Page 26 of The Final Battle

“Just now,“ I answered, taking a seat in the chair opposite of her. “Why aren’t you playing with the others? I’ve seen your skill at taking their money. Did they ban you from the game?“

She set the quill down, watching me with her observant green eyes. This woman knew me better than anyone else alive, so when she smiled and leaned back in my chair, I knew what came next would be something less than glowing.

“So, the dragon gave you a good tongue lashing then. It’s about damn time, you needed someone to knock you off your high horse and the only one you’d listen to is him,“ Becka mused, a haughty look in her eye.

Instead of giving her pointless words, I nodded, smoothing out the skirt of my dress. “I thought tonight it might be nice for us all to have dinner here together. Also, I informed the staff that they were not to bother us unless there was something pressing.“

“It’s a good start, lucky for you those men love you to the point of insanity. Not every day a man jumps off a cliff after his woman, he’s not the only one who would have done it either,“ Becka pointed out. “Are May and I invited to this dinner, or are you planning on apologizing in a more personal way?“

My cheeks heated at her suggestion. While I might find myself fully enjoying the perks of having so many lovers, I wasn’t sure I was ready to put myself on quite that large of a display. “I’d planned on you two being there, since you both are my guardians as well as sisters to me. I owe you both as much of an apology as I do to them.“

“Delightful!“ Becka cheered, clapping her hands together. “Now tell me, is Vasin healing well?“

“He said he needs a few more days, but yes he is healing amazingly fast in my opinion,“ I answered, then gestured towards the paper before her. “Are you going to tell me what you’re working on?“

“Promise not to be upset with me?“ Becka pleaded, sitting up straighter.

“Do I have the right to be upset with you after the past few days?“ I countered.

She cocked her head to the side and thought about that for a moment. “No, but this might fall into a different category.“

Frowning, I held my hand out and she gave over the paper. Glancing over the words, I paused, my breath catching in my chest as my eyes snapped back up to hers. “Did you plan on telling me you were contacting my parents? Moreover, you aren’t just reaching out to them, you’re offering them a place of refuge here with me.“

“Cassarah—“

“No!“ I snapped, cutting her off, slamming the page down on the desk. “They were willing to let me die to save their own pride. Why should they see what I’ve made of myself, in spite of them?“

“Hear me out,“ Becka asked, reaching out to cover my hand with her own. “You are right, they don’t deserve to be offered this chance, but could you live with yourself if they died in this war when you had the chance to save them? The only reason I even considered sending this is so you don’t have to suffer that possibility. Once the war is over if you want to kick them out and never see them again, so be it. They might not even take the offer, they would have to leave everything behind, hoping it would be there when they returned.“

I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to think of some reason to prove she was wrong in her logic. “Fine, send the letter with two dragon riders. Have them drop down out of the sky at their doorstep to give them the letter. Once they read it, I will give them an hour to make their choice, letting them only keep the clothes on their backs. If they are going to be here in my home, they will be at my mercy just like I was my whole life with them.“

“You might not see it now, Cassarah, but you will thank me later for letting me do this. In the back of your mind, I know you’ll always wonder if you should have offered it. If they turn it down, then you are freed from all obligations to them,“ Becka reasoned, handing me the quill to sign my name and place my seal.

How can it be that one of the first documents that I sign and seal is a letter to my own parents? The two people who wronged me most in my life and I’m offering shelter to them. Then Vasin’s words echoed through my head. The fates didn’t pick you because you’re the same as the Lost King but because you’re the opposite. If Henry was in my shoes, he would have killed his parents before ever thinking of saving them. Knowing I was doing something he never would, told me I was making the right choice, no matter how much I disliked it.

Chapter sixteen

Cassarah

Becka didn’t waste any time sending out two dragon riders to deliver my message, but I chose to put that aside for now as I enjoyed an evening with my true family. Dinner was brought up and I couldn’t help but smile as I noticed they selected some of our favorite foods. Having spent time living with Marta when we first arrived, she quickly learned what each of us enjoyed, although everything she cooked was incredible. It was the reason I asked for her to come work at the castle as our head chef.

The atmosphere was relaxed as everyone dished up their plates, having sent the staff away for the night. All of us were more than capable of fending for ourselves, and it was nice to set aside the rules of the castle. The only thing that we couldn’t avoid is that my plate was already made and tested by a taster. Regardless of how I felt about things and wished to be a normal person, I couldn’t be reckless with my own life anymore. Vasin had made sure to hit that home with me in our conversation and I planned to take it to heart.

“So, we might actually get to meet your parents?“ Paxton asked, as we all settled into our meal.

He grunted as Cole glared and my guess would be he kicked him under the table. “Leave it alone.“

“What, I’m not allowed to ask? I get that they were assholes to her and didn’t treat her right, we’ve all heard enough stories to gather that picture. I wanted to know if I could meet them so that I could look that man who called himself her father in the eyes and see if he knows how badly he fucked up,“ Paxton defended, waving his fork at Cole splattering him with food. “You need to back off and take a deep breath. You overprotective caveman.“

Hearing the insult and seeing the mock horror on Cole’s face, I couldn’t help but laugh.

“While I hate to admit this, Paxton isn’t wrong, you know,“ May added. “Out of all of us you, Cole, you’re the only one who seems to baby her feelings the most.“

“I do not!“ Cole declared, slamming his hand on the table. “What you might see as coddling, or babying as you so called it, is not allowing people to treat her without respect.“

“So, what you’re saying is everything that comes out of my mouth you see as disrespectful?“ Paxton asked, resting his head on his hand waiting.

Cole opened and closed his mouth a few times before letting out a frustrated growl. “Look, you treat everyone like they are your sibling or your best friend, not taking into account that they might be someone of higher status. You speak but I don’t think you ever actually think about what you’re going to say before you say it. Most of the time, Abbott or I get after you because you say things that are rude or thoughtless.“