Ilno

by Toby Aden

  Moving toward the stairs, Ilno took them two at a time, up the winding staircase until he reached the entrance of the castle, announcing himself at the door. The oak double doors pulled open, and Ilno walked in. Guards lined the entrance along the walls, standing two inches apart and all the way down to the door that led to the receiving and throne room.

  “Prince Ilno to see his majesty Llyano of the Wind Kingdom.”

  Ilno nodded as he was announced and the door opened before he strode in. Sitting on the throne was a gorgeous young man with long black hair, high cheekbones, and eyes the color of emerald. He was young yet every bit the imposing ruler he’d proved to be over his reign so far as king.

  “Your majesty,” Ilno said with a bow, staring at his longtime friend.

  The bored expression on the king’s face evaporated, and a smile coated his lips when he saw who had come visiting. He stood up from his impressive throne, walked down the three stairs, his arms held open as he moved in to hug the cheeky man before him.

  “Ilno,” Llyano said, folding the man in a hug. “It’s been too long.”

  Chuckling, Ilno hugged Llyano back. “Llyano. Time seems to have treated you well.”

  “Indeed!”

  Pulling back, they stared at each other. “But you seem worn-out,” Ilno said.

  They pulled apart, Llyano shaking his head. “As blunt as ever. You have not changed one bit, Ilno. Come, you must dine with me. If only to save me from myself.”

  Llyano motioned to his aide and told the man to clear his schedule, then they turned around and began walking together out the throne room, catching up and chuckling.

  * * * *

  Already growing more restless even with moving around, Ilno felt as though he could peel his skin open. He had no idea what was happening to him, only that he needed to keep moving. He’d been in the Wind Kingdom less than two weeks, and already, he was packing up to move on once again, driven by an unseen force.

  As he mounted his horse, he gave his surroundings one last look before spurring the beast on, galloping through the city in an effort to reach the countryside and leave the kingdom entirely. He rode through the busy city, through the open marketplace, settling in for the long ride ahead of him and destination unknown.

  Ilno had no idea what spurred him on, but before he realized it, he was almost to the border of the Fire Kingdom. It seemed his thoughts on Radisq had led him there, but he would enjoy seeing his cousin for the first time in a year and some months since the last time. Watching Radisq ready to move and embrace his newly mated life had been hard on him in that he’d lost the close proximity to his cousin.

  However, he did not begrudge the man the happiness he’d found. When the messenger had arrived with news of the newly birthed prince, soon to be king of the Water Kingdom, they had all been overjoyed. Letters had exchanged hands frequently, and yet, they waited for Radisq and his mate, Aaeren, to bring their son for an official meeting.

  Now eager to see his cousin, Ilno spurred the horse into a faster gallop, headed toward the royal castle of the Fire Kingdom.

  Radisq ran down the stairs and out the castle until he reached Ilno, who was now dismounted from the horse, and threw himself into his waiting cousin’s arms. Radisq had seen the rider coming in from the castle where he, Aaeren, and their son, Kelric, had been having a family day in. His curiosity had made him lean out the window to get a better look, and the moment he’d spotted the familiar features of his cousin, he’d alerted his mate and dashed out the room to meet Ilno.

  “Ilno!”

  “Radisq!”

  They yelled together, laughing as they hugged each other hard. They were soon holding on to each other and jumping up and down in each other’s arms, trying to talk over the other as they talked a mile a minute. As one, they both paused, staring at each other before bursting into laughter.

  “By the fates, I missed you so much!” Ilno said, pulling Radisq into a hug and holding on tightly.

  “I missed you, too, Ilno,” Radisq said with his face buried into the other man’s shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent that was all Ilno.

  They drew back to stare at each other, laughing once more. Radisq pulled Ilno along with him, heading back into the castle. “Come on. Come meet Aaeren and our son, Kelric.”

