CHAPTER VI #4
Keane places a hand on my shaking one, stilling my fingers as his other reaches for my chin and tilts my head up to meet his brown gaze.
“You and me, Alexis,” he says softly.
You and me.
The words I spoke to him after his father’s death when everything came to a realization. The words that grip me every time they’re still spoken, reminding me of our time under the Shadow Oak.
I hold his intense brown eyes with mine and nod. “Always.”
“Always, Alexis,” he smiles. “Now let’s go say our goodbyes.”
We head out of the room and down the stairs, greeting McQuoid and Clair at the dining room table with Golem trailing softly behind us.
Both of them are wearing clean shirts of solid black, though they’re paired with the same riding pants from the night before.
The color looks good on them, so different from the deep red and grey that they typically wear.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Clair smiles. “We stole some clothes and I started some tea. Rion has an aching head that I fear will last into the afternoon.”
“Woman,” McQuoid grumbles, sitting back in his chair. “It’s not that bad.”
“Mhmm.”
I hide my laugh and move to the seat opposite her. Keane heads into the small kitchen, grabbing two more mugs and two packs of steep.
“Did you two stay out long?” Clair asks.
“Until the early morning,” I nod, feeling my own aching head forming from the lack of sleep and the anxiety that keeps claiming my thoughts.
“It’s a good thing we all have a day to recover, then,” she laughs.
“Here, here,” I nod.
“You’ll travel the same route as you came?” Keane looks back at the royals, pouring me a mug.
“I believe so,” Clair chuckles before looking at her husband. “Rion?”
McQuoid lifts a hand up to his temples in a small grimace, nodding. “Your Great Road north. Through Fumagalli and the Bulwark Plains up to Red Falls.”
I shift slightly in my seat. The last time we rode across the Bulwark Plains we were set upon by the Leviathan Prince Yiannis and his crew. It’s not a route I wished to take again, nor a route that I wished for the two of them to have to go through to get home.
“Lord Daniel will be there to escort you for the first night in the Plains,” Keane nods steadily. “He knows to be expecting you in Fumagalli.”
McQuoid grimaces again, reaching for his mug as he looks back at Keane in appreciation.
“Thank you, brother.”
“I’ve also asked one of our men to bring you an oak wood and pen,” Keane turns to Clair. “It should be delivered to your room around midday today.”
“I truly cannot wait,” the Princess smiles. “I expect you to have it at your side at all times, Alexis.”
“Only for you, Clair,” I laugh in agreement.
Keane stills in his walk back to the table.
And you, Keane, I turn to him with a genuine smile. I’ll do a better job at writing for you.
“We should get going, my love,” Clair places a hand on McQuoid’s shoulder, “we’ve left Skiba and Alba with Grant for too long.”
Keane drops the mug on the table before me. “I’ll need to show you to the main road.”
“Yes, please,” Clair nods, “I can take it from there. I was actually hoping Rion could fly us down the mountain but we’ll see with his aching head.”
My eyes go wide, standing with McQuoid as I watch him roll his own eyes at Clair.
“You would like that, lass.”
“I would,” Clair grins, eyes sparkling on her husband.
I watch the two in astonishment. From what I knew of McQuoid, any time he transformed into a Tarragon he lost all of his clothes.
“You can ride with him?” I ask the Princess.
“On top of him,” Clair replies as we all make our way to the front door. “It’s actually quite fun.”
I shake my head in amazement.
“Thank you again for hosting us, Keane,” she smiles. “Here and in Bardot. I’m glad I’ve finally made the travel to your beautiful Kingdom.”
“Any time, Princess,” Keane grins, holding the door open for the two. “Keep us updated on the young one.”
“We will,” Clair nods, turning my way as we walk out to the courtyard, “and I’ll let you know if we find anything on your Sir Von Baeyer.”
“I look forward to it,” I reach out for a departing hug.
“Write to me,” Clair whispers with excitement.
“I will.”
McQuoid gives me a small smile before the three of them move out the gate. I watch
as Clair places her hand gently on Keane’s arm, her head turning towards him with a smile.
“When will you ask?” I think I hear her say, watching as they walk away.
Keane grins down to the Princess as McQuoid looks on with interest.
“Soon,” he replies quietly.
I had some shopping to do in the Palisades as I always did before taking off on a long travel, except this time it’s riddled with a bittersweet slowness, not knowing when I’ll be back.
Keane is understanding of it all and makes me grin when I buy another green agate blade, his brows lifting in amusement as I show him how it’ll fit with my other two.
