Standing Steady in the Storms Ch. 40

Part III: Journey

An Unexpected Visitor

Notes:

100% moment is drawing to a close.

*****

When they left the beach, Janner did not object to Sara's assistance when she offered him a hand to help him off the ground. He needed her steadiness and strength for now. He knew he couldn't do it all on his own.

As they started walking towards the rocky path that led back to Castle Rysen, Janner eyed it warily. He had a feeling that "scaling" it wasn't going to end well. 

As it turned out, halfway up the path his legs were trembling from exhaustion. Janner forced himself to place one foot in front of the other but knew with every step, he was leaning more on Sara than he should have. Yet she made no comment nor complaint about it. Janner wondered why she said nothing.

"Can we take a break?" He finally asked out of breath and practically wheezing. 

Sara looked at him and smiled. "I've been waiting for you to ask." Leaving him alone with his thoughts to ponder what she meant, Sara guided him to a large, flat stone along the path.

Janner sat down on it far heavier than he intended to. He wasn't trying to appear exhausted, but it just kept happening. He hated to do that to Sara when they were supposed to be out together away from everyone else on the Isle. And he was annoyed with himself for bringing up what was buried inside his heart about Kalmar.

"I'm sorry," Janner said softly.

Sara, who was standing off to the side and looking out at the Sea, turned to him, her head cocked, windblown hair fluttering about her face like curly feathers. "What for?"

"I wanted this to be like a normal thing," he began. "I wanted this to be like our normal walks and talks along the beach. I wanted to laugh with you and talk about the twins and the books we've been reading. Instead, you put up with me telling you what happened on the island the entire time. I feel terrible about that." Janner stopped and looked at his hands as his fingers interlocked and twisted between each other. It was a strange thing to see himself do. He had watched Artham do that so many times — especially when he was still Peet. He wondered if he would ever stop.

Sara was quiet for a little bit. Then, she took a few steps and sat down next to him. She rested her head on Janner's shoulder and leaned into his side, not so much that it was too hard for him to stay upright but just enough so that he could feel like he was still doing something for her. Janner felt peace and love burning inside of him when he realized why Sara was doing what she was doing. 

"Well, first things first," she said, responding to his earlier statement. "I haven't been reading much lately. I've been just slightly preoccupied. And it hasn't just been staying with you," she added quickly at the same moment Janner felt a clench of guilt in the pit of his stomach. "It's been the twins and Galya and Leeli and Mama and Artham. A whole slew of things."

Janner looked at her again. Sara seemed like she was being so honest and kind, surely she was telling the truth. Wait, am I seriously arguing with myself over whether or not I trust my wife to tell me the truth? Janner smiled a little. It really was not a smiling matter, but it was funny.

"What are you thinking about?" Sara asked, picking her head up from where she had laid it on his shoulder. 

“I’m just arguing with myself that’s all,” Janner told her. “About whether or not I should let myself believe what you’re saying.”

Sara raised her eyebrows. “And you decided....?”

Janner stood up from the boulder where they sat and held out his hand to help her. She took it with just a teeny bit of hesitation. “I decided,” he whispered as he pulled her close to him in a warm embrace. “That I should.”

“You did?” Sara replied, her blue eyes soft, every line of her face that had once been there relaxed because of their closeness.

Janner nodded. “I did. Because over these past four weeks, I know that — without a single tendril of a shadow of a doubt — no matter what anyone ever said to me, no matter what my head ever admonished me to believe, you always told the truth. You always have. And you always will.”

Sara smiled at him lovingly, her eyes sparkling with joy. Janner leaned down and kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair, like meadow flowers, and still hot in the lingering, evening sun.

They stood that way for a while, underneath the glow of the setting sun and the scarlet rays bathing them in light and happiness. All they could hear were the waves against the rocks, the Sea breeze blowing the lush grasses this way and that, and the twitters of the Annieran Eve Birds as they left their nests to sing throughout the night. 

Slowly, though, another sound worked its way into the peace of dusk. It was a flappy sort of sound, not anything like Artham’s graceful wingbeats. These were rough, sloppy, leathery and—

“Oh, no,” Janner said aloud, horror leaping on his face. 

“What? What is it? What’s wrong?” Sara asked him in alarm, pulling away abruptly. 

“Get behind me,” Janner told her forcefully, not answering her question. There was no time to answer her question, not now. All there was time to do was to protect her. Protect Sara. Protect his love. 

Sara looked at him, curious for a second, before stepping behind him. “Thank you,” he told her softly as he braced himself to turn around and see what he knew was there. 

Suddenly, a loud, high voice shot through the air. “I do hate to break up the lovely moment, but I have some business to attend to.” 

Janner spun around, his mouth gaping open. He saw a bat fang, — and, if he wasn’t mistaken — it was the same bat fang that had kidnapped Kal. In its arms it held not an unconscious boy, but a very awake woman in a dark cowl. 

It was the same woman who had spoken to Kalmar in the vision, Janner was sure of it. It was the woman who was keeping him prisoner. And now that he had seen her and heard her voice and watched her sit in the arms of a Fang, Janner was almost certain he knew who she was. Even though it was impossible. Even though she was supposed to be dead.

*****

Artham was playing with Asteria, holding her, flying up, and then tossing her into the air, making sure to catch her long before she hit the ground. Arundelle stood below, watching them, most likely worried that he would drop their daughter. 

“Who’s my precious little flutterfly?” He asked Asteria as he held her up in his arms and spun her around. 

She shrieked with laughter and clapped her hands together. “Me!”

Artham raised an eyebrow, mockingly inquisitive. “Are you sure about that? What if it’s......Mommy?” He flipped her upside down this time, being very careful to make sure he had a firm grip on her. 

Asteria puckered her face, thinking intently, even as her daddy held her facing the ground. “Mommy is one your flut-ter-flies,” she said slowly. “But I your li'le flut-ter-fly!”

Artham laughed and brought her close to his chest, hugging her. She wrapped her little arms around his neck for a minute, laying her head on his shoulder. He smiled but simply couldn’t resist blowing a raspberry on her unsuspecting cheek. 

Asteria once again dissolved into fits of giggles and Artham laughed along with her. 

But as his eyes happened to catch a glimpse of something right on the Annieran shore, his laughter faded and his eyes grew dark. Artham lowered himself as quickly as he could with Asteria in his arms and passed her to Arundelle. 

“What’s happening?” she asked him fervently, taking their little girl. 

Artham glanced at her and saw worry lines on her face. He hated that she had done so much worrying in her life. “I’m not sure, love. But it could be bad. I’ll tell you when I get back.” He spread his wings to fly towards the innocent speck on the horizon for those with normal vision, and the menacing Bat Fang holding woman Artham thought he recognized. Then a little voice held him back.

“Dada? Dada, where you go?” Asteria turned her big, green eyes on him, wanting to know why her daddy was leaving her.

“I’ll be back in a moment, sweetheart.” Artham told her. “Just stay with mommy for now, okay?”

“‘Kay,” Asteria said, hiding her face in Arundelle's neck. Artham felt a little twinge in his heart. Asteria wasn't certain that things were alright, and as he flew off, the uncertainty in his own mind grew and grew. 

*****

Notes:

I really wanted a scene with Artham and Asteria, since I haven't really developed their relationship....at all 😅