Protected
Thea offered another smile to the pair of men who sat politely across from her in the grass, trees shading their conversation.
"We always wondered what happened to you," Marcus said softly.
He was an older man now, though compared to Thea's fuzzy childhood memories, he looked exactly the same.
Maybe his dark hair was a little more salted now, his eyes a little more accented with age.
His voice was still grumbly deep, and his size and beard were meant to be intimidating.
But Thea knew he was a big softie who had always scruffed Thea's hair affectionately, and she'd always pretended to hate it.
Now she was older, a little bitter at life's unfairness, but adjusted, or at least accepting, and had made something for herself here, on this land and with these people. And yet in front of this family from her past she couldn't help but feel small, still gazing up at them from a child's view.
The two realities made everything stilted, the lull in conversation rife with things unsaid, like dragons with their giant phantom bodies too big for the space here. Or maybe she was just projecting, because the conversation around her seemed to flow smoothly.
"Glad you turned out alright, kiddo," James offered, along with a strawberry from a bowl. Thea had brought them as a gift, because it hadn't felt right to show up empty-handed. They kept trying to share them with her.
"I had no idea this was up here," Marcus mused, glancing around in wonder with a little suspicion that only a man born to be on the water could harbor. Thea could appreciate that.
"Kind of the point," Thea said. "Otherwise it wouldn't be safe."
"Well, we both appreciate you sharing it with us. And I guess most of Skymore, at this point. Thank you," James said with a nod at the notch in her brow, the ring on her horn, the proof of her assistance creating the isles.
Thea silently cursed the tradition. It was warm suddenly, even in the tree's shade. "No one needs to thank me," she murmured, embarrassed, and even so, a little proud, too.
"And for looking after Runa," James added, smile kind as he looked on at her, who sat a bit stiffly beside Thea, legs crossed. "It's really beautiful here."
James was Marcus's other half with similar dark hair, but longer. Thea always remembered him at the stall while Marcus was out fishing, making customers laugh and watching money exchange hands.
"Smells better," Runa mumbled.
"I don't know…" Marcus drawled. "I miss the ocean. We're too damned high up, if you ask me."
"Dad!" Runa hissed.
"What?" he asked, parting his hands. "You know I prefer the water."
Thea had forgotten this, that they often bickered so lovingly. She remembered the cadence of their voices carrying on in the background when Thea had visited Runa as kids. It had been comforting then, and it was now.
Her shoulders softened a bit more, some of the tension easing.
"We can get you back to it. Once you're rested and settled in a bit more, you can pitch in wherever you want," Thea offered. Marcus didn't strike Thea as the kind of guy who liked to sit idly. "I'm sure they'd be happy to have you."
Marcus glanced at James before saying, "Well, I would, but—"
"Marcus," James piped up, too cheerily. "In case you missed it, we have nothing but each other right now.
" His voice suddenly dipped, and Thea watched the effect it had on Marcus, guilt obviously striking the other man.
"I'd really appreciate it if you'd quit trying to run off at every opportunity. "
"Jame—"
"We've barely—" He waved a hand around as if the word he searched for would appear within reach. "—Landed here. We lost everything," James pointed out. "So just—be here."
"You're right," Marcus said, laying a hand on James's knee. "I'm sorry."
Thea remembered this about them as well. They always… talked about things. There was no stewing over it and blowing up about it later. Even if it was a little wooden to experience from the outside.
"Runa's just like you," James said to Marcus, and the taut moment was dismissed. He cast Runa a side glance softened with the affection only a parent could show. "Always has to be doing something. You hate sitting still."
"Well, what good does it do?" Runa bemoaned, and flopped back into the grass. "I went from running drills and training and guarding people to—lounging and looking at the leaves," she muttered, glaring up at the tree. "Until Thea rescued me! Dad, ask me how training went," Runa demanded.
James bemoaned his hyperactive family while they laughed, and Thea watched them tease each other with a full heart.
Thea had a family like this too. She had two of them, in fact.
She hadn't had her first one for very long, but while she'd had them it was full of love, even if the tragedy of the end seemed to overshadow all the good.
Then Vaelen had come along. And Rolim and Lillian and Zalene.
Everyone here was family, and took care of one another as such.
Runa was already finding her place in defense, Thea thought. She fit with the others, was eager to do something, and… also had more recent knowledge of the castle's inner workings and the guard's schedule. Or she had, before she'd been fired because Thea had snatched Aaryn up from beneath her nose.
