We were let right into the palace without needs for ongoing questioning as to why and led through the main hall to the throne chamber.
Zayden stood ahead of us and was first to walk in to an unexpected sight. The man sitting in the King’s throne was not the fat King Viktor I remembered from Zayden’s birthday celebration but was in fact Wyatt, his only living son, wearing the King’s crown.
Zayden looked back at us and we both looked shocked to see it as well and Meg was still maybe even a little worried.
“Change in command.” I whispered. “I didn’t plan for that.”
“It’s all right.” Zayden said. “We’ll get through it.”
We walked in farther and Wyatt’s eyes were mainly just on Zayden and he smiled to seeing him, not what I expected. “Ah, Zayden! My new friend from the east. What honor brings you across the seas for this visit?”
“I come bringing homage to the new King.” Zayden replied.
“Splendid. Splendid. Your respects are accepted.”
“But I also come bringing something else.” Zayden held out his left hand and Meg took it from behind, stepping up next to him and taking another forward.
Wyatt’s eyes moved to hers and the clear shade of lavender put a smile on his face as he rose to his feet. “You found my Queen? She has returned?”
“Returned safely, yes.”
“Where have you run off to, Meg my sweet? It’s been months.”
“Yes.” Meg replied, keeping her head held high. “Nine to be exact.”
“Oh, I see.” Wyatt looked down in her arms. “So, that’s why you’ve returned. To bring him to me.”
She was hesitant but spoke the truth. “I’ve returned to bring them to you.”
“Them?” Wyatt smiled wider and was truly ecstatic. “You are a treasure, aren’t you? Let me see.”
Zayden was still holding her son and took a few steps to hand him off.
Wyatt got his first look and was over joyed. “He looks just like me.”
“I haven’t been calling him anything. I knew you would want that honor.”
“How respectable of you, my queen. Then I shall do that right away. We’ll call him—Blake.”
“As you wish.”
“And for the second, we’ll call him—”
Zayden was still standing closest and was quick to clear his throat. “Before you get ahead of yourself here, you should know there’s a differentiation between the twins.”
“Differentiation? How so?”
Meg was getting nervous but I guess it was best for Zayden to handle this part.
“Well, the obvious fact that one is a—girl.”
“A girl?!” Wyatt’s voice got harsh and he instantly pulled a dagger from his side.
Meg gasped and shielded Cadence in her arms as I pulled her back and shielded both of them while speaking at once. “No!”
“Please.” Zayden said, stepping forward. “This is not what we’ve come for.”
“I cannot allow that abomination to breathe.” Wyatt replied, still holding the dagger firmly in his hand. “Bring me the child!”
I kept Meg and her baby back away from him while Zayden tried explaining the real reason for our visit. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“It’s the law around here, Zayden. I wouldn’t expect you to understand and as high keeper of the law, I must uphold its customs.”
“But you can also change them. We’ve come not for death but to solicit life, for both Meg and your daughter.”
“I cannot and will not see this take place. It must be dealt with.”
“We’re aware that sons are preferred in royal bloodlines to bring the family honor and carry on their lineage since you now have two but daughters can bring honor also.”
Wyatt laughed, lowering the dagger with his relaxed mood of amusement. “And what honor could that possibly be?”
“I’ll let my wife explain for she is one. Adele.”
He looked back at me and I stepped up to him, handing over Seth and looking to the young King with a light head bow. “Your majesty. What he speaks is true. I am part of a royal family and yet possess a great amount of honor myself. You know what I am.”
“Adele. A legendary Kalu Assassin.”
“Yes, and we would like to extend our hand out to your family by asking you to consider letting this young child live so that she may one day become my successor and lead the future team of Assassins.”
“A member of my bloodline leading the Assassins?” Wyatt thought aloud, almost seeming pleased with the idea while tapping the tip of the dagger’s blade against his chin and still holding his infant son in his other arm. “Hmm. Does sound—feasible enough but I am not of Kalu.”
“But the child is.” I replied quickly, trying to get him to see our way. “Through her mother. That part of her will always be there and the honor of her success will reflect on her father, the breeder such a perfection. Hintins will find strength and pride in their Princess.”
“I see but you’re also asking me to throw out hundreds of years of traditions for this one small opportunity for honor which I already have plenty of.”
Now I was getting worried. He started to seem willing until his last comment but we couldn’t give up. Zayden stepped forward with Seth still in his arms. “Then let us seal your interest with an added proposal. You do this, you let them live and have your daughter become a trained Assassin and we will heighten your honor tenfold by offering you our son.”
“Zayden!” I suddenly looked at him from the surprise. This was not something we had discussed at all.
“It’s all right, Love.” He assured me, turning his eyes back to Wyatt.
“An arranged marriage with the world’s best? Simple. Doable. Easily managed but is it profitable?”
“An alliance with us through means of marriage would ensure that if you and yours are ever threatened or challenged, you have Seni’s army at your back.”
