The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set

by Heidi Catherine

  It had never occurred to her if it was possible for Tate to be born with brown eyes, as the product of two blue-eyed parents, but she knew that all the Guardians had blue eyes and none of them had ever produced a brown eyed child. And it was true about Ariel’s eyes. She saw Tate in the shape of them. In the kindness that seeped from them. Was Ariel really Tate’s mother? This would mean her husband wasn’t a Prince at all. Nor was he the King.

  “If you’re speaking the truth, then Pip is the true ruler now.” River leaned against a tree for support and swallowed hard. Everything she thought she knew was a lie! She wasn’t a Princess. She was the wife of the herbalist’s son.

  Ariel went to grab her arm once more but stopped herself when River held up her hands. She needed space to try to process this shocking news.

  “Nobody can tell Pip,” said Ariel. “She’s fair of heart, but she’d make a weak Queen.”

  This was true. As much as Pip had proven she had courage deep inside her, she wouldn’t make a very good Queen. She had no idea about how the kingdom worked having missed the past ten years of her life. She couldn’t possibly understand the needs of her people when she barely understood who she was herself.

  “It has to be Tate,” said Ariel, the wild expression on her face making her look more like a mad woman than the calm herbalist River had known all her life. “Followed by the child you carry now. It’s the way it’s meant to be. If you tell Pip, then your child will never be King. And as great a King as Tate will make, your child will be even more powerful.”

  “Then why did you tell me?” asked River, shaking her head. “Why risk undoing everything you’ve sacrificed?”

  “Because you’re a good person,” said Ariel, with deep furrows forming on her brow. “And I can no longer carry this alone. I made a decision all those years ago that changed the direction of the kingdom and it’s been a huge burden to carry.”

  This explanation still made no sense. Deciding that she trusted River wasn’t a strong enough reason for her to want to tell her such a dangerous secret. There was something else going on that River couldn’t quite put her finger on just yet.

  “I’m trusting you now to make a decision to take us forward once more,” said Ariel.

  “And what decision is that?” It seemed to River that all the decisions had already been made. They were simply dealing with the consequences now.

  “It’s up to you if you think Tate should know. He’ll want to be an honest King.” River saw a flash of Tate in Ariel’s anguished face. Now that she knew their connection, it was impossible to miss. How had she not seen this before? How had anyone not seen what was right in front of them? Ariel had been right to fear that they looked far too alike. But who would possibly believe this incredible story? If River hadn’t witnessed the pain in Ariel’s face, she doubted she’d have believed it herself.

  “You could always tell Tate yourself,” said River.

  “I can’t be the one to tell him,” said Ariel, a flood of tears breaking free and running down her face. “It’s been torture to watch him grow into such a wonderful man and not have been the one to raise him. I understand now why my husband couldn’t stay around. Perhaps I should’ve left with him. But someone had to stay and watch over our son. He would’ve died today without me here to protect him.”

  This was true. If she hadn’t swapped the soups, Tate would certainly be dead.

  “Thank you for saving Tate’s life,” said River, standing up from the tree and doing her best to gather her wits. “And for giving him life. But I’m not sure this is a secret he should know. I wish I didn’t even know, nor do I understand why you told me.”

  “I had to tell you,” said Ariel.

  “No, you didn’t.” River brushed down her dress and straightened her back. This wasn’t going to be an easy secret to carry. Perhaps this was the real reason for Ariel unburdening herself just now. She’d held this secret for almost two decades and could hold it no longer.

  Ariel’s shoulders slumped, seeming to lose control just as River had managed to gain some. This was clearly not the decision she wanted River to make. She wanted Tate to know.

  “If Tate knows, he’ll step down,” said River. “I know he will. You said yourself that he wants to be an honest King and there’s nothing honest about any of this.”

  “You think it’s right to keep it from him?” Ariel crossed her arms and shook her head.

  “And you think what you did is right?” This time it was River to take Ariel by the arms. “None of this is right. Anyway, I thought you said it was my decision?”

  “It is,” said Ariel, locking eyes with her. “But are you certain?”

  “Of course not! How could I possibly be certain about such a thing? Look, even if I’m not sure why you’ve told me this, I understand why you did what you did. Or at least I think I do. But Tate can’t know. It’s too much. He has enough to get used to right now. We can’t risk him stepping down and handing the throne to Pip.”

  “That’s right.” Ariel nodded. “Pip would be a better ruler than Edison, but...”

  “So, you didn’t really kill your own son when you swapped the soup,” said River, another piece of the puzzle falling into place.

  “I was protecting my son, not killing him,” said Ariel. “If Edison tried to kill him once and failed, then of course, he’d try again. And next time I might not have been there to protect him. That was a risk I couldn’t take.”

  “But you seemed so upset,” said River, confusion still clouding her mind no matter how much she tried to clear it. “I saw you cradling his head in your hands.”

  “I was upset,” said Ariel. “I still am. I raised that man, fed him, clothed him and taught him everything I know. I tried to turn him into a good man, a kind one, but I failed. Badly. It was never more obvious than today and that’s broken my heart. I feel like a terrible person.”

