All Things Wild and Beautiful

37. Secret History

Nascha wandered through the Bane's camp with Aeron at her side. Training had ended early that day. It had been ending early every day lately. Nascha didn't know why. Vaughan never answered when she asked him, and Elgan didn't seem inclined to talk to her beyond giving her instructions during training.

The camp itself was busier than usual too. Several new huts were being built. New weapons and supplies had been brought in. It looked like the Bane was preparing for war. Nascha didn't think her assumption was far from the truth. Fenrys and Aelin had gone to several meetings with Rayan and Eliora's delegates over the past two weeks, but still, no new agreements had been reached. They wanted Nascha, or they wanted independence.

Nascha still couldn't bring herself to accept Aelin's terms. She didn't want to see her old home go to war, but how could she take a place that was never meant for her? A place she didn't deserve to fill? A title she didn't deserve to bear? She spent most of her evenings hunched over her notebook, writing down her worries and frustrations in the form of different stories.

Fenrys was usually asleep while she was writing. He was always asleep when he wasn't actively doing something. He'd been kept so busy with meetings and preparations for the Midsummer's Eve ball that he hardly had enough time to sleep. His recurring nightmares only made it more difficult.

Nascha had woken up several times in the past two weeks to the sound of Fenrys vomiting. That was how she knew the nightmares were particularly bad. He never screamed. Never cried. Never threw up. He refused to talk about the dreams and grew agitated when Nascha brought them up.

She had finally stopped asking, and didn't even think about trying to discuss what was going on between them. They hadn't had a chance to do that since the dinner at the palace, and it didn't seem likely that they'd have another opportunity until after the ball.

"Look out!" Aeron grabbed Nascha's arm, jerking her out of the way of several warriors. The males glared at them as they passed by. "Pricks," Aeron sniffed, then turned to her. "You're off in your own world today. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, I've just had a lot on my mind lately," Nascha replied. "Why is the camp so busy all of a sudden?"

Aeron's features lit up with an excited grin. "The Bane is receiving new recruits. More room is being made and Elgan mentioned that our officers have been drafting new training routines for us to follow."

"Oh." Aeron's grin remained. "What else is going on? You can't really be this excited over new training routines," Nascha laughed.

"My half sister is one of the recruits."

"I didn't know you had any siblings. You've hardly told me anything about your family."

Aeron grimaced. "I forgot about that. Come on. Let's get out of the way and I'll tell you."

"I can't leave the camp without Aedion or Vaughan."

"I know. We'll just go to the outskirts of it. No one will bother us there." Aeron bit his lip. "I'd prefer if no one else heard this."

"All right." Nascha followed him in between rows of huts and groups of warriors. A look of contemplation had fallen across Aeron's face. Nascha's curiosity grew, but she remained silent.

Finally, they reached a small copse of trees on the outskirts of the camp. Nascha tucked her legs beneath herself, leaning back against a tree trunk. Aeron joined her and propped one of his legs up, letting his arm dangle over his knee.

"I'm not sure where to begin," he admitted with a nervous laugh.

"Tell me about your sister. Which parent do you share? Your mother or father?"