Page 21 of Their War

“First, I need to start with my apology, Rhowyn,” Arryn said from my left, pulling my attention to him, thoughts of Brannoc now abandoned.

“What for?” I asked, genuinely confused.

“For not being completely honest with you. The Queen's accusations were correct. I am a traitor to the crown, but it was in the best interests of Avalon,” he explained, not meeting my eyes, his hands clasped in front of him as he studied them with intense focus.

I laughed at him, which pulled a shocked look from him, his eyes darting to mine. “Of course they were. You're one of the most honorable men I know. There's no way you would betray everything you believed in unless there was a very good reason,” I told him honestly, willing him to believe me. “From everything I've seen and been told, the Queen is manipulating the magic of Avalon and upsetting the balance. Of course you'd try to do something about that.”

“Damn, my girl is smart,” Baer exclaimed, pulling a goofy grin from me at his claiming of me.

Shaking my head and turning back to Arryn, I continued, “What I don't know is how. How exactly did you supposedly betray the Queen? What exactly is it that makes you a traitor?”

“Apparently, he's the leader of the rebellion,” Lennox snarked, and I could sense an ego had been stung. He didn't appreciate the secrecy, but I could understand it. Although, it did hurt that Arryn hadn't trusted us with this sooner.

Callum smacked Lennox upside the head. “What the fuck was that for?” he sniped at Callum.

“For being an idiot,” Callum said. This relaxed side of him was refreshing, and I smiled at him, remembering the way he fucked my mouth not too long ago. He smiled back at me smugly, somehow sensing exactly where my thoughts had gone.

“He's right. I joined years ago, before becoming a Royal Guard, with the express purpose of working my way into a trusted position. I've built an underground network and have been searching for a way to bring her down. All without success, until now,” he said, going on to explain the history between him and Brannoc and how he had come to the decision to save Avalon.

Pride bloomed in my chest. This man was mine. A man willing to sacrifice everything to save the people of Avalon and the people he cared for. I pushed up from my chair, went over to him, halting him mid-sentence as he looked up at me. Leaning down and placing both of my hands on his cheeks, I kissed him, pushing everything I was feeling into the kiss. I played with his lips before deepening it, my tongue dancing with his before pulling back and resting my forehead on his. “Thank you, Arryn,” I told him. His foresight had kept the others safe while I was imprisoned and had given us somewhere to fall back on, something to move forward with now.

“How can you say that? We wouldn't be in this position if it weren't for me. You'd still be safe in the castle if it wasn't for me,” he whispered, his pain at what I'd gone through leaking through the bond and into me. His guilt was eating him alive.

Putting a hand over his chest, I sat in his lap. “If you hadn't noticed, the bitch already had it out for me. This just moved her plans up and exposed her to the rest of Avalon. If it wasn't this, she would have found another reason to come after us. She's a bully, and we're a threat to her reign,” I told him, trying to ease the burden he was carrying.

“She's right,” Lennox huffed out. “I don't like that you didn't tell us sooner, but Princess here is right. My mother would have found a way to take us down, to ensure our failure either way.”

I turned to smile at Lennox for being so magnanimous when I noticed the shadows in his eyes, the bags under his eyes, and his general disheveled appearance. Something had been eating at him, and I resolved to figure out what exactly it was. But first, I needed to deal with Arryn's guilt.

“As someone who has intimate knowledge of what the Queen is like and what she's capable of, I have to agree. She was already looking for a reason to discredit us, to have Rhowyn removed from the trials. Just because it happened to be the fact that you're a rebel leader doesn't necessarily mean it's your fault. I, for one, am glad that we can stop the sneaking around. That for once, we can bring the fight to her,” Callum said.

This seemed to finally convince Arryn to let go of the guilt as he looked at all of us, only to have the confirmation he needed in each of our gazes. He turned back to me, kissing me firmly and deeply, ending the kiss too soon. “Thank you,” he whispered to me.

I smiled. “Anytime.” Getting up, I moved back to my seat but noticed that Brannoc seemed to be finishing up with the meal. “Need any help with setting the table?” I asked him.

“I could use a hand,” he admitted. I went to stand again when Baer halted me, going into the kitchen and gathering up supplies.

“Now that the air is clear, what’s our plan moving forward? I mean, we can't stay here forever. As great as this place seems, I'm not really the type to sit back while the world burns around me,” I said, not missing Brannoc's smile at my compliment of his home.

“I didn't figure you were,” Arryn said. “If you're set on pushing back, on fighting, I have a place we can go. A place where I can rally the network of spies and fighters who oppose Titania's reign. We can work on taking the fight to her. I’ve never been there, but my contacts assure me that it’s safe.”

Nodding, I said, “Sounds good to me. We can leave in the morning.”

Everyone agreed, even Brannoc, as he set a plate of food in front of me. Taking a bite, I moaned in appreciation. “This is delicious,” I told him, clearly impressed with his skills. I could definitely get used to this.

His face remained passive, but I saw the pleasure twinkling in his eyes. “Thank you. After living alone for so long, you learn to cook a decent meal or two. Especially if you're hiding out and can't be seen out and about.”

“Well, whatever the reason for your skills, this is absolutely amazing. Thanks for doing this for us. For putting us up and taking a risk on us,” I told him honestly.

His cheeks heated with a flush, his pale skin turning pink. “Of course. Anything for Arryn's Chosen.”

“Oh, speaking of which, I almost forgot,” I said between bites. Everyone paused as I continued. “Avalonia visited me in my dreams. While I was passed out.”

Forks dropped on the ceramic plates with a clatter as the guys all froze, pausing me mid-bite. Arryn was the first to recover. “What do you mean Avalonia visited you?”

Chewing faster so I didn't speak with a mouthful of delicious food, I cleared my throat. “Just that. She came to me while I was unconscious and told me that I was her Chosen. That I was the last hope for her.”

“Holy shit,” Baer whispered out.

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