(M/M) Becoming His Mate: A Prince's Tail

Chapter 3

A few days later, Alastair was back on the shore, this time at sundown. He had managed to slip past the castle guards earlier that afternoon, and had been pacing on the shore since his arrival.

Since the encounter with Varian, he couldn't help feeling slightly guilty about what had happened. While it was reassuring that Varian had at least avoided being discovered, the nature of the wounds he had received from the Outlanders still had him worried. He could only hope that Varian was somewhere safe now. But seeing as Alastair had no means of contacting him, there was really no way to know.

Now, as he stood here barefoot with one foot in the water, Alastair found himself thinking of a memory from his childhood.

He remembered his mother bringing him here when he was small. They would walk on the wet sand side by side, and Alastair remembered finding pretty shells in the sand for her. On other days, they would sit in the shallows letting the waves wash over their legs. Their clothes were always soaked, but neither of them minded at all. Although he only had a few years with her before she died, those were the only times he could recall being happy. Perhaps it was also the reason he always felt a pull from the ocean, despite his father warning him against it.

Just then, several yards away, he saw something emerge from the water. It took a few seconds for him to realize what he was looking at, but when he did he didn't know whether to feel anxious or relieved.

It was Varian. When he caught sight of Alastair on the shore, he raised a hand in greeting and began to swim closer. The closer he got, Alastair could see that he was smiling.

"You look surprised," said Varian, after he had arranged himself in a sitting position in the shallow water. "I suppose you weren't expecting our paths to cross again so soon."

"No," said Alastair in agreement. After a moment's pause, he asked, "You know, you took a risk coming here again. Why?"

"You saved my life," Varian answered simply. "The least I can do is thank you for it. And I had questions."

Alastair said nothing. He had a feeling Varian had more to say.

"A few days ago when you saved me from the Outlanders, you were taking a risk yourself, were you not? You knew that if you were found helping me, it could have ended badly for you and your brother. But you did it anyway. Why?"

"It was the right thing to do." Alastair smiled sadly. "My father has always claimed that your kind are evil. But I do not believe that's true."

"You'd be right," said Varian. "I fear the growing conflict with the Outlanders has put my people in a difficult position. We have had trouble keeping them from our kingdom, and so now they have chosen to attack your ships and people to increase tensions. In the past we have saved those who are lost at sea. They know this. So they have attempted to use our compassion against us."

"Is there anything that can be done to help the situation?" asked Alastair.

"Possibly. But I am afraid that the bitterness has gone too deep at this point."

"What if I tried to change my father's mind?" asked Alastair.

Varian looked at him, surprised. "You would be willing to do that?"

"Yes."

"It will not be easy."

Alastair scoffed. "Nothing has ever been easy where my father is concerned. He's as stubborn a bastard as there ever was. But his anger towards your kind is misdirected. The Outlanders are the real problem."

"Well, perhaps not entirely misdirected."