A Guardian's Fate (Book #2)

Chapter Two

Eldon had a list of things that needed to get done every day.

Instead, he chose to sit on the tallest hill in Ilsen that overlooked Bolton's farm and watch the cows graze for a few hours. Now that the weather was warming, he was allowed to bring along a little friend to join him. He smiled over at Olivia, sleeping soundly in her woven basket.

Taking care of Olivia for a few hours a day felt like Eldon's important task. But really, it was just the one thing he could convince himself was the reason he was still here. In Ilsen. Not in Starset. Not in a lavish castle built of stone and marble. Where most looked at him like they didn't know why he was there, while others welcomed him like they'd known him their entire lives.

Eldon sighed and stared ahead again. He became so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the person approaching from behind. They wrapped their arms tightly around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head. And then a stray blonde curl tickled his cheek, and he smiled.

"Happy birthday," Leanne cooed. She released him and plopped onto the ground beside him.

Eldon glanced at her. "Thanks."

"Mary said you left before she could tell ya." Leanne inclined her head and gestured to Olivia, grinning. "She also said you were more eager to spend time with Livy than to do anythin' else."

"Who wouldn't be?" Eldon turned his attention back to the small girl who had Mary's copper hair and Davidson's soft blue eyes. But then he frowned.

He'd arrived in Ilsen on the eve of the 31st  of Diannbrus. Snow was a rare sight in the south. So Eldon was amazed when he dismounted from his mare and noticed the white flakes floating down from the sky. He couldn't spend a moment admiring the weather's beauty, though. With nobody else in sight, he ran to the cottage and burst inside, almost running into Kristopher.

"Eldon!" Kristopher cried, practically leaping into his arms.

Eldon hugged him, dumbfounded as he looked at the bed to his right and found Mary asleep. She'd been bundled up in layers and layers of wool, but what really captured Eldon's attention was the bassinet next to her.

Kristopher let him go and pointed. "Come meet her," he whispered, like they both hadn't already made so much noise.

Eldon followed him and froze upon seeing the tiny baby inside.

"Her name's Olivia," Davidson announced.

Eldon turned around and saw him enter. Davidson joined him, his smile making his eyes squint more than usual.

"Yer little sister," he proudly added. Even Kristopher grinned like it'd been some surprise he'd been keeping for weeks.

And Eldon knew that should've warmed his heart, should've made him forget about his numb face and hands. After all, this was his family. Davidson and Mary were the only parents he'd ever known, so he was the older brother to Kristopher, and now Olivia.

Except... he wasn't.

Not really.

He'd never paid attention to the details before, because they never mattered. But ever since that night, he couldn't stop pointing out every little thing to himself. Kristopher and Olivia shared so many similarities with their parents. And for Kristopher, those similarities didn't stop at just physical. Eldon would never be able to relate. Sometimes, when he couldn't sleep at night—which he found was often these days—he wondered what he was still doing here. It didn't help that today was indeed his nineteenth birthday. He was getting older and older. Everything else stayed the same.