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I sat between Caleb and Emrys, watching the little girl and knowing that although we could never replace her family, this found family seated together on the terrace would destroy the world to protect her and give her the best life possible.
She skipped over to me and put her arms up. I picked her up and set her on my lap sideways so she could see the arena. “It’s fun here!”
I nodded and pet her hair. “Yes, you’re definitely very popular. That’s a good thing for a princess.”
Once everyone was seated, Branson returned with my water and Lily’s juice. He knelt on one knee as he held them out for us, making Lily giggle again.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Show off.”
Amos walked out, side eyeing us a bit, spun to face the crowd, walked out to the edge of the terrace. “Welcome to the Summit tournament!”
The stands erupted in cheers and claps. We clapped as well.
Raising his hand, he got them to quiet again. “This year, the prize is …”
He paused so long that people started shouting for him to answer.
“… a trip to Atlantis!”
Everyone gasped, including Jolie. She turned to Sam who gave her a smile and an okay sign with his hand.
Sam stood and walked up to stand beside Amos. “I am excited to allow the winner and one person of their choice to join us in Atlantis for a three-day, two-night stay, with accommodations in the castle and all food and drinks provided. Atlantis can’t receive many visitors due to our remote location, but we are beginning to open our borders and this is just the start.”
The crowd cheered and whistled.
Jolie continued to scowl, but said nothing. Nico whispered in her ear and she relaxed slightly.
“That’s quite the announcement,” Caleb whispered. “They’ve never opened to outsiders before, well, outside of my dads going to compete for my mom.”
“Wait, what? Why would they have to compete for your mom?” I hadn’t heard that story before. Clearly, they had won, but what had happened to require it.
“I’ll tell you later,” he promised.
“All those who wish to compete, please head into the arena,” Amos ordered.
At first no one moved, but all looked up at our terrace. After a few breaths, when none of us moved, dozens of men jumped into the arena. After several minutes, the arena was lined with at least eighty men.
“Why aren’t there any women competing?” I asked Caleb softly.
He sighed. “The rules haven’t changed yet to include women.”
“That’s … archaic,” I whispered.
Nodding, he said, “They’re working on convincing them to change it, but Amos is … stubborn.”
“Em, I hungry,” Lily whispered.
“Psst!” Jolie called, dragged a bag from the side of her chair, and shook it.
Lily hopped off my lap and ran over to her. Jolie set the bag in her hands, whispered in her ear, and then pushed her back towards me. Lily ran over and held out the bag. “Snacks! From Nana Jo!”
Nana Jo? I glanced at Jolie with an arched brow and she just smiled. Well, if that’s what she wanted to be called, I was okay with that.
Taking the bag, I opened it and gasped. There were a ton of snacks inside! Crackers, cookies, applesauce cups, jerky, even some small sandwiches.
“How about a sandwich?” I asked Lily. If I gave her cookies first, she wouldn’t want to eat the other foods.
She nodded and scrambled up onto my lap. When I tried to help, she hissed, so I stayed still and let her climb up on her own. Once she was seated, I took out one of the sandwiches, opened the bag, and held it out to her. I grabbed one for myself as well, then set the bag on the ground between my chair and Emrys’.