  “Ariel, you’re not a terrible person. You did an extraordinary and selfless thing and I can see what pain it’s caused you. I, for one, am grateful for the sacrifice you made. I can’t bear to think what Edison would’ve done to our kingdom. Just look at what he did to the Guardians the moment power came his way. Tate would never do that.”

  Ariel nodded and River saw something else in her face and finally it all made sense.

  “I know why you told me,” said River. “Oh, Ariel.”

  She stepped forward and wrapped an arm around this broken woman’s shoulders. The broken woman who had the unmistakable look of yearning buried deep into every feature of her face. “You want him to know what you did so you can be free to love him as his mother once more.”

  Ariel sniffed and placed her own arm around River’s waist. “I’d rather die today than live another without Tate knowing I’m his mother.”

  “But you’re going to have to,” said River, letting go, so she could look directly at her. “One day, we’ll tell him. I promise you. But not yet. It’s not the right time.”

  “When?” asked Ariel, her heart breaking before River’s eyes.

  “You said you trusted me,” River reminded her. “When Tate becomes a father himself, he’ll understand so much more than he does now. Do you think you can wait? If you’re right about the child in my belly, then it won’t be too much longer. You’ve already waited so long.”

  Ariel nodded and straightened out her clothes, looking more like the sensible herbalist River knew.

  “Things will get better now,” said Ariel. “You’ll see. Edison was messing with my tonics to weaken the Guardians. He was adding valerian root to some of the Guardians’ tonics to make them sick. He thought if he could make me look incompetent, he could take over from me and make the Guardians well to prove his worth to the King. But all he had to do was stop poisoning them in the first place.”

  River felt the well of anger she had stored in her gut at the death of her sister explode and she kicked at the dirt, ruining her pale blue slipper.

  “It was more than that,” s
aid River, shaking her head. “He was targeting specific Guardians. Ones who he thought wronged him. It wasn’t just to make you look bad. He was getting revenge.”

  Ariel wailed. “I feel so responsible!”

  “How can you be responsible for any of this?” River clenched her fists, wishing there was an iron ball she could throw into the orchard right now to expel some of this anger. She’d never properly grieved Daphne. Her beautiful sister whose life Edison thought he had a right to take.

  “I’m so sorry about your sister,” said Ariel. “This is all my fault.”

  River pushed back her tears, deciding her grieving was going to need to wait just a little bit longer. “It’s not your fault. What you did saved the kingdom from Edison. If he’d ever found his way to the throne, he’d have killed us all.”

  “I messed with his life,” said Ariel. “I took him from the life he was born to live and forced him into another. I thought he’d never know. But he did, River. He did know! Maybe he didn’t know exactly what happened, but he felt the royal blood flowing through his veins. He wanted Tate’s life, not just because he was jealous, but because somehow he knew that was supposed to be his life. And so he looked for ways to get back there.”

  “By marrying his sister,” said River, another horrifying thought occurring to her. “Not that he knew that, of course.”

  Ariel nodded. “Just another reason things have worked out for the best.”

  “And the Queen?” asked River, pushing down the sick feeling in her stomach. “Was that Edison, too?”

  The sadness in Ariel’s eyes answered for her. “What he didn’t know, was that when he killed the Queen, he actually killed his own mother.”

  River let out a long sigh, wishing she could push the stress from her body with it. If Ariel had made the right decision, then why did it feel so very wrong?

  There was a shout and a cheer, and River looked toward the palace to see Tate and Pip walking toward them.

  Tate was blinking in the sunlight, his clothes clean but his face drawn. He must’ve freshened himself up before he faced his people. Pip held her head high, her admiration for the man she thought was her brother clear for all to see.

  “All hail, King Tate!” cried a man in the crowd.

  “King Tate! King Tate!” A chant began as the wedding guests dropped to a bow, their respect for their new leader written on their faces.

  River looked at Ariel and saw such unmistakable pride on her face. Everything she’d sacrificed had been for this moment. And the reaction of the crowd was evidence that she’d done the right thing. Many of the Guardians had come up from their village to see what the commotion had been about and they stood with tears in their eyes to see that there was now a brighter hope for their future.

  Tate stood beside River and placed an arm around her shoulders, holding up a hand to hush the crowd.

  “You’re free,” River said to him.

  “We all are,” said Tate. “Including your family.”

  Then turning to the crowd, he cleared his throat and projected his voice. “Please don’t cheer for me while my father’s body lies still warm on the ground.”

  A humbled murmur rippled through the crowd.

  “Times have been difficult recently,” he said.

  River noticed some of the wedding guests looking confused. But the Guardians didn’t. They knew exactly what their King spoke of. Their lives had been torn apart by Edison.

  “It will take me some time to speak to you all and understand the best way forward,” said Tate. “But to begin with, I’d like to announce two changes immediately.”

  River looked across at him, wondering what this could be.

  “I may be your new King, but I’m supported by two very strong and equally as capable women. My sister and my wife. I’ve spoken with my sister just now to ask her if she’ll take the place of Edison as our future herbalist and she’s gladly agreed. But the tonics she makes won’t just be for the Guardians. We’d like to open our tavern to all the people of the kingdom. Every one of us has the right to be healthy and strong.”

