by Jen Wylie
"It's called the West Wind and is one of the nicer ones in the area. This far from port you get very few sailors. Mostly field workers, a few travelers, and the locals. Sometimes they have entertainment. We ate here last night, and the food was good."
The Inn stood on a long lot, with the tavern on the right and the building with the rooms off to the left. It stood two stories high, and she assumed the family who ran it lived above the tavern.
"Privies are in the back, if you need them."
Both the inn and tavern were made of stone, which didn't surprise her given the local quarry. She'd noticed on their way through the city that everything seemed to be built of stone.
A few high windows didn't do much to light the large main room of the tavern. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust. Booths occupied the left wall and tables filled the remainder of the area, with a bar along the back. A young woman came out from a door next to the bar with a laden tray of food.
Bo took a booth near the back. Garen slipped under the table, and then she and Kei sat across from Bo, facing the door.
She looked around the room, noting a few tables of men eating or having ale. Bo's attention had gone elsewhere, and it took her a moment to realize his thoughts and gaze were on the young woman.
Aro watched her work the tables, wondering what had gotten into Bo. The woman was in her early twenties, quite curvy but not fat. Her auburn hair was falling out of a braid twisted into a knot at the base of her neck. She had a pretty face and a ready smile. When she laughed out loud, Aro looked to Bo and watched him sigh quietly, a silly look on his face.
She snorted and then covered her mouth.
Kei glanced over at her. What is it?
I think Bo's fallen in love.
He looked to Bo, to the woman, and then grinned. Good for him.
She finally came over, the now empty tray held at her side. Her gaze went to Bo and she smiled. "Back again?"
Bo grinned and nodded once, unable to take his eyes off her.
She looked to Aro, eyebrows raised.
"We just moved in next door." Her gazed returned to Bo, and he continued quickly, gesturing toward their new house. "I suppose you'll be seeing a lot of us now."
With a wry smile, she nodded. "Wonderful! Welcome to the neighborhood. I'm Elaina." She turned slightly, flipping her hand toward the bar. "My father, Brynn. My brothers’ wives, Venna and Cally, are in the kitchen tonight."
"Bo," he introduced himself. "My," he hesitated a brief moment, "brother and sister, Kei and Arowyn."
Her eyebrows went up again as she pointedly looked around their table.
"Different mothers," Aro muttered.
Bo blinked and forced a smile.
Elaina shrugged. "What can I get you?" She listed off a short menu of what was available, and they placed their orders for food and drink.
Bo sighed as she walked away, and Aro stifled another laugh. It seemed he'd once again fallen for a barmaid.
∞ ∞ ∞
The weeks passed quickly as the weather slowly turned colder, though winter had not yet taken hold. The leaves finished changing and began to fall.
Aro enjoyed her new large bed and took frequent baths. Together, they spent the first weeks wandering the market and the shops, buying furniture and clothing and other such odds and ends. Finally she had good soaps, and even a few creams and a wonderful new brush. They browsed weapons and armor and upgraded theirs to new ones of much better quality. Not having to worry about money felt strange. Still, she caught herself not wanting to spend it.
Thoughts of Prince remained frequent, but the more time that passed the less his absence hurt. No word came, and as days continued to pass, she wondered if he would even try to contact her.
Rhee-En contacted her only once, making sure they'd safely made it to the city and to let her know the Were king had arrived. Though he suggested she return to the west once more, she refused. The thought of going on a ship again scared her more than an angry Were. Besides, she'd promised Kei to help heal the Fey.
They continued to practice with the fury, in the safe confines of their new home. She still could not take it without touching him, but she slowly learned to keep control with more and more of it inside of her. Minor healing was also practiced, and she worked on keeping more power within her.
Bo talked them into going to the West Wind at least once almost every day. It amused Aro to watch him stare at Elaina with wistful eyes and little smiles. Occasionally he would strike up conversation with her, but it was always painfully awkward and short-lived. The loss of his boisterous and confident self around the woman fascinated her.
They arrived later than usual, having wandered farther within the city that day. She hadn't forgotten her main reason for choosing Westport. She and the boys began asking around for news on Kingsport and her brothers. So far, they'd heard nothing.
Bo glanced around the large crowd, frowning when he found their usual booth occupied. They took a table instead and settled in to wait to be served.
"We'll have more luck at the dock taverns, I imagine," he said.
Slumping in her chair, she nodded. "That's where the sailors would be. But I thought we might have heard something already. People love to gossip."
"Kingsport is so far from here, we may not hear anything at all."
"I know," she muttered. It still irritated her Kei and Garen had gone to check out the dock area without her. They'd headed there that afternoon, and she hadn't heard much from them since. Their continued overprotectiveness grated on her nerves.
Her thoughts returned to her brothers. It had been just over a year now since she'd seen them last. For all she knew, they hadn't survived the attack on Kingsport. Not knowing if they had been killed or also taken as slaves left too much to her imagination.
"Aro." Bo kicked her boot under the table.
Glancing up, she saw Elaina standing beside their table. Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment and she quickly placed her order.
