Kingdom of Snow

Chapter Thirty - Thane

The white-haired man changed into the man I remember when I was nine.

I must be dreaming.

"Go on, Rion," Queen Anastasia said as she patted him on the shoulder. "Go greet your son."

I was staring at them with my mouth open. Annaliese began to walk toward me but Castor stopped her.

"Let him be," he said to her.

I turned my attention back to the man.

He's my father?

I don't believe it.

The man shot the queen a look. "Now you shocked all of them."

"Stop stalling already," she replied, frowning.

"You're my father?" I asked, still shaking my head.

He sighed and nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Be serious." I clenched my fists. "All of a sudden and you're my father?"

"Thane," he said. "I know you must hate me."

My body lunged forward, my fist hitting his face. He didn't seem fazed but he didn't dodge. I hit him the second time and he fell into the snow.

"Damn right," I spat at him. "This is where you've been, all this time?"

"Yes," he replied. "This is why I left you and your mother."

"She died, you know? She died and you weren't even there!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I wasn't there for her. I wasn't there for you. I was gone for most of your life... for that I apologize." He got up and looked at me straight in the eye. "But I cannot apologize for coming here. It was something I had to do."

I wanted to punch him again, but I forced myself to stand down. "Why?"

The queen stood between me and the man who called himself my father. "Thane," she said gently. "Do you know what the portal is?"

She caught me off guard with her question. "All I know is that it needs to be closed to stop Anne of Eirene."

"The portal connects this world to a different world, Thane. There is a family left in charge of guarding this portal, to make sure it remains closed. You and your father are descendants of that family."

I stared at the queen. What is she saying?

"I'll explain, Anastasia," he interrupted. "Our family originally lived in the North. Eirene hunted our family in order to know about the portal. Only my mother managed to survive. She traveled to Eleos and got married there. She didn't tell me any of our family origins, and one day she and my father were killed too. 'The princess of Seriah must seek the cave beyond the crest'... that's what they told me before they died. I was left alone and wandered on my own, fighting in order to live. I befriended Cleon and Arioch as young men, but eventually we had our separate ways. Then I met the sisters, Celeste and Zuleira."

I was trying not to listen, but when he mentioned my mother, something inside me snapped.

"Was it true?"

He paused. "What is?"

"That you loved Zuleira? That's why she went to Eirene?"

His eyes, amber like mine, were full of regret and pain as I said it. "Who told you?"

"Jabal told me. It is true then." I fought to keep the anger inside me. "Did you love my mother?"

"Thane," he said softly. "Yes, I did love Zuleira, and I feel regret that I was the one who drove her away from her family. I did care for your mother, Thane, but I'd be lying if I said I loved her as I loved her sister."