Crystal (Warmth series Book 3)

5: Chalcedony

Chalcedony: honesty, alleviates regret

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"I just don't understand," Allura said, pulling her legs closer to  herself and leaning back on one hand. "He has so much potential, but he  just won't acknowledge it. It's like he absolutely refuses to do  anything that will help him advance."

"Unless he doesn't want to  be noticed in that way," Alfor said, tilting his head to catch his  daughter's eyes. "Not everyone enjoys the spotlight, Allura. You tended  to gravitate towards that position because it was in your nature. Lance  was never one for the interplanetary stage. He preferred to focus his  time and energy on Altea. That is not something to be ashamed of."

"I  know but if he's capable of so much more, why doesn't he at least try?"  Allura demanded. She plucked one of the illusionary juniberry flowers  and held it as a comforting gesture. "He should have at least attempted  to be a Master Ascender, but he never did. He could have been incredibly  powerful if he'd just put his pride aside long enough to see the big  picture."

The former king gazed at his daughter sadly. "Was it pride?" he asked. "Or was it something else? Did you ever ask him?"

"It's easy to be a Master Pilot," Allura argued. "There hadn't been a Master Ascender in well over a dozen periods."

"True  enough," Alfor agreed. "But if Lance did give in to the pressure and  began studying to be a Master Ascender, it would have been unlikely that  I would have had the chance to make him your Sentinel."

Allura sat up suddenly. "What?" she gasped. "What do you mean?"

"Had  Lance chosen to be a Master Ascender," her father said, "then I would  have been forced to give Lauma the title of Sentinel, and Lance would  have attended the festival that night and died with the others."

The princess blanched and looked down at the flower in her hand. "I didn't..." she whispered. "That's not what I meant."

"I know, Allura," Alfor said gently, "and more importantly, so does Lance."

"He was there, Father," Allura said, bowing her head to hide her gaze. "He said he was there when Mo-Mother died."

The former king's eyes sparkled with unshed tears. "Yes," he murmured. "Coran told me."

"Why didn't he tell me?" Allura asked. "Coran and Lance never lied to me before."

"Because  Lance asked him not to," her father said simply. "Your brother broke  tradition by attending the festival early. He shouldn't have been there.  You know the punishment for breaking tradition like he did."

Allura hunched in on herself. "Yes," she murmured. "But wouldn't that be overlooked considering wh- what happened?"

"Yes," Alfor said, "and it was. He wasn't punished and his presence there was dismissed."

"By Coran," Allura said.

Alfor  nodded. "By him and by me," he said. "I couldn't act fast enough to  save my wife," he said, covering his face with his hand. "I wasn't going  to let Lance face a similar situation if I could avoid it." He lowered  his hand and his daughter saw tears trickling down her father's cheeks.  "It feels like losing a part of yourself you never knew was there. Altea  hadn't known war for so long that the Sentinels had become lax in our  handling of the Heir's protection."

"But," Allura said hesitantly, "you were-"

"Just  as guilty as my predecessors," Alfor said. "Had I taken my duty as  seriously as I should have, then I would have been there with Lakshmi  that night."