Unraveled Homecoming

by J. L. Shelton

  “Spit it out, then!” snarled Lord Gregory.

  Emory reached out for the topmost page and laid it on the table in front of Garin. “See this part here?” he squeaked excitedly while pointing his index finger at a paragraph. “It says that my niece could become the next queen!”

  Garin wasn’t just shocked but also horrified! “What!?”

  Lord Gregory snatched the paper off the table and started to quickly read it. Emory meanwhile gave Garin a playful slug on the shoulder. “Isn’t this great?”

  “Actually, brother,” admitted Garin as he began to rub the bridge of his nose. A headache the size of a mountain was beginning to form. “No. It’s not even close to being good news.”

  Emory looked stunned. “But why wouldn’t it be?”

  “Because my granddaughter will become a political target,” said Lord Gregory with a growl as he handed Garin the page. The man’s hazel eyes were ablaze with rage. “Like someone else we know. After all, that word didn’t mean just within the confines of marriage back then.”

  Crestfallen, Emory slumped into the closest seat. Garin took the moment of peace to check the validation of his brother’s claim. Blood soon drained out of his face when he read one small clause hidden within the treaty, one the signers had either failed to notice or believed that it would never become a problem. He had to drop the page before the temptation to rip it to shreds overcame what sanity he had left. And there was little of that after reading the sentence that could doom his daughter’s life as surely as it had nearly destroyed Dougal’s:

  If a child is ever born from a union between a recognized descendant of Wolfgang and a known descendant of Roland, then that offspring shall become the rightful heir of Menapolin.

  Chapter 22

  The wind whipping through Mattie’s hair was the best therapy after yesterday’s near disaster. Hearing Dougal’s happy laughter behind her was a close second. Even with Firestorm keeping her speed in check so Goldenrod could stay pace with her, they were still flying across the clearing. The sound of thundering hooves had various animals running for cover, their attempts at foraging on this fine day disturbed.

  Mattie glanced back at the youth, the ponytail of his black hair fluttering behind him. The relaxed yet steady position of his body on the horse’s back told the woman that he was a natural at this. He saw Mattie studying him and flashed her a smile. She signaled him that she wanted to stop by clenching her hand into a fist, slightly raising it, and then sharply pulling her arm down a few times. He nodded his understanding and began to reduce Goldenrod’s pace even as Firestorm’s gallop became a fast trot.

  As the chestnut mare slowed to a walk and made a beeline for the nearby creek, Mattie let out a contented sigh. It had taken everything and then some to convince the others that this ride was the one thing she wanted for her birthday. Dougal had thankfully volunteered to keep an eye on her, if only to help ease everyone’s worry about letting her wander about on her own. This view of the rolling countryside would have been worth every ounce of anger her sneaking out could have induced. Even on the cusp of winter, Crosshawk was a vibrant land. The very earth hummed that the plants would keep their promise and return in the spring, and the sky seemed to seal that deal with a kiss as it softly touched the horizon.

  “I didn’t realize Crosshawk was so huge!” said Dougal with a bright smile as Goldenrod quickly fell into step next to Firestorm, his eyes still twinkling from the wild ride.

  After he gazed all about them as if trying to memorize every detail, his expression suddenly changed into one of slight confusion. Mattie turned to see what had caught his attention. Seeming out of place, a narrow and lonely hill of grass-covered rocks stood in an empty meadow that was both a little less than a mile behind them and closer to the distant road on their left-hand side. With recent events involving Garin and the cave within that outcropping, she struggled not to frown.

  The youth kept it from forming when he tilted his head towards the unusual landmark and hesitantly asked, “Where are we, anyways?”

  Goldenrod then made a noise of frustration and began to prance with impatience, causing Dougal to immediately put a soft hand on the horse’s shoulder. He leaned forward a little and soothing tones soon came from his lips, helping to calm her back down. Mattie was thankful that his affinity with the animals extended to more than just their care, otherwise the jaunt wouldn’t have been as relaxing. For even when Goldenrod had made a few attempts to exert her own stubborn will during the ride, Dougal had reminded her who was in charge with a swift yet gentle kick of a heel. The horse had only snorted for a second before listening to him once more.

