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Someone might have argued that it was out of character for me to do what I did next, but fuck them. Sebald was my friend. I stepped into him and clamped my arms around him, hugging him close.
It turned out that was the right thing to do. Sebald sucked in a shuddering breath, then let it out in a loud, painful cry of misery. I clamped my hand around the back of his neck, and he tipped his head to my shoulder, sobbing even louder now that the sound could be muffled against my jacket. His sobs bordered on screams, but I knew he needed to get it out. He probably had a lot to get out.
Once he’d screamed until his voice was too hoarse to go on, Sebald shook and sagged heavily against me, so I held him up. He would never have to fall as long as I was there to help him be strong. None of us would.
“You did the right thing,” I told him once his sobs turned into just shaking and weeping. “The boy you thought you knew died a long time ago. The man who died today was a shell of that man. The Dying Winter killed him. Gomez and his tyranny killed him. The only thing that happened here today was justice against a man who let disappointment rot his soul. You’ve saved lives today by letting Jorgen do what he did.”
And he wouldn’t have to take any of the blame for it either. Jorgen was the one who had killed a man, not Sebald. Jorgen was a king, and kings were never punished for the deaths of commoners. It might not have been fair, but it was just the way things were.
“Take all the time you need,” I told Sebald, shifting my tone to be softer, more like a friend. “I’m here for you. I’ve got you. Cry it out, and when you’re ready, we’ll go back to our pups and let them know everything will be okay.”
Sebald drew in a sharp breath and nodded against my shoulder. He stayed where he was for a few more seconds, then dragged his head up. He straightened, rocked back from my embrace, then looked me in the eyes. “Thanks,” he said, his voice wrecked. “You’re a good friend.”
“I’m your brother,” I argued. “We’re Sons. We are family. Your pain is my pain. Your loss is my loss.”
Sebald burst into fresh tears, but surprisingly, they came with a hint of laughter.
“Stop,” he said. “Just fucking stop. You’re making me cry even more.”
“Why?” I asked, grinning in spite of the horror of the situation. “Because I called you my brother? You are my brother. More than the ones I actually have.” I felt sad saying that, but it was true.
Sebald’s posture flagged again as he looked at me with sympathy. “I’m sorry about that,” he said. “I know you hoped for something else from your homecoming.”
I laughed. “Only you would think about how someone else feels when you’ve just had someone who was really important to you die, Sebald.”
I didn’t let him reply to that. I moved close and hugged him again, thumping him on the back. It felt good. If felt like I’d done the right thing.
“Come on,” I said. “Avenel and Genny are going to be beside themselves worrying about us. We have a responsibility toward them.”
Sebald nodded and turned with me when I moved to head back to the cottage, but he didn’t say anything.
Jorgen and Hati still stood in Sebald’s back garden. They watched us as though waiting for us before going in to explain to the pups. Katrina had walked on to the garden of the cottage where she was staying, and as she did, I spotted Ox and Premila hovering in the doorway of that cottage. I hoped Katrina would explain to Premila that she was a widow now so that Sebald didn’t have to. Sebald didn’t need that on top of everything else.
We all headed back into Sebald’s house as soon as we crossed through the garden. I glanced over to where Barthold’s body lay one last time before going inside. No one else was in this neighborhood, so the body would remain untouched if we left it there until we figured out what to do with it.
I was surprised at how much it warmed my heart to see all four pups still kneeling where we’d left them, and that they were holding hands. Things like that should not have cut right through to my heart. I wasn’t the sort who was moved by anything cute or sentimental. But that show of friendship between the four of them was fucking adorable.
“He’s dead,” I told them, gesturing for Genny to get up and come to me. As soon as he did, I wrapped my arms around him. “You don’t have to worry about it anymore.”
Avenel jumped up after only the slightest tilt of Sebald’s head, flying to him and throwing his arms around him with a sob. That was touching too. I kind of wished that Peter was there to see how much Avenel loved Sebald. Barthold had hit Avenel, and I would have been willing to bet that he’d been awful even before today, but Avenel wept as though he’d lost a past lover instead of Sebald.
Kliment and Nikandr went to Jorgen and Hati, and though their reunions were nice, they weren’t as sweet as mine and Genny’s, or Sebald’s and Avenel’s. Jorgen hugged Kliment briefly, then stepped back to examine his lip.
“Did you…were you the one….” Genny swallowed hard, leaning back to peek up at me.
I shook my head and kissed him. “Jorgen,” I answered the question he couldn’t ask. “It was quick and clean, all things considered.”
“We heard him shouting,” Genny said in a whisper.
“Sorry you had to hear anything,” I said, sighing and hugging him again. “God, I wish I could shelter you from that sort of shit. You don’t need that in your life.”
Genny leaned his face against my shoulder. “Thank you for ordering us to stay inside.”
I laughed loosely. “Add that to the list of things Peter doesn’t understand about pupdom.”
Genny laughed softly and hugged me tighter.
I could have stayed there all day and been perfectly happy. It was strange, really. A man had just been murdered while I watched. We were in the middle of negotiations between kingdoms that were falling apart. My family was being stubborn when it came to accepting who I was and who I loved. I’d been fighting with my best friend. But my heart was so happy, just standing there and holding Genny close.