She wasn't really hungry. Weeks of food had taken away the constant cravings. They'd all put on weight. If she wasn't careful, she'd have to worry about losing her speed and getting fat. No wonder Kei had been bugging her to start training again. The way he always pushed her reminded her of her brothers again.
"Thinking about your brothers?"
She nodded and then tried to change the subject. If she got to thinking about them it would take forever to stop, and she didn't want to get stuck in a dark place again. "You should try talking to her more."
Bo looked away with a scowl and shook his head.
"But–"
"No, pup," he said firmly.
We can all see you like her, she persisted. She seems really nice and I don't think she's married.
He grimaced. What would she want with someone like me?
Aro laughed out loud. Any woman would be happy with you. You're amazing and loyal and faithful. You're strong and kind and funny.
I'm old and scarred and worn out.
Idiot. She smiled to soften the comment. You are not. You also have a house, and money isn't a problem either. You could support a family easily.
We're leaving in the spring.
She shrugged. You can come back. She's young, and you are, too. You're not even thirty yet, right?
Twenty-eight, he admitted.
See, still young. She leaned forward. We won't be chasing Fey forever. You can think about the future. She leaned back again. It wouldn't hurt to just talk to her.
He didn't answer, and they sat in silence for a little while before he asked, Have you thought about your future?
The question caught her off guard. She shook her head. I've no idea. She grinned over at him. But then I'm not even seventeen yet. I've still got a few years to figure things out and see where life takes me.
He laughed loudly and smiled. Good enough.
Elaina returned with her tray laden with their food and drinks. Bo purposely avoided looking at her or Elaina.
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"Elaina," she paused, trying to think of something to say. The increasing volume in the tavern made it hard to come up with anything. Which of course gave her something. "What is everyone so excited about?"
"You haven't heard? Captain Roan has returned!"
Aro shook her head, indicating she had no idea what the woman was talking about.
"I can't believe you've never heard of him. He's a famous pirate, and some say an assassin. He has a base here. Sometimes he stays a few weeks, sometimes he winters here. When he's here though, things change. He takes over the lower city. There's more work and more order. It's a good thing," she added with a decisive nod.
Bo joined the conversation. "Not someone to worry about, then?"
Elaine shrugged. "He's strict and gets his own way. He's certainly someone you don't want to cross. He is a pirate." She tilted her head and raised her brows, indicating obviously he wasn't all good. "There's fighting sometimes, when some try to push him out or take over. But that's usually down by the docks or the warehouses, not around here."
Bo frowned and glanced over at her. "Thank you."
The barmaid smiled at him and then frowned at the busy room. "If you want to know more come by before we open tomorrow."
Aro grinned.
The light may of have been dim, but she was pretty sure Bo actually blushed as he stuttered out that he would.
You're so cute.
Don't start, pup.
Chapter 9
Why?
Aro was jarred from sleep when Kei jerked up in bed beside her. Holding in a groan, she kept her eyes closed and tried to go back to sleep as he left.
She heard voices in the hall.
"She have a bad night?" She couldn't hear Kei's response, and Bo continued, "She's been thinking of her brothers a lot. It should pass."
His words brought them back into her thoughts and she sighed. Kei and Garen reported the dock area not to be too bad, though they didn't think she should ever go alone at night. However, in light of what they'd heard about Captain Roan from Elaina, Bo decided they should wait a few days for things to calm down.
She didn't want to wait. Now that she had finally started trying to find out what happened to her brothers, doing so was foremost on her mind.
Are you getting up?
She winced at the loudness of Kei's voice in her head. It's early still.
The sun rose a while ago. Get up.
Kei needed to get more sleep. Every day he became more irritable and foul tempered. Grumbling in irritation, she crawled out of bed and got dressed. At least her clothes were new and clean. Soft black leather pants and a white fitted linen shirt made her feel like a new person. Her underclothes were even comfortable.
She found the boys in the kitchen and joined their search for something to eat. The West Wind didn't open until noon, so they either ate breakfast at home or went out to eat from the market stalls.
Settling on bread with honey, she watched Bo pace around the room, wondering why he was in such a state before remembering his meeting with Elaina. "Stop worrying."
He paused and frowned over at her. "I don't know what to say to her."
"Then let her do the talking. Tell her she looks pretty. Girls like that."
"Should I bring something?"
Aro shrugged. She wasn't exactly an expert on courting. "Just be yourself. You'll do fine."
"You're not coming?" The rising panic in his voice made her laugh.
"That would rather defeat the purpose."
"I'm taking a bath." Spinning on his heel, he made a quick escape.
She grinned over at Kei. "Poor Bo."
"Why are you encouraging this?"
She tipped her head and looked at him in confusion. He hadn't seemed bothered by the idea before. "He likes her."
"We're leaving in the spring."
"I know. But that is months away and he can come back. He deserves this, after everything we've been through."
"Just because you can't have the one you love doesn't mean you should push it on everyone else."
She stared at Kei in shock as he turned and strode from the room, totally at a loss for words.
