Chapter 8
Perhaps it was because he looked exactly how she had imagined him to look. Perhaps it was because she was so curious or so confused. Either way, she stayed grounded while he looked upon her.
“Hello, daughter,” he said. “We meet at last.”
He was tall and strong, with hair that might once have been red. Now, it was a silvery grey. He had lines around his eyes, and she saw the same sparkle in his eyes that she sometimes got when she was incredibly happy. He had probably been imagining this moment for years.
“How do I know you're telling the truth?” Ariel asked. She was already planning her escape, although it wasn't a very good one. She planned to dart past them in the dark and assumed that the forest would cover her. She just needed to get her shoes off, which she was trying to do subtly. “How do I know that any of you are telling the truth?”
“Alright, you have a right to doubt,” he said. “After all, we weren't sure it was you for many years. Here,” he put his hand on a tree, “there's magic in trees, right? Nature has magic?”
“A little bit,” she said. “But not enough to do any damage to anything.”
“I don't want to do any damage,” the man said. “I just want to prove my point. Here, put your hand on the tree, but don't suck anything out.”
“Mmm,” she winced. “It's not easy to contain.”
“You can do it,” he smiled. “I believe in you. Place your hand on the tree.”
She obliged only because it put her in a better position to take off her shoes. She leaned forward, subtly slipping off her left heel. She felt the magic in her palms, and then she felt it slink away. She looked up to him, in shock.
“That's how fast you can do it when you are trained,” he said. “We can teach you how to hone your skills.”
“I know how to use my skills,” she said, but he raised an eyebrow.
“But you are three times more powerful than I am, and you cannot do that as fast,” he said. “And I'm sure it would be of your benefit to learn how to work faster, wouldn't it?”
“No,” she said dully.
“Really? When your brother-in-law was cursed last year, you wouldn't have given anything to suck that painful magic out of him a bit faster?”
Ariel's eyes darted upwards. “How did you know about that?”
“I have my ways,” he said. “And my spies.”
“But you couldn't have gotten into the kingdom.”
“No,” he nodded. “You're right. But you and Alexander are quite free with your speech when you are here.”
“Argh,” she growled. Her hands trembled, and she wanted to smash both their faces against the tree. “What do you want from me?”
“Nothing right now,” he said. “Just think about it, Ariel. Nothing more.”
“Think about what?”
“Joining us,” he said. “Joining your family. Specifically, in going against those, who did us wrong.”
“I will never abandon…” she started but he raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure?” he answered. “Because I know you've been wanting to make a break from them for a long time. You don't like being married, is that true?” she didn't answer, and he continued to look down upon her. “Although I wish I could have been there at your wedding, under different circumstances, of course. Perhaps not to a dragon lord.”
“My wedding?” she asked, in shock.
“To give you away,” he said. “A privilege I've been denied.”
“You were denied everything when you abandoned me!” she cried.
“For your own safety,” he said. “I assure you.”
“Safety?” She laughed. “Do you think it was safe that I grew up in foster homes with nine other kids in two bed rooms? With foster parents, who only wanted the money the agency gave? With foster mothers who kicked me out for the simple reason that I was beautiful? You don't know what safety is. I was left to starve, to freeze, and to die. I lived on the streets. I lived in hostels until I found dance. And when the dance world threatened to abandon me, too, it was dragons who saved me.”
“And yet they control you,” he said. “They keep you in a cage, and you do not like cages, do you? No, your mother didn't like cages either.”
She froze.
“Where's my mother?”
Even though she never knew her mother, she had always wondered who she was and what she was like. She wished that the wondering had gone away as a teenager or as an adult, but a girl never stops wanting her mother.
His face softened.
“She has not returned to us yet.”
“From the Other?” Ariel asked.
“Yes. But we have faith that she will. She will find a different world–a united world. One where she and I will not be apart.”
“I want to leave,” Ariel said, and to her surprise, he stepped aside, waving his arms.
“By all means. We will never keep you prisoner nor tie you down. You are free to come and go; there are no conditions on our offer, Ariel. Or our love.”
She turned and ran as fast as she could. The forest was dark, and she wasn't sure which direction she had come from. They weren't following her, however, and her phone's GPS eventually got her back onto the sidewalk. Bending over, she tried to catch her breath.
It would have been better if she knew he was lying. If he had been nasty or hurtful, she could have dismissed this experience and never thought about it again.