We end up stopping at Sera’s café for lunch, visiting her one last time before we depart.
Mana is here, helping her with the busy guests and their orders, and nods to us in his silent and hasty walk as he assists his wife.
The two of them are finally able to sit with us towards the end of our meal, another bittersweet moment as we enjoy the remaining time we all have together.
I feel a twinge of sadness for Sera as we say our goodbyes, hating that it’s our travel, my travel, that takes her away from her husband.
“When will we see each other next?” I ask quietly, holding onto her a bit too long before we depart.
“I’m not sure,” she replies honestly.
Her and Mana would remain in Knowledge. This was their home. While Keane and I would build our life in Gaumond.
A deep frown etches into my face as I remain quiet during the full walk back to the Southern Staircase. I think Keane notices… no, he definitely notices, because the moment we step onto the top step of the mountain, he turns to me with playful eyes and taps his shoulders.
“On my back, Queen.”
I can’t help the laugh of excitement that escapes my lips. I jump onto his back and wrap my legs around his front, my arms holding on tightly around his neck, knowing what he’s about to do.
Keane smirks before he takes the large jump off the stone slab, throwing us into the open air.
My stomach drops in complete exhilaration at the feeling, loving the freefall before Keane finds the stone below.
Even Stormfall wakes for the descent, gliding next to us in his own elation as we make our way down the mountain, my stomach rising and dropping as I grin from head to toe with each jump.
“Always setting the bar too high, my King,” I kiss his cheek when we land, letting his hands pull me onto the floor next to him. “I’ll expect this every time now.”
“And you’ll get it, Alexis,” he leans down with a grin. “If Clair figures out the summoning, I’ll build you a moving staircase in Gaumond.”
“Ancients, Keane,” my heart flutters as I wrap my hands around his neck. Keane leans down and presses his lips forcefully against mine, his tongue demanding entry.
“Ahem,” a cool voice greets the quiet cave around us.
My full body stills. I can feel Keane’s lips form a small frown before we both disentangle ourselves, the two of us turning flushed to greet his mother.
Queen Renate stands cold and proud in a simple and elegant green gown, her long blonde hair shining under the bottled moonslight that dimly lights the bottom of the Greenstone Mountain.
Her cool blue eyes look slowly from Keane to me, her Discerni features so stoic and unreading that I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
“I was hoping to speak to Lady Alexis before you both depart tomorrow,” she says quietly, taking a small step forward while a Discerni guard waits at her back.
Ancients.
This isn’t the time nor the place I wished to have the needed conversation between the two of us. But it needs to be done, and there’s no getting out of a royal request.
Keane rests his hand firmly against my back as he looks at his mother and greets her with a nod.
“This can’t wait, mother?” he asks politely, though I can sense a small edge behind his words.
I step forward with a sigh and give the Queen a small curtsey. “This moment is as good as ever, Your Grace.”
Queen Renate gives me quiet nod. “Thank you, Lady Alexis.”
She’s so proper. So cold even with her small smile.
Keane grimaces just as Stormfall glides into view and lands on his shoulder. The Bird of Ash looks back at the Queen with his strong yellow eyes before he turns to me in question.
I appreciate the concern, Storm, I tell him silently, but this conversation needs to happen.
Stormfall caws and spreads his wings behind Keane’s back, eyeing the Queen once again. Renate has her cool gaze fixed on the Bird of Ash, completely unimpressed.
“Perhaps to the Great Oak?” she asks steadily, turning her shoulder to me.
I nod, feeling the anxiety routing itself back in my chest before I give Keane a final look.
“I’ll meet you back at the room?”
Keane stares at me just before his curiosity summoning pushes out strong, gripping my lungs. I gasp just slightly, narrowing my eyes on his as I shake my head hard.
No.
He will not listen in on this conversation. I can’t have him following me the full time I’m with his mother.
I bring a hand up to my chest to soothe the ache, shaking my head again.
No, I mouth silently, holding his gaze hard as I take a step towards the Queen. Renate watches me quietly, eyeing my hand as I rub it against my chest, still feeling his summoning.
“Leave us be, son,” she turns back to Keane, eyes sharp.
Keane’s summoning immediately releases me as I take a deep breath. Renate frowns and takes a step forward, the two of us walking until we’re out of earshot and Keane is far behind.
“When did this begin, Alexis?” she asks coolly.
“We met for the first time during my travel to Red Falls, on an early morning in Agnor.
“So barely over a month,” she shakes her head with a scowl.
“Yes,” I reply steadily, “though it feels like much longer.”