Chapter 5
Chapter Five
W alking back to the Talius residence, Leander’s hand was held tightly by Faye, Venser’s only child, while his other arm held the dozing form of Verin’s youngest, Everly.
Alix, Verin’s son, was only eight, but was quite obviously too old to be holding anyone’s hand and bobbed along next to Faye, talking their ears off.
Behind them, Kira brought up the rear, deep in conversation with her father, who had joined them for their outing, acting as the responsible adult because clearly Leander couldn’t be trusted alone with four children.
Venser was absent, having taken the opportunity of no work duties and a childless house to spend time with his wife, Siri, whom Leander had yet to spend any meaningful time with.
A slave opened the door to the residence and the weary but happy group traipsed in one by one.
They each filed into the drawing room, where there were seats aplenty for them.
As he sat down, Everly stirred, waking up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Groggily, she glanced around to ascertain her surroundings before shifting to sit properly on Leander’s lap.
“Did you all have a good day?” Aerilyn strolled in, a steaming mug of chamomile tea in her hands.
There were nods from the older three children while Everly exclaimed her delight and proceeded to share with her mother every single detail of their trip to the fairy pools, which were located about half a mile outside the city limits.
They had dived into the water, played polo, seen who could hold their breath the longest, and sunbathed on the banks of the pools.
Leander spent the time while Everly recounted the day plaiting her long golden locks, smiling at the shared memories of what had been an almost perfect day.
“Uncle Leo, you promised you would tell us the story of the fairies at the pools!” Everly suddenly remembered, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she whipped her head around to look at Leander.
Leander settled into his seat on the sofa next to the crackling hearth and smiled. “Did I?”
“Yes!” exclaimed Everly.
Alix, who had started a game of chess with Faye, turned bodily to face the group sitting by the fire. “She’s right, you promised, Uncle Leo.” Alix always spoke so seriously. It made Leander’s smile grow.
“Okay then,” he acquiesced. “Gather around and listen closely.”
Once everyone was settled, Leander put his storytelling skills to the test for the first time in a long while.
“Legend has it that the pools we visited today are the tears of the forest nymphs, shimmering with magic and granting wishes to those who are pure of heart. Taskevi created the nymphs, to help her watch over the flora and fauna across Cariun.” Leander began his tale as he made a second attempt at braiding Everly’s hair.
“Long ago, an orphan girl called Lyla stumbled across the Fairy Pools.
Exhausted and starving, she dipped her hands into the waters, hoping for a miracle.
The water began to sparkle and a gentle voice whispered, ‘What is your deepest desire, child?’ Lyla wished for a home filled with love and warmth.
“Suddenly, the water bubbled. From its depths grew a magnificent tree, large enough for a treehouse to sit among the branches, covered in ivy. Birds chirped as they circled above, and animals came to be her friends. Lyla vowed to always cherish the gift from the Fairy Pools.”
Braid finally complete, he tied it off with a bobble and swished Everly’s hair, causing her to giggle.
A quick glance around told him the rest of his audience were listening with rapt attention.
He continued his fable. “But as time passed, word of the Fairy Pools spread throughout the kingdom.
The wicked sorcerer, Malachi, had a plot to use the power of the pools to rule over Vyrica.
Driven by his insatiable thirst for power, Malachi stormed through the forest, his dark magic twisting the normally beautiful and serene landscape, causing trees to wither away.
Taskevi was caught unawares, visiting another place in Cariun so she never knew of the danger against her sacred gift to the nymphs of the forest.
“Finding the Fairy Pools, Malachi plunged his hand into the water with a wicked grin. But the Fairy Pools refused to yield to Malachi’s dark powers.
Watching the chaos from her treehouse, the frightened Lyla found courage for her beloved Fairy Pools rise within her.
With a defiant cry, she called upon the forest nymphs, who appeared in a dazzling array of colours, their wings beating furiously, a kaleidoscope of colour. ”
“What happened next?” Everly asked before Leander could even draw his next breath.
Leander gently tickled the girl’s ribs. “Give me a moment, you impatient little imp.”
The young girl giggled and squirmed to get off her uncle’s lap, seeking refuge in Verin’s arms instead.
“Together, Lyla and the nymphs unleashed a powerful spell that banished Malachi from the forest, and sealing the Fairy Pools from all but those who are purest of heart. Even now, the Fairy Pools continue to shine bright. And what of Lyla? Well, she is still there. Taskevi granted her one final wish: to protect the Fairy Pools for all eternity.”
Leander glanced over at his youngest niece, nestled comfortably in her father’s arms. She was practically vibrating with the hysteria only a six-year-old could experience when faced with the tales of mysticism so close to her home. “Didn’t you see her eyes watch us owlishly from her treehouse?”
“No!” Everly shouted in excitement as she bounced up and down on her father’s lap. “We have to go back, I want to see Lyla!”
