Page 23 of A Valiant Prince

“So do I,” I admit.

“Uh huh,” she says. “So, you gonna spill it?”

I sigh. “Nana, it’s…complicated,” I say.

“Eddie, nothing is complicated unless you make it so,” she says to me.

I turn to her. “What do you know about my father?” I ask her.

She raises an eyebrow. “So, you found him,” she says.

“Found who, Nana?” I prod.

Now she sighs. “I didn’t mean to pry. Your mother kept that part of her life a secret from us. I never asked why. I only assumed it was too painful for her to speak about, but one day I saw some papers on her desk. And a photograph of a king. I only recognized him because his father had recently died, and he had just inherited the throne. I asked her about him, but she blew it off, said he was a story she had worked on. Only, that king had your eyes. I knew then. I figured they had good reasons to keep you hidden here,” she says as she looks up at me. “I suspect you have good reasons to come here with a princess and security guards. I only hope this doesn’t mean that you are in danger,” she says with a frown. Nana is still beautiful even at eighty years old. The lines on her face may be a bit more prominent and her blonde hair is now a beautiful silver, but her eyes still twinkle when she speaks, and she moves with the grace of someone half her age.

I put her hands in mine, tracing the familiar lines of them just as I did as a child. Because it’s Nana, her knowledge doesn’t surprise me. “It’s complicated, Nana. Does Pops know?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “Pops wouldn’t handle all this very well. He’d be worried sick about you,” she says. I raise my hand to touch the soft skin of her cheek.

“Nana, I promise, one day soon, I’ll explain everything, but right now, please keep this to yourself,” I say.

“So, you are in trouble, then,” she replies, her eyes aren’t twinkling any longer, but show true concern.

“I’ll be fine. I mean look in there,” I say, nodding to the kitchen window where Pete, Hendrick, and Lucas are drying dishes and putting them away. “I have my own army.”

She squeezes my hand, stopping me from my absent-minded tracing.

“Logan, be careful, please,” she says. Something in her tone tells me there’s more she knows or suspects that she’s not saying. I don’t pry though, I decide if she needed me to know, then she’d say it. Nana isn’t one to hold back if it’s not necessary.

“Well, then, now that we got that out of the way, tell me more about Anna,” she says, as she leans her head on my shoulder and begins to rock the swing. I grin and lean my head on hers as we stare out at the backyard. It hasn’t changed at all. I can smell the lilac bushes and hear the frogs and crickets chirping.

“I think I love her,” I admit. “Is that weird?”

Nana laughs softly, a laugh of a woman that’s seen it all, experienced a lifetime of love.

“No, Eddie. After eating one meal with her, I can see why you’d fall for her so fast. She’s delightful, nothing like what I’d think a princess would be. And she’s very beautiful,” Nana says.

“Yes, she is,” I agree.

“Well, I feel like you have a lot to figure out. Just remember that I’m here if you need to talk,” she says, getting to her feet and walking back inside after leaning down to kiss my cheek. I stay there on the swing, surrounded by familiarity. I’m so engrossed in my thoughts, I don’t notice I have company until the screen door slams shut, alerting me to Anna’s presence. I turn and look at her as she walks over to me and takes the seat vacated by Nana.

“You, OK?” she asks as she turns to look up at me.

“I’m fine. There’s just a lot to process,” I say.

“You can say that again,” she huffs.

“There’s a lot to process,” I repeat. She slaps me on my chest but laughs. Then, she wraps her arms around my waist and snuggles against me.

“I love your grandparents,” she says quietly.

“They like you too,” I say to her.

She’s quiet for a long moment and so am I. “It’s nice back here,” she says as though she’s taken the minute to consider the serenity of the backyard.

“It is,” I say to her. All of a sudden, she pops her head up and looks out into the woods.

“Is that a swing?” she asks excitedly.

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