Smolder

Chapter 29

"How old is father, Arron?" Elli asked, the wind blowing her hair back. Lit up by a fire in the center, the room was visibly coming up and down now. Every now and then a wing would peek over the edge and back down again. Vivi was being tended for her wound in the other corner. Orpheus had taken care of his own wounds, now he was outside. Lupa lay curled up in a corner, sleeping. Every now and then she'd thrash her legs. Orion was sleeping by the door, maybe he's outside his body, looking for Russell.

"Fifty something?" Arron replied.

"Fifty four, and it's a bit shameful that you don't know your father's correct age," Elli threw him a sideways glance.

"Go on with how we have a sister."

"Okay, how old is mother?"

"Thirty eight, I think."

"Thirty five, mother would've strangled you if she knew you exaggerated her age."

"Just get to the point where we have a sister."

Elli pinched the wood on the windowsill, "Why do you think there's such a big age difference?"

Arron had wondered this himself quite a few times but never too seriously. It was very common for royals to marry women much younger than themselves. But nineteen years seemed a bit too long for even that.

"Why?" Arron could not think of any other reply.

Elli was drawing something on the wood with fire. She finished the circle before speaking again.

"Mother is not fathers first wife."

What?

"What?!"

"She's his third wife," Elli said, quickly, as if saying it quicker will lessen the shock by any amount.

It didn't.

"Wait," confusion clouded Arron's mind. His legs felt like wet rope. Had he not been sitting he would've fallen.

"Wait wait wait wait wait," Arron stammered, "What do you mean third wife? Who was the first and second?"

"Listen," Elli interrupted his panicking, "He first married at the age of twenty one. His first wife was the same age."

Arron didn't comment anything. He was too stunned to comment.

"They were happy together. They say father used to stay at the palace back then, not wondering outside like he does so often now."

Elli stopped to take a breath, a deep breath.

"She died two years later trying to give birth to a child."

"And that child is Isabella?" Not trying to compliment her, but Arron didn't think Isabella looked close to thirty.

"No! Shut up and listen!" Elli said in that big sister voice Arron simply could not deny.

"After his first wife died, father was heartbroken. He wanted to Mourne her for so long. But grandfather forced him to marry another woman."

Arron stayed silent, letting her take the moment.

"One year later, she had Isabella. And she didn't die this time."

"So what happened to her?"

Elli looked down again.

"For the next nine years or so, nothing happened. They were a happy family—"

"I wouldn't describe it as "happy"." Isabella said from behind them, startling them out of their shoes.

"He never could forget his previous wife, so he tried to make my mother into her. He made her dress like her. He made her act like her. He even called her Lyra all the time."

Isabella took a pause.

"But my mother, Mucosa, didn't like that. She was her own woman."

Arron thought Isabella would say something else, but she didn't.

"So what happened?"

"When Isabella was nine years old," Elli spoke for Isabella, "Mucosa was found guilty of—of adultery with an elf prisoner. They were both publicly shamed and executed, along with her unborn child. Isabella, as the child of the accused, was banished to the outlands."

Elli glanced at Isabella, trying to read for something.

"They hung the carcass of the baby from the tree in the center for a week, before the birds ate it."

There was a long silence, from all of them.

"Two years later father married mother."

"Why am I hearing this now?" The confusion inside Arron was being replaced by something else. Anger.

Elli looked at him, helpless, without an answer.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!?" Arron was vaguely aware of the tendrils of blue white flames that shot through the wood, turning everything it touched to ashes. Red spots danced in his eyes.

Elli's lips quivered, like she was trying to say something, but she couldn't.

"HE'S MY FATHER! SO WHY DIDN'T I—" Arron was stopped abruptly as Isabella's fist collided with his stomach. Arron sat down, gasping for breath.

"Because she was protecting you, you idiot," she sounded calmer than she should be.

"By lying to me?" Arron's voice was starting to break, tears were welling up his eyes.

"Yes, by lying to you," then, as if to give more power to the words, "By lying to you."

"Uh, not to interrupt your moment of family drama, but is that supposed to happen?" Vivi was at the left window, her shoulder was bandaged under her shirt. Her hair was flailing around in the wind. Her eyes were red and caved in their sockets, like she had been crying a lot, which Arron guessed she had. She was pointing outside while looking at them.

Isabella went to look at the window and took a look outside. Then she arched an eyebrow and said, "Well that's a surprise."

Then she turned towards the front of the dragon and yelled, "SLOW DOWN!".

As if understanding her words, Argi slowed his flight.

A moment or two passed, then something dropped in front of the hut's door. A figure as white as marble stone, a green and black crown on it's forehead. Completely black eyes as big as lemons looked at them.

"I come in plea for sanctuary. We've been flying for two days and we need a place to rest." Laa said.

"Come on in," Isabella seemed happy to see Laa, "Goodness, you still talk like that."

"I can argue that my human language vocabulary is much richer than yours."

Isabella snickered and turned to Elli and Arron.

"Don't worry, Laa is an old friend."

"We've met." Laa provided.

"Yes, we have," Vivi said. Her hands were at her waist and she was standing with her legs apart. She seemed particularly irritated for some reason.

Laa looked at her with tired black eyes, or at least Arron assumed they were tired.

"Should I tell my fairies to land?" She said, looking at Isabella again.

"Right away."

Laa made a strange buzzing sound in her throat. All around the dragon's back, the sound of things hitting the surface echoed.

"I'll need some sleep as well."

"On the floor."

Laa curled up on the floor without a complaint. Isabella looked at her one last time and went outside. Vivi seemed to loose herself looking outside. And if Lupa was awake, she did a good job hiding it.

"How did you get to know?" Arron asked.

Elli looked at him, confused. Then he realized what he was talking about. Her expression tightened.

"Maid chats," she replied curtly.

Arron was gonna say something but then Orion bolted upright.

"Your highness, I have great news!"