15. A Heart’s Revelation

15

A HEART’S REVELATION

(RIVEN)

T ears spill from Rowena’s eyes, but before I can comfort her, the voice of one of the elf elders stops me.

“You really are nothing like your father.”

It’s the leader, and he’s smiling at me, his eyes full of warmth, his earlier hesitation and weariness gone.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re willing to spend the rest of your life as a stone just so your friend won’t lose a memory,” he says. “It’s the most selfless decision I’ve seen in a long time.”

He starts to walk away from the tree. “Follow me. Both of you.”

The rest of the elders stay behind while Rowena and I follow the leader into a hollow cove in the trunk of a willow tree. There are mirrors everywhere, but when we walk past, they don’t show our reflection.

“Stop where you are,” the leader commands while he continues to walk up ahead until he climbs up a platform. Rowena and I freeze, watching with interest as he pulls out another mirror and holds it up to his face.

“Everyone knows about the Stone Prince,” he says. “And for years, the elves have known that the key to your healing was in the spiritual realm.”

“Does my father know?” I ask, hoping for a different answer, even though Kaelith already told me the truth.

“He does,” the leader answers. “You will never be able to reach the key again, but the elves always reward selflessness.”

“Are you going to help him?” Rowena asks hopefully.

“I’m not sure if I can help him,” the leader answers. “But I can reward you. One for each of you.”

Hope flares in me again. “What is it?”

“For you, it’s knowledge,” he answers. “There’s another way to lift your curse. I can tell you.”

“Please, tell us,” Rowena pleads, and I’m touched by how much she cares for me. I’m still not over how she was willing to let go of her mother’s memory for me.

“Queen Morgath,” he says, staring into the mirror.

My breath hitches in my throat, and beside me, Rowena gasps.

“What? How can Queen Morgath lift my curse?”

“I’m sorry, Prince Riven, that’s all I can tell you.” He glances at Rowena. “For you, I’ll give you the gift of choice. What do you want?”

“Can you tell us how Morgath can lift the curse?”

“No. That’s for you to find out.”

Rowena sighs and appears thoughtful for a moment. Then she perks up again. “The lunar eclipse is in less than five days,” she says. “If we make the journey, we will not reach home in time to speak to Morgath. Is there a way you can help us get home quicker?”

“Smart girl,” the leader smiles.

He hides the mirror again and returns to us. “I like you both,” he says. “You can always come back. Solavien is open to you.”

“Thank you so much.”

“And you.” He looks at me. “You are nothing like your father. I hope that when you become King, you can truly uphold the alliance. We will all be greater if we work together.”

“You’re right,” I answer, meeting his gaze. “That’s my dream.”

He nods. “This next step requires trust,” he says, leading us to another corner of the room. This seems to be his lair, with how easily he moves from one place to another.

“Trust?”

“Yes.” When he turns back to us, he’s holding two black vials. “Where do you want to go?”

“The Forest of Herbs,” Rowena answers.

He hands us the vials. “When you take this, you’ll be unconscious,” he says. “But only for a moment. When you awaken, you’ll find yourself wherever your heart desires.”

Rowena glances at me, doubt in her eyes. We don’t have a reason to trust the elf leader other than the fact that he’s been nice to us. But it’s a different case when we’re unconscious. What if he tries to kill us or steal our magic?

Rowena nods and opens the vial, silently imploring me to do the same. The leader doesn’t say a word like he’s giving us a chance to make this decision ourselves. I open the vial, and together, we gulp down the content.

The next thing I know, my body feels weak, and I’m falling….but I don’t hit the ground.

When I regain consciousness, the first thing I perceive is the smell of something sweet and warm. My eyes flutter open, and the pain in my body makes me groan. I instantly recognize Rowena’s house and frown, wondering how I got there. The last thing I remember is being in Solavien village.

I hear a loud clunk from next door, followed by a hissing sound.

“Rowena?”

There’s silence for a few seconds, followed by the pound of footsteps, and then Rowena shows up at the door, a small smile on her face.

“You’re up,” she says. “The broth is almost ready.”

“What happened?” I stand. “We just left Solavien. How are you making broth and I’m…?”

She laughs. “It clocked midnight while we were transitioning from Solavien to the Forest of Herbs. You turned into stone before we arrived. The real question should be how did I bring you home.”

Home.

My heart flutters at how she calls this place home because, yes, it feels more homely to me than the palace.

“How did you bring me home?”

“I’m stronger than you think.” She turns away. “Come.”

I follow her into the next room, where there’s an open pot boiling over blue flames. The aroma of the broth is more potent here, and my stomach growls.

Laughing, Rowena serves me a plate and hands it over. “Eat.”

“Thank you.”

I take the first spoon, groaning when the heat and flavors dissolve on my tongue.

“Riven, I think you should go home.”

I look up, the broth suddenly losing its flavor. “What?”

She smiles. “You should go home.”

I set down the plate with a frown. “Why?”

