Royal Rebel 4 ~ The Return

Chapter 66: Heartache | Pt 1

"Did you hear about the war that happened in the Gerudo Region, Elliott?" Tenra asked her husband as he sat down with his morning coffee, and he nodded and took a sip of his hot drink. "Ellet's been traveling with the princess, so I'm worried he was involved in it. I hope he's okay."

"He's probably fighting monsters and getting into all kinds of trouble," Emeric laughed, and this comment did nothing for his mother's worries about Ellet. Milla swatted her younger brother's shoulder, and he rolled his eyes and shrugged. "What? I'm probably right."

"Ellet's a strong kid, mom. I wouldn't worry about him too much." Aldin assured her as he leaned over the wooden railing of their staircase, and she nodded and tried her best to believe his words. "Also, I hate to go off-topic, but I was wondering if you could make some of your Porgy Omelet for Ivy? She's been craving it all night."

"Of course. Maybe it will take my mind off of Ellet." She began to collect materials for the soup, and Aldin headed back upstairs to check on his wife. Milla and Emeric watched their mother hurry around the kitchen, and they could tell she was growing more worried about Ellet by the day. And that made them worry about her.

There was a knock on their door, and Milla was the first to get up to answer it. She hurried to the front entrance and undid the lock before pulling the wooden door open, and she gasped when she saw her youngest brother standing there, circles of exhaustion forming under his eyes and a tired smile on his face.

"Ellet!" She exclaimed, and she quickly pulled him into an embrace. Their father and Emeric both looked over at him and smiled, and Tenra stopped what she was doing and rushed to the door.

"Ellet?" She questioned, but then she saw him and nearly broke into tears. "My baby boy!" She ran over to hug him, and then she ushered him and Milla back inside. "I'm so glad you're okay, were you hurt? How did the war go? Where's the princess?"

"I'm alright, mom, everything's alright, don't worry." He reassured her, and Elliott helped his wife to sit down so she could take a breath and allow her son to explain everything. "It's a long story. And I'd be happy to tell you guys. But first- maybe some breakfast? I haven't eaten since yesterday evening."

"I was jusr about to make some Porgy Omelets." She went back into the kitchen and began preparing the breakfast, and Emeric helped her while Ellet began spilling the details of the story.

~~~~

It was now nearing the afternoon, and Ellet was sat on the couch sipping at his mother's Hearty Soup. His mother went with his elder brother and sister-in-law to one of her appointments, and his father took his second eldest brother out to practice hunting. So he was alone with his thoughts and his soup while he tried to relax.

But that was incredibly difficult when his heart ached so.

"Ellet?" Milla reached the bottom of the stairs, and Ellet glanced over at her as she walked into the living room. "How are you doing?"

"I'm alright," He shrugged, though his ears and the look in his eyes betrayed him. She could tell quickly he was lying, and she sat down next to him on the sofa. "Mom's soup is delicious, isn't it?"

"You know, you never told us how you and Idalia wound up parting," She remarked, and he averted her gaze as he put another spoonful of soup into his mouth. "You ended your story after you all left the Gerudo region."

"Oh, well," His mind scrambled trying to come up with something to tell his sister, and he panicked and just started rambling. "We went to the Dueling Peak Stable. but then she decided she wanted to uhm... go with Link and Zelda to the castle, and then she went off with them instead and I traveled all the way here from the uh, Great Plateau by myself."