  Mattie smiled at their current interaction before answering his question. “We’re between the estate and the southern edge of the duchy. It would take us over an hour to get home if we returned at a leisurely pace, and nearly twice that if we wanted to go the other way and cross the border.”

  While his eyes widened at the thought, they reached the crystal brook. After stopping the horses and allowing them to begin drinking their fill, Mattie slid off Firestorm’s back to do the same from the bottle of water hanging from the saddle. The thud and groan she heard a second later made her smile because it meant that Dougal had followed her example.

  “Walk around a bit,” she advised after he began muttering about feeling muscles he didn’t know he owned.

  “That’s the opposite of what I want to do,” he lightly groused even while he obeyed.

  Wandering towards a nearby tree, Mattie softly chuckled, “I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it helps stretch those stiff legs of yours back out.”

  Dougal made a sound of disbelief before he started rubbing Goldenrod on the nose, talking gibberish to the horse. Firestorm soon snorted her jealousy and walked around the youth until he was cornered by two animals warring for his attention. Soft laughter filled the air as he made sure they both received some affection.

  Watching him so relaxed and at ease, a pain hit Mattie’s heart. She of all people knew that unearthed secrets could turn the world on its ass. Dougal had been denied so much already that she was beginning to wonder if their father’s decision to wait before telling the kid the truth was a bad one. Especially since she had a feeling Dougal was due for a growth spurt here soon. He was already starting to remind her of their father. Once the build and height began to also match, the ability to keep his identity secret would be near impossible.

  With a last chuckle, Dougal gave each horse a final pat on the shoulder before making his way towards her. “Have I ever thanked you enough for rescuing me from that hellhole they call a castle?” he said as he stopped and turned to the west for a moment. While stretching his arms out, he closed his eyes and seemed to drink in the fresh air. “This is heaven compared to that place.”

  “There is nowhere in the world quite like this,” Mattie agreed with a smile.

  “And you would know,” he said with a wink.

  Mattie hadn’t been everywhere yet, so she just shrugged. After finishing his approach to where she was leaning against the tree, it took little for him to plop himself on the ground once he was a foot away from her resting spot. He crossed his legs before taking a sip from his own water bottle.

  The silence between the two of them was companionable as they watched the horses begin to use their hooves to dig for grass on which to nibble. Soft rustles came from the musky undergrowth nearby as animals went about their business, and a hawk was soon hovering overhead in search of prey. The breeze had a slight nip to it, making Mattie thankful they had gone on the run today. Winter wasn’t going to stay away forever.

  Dougal was the first to break the silence. “This is where I belong,” he said with soft conviction. “Something inside me just screams that this was always meant to be my home.”

  Mattie’s eyebrow shot up immediately! Those same exact words had come from her own mouth, many years ago during a ride with their father on her twelfth birthday. She closed her eyes, knowing dee
p down what this meant and that she would have to tell her father this important discovery as soon as possible! Despite all the political pitfalls surrounding such a choice, it appeared that Crosshawk had decided to accept Dougal as an heir of Roland.

  So she spoke the truth when she quietly added, “And always will be.”

  “And the reason I feel that way isn’t just because you became my guardian,” he said with a shake of his head before turning his gaze her way. “Even on that first day we met, something about Lord Gregory seemed familiar. Is there any way that I could’ve seen your father before?”

  The question hung in the air as Mattie tried to think of the best way to answer it. The story was not hers to tell, despite the expression on the youth’s face reminding her more of a person trying to confirm a suspicion rather than asking for curiosity’s sake. Damn her father for both putting off the inevitable and putting her in this uncomfortable position!

  “Perhaps you have,” she said with a tilt of her head, making it seem like she had truly considered his question. “He has traveled all over Menapolin.”