∞ ∞ ∞
Bo managed to leave the house at a decent time, with some help and a lot of prodding from her. She and Garen watched him from the sitting room window until he went out the gate. She hoped things went well for him. If not, she'd still encourage him to try again. She certainly knew how persistence paid off sometimes when it came to love. At least the woman he fancied was human. He didn't have any of the issues that stood between her and Prince. Mortality, race, station.
He'll do fine, Garen said, confusing her grimace for worry over Bo.
"I know."
I told him I am here, if he needs support.
She grinned down at the wolf. "Hopefully you know more about this sort of thing than I do. I'm afraid I haven't been much help at all."
Garen padded over to a sunny patch on the floor and flopped down. You are there for him and you helped him get ready. He'd likely have slit his throat trying to shave on his own.
"True," she agreed. "Have you seen Kei?"
Not since this morning, however, I believe he is up in his room.
"He's been acting strange lately, don't you think? Anything I should know that I apparently don't?"
Garen snorted. He is frustrated. Being in a city is not easy for us, and though not even a month has passed, it seems much longer. His thoughts and worries and yours do not match right now.
She bit her lip, but knew Garen spoke the truth. Kei constantly thought of the Fey and his lack of a queen. She thought of Prince and her brothers and just enjoyed not having to run and fight for once. Or being hungry, or cold, or…
Something banged upstairs, startling her out of her thoughts. "I'll go talk to him after I clean up Bo's mess."
Pausing at the hall, she turned back. "How are you doing?"
Well enough. The glamor helps. I can go out and don't feel trapped here. You needn't worry about me.
Smiling over at him, his words took some of her worry away. "I'm sure it will feel like no time at all before we're back running in the forest."
In the bathroom, she tidied up the mess from shaving Bo. She then swept the kitchen since she'd also sat him down and trimmed his hair. Once finished, Aro debated asking him how things were going, but decided against disturbing him. He hadn't returned yet, and she took that as a good sign.
Heading up the stairs to tackle the mess of clothes Bo had strewn around his room while trying to find something to wear, she heard another strange bang and quickened her step. What was Kei doing?
On the landing, she passed the door to the empty first bedroom and slowed her steps down the narrow hall before pausing in front of the next door. Kei had it closed, which wasn't normal. Their rule was closed doors for privacy. Everyone needed alone time, but mostly they only did it when changing clothes.
"Kei?"
He didn't answer. Placing her hands on the door, she leaned her ear against it. Inside she could hear the soft steps of his pacing and a repeated clicking sound.
She jerked back with a start. His claws?
"Kei! What's wrong?" She set her hand on the latch and then paused, not wanting to barge in. Maybe he wanted to be left alone. Yet she couldn't leave if he needed her. If his claws were out, then he'd fallen into the fury. The biggest question was why.
"Kei? Answer me!" The clicking stopped. "Can I come in?"
The door opened and she hesitated only a moment before stepping inside. The room was in shambles, the bed askew, sheets torn. Various items littered the floor. Claw marks slashed through the plaster on the walls, cutting through scrawled writing.
She stared, trying to read the wild script and failing with most of the words. Some she could read, and they were enough to set her heart racing in worry.
Queen. Guardian. Consort. Time. Remade. Royal. Fall. Rise. Death.
"Words," Kei whispered. "Wo
rds in my head."
Turning to him, she wasn't surprised to find him in a fury, red eyes, claws, and all. His hair was more wild than usual, matching the look in his eyes.
"Kei," she whispered, taking a step toward him.
He shook his head and turned away. "Why?"
"What can I do?" She kept her voice low, torn between watching him and looking at the walls. "Why didn't you tell me they were getting bad again?"
His claws clicking, he laughed bitterly. "What can you do," he mocked. He began to pace again. "Words. Too many words," he whispered. "Nothing. You do nothing."
Fear chilled her skin as she took a slow breath. "Tell me what to do. How can I help? I’m here, Kei. I’m here."
A clawed fist tapped his chest angrily as he turned to her. "You're not! Why?"
"I…I don't understand."
"You're not here. You don't see me. Why? Why can't you keep it?"
She bit her lip, understanding he spoke of their bindings. Though she'd managed to connect with him on a deeper level that once when with the Were, she'd not been able to do so since. "I'm trying. But I'm not Fey. It's hard for me–"
"Why? The words, the words!" Turning away, he slashed at the closest wall with his claws. "You fight it. You fight it all!"
Raising her hands, she took a step closer to him. "Easy. I'm trying. I'll try harder. Let the fury go and we'll talk. We can try again."
He shook his head wildly. "Why? You don't care. About me. About the Fey–"
"That's not true," she interrupted angrily. "I love you! You're my family, my best friend. I said I'd help heal the Fey, and I will!"
"You don't believe! You don't see! Prince and your brothers, they are all you care about. Why?" Chest heaving, his voice quieted, pleading. "Why?"
Taking another step forward, she held out her hands to him, trying to let her anger go and understand what he was going through. What he was thinking. "I do care. I do!"
He shook his head vehemently. "You don't plan, or train, or listen. You don't believe what I say. You don't…the words. The words are true. Why don't you believe them?"