The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 37

How to tell her? How to tell his mother Char had proposed to a girl he'd known only a month?

He had no doubts about marrying Iris. Marriage had never been on his radar before, but he'd never felt like this with another girl. He'd heard it said a person should get married when they could no longer imagine a future without their significant other. And when he thought ahead, he couldn't picture his life without Iris.

He'd often thought people dragged out the different stages of relationships longer than they should. Dating for so long that they already seemed like a married couple when they finally got engaged, and then drawing the engagement out way too long—that had never made sense to him.

But a month. Even he had to admit that was fast.

At least his mother liked Iris now. But did she like Iris enough to accept her as a daughter-in-law?

Elera was silent as they left the barracks, but that wasn't unusual. Char's father had always been loud, able to coax her into conversation and lighthearted banter when she otherwise would have held her peace, and Rath was the same way. But when it was just Elera and Char, they were quieter, adding weight behind their words when they did finally speak. Everything was well-thought out, or it didn't need to be said.

Char was still thinking about how to tell her, but he was also wondering what she was thinking about.

"I knew about Jonah."

Char whipped his head around to look at her, wide-eyed. The sharpness in her blue eyes had softened. They held a hint of sadness now.

"Jarth and I were married, Char. There weren't many secrets between us."

She faced forward again, although Char knew she was looking back. He dropped his gaze to the street's smooth stone beneath their feet and jammed his hands into his pockets. She didn't talk about his father often anymore.

"Jarth loved adventure. He always needed to explore, to meet new people, to try new things. I learned very early on I couldn't stop him, and I couldn't change him. But I couldn't be like him, either. He hated that. I tried, at first. I tried to go off with him on his impulsive travels, to feel that excitement. It didn't work." She sighed. "So, I stayed home, and he went out into the world, and when he came back home, he told me all about it."

Char felt a familiar ache in his heart. Years had passed and dulled the sting of his father's death, but thinking about him still hurt sometimes. And now that he knew what it felt like to love somebody like that, he had an idea of how much more it must hurt his mother.

"When Rath came along, he was an obvious troublemaker right from the start. Jarth was planning their escapades before Rath could even walk. Which was fine, since Rath skipped walking and went straight to running." Elera laughed. "Always full speed ahead, without regard for his safety. I thought for sure he'd never survive flight training. And that first time your father took him off on a journey—I wanted to be happy for him, finally going off on an adventure with somebody who enjoyed that, but I was scared to death of losing them both."

"I remember that."

"Of course you do. I couldn't stop crying all night, and you were trying so hard to cheer me up." She looked up at Char, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Because that's who you are. Rath is always looking for excitement, and you are always looking for people. That's why Jarth ended up taking you along when he visited humans."

They had passed the shops, but Char wasn't about to interrupt her. She was going somewhere—with her steps and her words.

"You wouldn't know this, of course, but Jarth was a lot less impulsive after he started taking you boys out with him. He used to run everything by me first. That's how I found out about Jonah. And the thought of you meeting a human mage didn't thrill me, but your father assured me Jonah was a very nice boy, and I gave in." She chuckled. "I always gave in."