Randi stood at the palace doors to welcome Xander. It had been a while since he had heard any news from home. He was anxious especially since the last thing he had heard was about his father’s illness.
“Prince Randi,” he bowed as he was supposed to before taking his hand.
“What news of my father?” he asked anxiously.
“I’m afraid he is getting worse,” he tried his best to eliminate the pleasure from his voice. “But I bring good news.”
“What is it?”
“Maybe we should join the rest of the family first,” he insisted on using the term family. This was going to be part of his family very soon.
Xander waited until they were all quiet in the family room before he spoke. “King Gabrielle, Queen Liora and Princess Adalia have sent me with good news. Princess Adalia is to be married at the end of the week. And I am her intended husband,” he took pleasure form the gasps of shock echoing through the room.
“I don’t believe it,” it was Novia who cut through the heavy silence. “Adalia was too in love with my brother to marry someone else.”
“Your brother is dead and life has to move on,” Xander pointed out in a matter of fact tone.
“My sister is going to marry? I don’t believe it. The last I heard she wouldn’t leave her room or see anyone,” Randi shook his head in disbelief. He felt like there was something that wasn’t been said. “What did father do to get her to marry you?”
Xander didn’t like the tone in his voice. It was like he was saying that there was an error in that decision. “Your father is dying. Your sister’s erratic and weird behavior has cost her the confidence of the soldiers. No man will go out to fight with a weak hearted pining woman leading them.”
Randi took a step forward out of anger. “Watch it that is my sister you are insulting.”
“It wasn’t an insult your highness, it was an observation,” he bowed hiding his smug grin. “I apologize for offending you. I have to leave now. There are things that need my attention back home.”
No one escorted Xander out as he left the palace.
Lionell was troubled by Gabrielle’s decision. He understood the reason behind it but something just didn’t sit well with him. “Something isn’t right. Randi we will leave for your home in three days. Maybe then we will find out the whole truth.”
***
Adalia was waiting for Xander at the palace gates. She had heard of his journey to the North but she had been too late to stop him. “What do you think you are doing?”
“I just went to inform your brother and your extended family of the good news,” he tried to kiss the back of her hand but she pulled away.
“What good news. Don’t try my patience Xander. Might I remind you that Conan has a much better reputation then yours and he does have sons?” She spat out. “The ceremony coordinator is waiting for you in the ballroom, and you need to pick out fabrics.”
Xander swallowed the insult but promised to pay it back tenfold once they were married.
***
Archer put all his mind into regaining the strength back in his left arm. But no matter how hard he tried he didn’t have enough time to strengthen his left wing. Every time he tried to get it out of the folds of his skin he couldn’t. Only his right wing would spring out, it was still strong but without the left it was useless.
“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard,” Fiona always sat a distance away watching him, half expecting him to reopen his wound or damage his other wing. But each day she watched him she realized that she was developing a fondness towards him. She stood up and went to him.
“Relax,” she hummed as she massaged his left shoulder. “You are too tensed and you are stressing your arm out.”
Archer relaxed at her touch but his urgency was still there. “I only have a day left. I need to push myself even harder.”
“But you also need to give yourself time to heal.”
He put his hand over hers to stop her. “I will once I have saved my family and exposed whoever is behind this scheme.”
“You don’t believe its Adalia do you?” She walked around him so that she could face him.
“That’s what my heart tells me. But my head-,” he was fighting this battle within himself that he knew whatever happened he would still loose.
“What does your head say?”
“My head says, that everything I felt while I was with her, the love the joy, that it’s all too good to be true,” Archer found it hard to settle this war between what he knew and what he felt.
“How do you feel about this place?” Fiona asked a smile radiating from her lips.
“It’s peaceful. Everything is simpler and I don’t have any responsibility. I have fallen in love with this place and I could easily call it home,” he looked up in the sky and saw the litter of stars.
“Why don’t you?” she took his hands in hers. “Why don’ you stay? You will be happy here, I could make you happy.”
Archer chose to ignore her last statement. There was no way he could betray Samson after all the help he had given her. He couldn’t hurt Fiona either. She had nursed him back to health when he thought he was dead. “I can’t stay here. I have responsibilities.”
“What responsibilities?”
He didn’t see the need to hide the truth from her anymore. Soon his identity would be known to her and to the whole colony. He decided to tell her before she heard it from somewhere else. “My name is not Arthur. I am Archer Crown Prince of the Northern kingdom, and I have to go home and save my family.”