Wyatt smiled and nodded his head. “That would be profitable indeed and refusing it would be—impractical.”
“Then you agree to these terms?”
“Let me see my child.” Wyatt said, putting away the dagger.
Meg grasped Cadence a little tighter in her arms while turning her body away. She didn’t want him to have her, worried of what he might do. I was worried too.
“My child.” Wyatt said again, holding out his free hand.
Zayden turned to Meg and gave her a slight nod. “Go ahead.”
She still didn’t want to but her feet slowly started to move forward towards him and her arms extended out, handing off Cadence. We paused while he took her and brought her close into his body like he was cradling her. “Hello, little one. It seems like today is your lucky day. Welcome to the family, my darling Princess.” We looked at each other with smiles to Wyatt’s acceptance of the child. This seemed to be working out. “What do we call her?”
“I’ve been calling her Cadence.” Meg said.
“Beautiful. Now, is there anything else you would like to ask of me while I’m in this delightful mood I never recall having before?”
“Yes.” Meg answered quickly, taking another step forward. “That you let me take her back to Kalu and not force us to stay here.”
“You mean, my own daughter won’t live with me?”
I felt the sudden tension between them and stepped up, slightly pulling Meg back by her shoulders. “What she means to say is, it would be best for your child to grow in Kalu since she will be a part of it as an Assassin and can learn their ways firsthand.”
“All right.” Wyatt surprisingly replied. “But you know you’ll have to stay here until little Blake can be raised without you.”
“Yes.” Meg said, regrettably.
“And I have a few requests of my own.”
“Of course.”
“I want to see her from time to time. She will know who her father and brother are and where she comes from.”
“A reas
onable request.” I said, looking back at Meg.
“And pertaining to the whole marriage thing—”
“Yes?” Zayden asked.
“I get the right to decline the union if anything should arise between now and then or perhaps if I just feel your son doesn’t live up to the potential my daughter deserves.”
I saw Zayden hold back from visibly narrowing his eyes to think that Wyatt was already insinuating that Seth wouldn’t amount to anything but he smiled passed it with a nod. “Of course and I should hold that right as well.”
“Of course.”
There was a pause as Wyatt continued to stand there while looking down at the babies in his arms and it seemed everyone was unsure about what was happening next. Eyes shifted between us visitors and we knew someone had to say something so we could end this trip.
“Excellent.” Zayden smiled. “Then everything’s settled. Meg can eventually go back to Kalu for the upbringing of the Princess and our futures as united are still in play.”
“Excellent.” Wyatt smiled back, holding out his hand as best he could and shook on it with Zayden. “I truly look forward to that day.”
Zayden just smiled with a nod but I was still displeased. There was something about Wyatt as he stood there that I didn’t feel right about like he had some kind of plan involving our country’s union. I didn’t like it one bit but didn’t protest their terms only to save Meg from being killed with her daughter.
“Well—” Wyatt said, breaking the short silence. “You two must be anxious to get back home. I imagine it was a long trip with the little one.”
“Ah, yes.” Zayden replied. “But we managed without any problems.”
“Glad to know. I trust you can show yourselves out. I have some catching up to do with my Queen and our new twins.”
This was it; the part I didn’t feel right about. I didn’t want her to have to stay here at all but my theory on it was right. “Of course. You have a right to know you’re family and we hope that it brings you many great joys.”
“Thank you.”
“Remember, you can come visit us anytime.”
“I know.” Meg said. “Thank you and thank you for bringing me here.”
“Our pleasure.” Zayden smiled. “We hope to be seeing you again soon.”
“Of course. Same for you.”
“Well, all right.” Zayden said with a long breath while turning to me. “You ready?”
I shared a look with Meg and nodded. I didn’t have a choice. “Yeah. I suppose I am.”
“It was good seeing you, Wyatt.”
“And you. Don’t hesitate to plan a more scheduled visit sometime so you may stay longer.”
“I’ll remember that. Thank you.”
“Have a safe trip back.”
“We will. Congratulations on the new members of the family.”
“Thank you.”
We walked away towards the doors of the throne room and I let my worry show through my quiet voice. “Zayden! I don’t feel right about this!”
“Don’t start anything, Love. Wyatt does have the right to his family like you said. She’ll be okay.”
I glanced back at Meg and Wyatt just as we walked out the doors and everything seemed fine. They were both smiling while looking down at the twins, Meg was even holding one again but she didn’t even take a glance up at me.
I still didn’t understand it as I left with Zayden. The whole situation just seemed unusual and I didn’t know what to really think of it as we started our day’s journey back across the sea.
Rift was glad we were back like he was pacing the whole time and he stayed right at my feet while we settled in. I was shaky and just couldn’t get these thoughts out of my head.
“I still don’t feel right about this, Zayden.” I said, sitting down to feed Seth.
