Joined (The Secret World Of Atlantis 4)

Chapter 14 - A Snippet Of The Truth

For a few moments, the office is deadly silent. I can sense that even Eros can’t believe his ears right now. I mean, how could he? The location of the fairies was supposed to be unknown to everyone but them. How is this possible?

Father watches me silently, not saying a word the whole time it takes me to process what I just heard. But the moment he opens his mouth, I raise my hand, shaking my head at him. “The first time I asked you about fairies, you told me, that they used to live amongst us, but weren’t happy, so they retrieved somewhere else, and no one has seen them ever since. Would you care to explain, why you felt the need to hide the fact, that my own mother was visiting them?” I want to know, feeling confused, frustrated and disappointed all at once.

I can sense Eros feeling uncomfortable as he hears me say those words, making me slightly regret what I just said. But really, would anyone react in a different way? Would he? Upon thinking that, I can sense his mood shifting. He can’t hide what’s going on inside his head, but he is sure trying not to think about what’s pestering him.

I’m not hiding anything from you. But I can’t tell you about it either. I’ve been in a situation like this at Olympus. That’s all you can know, Eros quickly explains himself. I glance at him shortly in an understanding way, before turning my attention back to my father.

He seems to regret lying to me on that day, and I can tell this has been bothering him for quite some time now. “I know there’s no excuse for this, but you just came to Atlantis. Everything was so new to you, I could tell you are trying so hard to keep up with all the things we’ve told you. I couldn’t just throw you into a mass of secrets and make you carry that burden with me. You didn’t deserve it,” he says, trying to justify hiding that from me.

I watch him for a long moment, before sighing. “I get it … You were trying to protect me,” I finally respond after doing some thinking. I can sense Eros relaxing on the chair next to me, as I decide to take the high road, despite being tempted to act like a spoiled ungrateful kid. Well, putting it that way, I’m now sure I would never want to be that.

Father visibly breathes out in relief as he hears me say those words. “Thank you. That’s the only reason why I haven’t told you about this sooner. And also, because someone else was taking care of this matter all these years …” He trails off, his expression suddenly turning darker. “Or at least I thought he was,” he adds in a cold tone, and I can sense a hint of anger inside his voice. It doesn’t even take me two guesses to realize who he’s talking about.

“Teivel’s travels. This is where he’s been going. This is why he was absent most of the time, isn’t it?” I wonder out loud, while Eros puts one and one together inside his mind. He first seems stunned, but as soon as the initial shock wears off, he turns angry. But father seems to be even more furious.

He nods with a serious expression on his face, putting his hands down and clenching them into fists. I can see his knuckles turning white just before he speaks up. “That’s right. But the problem is, I’m not sure that I can trust he’s truly been going there. Or perhaps he has, and he managed to mess up everything Delfina fought for,” he grits through his teeth. He then closes his eyes, taking a deep breath as he’s trying to get his emotions under control.

I share a look with Eros, who is visibly tense. His eyebrows are furrowed, and his jaw is clenched in a way that it makes my own hurt. I can hear him cursing in there. I would normally glare at him for behaving like that, but in this situation, I completely agree with him. I mean, f**k! How many things has Teivel managed to mess up without anyone even realizing it? He’s probably been plotting schemes under everyone’s noses for years, and all everyone has ever felt for him was empathy, because he lost his brother in such a horrible way!

“You can’t know that for sure,” I state, surprised that I’m even saying anything. Father looks at me with a questioning gaze. I’m not even sure where the words are coming from, but I suddenly continue with what I began. “But you can always check if you’re right. That is, if you still remember where the fairy kingdom is situated.”

Father frowns at me. “Of course I remember, it’s right …” he starts saying, but pauses just before he was about to reveal the location. He narrows his eyes at me. “I am not telling you that, because I have a feeling you were about to do something reckless,” he then states, his expression determined. I can barely prevent myself from rolling my eyes.

“No, I wasn’t,” I declare, not wanting to admit that I was tempted to go find the fairy kingdom on my own.

“She’s lying,” Eros suddenly says, making me widen my eyes in surprise. I look at him, completely stunned that he bailed on me like that. He offers me a half-smile. “I’m sorry, Arya, but things are far too dangerous for you to be playing around like that,” he tells me in an apologetic way. I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I was holding, shaking my head.

“Well, thank you for your input, son, it is very much appreciated,” father tells my bonded. Ah, I knew they would stick together someday. I just didn’t think it would be against me. Eros sends me a long look and I get what he’s trying to tell me. That no one is working against me.

“Okay, fine,” I admit, breathing out in frustration. I tuck a stubborn strand of hair behind my ear, before saying: “But you are not going to convince me, that you aren’t tempted to send someone to the fairy kingdom and see where we’re standing with them.”

Father watches me with a thoughtful expression on his face, like he’s trying to decide whether it would be wise to continue this conversation with me or not. Don’t worry dad. I might get some super bright ideas, but that doesn’t mean I’ll carry them out.

Eros snorts beside me in disbelief, making father glance between us in a confused way. “Out loud please,” he then says, trying to get us to share our inner communicating.

“It’s nothing that should concern you,” I turn him down, leaning forward in my seat to express my interest in the fairy matter. “Now, tell me, do you have a plan for reaching out to the fairies? After all, Teivel might have damaged their view on us so much, that they might try to attack any flyer or magician that comes near them,” I continue, trying to put an idea in his head. But by the confused way he looks at me, I can tell it isn’t working out very well.

