The Glistening Key (A Key Keepers novel) [Completed]

Episode 13: History

Lulu was waiting for Vi with Allie and Sky outside the door to their room. They didn't want to disturb Kai, because he hadn't woken up yet. He deserved to rest after making sure they stayed safe last night.

Vi had changed into a different set of clothes before she came back to the inn.

"Where have you been?" Sky asked as he threw his arms around her.

Vi ruffled his hair. "I'm sorry if I worried you, little guy. I wanted to take a walk after our bath."

"Violet." Alice folded her arms. "We had to tell him what happened. He threatened to wake Kai if we didn't."

That was when the door opened.

Kai had changed his clothes, too. "Is that so?"

"There is no way we were gone that long!" Vi shouted. "How are you awake?"

Alice raised her eyebrows. "You really must have gone for a walk after you sent me and Lulu away. I think we almost gave Kai four hours to sleep."

"From the sounds of it, you girls had a lot of excitement while I was asleep," Kai said.

Sky put his hands on his hips. "Some weirdos watched Lulu and the others bathe! I should have gone with them to keep them safe..."

Kai gritted his teeth. "What?"

Vi wrapped her arms around her husband. "Honey, please don't blow a gasket. I took care of it."

Kai squeezed her. "That said, Sky or I will have to keep watch if you girls want to take another bath."

"I think Violet can handle it if there's another incident, but I won't argue if you think that's for the best," Alice said.

Kai raised his eyebrows.

"They said something about a 'Violet the Valiant'," Lulu said.

"Oh, right..." Kai said. "We never told you kids about that." He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm about ready to eat a horse. Can we talk about it over dinner?"

Alice gasped. "You're not the only one who needs to eat lunch. We forgot to after Lulu and I got back to the inn."

"We should fix that." Kai laughed. "Not sleeping isn't good but neither is not eating."

"How much money do we have?" Alice asked.

Vi smiled. "We won't have to worry about that for a little while. Jack insisted on paying for our inn expenses as an apology for what his men did to us."

"Do you know where they serve the food?" Sky asked.

"They brought it to our room last time. It shouldn't be too hard if we follow our noses though," Kai replied.

Alice sighed. "Then it's your fault if we get lost."

Sky glared at his big sister. "Be nice."

"We better get some food soon," Vi said.

One of the staff approached them with a smile. "Please follow me. I can take you to the cafeteria."

"Thank you so much," Vi said.

"Just doing my job, ma'am."

Mrs. Edna was at the counter when they arrived in the cafeteria.  "I heard what happened from Jack. Your tab is paid for."

Sky smiled. "Thanks for this, grandma."

Why would Sky say that? They didn't even have grandparents, and it wasn't like they knew this lady.

They got their bowls of soup and piece of bread and sat down at a brown wooden table in the corner of the room.

Vi put her hand over her face as she whispered, "I am very glad right now that Sky is easily mistaken for being younger than he is."

"I dunno, Vi." Kai rubbed her back. "That can be a compliment, too."

Alice sighed. "I'm with your wife on this one."

Sweat beaded Lulu's brow. "Why don't we eat before we have our discussion?"

Kai smiled. "No need to tell me twice!"

Alice glared at their brother as she sipped her soup.

Rather than comment on their sibling bickering, Lulu just kept eating. Not only might it improve everyone's mood, but it would also mean they could finally question Vi.

Vi sunk back in her chair. "We've all eaten. You're free to interrogate me now."

"Kayleigh, Violet." Kai squeezed his wife's hands. "You say that like you're dealing with enemy soldiers or something."

Alice got up from the table, so she could hug her sister-in-law from behind. "Violet, we're not angry with you. You scared us and we're confused. That's all."

Lulu glanced over at Sky. He looked like he might have climbed into Vi's lap if he was younger.

"What do you want to know?" Kai asked. "I'll try to answer if I can."

"Those weirdos called her 'Violet the Valiant'." Alice sighed. "This is the first time I've heard that name."

"Right..." Kai stroked V's arm. "She prefers to not mention that in casual conversation."

Sky tilted is head. "Is it bad?"

"She definitely has bad memories from that time, but I don't know that that constitutes as 'bad."

"I'll let you talk if you let me lay my head in your lap," Vi said.

"That's fine with me." Kai smiled as she laid down. It was a good thing the chairs didn't have arms, or she would be really uncomfortable. "We agreed with Mom and Dad that we didn't want to tell you about this, but I don't think we can do that anymore. You're all growing up."

Alice glared at her brother. "Kai. I'm not 'growing up'. I am grown up. If Mom wants to have a fit, she can talk to me. Get to the point."

"It fortunately never reached over village, but there was a war going on eight years ago."

Alice's face paled. "And you got caught up in it?"

Kai sighed. "Vi wasn't able to avoid it, because De tasked her with ending it."

"De tasked a seventeen-year-old with ending a war?" Alice's jaw dropped. "That is insane."

Sky furrowed her eyebrows. "I thought Vi was sixteen when she met Kai."

"No, she was seventeen. I didn't leave right away, because I didn't want to leave Mom and Dad alone."

Did Kai mean that? Were they really that much of a handful?

"Okay, so Vi participated a war. How did she earn herself that name?" Alice asked.

"Vi knows how to use her weapon to defend herself, she ended a war, and she never attacked someone to attack them."

"Why was there a war?" Sky asked.

Kai continued to stroke his wife's hair. "I'm not sure if I ever figured that out. Some people are just greedy. Some drag others into their squabbles. Then there are people who are brutes that fight just because they can."

"Not that I'm trying to suggest that I'm an expert, but I get the impression war isn't that simple of as subject."

"It's not, but I don't think Vi really wants to talk about that right now."

Sky smiled. "Thank you for telling us what you could, though."

"Of course." Kai patted his brother's head. "Maybe we can have another history lesson another day.

***

Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?

~Shino out!