  A frustrated sigh escaped him as he uncrossed his legs and brought his knees up to his chest. Hugging them tightly to himself, he stared out at the horses. He began to drum some fingers against his arms as if he was debating something.

  Then Mattie’s heart almost stopped when he took a deep breath and blurted out, “Parts of my memory are coming back.”

  Dougal didn’t move an inch after releasing those words into the air, except for the tightening of his jaw. She rushed over and sat next to him, her hand quickly landing on his arm in a comforting way. He didn’t flinch or push her away, but a slight shudder at her touch was felt for a moment. Studying the tension in his muscles, she knew better than to pepper him with any questions or bring up the reason why she thought they were returning. It was up to him to give more details if he wished, to ask any questions he might have. The least she could do was let him know she was willing to be a listening ear if he needed one.

  “This all started after what turned out to be my birthday last week, the memories coming to me in flashes,” he quietly admitted after they sat there for a few minutes. He placed his chin on his knees while sorrow fell across his face. “And I hate them a little bit because each one seems to change me somehow. Like, suddenly a part of me would love to visit the ocean again. And all because I know how it feels to have wet sand ooze between my toes and how wonderful it is when the waves roll in over my feet. I’ve seen a woman with long black hair and kind green eyes, and my heart tells me she was my real mother. And I’ve seen Lord Gregory having tea with her, more than once.”

  That seemed to coincide with what their father had told her. Mattie gave Dougal’s arm a squeeze, hoping to reassure him that she wasn’t going anywhere. A tear was falling down his cheek when he turned to look at her. “He always had an air of regret about him, Mattie—at least that’s the impression I’m getting. He’d smile and try to be cheerful, but something about me always caused him grief. What happens if he learns who I really am? Will the man I know now turn back into the one I remember?”

  Trying to put his mind at ease, Mattie said, “I doubt that will happen. He thinks the world of you, and that won’t change.”

  “He knows the Dougal I became,” the youth said with a shake of his head. “Not the Mikhail I was. And from what I’ve seen, that kid was truly a nasty spoiled brat.”

  “It doesn’t matter which name you call yourself,” she insisted, trying her best to keep the frustration out of her voice. This was a mess, no doubt about it! “You’re who you decide to be. And you’ll always be family, no question about that. Something I’ve known ever since Firestorm tried to tuck you into some hay the night I visited her in that cursed stable.”

  There was a quiet laugh before he said, “So it wasn’t a dream, and you really were the one who had left the cloak wrapped around me,” the tears in his eyes didn’t stop the smile from reaching into them. “I need to thank that horse if she was the one who convinced you to steal me away from that pit.”

  “She might have helped finalize my decision,” Mattie said as Firestorm nickered happily in their direction. The way the horse had responded to the conversation made the woman grin. A smile that soon wavered under Dougal’s sudden scrutiny, his brow furrowed in thought.

  “What?” she finally snapped after he had stared for too long.

  He ran his hands over his face and sighed in quiet comprehension, “You really didn’t know.”

  The eyebrow Mattie raised at him caused him to cringe and run a hand over his head, loosening the ponytail in process “Besides getting a chance to ride Goldenrod outside the estate,” he said with a squirm before he began to fix the mess he had made of his hair. “I wanted to know the truth behind your reasons for adopting a lowly stable boy like me, talk to you alone where we couldn’t be overheard.”

  Something inside Mattie didn’t like where this conversation was heading. Nor did it sit well with her heart that he was sounding much older than the twelve-year-old he appeared to be “I think I told you that already.”

  “Yes,” he said as he bent an elbow so he could prop his head on top of a fist. “And I can see now that you were just as clueless as I was. Which, funnily enough, makes me feel better.”

  Confused, she could only say, “You’re welcome, I think.”

  “Mattie, some strange memories came to me last night, so I needed to ease my mind about this,” he insisted before he released a frustrated huff. Then his voice became a combination of bitterness and concern when he added, “Especially because I think you aren’t in the dark anymore. Neither you nor Garin have looked at me in quite the same way since you guys returned from the Stronghold. I remember the total and utter hell that place could be! What happened to you guys while you were there?”

