Chapter Text
The king’s head fell off.
The video had thirty million views already, and it had only been an hour. Ivia watched it five times herself, unable to comprehend the scene.
The king had been sitting in some sort of fancy office with velvet drapes and tall white bookcases. He was typing at his desk, his expression neutral. Without warning, the glass windows behind him shattered suddenly, and someone dropped into the room wearing a black mask. They pulled out a knife and sliced through the king’s neck before his guards could reach him.
Ivia watched his blood splatter onto the clothes and masked face of the assassin, a chill running down her back. One day, would she be drenched in someone else’s blood?
“Hey!” Kalel poked his head out of the greenhouse. “Will you quit watching that and come help us?”
She stood quickly, sliding her tablet into her pocket. “Oh, so you want help from my black thumbs?”
He laughed and waved her inside. “You won’t kill anything if you do exactly as we say. I want to hurry and finish watering so I can make Mother that fish she likes.”
She nodded and stepped into the greenhouse. The familiar scent of citrus and flowers washed over her as if to cleanse the bloody video from her mind. She peered down the rows of pots and trees, looking for their caretaker.
“Where is he?” she asked quietly.
“Somewhere back there,” replied Kalel, picking up a silver watering can.
“Did you talk to him?”
“I tried.”
Ivia ventured farther into the greenhouse, looking for movement amongst the still, green leaves. His teal shirt caught her eye in the next row over. He stood hunched over a bonsai tree, examining it with full concentration. Seeing his large frame crouched in front of a tiny plant was almost comical.
“Esric.” She walked up the red cobblestone aisle.
He turned, and his green eyes widened. “Please don’t touch anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “Usually I’m saying that to you.”
“These are my babies, Ivia, and it’s really important that they get the proper care. I thought you were waiting outside.”
Ivia held up my hands in surrender. “I know, I wasn’t going to touch them, but Kalel asked me to help you guys water them. Apparently, you’re taking too long.”
He stood up and waved a hand. “I’ve got it covered.”
“You’re saying that because you don’t want my help.”
He walked across the aisle and touched a beautiful white flower. “I’m actually saying it because I want to spend a lot of time here, clearing my head.”
She swallowed thickly. When Esric watched the king’s assassination video, he hadn’t said a single word. He just stared, frozen, as the color drained out of his face. She had no idea what to say or how to help. How would she feel watching the murder of the man who exiled my family? The man who stole everything from them and killed everyone closest to them? Would she be happy to see him die? Would she feel guilty about feeling happy?
Ivia clasped her hands together. “I’ll help Kalel finish then, so he can go make dinner.”
“Perfect, that’d be great.”
“When will the sprinkler system be fixed?”
He smiled softly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Mrs. Beluge came and took a look, but she said I’m missing a piece that’s on backorder. It won’t be here for a few days.”
She huffed. “Everything takes forever to ship these days.”
He shrugged and picked up his watering can. “It’s not a big deal. I can handle it for a few days.”
He turned slightly away from her to water a fern. She pursed her lips and went to find Kalel. Usually, Esric was glowing with happiness when he was in his greenhouse, and seeing him like this made her uneasy. If she pestered him enough with questions, would he tell her how he was feeling?
No. He needed time to sort out his thoughts. In a few days, he’d talk to Kalel or her when he was ready.
Kalel looked up from the hose when Ivia approached. “How did it go?”
“Not well,” she answered softly. “I decided not to ask him about it, and he didn’t want to talk.”
He pressed his lips together. “I mean, he must be in shock still, right? He hated the king of Calcheth for twenty years, now suddenly he doesn’t exist. It makes it all seem kind of pointless.”
“I guess your right.” She placed a bucket underneath the spigot. “King Rolppen’s revolt resulted in thousands of deaths, and for what? He’s dead now. I hope he liked being king.”
“What do you think will happen in Calcheth now? People don’t like his oldest son.”
She looked across the greenhouse towards Esric. “I mean the real heir is right over there.”
Kalel’s eyes followed my gaze. “Do you think people will come to look for him?”
She turned off the water and followed Kalel down the aisle.
“No one’s found us in twenty years, so I doubt they’d be able to now. Who would suspect this tiny island anyway? No one from Calcheth even visits Bulare.”