“I already told you, Love. It’ll be all right. It wouldn’t have been a good idea to start anything.”
“But it didn’t seem odd to you? She seemed so—so willing to have to stay.”
“I’m sure it was just to make him happy because he does have that right and forcing her to stay may have led to him canceling everything. We didn’t come all of this way to let that happen.”
“No and we surely didn’t come all this way to put our son into an arranged marriage!”
Zayden laughed to my sudden change in tempo. “I know, Love. That wasn’t the plan but we needed something else.”
“Why did it have to be that? He’s going to hate us when he gets older and falls for some girl and then we tell him he can’t be with her because he’s already engaged! You hated it when it happened to you.”
“Yeah, but I changed it.”
“So, what are you saying? You think Seth will change it too?”
“Well, no. Maybe just pushing him into it isn’t the best idea. That’s why I hated it so much. It just kind of happened.”
“Then what’s your plan?”
“Well—we get them to meet early so when the time comes, they’re not total strangers.”
“Zayden.”
He laughed. “What? You don’t think that’ll work? Think about it, Love. Cadence is going to be your successor and Seth will be mine. What’s more right than having them end up together like we did?”
“How about letting him choose? You chose and if you want your choice to still be the right one then you’ll agree with me.”
Zayden laughed again as he leaned closer and kissed my head. “All right. I guess we’ll just see what has to happen. That won’t be for a long time. I mean, look at him. He’s not worried about girls yet.”
“Of course not and I hope he never has to be worried. Were you like that?”
“What? Me? Oh, no. I was a fast acting ball of fire when it came to girls at a young age.”
“Okay. I’m putting my vote back onto worried. Worried, I can handle.”
Zayden laughed. “Don’t be like that. I wasn’t so bad. I turned out all right. All those experiences just seemed worthless when I met you so hopefully Seth is like me and will drop it all when he sees Cadence.”
I sighed again. “Zayden, please don’t. I don’t want to guarantee that will happen.”
“And why not? Something wrong with her family?”
“No, of course not. Well, besides her father being a complete psycho. I know that she’s royalty and you feel it makes sense that Seth should be with her but I don’t want it to just be because of that. I want him to find someone on his own before deciding where his future will go.”
“If you ask me, it’s pretty obvious.”
“Zayden, you know what I mean. Do you even realize how much like your father you’re being right now? It’s weird so stop.”
“All right. We’ll deal with this when it comes time. If you still feel the same way then we can make up something to call it off. Better?”
“A little but I know what you still think.”
“Don’t worry about it. We have a few years before we really have to.”
I laughed. “A few?”
“I don’t want to get into the numbers. I don’t want to start feeling old too early but it’s a long time.”
“I agree. I don’t want to imagine him as anything other than a baby.”
“I know you don’t but you know it’ll happen. All babies grow up at some point.”
“Even when that happens, he’ll still be my baby because I’m not going through that again.”
Zayden laughed. “One is enough. That’s all we really need.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
“Always with you. He’s our only future.”
Chapter 10
Zayden
The sounds of rushing water coming in the distance was soothing but the sights of the great water surging over the stone was much more. Adele’s breath was deep with relief. I know she’s been waiting for it. “We’re home.”
“I know just how you feel. It’s good to be back.”
“Promise
me we can stay home for a while.”
“I’d gladly like to promise that but if my father needs me, I won’t have a choice. I chose this life to have you. I can’t take that back now but you won’t have to come. I’ll take Troy and Darius myself and be back in a few days.”
“Okay but I guess we don’t have to worry about that yet. Hopefully he’ll give you a few days.”
We walked our horses into the stables and settled them in for the rest they deserved before going inside. It was quiet and we tiptoed towards the lounge.
“Hello!” Adele called.
Ruby and Jaylyn were sitting on the couch with Troy and Bryce.
“Adele!” Jaylyn shouted with joy. “You’re home!” She bounced up to her feet and tried hugging her quickly but carefully since she was still holding Seth.
“I missed you guys.” Adele said, hugging Ruby as well.
“We missed you a lot more.” Ruby replied.
“Where’s Darius?” I asked.
“Oh, they went that way.” Ruby turned her head towards the kitchen.
The door opened with Darius walking out, holding Dirk’s hands so he could walk.
“Awe!” Adele smiled. “Look at you! Are you walking?”
“He probably will soon.” Darius said, picking him up so they could reach us faster. “We were just working on the strength in his legs.”
“Isn’t it just—swell?” Ruby sighed sarcastically.
Adele laughed. “Don’t be like that. He’s growing beautifully. You should be thankful for that.”
“Yeah, I guess. Well, what happened on your trip? Not that I really care but it gets me away from this.”
“Oh.” I said, sharing a quick look with Adele. “It went well.”
“Yeah. Just swell.”
She didn’t sound happy. I knew why and now everyone else was about to find out.
Rising Sun (Fate's Intent Book 9) Page 4