  “Slowly, Radisq,” Ilno said as he stumbled from Radisq’s excitement with the man pulling him.

  Radisq glanced back at his cousin, giving him a sheepish smile. “Sorry. I’m just so excited to see you. You said you’d come visit, but did it have to be after so long?”

  “I was being considerate. Giving you newly mated couple time to get the honeymoon stage over,” Ilno said with a snort.

  Radisq rolled his eyes. “As if. We’re still enjoying the honeymoon stage, and I’m sure that’ll still be the case for a long, long time.”

  “You two lovebirds. Maybe I should go and come back another time?” Ilno said, teasing.

  Turning to glance at Ilno, Radisq frowned, hitting his cousin on the shoulder. “Don’t tease. It’s not nice.”

  “All right, all right. Bad joke,” Ilno said, relenting at the fierce look his cousin trained on him.

  “Good. How long are you staying for?” Radisq asked.

  Radisq led Ilno through the hallway and into the cozy family sitting room. He watched Ilno taking in the décor of the room before turning back to him.

  “I don’t know. But I’ll be sure to let you know before moving on,” Ilno said.

  He was going to say something more, but they were interrupted by the sound of small feet running. It wasn’t long before Kelric came bumbling toward them, his arms waving about.

  “Is that…” Ilno began, staring at the toddler with wonder and awe.

  Kelric came to a stop, crashing against his papa’s legs, screeching “Up, up, Papa!” in his tiny high voice.

  Chuckling, Radisq swung his son into his arms, holding the precious bundle to his chest and laughing when the boy used chubby hands to hold on to Radisq’s face, laying a wet one on his mouth.

  Aaeren walked out to join them in the sitting room, smiling at his family then moving forward to greet Ilno with his hands outstretched. The two met halfway and clasped hands together.

  “Ilno. Good to see you again. Why did you not tell us ahead of time? We would have sent a coach to fetch you,” Aaeren said.

  Ilno waved the offer away. “No need for that. I preferred my horse and I won’t be staying long. Just dropping by to see Radisq and the new baby. I swear, he’s grown so much from the tiny infant who was just born the last time I saw him.”

  Nodding, Aaeren said, “They do grow so fast, don’t they?” Aaeren chuckled as he stared at his son in his mate’s arms. “In any case, welcome. I’m sure you and Radisq will have a lot to catch up on. In the meantime, we will prepare a room for you to freshen up and relax.”

  “Thank you, Aaeren,” Ilno said, tilting his head in gratitude before turning to stare at his cousin and nephew, who were both staring at him. “Rad, introduce me to your son.”

  “Oh, yeah. Ilno, your nephew, Kelric. Son, meet your uncle.”

  “Unca Vee?” Kelric asked in confusion, peering at Ilno with his head resting against his papa’s chest.

  Aaeren flagged a passing servant and instructed her to get a room ready for Ilno’s use, all the while never taking his eyes off his family, watching their interaction. He then instructed the servant to come back once the room was ready to lead Ilno there and dismissed the servant.

  Shaking his head, Radisq said. “No, your other uncle, Uncle Ilno, my cousin.”

  “Unca Eno?” Kelric asked.

  Ilno took a nonthreatening step toward the infant and holding out his hand. “Yes. I am your uncle Ilno from your papa’s side.” The child stared at his hand, and Ilno continued. “I’m very happy to meet you, Kelric. Won’t you say hello? I came all the way from the Water Kingdom just to see you because your papa told me all about you.”

  “Papa?” />
  “Go on, son. Say hello to your uncle,” Radisq said.

  Ilno stood perfectly still, allowing the infant to examine him. Kelric reached out, leaning away from his father and closer to Ilno with both hands outstretched, and cupped his face in chubby hands, taking Radisq by surprise. With a grunt, Radisq held on to his son more securely so that he wouldn’t drop the boy with Kelric’s enthusiastic antics, causing Ilno to smile.

