Page 109 of Under the Lion Star

The meeting continued as they ironed out a few last-minute details for Leor’s travel. He’d forbade me from going with him, terrified of the thought that something might happen to the baby and I wouldn’t have access to the castle healers.

With the nausea finally abating, I wasn’t exactly remiss at not having to get on a boat. Elves rarely experienced the seasickness that humans did, but I was once again able to keep food down, and didn’t feel like tempting fate.

Each lord exited the chamber. The sun had already set by the time the meeting ended. Leor insisted on moving the council meetings to a later time to ensure he never had to wake me up early to attend. A move I had shown my appreciation for, resulting in the small life I was carrying.

“Any word from Atlas?” I asked after everyone had made their exit, leaving Leor and me alone.

“He seems to like it there,” Leor shrugged, but I didn’t miss the slight frown. “I’m hoping once we start rebuilding Haerbor, I can talk him into returning here to help oversee the project.”

Atlas had left two years prior, taking over command of the shipping operations in Keldsfen. The city had been fully rebuilt around that time, but the explosion of trade between Krannar and Fjorn meant that Leor needed someone to manage the growing town.

I missed my brother more than I let on, and I know Leor did as well. A part of me wondered if he was trying to find himself since the death of his father. He turned down Leor’s offer to add him to the advisory council at every turn. He wanted no part of the lord’s life despite being Gamril’s only legitimate heir.

“I’m going to find something for him to do,” Leor mused. “Even if I have to make up a crisis myself. I don’t like him being so far away.”

“You’ll see him when you pass through tomorrow,” I offered.

Atlas wrote to both of us often. He even sent Liras a few human weapons over the years. Each one was more absurd than the last, and I wondered to myself if humans didn’t spend their time inventing such barbaric things because their lives were so short. If you only had a century and a half in the realm, perhaps that spurred on the desire for ingenuity and change.

“What if he meets someone?” Leor pushed his fingers through his hair. “And then he stays in Keldsfen forever.”

“Of all your fears surrounding Atlas, I don’t think him settling down with a woman is one of them.”

Leor laughed but nodded his agreement. “True.”

“Give him time,” I set my hand on my husband’s forearm. “He’s just trying to find his place in the world. He needs your support.”

“I know,” he ran his hands over his face. “I just miss the fuck out of him.”

“Come on,” I tugged at his arm.

Leor and I walked through the castle toward the balcony where we often spent our evenings. Even after five years, conversation between us was easy. I loved how he always ran his thoughts through me, allowing me to add my input so that we could finalize an idea together.

“Look,” I dragged him to the cushions and pulled him to sit beside me.

Leor followed my pointed finger toward the Skolas Mountains, above which the Lion Star hung in the sky. I had been counting down the days until its return.

“I remember the first time I saw it,” I said quietly. “How I felt adrift. Useless.”

“Z.”

“I mean it, Leor. That’s how I felt that night. But here we are, five years later, and I know who I am. I’ve never been happier.”

“Me either,” he smiled down at me, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

I stared at the comet, wondering how so much had changed in just five short years. My mind tried to paint a picture of what my life would look like the next time the Lion Star made its appearance in the sky.

“We should name the baby Dragon,” I said.

“Dragon?” Leor scoffed.

“You’ve got the lion name, we need to up the ante.”

“I’m not naming my kid Dragon,” he deadpanned.

“Not even for me?”

“As much as I love you,” he grinned. “And would do anything to see you happy. I also love our baby and would never give them a name that would surely result in endless teasing.”

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