Tales of Arcadia: Mordred's Curse

Part 15

It hadn't always been nice to share all his classes with Cara (she had a tendency to be savage when angry), but today Krel couldn't have been more grateful for it.

She'd kept up with the work at home despite everything, and seemed to have missed asking the teachers odd questions, as she flung herself into every class (except math) with gusto, exhaustion, or no exhaustion.

Math had been the best, though, because she'd stealthily scooted her desk and chair over and had him quietly translate everything the teacher said to a language she understood more easily.

The whole time he'd been intensely aware of the side of her knee touching his, the little nudges with the back of her hand when she needed help with something, the little lean towards him while he quietly relayed his explanations...

... Krel loved math... and Cara.

They were also weirdly good at not getting in trouble for... Talking the whole time.

"Thank you for getting me through math... again," Cara said quietly as they headed to their lockers at the end of the day. Her voice was already sounding a lot better from the tea. "I've kinda been getting my butt whooped by the Algebras the last couple months without you."

Krel chuckled, "I can help you with homework if you want?"

"As lovely as that sounds, apparently the house burned down while I was gone- no, I'm NOT joking, Mom sent pictures - so I'm gonna be stuck at home, probably in whatever half a room is left," Cara said, withering at the thought.

She checked her phone. "Oh, wait, it's Irene's place that burned down- gosh dangit Mom, be specific."

"Do they want help?" Krel shrugged, seeming worried, "How did that even happen?"

"Knowing Irene? Either an ancient enemy is back for revenge on her or she left the oven on, no in-between," Cara shrugged.

"But hey, that means my place is ash-free," she pointed out. "So, um, homework would be good?"

"Oh- okay," Krel shrugged, scratching his neck a bit.

"I feel like I'm asking a lot of you lately," Cara mumbled, twisting her hair around her finger.

"And by lately I mean- today," Cara added.

Krel laughed, "This is nothing, seriously... I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too," Cara said, gently bumping into his side as they headed off school property.

"Aaand I'm even gladder to NO LONGER be in school," she added, grinning.

"There's the Cara I know," Krel laughed.

Cara laughed with him. "You know it's been two months since I laughed properly? Gosh, I missed air, and- and you, and-" without warning, she turned and hugged him, almost knocking him sideways. "I don't know what I'm saying but I haven't seen you in two months and my head is all over the place," she mumbled rapidly.

Krel pulled her away from him just quick enough to give her a peck on the forehead, and casually pull her into the embrace again, "I love you, too..." He said quietly in Akirirdion.

Cara switched to Akiridion as well. "I remember you singing last night," she told him quietly. "I missed your voice."

"You heard that?" Krel beamed.

"You listened to Spring Day? It's slow, I didn't think you'd get further than the intro," Cara beamed back.

Krel squeezed her again with an awkward chuckle, "I hope I wasn't too pitchy or anything, hahah"

"... you weren't bad, honestly, considering the- oh, no, the crying- Krel, are you doing okay?"

"Cara, I thought I was losing you, of course I was crying!"

"Yeah, exactly- being there for that was probably horribly stressful, are you okay-?" Cara asked, concerned. "I mean, you thought I was gone, and then I just turned up- I knew I should have texted, I know, but it felt so weird and impartial- that's not the point. The point is- everything has probably been a lot the last 24 hours and I should have checked that you're okay before now."

"I don't know, honestly..." Krel said," All I know is that right now, I couldn't feel any luckier."

Cara smiled, seeming relieved and weary at the same time. "I guess that's pretty good, all things considered."

She took his hand, lacing his fingers between hers. "Come on, it's supposed to start raining sometime soon and I know you hate getting rained on."

After a few minutes of walking, she started to hum softly.

It took Krel a good few seconds to process what it was, but when he did, something in his core almost felt like melting.

She hummed a few lines before the sound got weaker and she had to sip her tea.

"Ugh. Been getting throat tickles all day," she grumbled.

Krel nudged his head against hers gently and smiled, "I'm surprised it's going so well after everything."

"I DID cough up the last of the hanahaki roots at about 6 this morning. Nasty," Cara noted. "Apparently they're super valuable on the fae black market though so Jessi is coming over to buy them off me tonight."

"But hey, her mom found out and decided to split them two ways with Jessi, so Jessi ACTUALLY has money to give me for them," Cara said. "She promised at least $200. Point is, ice cream on me tomorrow after school."

Krel laughed. "You could have just said that and then been all dorky and mysterious about where the money came from."

"Ohhh, you're right, I should have!" Cara laughed. "Aw, darn."

They chatted for a bit until it started to rain and the wind got stronger, and then they started to run.

Sofia was heating water on the stove when they got to the house.

"Oh, Cara, you're still pale-" Sofia checked her temperature before giving her a quick hug. "Go sit down and rest, I'm making you some fresh tea."

As Cara walked over to the couch, Sofia turned to Krel, and the young King stiffened.

To his surprise, she just hugged him too, in that specific way moms do. "Welcome back, mi hijo. I'm sorry I made you stay away so long."

Krel hugged her back quickly as she started to pull apart, "It's alright, I... Should've made sure it was safer to be around me, heh. I fixed all of the problems I could find while she was gone?"

"Thank you. I appreciate that," Sofia said honestly as the hot water started screeching.

Krel let her go, and she ruffled his hair affectionately. "I'll bring the tea over. You and Cara have a lot of lost time to make up."

"Thank you," Krel smiled genuinely.

"Of course."

Krel went over and sat down by Cara, and she tossed the spare half of a blue blanket over his legs.

He was adjusting it when he noticed-

"Hey, this is the blanket I gave you," he recalled.

"Yee! Not to sound dramatic, but it kinda kept me going for a while there."

Krel smiled a little before tackle hugging Cara again.

She happily nestled into the front of the spot where his neck met his shoulder. "You're warm," she murmured.

"You're not," Krel replied, grabbing another blanket with his free arm. "Here." He tucked it carefully around her shoulders.

"Thank you," Cara said, giving a happy little squishy grin.

"Aw," Sofia mumbled to herself, covering her mouth.