Page 93

Kael gave her a look and explained to Aneri, who was sat beside him. “He came upon us on the road as we traveled to Aetheria.”

“Back to Aetheria,” Mev cut in, earning her a look from her partner. “Sorry. I’m sure I’ll stop busting your ass about our meet-cute one of these days.”

Mev said the strangest things at times, though I was fairly certain of her meaning since I’d heard this story before.

“Anyway,” he continued to Aneri with Marek and Caelum listening, “Mev took to him immediately, being human and all. I may have needed a bit more convincing.”

“A bit?” Rowan said.

Kael shrugged. “I believe we’re missing the point which is that I’m glad for you both.”

“As we all are,” Marek said. “Another round of drinks to celebrate?”

“I would like to speak to you alone,” Rowan said in my ear. I nodded.

“Please continue the celebration without us,” I said as Rowan, now standing, pulled my seat for me. Forgetting I was no longer simply Nerys but the queen, when the entire table stood as I did, the remainder of the meal’s guests doing the same, I vowed to eliminate that silly tradition. “Sit,” I called to the crowd. “And stay. I leave but that does not mean the meal is ended. I wish, this night and every night, for you to come and go as you please.”

“Is it wise,” Aneri asked, “to dispense with too many traditions at once?”

“A good question, although that one seems innocuous enough to alter. But I will think on it after I speak privately with Rowan.”

“You wish tospeakto your new partner? Is that so?” Marek laughed, earning a stern glare from Aneri.

“You are incorrigible,” she chastised him.

“You adore me for it.”

Caelum grinned.

“I can assure you that is not the case,” Aneri shot back.

As the two of them continued their disagreement, I bid a good eve to our guests.

“You’ve moved your belongings to our new bedchamber?” I asked as we left the hall.

“I have, but wondered… before we retire,” he said the words with a smile, knowing full well we would be doing anything but, “I thought perhaps we could speak in the Garden of Luminous Tides?”

“Of course,” I said as we walked through the corridor as Aelois followed. As Captain of the Guard, he was never far behind me. “You will need to choose a captain too,” I reminded him, “after the ceremony.”

“Are you surprised at the public sentiment thus far?” Rowan asked.

We had anticipated a mixed reaction to the announcement and had received it, but more Thalassarians had accepted that they would have a human king, once I was officially crowned, than we’d expected.

I thought about the question. “No,” I said finally. “You have been our neighbor for hundreds of years. If it is not time to fully accept Estmere as one of the four clans of Elydor, then when will it be? In five hundred more years? A thousand? Even those among us who value water-wielding above all other skills can recognize the contributions humans have made.”

We reached the cascading vines; I twisted my hand, parting them.

“I should have realized that day,” I said, as Rowan took me into his arms the moment the vines closed behind us, “you were special. To be admitted here. The pelagor. Seren’s ready acceptance of you. This was meant to be, Rowan. You were meant for Thalassaria.”

“I was meant for you,” he said, kissing me, his lips covering mine as we fell into a blissful embrace that I’d have been glad to last forever. Unfortunately, we were here to talk and Rowan seemed intent on doing just that. He broke away, guiding me to the same bench by the water’s edge where we sat the other time.

“But I was also meant for another purpose.”

Rowan took my hand. The change in his demeanor had me angling my body toward him, intent on not missing even a word. This was important, obviously, and Rowan’s countenance said as much.

“I took a vow not to utter these words aloud to anyone without the blood of my ancestors running through them. The only exception being my wife. It is the same vow my parents, and grandparents, and theirs before them took. The vow of The Keepers.”

“The Keepers? What is that?”