“I heard there are other refugees here that came when we did,” replied Kalel. “But I’ve never met anyone.”
“Anyone our age wouldn’t remember much of Calcheth. We don’t walk around talking about how we were born there, do we? We don’t even have an accent anymore.”
“I guess not.” He pointed at a bamboo plant. “Hurry and help me finish watering. I’m starting to get hungry.”
Twenty minutes later, Kalel left to go start making dinner. Ivia sat on her favorite mossy stump outside the greenhouse and pulled out her tablet. The interweb was pure chaos, as expected. Many assassination attempts had been made on King Rolppen’s life, but it was a complete shock to hear of one being successful. People said the security around his castle made it impossible for anyone to sneak in. How did this masked figure do it? Where were they now?
No one knew what happened to the assassin after the video cut to black. He was probably dead, but the government hadn’t released a statement yet. The royal princes hadn’t made a statement yet. No one knew anything, and yet everyone had a theory.
“Ready to go?” Esric stepped out of the greenhouse and closed the door. His t-shirt and tan shorts were speckled with water and flecks of mud.
“Yep.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me,” he said like he always did.
“I have nothing else to do,” Ivia lied like she always did. They both knew that her mother would punish her if she left him alone in the jungle. Fifty yards was the maximum distance she could stand from Esric. Any farther was a safety risk, Mother would say. Ivia needed to be able to reach him in seconds.
“Is Kalel making fish again?” asked Esric as they meandered down the wooden walkway. They built it two summers ago, when they got tired of traipsing up and down the muddy trail to the greenhouse. Mother said it was a waste of money, but they didn’t care. The wood slats kept them out of the mud in the rain, and it rained half the year here.
“He makes it because Mother likes it.”
Esric wrinkled his nose. “It seems like he’s just made it a lot lately.”
“I told him you don’t like fish,” Ivia replied. “And it makes the house stink.”
“Well, he cooks better than both of us so I guess we should be grateful.”
“That’s exactly what he said. Plus Kora likes it.”
It was a five minutes walk back to their houses, and the lush forest was as familiar as the back of Ivia’s hand. They passed the tree Esric fell out of and broke his arm when he was twelve. They crossed the bubbling stream we used to float down on inner tubes. On the left of the rail, the thick jungle opened up to a field where their neighbors let their cows wander. There weren’t any cows today.
Finally, they reached Esric’s house. Kalel or Ivia slept over every night so he wouldn’t be alone. Mother demanded it for security reasons, but they liked to keep him company regardless. Living alone in an empty house seemed depressing.
They rounded to the front yard and continued down a dirt road to Ivia’s house. It took exactly ninety-two seconds to reach their front door from his.
Kora sat on the front porch, engrossed in a book. Her long hair was falling out of a braid, and she still wore her green and white school uniform.
She didn’t notice them until they were close enough to sit on either side of her. She smiled at them and quickly began to use sign language.
‘Guess what happened at school today?’ Her hands flew with excitement.
‘I can’t guess.’ Ivia responded.
‘I won the jump rope competition! For the entire school!’
‘Wow, good job!’ She patted Kora’s head. ‘I didn’t know it was today. All of our hard work paid off then.’
Her face scrunched up. ‘Our hard work? You mean my hard work.’
Ivia signed quickly. ‘Esric, Kalel, and I swung the jump rope every day for weeks! We deserve some of the credit. Our forearms got super sore.’
Esric joined the conversation. ‘Swinging the rope is nothing compared to the actual jumping. Kora, take all the credit for your win. You worked hard for it.’
She blushed and avoided looking at his face. She’d known Esric her entire life, but for some reason turning fourteen last year made her realize he wasn’t actually her older brother. She was shy around him now and melted at whatever he said. Ivia told him several times to stop being so nice to her so she’d snap out of it, but it was no use. He cared for her like a little sister and spoiled her with the rest of them. Ivia was the only one who tried to be firm with her, but she didn’t do a great job.
‘Does Kalel need help making dinner?’ Ivia signed.
‘He’s probably close to finishing. He told me to come out and work on my drawing for class.’
Ivia picked up Kora’s notebook from her lap.