  Shit! Of course the worst memories of his life would arbitrarily show up along with all the better ones. Mattie couldn’t even begin to imagine what horrors might be lurking in the shadows of his mind. “Dougal, I think we should wait until we can talk all this over with my father.”

  Getting a shock while in the process of standing almost guaranteed one was going to fall right back down. A truth confirmed when the boy’s harsh voice caused her to suddenly stop rising from the ground. “With our father, you mean.”

  She barely had enough grace to land on her butt. The hardness of his jaw and the way his eyes were flashing meant that Dougal was daring her to call him a liar. Only one problem—she couldn’t.

  “Yes, you’re my brother,” Mattie’s quiet admission sparked surprise in his eyes, as if he had expected her to deny it. “I’m sorry.”

  A playful smirk appeared on his lips. “Sorry that I’m your brother, or sorry that I have you for a sister?”

  Mattie’s eyes might have rolled at him, but she smiled wryly anyways. “Neither, smartass.” Then her expression sobered when she clarified. “I’m sorry I never knew I had a brother until recently. And I’m sorry you had to go through hell to find your way home.”

  Mattie’s vision blurred, from both anger and sorrow. Suddenly a hand was helping her off the ground and into a brotherly hug. “But I’m home now because of you,” he said as he held her tight. “And I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”

  Firestorm must have heard her rider crying because she was soon next to them, bringing her head down and rubbing both humans with her cheek. Her antics made Mattie softly chuckle, and Dougal released the woman so he could stroke the horse’s nose. A wink came from those big brown eyes, as if the animal had known everything from the start.

  Unfortunately, this moment was soon drowned in an ice-cold bucket of fear when Garin shouted at his wife through their bond: Mattie! Get your ass back to the estate! We have a royally huge problem in the form of my damn father!

  Chapter 23

  “Emory!” barked Garin, hoping his orders would be obeyed after he finished throwing the last of the jerky into a sack. He took a mo
ment to glance at the view out the front window, his heart beating wildly with how little time he had to hide his brother. The chance for recognition was too high, which would lead to a slew of uncomfortable questions. “Take Selina with you to the woods in the far back, keeping to the right until you find the lean-to Mattie told me about. Try your damnedest to avoid the men taking the horses to the stable, and do not return unless one of us fetches you!”

  “Why do I have to go?” grumbled Selina as she quickly loaded her belt up with knives.

  “To keep an eye on me, of course,” chuckled Emory.

  The trio outside was starting to head for the house, pushing Garin’s patience to the limit. “Please, Selina. Believe me when I say that the last thing you want to garner is either of these men’s attention. And definitely not after you managed to steal those pieces of jewelry from the king’s study a few months ago! They had obviously been intended as a gift to some woman who has most likely raked him across the coals by now for their absences.”

  The girl still made frustrated noises, but she was soon making Garin’s sanity feel better when she was the first out the back door. Emory grabbed the sack of food and some bottles already filled with water before giving his brother a wave and escaping after her. Now to only hope they were out of sight by the time the king and the crown prince entered this place.

  Would it be too much to ask for a break!? Garin mentally shouted to the universe at large.

  His hands clenched into fists before he used them as support when he bent over the counter. Father by birth, King Easton might be—yet they had barely gotten along. Though fostered as a baron’s son, Garin just never had much interest in the political quagmire that swallowed most of the nobility whole. His bastard son’s repulsion of the whole system sometimes made Easton find creative ways to get the reluctant one in line. More than once the king had promised to strip the Von Bos Family of both land and title unless Garin cooperated with a scheme in which he wanted no part. Considering Easton would forever be pissed off about his son having been made the Baron’s heir, that change in circumstance had never been an empty threat. And that popular method of coercion was how he had ended up fighting Mattie for the right to be the Protector of Menapolin in the first place!