could only imagine what else she could have learned if they’d had more time. As Luc’s words teased her, she wondered what her mom would have thought of him.
She was sure her family would’ve accepted Luc, just as they’d accepted Aiden. They never treated Aiden differently because of who his father was. In fact, they treated him like another member of the family. She coughed as she fought back tears, thinking again of the sticky feelings surrounding Aiden. Like she’d told herself under Mount Bury—she didn’t think they ever would have become friends again, but she hadn’t wished him dead.
No, her family wouldn’t have wanted her to bear the burden of his death. Even if Luc had done it for her, she would have carried a weight all the same. Rose smiled to herself. She was confident Dad would have liked Luc; every protective instinct that her dad suppressed, Luc’s magic owned—with flair.
My magic does have flair, doesn’t it?” he said as she sent him her stream of thoughts.
Grandpa would have taken some time to warm up to the Suden Point. He would have thought his motives suspicious—as Rose had herself. Eventually, Luc would have worn him down.
“Just like I wore you down,” he said.
She smiled at the thought. A smile at a memory or idea of her family was an accomplishment on its own. But Rose realized she was just getting started.
The fire finally heated, and Rose took her position before the Norden forge. She didn’t wait long for the metal to heat. This was more about the repetition of the familiar motions for her. She wasn’t truly looking to make a weapon.
Scenes from her childhood ran through her mind with each swing of the hammer. She shared them all with Luc, describing in detail what she remembered. Her thoughts were in opposition to the fears she faced on the Osten house stairs. In every scene—every memory—she was surrounded by family. Even when she was with Aiden—her family was never far. Mom always watched from the workshop window. Or Grandpa tended the garden while they played on the property. Rose’s childhood was everything she could have wanted.
She was just forced to grow up too fast at the end.
Luc’s power wasn’t present the same way it was in the heart of her magic, but she felt it clench in her chest, trying to wrap itself around her as she shared her thoughts and memories.
Rose swung the hammer. She would always wish for more time with her family. But she accepted that Aterra’s attack put her on the path to make her the fae she was today—a fae she was proud to be. Rose was honored to lead the Norden people. She had big plans for them and the other courts as soon as she got them out of their current mess. There was no doubt in her mind that they would find their way past the mist plague. The Compass Points would bring balance back to the continent.
“You’ll be the best leader this continent has ever seen.”
She wondered at that. Luc’s people respected him, but as she’d seen during their time in Loch, they still feared him. He was a leader who would do anything for his people, but he couldn’t force them to move past what they thought they knew. While she wasn’t sure she agreed with Luc’s plan—the errand he sent his brother on—she supported him nevertheless.
A few more swings had Rose wiping her brow with the back of her hand. This was perfect. She felt a connection to her family. A connection to the life they had given her and the life she wanted to give to those on the continent under her care. Most of all, she felt an impossibly deeper connection to Luc, sharing this space with him. He’d never replace her family, but a spot in her heart was his all the same.
Her swings grew in intensity as she accepted the thoughts. This property was hers. She would fear no corner of it. Thoughts of the family she’d lost wouldn’t keep her from enjoying the places she loved being with them.
Her arm came to a rest at her side. The hammer was heavy in her hand. It felt right. Her gaze roamed the forge. She wouldn’t let it remain unused for so long again.
Walter greeted her when she returned to the house. “I wondered if we could speak for a moment,” he said formally.
Something was on his mind yesterday that he hadn’t quite been comfortable enough to share. Rose hoped he was ready now. “Of course. Will you join me for dinner?” She gestured toward the dining room.
His hesitation was all Rose needed to reframe the offer. “Or we could grab something from the kitchen and sit in the library?”
“That would be preferable,” he said. The formal dining room was imposing even to Rose.
Annabeth was happy to oblige, sending them off with slices of roast meat and fresh vegetables. The table in the library was filled with books, but Carter had neatly stacked them at least. Rose shifted a few aside, clearing space for her and Walter. His fingers skimmed the chair as if considering whether to sit. Rose did, hoping it would comfort him.