“Well … Now that we know we’ll be going into war with Teivel soon, we could truly use the fairies’ help. I thought that I should send out the best Guardians that aren’t on a mission already. They are trained for situations like this,” he says slowly, making me groan in frustration.

“Really? Guardians? First you send a Princess, then a Royal consultant, who has probably messed everything up, and now you want to mend things with Guardians?” I burst out, unable to hold back any longer. A tense silence falls upon the office, while father stares at me intently. Eros is once again trying his best not to flip out because of my long tongue, but I’m not sorry. I meant every word I’ve said.

When father responds to my question, he seems completely calm and collected. “Then what would you suggest me to do instead?” he asks, and I can’t tell if this is a trick question or not. But finally, he’s asked what I wanted him to. And I decide to answer truthfully.

I take a deep breath, before speaking up, saying: “It’s obvious, that you should send someone who is equally as important, as my mother was.” He stares at me blankly, while I sigh in deep frustration. “Well, me, of course!”

Without even thinking about it, father shakes his head in response. My face falls. “No. Not a chance. I will not let you get into something so dangerous. Even sealing portals is dangerous enough, but facing fairies is like writing yourself a death sentence,” he turns me down without any mercy.

I glance at Eros for help, but he seems to be deciding on which side he’s on. Fine. Then I’ll do this on my own. I only hope father will listen and see reason. “Look, I get that you’re trying to protect me and everything, but since it’s a kingdom you’re trying to ask to help, I don’t think its King and Queen are going to listen to Guardians. In case they don’t have a very positive opinion about us, they won’t even consider helping, if we send the people, who simply work for us. If we want the fairies to trust us and show them that we’re truly in need of their help, then a Crown Princess coming such a long way would surely convince them that things are serious, don’t you think?” I insist, but he seems to be getting angry with me.

“Young lady, have you forgotten, that you have a school to attend? There’s no way I’ll let you seek out the fairies’ help by yourself,” he denies my request again. I c**k an eyebrow.

“Who, said I would be going on my own? Eros and Elena are trained Guardians and nobles. They would help me win over the respect of the fairies easily. And I think Silver might be able to lead the way, since he’s probably been in their kingdom many times with my mother. Or am I wrong?” I say, making father seem completely astonished.

In the next moment, he furrows his eyebrows, shaking his head so wildly, that he almost makes the golden laurel wreath slip off it. “I said no,” he says calmly, but I can sense there’s anger hidden in his voice.

I get up abruptly, barely holding my patience anymore. “Fine. I guess I’ll just ask Silver for an opinion and see if he agrees with the only logical way to get the fairies’ help,” I state, my chest inflated with pride. Father stands up as well, leaning himself on the desk as he responds to my provocation.

“Even if the Pegasus does agree, there is no way I will let you endanger yourself like that. Who knows what opinion do the fairies have about us? I am not willing to sacrifice my own daughter to find that out,” he declares in a low tone. Now, Eros stands up as well, his gaze jumping between the two of us. But I’m too disappointed to respond, and father is too worried to continue speaking.

“Do you want us to keep this for ourselves?” I hear Eros asking, directing the question to my father. He looks at him like he’s almost forgotten he’s in the office with us, then nods with a serious expression.

“For the time being, yes. This is a top guarded secret, no one else can know about it. Is that clear?” he says, making me feel like the question is meant for me.

“Of course,” I reply, before saying: “Excuse us, but Elena, Demitri and Emilia must already be waiting for us in the Foyer.”

“Good luck,” father wishes us, but I am already walking out of the office, frustration building up inside my chest. I can hear Eros’s footsteps behind me, as he catches up with me, clearly unpleased with the way I was just behaving.

“What was that all about?” he asks, his eyebrows furrowed. I shake my head in disappointment.

“It was about giving this Kingdom a shot of winning the war. Without the fairies … I don’t think we stand much of a chance,” I admit, worry already gnawing at me from the inside. I was bluffing when I said I would ask Silver for an opinion about this matter. I know he would never agree to take us to the fairy kingdom, at least not without father’s direct orders.

I quicken my pace, like I’m trying to escape all my troubles. I can sense Eros getting impatient, and in the next moment, I can already feel the grip of his hand on my forearm. I try to get away, but he’s too strong. He spins me around, so I am forced to face him, but I turn my gaze into the ground.

“Arya, please don’t be difficult. I only want good for you,” he tells me softly. I raise my chin, looking at him in an accusing way.

“Then why don’t you want to help me? You know that we need the fairies’ help if we want to defeat Teivel! Why would you go against me? Why?” I want to know, sticking my finger into his rock-hard chest numerous times, as I speak. I then stare at it, as I lower my hand, letting it fall back to my side.

“Who said I didn’t want to help?” he then asks in response, making me furrow my eyebrows at his chest. I can see it rising and falling, as he sighs, but I still don’t turn my head upwards. “Arya, love. I am in every way ready to go on another adventure with you. But we must do this the right way. We’ll speak to Silver, hear what he has to say, then go back to your father. We have until New Year to make him change his mind. If we don’t succeed, then we’ll let him do this his own way, alright? Do we have a deal?”

I stare at his unmoving chest, realizing he’s holding his breath in expectation. I look up at him, gazing into his eyes for a long moment, before nodding. “Deal,” I say quietly. He smiles at me in relief, making me unable to hold back anymore. I slide my arms around his neck and step on my toes, to lean in for a slow, but passionate kiss, sealing our agreement. I don’t care if we’re in the middle of the hallway. Besides, we’re engaged anyway.