Chapter Five #2
Telling Nostex what had happened was harder than Var had expected. The act of speaking those words, of admitting what had happened, made them seem more real.
Nostex looked grave, not an expression Var was used to seeing on the cheerful man’s face.
“Goddess preserve us, this has been such a terrible ordeal! Rest assured, we can keep you safe here.”
He immediately agreed to double the security around the castle and promised to help them get to the bottom of whatever was going on. He was shocked to learn that Yomil had been conspiring against them.
“I know that he didn’t always see eye-to-eye with Prince Torex, but I can scarcely believe he’d actively conspire against the Prince or Princess.” He looked truly baffled. “How could anyone target a baby?”
Var couldn’t understand it at all. The peace had been stable for twenty-five years.
He’d worked tirelessly to protect not just Alossa but the entirety of the United Realms. He strove to deepen the connections between all the rulers—which was why he’d had the idea for that disastrous match between Tor and Terila.
If Var had just listened to Tor when he’d said no, could this all have been avoided?
Or had it been inevitable? Would Var and Tor have been herded to this outcome no matter what they’d done?
Var grimaced to himself. He could at least have made it harder for them!
“I need to send for Ada as soon as possible,” Var told Nostex. He cleared his throat. “As long as you’re willing to host her, of course.”
Nostex’s eyes narrowed faintly as he considered. “Now, you know I’m always happy to see Princess Adexa, but are you sure that’s the wisest choice?”
“I want all my family here where I can protect them!” Var exclaimed.
Not that he’d done a very good job of that in Nexa. Var’s stomach rebelled, but he swallowed thickly. He couldn’t change the past, but he could certainly fight for a better future.
“Of course, of course,” Nostex agreed, giving him an understanding smile. “That is a completely understandable impulse. But she’s completely protected right now. We both know Stronex can hold his own against a threat.”
Var made a face. That was probably true, although what if Stronex didn’t know there was a threat? Or what if—?
Nostex’s green eyes went wide. “Surely you don’t think he could be involved?”
Aware that they were talking about treason, Var said carefully, “It seems highly unlikely, but I don’t want to make the assumption that Yomil was working alone.”
It seemed highly unlikely to him that the man was doing so, although perhaps he’d simply vastly underestimated Yomil’s ambitions.
Nowhere could be perfectly safe, as what had happened in Nexa had demonstrated, but Var would feel a lot more comfortable if he could see Ada with his own two eyes.
“Well, if you’re certain,” Nostex conceded.
He seemed uncertain for another moment and then nodded his head, smiling at Var.
“I feel much better having my daughter here where I can see her and keep her safe myself, so I can’t blame you.
You write a letter, and we can send my fastest messenger and a couple of my best guards. How does that sound?”
“And Knight Harili,” Var said impulsively.
He, Ferna, and Cala had made it this far, after all. If they were involved, that probably wouldn’t have happened, right?
“Certainly, certainly,” Nostex agreed. “Whatever makes you feel most comfortable.”
A yawn surprised Var, making his jaw crack, and he realized that Ferna and the baby were already dozing, Ferna tilted a little awkwardly in her chair, but her arms wrapped carefully around Cala.
Nostex patted his hand. “We’ll just get this letter written, and then you can clean up and get to bed. How does that sound?”
Sleeping in an actual bed sounded divine, plus there were actual doors and guards and plenty of protections for them.
Nostex produced paper and pen and ink, and after thinking for a moment, Var dashed off a letter to Ada indicating that he was worried for her safety, the family was in danger, and could she please come to Fila as quickly as possible, where Var would explain everything.
Maybe it was cowardly, but he couldn’t imagine trying to write what had happened to Tor in a letter.
He sealed the missive with his signet ring, and Nostex swore the messenger would be off first thing in the morning. Var almost demanded they go now, but if he was sending Harili, they really needed to get at least a few hours of sleep.
No one went quickly when they couldn’t see where they were going and their horse broke a leg in a rabbit hole.
Ada would get here. Var has asked her to come quickly, and he didn’t doubt she would. There’d be guards protecting her, and it would get her farther away from Alossa and any possible threat there.