Verin winced in pain as he tried to get Everly, all sharp elbows and knees, to calm down. “We will go back soon, but not tonight.”
There were smiles around the room at the enjoyment of Leander’s story .
Faye, however, had a quizzical look on her face as she tilted her head to the side and bit her lip.
“Something the matter, Faye?” Aerilyn had also noticed Faye’s expression.
Faye chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment. “How come you could swim in the pools, Uncle Leo?”
Leander blinked. “Come again?”
“They have magical wards that stop any but the purest of heart from entering into them, how come you could swim when you’re the God of Lies?”
Opening his mouth, Leander had a response ready, but thought better of it, deciding it wasn’t tailored to the mind of a child. He would have to recast it, somehow, but he didn’t know how to educate the girl on the philosophy of lying, a complex topic that had had scholars debating for centuries.
Finally, Aerilyn said, “Where did you get that idea, Faye?”
“Father told me,” Faye shifted uncomfortably, realising that everyone was looking at her. “He said that Uncle Leo was bad when he was a god and that’s why he is here with us now.”
Well, Venser wasn’t wrong.
“Uncle Leo is here to learn about what it is to be mortal,” Verin said slowly, carefully weighing each word as he said them. “He is here because he needs to be, just like how Prince Jarryn needed our help. Even people who do bad things deserve the chance to make amends and be forgiven, don’t they?”
Faye nodded imperceptibly, still not entirely convinced. The inside of her cheek must be bleeding now, the way she was worrying at it with her teeth.
“Remember when you and Kira were playing with your dolls, and Kira accidentally dropped one of the dolls over the balcony? You were upset but knew it was an accident? Being a grown up is about being able to forgive when someone is genuinely sorry. Just like Kira was. Just like Leander is.”
Well, that certainly wasn’t true. But he wasn’t going to interrupt Verin when he was being so virtuous. And he certainly wasn’t going to contradict his brother as he defended him.
“Then why is Uncle Leo still here? Father said he might go back to Estalian?” Faye asked.
Verin glanced at Leander, who nodded for him to continue. “Saying sorry can be one of the hardest things to do,” Verin began, his voice soft. “It means admitting that you made a mistake and taking responsibility for your actions.”
Faye’s brows knitted together in confusion as she frowned. “It’s not that hard.”
“It depends on what you did, and who you have to say sorry to,” Aerilyn said in response.
Which none of them knew, when it came to Leander’s transgression.
“And saying sorry can make us feel vulnerable, like standing in front of everyone and having our flaws exposed, and that can be scary. But it is important because it shows that we care about the people we hurt and that we’re willing to make things right.”
Alix turned to look at Leander, uninhibited curiosity alight in his eyes, but there was no judgement there. “Have you said sorry to the person you hurt, Uncle Leo?”
After a moment of hesitation, Leander shook his head. “There are a lot of people I must make amends with. And Taskevi wants me to prove to her that I am a good man before she welcomes me back.”
“But you are a good man,” Kira piped up.
Leander smiled at his oldest niece. “Thank you, Kira, I’ll be sure to let Taskevi know you said that.”
Kira grinned and nodded, apparently satisfied with the response she had been given, as if that would make everything alright.
“What did you do, Uncle Leo? What makes Taskevi so mad at you?” Alix asked
“I accidentally maimed one of Arran’s favourite white stags,” he replied promptly. He had been prepared for this question for some time and was surprised it had taken so long for the children to ask him.
“Oh. I bet Arran is very sad.”
“She is. A lot of people are, Alix.”
“Do you want that, Uncle Leo? To go back to Estalian?”
There was another sharp pain in Leander’s chest, much like the one he had experienced the night before. “I wish that very much,” he finally said, his voice a croaky whisper as he tried to speak around the lump in his throat.
“But then we would never see you again!”
Leander couldn’t help but smile at Everly’s horror. “I could visit, you know. Estalian isn’t far away.”
Aerilyn made to stand up and usher the children from the room. “Bath time. ”
“But we’re clean, we’ve been swimming all day!” Alix said in incredulity.
“That’s not a bath. You smell like fish and if you think you’re going to sneak into my bed tonight stinking, you have another thing coming, young man. Come on.”
With groans, the four children got up and dragged their feet as they left with Aerilyn, three to their own rooms and Faye to one of the many guest rooms which she used when staying over in her grandfather’s home.
Leander and Verin remained behind, sitting in silence for a few minutes.
Verin got up and busied himself with pouring the pair a dram of whisky each. He handed one to his brother. “You didn’t even hesitate when you lied about injuring Arran’s stag.”
“God of Lies, remember?”
Verin smiled, a tight-lipped, rueful smile. “I have a suspicion Arran would have been more forgiving. Whatever you did, I am just a tiny bit glad I finally got the chance to meet you. Kira was right, you are a good man. It’s just hard to see, sometimes.”