Chiron
Two days ago, I was enjoying a feast amongst friends.
I had little care other than what novel thing I could chase tomorrow.
When the messenger arrived in our halls, it brought my existence to a screeching halt.
Now I’m halfway across the kingdom, tying my mount to a stone for the night, and preparing to sleep on the cold, damp ground.
I’ve slept under the stars before, but the weight of them pressing down on me with words like destiny and trinity has never felt so heavy.
Destiny. I am the firstborn son of Connor Grey and Arianelle Daciana. Representative of Nerine.
Born to the Trinity. Tomorrow night, I’ll be bound to two strangers for the rest of my life. I toss in my bedroll, seeking a comfort that will not come. In my mind, I’ve known this has been my place for my entire life. I am the heir. I was always meant for the trinity of monarchs.
It’s very fine to have it wrapped up for you, a tidy foregone conclusion. But facing the reality of bonding to not one, but two people who could be as different as day and night to me? It has kept me awake more nights than I care to admit, even to myself.
I was summoned to my parents' antechamber two nights ago. My father was beaming with pride.
My mother, graceful as ever.
“The day has finally come, Chiron. Your bonded have been chosen. Nerine keep you, my son. You leave at first light for the Isle of Naedra.”
In one small moment, life as I have known it, has sunk into the cold lake of Nerine.
I do not go unprepared for my duty. My tutoring and shadowing of my parents has been the bulk of every day since childhood. But the Trinity? How could I prepare for that when my parents haven’t been a trinity since before my birth?
I close my eyes to the oppressive sky. The stones surrounding me block some of the harsh winds.
My mount’s steady breaths nearby create a barrier to the world around me.
I imagine that beyond this shore, my future bonded are also sleepless, restless in their beds.
The hollow in my stomach grows unchecked at the thought of them.
The stability of everything relies on me—no.
Us. I breathe in through my mouth, out my nose.
Get it together. Nerine, if you’re listening…make me ready.
…