Yikes. Drawing wasn’t one of her talents. What was it? Maybe she wasn’t far enough yet for Ivia to tell what it was.
Esric reached over and took it from her.
‘It’s a whale,’ he signed. Ivia tilted her head, trying to see what he saw. Was it an abstract whale?
‘Yes!’ Kora pointed to the bottom corner. ‘My teacher told me to fix the tail so it curves and comes this way. She said it looks to robotic.’
Esric squinted at the paper. ‘That seems like an unnatural angle.’
Ivia stood up and walked into the house. There was no need to pretend she knew what they were talking about. Esric enjoyed art and even painted himself, so he could help her better than Ivia could.
“Mother?” She ascended the stairs. Mother was sleeping the last time Ivia checked on her, but that had been a few hours ago. She proceeded down the narrow hallway until she got to the last door. Slowly, she twisted the knob and peeked inside.
Mother lay in bed, but her eyes were cracked open.
“Come in,” she said, her voice thin. Ivia ignored the familiar moldy scent and sat on her bed. No matter how many times Kalel scrubbed her room, the smell stayed.
She took Ivia’s hand with her bony fingers. “Where’s Esric?”
“Downstairs with Kora,” she replied. Her eyes looked a little more yellow than yesterday. Maybe it was from the golden rays shining through the window.
“What’s your name?” Ivia asked.
“Rosilin Sitzthurten.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at home in my bedroom with my daughter.”
“What’s the date today?”
She hesitated. “It’s Friday…I know it’s June.”
“That’s good. Today is the eleventh.” Gently, Ivia pulled down her blankets to observe her abdomen. The doctor told her to check once a day for increased swelling. It didn’t look any more swollen than yesterday.
“Where’s Esric?” Mother asked.
Ivia’s heart sank. They’d probably have to take her to the hospital in the next few days if she was already forgetting things. At least she knew the month and where she was. Tomorrow she probably wouldn’t.
“He’s downstairs with Kora,” Ivia answered. “Dinner is almost ready, are you hungry?”
She shook her head.
“Kalel made that new fish recipe that you love. The crusted Mahi mahi. Remember?”
She tucked her wispy hair behind her ear. “I don’t really have an appetite today.”
“I know, but you need the calories. You need the strength.”
“But how can I eat if I’m not hungry?”
Ivia squeezed her hand softly. “I’ll help you. Let me go grab your plate and bring it up to you. Unless you want to come downstairs to eat with all of us?”
She sighed. “I don’t think I have the energy today, Iv. Tomorrow I will.”
“You said that yesterday.”
“I didn’t sleep well last night, but tonight I will.”
“Alright. Let me get your food.”
“Get a visual on the prince so you know he’s safe.”
“I will.”
“And report back to me.”
“I will, Mother.”
Kalel was setting plates on the table, an apron tied around his waist.
“Ivia, go tell them dinner is ready. Is Mother coming down?”
“Why bother asking?” Ivia turned to the front porch and called Kora and Esric inside. Esric’s face paled as the smell of fish overwhelmed him. He sat silently at the table and forced a pleasant expression.
“Here.” Kalel slid a bowl in front of him. Ivia recognized the sweet pork immediately as Mrs. Lalau’s signature dish.
Esric looked up. “Did you buy this for me? You shouldn’t have.”
Kalel waved a hand and sat down. “You hate seafood, so I’m not going to force you to eat it.”
“I choose to eat with you guys.”
Ivia grabbed a bowl of spicy salsa and spooned it onto my fish. “That’s because you’d starve otherwise.”
He looked at his hands. “Well, thank you for the food.”
Kora tapped Ivia’s shoulder and signed, ‘Can I feed Mother today?’
“Sure.” She set a piece of fish on her plate. ‘As long as you finish your entire plate first.’
Esric scooped a large clump of pork and lifted it across the table to Ivia’s plate. She glanced at Kalel, who was pouring everyone water and didn’t notice. She mouthed a thank you to Esric. Kalel would feel bad if he knew Ivia didn’t like the fish either.
After dinner, Esric and Ivia cleared the table and washed the dishes. She scrubbed the plates clean and dunked them in the sink to rinse. Esric had been quieter than usual during dinner, not even snapping out of it with Kalel’s obvious attempts to cheer him up.
