Inama nodded and returned to her people.  

Maija nudged him again, and he looked at her expectantly, “What? Did I forget something else?” 

She shook her head, “No, but why were you so weird about introducing me.”  

Anders flushed, “I didn’t know if you knew how they greeted in Southland.”  

“I was raised there; of course I know how they greet each other,” she said.  

“When I saw you knew, I got flustered that I should tell her we were together,” he said. 

“I know. That was weird,” Maija said. 

Anders looked to the side embarrassed. 

“But cute,” she added. “Next time you introduce me to someone of political standing, you can leave out that we’re together if you want. I don’t need people assuming I’m not independent.”  

“Okay, good. I will keep that in mind.”  

“Should we help my sister with the crystals?” she asked. 

Anders nodded, “Yes. We’ll need them divided and ready when the elves arrive.”  

“Or if we’re attacked again,” Maija added. 

Anders touched on Zahara’s thoughts to check the status of the surrounding area. She and Raffa didn’t sense anything approaching, but they were also actively patrolling the sky along the path to the Plains as well as the edges of town.  

“Hopefully we’ll be out in the open and can see them coming soon enough,” Anders said, joining Maija as they walked to the beach to help carry crates up to Rune’s place.   

Chapter 85

Royalty

“Kirsten,” Thomas said, pulling on her sleeve.  

Kirsten jerked her arm out of his hand, “What is it!?” she barked. Immediately, she felt a pang of regret at being so terse with him. The strain she’d caused between Max, Britt, and herself still lingered awkwardly among them. Although they had attempted to deal with the situation head on and had cleared the air, Max still couldn’t seem to hold a conversation with her. And the moment all three were together, Britt would become rigid and cold. The thought of losing two of her closest friends set her on edge. As a result, she couldn’t handle her brother’s nagging. 

Thomas pulled his head inward and raised an eyebrow at Kirsten’s fiery response. “Look,” he said, pointing through the trees toward the coastline.  

Kirsten dropped the pack she’d gathered shortly after Anders ended their practice with the crystals. Straightening, she peered over the houses following Thomas’ direction. Though the evening light was dim, she could still clearly see the white and silver sails nearing Brookside’s port. She didn’t recognize them, but their design was similar to the Rollo Islanders’. “Are those…?” she began to ask.

“Elven royalty,” Thomas said, finishing and answering her question in one breathy exhale. 

“And elves. And dwarfs,” Kirsten added.  

Thomas nodded, keeping his gaze on the ships, “I can’t believe we will actually meet a king.”  

“Anders is a King,” Kirsten stated simply, “and Ivan.” 

“Shhh,” Thomas said, nudging her and looking over his shoulder for Bo. He’d refused to march with the others while his friends were still in Brookside. “Not so loud,” Thomas whispered. “You know what he said about keeping that hush-hush.”  

“I don’t know why,” Kirsten said, swiveling. Bo continued to trail behind by a short distance. “If I were Anders, I would announce it to the whole army. Maybe that way some of those stubborn people who have been elected to lead would actually listen to him instead of questioning his intentions on every point.”  

“Who are you talking about?” Bo asked, suddenly alongside the siblings.  

Thomas leaned back, looking past Kirsten to address Bo, “Anders, but that’s beside the point. The Elf King has just arrived in Westland for the first time in over a hundred years.” 

“Oh, so that’s why you’re all dreamy-eyed and starstruck,” Bo said. 

Kirsten chuckled and nudged her brother, “Just try to avoid swooning like this if we end up meeting him.” 

“I’m not swooning,” Thomas said defensively, pushing his sister back lightly. “It’s just that when we saw them last, I only got a glimpse of the Prince and now he’s King. I was just telling Kirsten how I haven’t been in the presence of proper royalty yet.” 

“Yeah, I guess Anders doesn’t count,” Bo said nonchalantly. 

Thomas’ eyes bulged. Kirsten tried to avoid it, but she failed to escape Thomas’ punch to her shoulder. “You told him? After he explicitly asked us not to tell?” 

Kirsten winced and rubbed her shoulder, “Hey! Come on; it’s Bo. He won’t tell anyone?”  

“You don’t have to worry, Thomas. I can keep a secret,” Bo said. 

Thomas snorted as he considered what to say next. After a moment, Kirsten said, “Bo has been with us since the beginning. He went through the same horrors and helped keep me alive, the same as you. If we can’t trust him, then who can we trust?”  

Thomas nodded, “I guess that’s true, but that’s not what Anders asked from us.”  

“If she didn’t tell me, Max would have,” Bo said. “He was about to. Max was beating around the bush when I figured out what he was mumbling about, so I told him I already knew.” 

“See,” Kirsten said. “Not my fault. Now what was it you were about to tell me about this elf that you’re so excited about?” 

“Elven royalty is the real deal, Kirsten,” Thomas started. “You should know this from the books in father’s library.”  

“Those weren’t exactly the kind of stories I enjoyed reading,” Kirsten said. 

“Well, if you had, you would know that they are high class nobility. They dress in lavish attire woven from the finest silks and stitched to perfection with a floral design more beautiful than the flowers themselves. And jewelry, to die for,” Thomas said, closing his eyes and sighing pleasantly.  

“If you’re into jewelry, the dwarfs are the best smiths in the world,” Bo said.  

“Well, the elegance of the elven royalty and their High Council was described to be more regal than anything we humans have achieved.”  

“I bet if we stuck around after they give us the crystals, Anders would introduce you when they land,” Kirsten suggested. 

Thomas’ cheeks flushed, and he stammered, “I don’t know about that? With the battle looming and all, I doubt he would have time to even acknowledge me.”  

“Nonsense,” Bo said. “Max told me that King Nadir is all kinds of friendly. Very easy to talk to. I bet he would love to meet Anders’ family.”  

Thomas shifted nervously and stared down at his feet.

“Oh, come on,” Kirsten said, retrieving her pack and grabbing him by the arm. “Let’s go. They’ve nearly landed. By the time we get down there, they’ll be here.”