Page 104 of Whispers of the Water

I gave a humorless laugh, going into the bathroom to gather my toiletries. “That’s an understatement. I feel like my already messed-up world just got turned over on its head. It’s just,” I paused, coming to stand next to him. “I’m not even sure how to put everything I’m feeling into words.”

“Well, I need you to know that stuff my mother said at the end … That will never, ever happen. She won’t touch you. I promise.”

I swallowed hard. “I’m trying not to think about what she said.”

“Good. Don’t, because it won’t happen.” He paused, and after gauging my avoidance of the topic, he moved on. “I also want you to know that I really do support you. We all do. Trying to create peace … it’ll be a huge task but a good one. I think everyone’s been holding on to the past for so long, focusing solely on their anger and pain, that we haven’t tried to move forward. You’re doing the right thing.”

“I hope so.” I glanced up at him. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.” He turned toward me, my suitcase forgotten.

“Dallas said that you killed the King and Queen,” I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat. “My parents. But Myra said she did. What actually happened?”

Rune took a deep breath, his brow furrowing. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he ran a hand through his hair. “The night you told me who you were, I wanted to be sick. Because while you felt bad for being the daughter of the man who killed my father, I’m the son of the woman who killed your parents. I was still trying to grapple with the news of who you were, so trying to also come up with a way to tell you the rest became difficult. It’s been making me sick that you didn’t know, but I wasn’t sure how to tell you yet.

“My mother killed them. After finding out that the Water Fae King murdered my dad, she went on a rampage. She eventually found where they were hiding in a log cabin in some mountains. She killed them there. I was afraid that word would spread that the wife of Balgair had murdered them, so I started a rumor that the son of Balgair did it. Any Water Fae looking for revenge would come to me instead of her.”

My next inhale hurt. Not because Rune’s mother killed them or because Rune hadn’t told me as soon as he realized the truth. It was because I now knew. I knew what had happened to my parents. I knew where they were in their last moments, who had taken them from me, and if I tried hard enough, I could picture the way Myra had probably ended their lives. Knowing what happened hurt far worse than anything I’d conjured up in my mind, because this was real. The truth of their last moments made the reality blaringly clear.

Dallas had already told me that my parents were gone. I had come to terms with that and accepted that I’d never get to see them. Yet my heart—my stupid, stupid heart—had still held onto this small sliver of light that, just maybe, Dallas was wrong. Maybe they weren’t actually dead, and it was all some huge plan to keep them safe. Maybe they’d be waiting for me when I took the crown, or maybe they’d pop up from the shadows where they’d always secretly been hiding.

That fragment of hope crumbled into mere ash that scattered into nothingness. With Rune’s words, it was finally real. There was no more room for hope. There was no more room for my heart to hold onto silly dreams or fantasies.

They were gone.

They were really gone.

Rune dropped his head into his hands. “Myra is a monster. She’s a heartless creature, but she’s still my mother. I had just lost one parent. I didn’t want to lose another. Spreading the lie that it was me who killed them was my way of protecting her. Though I’m no longer sure if I should’ve.”

The bed sank beneath me as I sat next to him. My chest felt heavy with the weight of his confession and grief.

Meeting my gaze, his eyes pinched with remorse. “I’m so sorry.”

“This war has caused a lot of pain, huh?”

“On both sides.”

Reaching for his hand again, I threaded our fingers together. “Then let’s make sure it ends so that no one else has to lose their parents like we did. Let’s make sure no one has to hurt like this again.”

His gaze held mine for another beat. He leaned in, tenderly pressing a kiss to my temple. Smiling down at me, he said, “I never thought I’d see the day when I actually wanted to get along with Water Fae. Now here I am, in love with the Princess.” He let out a small laugh. “Let’s do it. Let’s make a world where loving each other is okay.”

As we gathered my belongings, Rune tried hard to keep my spirits up. He could tell I was a nervous and frazzled mess, so he told me funny stories from when he and Ardley were younger or moments he’d shared with the twins. By the time we were done packing, my sides hurt from laughing, which felt nice after the extremely shitty morning.

But then there was nothing left to pack, and it was time to face my new reality.

Rune led me out onto the balcony, my suitcase in one hand and my hand in the other. He gave me a reassuring squeeze. “Everything will be okay. We’ll meet you guys back in Tennessee, and then we’ll figure all of this out together.”

Rune and the others had some loose ends to tie up here before heading back. This was where we’d separate, but it wouldn’t be for long. Our futures were tied together by far too much now.

A sudden flap of wings snapped my attention to the edge of the balcony where Akira hovered again. Grinning at us, he reached out a hand to me as he landed. “Your chariot, milady.”

Breaking into a wide smile, I took his outstretched hand. “Why thank you, good sir.”

“I’ll meet you guys down there.” Rune backed up into the room. “You know, via the less terrifying means of transportation. The stairs.”

“Rude!” Akira gasped. “I’ll have you know I am a very safe flyer.”

“Right,” Rune laughed, jogging across the bedroom to the door with my bags in tow.

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