“Are you… alright?” Ivia asked, feeling foolish.
He pulled a plate out of the sink and began drying it with a flowery towel. “Do you ever think about visiting Calcheth?”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Not really. It’s not safe for you to travel there.”
“Even just for a week or two? Just to see the sights, taste the food, meet the people.”
“Calcheth isn’t a vacation destination anymore. There are mob wars in the big cities and poverty in the small ones. If you want a vacation, we should go to Lachia.”
“I’m not interested in a vacation, I’m interested in Calcheth.” He set the plate in the cupboard next to the sink. “My memories of the kingdom are vague. I remember my bedroom and a few areas of the castle, but that’s it. And the pond and courtyard where I used to play. But I don’t have memories of the cities or the people.”
“You were ten years old; you probably didn’t care about those things at the time.”
“I care now.”
“Why?”
He glanced at Ivia, his green dragon eyes caught off guard. Ivia couldn’t help it. The way he was talking made her nervous. He rarely brought up Calcheth, probably because it was a sore subject, but now suddenly he wanted to visit?
“The king was assassinated today,” he said finally. “Reporters and citizens are wondering what happened to my mother and me. Some people want me to come forward and take back the throne, while others want me to publicly rescind the right. No matter what, they just want to know where I am.”
“It’s none of their business,” Ivia retorted. “Appeasing their curiosity is not a good enough reason to risk your safety and well-being. Your mother hid from the public for a reason, and you should, too. Entering the spotlight isn’t beneficial to you in any way. Who cares about the citizens, they’ll have to live with disappointment never knowing what happened to you.”
She dunked a sticky saucepan in the soapy water and began scrubbing vigorously.
“People are already protesting,” said Esric. “I saw videos in the interweb of people holding signs. They want the current crown prince to abdicate and they want me to come back.”
“So what are you going to do, waltz through the airport and head straight to the castle?”
“Of course, I can’t be the king. I just want to ease people’s minds. If I go and give a speech or something, they can forget about me for good.”
Ivia scowled. “Are you kidding? You’ll be stalked by paparazzi for the rest of your life. And likely assassins. Don’t forget that you’re the biggest threat to the new royal family, and they can send out spies across the world to look for you. Walking right into their hands would put all our mothers’ work to waste.”
He pressed his lips together. “I feel like it’s the right thing to do.”
She shoved the pan into his hands. “Don’t make any rash decisions. Take a few weeks to mull it over when you aren’t so emotional.”
“I’m not trying to act emotionally, I’m trying to think rationally.”
“Then you need to watch the king’s assassination again. Watch it multiple times, focusing on the part when his throat gets sliced open. It’s too dangerous in Calcheth.”
“Hey, hey, hey!” Kalel bounded into the kitchen. He’d changed into an oversized yellow t-shirt and baggy pants. Around his neck was a leather cord necklace his girlfriend Mullia had gifted him on his birthday.
“Are you guys coming to the party?” he asked. “Hurry and finish so we can go. Here, let me help you.”
“I’m not going,” said Esric, looking at Ivia. “If you wouldn’t mind staying with me so Kalel can go.”
“You guys have to come!” Kalel took the sponge from my hands. “Remember a few weeks ago we stayed home, and you promised to come to the next one. It’s at Jakk’s house on Tunnels beach. We have to go tell him happy birthday!”
Ivia’s hands were tied. Either Kalel or she had to be with Esric at all times, so there was no point in giving in to Kalel’s pressure.
Esric sighed. “Let’s go for a little bit then. Half an hour maximum.”
Kalel scoffed. “We’ll be on the beach, so if you’re sick of talking to people you can wander off and stare at the waves or look for crabs. As long as we can visualize you from where we are.”
“So we’re going?” Ivia clarified. She didn’t want to force Esric to go when he was dealing with hard emotions, but maybe it would help distract him. If they didn’t go, he’d sit in his house thinking about assassinations and Calcheth.
“Give me that.” Kalel pulled the towel out of Esric’s hand. “I’ll finish the last few dishes so you two can go change.”
“Where’s Kora?” asked Ivia.
“Helping Mother. She said she has a few homework assignments to work on, and then she’ll head to bed. Now hurry and change, we’re already going to be super late!”