  Pip was nodding and smiling broadly. Ariel was smiling, too. Her life was about to have a whole lot more meaning to it than it already did.

  “And my wife,” said Tate. “I haven’t had a chance to speak to her privately about this yet, but I’m certain that she’ll agree to what I’m about to propose.”

  River tilted her head, hoping he was right. Because whatever it was that he was about to suggest, she was going to need to agree to. He wasn’t just her husband now. He was her King. But she trusted him.

  “River, I’d like to appoint you as Master of the Guardians. Someone who can lead them back to health and greatness. Most importantly, someone who can lead them back to happiness. Do you accept?”

  River’s heart swelled as she nodded. “I accept. Although, I’d like to change the title if I may. I’ll be Protector of the Guardians instead. Nobody will harm them under my watch.”

  The Guardians let out a cheer and River looked across at Ariel, who had tears pouring down her cheeks now, her hands held to her heart. The woman who’d spent her life feeding the Guardians with strength and courage was perhaps the strongest and most courageous woman of all. One day she’d hold her son again in her arms. And when she did, he was going to know exactly who she was.

  TATE

  THE EVERNOW

  It was tradition in The Bay of Laurel that when a new King or Queen was crowned, they’d ride in an open carriage through the streets of the main village. People would come from all over the kingdom to line the streets and cheer on their new monarch.

  This tradition was what brought Tate to this exact moment, as he sat in a carriage with River beside him, wearing their crowns of gold as two white horses pulled them slowly through the streets. He could walk faster than they were traveling right now, but that was okay with him. It gave him time to connect with individual faces rather than be overwhelmed by the sea of color.

  Although he was smiling, Tate wasn’t too sure how he felt about this tradition. It seemed pompous and superior. He wanted to be the kind of King who walked with his people, not the sort who waved at them from a carriage.

  “I’ve got an idea.” He turned to River and she raised her eyebrows at him.

  He removed his heavy crown and handed it to her. “Will you look after this for me?”

  “Why?” She seemed more confused than ever as she put it on her lap, close to the baby that was growing rapidly in her belly. One day that baby would wear the crown for himself… or herself. A baby who’d be half Guardian and half royal. But more to the point, a baby who’d be half River and half of him. He loved that idea because more than anything, he loved his wife.

  Without further explanation, he leaped from the carriage and landed on the dirt road. Several Guardians came running forward to protect him, but he waved them away.

  “Tate!” River called after him. “This isn’t a good idea.”

  “It’s okay,” he called back, smiling at her.

  “No, really, Tate. I don’t think you should do this.”

  He blew her a kiss and let the carriage move forward, walking a few paces behind it, stopping every now and then to shake hands with someone or pat a small child on the head.

  This was the kind of King he wanted to be. It was time the people saw that things were going to be different from now on. He wasn’t going to be like any King they’d experienced before.

  A woman approached him and handed him a soft but tiny woolen hat.

  “For your baby,” she said, proudly. “I knitted it myself.”

  The last thing Tate wanted to do was take from these people who had far less than he had, but it would be an insult to this woman to refuse. So, he smiled and touched her gently on her shoulder.

  “Thank you,” he said, tucking the hat into his pocket. “You’re very kind. This will keep the baby nice and warm.”

  Before the woman could respond, she was pushed out
of the way by a younger woman, desperate to get his attention.

  “King Tate!” she called over the growing roar of the crowd. “Marry me!”

  He furrowed his brow as the crowd roared laughing. He was already married. The people knew that. Did they not recognize the marriage because their nuptials had been kept private?

  Another man pushed in front of the woman.

  “Ouch!” she complained.

  “What are you going to do about the locust on our crops?” the man asked, his face more of a sneer than a smile. “It’s come back this season.”

  The woman pushed back, trying to get in front again, but was shoved aside as a woman with a gaunt face tried to get Tate’s attention. “My daughter has gone missing!” she cried.

  “And my son!” cried another woman, from behind her.

  Then it was all on.

  People were tussling and scuffling, grabbing Tate by the arms and trying to get in front of him to have their say.

  He couldn’t hear what any of them were asking of him, so desperate were their shouts and cries.

  The people at the back of the crowd pushed forward and Tate felt his heart rate pick up. He was in genuine danger now of being crushed, as were the people at the front of the crowd.

  He looked up at the Guardians who were also pushing through the crowd toward him. River was standing up in the carriage now as it rocked with people jostling it from the sides.

  He should have listened to her. He’d been foolish to break tradition and leap to the ground. If anything happened to River or their baby, he’d never forgive himself. This was a lesson to him. Some traditions existed for a reason. He could still be a different kind of King, but he needed to tread carefully, learn from others, and not make such rash errors.

  The Guardians reached him and pushed the crowd back with the threat of their swords.

  Slowly, so slowly, the crowd moved back, and the frenzy was stilled.

  The Guardians led Tate back to the carriage. But as he walked, a man in the crowd caught Tate’s eye. A man with wild, dark hair and an unkempt beard. Tate noticed tears staining the man’s eyes and he mouthed words to Tate that he couldn’t hear.