This was for the best.
And then Nostex kissed his daughter’s forehead and gave Var’s arm a reassuring squeeze.
“Everything’s going to be all right,” he told them. “I’ll take care of you.”
Var could feel exhaustion stealing over him. The idea of someone else taking care of them was extremely tempting—although they turned down the offer of having a battalion of guards ringing the nursery.
“You’re sure you wouldn’t get a better night’s sleep if she were in the nursery? I’d protect her just as I would protect you, dearest,” Nostex assured Ferna.
Ferna hugged the thankfully sleeping Cala closer. “I’m never letting her out of my sight again!”
Nostex chuckled and patted his daughter’s arm, but honestly, Var didn’t disagree with her. Look at what had happened last time!
The rest of them might be all right now, but Tor had died in the nursery in Nexa.
Var didn’t even know if they’d found his brother’s body yet. Could it be recovered from the rubble? The room would have to be rebuilt, but there was no way it would ever be used as the nursery again.
That night, with Cala safely in a cradle beside their bed, Ferna said softly, “I’m so sorry. I know he was your brother, and you loved him.”
All the words welled up, cramming into Var’s throat until the lump was so big he could barely swallow around it.
Var did love Tor, and far too late, it seemed like he hadn’t done a good enough job of showing that.
He wanted to tell Ferna all the many good points his brother had had, but instead, a sob burst out.
Ferna gathered him into her arms, and he clutched at her.
“Sh, sh,” she said softly. “Let it out, Var. Let it all out.”
Finally safe for the first time in more than a week, Var sobbed into Ferna’s shoulder as she ran her fingers soothingly through his hair, until he finally dropped into an exhausted sleep.
The days as they waited for Ada to arrive were difficult ones.
Oh, not because of anything they had to do.
Nostex was always happy to have guests, and since Var and Ferna didn’t travel often, he was delighted that the three of them were there—apart from the tragic reason for their arrival, of course.
It was the tragic reason that had cast a pall over everything for Var.
Every moment was filled with the knowledge that his brother was dead.
And it was only because of Tor’s sacrifice that Cala wasn’t dead, too.
Var could barely cope with the death of his twin, and he couldn’t imagine the state he’d be in if he’d lost both of them.
When his mother had died, Var had thrown himself into being king. He’d had large shoes to fill, and he’d been aware that the responsibility was enormous. He hadn’t wanted to let anyone down, and it had given him something to concentrate on.
Now, he needed to figure out who was conspiring against them, and he’d never felt more useless.
Belatedly, it occurred to him to wonder what it had been like for Tor after their mother’s death, when all of Var’s focus had been on being king, and they’d suddenly spent almost no time together.
Had Tor felt like he’d lost both of them?
Var grimaced. How could none of this have occurred to him before?
He’d been so focused on his version of what had happened, the bad behavior he’d witnessed, that he hadn’t stopped to ask himself why Tor might be behaving like that—especially not with Yomil always ready to supply an unflattering reason.
How had he not realized what was going on? It seemed so easy to see in hindsight—but he supposed that was always the case.
With a few more days of somewhat better sleep—nightmares still haunted him, but at least he was in an actual bed—he acknowledged that not telling Captain Darmila where they were going probably hadn’t been the wisest decision.
Without that point of connection, he had no idea what was going on in Nexa.
Had they found Yomil or Tor’s body? Had other conspirators been caught?
Ferna and Cala might be safer here in Fila, but they weren’t closer to any answers.
Var was filled with a burning need to do something, only he didn’t know what that could possibly be.
He couldn’t go out and catch the conspirators himself.
They weren’t likely to get any answers unless Yomil was captured.
So Var wrote to Darmila to ask for updates.
It would be days before he heard from her, but at least this was a small action he could take.
She was in charge of the investigation anyway, and any other issues that were waiting for him were just going to have to keep waiting until this was resolved.
She could send him anything that was absolutely urgent, but that was it.
Var had devoted his whole life to serving his realm and his people.
They were going to wait while he safeguarded his family.