Page 72 of Their War

“Oh. I was just coming to let you both know that the council will be meeting in two hours to decide the outcome of your request. I thought Rhowyn might like some time to eat or get ready?” She twisted her hands nervously but stilled them upon my notice.

“Thank you,” I said, unsure how to broach the distance between my cousin and me. I knew she wanted more from me, but I didn’t know what that might be.

“Of course!” she said, shifting from foot to foot. After a tense moment of silence where it was clear she had something on her mind, she said, “Okay, well, I’ll let you two do as you will.”

She turned to go. “Wait.” I sighed, unsure if I was going to regret this or not. When she turned back to me, her eyes wide and hopeful, I continued. “You obviously came to say more. What is it?”

“Oh, well,” she stuttered out, taken aback slightly. Squaring her shoulders, she said, “I know Rhowyn and you will be heading back out soon. I was wondering if I could come, too?”

“And why would you want to do something like that?” I asked, suddenly suspicious. I couldn’t help what was in my nature, even if she was apparently family.

“Well, I’ve been wanting to travel for a while now, but Mother has always forbade it. I was hoping that if, maybe, I was traveling with family, that she’d be more open to the idea?” She posed this as a question even though it was more of a statement.

Unsure of how to let her down easy, I looked back at the door to the room, trying to think of how Rhowyn would handle the situation. “Look. I'm sure both of us would be more than happy to have you join us,” I started. The look of hopefulness on her face nearly broke my heart because I knew I was about to break hers. “That said, I don't think it's a good idea right about now. We've got to take care of some things which are extremely dangerous. Plus, we're literally on the run from the Queen, and anyone caught with us is putting their lives in peril.”

Unable to take the completely crestfallen look from my cousin, I rushed on. “I can talk to Rhowyn. Though, I think she might feel the same way. She doesn't like anyone risking their lives for her.”

“I can take care of myself.” She recovered from her disappointment to haggle with me as if we were negotiating the price of torthai from a cart.

“While I'm sure you are very capable...” I started, but she cut me off.

“Don't patronize me. As the intended successor of my mother, I've been highly trained in all forms of combat and diplomacy. I may seem young, but most of that is because I've been stuck here, locked away from the world. In order to be the best leader I can be for our people, I need to see the world!” She ended in an angry huff, crossing her arms and cocking out a hip.

The door opened behind me to reveal a rumpled Rhowyn, her hair sticking up in places. She was utterly adorable and caused me to lose my train of thought at just the sight of her. A look of irritation was on her face, though, and we both shut up quickly. “Brannoc, she's a grown adult. I'm sure she's much older than me, and yet she's treated as if she's still a child.”

“Youngling,” I corrected under my breath. A glare from her had me clamping my lips shut.

Turning to Cyerra, Rhowyn asked, “You are aware that if you come with us, we can't be focused on keeping you out of trouble or ensuring your safety? Because what we're about to do next is going to be extremely dangerous. Like life ending consequences if we aren't successful.”

My cousin nodded. “I know. And I believe in your cause, which is why I feel the need to join you. Let me help however I can.”

“Okay. I won't take you without your mother's permission. The last thing I need is to have another leader after me because I stole her daughter.” When she went to protest, Rhowyn held up a hand. “I realize you're an adult and are capable, but you can't just run out on your family and responsibilities. Trust me. This is something I know enough about, though, I was the one run out on.”

“If I convince her, can I come?” Cyerra asked hopefully.

Rhowyn sighed, running a hand down her face, a habit she seemed to have picked up from Arryn. “Against my better judgment, I don't see why you can't come along. You know the risks. It's your call to make at the end of the day.”

Cyerra's face lit with a look of excitement and determination. “You won't regret this. I promise.” She turned to leave, calling over her shoulder. “I'll be back in a bit to get you for the hearing.”

She sprinted off down the wooden walkways, most likely on her way straight to the Chieftain. I could only hope that this wouldn't affect the outcome of this meeting. Surely my aunt wouldn't hold a grudge for not dissuading Cyerra from this crazy idea of hers. Right?

Chapter Forty Two: Rhowyn

The knock at the door had woken me, but since Brannoc had stood to deal with whatever the issue was, I decided to keep lying in bed. Maybe I could get back to sleep and this headache would go away soon. And maybe, there was ocean front property in Arizona for sale, too. Rolling over, their voices carried just enough that I could hear the entire conversation. Still, I wasn't ready to get up and be productive, and yet, it seemed I wasn't going to be able to go back to sleep either. Cracking my eyes open, I noted that the other side of the bed was still made. He hadn't slept with me after coming back to the room.

A twinge in my heart had me rubbing my chest at that fact. Thankfully, I was saved from having to dwell on what that meant by the turn in their conversation. Throwing the covers back, I crossed the room and threw open the door. Brannoc had no right to be making these decisions for her. Granted, my first instinct was to protect her and deny her this request, but then I knew that I'd be pissed if anyone tried to stand in the way of what I wanted. That realization made up my mind.

Hopefully, her mother would be the bad guy and I wouldn't have anyone else to worry about because despite what I'd said, I would still feel responsible. Whatever happened to her while with me would hang over my head.

I could hear the responses from the guys now. Arryn would be tactical, Baer and Lennox would most likely roll with it, but Callum would grumble like the grumpy puppy he was. That thought brought a smile to my face and made this idea almost worth it.

Brannoc and I watched Cyerra skip off, on her way to convince her mother I was certain. Studying Brannoc's back from the doorway where I still stood, squinting against the sunlight that made me feel like a vampire after my evening with thistle milk, I was reminded that we still had our own issues to work out. As young as Cyerra seemed, she had a point. I'd run from this conversation long enough. “Come on. Let's get back inside. Since we have some time, we should probably address the elephant in the room.”

Brannoc's brow furrowed in confusion. I just sighed. “It's just a human expression.” I walked into the room, leaving the door open for him to follow, and plopped down on the edge of the bed. Sensing his tenseness at this pending conversation as he shut the door behind him and then faced me with trepidation, I figured I should be the one to start it.

“I'm sorry.”

“Look.” We both said at the same time, a tense smile pulling my cheeks at the timing. If we'd been on Earth, I would have said “Pinch, poke, you owe me a coke.” Cheesy as it was, it might have just broken the tension that was hanging over us.

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