I have no idea how close to the word count I am. *checks* Okay I’m like 150 or so over. So sue me. 😉 I wasn’t sure what to do with this one, but it ended up being some foreshadowing (and some future peeks of what’s to come) in the Karantiri world. Idiom of the week is “peace and quiet.” Enjoy! 🙂
Celita closed her eyes. True moments of real peace and quiet were rare, especially since the birth of the prince…and everything that came along with that. Even with Asriel being old enough schooling–and it had been quite the struggle to convince the two cultures to compromise on the raising of a royal heir; she still wasn’t sure her people in Karantiri were happy by the fact that there hadn’t been a traditional family, but had relented in that at least the heir was receiving the same kind of understanding of the world they would be ruling as the traditional family had always given the heirs–it did not mean that she was less involved in his life. He had a healthy dose of imagination and energy, one that Carinth was more than happy to blame on her.
“I can’t imagine he gets it from his father,” the Caller said with an amused smile, as the two sat in their chambers in the Hall of the Sun. “But given what I remember of your traditional father Tallinn telling me, he is a great deal like you.”
“I don’t know how Tallinn and Shyana ever survived raising me,” Celita replied. “I ran into the woods, spoke with fairies, met a great wolf of the woods–who I still haven’t managed to see again or convince anyone else that he existed–and then vanished for nearly half a moon-round into the woods again and came out talking about elves. I can’t fathom.”
“Perhaps he’ll develop a bit more of his father’s calm and collection.”
“I wouldn’t mind if he adopted more of either of his fathers.” Celita leaned forward to rest her head on Carinth’s shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m not sure about the Kalvarine, but the people of Karantiri seem to be accepting him well enough.”
“They have the added benefit of not remembering the Metadrine and their connection to either of our kingdoms.” Carinth’s voice was soft, but stronger than it had been. Carinth himself had been unable to father a child, and thus they’d needed to turn to a surrogate to provide a half-elven heir for the two kingdoms. Since there were very few elves in the kingdom Celita was willing to share a bed with, they’d needed to roll the dice on genetics and had risked the Metadrine blood in Tarenthal. It hadn’t gone as well as they’d hoped, as the amethyst streak in his hair and the ruby swirl in his eyes showed. The light-eyed elves had not taken to it well at all, but Asriel had managed to slowly win them over with his own charisma, which might have been his only saving grace.
“What have you heard from the woods recently?” She glanced up at him.
“They’re learning to accept him. They still haven’t questioned whether or not I am truly the father, which I am somewhat surprised at.” They’d chosen not to mention that Carinth wasn’t Asriel’s biological father. It was easier to claim confusion of bloodline than it was to explain why his Honor the Caller had let another father a child on his queen. “I have hopes.”
“Peace and quiet for now.” She smiled, closing her eyes.
“You speak too soon, I’m sure.” Carinth chuckled. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t have your penchant for running away to foreign lands.”
“Let us hope.”
I am not lost... 