  Kelric stared at his new uncle, holding on to the man’s face and taking his features in. He patted Ilno’s face one, twice, then nodded. “Unca Eno!”

  The adults burst into laughter, taking the gesture for what it was, a seal of approval and recognition from Kelric. Ilno gave the infant a blinding smile then lifted him out of Radisq’s arms and tossed the boy into the air. A fan of this, Kelric shrieked in laughter, chanting for Ilno to keep tossing him up.

  “Now you’ve gone and done it. He’ll expect you to do this every time he sees you,” Aaeren said with a shake of his head as he moved to settle onto a comfortable couch in the room.

  Ilno angled his head to flash the couple a brief smile, laughing at his nephew’s energy and excitement before tossing him in the air one last time and holding the boy to his chest. “I think it’s a good way to get to know each other better…” He tickled the boy’s cheek, smiling. “Don’t you, precious?” Ilno asked, rubbing his nose with the infant’s.

  Radisq settled onto the arm of the chair Aaeren sat on, shaking his head at this side of his cousin. He’d always known that deep beneath his layers, Ilno was a soft-hearted man, but the man was complete putty in his son’s fingers. The man would make a good father one day. It was such a pity he hadn’t yet met his mate. His cousin had so much potential to love in him but no one to share his life and intimacies with.

  “You’ve got a lovely son here, Aaeren, Rad,” Ilno said, smiling at them.

  “We certainly think so, too,” Radisq said.

  “I’m sure you must have your hands full with this one,” Ilno said with a shake of his head before handing Kelric over to Aaeren.

  “That’s the best part, my friend,” Aaeren said, dropping a kiss to his son’s forehead before allowing the wiggling infant to go free.

  Ilno collapsed into a chair opposite the couple. “So…when are you taking Kelric back to the Water Kingdom to be formally introduced?”

  Tense silence filled the room as they all stared at each other. The couple knew what Ilno was referring to, and try as they might to keep their precious son to themselves, they knew it could not be so. Kelric, despite his age, had an obligation and responsibility to the Water Kingdom. More than that though, he would be the first hybrid, a Fire-Water Fae to sit on the throne of the Water Kingdom.

  The next child they had, their second-born, would then be the next king or queen to take over from Aaeren once he was ready to step down. There was no going around that, as it was the road they’d chosen to walk on.

  After Kelric’s initial introduction to the Water Kingdom, he would later be placed with them under guardianship once he reached fifty to begin training and learning about his kingly duties and diplomatic measures. When that time came, they would miss their son but they could do nothing about it.

  “You have given it some thoughts, haven’t you?” Ilno asked, unrelentingly pursuing the subject.

  “Yes,” Radisq responded, a one-word answer which carried along with it his reluctance to do so.

  “There are no other alternatives, Rad. I hope you know this,” Ilno said, frowning at his cousin.

  “We know this,” Aaeren said. “And we will present him on his second year.”

  “Aaeren…” Radisq began, trying to protect his son from the huge responsibilities he knew the boy would soon have to shoulder.

  “That’s the earliest we can do,” Aaeren said, pinning Ilno with a hard stare.

  Seeing the resolve in the Fire king’s gaze, Ilno nodded. “It will have to do. I’m sure I don’t have to emphasize that this should already have been done on his first year.” When he saw Aaeren and Radisq about to protest his words, he held up a hand and continued. “I’m not protesting and I didn’t come to lecture either of you. I know how hard this must be for the both of you, and I understand why you would want to delay it as long as you could. Who would not want that sweet boy to grow and live with his parents until maturity and without the weight of so many resting on him? So yes, I do understand. Just…do not delay it much longer.” He eyed the both of them seriously. “You know nothing good will come of that.”

  Grimly, the two nodded as one, even though it was hard for them to do so, hearing the hard truth they did not want to know but listening all the same.

  “On the bright side, he has two amazing people who will look after him once it’s time for him to leave and who would teach him honor and right and always have his back,” Ilno said, trying to reassure the worried parents.