“I didn’t mean to overhear, but the elders…well, ex -elders were gossiping about you in the village.” He coughed then looked up at her, finally making eye contact. “Is it true you have both wind and water magic?”
Rose smiled softly. She wasn’t surprised the elders had shared the information, nor did she care. “It is.” She waited for him to continue.
“And you were—you are—Norden Point with both elements?” He didn’t sound like he doubted her. Instead, his voice was filled with what she could only place as hope.
“I am,” she said. “Not even the elders could deny me—though they would have liked to.”
Walter smiled at that. “It was right that you dismissed them, especially after what they let Aiden do. They needed to be held accountable for their actions.”
“Thank you,” Rose said, appreciating his acknowledgment.
“I have a daughter,” he said.
Rose nodded at this. She hadn’t seen the female, but it wasn’t uncommon for fae to have children. Walter had the ageless perfection of the fae, but she knew he’d been in this position for many years. He was likely the same age as her parents would have been.
“Her mother is Vesten.” Worry lines creased Walter’s face, and now she knew why. The same weight had marked her mother’s features, though Rose had been too young to realize it then.
“I’m sure you never thought you’d say those words to a Compass Point,” Rose said, acknowledging what they both were thinking.
He chuckled, but his mood started to lighten. “I did not imagine it, no.”
Rose waited to catch his eye again, ensuring she had his full attention for what she said next. “She has nothing to fear—from myself or any of the Compass Points,” Rose said firmly. “Juliette, Carter, and Luc all know about my magic. They accept me for it and agree the practices of our predecessors were more than detrimental.”
Walter let out a shaky breath.
Rose couldn’t imagine how Walter lived in the center of fae society. Rose’s wind magic seemed to come from somewhere in past generations. Her mother and father had both been Norden. But Walter… His current partner, or at least the mother of his child, was of another court. How often did they see each other or gather as a family unit? “You don’t need to fear being seen together. I don’t know your situation, nor do I need to, but I assure you, Luc and I will pave the way for couples of different courts.”
“ You should tell him.” Luc’s voice was in her head. She must have sent him the last part of the conversation without realizing it.
She agreed. “In fact, Luc and I…” She cleared her throat. “We’re bound.”
Walter’s thick brows raised, his eyes widening in shock. “But?—”
“Believe me, I’m aware of the impossibility.” She smiled. “It doesn’t change what we are. I share it with you so you know our support isn’t going anywhere. We’ll demand the change at Compass Lake and on the continent.”
Walter put his head in his hands like this was all too much for him—it probably was. Rose still heard the words he spoke though. “I knew you would be good for this place. I knew it the moment you stepped onto Norden soil.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” she said, swallowing thickly around her own emotion. “I look forward to working with you and the Norden to make this a court that represents us all.”
He nodded, finally sitting down to start his meal.
“I’d love to meet your daughter if you ever want to bring her by the house,” Rose said.
“She’d love that. She’s been obsessed with you since she overheard the elders in the market.” He chewed thoughtfully. “Do you think we can bring more of the Norden by to meet you?” he asked. “Most don’t agree with Meg and Catherine, but that hasn’t stopped them from sharing their thoughts…on you.” He took a sip of his water. “It could benefit the Norden to hear things from you more directly.”
“That’s a great idea. I’m ashamed I didn’t think of it myself,” she said.
“I won’t pry, but it does seem you’ve been a bit busy since you returned. The rumors of the Suden Point missing make your behavior a little clearer. I’m sure he works with you, but if he’s not here, that must mean you’re trying to get to your bound partner—wherever he is.”
Rose gave him a soft smile. She wouldn’t undercut what Aaron had told the Suden court. “We are all doing everything we can to right the wrongs on the continent.”
That was enough for Walter. He said he’d gather some of the Norden tomorrow, and they spoke of his family and life at Compass Lake as they shared a meal. Layers of stress peeled off Walter with every word. And their conversation gave Rose no small amount of hope—she could bring change to the courts simply by being herself.