It was really all Thea's fault Runa was here. Her family was sitting feet away, giggling at one another in the aftermath of an attack that never should've happened. Her stomach twisted.
"No, no, it's not like that. Quit being embarrassing!" Runa cried, and shoved Marcus.
They were in a fit of laughter and Runa looked desperately at Thea. "Tell them!"
"Tell them what?"
"Ugh!" Runa groaned. "Dad, there's no thing. Thea's in loooooove."
Marcus's gasp was comical, and Thea couldn't help but sputter, even as the word made her stomach flip.
"With whom?" James asked with barely-contained glee.
"Her name's Aaryn. They're really sweet together," Runa said, grinning at Thea.
"Don't say anything," Thea grumbled, trying to act like she wasn't delighted by this turn in conversation. "She doesn't know."
Runa waved a hand at Thea, made a face at her parents, and whispered, "See? Told you. Helpless."
"How's the courting going?"
"Courting?" Thea echoed, face alight with heat. "There's no courting."
"They're at the gift-giving phase," Runa supplied, and Thea gaped.
"How do you even know that?"
"Aaryn was showing off her new—" Runa poked Thea's arm with each following word.
"—handmade, clay, modeled-after-her-own-dragon pin!
" Thea leaned so far away with each prod of her finger that she was practically supine when Runa abruptly sat back with an amused grin.
"It's really adorable. She likes it a lot. "
"Oh," Thea said, scratching a hand through her hair. "That's, uh, good."
Something distasteful swirled in her stomach at the thought of Aaryn showing off the brooch so proudly, telling everyone how wonderful Thea was.
Because it wasn't true.
Runa eventually offered Thea a chance to escape, though at the time she'd been cackling at Marcus and James' antics, and she hadn't wanted to leave nearly as badly as she’d thought. She'd promised to return and show them her favorite kitchens later, and she'd told them of the bonfire.
The bonfire that Thea had wanted to invite Aaryn to. Before it felt wrong, before—
"Thea!" Aaryn's bright, bubbly voice carried from a short distance, and several other heads turned in her direction as Aaryn and Starspark began sprinting her way.
Thea was instantly suspicious of their too-happy manner, practically vibrating in place as they stopped before her.
"Vaelen said—ah, hold on, I'm out of shape—" Aaryn breathed, and planted her hands on her knees with a laugh. Her pink hair fell in a curtain, hiding her face flushed from exertion.
"You should've just let Starspark carry you." Thea's voice was even and amused and she was so, so struck by Aaryn.
"Well, it's a little late for that now, isn't it?"
"Snappy, snappy," Thea mused.
Once she had collected herself, gathering her hair out of the way, Aaryn suddenly clasped her hands together, eyes going round and pleading. Behind her, Starpark came into focus with his big green eyes wide as saucers, snout tilted down and long as he looked up at her.
"What are you doing?" Thea drawled slowly, sensing something like—well, it must be danger, what with the way her heart was thumping.
"Vaelen told me things were calm enough now to start flying lessons. And she said you'd teach me."
Thea wanted to sputter and deny and maybe even run away a little. But their gazes were round and cute, and even the little pin on Aaryn’s tunic seemed to stare up at her.
Traitor.
She didn't know if she was talking to the pin, or Vaelen, or even to herself.
Thea was the one lying, after all.
They'd only just settled into this comfortable… flirtation. If that was even the word for falling asleep together most nights and waking up snuggled and sharing kisses.
And you're already ruining it.
"She also said we could play around with magic," Aaryn sang happily, practically on her tiptoes.
"Vaelen did not say ‘play,’" Thea pointed out, because she knew Vaelen.
"Of course not," Aaryn agreed. "She said you could let me 'dip my toes in.' Her exact phrasing."
She blinked round eyes up at Thea, in sync with the dragon at her back, hands joined beneath her chin, lips pouting out.
Just a handful of days ago, Thea would have been looking forward to this, tucking herself out of sight with Aaryn on the Dragons’ Nest. In the quiet, amongst the grass and tall trees and softly glowing flowers.
Beyond the tree line, the barrier glimmering every so often.
Thea felt it like a shiver over her spine.
But now Thea wished to be anywhere but here.
Mini Starspark, pinned to Aaryn's tunic, winked up at her. Along with the life-size version, who was curling up like a tiny rolling bug behind her, ready for a nap, like always.