  Aaeren ran a weary hand down his face before nodding. “Yes. There’s that,” he said, referring to Radisq’s parents and Kelric’s grandparents.

  “I know this is hard for you to listen to…”

  “It is,” Radisq agreed, staring at his son who was busy playing with his toys a short distance away. “I look at him and I want him to have a normal childhood for as long as he could have. I don’t want him growing up knowing only about duty and obligation because I mated outside our people.”

  Aaeren squeezed his mate’s arm, pulling him until Radisq was seated across his lap and just holding on to him.

  “That you worry so much for him is more than enough. I’m sure you will do good by him, and I hardly think he will blame you for anything once he matures. Have faith him in,” Ilno said then stood up. “I must go rest. I am tired.”

  Aaeren summoned a servant to show Ilno to his room, and Radisq stood up and went to hug his cousin once more, each squeezing the other tightly before pulling away. Ilno nodded to Aaeren then turned and left the room, allowing the servant to lead him away.

  Chapter Three

  Traveling for the better part of a month on horseback was not Ciran’s idea of fun. His ass was already sore and he was craving a big comfortable bed as opposed to camping out every night. He was just glad that there was only a two-day journey ahead of him till he reached home.

  Lying on his back beside the campfire he’d made earlier in the evening, he stared up at the stars sprinkled across the night’s sky. His mind drifted over to his twin brother, Xiran, recalling the night long ago when the two of them had snuck out of the house to camp out for the night.

  He remembered that Xiran loved the stars, and if he could, he’d spend all his time staring at them and studying them more thoroughly. The two were closer than the other brothers and had always been so in tune to each other that it was uncanny. Closing his eyes, he allowed his thoughts to let him drift into a light sleep, counting down the days till he could see his family once more.

  A few days later, Ciran pulled up to the Earth Kingdom castle and dismounted from his horse. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath, letting the soothing smell of home wash over him. He allowed the men who rushed around him to lead his horse away after instructing them to feed and water it before marching into the castle. The Earth Kingdom completely different from other kingdoms in the way it was run; the structure and everything had been his home and permanent residence until he hit his hundredth year and left.

  The familiarity of the place caused warmth to seep into his pores, and the scent of home lifted his spirit, hitting him with all he’d missed about this place. He walked straight through to the dining room where he knew his family would be at this time of the day, intent on surprising them.

  He stepped into the room, pausing at the doorway and inhaling the smell of food which could only make him think of home and the scent of several dishes perfected by the Earth Fae as their traditional meal. The voices of his brothers chatting amicably while they ate and his parents putting in their opinion every little while drifted over
to him, and Ciran took a minute, closing his eyes to breathe it all in.

  They had not yet noticed him, so he took the time to also take them in and the changes in their appearance, a small smile playing on his lips as he listened to them. He could not believe just how much older his parents looked. Already, his father was sporting more gray in his otherwise black hair and yet, his mother looked as lovely and regal as always. The looks of his twin gave him a jolt as he felt the longing and loneliness of the past easing away from his heart.

  His twin Xiran, even though an exact replica of him seemed different somehow, more fresh and refined than his own traveled wearied look. He never knew just how much he’d missed them all until this very moment staring at all of them—his parents, his twin, and his two other brothers.

  Ciran stepped farther into the room, clearing his throat to get their attention. They all turned, glancing in his direction to see who had obviously interrupted them, and the moment they saw it was him, their expressions morphed into one he was familiar with whenever he came home.

  Excitement and gratitude to see him took over and with a shriek, his mother stood from her seat and rushed over to him. Laughing at her enthusiastic welcome, Ciran encircled his mother into his arms, lifted her off her feet, and swirled her around. Tears of joy filled and leaked from her eyes, yet she laughed heartily, holding him tightly in her arms until he set her on her feet once more and drew back to stare at her.