But he had been kind and caring, with a smile on his face. That was what made it worse. And he was speaking with grief over her mother, which was something she had never expected.
But then again, she wasn't quite sure what to expect because she hadn't exactly pictured this moment. Any time she had pictured her parents, she had seen them in a normal situation–a Christmas morning, or a birthday party, or a big breakfast.
This was life changing, and she didn't do well with total chaos. Her life had been the same in a lot of ways since she was a child: alone, fending for herself, no one looking out for her needs except her. The fact that this kind man was telling her these things made her brain flip on edge. She didn't really know what to make of it.
She eventually found her way back to the hotel, her lips firmly shut as she got into the elevator. Her mind was spinning too fast to speak, and she was grateful to find the hotel room mostly empty as she walked in.
She thought that perhaps Alexander had gone out with Peter to eat or to clear their heads. If Peter was anything like the others, it wouldn't be out of character for them to get a drink in the bar.
She was ready to sink on the bed, hoping to lose herself in mindless TV. But then she heard a noise of distress from the bathroom and remained on her feet, her legs stopping her mid fall.
“Alexander?” she asked, taking a cautious step towards the bathroom. All her senses were on high alert, especially after this evening. She felt the familiar magic of her husband flood the room, getting sucked into her veins as she pushed open the bathroom door.
Alexander had both hands on the porcelain white sink, his jacket discarded on the ground as he heaved. His taut stomach contracted, and sweat poured down his face as he took a deep breath, waiving his hand.
“Ariel. No!”
“Sweet Jesus, will you never get over your pride?” she said as she went to him, wrapping her hands around his waist. “I've seen you throw up before.”
It alarmed her that he was practically trembling, his eyes fighting for consciousness. She knew better than to ask questions when someone was in this state. She held him close until he was still, his body simply reacting to the rejection. She felt nothing but his own magic in him, but she wondered if he had been cursed just the same. Dragons were strong, even on Earth beside carapaces. They shouldn't be catching stomach bugs and throwing up in hotel sinks.
“Alright?” she said after a moment, and he managed to nod. She guided him back to the bed, handing him a chilled, over-priced bottle of water from the mini bar. “Just sit quietly for a moment.”
He smirked softly, even as he half gagged on the water.
“I'm not a child, Ariel.”
“Really? Because I leave for two seconds and come back to you making messes in the bathroom,” she said, trying to make him smile. “That's better. What's happening?”
“I don't know,” he said. “It came on suddenly. I've never had anything like that before.”
“Lovely,” she said. “Where's Peter?”
“He's safe,” Alexander said. “In his room, and I told him I'd know in an instant if he tried something ridiculous. He's fine for now. I came back here and it struck me like a thunder bolt.”
“Is it possible...?” Her brain whirled. “I mean, you're not quite human if I'm not around, but you have a lot less magic. And if I am around, you're basically locked in human form, save for a bit of magic. Could you have picked up something?”
“A human virus?” he asked. “I don't think so. I...maybe? God,” he closed his eyes, leaning forward. “Ariel?”
He looked so pitiful that she forgot their earlier scrap and what had taken place in the woods. She crawled up on the bed beside him. He was never one for being touched unless he wasn't quite in his right mind. But now, he wanted nothing but her hands on him.
“You're not cursed,” she said. “I feel nothing in you except for your own magic.”
“This would happen just now,” he said, trying to breathe as another wave of nausea hit him. “What did you get up to?”
“Oh,” she paused. She had never lied to him before, and had never kept a secret. Between them, there was no judgment or secrets. They had always known each other inside and out. But it appeared that he had changed that policy by not telling her that half the kingdom was hers. Until she knew exactly what these people who claimed to be her family wanted, she decided silence was the best policy. “I just went for a walk to clear my head.”
“I am sorry, Ariel,” he said. “I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry if you felt like I deceived you.”
“Alexander, it's your kingdom,” she said, softly. “You have no need to tell me anything if you didn't want to.”
“Those weren't our vows,” he said, sinking into the pillows. She had so much to protest in that sentence. Where did their vows come into this, exactly? Neither of them had taken them seriously; they were just a means to an end. Or so she had thought.
He closed his eyes, and she said nothing, laying her head beside him. What had transpired tonight was a conversation for a different time–the morning perhaps. Tonight, she needed him to feel better, because she certainly didn't know how to handle any of this by herself.