Ever After

five | eikko

I'm escorting Eadlyn's mother down to dinner from the Women's Room, where I ran into her as she was leaving, when a guard rushes up to us. 

"Your Majesty," he blurts, "the guests have arrived."

I perk up, a simultaneously freeze with fear. The retired queen squeezes my shoulder in support. "Thank you," she tells him, "we'll head right down."

She leads me, in a sort of daze, to dinner anyway. She trades my arm for her husband's, and I walk alongside Kaden and Osten as we make our way to meet with my family. 

"Where's my sister?" Kaden asks me quietly. 

I look down at him, but not far. For a fourteen-year-old, Kaden is surprisingly tall. "I'm sure she's in a meeting. Has been all day, you know, after her announcement yesterday."

Kaden nods, and Osten takes my hand. I look down at the smaller boy, but he's already focused back on his walking. Something in me heats up, happy that Eadlyn's brothers are so accepting. I just hope her twin is like this.

The past king and queen turn around to me, grinning. "We're just about there, Eikko. Do you want us to wait out here? You can bring them into the hallway when you're ready," the king says.

I smile thankfully. I'd been dreading my mother chewing me out in front of Eadlyn's parents. "I'd like that, actually, thank you."

He nods, and pats my shoulder as I walk on, leaving Osten's hand to himself and accepting Kaden's supportive grin.

"Mother?" I call, walking into the courtyard as I had this morning to meet with Hale and Ean. "Dad? Niko?"

"Eikko!" My little brother latches around my waist before I have the time to register him. I stumble backwards to compensate for the force. 

"Hey, tough guy!" I wrap my arms around him too, and take a knee to bring him closer to me. My eleven-year-old brother...well, now twelve, had been my whole world before this trip to be Henri's translator. I used to invite him to stay with me in my apartment, and my parents swore I spent more time raising him than they did.

"Where's your wife?"

I choke. "Niko, she's my fiance, not my wife. We're not married yet."

He scoffs. "As good as."

I hear footsteps, and my mom's tapping foot before I see her. When I look up from Niko's amused face, she's staring me down with tears in her eyes.

I stand quickly. "Mom-"

She cuts me off by surging forward and hugging me tight. "I was so worried, poika!" This was not the reaction I'd imagined.

I let her hang onto my shoulders, crying. "Mother, I'm sorry. I thought... I'm sorry I didn't call. The longer I waited, the angrier I thought you'd be. I was just going to tell you all about the trip when I got home. These months have passed too fast."

"But you're not coming home, are you?" Dad asks, setting a hand on Mom's back and also wrapping an arm around me.

"Well... no. I guess not. But that wasn't the plan, I assure you. It kind of just... happened."

Mom wipes at her face, sniffing. "Poika, how could I be angry? I was worried about you. A mother worries, you know." Niko wriggles his way into our embrace, but Mom steps away, taking him with her, so that Dad can pull me into a hug of his own.

Once Dad releases me, he sighs. "Tell us everything. We've been wondering how this came to be."

My cheeks turn red. "I'll tell you everything, I promise. First though, Eadlyn's family is waiting just inside the hallway to meet you all."