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Kellen stood at her side, his arms outreached, and she willingly slid into them, taking the moment to lean into him. He’d lost both of his parents as well, even though his father still lived, and they both understood just how important it was to treasure those you loved.
“Of course, Riker. Go on, enjoy yourself. Thank you for bringing me here. It’s exactly what I needed.” Kellen’s words rumbled at her ear as Raven pressed her head to his chest, and they stood like that for a moment longer, the tension of the day easing from their shoulders. Finally, Raven tilted her head and looked up at him.
“That was really lovely. The service. What an honor for Alistair and his family. I’m so glad that we learned what we did about him. You don’t have to live with the thought that he’d betrayed you.”
“Yes, one betrayal is more than enough.” A grimace of pain crossed Kellen’s face, and Raven tightened her arms around him.
Kellen’s father had been sent away to wherever they put the bad people in the Fae realm. From Raven’s understanding, that was with Callum at the Danula castle, where the high-ranking Fae had a magickal prison of sorts to house the people who had wronged the others. Exile had been presented as another option, but Kellen hadn’t trusted that his father wouldn’t harm others in the Earthly realm, so they’d agreed upon prison.
He hadn’t spoken to his father before he’d been taken away. Raven had urged him to do so, hoping it would give him closure, but Kellen had assured her that his fist to his father’s face had been all the closure he’d needed. It was tough to argue with that sentiment, seeing as how she’d decapitated her own mother, so Raven had let it go.
“Look.” Kellen shifted, turning so Raven could view the waterfall, and her mouth dropped open.
At the top, Riker jumped, diving into the pool far below, and came up from the depths with a majestic flutter of his wings, sending a rainbow of droplets across the surface. Kellen’s Alicorn followed suit, and soon the two raced back to the top, repeating the jump, before flying in and out of the sparkling fall of water. It reminded Raven of the baby Alicorn racing around the field trying to work off all the excited energy in its chubby, little body.
“I’ve never seen Riker like this,” Raven exclaimed. “He’s like a kid at a playground.”
“It’s the only place he really gets to let down his guard,” Kellen explained, reaching for Raven’s hand to tug her closer to the edge of the pool. “The other Alicorns look to him to lead, so he needs to be aware at all times. But here? Here is a protected space. He can be free to play.”
“I love it,” Raven breathed, laughter bubbling through her as the Alicorns chased each other in the sky. “He’s so happy.”
“It’s his favorite place. And it also means he loves you because he brought you here.”
“Really?” Raven whispered. Riker seemed to understand what they were talking about and flew down to them, landing a few feet away before plodding closer. His coat shone with droplets of water, turning him pearlescent in the sunlight, and Raven reached up to stroke his neck. “Just look at you, Riker. You positively glitter up here, don’t you?”
Riker tossed his head, preening at her words.
“I love you, Riker,” Raven said. “Thank you for bringing us here.”
Riker nudged her with his nose, blowing a soft breath across her face, before turning to race into the sky once more.
“Do you want to go for a swim now that we’re here? The water is refreshing. It can be both warm and cold, depending on what your body craves.”
“Really? That’s incredible,” Raven said, tilting her head to study the shimmering water. She shouldn’t be surprised at the magick that the Fae realm held, but sometimes the smallest of details, like water adjusting to the temperature you like, reminded her just how intricate Fae magick was. “I’d love to go in…but I can’t swim. I was never taught how to.”
“I’ll keep you safe,” Kellen promised.
His words settled into her, a soft sigh of acceptance, and soon they were stepping naked into the water. Much like Kellen had promised, the water was exactly the temperature that Raven had hoped it would be—like a hot spring of sorts—and she sighed happily as it enveloped her.
“Come here,” Kellen said, pulling her so that her back rested against his chest, and he settled them into a comfortable seated position where the water lapped at their shoulders. “How do you find the water?”
“This is great. Like, really great. I’ve had enough of cold damp nights. But this? I could get used to this. It’s really soothing, isn’t it?”
“It is. I, too, went for warmth this time around. Some days, I enjoy nothing more than jumping into icy water. The shock to your body is quite invigorating. You jump out and wonder why you’ve made that choice, but once your blood is pumping, you realize how good it feels. Alistair and I used to come here to play as boys. The Alicorns would look after us. I think he’d be happy we are here right now.” Kellen’s arms tightened around Raven, and she let the silence surround them, understanding that there wasn’t much to be said in this moment. Healing took its own time, and they both would find their way, together.
A thought popped in her head, something that had been bothering her for weeks now, and she shifted as she tried to determine if now would be an appropriate time to bring it up.
“Just say it, Raven.” Kellen’s voice laughed at her ear. He always seemed to know when she was battling with her thoughts.
“Remember how I told you about this youth group that I worked with?”
“I do, yes.”
“There’s this girl there. Taryn. She doesn’t really have anyone, and I promised that I would come back to her…and…”
“You want to bring her here?” Kellen asked, and Raven twisted to look up at him, excitement dancing through her.
“Can I? I mean only, of course, if she wants to come. I thought maybe to just visit her and let her know that I was safe and still thinking about her. But if I could bring her here? I mean, that’s a huge undertaking, Kellen. She’s only twelve or so. She’s a child. She’ll need help and…”