“You've been away for so long,” she says with a sad expression. “Your father threatened exile.”

“I don’t care about that. I have to see Morgath. You heard the elf leader; she’s the only one who can lift the curse. My father doesn’t care about me. He knew about the key, and he did nothing!”

“Riven.” She slowly walks towards me. “You don’t need your father. You’ve come this far on your own. But I think you both need to have a conversation. Return tomorrow, and we’ll talk about seeing Morgath.”

I take deep breaths, feeling my blood heat anxiously at the thought of returning to the palace. I’ve been away from home for a few days, and not once did I miss it. Home isn’t where my parents are; it’s where Rowena is.

She holds my face in her hands. “You deserve to know the truth, Riven. Go home.”

When I don’t respond, she stands on the tip of her toes and kisses me passionately, reviving my blood. My arms wrap around her waist, and I pull her closer, wishing we could run away together.

“I’m scared, Riven,” she says. “The lunar eclipse is in a few days. I don’t trust what Morgath will do.”

I lean my forehead against hers. “We will overcome this.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll go,” I force a smile. “But let me finish my broth. Our cooks don’t make them half as good.”

Her laughter calms my nervous heart, and I eat as slowly as possible, stalling and enjoying her presence as long as I can.

Eventually, I have to go, and I steal another kiss from Rowena before leaving. As I near the palace, my only wish is not to run into my father, or it’ll ruin the rest of my day. I get that I have to talk to him eventually, but not right now.

I walk past the guards at the gate, breezing into the foyer and breathing a sigh of relief when it’s empty. I’m only halfway up the stairs when I hear footsteps behind me and freeze.

“Riven?”

At the sound of my mother’s voice, I turn to see her standing at the base of the stairway, her expression teary.

“Oh, my son.” She rushes up the stairs, enveloping me in a hug that communicates her love. “Where did you go? We’ve looked everywhere.”

“We?” I pull away. If my father knew about the key in Solavien, there’s a high chance my mom does, too. One of my biggest fears right now is finding out my mom knew a way out and let me suffer all these years. I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive that.

“Yes.” She nods. “Your father and I have been looking everywhere for you.”

I frown. “Did father not tell you where I was?”

“He knew where you were?”

I pause, my gaze skimming her face in confusion. “I went to Solavien.”

Her face fell, a sign that she knew about the key. My heart shattered into a million painful pieces.

“You knew about the key in the spiritual realm, didn’t you?” I ask. “Mom, you knew!”

“Riven.” She reaches for me, but I take a step back. “Riven, you don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t.” I shake my head. “That’s so unfair.”

“Riven, please?—”

“Look who's back.” My father’s harsh voice rumbles through the hall, causing us to turn towards the door. He stands there with a snarl on his face as he stares at me.

“Where’s the key?” He laughs. “Do you have it?”

“You are not a father.” I march down the stairs, anger sizzling beneath my skin. My mother grabs my arm, but I jerk away from her touch.

My father stands his ground, waiting until I stop only a few feet away from him. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“Oh, please.” He rolls his eyes. “You obviously didn’t bring back the key,” he says. “So I’m assuming you know exactly how hard it is to get into the spiritual realm. What would you have me do, son? Give up my magic for you?”

“First of all, I’m not your son!”

“Unfortunately, you are,” he laughs again. “There’s nothing either of us can do to change that. I suggest that you return to your senses and stop frolicking with that witch, or it’ll get you in trouble.”

“That witch has done more for me than you ever have,” I answer calmly, feeling immense satisfaction when his eyes flash angrily. “That witch has sacrificed more for me than you ever have!”

My mom suddenly appears beside us, her eyes glassy with tears, but I don’t buy it.

“You both watched me suffer all these years! You claimed you’ve done everything you could, but the one thing that can guarantee my freedom, you kept it away from me!”

“The stupid tree asked for my magic!” My father growls. “Am I supposed to lose myself for your freedom?”

“You should have told me about the key!” I yell back. “When I was old enough, you should have told me about it, and I would have made the trip there myself. I don’t need you; I would have given up everything to be able to sleep at night like a normal fae would!”

I shake my head. “If I hadn’t met Rowena, I would still be clueless. I would not have known I had a chance.”

My father shrugs. “Now that you know, what did you make of it?” He asks. “You still didn’t get the key! So what’s the argument about?”

“Faelor!” My mom turns to him. “Stop it!”

He scoffs. “You’ve lived with the curse for decades, Riven. It won’t kill you to live with it for many more. Don’t be a crybaby about it.”

My mother gasps, her eyes filling with hurt at what my father said. As for me, I don’t feel anything. His words stopped meaning anything to me a long time ago. I don’t bother to tell him I only have until the next lunar eclipse to stay alive. What’s the point? It’s not like he cares.

With one last glance at them, I turn to walk up the stairs, preparing to lock myself in my room until I can see Rowena tomorrow.

As I go, my father’s voice reaches me. “Riven! The next time I see you with that witch, you will no longer be my son!”